“Arrogance is thinking I need a title to slay you where you stand, [i]Castigator[/i] Silbermine shot back. It was taking all the restraint he had to maintain a civilised dialogue while being berated at every turn. A twig snapped at the edge of the clearing, and all the Glen ears twitched to listen in. More of Silbermine’s retinue were watching, waiting. 

Silbermine turned his attention back to the Human with a lame leg. Frankly he was confused by what they were saying. First, the tiny golem on its arm seemed to confirm they had declined his offer without a moment’s thought. Then they claimed to have come from celestial heavens so far removed that even the gods hadn’t reached them. Silbermine thought briefly of the sky at night; giant constellations of twinkling lights, and was awed all over again.

Then the Human started saying things that he had no understanding of. The golem translator’s long winded unpacking of the concepts was lost on Silbermine, and for a moment his focus drifted to the flaming Iriad of the group. It had shown open spite, but it was clearly a magical being. A champion like that could be a worthy substitute for these Humans if they weren’t willing to help him. His eyes narrowed slightly as the Iriad met his stare.

During this time, a couple of the Humans had talked to the Castigator, and then the lame one offered a demonstration while also claiming magicks too advanced for him to understand. Silbermine huffed and his eyes narrowed even further. He was starting to dislike this one. He did relish the slight note of concern that appeared to be creeping into the Castigator’s voice. They were growing insecure that the Humans may be seduced by the promise of gold and glory.

This was when another Human addressed him. He thought it could be the one he had thrown a currency band to days ago, but it was hard to tell - they all looked alike. What this one said sent a thunderbolt up his spine. Now it made sense why they knew not of the gods! Silbermine boomed a satisfied sigh when Itxaro addressed him again about the Running. The Castigator jumped in at this point, evidently desperate to distract him from his purpose. He replied to her quietly when she came closer.

“You talk of war when that surely visits ruin upon these noble sky people. I am merely offering them coin, expertise and labour in exchange for their help! What do you offer, beyond empty platitudes?” At this point, another Human appeared, carrying some glasses and a red liquid. Silbermine sniffed the proffered glass before Sir Sweven took it. The vessel looked tiny and awkward in his gauntleted fist. The knight took a sip, checking for poison. Glen had their own intoxicating beverages, it seemed Sir Sweven would have preferred those to the strange Human offering. "What is this [i]wine[/i] made of?" He asked Arancini.

Silbermine talked around Nellara to Dr Ibarra. “The track I intend to enter has twelve Korunds.” The translator unpacked that as an ‘approximate measure of distance similar to a furlong’. 

“I believe I know the perfect role for you in this, Humans. One component of the second Korund is for foreigners who DO NOT know of the gods we worship to gain patronage from a Monastic Order for the House of their benefactor.”

Silbermine didn’t elaborate, because this task was actually one of the hardest feats to achieve. The Monastic Orders exacted a pound of flesh from any champion who dared ask for patronage during the Running. But the rewards from this Korund were huge - Monasteries and Orders in general were fabulously wealthy off the fat of their flock. Gaining patronage from them was a sure way to secure a dynasty.

“Besides that, there are countless opportunities for valour and glory. I require many champions this year, including magic users - what say you? I have never witnessed your ilk before, Iriad. You could be a hero!” The last bit, Silbermine directed towards Shirik.

It was at this point that Zey arrived outside the camp. She’d crossed the trenches that’d been dug around the Jotunheim so far, inspecting their integrity as she went. The rocky terrain made them shallow and irregular, barely shoulder-high on her, but they were better than standing in the open.

All the while, she was listening to the conversation (and occasional argument) unfolding in the camp. So when she arrived, Zey didn’t waste any time. Her tone was firm and measured. She gestured between Nellara and Silbermine with all her fingers pressed together like a teacher might reprimand pupils, despite being half their size. She didn’t even have her plate carrier on.

“Our ‘golems’ are not for hire right now. They’re busy preparing for the arrival of [b]two[/b] armies because you can’t put aside your differences. I want to make our position quite clear - we come in peace and want to trade goods and knowledge with both of your nations. But we’re also ready to defend ourselves if threatened. Our kind have fought each other for over ten thousand years; we’ve gotten very good at it. Please don’t make us prove that. Now here’s what you can actually help us with instead of trying to maim each other.” Zey used the fingers on one hand to outline the separate points.

“Firstly, power. If your magic can jump start our…furnace? We’ll take as many people as you’ve got. Secondly, clothing. Our air is different to yours - our clothes could catch fire at any moment. Do you have tailors? We need uniforms. Third, a very large box and lots of small boxes fell out of our ship before we crashed and I want them back…We’ll also need more food samples to test, and water…Am i missing anything?” Zey looked around at her crew for help before resuming.

“In return, we can provide highly refined metals like aluminium and titanium. You have a blacksmith here - you is welcome to test anything and everything we trade” Zey waved at J’eon as he came over.

“I will consider sending a delegation to the Running [i]if[/i]…we have a sworn guarantee of safety. We will [b]definitely[/b] want to be paid for our participation, thank you Dr Ibarra! We’ll also meet any important people you think we should meet… Do we have a trade?”

Zey looked at Nellara and Silbermine, nervous now she’d finished her monologue. The inhabitants of the Jotunheim had an exceptionally weak hand; she could only hope she’d played it with some element of flair.

As if on cue, the ship’s lights flashed three times. That was the signal to return to the ship. Zey pressed the earbud connected to her comms unit.

“Zey to Bridge, do we have a problem, over.”
[hr]
“Sir, they’re still approaching the comms relay. Fifty metres and closing. Translation software is saying they want us to remove the ‘evil totem’. Chappel is requesting the authorisation of non-lethal rounds to disperse them.