Swamped

Really, there's only one thing on your mind at the moment.

"I don't mind telling you about my father."

You explain about his studies, about how he was so intrigued by this swamp. How he thought there was some kind of treasure here, though he wasn't the adventurous sort so he never really went looking.

But then the swamp beast appeared that one night, and the next thing you knew, your father was gone.

At Mary's request, you describe it in detail. Twice the size of a human, with bright emerald scales that made it stand out even in the darkness. Sharp claws on all four of its legs, and a long tail that dragged behind it. The blackest eyes you'd ever seen.

"Just how close did you get?"

"Not that close, but it turned to face me for a moment before wandering off. I couldn't focus on anything beyond its eyes."

"Didn't get a good look at its mouth, did you?"

"It looked like a sort of beak, I suppose? But broader, and rounder."

"That's the Rider's beast, all right. Ha, maybe you'd have had better luck if you'd joined the Marshguards."

"They didn't have a recruiter."

"Well, of course not. They're exiles. They can't leave here, and the only people willing to do business with them are the less reputable merchants. But it's doubtful you'd have found much out, anyhow. They keep to themselves, and Rider's even more secretive than most... well, all their top officers are, really. But even among that group, Rider stands out."

You wonder about that. You've had this sense that the Marshguards were after you... could that have something to do with your father?

But you're not sure if you want to tell anyone about that part just yet. You're not even sure what you can do.

From all you've heard, the Rider is a fearsome warrior. You're a rookie who's barely learned anything about fighting, and what little you did know relied a lot on having two arms. Even if you did confront the Rider, what would you do if you had to fight?

And yet, you can't help but feel there's got to be something more you can do than just sit around and hope for new information to come in. But what?