Relinquish Allow Supply Concrete Shout Struggle Silk Conflict Concern Mail Skill Trouble Slippery Surrender Battle

“Relinquish your sword”! I shout, my own sword right above his head. “Or I can finish you off right here right now and burry you with the old forgotten merchant of yesteryear”! “Ok ok I surrender”! He yells back, dripping to his knees, letting go of his sword in the process. I smile victoriously: “There was that so hard”? As the conflict draws to a close, I pick up my opponents sword before he can launch a surprise counterattack, a look of concern flashes across his face as I do so: “Don’t worry, I won’t harm you, as long as you stay there until I’m far far out of your sight, got it”? He nods rapidly. I shoot him a haughty grin as I scamper back to my awaiting crew.

“The struggle is over men”! Yell as I approach headquarters, both swords raised in triumph: “The battle is won”! The crew erupted in thunderous cheers “Where’s the brute’s head”? One of them asks: “I’m sure it’ll make a glorious trophy”! “I decided to spare the week-willed mail”. I reply as they all look at me in confusion: “But rest assured I gave the shrivelled swine such a severe battering he won’t think of coming after us or our troops again, plus I hired some men with great skill to raid his village and loot all of his servants, possessions and weapons, this was also his last remaining sword”! I reassure, waving the defeated squire’s sword around proudly. The men once more erupted in a cacophony of cheers: “This calls for celebration”! Another man announces before placing a gold medal laden with silk around my neck, grabbing a beer from inside one of the huts and toasting: “To Sir Jack Payerd for conquering over our rivals, crushing them into the concrete and bringing back the booty, which I’m sure is bound to be plentiful”. The crowd around us laughs: “This has been a slippery slope to victory men, but we got there in the end, cheers”! The crowd echos his sentiment and a ring of applause is heard around the field.

I allow the day’s events to wash over me as I settle in for the night, a hefty supply of brandy by my bed for medical purposes only of course. After all the trouble caused by our feckless enemies, it will be so nice to finally have a decent night sleep.