Both Maxine and Gregory continued to laugh for a few moments longer before they began to talk to one another. They were asking what the other had been doing and Charles learned that Gregory had recently been hired by a Lord to ensure his heir got from Flea Bay to his home.

The conversation soon moved to the table where Maxine took her seat back on the bench and Gregory also sat down. However rather than sitting next to her he sat down on Charles' bench. The larger man looked at him for a few moments before looking back at Maxine who was now completely sat down.

"There's a strange man sitting at your table Maxine," said Gregory with a small amount of laughter in his voice.

"He's not a strange man, he's my temporary squire," replied Maxine. Her gaze didn't shift from Gregory. "His name is Charles and he owes me a debt that he is currently paying me with his services."

"Ah it's like that and how long until his debt is paid."

"Whenever I see fit." She then glanced at Charles who for now had remained quiet. "Charles, can you please show Gregory at least some curtsey. It would be unwise to disrespect him."

"Of course, ma'am," replied Charles who then turned to look at Gregory. The man looked a little unwashed and he could smell is body odour. It was not pleasant to say the least but if he wanted to stay in her good books then he would do as he was told. "My apologises if I caused offense." He held his hand out to the armoured man as a gesture of friendship. "May I shake your hand?"

"Yes, you may," answered Gregory as he grabbed onto the hand of Charles and shook it. His grip was much stronger than Charles had expected and it caused him some pain. Also, the pace that he shook the hand also caused some discomfort. But he didn't say anything while Maxine was watching. "Pleasure to meet you boy." He gave another laugh but she could see the pain in her squire's face.

"Ok Gregory that's enough of that. You're hurting him and he's no use to me if you break his hand."

"Very well, just showing him some manly kindness." With that he released his grip and Charles quickly took his hand away. He nursed it as much as he could without making it look obvious. "Now my dear there's something that I want to discuss with you. I've been offered a job by a lesser lord. It shouldn't be too difficult but it's a little too much for me to do alone, I was wondering if you would lend me a hand."

"Oh, and where is this job taking place?"

"In a small township not too far from here. They've been having a problem with bandits recently and the lord who owns those lands have been hiring knights and the sort to help deal with them. I'm a tough bastard as you know but I have my limits, with your help the bandits would be shitting their pants. Would you mind coming along with me? I assure you that the pay would be more than worth it."

"I would but not right now." She took a drink out of her small barrel of ale before she spoke again. "I'm on the trail of a particularly nasty guy with a sizeable bounty on his head. Right now, for me that takes priority, but I should capture him within the next few days. After that I should be free to help you."

"That'll do for me, let's say we meet back here in three days' time? If you're here then we can go do this job and earn ourselves some coin. But if you're not then I'll just have to do the job by myself. I prefer not to of course but I can't really wait much longer after that, you understand, don't you?"

"Of course, time is money and neither should be wasted. I will do my best to be back here in that time but I cannot make promises."

"As you know I'd prefer to go if I had you watching my back. Those bandits would flee in your presence."

Charles continued to sit there and say nothing as Maxine and Gregory continued to talk. It began to move away from the topic of the job. Instead it began to divert to about what they had been doing shortly before they had arrived at the tavern. She told him about how she had met Charles the night previous and had given a couple of drunks broken bones to remind them of their foolishness.

Gregory responded by telling them that he had stopped at a brothel and had been able to satisfy himself with three fine women. He chuckled saying that the three of them combined would probably still be smaller than Maxine. She found this to be quite funny and just reminded him not to waste too much coin in such a place.

Eventually she felt that it was best her and Charles to move on now. She knew that they wouldn't catch William Bellamy if they remained there and chatted. Gregory understood but he was planning to stay there for a little longer as he bought himself a large cup of ale. Before the two friends did depart they shook hands again. Charles was given a strong pat on the back from the larger man, he used such force that it almost caused Charles to stumble over. This had not been his intent and for now he would remain quiet about it.

Within minutes they were both walking down the pathway again but there was something different about the day. When Charles looked up to the sky he could see plenty of dark clouds that stretched as far as the eye could see. He didn't need to do much guessing when he figured out that it was going to rain soon.

"Ms Martel, I believe that it's going to rain soon," said Charles as he walked at a quickened pace.

"So, you can predict the weather now?" replied Maxine with some sarcasm in her voice. "Don't tell me things I already know."

"I was just thinking that it's best to try and find some shelter before we're caught in a downpour. I don't particularly want to get wet and catch a cold. I believe that you don't want to have the same thing happen to you."

"Only chumps get colds and if we keep going like this we'll reach our destination before it begins to rain. Now shut up and keep going or I'll clout you around the ear." This was something that he didn't want to happen. A strike from a normal person would hurt enough but one from someone of her stature and with her hand encased in thick armour he only thought that it would be a death blow.

One thing that particularly worried Charles was the fact that it would likely take them a few hours to reach their destination. From the looks of the clouds it seemed like it could rain at any second. This worried him as he didn't want to get wet, but rather than saying anything he remained quiet. The thought of Maxine striking him was a good enough deterrent to prevent him from speaking for the time being.

For several more minutes they walked until Charles felt something strike his head. It was not Maxine's hand but something that felt much, much smaller. It was also wet and he knew that it was a raindrop. As he looked up he felt another come down onto his face followed by several more.

This had not gone unnoticed by the extremely tall woman who felt the raindrops strike her head. She hoped that they would be the only ones but before they could think of anything else they heard the rumble of thunder and then the rain came down hard. The sound of it striking Maxine's armour was fairly loud and the wind blew the raindrops into the faces of both travellers. Charles used his arm to protect his eyes while Maxine remained as she was and simply endured it. To her this wasn't anything more than a minor annoyance on her grand journey to knighthood.

As they continued to walk it was becoming harder and harder for Maxine to move. The path beneath her was turning into mud and the combination of her size and armour made her very heavy. Her feet were sinking in the mud with each step that she took, it made it harder for her to place one foot in front of the other.

Despite her difficulties she tried to keep going despite the rain. She would sometimes glance down at Charles to see how he was doing. Since he was smaller and unarmoured he was able to move across the path with relative ease. Normally he would have to be quickening his pace to keep up with her but now he was having to slow down a little just so that she could keep up with him.

The rain continued to come down hard on them but at that moment the path was covered by a canopy of trees. It made it harder for the rainwater to reach the ground below and gave both of a small respite from the rain. It was still coming down but not as much as it had been before.

Both of their feet were covered in mud and this caused a small amount of annoyance for Maxine as she thought that it made her look less respectable than she should. But she thought that as soon as they stopped for the night that Charles could clean them for her. As her squire it was part of his duties.

Unfortunately, the tree canopy above them eventually ended and they found themselves out in the rain once again. This time however there was some hope for them, just on the horizon they could see a village. It didn't look to be particularly large but it caused Maxine to crack a small smile. She wanted nothing more than to be inside and sitting next to a warm fire, she felt that another barrel of ale would make her feel better and maybe another warm meal. She had eaten recently but she was already feeling hungry again.

Charles barely noticed the village over the horizon but he was completely soaked through. He had never gotten this wet in his life while still wearing his clothes. It was causing him to shiver and he feared that he might have caught a cold. He didn't know how Maxine could endure this but again he didn't say anything about it. He just kept walking alongside her and made sure that he didn't fall behind.

With the village in sight Maxine was more determined than ever to reach it. Her pace quickened slightly but the mud on her feet still caused her some problems. She struggled as best as she could but the path was becoming covered with stones as they got closer to the village. This was something that she greatly appreciated as it was becoming more like a cobbled path.

Eventually it got to the point where the path was completely cobbled so sinking in the mud was no longer an issue for her. Her iron clad boots did make a metallic sound every time that she took a footstep. For her it was just nice to be back onto solid ground, the mud had been more than an annoyance for her.

After some more time of walking the pair finally found themselves just outside of the village. It was coming to evening and it was around this time that the rains finally stopped. This would have been a relief for them but the damage by the rain had already been done. Charles was shivering and water was dripping from his clothing. He thought that he was on the verge of collapse. At one point he almost did but he felt the large hand of Maxine grab onto the back of his collar and lift him back to his feet. She didn't say a word but he knew that she wanted him to keep going.

Their journey halted for a moment when they eventually came to a gate which blocked immediate access to the village. It was a wooden gate that seemed like it wouldn't be able to withstand a moderate attack. Despite the fact that she could break through Maxine instead knocked on it much like a rational human being would. A small wooden flap opened and they could see the face of a man who looked to be in his fifties.

The man immediately saw Charles but when he looked at Maxine he saw that he wasn't looking up far enough. He began to look up further until he finally saw the face of Maxine who looked down at him. Charles expected her to squat down a little so that he could see her better but this was something that she refused to do. She wasn't going to hide her height no matter what.

"State your business," said the Man. His voice was somewhat gruff and a little intimidating. The tall woman was unmoved and instead easily kept her composure.

"We're here because a price has been placed on the head on a man named William Bellamy," said Maxine who didn't miss a beat. "I need to have a discussion with your highest ranking official."

"You've actually come to take out that bastard? Good luck with that." The flap suddenly closed but it was soon followed by the sound the gate being unbolted. Mere moments later it was opened wide enough for both Maxine and Charles to comfortably walk through. The man looked up at her and although he was in disbelief over what he was seeing he remained composed. "You'll be wanting to see Mr. Alberts, he answers to his lordship. You'll find him in the house right next to the village hall. Very hard to miss, if you want I can have someone escort you."

"No thank you, we will be fine finding it ourselves. Thank you for your help, it has been very much appreciated."

Charles was hoping that he would be able to rest a little longer but it seemed like he wasn't going to get the opportunity much to his disappointment. Like before he simply followed Maxine as she walked and she was able to see the village hall from her vantage point. It wasn't far from their location and she simply kept walking.

Within minutes they found themselves just outside of the hall and next door to it lay a house that seemed to be fairly moderate. It was not the kind to be held by a particularly rich man but it seemed larger and grander than a normal house. Neither of them had to do much guess work when they realised that this was the house that they had been looking for. It was getting late and they didn't want to wait around much longer.

With one of her armour-clad fists Maxine carefully knocked on the door of the house. She wanted to make sure that it didn't sound too aggressive as she didn't want to give the occupants the wrong idea.

They didn't have to wait long until a woman answered the door. She was a young woman and was barely taller than Maxine's leg. Unlike the man before she didn't hide her shock over the towering woman that she was seeing before her. She took a step back in fear but Maxine remained the same as before. It was far from the worst reaction that she had gotten from a person seeing her for the first time. Instead she looked down at the woman who was wearing a black dress and a white apron. It was obvious to her that she was simply a maid and they needed to speak with her employer.

"When you've finished gawking I'd like to speak to Mr Alberts," said Maxine who seemed a little frustrated by her reaction. "Tell him that we're here because of William Bellamy."

"W-We've been expecting someone to show up for that job," replied the Maid. "Please come inside, Mr Alberts would be most eager to see you, but please leave any weapon you might have just here."

Both Charles and Maxine entered the building and as usual she was too tall to stand up straight. However, she did draw her sword and leave it near the front door and leaning against a wall. Her hunting knife was also left on a table but she noticed that the maid wasn't the only person there.

An armoured man stood there as well and she knew that he was a guard. He would remained armed while Maxine had to give up any arms that she currently had. She hated to part with her sword but if it meant that she could get what she needed for the job then she would be happy to, temporarily.

Eventually they came to a room which looked more like an office of sorts. They saw a middle-aged man sitting at a table and he had a piece of paper and quill in his hands. There was another armoured man standing next to him and he had quickly received word about his two guests. When he saw them he almost fell off of his chair in shock. For a moment he thought that she was two people together in the armour but when he saw her proportions he realised that she was actually one very large person. He didn't know whether to marvel over what he was seeing or be terrified.

Mr Adams was a thin man with a moustache and full head of black hair. Although he was sitting down he still looked quite short, he chose not to stand since he was embarrassed with how short he would see in comparison to Maxine. Instead he remained where he was seated and simply wanted to get down to business.

"Greetings," said Maxine who felt like she should be the first to speak. She bowed her head to show respect to him although she was already bowing thanks to the low ceiling. "My name is Maxine Martel, eldest daughter of Sir Tucker Martel and this is my temporary squire Charles Ingram." Charles too bowed his head but he was surprised that she had remembered his surname although he had only told her once. "We're tracking down the highwayman William Bellamy and we have heard that he was last seen near these parts."

"Your information is true," replied Mr Adams. Although he was a little intimidated his voice still commanded respect. "But if you haven't heard that it is no longer him, he's recruited a few ne'er-do-wells from these parts to help him with his crimes. You are no longer simply dealing with one man."

"Do these other men have prices on their heads too?" She raised an eyebrow as the chance for honestly making more gold always interested her.

"Yes, but as you can imagine they're not as high as William Bellamy himself. The reward will also come from myself personally but only if you bring them in alive. I believe they can be rehabilitated and become fully functioning members of society. As far as I know the only crime they've committed is robbery, not enough to get them executed of course. I'll make it worth your while."

"How much are we talking about exactly?"

"One hundred and fifty gold coins for each man. That is of course if they're still alive, if not then I'm afraid that you won't get any money for them."

"I understand, but I take it that you won't take Bellamy off my hands when I capture him?" She seemed confident in her success even though it hadn't happened yet.

"No, we don't have the means or the funds for someone like him. No, you'd have to take him to Grey Town. The authorities there should be able to take him from there and give you your larger reward."

"Do you know how many are accompanying Bellamy?"

"Last I heard there were three of them that had joined him but there could possibly be more. I cannot tell you for absolute certainty."

"In that case I'll bring you all of his gang back besides the man himself. But I'm going to need a few things from you in order to complete this task."

"Oh, and what would that be?"

"I require a couple of horses with a merchant's cart, some rope and a breast plate. When I receive my reward for the capture of these men you can deduct what you feel is necessary for these items. Your horses and cart I plan to return upon the completion of my job. The others I plan to keep."

"Something can be arranged but do you believe that you're up to the task? You're not the first to come to me thinking that they could take Bellamy and his gang down?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't believe that I could."

There were a few more minutes of talking before Maxine and Charles stepped outside once again. He didn't want to go out as he was still cold from the rain and the last thing he wanted to do was to get wet again. The rain had stopped but he feared that it could begin again at any moment.

Before they had left the house, they had given their remaining gold coins to Mr Adams for insurance of the safe return of the horses and cart. Maxine had been unwilling to give them up but since she knew that she would be getting it back she didn't mind. One thing that she kept was the necklace and locket that Charles had given her. It was something that she wouldn't part with and still kept it on her person.

All the pair could do for the time being was wait for the items to be brought to them. Charles was nervous about this and a part of him thought that he was going to remain behind but as Maxine's squire he would have to be by her side. If that meant being in danger then he would have to endure.

"Charles I'm going to need your assistance with this job," said Maxine as she looked down at him. Her voice was still stern which helped indicated that she meant business. "Listen carefully as I'm not in the mood to repeat myself."

Charles didn't answer but he still listened. As he heard Maxine's plan he could see that it was dangerous. There was a chance that he might not survive it but she assured his safety. He wanted more than anything to say no to her but he still feared what would happen if she did. At this point all he could do was agree to go along with her plan and hope that he came out of it alive.