Pai made good time. The mists of early morning were just giving way to a bright, full sun when she saw the lumber mill. As she approached, the cackling screeching crows gave way to screeching and clanging iron. But not the familiar wa thook of a sharp axe through a block of wood. More like a whistling, clanging sound. And then a scream, unmistakably Rumella's. Pai sprinted the whole hill down, leaping and bounding and as she slid to a stop in front of the last pair of bushes before the pathway to the Heartwood lumber mill. she felt for her faithful cudgel. She relaxed her muscles against the weight.

Creeping to the edge of the foliage, she tried to see. Rumella cowered behind the saw blade, some Nord creep in a fuzzy metal shirt and tired looking sword poked at her. He smashed at the saw blade with his sword, making a violent crashing sound and drawing a screech from Rumella each time. He was trying to scare her, and it was working. But he didn't scare Pai.

The poor fellow was so fixated he didn't even feel the first blow. He was suddenly on his ass and seeing spots. But the second one he felt. Pai's club swung up into his jaw, he was sure he heard it crack. Now he was laying on his back and fading away. Pai put her foot on his chest and bent to lay her hand on his head. The throbbing became a dull thud and he felt hungry like he never had before.

"Are you ok?" Pai asked

Before he could answer he saw she wasn't talking to him.

"Yes I-I'm fine." Rumella said as she fixed her dress and apron. "But there's more of that lot inside."

"What do they want"

"Gold you stupid orc." The Nord thug said.

Pai caved his skull in with her club again, and again healed him right back up. Her foot still firmly on top of his wriggling chest. But before he could swing his arms around and manipulate his fingers again, Pai pulled his flailing form off the wooden floor by his cuff, and splintered a pillar with his head. Somehow on top of the ringing he heard her say

"What did you say you're doing here?"

"N-nothing, just leaving in fact." He heard the words tumble out of his mouth before he could stop them, and then he was walking. Or thereabouts. Being walked was more accurate.

"So tell them." Pai said, holding him upright and whirling her club like a python behind him.

He tried to get his head to turn and face her, but she held him tight and strong. "C-come on out boys! We gotta get going." He called inside.

It took a while, nothing moved inside. Then a voice came.

"That you Baggi?" A brisk, jubilant voice came from inside.

Pai shook him.

"Yes. It's me, let's go! Now!"

"What kind of joke is this?" Came another voice, deeper.

"No joke. There's an orc out here who wants us to leave."

"Is he threatening you?" suddenly more serious.

"Yes." He said when Pai shook him again "Yes, she is threatening me with a, uh.." He stole a glance up and saw the wooden stick that she brandished over his head. He took a disbelieving look behind him, but Pai shook him again, much harder. "A stick."

"Say again?" The deeper voice said.

There were some muffled noises behind the door.

"She's threatening me with a stick," Baggi was getting a little more bold.

More muffled noises, and the sound of weapons drawing.

"Well if she wants us to leave, I guess we should leave." The door opened and two more Nordic gentlemen stepped out, swords drawn and dancing in front of them.

"Like the man says. Leave. Now." Pai commanded.

Baggi grinned at his friends and they grinned back. Pai took a big step back to a ready position. The two from the cottage spread out to the sides. Pai saw Baggi take his dagger from his fuzzy shirt. She relaxed her grip on his neck. But what he mistook for resignation was anything but. He spun around to face her and by the time he completed the turn she had brought the cudgel across his face and he was back on the ground. The movement was so fast, the other two stopped in shock. Pai took the moment of confusion to throw up a ward in front of her and close the distance to the big Nord on her right. He panic thrust his sword but the ward pushed it up and away. Pai brought her club across herself to his open flank and he crumpled forward.

Pai stepped around him and used the momentum to come down hard on his left leg. The Nord fell to the ground and Pai held him by the scruff of his neck. The third Nord was already on his way gone. Pai let the losers writhe in pain for a while longer before she healed them, one after the other. And then they too ran.

Rumella strode to Pai, but stopped short.

"It's ok, I'm not going to go all berserker rage. I don't really do that. I'm Pai" She said

"I know. Your father buys wood here. I'm Rumella, I've known of you since you were small." Rumella said. "Your father talks about you all the time."

Right. Of course.

"You must be heading for the college, I won't keep you. I've been expecting you. I had a basket of food. For your journey, you know. Gosh, let me catch my breath." Pai placed her hand on Rumella's shoulder and her shaking knees began to hold.

"Oh Pai, I'm so happy to see you off. The basket, well. Those bandits, those bastards. They wrecked it all. Ransacked my home. I don't even want to think what they did inside" Rumella hung her head. "Thank you." She hugged Pai tightly.

"You sound like you know them."

"Yes. Well sort of, one I know, the others I can only guess at. Muli, the lad that let out first off, he joined the Stormcloak army. After the war, he came back. Drinking, fighting and causing trouble ever since. His two friends I don't know"

"They're cowards."

"Yeah and I'm an old woman. Tough as nails, mind." She put her dukes up.

Pai laughed.

"They camp in the woods north of here, so stick to the road and don't venture too far up any trail or track you see. You don't want to mess up those nice breeches of yours"

Pai looked down at the pattern in the leg. She looked back at Rumella.

"Thank you for the tip. Gods protect you." Pai released the woman's shoulder and walked away.

"Thank you!" Rumella waved after her. "Those fellows will think twice when they know I'm friends with a college mage!"

Pai left Rumella's camp feeling strong and capable.