Synopsis[]
We are introduced to Safra Harisa, Isaac Axedrummer, June Snowthorne, and Guard in their home, the small logging town of Rally. Safra starts her day trying to round up several of the town's boar, who have been riled by something and escaped their pen, while Isaac suffers an office chair malfunction and is chewed out by the local miller for want of a millstone. Guard, who does not sleep, stands watch throughout the night and into the morning, spotting some unusual movement among the local geckos. June, meanwhile, laments her recent firing from the general store and unsuccessfully plots to delay Isaac and Safra's discovery of her unemployment.
After some self-soothing at Scrumpy's, the party make their way out of town on two different missions.
Safra and Guard venture to the river to investigate what is upsetting the animals. They find no definitive answers, but do discover sandaled footprints - and they encounter Martin, who has been painting river rocks in a misguided effort to highlight the borders of the creek and mitigate the risk of anyone falling in. Harisa redirects him toward investigation of sandal-wearing people
Isaac strikes out into the wilderness with his second-in-command, Leah, and June in tow to meet up with The Minehead Boys and negotiate the manufacture of a new millstone. On the journey, Isaac and June discuss her job loss and the environmentalist protesting that has put her at odds with the community, until they spot their quarry in the midst of a wrestling match.
Isaac and Sherwood come to an agreement that their respective champions will wrestle, with the winner awarded a prize: if Big Paul comes out on top, Rally will surrender their high-quality bellows to the Minehead Boys, and if Guard wins, the Minehead Boys will make a new millstone for Rally. With this wager, the future of the town rests on a single wrestling match.