The Challenger (Fight Pt 3)
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 24th February 2016
Characters: Taril, Olov
Description: Taril lines up the main fight of the night
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 4, day 9 of Turn 8
Taril tracked Polson down the next day in the Hold's dining cavern. He wasn't hard to miss; when Japlow said that Polson was a mountain of a man, and he wasn't wrong. The man was solid as a tree trunk with a thick black beard and hair that needed a trim. He was hunched over his lunch, the size of his hands making his cutlery look like a child's.
Taril slid into the seat across from him and studied the man across the table. Polson looked up at the unexpected company, his dark eyes surprisingly canny beneath thick black brows. But he didn't say anything, and instead returned his attention to the bowl of fish stew.
"You're Guardsman Polson?" Taril asked when it became apparent that Polson wasn't going to speak first. When the guard nodded, Taril leaned back in his chair. "You know who I am?"
"Sure." Polson's voice was gravelly and deep. He still didn't look up.
"Japlow sent me your way. You spoken to him recently?"
Polson shrugged, tore off a hunk of bread, and dropped it into his bowl.
"I'll take that as a no." Taril continued to size Polson up as he ate. Japlow said the man could fight, and the guard _was_ huge... but he was also old. At least a decade older than Taril, with thick lines around the corners of his eyes and skin that had obviously weathered the elements for many a turn. **Too old?** the merchant wondered. Japlow did say that Polson could beat him three out of five times... but the guard looked more like he was past his prime. Sailors weren't generally as brawny, but they were fast and strong. Polson might just be strong. **Who else do I have?** He leaned his elbows on the table and lowered his voice a bit. "I organize fights, for entertainment. I'm putting one together for a bit over a sevenday from now and need someone to take on Brilloc, a seaman from the Seamark. Japlow fought him last time and said that you're the man to take down Brilloc."
Polson grunted.
"The compensation's good. You get a cut of whatever I make. I organize everything... ask around. There's a few other guards who have fought for me." Taril paused, but Polson still didn't say anything. He was beginning to get annoyed by the older man's silence. "You bet through me, the payout's usually bigger at the end than if you bet one-on-one on the side-- provided the odds are in your favour and your bet's the winning one. You interested?"
The guard shrugged. "Maybe."
"What else do you need to know?" Taril asked.
"Whether I feel like it or not." Polson finished mopping up the last of the creamy gravy with his hunk of bread and popped it into his mouth.
Irritation made his fingers twitch. Taril hadn't prepared for a waiting game, but that was apparently what he was going to have to get. Most guards jumped at the chance to fight for him; it was a good payout, good for their reputation within the Guard, and good for the reputation of the Hold itself. "Well," Taril said when it became clear that Polson wasn't going to decide one way or the other, "You have until sundown. If I don't hear from you by then, I'll find someone else." He grabbed his crutch and stood.
"I'll do it," Polson said. He looked up, his expression unreadable beneath the thick black beard. "Been getting bored around here anyway."
The merchant wanted to grin, but didn't. Instead he matched Polson's impassivity and nodded. "Good. Rest up. I'll let you know the details when I know them," he said, and walked away.
Last updated on the March 4th 2016