S'haar filled the sled with the first load of ore. The sled itself was a simple design, a raised platform with short walls around the side. Underneath were a couple of runners, the bottoms of which were coated with a thin layer of metal. The runners were curved upward at the end, allowing them to pass over small obstacles. At the front, Jack attached a harness similar to the one S'haar had used to haul the trunk earlier. Her people often used a similar design, though they're usually wasn't any metal on the runners. It was too precious to waste on something as simple as hauling material.

Jack had dug up the ore through a process he called "mining." He used a large metal frame he called an "exo-suit." While in it, he moved much slower than usual, but it gave him tremendous strength. Enough that he could lift the drill he used and place girders made from the remnants of the trees they had cut down the day before. He'd said he was looking for something called "iron veins."

She'd been confused, but Jack clarified. "They're deposits of high concentrations of metal that ran through the mountain the way veins run through a person."

S'haar had doubted Jack until he dug them out, separate the metal from the stone, then fill the area with a mix of gravel and something he called "concrete." The chunks of metal and rock were then broken down, and the metal was separated from the stone. The stone would fill the next hole Jack dug, and S'haar would haul the ore back to the cave entrance.

It was exhausting work but went quicker than S'haar would have thought possible. In an afternoon, the two of them had acquired more iron than a team of her people could gather in a week.

Normally walking the distance from Jack's cave to S'haar's village would be a dangerous trek at the start of winter, but this time was different. Angela and Jack had gifted S'haar with clothing warmer than any she'd ever owned in her life. On top of that, they had included pockets on the inside that held warming packets. With a little experimentation, S'haar was able to walk around outside the cave with none of the usual lethargy that overtook her people when they spent too much time out in the cold air.

As S'haar loaded the iron, Jack was grumbling about it being inhumane to be awake and working at this hour of the day. He was packing other supplies they might need on the trip. Things like a tent, sleeping mats, sleeping bags, changes of clothes, food, supplies for a fire, and more. It seemed a bit much for such a short journey, but at her inquiring look, Jack had shrugged. "Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it!" S'haar couldn't fault his logic.

With everything packed and ready, S'haar put on her harness, Jack picked up his backpack, which was loaded with a few final supplies, and began their journey to S'haars village.

-

Jack watched his traveling companion closely. Her expressions were still hard to read, but Jack was getting better at figuring out what emotions triggered what responses. Right now, her face was a careful mask of neutrality, but Jack's gut was telling him there were subtle signs of worry his eyes weren't picking up.

As she scanned the horizon, Jack could tell her gaze wasn't lingering on any one spot, and her thoughts seemed to be turned inward. It didn't seem like she was worried about the present, so it must be the future that weighed on her. With a little reflection, it wasn't hard to guess why.

Around noon they stopped to eat some of the food Jack had packed. It was a meal made more with convenience in mind than taste, but it was still decent enough. Lunch consisted of a few ham and cheese sandwiches and some teriyaki jerky added to satisfy S'haar's high meat requirements.

In between bites, Jack decided to broach the subject that seemed to be weighing on S'haar's mind. "How do you think your hometown is going to react to their 'sacrifice' returning alive and acting as a bodyguard to a 'wealthy' trader?"

S'haar jumped as though she had forgotten Jack was sitting just a few feet across from her. As she looked at him, her eyes blinked slowly the way someone might if they had just woken from a deep sleep. He could tell from her expression that S'haar seemed somewhat ashamed for letting herself get so distracted.

S'haar had a hard edge to her eyes as she replied. "Honestly? I'm not sure. I imagine most of the villagers will be indifferent. This time of year, they are too busy preparing for winter to waste any more time or energy than is necessary, especially on anything that doesn't directly impact themselves. The real question is how much trouble B'arthon may want to cause. My snubbing him is the reason I found myself in that situation, and I suspect he won't be happy until I'm no longer there to remind him of his humiliation…"

Jack took an interest in this. "I've heard you speak of him before, from the sounds of things, he's a person of some import to the village? How much trouble could he cause if he chose to?"

S'haar sighed in frustration. "Again, I'm not sure. When I was on my own, he could get rid of me easily enough by volunteering me as a sacrifice. With you, it will probably be different. You have resources to offer that could make a large difference to the village's prosperity, and by extension, his family's as well. That's probably not enough to make B'arthon stop and think, but it might be enough to force his father to rein him in. On the other hand, you aren't argu'n, so he may decide that it's best to take what you have by force. If it comes to that, I'm confident I can get you out alive, but otherwise, our trip might be a total loss."

Jack tilted his head and locked his eyes with S'haar's. "That's all well and good regarding my welfare, but what about yourself? This village was your home, these are your people, and they turned their back on you. How are you holding up with the idea of returning to it all?"

S'haar was silent for a moment while she looked into the distance. As she returned her attention to Jack, a sad smile passed her lips. "I may have lived there all my life, but I think that the village stopped being a home to me long ago. I already had plans to try and move on if I survived another winter. It was purely coincidental that you offered me the opportunity to do so a little earlier. I think the only reason I hadn't already moved on was my job in the guard. It was a large part of who I was, and at the time, that seemed like enough. Now that I'm looking back, the last few years feel empty. I don't know what the future holds for me currently, but at least I'm moving forward once again."

Jack sat back and nodded. He understood a thing or two about living through empty years. He also noticed the worry seemed to have mostly lifted from S'haar's face. It seemed like she had found a resolution to whatever inner turmoil had been troubling her.

Packing away the remnants of their lunch Jack stood up and started shouldering his pack again. "Well, speaking of moving forward, we should get going again. If we are too late getting back to the ship tomorrow, Angela is liable to start looking into a way to come looking for us. Trust me. We don't want that. Her ideas tend to be a little... excessive."

-

As they approached the gate, S'haar could see the guard was asleep next to the fire, still burning, at his post. That wasn't too surprising this late into the year. It was uncommon for any Argu'n to be out making trouble in the cold. The guards were mostly there to remind everyone of their presence and thus keep anyone from wasting enough energy to cause problems. The village wouldn't need to worry about raids until spring at the earliest, and the wildlife knew better than to come this close to the walls of a town filled with hungry predators.

As they approached, S'haar called out to the guard. "Ger'ron, you old lazy waste of a uniform! Wake up and do something useful for once! Like opening the gate! We have a shipment of metal to trade for goods and services."

The Argu'n S'haar shouted at came to with a jolt. He was obviously a bit past his prime, but any young Argu'n guard who thought that meant he was easy pickings in the sparring ring quickly found themselves on their back end, trying to remember what exactly had gone wrong. He'd taught S'haar more than one dirty trick to deal with someone who let themselves become overconfident due to size and strength. These days he preferred to take boring jobs. He was famous for complaining that "excitement is for the young." He didn't feel the need to show off like the rest of the guard, so S'haar had always liked working with him.

A sheepish grin covered his embarrassment as he came to attention. "S'haar! I didn't expect to see you..." His face fell as he remembered why he wasn't expecting to see her. "again..." He finished lamely.

S'haar walked right up to him, not hiding her amusement at his discomfort. "Well, apparently, it takes more than a dragon to kill me, even if I'm left tied to a pole as an offering. It turns out the dragon happened to be in the market for a local guide and guard. This here is Jack. He's the dragon's representative, and he's here to trade a bit of metal."

Jack grumbled in the background. "Demoted from dragon to a mere representative. A guy just can't catch a break..."

Ger'ron Looked back and forth between the two. He knew S'haar was formidable and had a temper, not to mention motive, but on her own, she was hardly a threat to an entire village. This "Jack" looked sickly and hardly seemed like he could pose a danger to even the village children. Bending down and inspecting the ore, he was surprised at the amount and the quality they had. While he was hardly an expert, he'd been operating the gate long enough to see the ore the workers usually brought back. This seemed like at least a couple of weeks' worth.

Turning back to S'haar, he decided to be straight with her. "Now I know you have cause to make trouble, but I want your word that you are here for trade and nothing else. Also, you'll have to leave your weapons with me. They'll be returned to you when you leave tomorrow."

S'haar crossed her arms and rested her weight on one heel; her face bore a clear expression of annoyance. "Why take our weapons? Every day traders come through armed to the teeth!"

Ger'ron had the decency to look ashamed but refused to budge on the issue. "Look, I'm not saying I agree with what happened to you. I can even see why it would be tempting for you to get a little revenge. What's more, I might even enjoy the show. However, as the guard who let you into the village, I'd be held responsible. You've got the motive. I'm just trying to remove the means. We both know you can take care of yourself with or without that short sword at your side. At least I'll look like I'm trying to do my job."

S'haar looked like she was about to protest further, but Jack had already unbelted his knife and handed it over. Realizing Ger'ron was old and stubborn enough to argue the day away, she relented and handed her blade in as well.

Ger'ron took the weapons then looked at S'haar. "And your word?"

S'haar felt like a child being asked to apologize when she was anything but sorry. "Fine, I will not seek revenge against the spinless villagers who left me for dead or the dickless wonder who led them. This time..."

Satisfied that was as good as he was going to get, Ger'ron Took a moment to inspect the blades before stowing them away in the shed behind him. Walking back out, he rapped on the gate loudly. "Hey Jar'maal, Open up. We got some traders here with iron!"

From the other side of the gate came the voice of a younger and more bored Argu'n. "This time of year? Are they insane?"

Despite his words, the gate was unbarred and swung open, allowing S'haar and Jack to walk in. As she walked past the younger guard, she could feel his eyes bulging out of their sockets as he recognized who was walking past. She just kept her eyes forward and kept walking, letting him stare slack-jawed at her retreating form. As they walked through town, they could hear voices raised in astonishment and confusion all around them.

People stopped what they were doing to see the sacrifice walking among them again. Not only that, but she was leading the oddest and sickliest looking Argu'n any of them had ever seen. From the whispers that followed them, this seemed to be one of the most notable events in the village's recent history.

S'haar noticed a few argu'n that took off running as soon as they saw who was the source of the attention. It was a fair bet that all too soon, B'arthon would hear about her return. However, for now, it was best to worry about unloading the ore before things got overly dramatic.

As they approached the crafting corner of the village, the younger argu'n stopped what they were doing to stand and stare at the odd pair. Not long after, an old argu'n appeared and began whipping a couple of the nearby workers with a towel smeared in grease. "Who told you that you could slack off? Get back to work the lot of you!"

Seeing who was approaching, he barely paused before wiping his hands on the same greasy towel he'd been using for discipline. "S'haar! I won't pretend I'm not surprised to see you. What brings you here? I warn you, regardless of what you've been through, I won't tolerate you stirring up any trouble over here. We've got a lot of work to do and never enough time to do it in!"

S'haar hadn't worked with the craft master much in the past, but he always treated the guard with respect, and she had no ill will toward the old man. "I'm not here to make trouble Mar'kon, but I'm not going to help with your workload either. We've got a load of iron ore here that we want to have refined. In return, you'll get a cut of the refined iron."

Mar'kon looked over the ore S'haar had indicated. He held up a chunk glaring at it with a critical eye. "It's garbage, and it'll take a lot of work to refine. We'll do it for a 5 out of 10 cut."

That seemed like a lot to S'haar, but she wasn't sure how to respond. That's when Jack stepped up. "S'haar, introduce me and translate. I'll negotiate."

S'haar turned back to Mar'kon. "This is Jack. The ore is his. I'm just working as a guard and translator on his behalf. He can understand you just fine, but he can't speak our tongue."

Jack looked up at the older Argu'n, barely coming up to his chest. It was easy to feel intimidated, but Jack tried not to let any of that show on his face and hoped S'haar could compensate for any hesitation in his voice. "Tell him that's some of the purest ore he's ever going to see, and He can have a 1 in 10 cut."

Mar'kon listened for a moment before grinning and countering. "Our workload is already too full with winter coming. We'll do it for a 4 in 10 cuts."

Jack didn't hesitate. "The smelters will keep him and his people plenty warm while the rest of the village is cold. If he wants us to come back here regularly instead of going to a different village, he can have a 2 in 10 cut."

A look of surprise flashed across Mar'kon's face at the idea of this much ore regularly, but the look faded so quickly Jack could tell he was a veteran negotiator. The old man countered again. "You came here because we're closer than any other village. We'll take a 2.5 in 10 cut."

Jack thought that was fair, but added in one last condition. "You can have 2.5 out of 10, but I get to chose which bars you keep. This will avoid the temptation of anyone trying to make some bars higher quality than the rest."

Jack held out his hand and had S'haar explain. "This is called a handshake. Where I come from, it has many uses, including the acknowledgment of a mutually beneficial agreement."

Hearing this, Mar'kon offered his hand as well. Jack took the oversized hand and shook twice. "Pleasure doing business with you Mar'kon, I look forward to working with you again. We'll stop by tomorrow to tell you where the refined ore will be sent."

Mar'kon looked genuinely surprised at this. "You're not taking it with you?"

Jack shook his head. "Not this time. We won't have the time to hang around for it all to smelt. Instead, we're planning on trading most of it for some goods we need to take with us. The rest we'll pick up when we come with the next load."

Mar'kon thought for a moment. "Fair enough, but I won't have the space to store it for a long time. We'll use anything left for more than two weeks and reimburse you with something of similar value at our discretion."

Jack nodded. "That'll work fine. Two weeks should be plenty of time."

Mar'kon looked around him and selected one apprentice who seemed less focused than the rest. "Tel'ron, get your butt over here and get this ore over to the smelter. I want to have half of this smelted by morning, so we know the iron's quality. Now get moving!"

The young Argu'n got to it right away. The apprentices seemed to have the healthy fear any earth apprentice would have for a strict master, but they lacked the skittishness youngsters showed around someone too quick to lash out. Jack decided he liked old Mar'kon.

Just then, Mar'kon looked over their shoulders and suddenly seemed tired for some reason. "I've got work to do. Remember, I don't want any trouble around here, so if you have to fight, take it elsewhere! That goes for all of you!"

Jack had just a second to be confused before hearing a surprisingly petulant new voice behind him. "Looks like the little orphan girl was even a failure at being a sacrifice. Now she's also got a pet! Or maybe she's finally found someone pathetic enough to let her share his bed!"

As Jack turned around, he saw an unfamiliar argu'n. This one was slightly shorter than the average male Jack had seen until now, but he was dwarfed by the two giants standing just behind him. Most of the villagers seemed to wear leather or primitive cloth garments, but the center Argu'n wore furs and even a little metal. All three wore the same grin. It was the kind of grin that announces to everyone that they were looking to cause trouble.

S'haar stepped up, putting herself between Jack and the new group. She then addressed the leader. "Hello B'arthon, it's been a while, hasn't it?"