The knight brought the horse up to a quick canter and when the horse was about a quarter of the distance from Joe, the horse leapt to a full gallop. The knight was bearing down on Joe’s right so the sword in the knight’s right hand could be brought to bear against Joe. When the knight was fifteen or twenty meters from him, Joe leapt directly in front of the horse and slapped his spear down on the ground, stepping on the butt while angling the spear blade directly at the horse’s breast.
The knight immediately shouted what Joe could only guess were some curses and yanked back on the reigns, pulling the horse to a stop and turning it to the side simultaneously. The horse’s abrupt stop and the knight’s surprise was enough to unseat the rider, tumbling from the horse to land at Joe’s feet. Joe yanked away the spear blade so the knight wouldn’t be impaled and he stepped forward to slam a foot down on the knight’s back, pressing the knight into the ground. The horse had come to a stop just in front of Joe but a bit out of reach so he pulled up his spear and smacked the horse’s rear with the flat of his spear. He didn’t want to harm the horse, but he didn’t want to leave it around for the knight, either. He would have a long walk back to get the horse for the horse immediately reared in shock and turned to flee in terror down the road.
Joe knelt down on the knight’s back, using all his weight to hold the knight down. He rapped the knight’s helmet a few times and then finally spoke.
“Listen here, moron. You don’t help. You don’t get the reward. Are you an idiot?”
Joe then stood and smacked the knight hard on the back then shoved his left arm against his body before pulling him over to leave the knight in full plate armor lying like a floundering turtle on its back. When the knight tried to sit up, Joe shoved the knight back down dozens and dozens of times until the knight’s abdominals were burning and Joe saw that the knight was really struggling to rise. It’ll take him a couple minutes to rest up before he can stand. We’ll be long gone by then!
“Go home inn now, Garnedell!” Joe replied in the local language, responding almost without much thought.
Joe then turned to Garnedell and headed north into the woods. Garnedell followed him although Joe was certain he was a bit confused by Joe’s action. As they walked into the depths of the forest north of the road, Joe would glance back every few steps. For the first half a minute or so, Joe was pushing himself to move quickly, uncertain how soon the knight would be able to stand, but with each look back, Joe saw the knight either struggling to rise or collapsed on the ground. After five or ten times of seeing this repeat, Joe calmed down and walked with more caution and deliberation, placing his feet carefully to reduce his tracks. After another minute or so, he could no longer see the road or knight and turned to focus on his journey through the woods, and about five minutes later he turned due west, using the brilliant setting sun to guide them. It took a bit longer than Joe liked, but they made the village up by the lakes edge while the sun was still up.
* * *
Marcan waited at the stream, hoping for the foreigner to return so they could complete their daily ritual to Enki, the god of water. He was still uncertain as to the purpose of such rituals, but he could not deny their power. The man had freed him from a great slime as easy as a child grasping a worm from the ground, and he would be forever grateful. Not only that, since he had committed fully to Enki by gaining the religious accruements of soap and the four holy cloths: the one greater cloth and three lesser, Marcan had gained great popularity in the village. OK. Maybe not great popularity, but I’m certainly more pleasing!
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His skin had become cleaner and clearer, and the women of the village shown a marked interest that was certainly lacking before. He did not know Enki was such a god as to care for even the bodies of his followers, as he was the god of waters, not healing. But since his escape from the slime with almost no damage that normally came from slimes, Marcan could only believe the Enki had personally saved him after he had leapt into the waters as the hero had commanded him.
While he was willing to pay holy tribute to Enki alone, he truly wished to await the hero and ask for his permission to bless and meet his soon to be engaged. Both of them were planning to entreat her parents within the next several days and hoped for a blessing for the meeting. Marcan feared that without the blessing, the parents would decline their request simply because of his lower status; his paramour was of great position with the village and he had been delightfully shocked she was interested in him.
As the sun began to set, Marcan felt a bit depressed and decided to begin the holy ritual as one thing he had learned from apprentice Garnedell was the necessity to complete the ritual before the sunset. There wasn’t much time left, and he feared he would not be able to complete the ritual baptizing of head, arms, body, and legs before the sun completely set.
However, even as he pulled off his shirt to begin the ritual, he heard the boisterous sibilant speech of the foreign hero coming from the lake side this time and he quickly completed his disrobing to great his savior and his apprentice. He had originally tried to greet him traditionally by shaking hands, but found the foreigner seemed disquieted by the traditional palm press and caress of the disarmed, preferring a strange head bob. Marcan always felt awkward completing such a greeting, but pushed himself to attempt it.
The foreigner waved happily and bobbed his head as well, offering a beaming smile of happiness to see him. Truly! I wish I were so strong to feel so carefree and happy! Marcan moved his greeting to the apprentice, offering a similar bow of the head which the apprentice returned with the traditional sobriety reserved for the weak. Although, he will not be weak for long! I must treat him with great respect, maybe even gain his friendship.
“Evening ablutions, Garnedell. I’m quite happy to see you.”
“You as well, Marcan. Why have you waited so long to pay holy tribute to Enki?”
“Ah… I was hoping to enjoy the ablutions with you as well as your master. I wish to gain a favor, a boon, if you will.”
“Why would you ask for a boon… ahh… Congratulations are soon to be in order then?”
Marcan couldn’t keep the happy smile off his face as he bobbed again in greeting. Huh… that’s not too hard to do… I can see how it could be so useful as a greeting! He stepped forward and nodded his head in agreement, and pressed his hands to the apprentice in the greeting of the disarmed.
“Yes. I wish to gain the approval of the reeve in hopes it may sway my claimed’s parents to agree to an engagement.”
“So she agreed to claiming?”
“It was a mutual claiming. She claimed me as well. I was quite surprised but happier than you can believe.”
“I’m very happy for you, Marcan. I hope you will have a successful engagement.”
“I believe I can, with your master’s approval and blessing.”
“When do you hope to gain the blessing?”
“May I bring her tomorrow? To evening tribute to Enki?”
Garnedell blinked several time, considering, before nodding yes. He hoped that he could explain well enough to his master, although his master still struggled greatly in his understanding.
“I will try, Marcan. But it is difficult to explain to him. There are still so many words missing and he seems to struggle to understand our language. Do not even ask me to understand his. His language is complicated and convoluted beyond anything I have experienced! It is truly strange!”
“Truly?”
“Beyond compare. But I will try. Bring her tomorrow.”
“She will join the evening rituals. She wishes to join me in tribute to Enki.”
Garnedell smiled widely, “That would be wonderful! She is willing?”
“Yes.”
“Great! But we should finish ours quickly. The sun is setting quite fast.”
By this time, Joe had long since buried himself in the stream, and the two looked up to the sun, seeing it quickly setting and moved to finish their tribute to Enki. Marcan seemed relaxed but was excited for tomorrow while Garnedell stressed as he pondered the difficult task of explaining the impossible without a language.