Sturdy shoes, a full pack, and clean weapons. Valerie had those down, at least. Her knee-high boots, like the rest of her gear, were finely tailored and well-suited for long journeys. She took particular care to ensure her clothing and equipment remained in excellent condition, and had more than enough funds for when she couldn't perform the maintenance herself. She always tried to keep around double the amount of supplies she expected she'd need in her pack. She'd quickly grown used to carrying it, and it could be discarded swiftly enough in the event that she needed to fight immediately. Valerie was well aware that her speed was her most valuable attribute, and the one most vital to keeping herself alive.

"That's what I said to the smith who forged it," she replied, when Markus complimented her sword. Baldrick was the smith's name, but he no longer toiled over special order pieces for the children of Lord Winter. Now he worked day and night to produce blades and armor for the king's army. A true shame. "Slash and sweep. I'll remember." Valerie was hardly offended at receiving advice from the man. After all, she'd just declared her own lack of experience, and would be the first to admit that she had a great deal to learn and improve on.

Markus was correct that she would do quite well one one one; there was scarcely a swordsmen within the castle walls of her home that could defeat her in single combat, and she'd made certain that they were giving it their all. She gave them a royal thrashing when she suspected otherwise. But groups of foes had naturally given her more trouble to spar against. And though she usually managed well enough in the practice ring, her opponents lacked the killer drive that she would see in true battle. She learned that much quickly enough from the bandits and other minor threats that she earned her modest experience on thus far.

"Truth be told, it's mostly chance that brought me here," she admitted, eyes wandering on their surroundings. The wilderness outside Highmast had a certain beauty to it that she appreciated. The forests were not as thick in her homeland, everything felt trodden over, as though a thousand people had been there before and would be again tomorrow. There was energy here, more of the unknown than the mundane. "I imagine my nobility is fairly obvious. Events in my kingdom forced me to leave, due to a decision I made. It's... a bit of a long story." She wasn't necessarily opposed to telling it, but they'd only just met, and that decision had been a rather personal one.

"This kind of work calls to me, I think. I've always been adventurous, excelled in my training, and a great many people can benefit from my skill and my sword. More than I could hope to serve at home. As for Highmast... there's opportunity here, and that often means danger." She wondered sometimes if her altruism was foolish, or reckless. She didn't exactly need the coin from this job, though her funds had been slowly dwindling since she left home. The danger of the work was undeniable, too. But she believed she was capable of facing it and overcoming it, and she'd yet to be proven wrong.
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