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Show is that over a thousand of these villains are armed and ready to overrun BauerWorlde." "And so we must needs fight them?" asked Dr'Anya. "We must needs stoop to their level? Impossible, Dr'Igor," said Dr'Anya, reasonably. "We cannot. Such a thing fair assaults our instincts. Those folk out there practicing, they are champions in the tourneys, aye. They're experts at the touch, the leap, the twist, and parry. They can rush toward an opponent on a horse and touch the shield on the red mark without so much as jarring her. The archers can trip e'en horses with their arrows, without skinning the animal's legs. The watchword among them is: cause no injury. How canst thou make folk who for centuries have never felt the lust for drawing blood to become overnight. . .murderers?" "My lady, my lady," said Igor, complacently, "that's e'en the point, thou seest? We are all full skilled at dodging blows. The soldiers and knights of the Four Kingdoms will ne'er touch us. Our folk out there...they will, simply put, wear the Provincials clean out." "But, marry, saw I clearly those weapons they're using out there Dr'Igor. Those dueling swords are unblunted, the sabers are sharpened, the lances are heavy and sheathed with steel." "Well, aye," said Dr'Igor, sitting back. "Wouldst thou send them out there with buttons on the tips of fencing foils to face maces and axes wielded by blood-thirsty wights who want nothing more than to crack their skulls? Wish we the brutes to be at least respectful of our weapons." He picked up the cigar he was toying with and smacked at his leggings for his cache of matches. "But never will we," he said firmly, "resort to using our weapons for real injury unless we be fair backed against the wall." He 210 |