Triple Strength

25. Stone Walled: Wiremu

Masnachwr was not going to take the whole caravan into Kirsk. We would camp for a day at a common ground outside the walls. The main danger here was not beasts, but thieves. Tabitha was back to full night watches. Masnachwr would go in tomorrow with one wagon as Torgovlya Enterprises had an office in the town, and made money by mostly supplying the garrison. There were some goods for him to deliver and others to pick up, as well as some papers to collect that should get us across the border. He wanted two guards to accompany him, but it wasn’t wise for the Orcs to go. Branik chose me to be in charge and another warrior type, called Bruce. She gave me papers identifying Bruce and I as verified members of the Mothers Tusks. She also made it very clear that we were there to guard the wagons and Masnachwr and his wagon driver and not to get involved in anything else. If Masnachwr got in trouble we were to leave him to it. There was not a whole lot of trust there.

We left after breakfast and joined the queue to get in the gate along with mostly farmers with goods for the day's market. At the outer gate the wagon was inspected and papers shown. I had figured that a Level 9 Quarry Worker would raise a lot of questions if anyone identified me as I was supposed to be a guard. I couldn’t invent classes with manipulate Status still in the novice levels. Hunter was a more likely Class for a Guard than Quarry Worker, so I had it changed to Hunter level 9.

At the inner gate there were additional guards, in fact, when I identified them they were specialised Sentries. All of them. I figured this was the real checkpoint. Security was a lot stricter here. I doubted Masnachwr’s tricks that got us into the last town would work here. I guess that's why the main caravan is still outside.

At the inner gate the wagon was more thoroughly searched. The papers were gone over in much more detail and Masnachwr was more closely questioned. I noticed the local farmers were not getting the same treatment, I guess they were known. We were about to move on when we heard a yell.

“Hold that wagon. I want to talk with that man!” The speaker was a short weedy man flanked by two bulky sentries. He came marching through everyone and they all respectfully made way for him. He was marching directly towards me.

“Hold that man.” he said and the sentries grabbed me and immobilised me.

“You, young man, are attempting to manipulate your status,” he stated. There was no question in his tone. “Your attempt is pathetic,” he continued, “the question is, why?” He was looking at me intently, so I tried to identify him. That hit a blank wall. Identify was a Mental Perception based skill, but my mental strength was higher. I tried to push that through Identify and all of a sudden Identify hit Journeyman level giving me a Mental Perception and Mental strength point. The newly levelled skill now told me I was out classed and out of my depth in any and all mental attributes against this guy.

“So, you are only a Level 6 Hunter, and a Level 10 Quarry Worker. That's curious. Did you spend some time in the Imperial quarries by any chance?” He didn’t wait for a reply. “But here is the gold!” he declared. “You are a level 6 Spy.” He turned to the guards. “Take him to the holding cells. I will be along later to find out who he is spying for. Now, who is in charge of this wagon?” As I was dragged off I could hear Masnachwr proclaiming innocence and that I was a mercenary and hired by the mercenary group they had contracted and he had had no say in it etc etc.

They stripped me of all weapons and armour. The only reason Pip wasn’t discovered was he had slithered down and hid in my crotch. It made that area look rather large, but they had left me my trousers and under shirt. At one point one of the female guards was looking at my crotch intently. I sure hoped Pip wasn’t moving around, but I didn't dare look. I tried to distract her by asking about the guy who had me dragged here.

“That is Investigator Smythe,” she smiled. “You had better come clean kid, you won’t get anything past him. He has Keen Sight which focuses on noting details, Truth Sensing and his Skill from his Inquisitor Specialisation, Pierce Status. He will see right through you, and those are only the Skills he has told us about.” Well that explained how he saw my classes so easily. If he spent some time with me would he see through to my affinity? I think I need to try and avoid that. They then took me and locked me in a cell.

Apparently, they make their cells out of stone. Granite to be precise. I spent some time sensing the granite for weak spots. Granite Sense went up to 4, but while there were a few weak areas they had high quality stonemasons do good work. A Granite skill to create weaknesses would be good right about now. Is there a Tremor, or Crack, or Quake skill available? My new Journeyman level Identify was giving me more details about my skills and skills within my reach. I knew there was a new, unspecified, Granite skill available if I increased my Spiritual Agility to 20. That would take 4 of my 6 available points and there was no guarantee it would help. What else was available? There was no way I was going to combat or counter him on a Mental level. That is obviously his strength. I would be much stronger physically, but I doubt he will ever let me close enough to do that. Spiritually was anybody’s guess. If I am going to play to my strengths then Physical, and especially Granite, was the way to go.

I now have only two free points and a new skill Granite Spike 1. I spent a bit of time swearing. That is the Skill I needed climbing the quarry wall. I needed it then and I get it now? I realise I didn’t have the attributes for it then, but, Fucking Troll Shit, as Tabitha would say. When I calmed down I Identified the Skill. This new Identify is great. Granite Spike would enable me to create a spike of Granite on any rock surface at Novice Level. Apprentice Level it will be on any hard surface and can be shaped to a limited extent. At Novice and Apprentice level as long as I am touching the same surface I can create it out a fair way from me. Journeyman level adds to the previous levels by not requiring a surface and it can be in most shapes, but the size of the spike is reduced and I have to be touching it if it is not on a surface. Master level, and things could be an incredible range of size and shape. I really need to improve my Throwing Weapons Skill because at Journeyman Level I will be able to create stone knives as long as I have the energy. This is an amazing skill and a real game changer for me. Now I need to live and stay free long enough to level it.

Now to test the Skill. I created a spike in a corner out of sight of the door as I was not sure If I could remove the spike or if it was permanent. I created a spike about 20cm tall and it pushed out of the granite surface very rapidly. Fast enough to pierce a foot, but probably not an armoured foot. Leather or wooden or similar soles, yes. Metal, no. However, most sabatons are steel capped and have a normal sole. Walking on steel is not good for traction. Yes I can make the spike disappear after, but I have to action it, or it will stay.

I was in an empty cell, slightly wider than the door. I figured after letting me stew for a while, I would be transferred to an interrogation room, which would include torture devices. Whether or not they would be used in the first session would depend on Investigator Smythe. I really, really, really wanted to get out of this stupid empire. The border is close.

Pip is a worry. If they find him he will be used against me, and then killed anyway, probably. There is an air vent big enough for him to navigate and it should eventually lead outside. Branik and Tabitha won’t know of my detainment until Masnachwr gets back to the caravan tonight, if he doesn’t stay the night in town. I can’t count on outside help. I decide it is best if Pip at least explores the building as he is able. Knowledge is good and he has nothing else to do here. I have Granite Spike to practice. When I get tired of that I can practise Granite sense. I have not been around Granite since the warehouse floor, so now is my chance. I feed Pip into the air pipe and think I have communicated what is needed. I then sit down to practice.

Granite Spike went from a single spike to two to three and then to four as it levelled. Seriously I couldn’t be in a better place to level a Granite affinity. Well, maybe I could, as the room service sucked, because there wasn’t any. Granite Sense broke into the Apprentice levels and I could almost sense the entire cell block. I was two cells down from the guard entrance and the cell between us was empty. The Cell at the far end was different as there was no wall to an adjoining cell. I suspect this was the interrogation room but my senses couldn't quite stretch that far yet. There were three other prisoners, from what I could tell from their movements on the stone. I couldn’t tell how many guards there were as they had laid wooden flooring on the stone. I could tell when they were walking around. The ceiling was a thinner sheet of Granite and then a wooden structure, which I assumed was a building in the Guard compound.

I was getting nervous. I was detained just after dawn. There was no daylight in the cell so I couldn’t tell how long had passed until Pip reached daylight. When he did I estimated it was early afternoon which was about how long I would leave someone to stew. If I didn’t want to be interrogated by Investigator Smythe, and I didn’t, then I would need to make a break for it in daylight. Soon. Pip was mapping the building for me. Except he couldn’t see anything as he navigated dark tunnels and crawl ways. He smelled / tasted the air and created a scent map. There were rooms where lots of people were or had been and others with only one or only occasional or older visits (probably store rooms). My Granite sense was blocked where there was no stone and the buildings were predominantly wood. I was pushing the Animal bond to understand Pip’s senses.

I was also chipping away at the thinner granite ceiling. I was chipping away with Granite Spike from the stone walls and angled up to the ceiling. Four spikes at a time. I think I had a corner free enough that my weight would snap the slab and have enough gap to crawl up and out between the ceiling and the floor above. The trick was to do it quietly so as not to alert the guards. My strongest Skill is stealth. Using that is my best chance of escaping. Time to go.