[h2]Jakobe Ruseenfalt- Westroad Village[/h2]

Grimacing at the way the situation had progressed, Jakobe turned to Hugh and grimaced. Of course their enemy was willing to resort to such a tactic, they'd already been pillaging when the Reclaimers arrived. He was considering an attempt to convince the bandit that their best chance at not being brutally slaughtered would be to give up the girl and go home, but he wasn't sure they'd be willing to commit to such a thing. Neither side looked willing to back down, and the stand-off was the picture of tension. 

Jakobe would have the advantage if he were to fight the bandit leader man-to-man, but the fact that they were holding a defenseless woman with a sword to her throat told Jakobe that these folks weren't the type to value honor or integrity. Put simply, this was a hell of a dilemma. 

Nickolas's move was a hell of a crapshoot, and all Jakobe could do when he started his speech was look on in a mixture of horror, curiosity, and hope.