Debbie was bored.  Her father was out at a pub quiz with some of his friends from work. Claire was off doing a mission somewhere or other.  She should be doing a mission herself, but she felt lethargic.

Coffee!  That was what she needed!  Whilst she waited for the machine to do its thing and give her a cup of hot bean juice, she decided to see if there was anything on TV.  The news caught her attention.

".... situation in Alaska is still unclear.  Today several more settlements were ordered to evacuate, and there are rumors that more US troops have either arrived or are enroute."

Debbie retrieved her coffee, and took a sip of the delicious brown liquid.  She would miss coffee.  Caf from the other world was pleasant, but it wasn't quite the same.

The news had moved on now to talk about an alarming week for African air travel, as four airliners had crashed in as many days.  Poor maintenence?  Coincidence?  Something else?  Thought Debbie frowning.

She finished her coffee, and decided to pop in to the inn at Drebun.  Stevo would likely be there, and the change of scenery might wake her up a bit.  She'd been working hard at the farm, preparing supplies, and also been doing at least one mission a day.  Deb was in need of a break.  No chance of that, she thought with a frown.

As she stood outside the inn, with her hand on the iron handle, Deb heard a distant shout coming from the edge of the village. 

"ALARM!" 

She started off at a fast jog towards the shout, and after about thirty seconds she could make out a figure struggling with some... things in the distance. 

As Debbie closed the distance, she realised it was Gregoor struggling with multiple enemies.  She saw him get struck across the face, and then trip and fall. 

Deb's mace was in her hand as she lept into the fray, connecting squarely with the partially exposed skull of a zombie, a fraction of a second before it reached Gregoor.  She spun, pounding the ribcage a second zombie, then destroying the face of a third.  In moments she'd eliminated five zombies, added to the two Gregoor had defeated, and it was Living 7, Undead 0.  A resounding win. 

Debbie turned to Gregoor, who had struggled to his feet, but looked shaky.  He'd only had his face raked by a few claws, why did he look so unwell?

"Poison..."

Gregoor managed to croak, before his legs gave way and he fell to the slippery mud once again. 

Debbie quickly uncorked a healing potion and poured it into Gregoor's mouth, getting him to swallow most of it.  He began to feel stronger. 

"Come on, let's get you to the inn, Stevo should be there.  He'll fix you up." 

They had barely covered a dozen steps when they were met by the Smith and his teenage son, armed with short swords, they had come to see what the commotion was. 

They helped Debbie get Gregoir to the inn, by which time his health had began once again to drop as the poison continued to corrupt and attack his body. 

As they entered the inn, the innkeeper quickly saw it was his son who was in trouble, and helped steer him towards Stevo, who was deep in conversation with a serving girl, and had his back to the door. 

"Stevo, help my son, please!"  Beseeched the innkeeper. 

"What happened?" asked Stevo, and he rushed to Gregoor's side and helped him half-fall, half sit on to a chair. 

"There were zombies, a group of them.  I didn't have time to get help. Defeated a couple, but got scratched. Venomous claws.  Wouldn't have made it here, but Debbie turned up." 

Stevo was silent a moment, and looked to be staring into space.  What he was actually doing was checking the medical section of his shop.  He quickly found what he was looking for. 

"General Purpose Antidote.  Cures most cases of poisoning.  3 Silver coins." 

Stevo bought 2, just in case, and then quickly cast his heal, boosting Gregoor's health back up towards its maximum, before encouraging him to drink one of the antidotes. 

The antidote was a clear liquid that had a strong aroma of cloves and mint.  After about thirty seconds, Gregoor reported that he was no longer poisoned, and that his health had stopped falling. 

Stevo cast another heal, getting Gregoor back to full health, before he sat with Debbie, Gregoor and the innkeeper and heard the full story.  There was a crowd around the group listening to the tale, and a number of people remarked on both Gregoor and Debbie's bravery. 

A serving girl brought a large pitcher of ale to the table, along with a platter of bread and sausage.  Soon they began to unwind.   Gregoor was very grateful to both Debbie for arriving when she did, and Stevo for curing the poison.  He tried to give Stevo the coins for the antidote, but Stevo refused. 

"Did I pay you for the arrow you shot that saved me when we first met?"  Stevo said, ending any possible debate.

"There was no warning of this.  No sightings prior to tonight.  That troubles me." Gregoor said with a serious expression. 

"You have done your part Gregor, go home and rest, Stevo and I will patrol the village a couple of times before dawn."

Stevo nodded his agreement with Debbie's pronouncement.

"Thank you both.  For everything.  I feel much better, but so tired.  Tired to my bones!  I'm going to get some rest, but if you need me, wake me, please." said Gregoor, as he got to his feet to leave.

Debbie and Stevo both promised that they would come get him if he was needed, and  Gregoor shuffled off on weary legs to his bed.

"Debbie, I've had a thought.  There is unlikely to be much danger here tonight now, maybe one or two Zombies, but probably nothing.  Why don't you go and get Claire?  It might end up getting her a little easy experience."

Deb considered Stevo's suggestion, before nodding.

"I will be as quick as I can, don't kill everything without me!" she said as she left.

-----

Adam sighed as he left the meeting.  It had been tense, although polite.  Neither side of the argument got everything they wanted, but everyone at least got something.  Four of the rings were to go to VIPs selected by the Home Secretary.  The remaining four would be given to Adam's department to assign people who were considered to be capable of helping the country survive.

"Mr. White, a moment of your time please."

The Home Secretary, a nondescript figure in a tailored grey suit, navy blue tie, had followed him outside, and apparently wanted to talk.

"Mr. Home Secretary?"

"Listen, I understand your reasons for wanting the rings to go to combat personnel, rather than VIPs.  I just wanted to put your mind at rest.  The King has decided that rather than take rings for himself and the Queen, they will instead be given to three personal protection officers, who will guard both the Royals, and the Prime Minister. "

"And the fourth ring?" Asked Adam.

"The Prince of Wales is to be given it.  As his younger brother is awakened, it could cause difficulties if he isn't also."

Adam nodded, seeing the logic behind the decision.  Overall, things had turned out better than he had hoped.

"Have you heard any more from Alaska?" Adam asked tentitively?

"The Americans are playing their cards close to their chest, but from what I have heard unofficially, they are holding their own for now, but they can't keep going indefinitely.  Sooner or later they are going to run out of fresh bodies to throw into the fight.  Do you think our friends, the ones who got the rings, would consider helping out?"

"I doubt it, they seem focused on preparing to protect their local area.  I will ask them though."

"No Adam, thinking about it, it's better they continue to prepare over here, than get themselves killed in Alaska of all places!  The Americans will have to find their own solution."