After a few seconds of deliberation you come to a decision. "Wriggle, give this man a shave more befitting his stature."
"A Fleet Street shave?" asks Rumia happily.
"I have no knowledge of what that is, so I shall assume no. Just the hair for now Wriggle." Rumia sighs at your refusal.
Wriggle nods happily. "Aye. It can be done."
"You wouldn't dare!" yells the knight in disbelief.
"I tire of your words." You pull off one of his socks and stuff it in his mouth. As Wriggle gets to work you turn towards the other men. "Now I shall speak to you. I trust you remain more reasonable then that person there?" They both nod frantically. "Well then, perhaps we can discuss like honorable folk what you know of the area?"
The man Daiyousei knocked out swallows hard. "Forgive us good sir knight, but we know nothing of this area. This was our first day patrolling here. We've heard the rumors of the one who must live 'til our lord returns, but your band was the first we met. Before now we were guarding the pagan shrine to the east?"
"Pagan shrine? Do you speak of the Hakurei Shrine?" Daiyousei asks.
'I know not its name good lady. In fact we only patrol the base of the hill it sits on. We were ordered not to go closer, and we had no desire to do so either. The place is bad enough. There's a cave nearby that spits up monsters from the bowls of the earth. To deal with what brought those beasts up is not for men such as we."
Mystia speaks up. "So the Hakurei lands stand free? That is a fine thing my friends. But perhaps there is plans for battle there?"
The wounded man shakes his head. "Nay ma'am. We were told only to guard, and nothing else. We saw no signs of a campaign, and little reason for it either."
"Hm... Fine information though, if not what we expected." You nod. "Well my honorable friends. It is getting dark and the less friendly youkai are afoot. I think it would be good if you returned home to your families, lest they worry." You pick up two of the captured swords and toss them before the men. "You should take these as well. We wouldn't want you to suffer any misfortune on the way back."
The two men brighten up considerably at your words. "Thank you fine knight and lady. We will remember your generosity and mercy." They quickly move to retake their weapons, though they keep their hands well away from the hilts.
"Then be off with you. The sun is almost gone." The two men do ragged bows, then bolt for the safety of the village. You have a feeling they'll be drinking off that story for a while.
You turn back to the knight who is much more ragged. Wriggle's razor work is questionable, which makes the whole affair even more amusing. You consider questioning the knight more, but his expression tells you that would be a waste of time. So instead you carefully conjure up shackles of ice around his arms and legs. "Well caitiff, it's time for a bit of a game. You know how we fairies love games." You tap the ice binds. "These will melt to the point you can break them in an hour, perhaps two. We shall leave you here, next to the deadly forest and horrid creatures within. If you are strong, and lucky, you shall break free and escape to the village before the creatures of the night consume your bones."
"Do the creatures of the night include me?" Rumia asks sweetly.
"You seem right eager to eat the craven bairn. The taste of filth would linger on your tongue for sure with this one," Wriggle replies.
"Not for today Wriggle. We must be off." You turn and gather your goods and the corpse before hopping on your mounts. "We shall meet again 'Sir' Richard I'm sure. In one form or another."
You lead the group over a low hill. then quickly dismount and move to peer over at the man as he struggles to break free. "Friend, why are we waiting on this coward?" Mystia asks. "Our sages move forward do they not?"
"This shall be worth the time," you reply with a chuckle. "Remember we are not the only fae in these lands. Besides you have a meal to tend to do you not?"
"A fine meal indeed!" Rumia digs in to the corpse while Mystia and Wriggle pick out small bites for themselves. Daiyousei and you refrain from the repast, not favoring that kind of meal.
Despite the mans size your friends are finished before the fun truly begins. They take up positions next to you, but you can tell they are unimpressed with the plan so far. You yourself are starting to wonder if you chose correctly, when a low growl rings out over the clearing. The man freezes and Wriggle, Rumia, and Mystia all tense, but Daiyousei covers her mouth to hide her laugh. You nod in reply. "I think the goblins are going to have some fun."
You're actually impressed at how skilled the goblins are at tormenting the man. The growls and howls creep up on the man perfectly, matching his successes one for one. Richards struggles become more and more frantic as the noises close. Every crack of the ice is matched by the goblins getting closer.
Finally the man breaks free of the ice with a cry of strained triumph. He quickly rises to his feet, then stumbles as his chilled limbs betray him. He begins a stumbling crawling run towards the village just as the goblins shake the bushes at the edge of the Bamboo Forest and let out a mighty howl. His composure breaks completely and he flees screaming. You and your companions get a hearty laugh from that.
"I still think we should have eaten him, but that was fun," Rumia states. "So where to now?"
It is one hour after sunset. There are four hours until midnight.
