011 - Kjeld
The guards are fast, but Solana is faster. She charges right between them, throwing them off guard, and towards the entrance. Far from running, she does this to keep herself from being caught between the guards and Kjeld… although he seems satisfied to stay seated for this.
With her enemies momentarily distracted, Solana acts quickly, looking to grab one of the spears from the first guard… failing to do little more than further distract him, while the second gathers his bearings. Solana dodges and smoothly follows with a kick, although she finds herself sandwiched between the two guards. Solana deftly moves to try and change that. Staying as close as possible to at least one soldier is her best hope: if she lets them take full advantage of a spear’s reach, she might not ever get the chance to close in again.
Desperate footwork is in order - two against one is hardly fun, especially with a range disadvantage… and in the corner of her eye, she sees Kjeld moving, but is far too busy to pay much attention to the man. That brief moment was just enough: a spear gently grazes her side, cutting but not piercing. Now’s her chance: Quickly, she grabs the spear itself and yanks as hard as she can. The soldier stumbles briefly, pulled forward right to Solana. However, his grip loosens: The weapon is hers!
With an awkward thrust, Solana uses it to fend off the still-armed soldier… for a brief moment. Just as quick, it was knocked out of her hands and to the floor. That’s fine - keeping her distance was getting old anyway. Charging in quickly, she grapples the still-armed soldier, with a hit to the ribs sending him to the ground.
With one soldier reaching for his weapon, and the other still recovering, Solana makes a quick retreat: further into the keep. Kjeld had apparently made his escape, although he didn’t get very far. Seeing her willing to fight, and now standing before him barely worse for wear, clearly has shaken him. Solana’s demands are clear: Stop his avarice now, or this is only going to get worse. He knows how much trouble she can get into, and out of.
“Fine! Fine! Yes! The warehouses are open! I’m leaving town anyway!”
Hah! Mission complete. She decides Kjeld is going to be her escort for leaving the fort unassaulted. No, it’s not a “hostage”.
…
Well, Mr. Guard, she has his word. He’ll bother you all no more, and he’s leaving town. Is that enough to help the people here?
Hmm… well, him leaving town is actually bad news. Whoever he had working for him are still going to be around, there’s a huge mess to clean up here, not to mention whatever political backlash this is all going to have. Solana did the town well, but there’s not too much the guard can do while they’re working on settling the dust, unfortunately. Still, their attention is at more on the town and protecting it than the affairs of the powerful, so she’ll always be welcome back, just try not to be a nuisance to the authorities as much.
They can still offer a bit, though, especially as she’s still resolved in settling the situation about the iron pillar. It’s certainly well-used, but they offer a set of armor for her to use. More protective than the leathers-turning-rags she has, but still light enough for maneuverability, “for that whole… fistfighting thing you’re into”.
Mid-Story Commentary
There's no way an unarmed person could handle two people with weapons. That would be an absolutely one-sided fight. Don't worry about that, though, and just have fun with the fight scene.
For someone who has, so far in her quest, mostly walked around and talked to people with the occasional punching, how Solana got out of this situation seems rather devious of her, even if it still amounts to talking to someone. Though at least it's threats this time and not polite requests. She is no longer asking, and all that.
The last paragraph is Solana getting the Ironclad asset. For the rest of the run, she's set to "Lightly Armored".