>>5205566"Grizzie! Stop!" shouted Lisa, alarmed at the sudden escalation.
"I can't, Lisa." replied Officer Baerns "This is the only way. Either she's takes the fight and accept the challenge or-"
Grizzie was forced to shut up as she parried the first oncoming blow with the riot shield and batted away the second lunging claw attack with her other hand as Susan returned the offensive and regained the advantage despite the debilitating flashbang combo, heralding a brutal brawl between the two.
Sathriel had to admit that she was quite impressed by Ms. Baerns' combat prowess. It was easy to see why she was given the role of the Village Chief officer.
But even then Sathriel could clearly see why Grizzie had to accept the extortion racket. She had combat experience and to hold her ground in a fight and was armed with an assortment of combat relics to close the power gap, but at the same time it was clear that Susan still held the upper-hand.
Even if the bear-woman could manage to claim victory by the skin of her teeth, the village would still fall prey by the ravenous warband that stood by. Sathriel couldn't help but bristle at the sight as she watched.
This was not fair. The scales in Sathriel's mind began to tip to an unfavorable state as her heart began to cry at the injustice.
The urge to interfere bubbled up within Sathriel. It was clear that Susan's sins put her beyond the pale of a trial. She must be involved-No. She has to stay where she is. She has to remain neutral. She has to remain impartial. To interfere would mean to upset the balance of justice and ruin the sentence. Officer Grizzie was on the verge of revealing new information that may affect the outcome of the case. And yet... the consequences brought on by remaining impartial would be intolerable.
As Sathriel quietly wrestled with her internal corruption, the battle between the Wolf of the Wastes and the Officer of Wishbone reached a turning point.
The smoke and flashbang combo initiated by officer Grizzie had worn off on the warband who were now watching the fight with anticipation of the inevitable victory. For all her efforts, initial advantage, and sparing no missed opportunity to deal as much damage as she could, Grizzie Baerns appeared to be holding on and only remained upright by the relics and armor supporting her body while the Wolf of the Wastes looked composed as if the battle damage was simply cosmetic.
"Give up, officer Baerns." Susan stated plainly "You're outgunned, out-manned, and outclassed. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. If you know what's good for you and your village, you will yield and fork over what food there is left stored in your village."
(cont.)
