Another day's march.

Another day where they could have been caught; surrounded on all sides, filled with arrows and torn to shreds.

But it hadn't happened. Here they marched. They'd made much more progress today, keeping to the riverbed meant that they had less foliage to clear or get around, less tripping hazards and a hell of a lot fewer injuries.

Kor'Ak's eyes lazily watched the goblin as it drove it's dagger through fur, flesh and sinew, cackling to itself wildly as slatters of red painted its yellow fangs. The deer screamed, tried to buck him off. He drove the dagger deeper. The screaming stopped.

It would also seem that there wasn't any reason to worry about food anymore. This great river seemed to be one of the most common watering 'holes' for the critters and animals around here and for some reason, they didn't seem to consider the goblin much of a threat.

His blood-soaked dagger was a testament against that.

And so was the corpse of another deer that Kor'Ak was lugging over his shoulder. It was a pain, and it made the sleep-deprived warrior even wearier as they walked, but Kelvin had argued that they could get some money for the animal's body, and considering only one of them was lucky enough to even have the clothes on his back, Kor'Ak couldn't really argue. As much as he wanted a rest, he was willing to work a bit harder with the hopes of having a rest inside an actual house, with a bed of feathers or straw rather than moss and grass.

Something rustled a short ways off to his left; he gestured to Kelvin and Steal, the goblin was too enthralled in sinking its teeth into the dead deer's throat, but Kelvin was paying attention, and he followed Kor'Ak's next gesture towards the woods to their left.

Kor'Ak dropped the deer corpse. The two men drew their blades, pressed together and prepared themselves as the sound of metal scraping against metal amplified.

The figure burst through the treeline, Kor'Ak charged with his heavy blade in hand, and Kelvin's free hand hummed with arcane energy.

"Stand ho mine own valorous men, putteth down thy blades and halcyon yourselves!" the figure's voice rang out, strong and tinny as it erupted from unseen lips hidden behind his silver bucket helm.

Kor'Ak froze. Utterly bewildered.

Kelvin didn't.

"Why the fuck do I always come across you!" A bolt of purple energy erupted from the blonde man's hand.

Kor'Ak cringed and yelled out "Stop!"

Too late, the needle of magic crashed against the strange man's blue surcoat, then it struck the mail below.

The bolt hung there for a moment as it's colour drained from it, after a second, it lost all colour, now nothing more than a shard of glass as it broke and crumbled into dust, which was swiftly carried away on the light forest breeze.

The odd, armoured fellow seemed rather unfazed as he continued to bellow. "Thee cannot did hurt me with such pitiable charm, t might not but beest thee Ambrose, is dram William well?" There was no evidence that Kelvin had ever attacked this strange man, besides the jagged hole in his cloth surcoat.

"Kelvin, what is this guy going on about?"

Steal had taken notice now, blood dripping from his teeth as he rushed towards the armoured gentleman, though the goblin skidded to a swift halt as Kor'Ak extended his hand to stop him.

"I... I don't know who this is"

"You just said you Always come across him"

"Well... I..."

"Doth thee not knoweth me? tis I, Lord Angus Reginald Pennysworth Of The Holy Solarian Church! p'rhaps thee knoweth me by mine own oth'r titles, Slayeth'r of Beasts? Dragonslay'r, Chosen Knight of Solaria! Dram Ambrose, I s'rv'd as counseleth to young William f'r many a decade, how couldst thee not knoweth me?" The man, Lord Angus Reginald Pennysworth spoke with great bombast, casting his hands out dramatically as his armor scraped together, the sound of thousands of mail rings were nothing compared to his joyous, exaggerated voice.

"What is wrong with you? What are you saying? Please speak normally" Kor'Ak had had enough, perhaps it was the sleep deprivation, or the fact he'd been dealing with Kelvin's odd way of speaking, but this broke him.

"I doth speaketh liketh any commonfolk" Lord Angus Reginald Pennysworth cross his arms, steel-plate shrieked as it scraped together again. "Doth thee very much not rememb'r me Ambrose?"

Kelvin's normally pale skin was red, his teeth gritted as spittle flew from his mouth with every word "Who is Ambrose? My name is Kelvin, Kelvin Sescenti, and I have no idea who Angus-"

"LORD ANGUS"

"-Lord Angus-"

"REGINALD PENNYSWORTH!"

"Lord fucking Angus fucking Reginald fucking Pennysworth" The normally rather uneasy and smiling wizard spat onto the ground.

"P'rhaps I wast mistaken then, nev'rmind, followeth me, thee behold not restful and wounded, m're of mine own men art just up this riv'r" Kor'Ak could feel the self-proclaimed lord's eyes scan over his body, taking in his every scar, bruise and cut. "We has't a doct'r too, a fine one forsooth"

It was Kor'Ak that spoke now, his anger somewhat calmed, his mind a little less broken. "Up the river?" His eyes glanced over to Kelvin, the wizard had hypocritically denied ever knowing this... lord. The warrior had always suspected he was hiding something, this only further confirmed his assumptions. "By any chance are your men part of an outpost at the foot of the mountains this river comes from?"

"We most c'rtainly art, I am only one of the many valorous men of The Holy Solarian Church" The knight's helmet turned to face the goblin that was now stood beside Kor'Ak, blade still in hand. "Is the green one also thy ally?"

"Yeah, he is. Friendlier than he looks as well."

Angus merely chortled and drew his blade.

Steal hissed, and Kor'Ak gripped the hilt of his great lump of iron tighter.

Angus' gauntleted hand pulled the bottom of his surcoat up as he cut two rectangles out of the cloth, quickly stowing his silver sword again moving slowly, and loudly towards Steal and Kor'Ak. He handed the largest of the sections of fabric to Kor'Ak, and the smallest to the goblin. "Cov'r thy privates, and followeth behind me, I wanteth to beest backeth f'r supp'r"

And with that, the knight sprung forwards gayly down the river; moving with an astonishing amount of grace for a man covered in so much metal. Perhaps the only thing he could appreciate about the oddball.

Kor'Ak grabbed the deer and tossed it over his shoulder again, before he tied the scrap of fabric around his waist. He appreciated that as well.