Triple Strength

23. Understandings: Tabitha

Branik did arrive just before noon with a wagon and Smeška. The wagon was the one with the Mothers Tusks, gear and the one I slept in. Kopje was taking that space now. I let Wiremu get the equipment off Warren. I guess it is mine now. Then we took the time to bury him. Wiremu said a few words from his village and then Branik and Smeška sang a traditional song in the Orc language. Then they left me to say goodbye while they loaded the wagon with the gear I appraised to be of any value.

We helped Kopje into the wagon and Smeška stayed with him to re-bandage his wounds and set his leg before giving him another portion. We took the wagon to the camp site where I appraised half the stuff Wiremu had piled to take as rubbish, and we loaded the rest while I did a walk through the camp to see what valuable stuff he missed. Nothing, actually, he just had a lot of junk with the good stuff. We then took the wagon to the road to catch up with the rest of the wagons. We now had a string of thirteen horses to add to the four they previously had. We also had the slave from the camp. All the Orcs were vehemently opposed to owning slaves and so was Wiremu. I was ambivalent but certainly didn’t want the responsibility right now.

We caught up with the other wagons, late afternoon. Branik changed the watch now the immediate danger is over and I will only be on half the night. After dinner, which was lion again, I got Smeška to show me how to sharpen and care for the sword. The problem with sitting around maintaining gear was everybody wanted to chat and hear about the raid. I didn’t want to talk about it. Wiremu gave an overview from his perspective, I think to mainly divert them from me. But then Wiremu went off for his Bow training. I saw he had the bow from the senior archer that Pip and I killed. I guess he was trying it out. I think I was a bit rude to the others there and went off by myself till it was time for my watch. I had the first watch with Smeška and he knew I didn't want to talk. When I did lie down to sleep it took me a long while to go to sleep.

The next morning after Unarmed Combat sparring, I got Smeška to show me some sword drills. My arms tired easily even with the extra four points in strength. My strength is still only half what Warren's was and what these warriors' are. Maybe I should ask Branik for Warrior Training and get the class. I wonder how long that would take. A lot longer than this caravan trip apparently. Usually a minimum of a year for a talented Warrior. The Guard Class is easier, often only taking a few months, but while two of the mercenaries hired in town had it, neither were over the Journeyman Level.

All the loot we collected belonged to the Mothers Tusks. We each could pick a horse and one or two items that would be useful to us. Wiremu picked a horse for himself and kept the bow he had tested last night. I also chose a horse, although Branik said we could get the equivalent in coin if we didn’t want a horse. The Swordsman’s two handed sword was too heavy for me, so I would stay with Warrens for now. I needed sturdier armour, but nothing metal that would make a noise. I also needed a backup weapon. Most of the armour from the front line fighters had been left as it was torn to pieces by the troll. There were a couple of leather jerkins from the archers, one that could fit me. The two small holes could be fixed and Branik said she would show me how. I also found a good backup fighting knife. I would also have to learn the small blades skill. Small Blades should be easier for me because of my low strength. Branik also said I should stick with swords no bigger than the one I had, preferably smaller.

Wiremu and I took lessons on caring for the horses, grooming, feeding, checking hooves etc. Wiremu had kept up riding as a scout. It was less tiring for him. Smeška taught me to ride and Branik said I could go out with Wiremu for half days. I think she was trying to see if I would make a second scout. The answer was no. It did my riding skill a world of good, but Wiremu could look at a patch of grass and say which animal had passed, how many there were, which direction they were going and how long ago. I saw grass. He also saw a lot more with his Far Sight and a lot more detail at a further distance. His hearing was phenomenal. I definitely preferred the town. A local bar with some casual pickpocketing and I was good.

It made me think about what sensing skill I should get next. My choice before this trip had been Sensitive Skin. Huge bonuses for lockpicking and disarming traps. Being able to sense airflows and air temperature can tell you a lot about secret exits and movement around you. There was also a rumor that it hugely enhanced your sexual experience. There were a lot of benefits for a girl like me.

With my Physical Perception nearly at 30 and Dark Sight almost at Journeyman level, there would be advanced sight options available as well. It was my Spiritual Perception that was holding me back from the skill of being able to see through objects. That sounded awesome for a thief. But now I was also a Shadow Predator. What do predators do? They stalk, hunt and kill. I desperately wanted to level Shadows Embrace as that will start making me very hard to find. When I was riding in the day I was practising using it for me and my horse. When it levelled enough to start muffling sound and smell, I had visions of silent riding in the shadows. It was probably the Master level I needed for that but we need to aim somewhere. I had picked a fast, black mare with my shadows in mind. She was quite the spirited horse. I named her Dusk. I like riding fast.

Wiremu was strange. He was definitely looking out for me in a quiet unassuming way. I know if it was me I would be bursting with questions about what skill I had got and how it worked. He didn’t. He just accepted it and my strange actions that night. I have decided to get some advice from him. He is a hunter, which is the closest thing to a predator I know.

I am rambling. My mind does that a lot these days. It is a way for me to avoid thinking about Warren. Most advanced perception skills require a basic one before they become available. Dark Sight has been fantastic for me, but Wiremu has demonstrated that sight is only one sense and I need a second. I can tell you right now there is no way I am enhancing my smell. Towns stink. Horse manure, human manure, rotting waste, and just unwashed humans. No way. I will wait till I have talked to Wiremu.

I have been playing around with my Shadow skills, especially in the lonely watches. Particularly enlarging Shadows Embrace to include others, and Dusk, and changing the size and shape of Engulfing Shadows. Yesterday while walking alongside the wagon I tried using Engulfing Shadow on the wagon’s shadow to make the shape of a cat. I had to push the skill very hard to move the Shadow. I guess it is the difference between using a shadow that is not fully created by my skill and one that is. I got a round ball that sort of looked like a sleeping cat, floating along the ground with the wagon. I tried to get it to start walking and suddenly I had a new skill, Shadow Manipulation 1. It made manipulating existing shadows easier. I am still going to have to work hard on making recognizable shapes. When I Identified Shadow Manipulation I got the impression from apprentice level I could start giving them solid forms. That got me excited. I was keen to experiment and see how solid and for how long. Just using them to touch someone along with my Distract skill could be helpful. Tickling by remote. Maybe pinching. Used with Engulfing Shadows and Intimidating Aura it will take it to the next level. Eventually I may not need to ever carry lockpicks again.

We are now apparently three or four days out from the next town, the fortified border town of Kirsk. Training got me Small Blades 1 and levelled my Sword to 3. Shadows Embrace is now Level 4 and I am thinking about what I need to get it to the apprentice level. Riding is already there. Riding is great. Maybe I should look to get a mounted class. The most basic mounted Class is called Rider and shouldn’t be hard to get, maybe a few weeks training, and it will open up all sorts of mounted specialisations and skills.

I followed Wiremu out to his bow practice and watched him set up the practice thingy. He put sods of grass in it then stepped back. I saw with Spiritual sense when he triggered the trap and it threw the sod into the air. He missed.

“How do you find your arrows?” I asked.

“I can usually spot them when I get close,” he said. “I do lose a couple every now and then.”

He hit the next few sods. He seemed to be getting up there in the levels. “Your Bow Skill must be quite high now.” I observed.

“I am trying to get it into the Journeyman level,” he said. “The latest thing is trying to shoot the bow from Rocky’s back.” He named his horse Rocky. I don’t know if he was getting back at me for all the times I called him Rock Brain or not. For some reason he had picked out the biggest and slowest horse of them all. Seriously, it is almost a cart horse. He said he wanted quiet solid dependability rather than speed. Dusk can easily out pace him. Eat my dust Rock Boy.

In his next break I said, “I am actually here looking for some advice. I got a new specialisation and I am not sure what to do with it.” He nodded for me to continue. “It is called Shadow Predator. It gives attributes in Physical Agility, and Spiritual Strength and Agility with two free. It came with the Skill Intimidating Aura.”

“It is definitely intimidating,” he said. “What is your question?”

“This predator and fighting is all new to me,” I said. “I am a non combat Thief and reluctant Merchant. I have recognised the necessity of learning some combat skills, but I am not a fighter. I am not a predator. What do I do with this? I am not even sure how the Class will level. It may only be with combat.”

“Hmm,” he said in thought. “I doubt the class will require combat to level as the Skill that came with it should be good at avoiding combat by scaring off the less committed. But that will require testing.”

That perked me up a bit. Do I tell him about Rampage? “So you know I went a bit crazy in that fight?” He nodded. “I got a skill called Rampage and I am a bit scared it came because of the predator class.”

“What does Identify tell you?” He queried.

“That I got it because I am crazy and not because of the class.” I replied.

“You have to trust that for now, but we can test it. Have you tried using Rampage since the fight?”

I shook my head, “No, I have been a bit afraid too.”

“Well we can set up some test scenarios and I can be there to see you don’t lose too much control. The first tests will be to see if you can turn it off at will or do you need to let it run out. Ask Branik if you can come out scouting with me tomorrow and we can look out for situations it might be able to be used.” He said.

That all sounded very sensible. “Ok, that's a good idea. I will ask.” I replied.

“Now about Shadow Predator.” He continued. “Predators come in many forms, but they are all predators for a reason. That reason is usually to eat and feed their young and protect their pack etc. They also have the benefit of keeping other species from over-populating and in control. Why did you choose to become a Thief?” he asked.

I thought for a bit, “For the thrill of it.” I replied. “It didn’t start out that way. It was a way to keep Warren and I fed so he could get a good class. Longstrider hooked me up with a Master who trained me. Technically I might still owe him for some of that training, but, you know, Thief.” I said as I shrugged my shoulders. “The Merchant class was only so I could learn the Appraise Skill so I could steal better stuff.”

“What about now?” He asked.

Shit, why did I come to ask him? Bloody difficult questions! I think I liked it better when he was Rock Brain.

“Now I have no clue,” I said honestly. I was lost without Warren. All our plans were gone.

“Then I guess that is what you have to take time to figure out,” he said.

Bloody useless conversation. Putting it all back on me to figure out.

“So tell me about some predators and let me see if that helps.” I said searching for more clues.

“First of all Predators hunt in a particular environment, which they are suited for. A pack of forest wolves or a forest python would get eaten very quickly out here on the plains. And vice versa for the plains hunters. So where do you hunt best?”

That was easy. I am a town girl. I hunt in civilization.

“I am guessing you will hunt best in town,” he said. Bloody, know it all.

He continued, “While predators will hunt anything in lean times, they have their preferred prey. What is your preferred prey?” he asked. “What do you like to hunt?”

I do like relieving the rich arrogant people of their possessions. That does give me pleasure. This question is probably related to my as yet undetermined purpose.

“I will have to think about that,” I said.

He nodded. “While you are thinking about that, think about how you like to hunt. There are three broad types of hunters or predators. Firstly, there are those that lay traps and lure their prey in. They require planning and setup, but once the prey is in the trap there is no escape. I hunted like this growing up in the forest.

“Secondly, there are the Predators who study their prey and anticipate their movements and then strike hard and fast. Pip is an example of this type of predator. I have had to learn this out here on the plains and I strike with my bow.

“Thirdly there are the predators who like the thrill of the chase. A pride of lions herding and running down their prey. They like the chase and out run their prey.”

“Bloody hell, how do you know all this?” I asked.

“Animal Lore.” he replied. “A hunter has to know his prey. When you decide what you want to hunt, get as much knowledge as you can.”

“What the hell is your purpose then?” I asked. “What is it you hunt?” Yes I was trying to turn his questions back on himself. But I was also curious about what motivated him.

“The Empire raided my village and either killed or took everyone I knew as slaves” He stated in a flat voice.

“What?” I said, shocked. “They can’t do that. You have to voluntarily take the slave class. People do it to get their family out of debt or for crimes etc. You can’t force people to be slaves.”

“Yes you can,” he replied quietly, but with utter conviction. “I was taken to a quarry where we worked and were worn down, until we gave up and took the Class to escape the beatings. If they were low on their numbers for the slave caravan, they would take people to a torture pit and torture them for days until they took the class to make the pain go away. You can definitely make people slaves. I watched it happen continuously for three years before I escaped.”

I had to sit down. I was in shock. This was not what the Empire said happened. Holy Troll Shit. My whole understanding of Empire culture had just been undermined. I wanted to doubt Wiremu’s story, but it explained so much about him. I grew up in the empire. I knew people who had slaves. OK, I mostly stole from them, but still.

“I, ah, need to think about this,” I said. “It does explain a lot of things, but shit really?”

He nodded. “I’ll leave you to think about it then,” he said. “Don’t forget to talk to Branik about tomorrow.” and he left me to it.