Timestamp: 91st of Summer, 518 A.V.
The sun hadn't been up long and neither had the Sea Eagle. She was still rubbing off her sleep as she walked the pre-dawn streets of Sunberth. Most people would call her crazy for being out this early, but she had a long day at work planned and wanted to go to the market early to get the best pick of produce. It was Kelski's turn to bring food home and her list was significant. She had a pocket full of coins to cover the cost and then some.
The Kelvic was feeling satisfied. She'd gotten enough coin together the previous day to make a significant payment on her loan to Goldfinger. She'd sweated every moment she'd had the coin in her bag on the hike to the loan agent. But it had felt good counting out three thousand coins and laying them on his counter. Her loan had dropped from ten thousand to seven overnight. If she kept having good seasons like this, it would not take her two years of being in financial slavery to the man. She'd get things paid off quickly.
So as a result of that happening, Kelski was lighthearted and in the mood to shop. There was a bit extra coin in her pocket and she wondered if she coudl find little extras for everyone in the gem as thoughtful gifts to say thank you for a successful season. They all helped out and made it possible.
As Kelski approached the market, she noticed there was heavier cart traffic than usual. Ponies and horses were loaded down with goods, probably meaning a ship was in the harbor or even a number of them. But there was also a standard array of the same types of animals hauling enormous loads of wood, coal, and assorted other things that made up Sunberth's day to day commerce. Kelski normally paid them no mind. They had jobs to do just as she did, and walking carefully through them, she started shopping.
Some of her produce she could get delivered if she ordered in enough quantities and she did so happily. There were also bags of chicken feed, flour, and the arrangement of milk to be delivered. Much of what she purchased went into her backpack, which while seemingly bulky, never got much heavier than it was when it was empty.
There weren't many shoppers out yet as light streaked the sky. Kelski was about half done with her round of errands when she heard the commotion. The crack of the whip hit her ears first. Then she heard a cry, a pitiful horrible scream of an animal in pain. The Kelvic told herself to ignore it, to walk away, but she found her feet taking her a direction she hadn't intended to go... closer to the noise.
More cracks rang out an she could hear the scrambling of hooves on the cobbles and broken pavement of the street. When she rounded another corner by a significant drop in the street, she paused. The sight she took in made her stomach turn.
A white horse with black mane and tail and bright black eyes was leaning heavily in its traces, straining against its collar, trying to wrestle a huge load of cut firewood up the hill. The cart was overloaded by such a capacity that it was almost unthinkable. The horse was trying, actively trying, but Kelski didn't see how it would be possible for the animal to actually make it up the small hill. The wood cart looked terrible too, swaying sideways as if it wasn't shorn up enough to hold the weight in it.
"Get on with it you lazy piece of crap!" Crack! The whip lashed out again and the horse scrambled almost jumping in its bindings. It lunged forward, over and over, throwing its weight into the collar but the cart only creeped forward.. .and when it stopped to pant the cart dragged it backwards.
The man was growing furious. His face was deep red and he looked angry he had to climb off the cart and try to get the horse to navigate it up the hill that was just a rolling slope in the road.
Crack! Crack! This time the man screamed and advanced, intending to somehow beat the horse harder by being closer. Kelski didn't even want to look, couldn't look, as she heard the sound of wood splinter as the cart literally collapsed under the load, dragging the horse backwards and almost throwing it on top of the shattered mess of firewood that was now rolling everywhere... down hill, into allies, into the arms of willing people snatching up the free wood...
The man in the street grew even redder as his jowls colored a deeper shade of crimson.
"See what you did now?!?! I'm going to slit your worthless throat!" The horse scrambled backwards, got caught in the lines, and was tangled in his harness before he could move much further. The wagon was much lighter now though, and the horse dragged part of the wreckage forward, scaring itself and bucking a bit which tangled it further.
The man whom caused it all in Kelski's mind by overloading the firewood cart in the first place advanced on the horse... which was now hopelessly tangled and so much so that he could hardly move. He balled up his fist and hit the horse in the face, very near his eyes. The animal tried to jerk its head up, but its bit was caught in a traceline which bent his head in a strange angle.
Whimpering, it tried to strike at the man, but the man was standing in a way the horse couldn't reach him. Instead of jumping back, the man balled up his fist and started punching the horse again and again, until he spotted one of the lengths of firewood and caught it up. Kelski saw him grip the wood like a club and advance on the horse again.
No. Oh by all that was sacred... no. Kelski would not watch this... not when there was something she could do
The Jeweler moved forward swiftly. "Stop! Wait... just stop a moment. Can I help you?" She said, moving closer, drawing her dagger carefully against her body while waving with her other hand, distracting the man with the makeshift club. "What happened? It looked like your cart was overloaded." She said gently, moving forward, placing herself between the hostler and the animal that suddenly dropped to its knees as if it were exhausted and just done with the whole ordeal and hoping for one last blow to end it all.
Kelski wasn't going to let that happen.
The sun hadn't been up long and neither had the Sea Eagle. She was still rubbing off her sleep as she walked the pre-dawn streets of Sunberth. Most people would call her crazy for being out this early, but she had a long day at work planned and wanted to go to the market early to get the best pick of produce. It was Kelski's turn to bring food home and her list was significant. She had a pocket full of coins to cover the cost and then some.
The Kelvic was feeling satisfied. She'd gotten enough coin together the previous day to make a significant payment on her loan to Goldfinger. She'd sweated every moment she'd had the coin in her bag on the hike to the loan agent. But it had felt good counting out three thousand coins and laying them on his counter. Her loan had dropped from ten thousand to seven overnight. If she kept having good seasons like this, it would not take her two years of being in financial slavery to the man. She'd get things paid off quickly.
So as a result of that happening, Kelski was lighthearted and in the mood to shop. There was a bit extra coin in her pocket and she wondered if she coudl find little extras for everyone in the gem as thoughtful gifts to say thank you for a successful season. They all helped out and made it possible.
As Kelski approached the market, she noticed there was heavier cart traffic than usual. Ponies and horses were loaded down with goods, probably meaning a ship was in the harbor or even a number of them. But there was also a standard array of the same types of animals hauling enormous loads of wood, coal, and assorted other things that made up Sunberth's day to day commerce. Kelski normally paid them no mind. They had jobs to do just as she did, and walking carefully through them, she started shopping.
Some of her produce she could get delivered if she ordered in enough quantities and she did so happily. There were also bags of chicken feed, flour, and the arrangement of milk to be delivered. Much of what she purchased went into her backpack, which while seemingly bulky, never got much heavier than it was when it was empty.
There weren't many shoppers out yet as light streaked the sky. Kelski was about half done with her round of errands when she heard the commotion. The crack of the whip hit her ears first. Then she heard a cry, a pitiful horrible scream of an animal in pain. The Kelvic told herself to ignore it, to walk away, but she found her feet taking her a direction she hadn't intended to go... closer to the noise.
More cracks rang out an she could hear the scrambling of hooves on the cobbles and broken pavement of the street. When she rounded another corner by a significant drop in the street, she paused. The sight she took in made her stomach turn.
A white horse with black mane and tail and bright black eyes was leaning heavily in its traces, straining against its collar, trying to wrestle a huge load of cut firewood up the hill. The cart was overloaded by such a capacity that it was almost unthinkable. The horse was trying, actively trying, but Kelski didn't see how it would be possible for the animal to actually make it up the small hill. The wood cart looked terrible too, swaying sideways as if it wasn't shorn up enough to hold the weight in it.
"Get on with it you lazy piece of crap!" Crack! The whip lashed out again and the horse scrambled almost jumping in its bindings. It lunged forward, over and over, throwing its weight into the collar but the cart only creeped forward.. .and when it stopped to pant the cart dragged it backwards.
The man was growing furious. His face was deep red and he looked angry he had to climb off the cart and try to get the horse to navigate it up the hill that was just a rolling slope in the road.
Crack! Crack! This time the man screamed and advanced, intending to somehow beat the horse harder by being closer. Kelski didn't even want to look, couldn't look, as she heard the sound of wood splinter as the cart literally collapsed under the load, dragging the horse backwards and almost throwing it on top of the shattered mess of firewood that was now rolling everywhere... down hill, into allies, into the arms of willing people snatching up the free wood...
The man in the street grew even redder as his jowls colored a deeper shade of crimson.
"See what you did now?!?! I'm going to slit your worthless throat!" The horse scrambled backwards, got caught in the lines, and was tangled in his harness before he could move much further. The wagon was much lighter now though, and the horse dragged part of the wreckage forward, scaring itself and bucking a bit which tangled it further.
The man whom caused it all in Kelski's mind by overloading the firewood cart in the first place advanced on the horse... which was now hopelessly tangled and so much so that he could hardly move. He balled up his fist and hit the horse in the face, very near his eyes. The animal tried to jerk its head up, but its bit was caught in a traceline which bent his head in a strange angle.
Whimpering, it tried to strike at the man, but the man was standing in a way the horse couldn't reach him. Instead of jumping back, the man balled up his fist and started punching the horse again and again, until he spotted one of the lengths of firewood and caught it up. Kelski saw him grip the wood like a club and advance on the horse again.
No. Oh by all that was sacred... no. Kelski would not watch this... not when there was something she could do
The Jeweler moved forward swiftly. "Stop! Wait... just stop a moment. Can I help you?" She said, moving closer, drawing her dagger carefully against her body while waving with her other hand, distracting the man with the makeshift club. "What happened? It looked like your cart was overloaded." She said gently, moving forward, placing herself between the hostler and the animal that suddenly dropped to its knees as if it were exhausted and just done with the whole ordeal and hoping for one last blow to end it all.
Kelski wasn't going to let that happen.