Triple Strength

290. Who’s That?: Wiremu

Who is that? I turned to look at where he was pointing. Tabitha emerged from the shadows, riding Dusk. She stopped a moment and looked at the carnage around us. I got the feeling she had been riding hard. She probably deduced how many troops there were from the camp or the number of mounts, etc and was worried. Fair enough, too.

She waved her hand almost negligently, and a wave of shadow rolled across the battlefield. Where there was a live trooper before the shadow, once it passed, there were only dead troopers. The shadows swept the entire field and then returned to Tabitha, disappearing into her shadow.

Lee might have recovered from my show, but she was re-shocked as Tabitha tidied up loose ends. Tabitha was also making a point to the watchers. If the giant snake was not enough, we also had the shadow of death.

Dusk strode majestically forward, careful to avoid standing on bodies. They came to a halt beside me.

“As I said, I am Wiremu Hunter. Let me introduce my team member, Black, who is riding Dusk. This is Tāoke, my bond,” I said, indicating each person. “This is Captain Lee, currently on loan to us from the Free Republic Defence Force.” That nicely introduced us and gave the impression the Defence Force sanctioned this without actually saying so.

“Black?” Lee whispered the question to me.

Tabitha spoke next, “I have destroyed the camp they had and freed the prisoners. They are following with the captured horses. We don’t need two hundred horses, so perhaps the Defence Force can make us an offer,” she said, looking at Lee.

I could see the villagers were torn. They were grateful for being saved and excited at meeting me, but they were scared at the destruction they had just witnessed and the power they had seen. Tāoke wasn’t helping things, but it wasn’t healthy for him to change size while being so wounded. They would have to get used to him because there was no way I was sending him away.

I stepped forward so everybody focused on me. I addressed the elder, “Thank you again for your welcome and offer. I have been looking forward to coming home. There is one thing I have been missing most in my travels, and that is a good old-fashioned hangi.”

The elder didn’t miss what I was trying to do, “You heard the man. Open the gates and let them in. Let's get the hangi started. We have to celebrate the return of our lost son and our saviour!”

People then scrambled into action. I heard orders go out for the hangi prep, and teams organised to strip the bodies and prep them for burial. I glanced at Tabitha when I heard that.

Tabitha winked at me, “I have already swept the field clean of coin.”

Of course, she has. At that point, the first of the freed prisoners came out of the forest leading horses.

“There are three slaves,” Tabitha said. “I am pretty sure you killed their master. I knocked them out and told the others to keep them unconscious. Do you want to free them or send them back to Freebourne?”

“I would like to field test the formation some more if I could, but I am pretty drained, so it will have to wait until tomorrow at least.”

“The Defence Force squads will be here in a few hours,” Lee reminded us.

“We will leave it up to whoever is in charge of them to sort it out, then,” I said.

Tabitha and Lee nodded.

“Do I get to know who Black is?” Lee asked.

“After all you have seen, that is your first question?” I asked incredulously. We were moving toward the opening gate as the elder came toward us.

“I have a Skill called Sense Significant from my Infiltrator speciality, and it is not limited to things. This is significant,” she replied.

The Elder was almost on us, so I said, “She is the Black Butcher of Jern.” Lee stopped in shock as Tabitha and I moved forward.

“Hello, son! I am called Hakopa, one of the elders here. Come in, come in. Do you or your bonds need any care? We have a herbalist here who can help.”

“That will be great, thanks, Hakopa. I really need to sit for a while, and these should be looked at.” I indicated my wounds.

“Come, come. I sent a boy to let him know he would be needed. That was quite a display there, son.”

Now, I was starting to feel more welcome. Everybody gave Tāoke plenty of space. Hokopa kept on the other side of the group. Tabitha dismounted at the gate, and I noticed everyone also keeping well away from her.

The healer's hut was close to the gate and had an herb garden outside and lots of herbs laid out to dry. The herbalist was a gruff old man. He covered my wounds with a paste and then bandaged the worst of the damage. I took the time to examine my leg, and the knee had taken a hit. I couldn’t remember when it was hit. Maybe when I was shield bashed? I am not sure. Joints are tricky, but I spent a few minutes setting the bones back into place.

Some kids brought us a platter of fruit to eat. They couldn't take their eyes off Tāoke, and a tray almost landed on the ground. Tāoke was coiled up next to the road with Dusk next to him. I went over with some bandages and tended his axe wound, as the herbalist would not go near him.

The herbalist looked at Tabitha, “Any wounds, girl?”

Tabitha shook her head, “No. Some of us know how to fight smart.”

Smart ass.

We were shown to a house they kept for visitors, and I shifted the furniture so that Tāoke could curl up inside, and then he and I lay down for a rest.

I woke to shouting outside. The sun was setting. It seemed like the Defense Force had made good time. Whoever was in charge sounded confused at the story they had been given. Captain Lee had just told him it was classified and not to investigate further. He was not impressed. I rolled over and spied a jug and meat slices, so I took some time to wake up properly and had a snack.

There was no sign of Tabitha. I assume she was out there fleecing the Defence Force.

I went over to Tāoke and removed his bandages. The wound was looking good, which was a combination of his Regeneration, the potion and the herbalist’s salve. He decided it was good enough to shrink, and he took his normal place on my shoulder.

We came out of the hut, and Captain Lee was there with another captain. The captain looked me up and down, “You’re supposed to be Wiremu Hunter? I don’t believe it.”

I turned toward where the feast was being prepared and walked off, saying, “I don’t care.” We walked toward the villagers, who were in a celebratory mood, and the ale was already flowing. I was handed a mug, and I asked where I could help. Hakopa spotted me and grabbed me. I went with him, and he introduced me to the other key village members. We then helped them dig up the cooked hangi, and the party really started.

We ate and drank and chatted and laughed. I sensed the captain looking at me several times but ignored it. Tabitha had several young men trying to get her attention, and she was stringing them along in typical Tabitha fashion. Tabitha looked like she was having a good time, which is great. She was relaxed enough to offer a puppet show, which was a big hit. She did a simplified version of the Barman and the Noble’s Daughter, which brought back a lot of memories. She could still get people rolling on the ground in uncontrolled laughter. She is very talented. I saw Lee looking at her, very confused. I guess the puppeteer entertainer didn’t fit well with her image of the Black Butcher.

Then the instruments came out, and there was singing and dancing late into the night.

The next morning, I woke late. The Defence Force was out cleaning up the battlefield and burying the dead. As I watched, the two Captains rode back into the clearing, obviously having looked at the remains of Tabitha’s fight. There are probably some squads cleaning that up as well.

I ignored them and went to find some breakfast. After breakfast, Hakopa found me, and he took me to see the memorial they had built for the previous village. It was in their small graveyard. I spent some time there just remembering them and my old life. The memorial itself was a wooden pyramid with names engraved on it. The names triggered memories. I sat there remembering for several hours as I poured energy into the pyramid, Petrifying the wood into stone. This would last a lot longer.

While I was there, I looked at my Status. The Warrior Class had gained two levels and was on the verge of becoming Journeyman Level. There were many Skill increases. The new Skill was the most interesting. Phantasm Venom Cloud had jumped to Apprentice Level. As it levels, it increases in effectiveness at overcoming resistances. Poison and Mental are the two areas it attacks. The levels also increase the volume I can produce, which is also a function of my Mental Strength as well as my Spiritual Strength. It is quite complicated. I encouraged Tāoke to learn it as well, as it is even better than Granite Quake against groups of enemies.

My Hearing Aid picked up Captain Lee talking to the other captain.

“It was just the two of them,” Lee said.

“Not possible. We found two hundred bodies, and there was you, at least.”

“I can account for five at most, and it wouldn’t have mattered if I wasn’t there. I saw him and the snake kill close to fifty before they even knew he was there, and that was in the first two minutes of the fight. You talked to the villagers. They saw it. You just don’t want to believe it.” Lee said.

“So what killed the ones at the wagons? The prisoners didn’t see anything but darkness. Are you going to claim Darkness killed them? They were cut and stabbed like anyone.”

“Don’t forget the hoof marks on some. You got the testimony from the villages when “Black” arrived here. Maybe darkness did kill them. It is no stranger than the beetle thing that appeared and disappeared. I was right next to that, and it was hot, like furnace hot.”

“I saw the burned bodies. What was it?”

“I have no idea, but to me, it makes being killed by darkness within the realms of possibility. Two, no three, no five impossible things killed two hundred troopers.”

“Who are they?”

“As far as I am aware, he actually is Wiremu Hunter. I have no idea who she is. Wiremu said she was the Black Butcher of Jern, which I can believe, and then she turned into a top-tier entertainer performing a half-hour-long show made famous by that Kirghiz group, and as far as I can tell, she performed it flawlessly.”

“Did she kill using shadow puppets?”

“I have no idea.”

I tuned them out after that. It wasn’t relevant. If I can create gas clouds by burning things on lava, I should experiment with different materials. I could create my own obscuring clouds without Tabitha, and they can poison and confuse at the same time. What burns and creates a lot of smoke? Or could I do that with different types of rock? The current cloud does obscure some sight. Could I mix it up and make it thicker?

I also have sixteen attributes available. Most need to go into Spirituality to help me with higher-level slaves and so I don’t run out of energy so fast, but there must be another Skill I can learn.

Wiremu Hunter Level Physical Mental Spiritual

Totals

Free

Strength

Agility

Perception

Strength

Agility

Perception

Strength

Agility

Perception

Base Attributes

9

12

11

9

12

11

10

8

10

92

Earned Attributes

11

5

2

12

3

1

3

2

5

44

Hunter

B

12

2

14

24

5

2

2

6

5

60

0

Monster Hunter

S

6

6

6 6

6

5

29

1

Scout

S

8

8

3

8

1

6

10

36

4

Assassin

S

4

1

4

5

5

1

16

0

Bond Master

S

6

2 6

6

6

1

21

3

Stone Shaper

B

10

20 10 10

40

0

Prospecting

S

6

6

1

2

3

3

7

22

2

Spy

B

11

1

4

3

11

15

10

11

55

0

Forger

S

3

3

3

3

3

12

0

Warrior

B

9

18 10 11

2

41

4

Metal Shaper

B

6

6

2

6

3

5

22

2

Totals

76

45

54

64

52

47

64

43

45

490

16

Constitution 175 163 152

Resistances: Poison +31, Crushing +22, Cold +29, Pain +36, Heat +34, Fire +13, Disease 1, Acid 1, Mental 8,

Skills:

Novice:

General

Lock Pick 4, Disarm Spiritual Trap3, Spiritual Trapping 4, Stone Shaping 4, Slave Master Bond 3, Phantasm (Mineral) 3

Fighting

Heavy Armour 4. Slingshot 4, Batons 2

Senses

Lore

Metal Alloy Lore 4, Gem Lore 3, Spiritual Metals Lore 3, Weapon Lore 4

Apprentice:

General

Sewing 9, Cooking 8, Animal Care 8, Sprint 7, Butchering 7, Repair Leather Armour 9, Dwarvish 9, Slight of Hand 7, Granite Mind Armour 5, Elemental Bond 8, Hunters Mark 7, Disarm Traps 5, Detect Traps 5, Detect Spiritual Trap 6, Metal Shaping 5, Bond Care 9, Interrogate Status 6, Lava Body 6, Copier 8

Fighting

Phantasm Venom Cloud 5, Granite Quake 9, Granite Wall 7, Petrification 8, Marksman 7, Granite Sand 9, Blunt Weapons 7, Sudden Strike 9, Lava Dart 6, Granite Armour 8

Venom Vapour 7,

Senses

Thermal Sensing 7, Telescopic Sight 8

Lore

Mineral Lore 8, Metal Lore 8, Sapient Lore 8, Elemental Lore 7,

Journeyman:

General

Mapping 14, Tutor 13, Identify 14, Map Making 10, Manipulate Status 12, Analyse Bonds 11, Tracking 11, Skinning 11, Weapon Repair 11, Hide Armourer 12, Riding 11, Veneer 12, Roleplay 11, Thermal Manipulation (Mineral) 10, Molten Rock 10, Orcish 13, Camouflage 13, Fishing 10

Fighting

Hammer 14, Granite Spike 14, Granite Bones 14, Granite Shield 14, Granite Manipulation 13, Triple Shot 10, Bow 13, Small Blades 14, Unarmed Combat 12, Throw Weapons 13, Spear 13, Quick Strike 13, Power Strike 13, Imbue Venom 12, Venom Arrow 10

Senses

Darksight 14, Sense Treasure 10, Bond Senses 12, Truth Sensing 10, Sense Spiritual 14

Lore

Animal Lore 12, Plant Lore 10, Monster Lore 10,

Master:

General

Stealth 17, Animal Bond 17, Far Sight 16, Hearing Aid 16, Deceive 15, Regeneration 15, Snakeskin 15, Trapping 15

Senses

Granite Sense 15

Affinity: Granite, Lava

Monster Kills: 9

Bond: Tāoke, Venom Serpent.

Resistances: Crushing +22, Cold +30, Heat +34, Fire +13, Pain +23, Acid 1

Skills:

Novice: Granite Sand 4, Venom Vapour 4, Granite Quake 5, Phantasm Venom Cloud 2

Apprentice: Granite Shield 8, Granite Sense 7, Granite Manipulation 9, Molten Rock 6, Sudden Strike 8, Hunters Mark 7, Lava Spit 6, Thermal Manipulation (Mineral) 5, Thermal Senses 6, Lava Body 5

Journeyman: Strength Boost 12, Power Strike 13, Venom Spit 11, Granite Spike 11, Grow 13

Master: Venom Bite 16, Quick Strike 18, Camouflage 15, Regeneration 15, Granite Bone 15

Affinity: Granite, Lava

Bond: Puia, Lava Elemental

Resistances: Cold +30,

Skills:

Novice: Granite Spike 3,

Apprentice: Thermal Senses 6, Granite Manipulation 6, Regeneration 5, Phantasm Venom Cloud 5

Journeyman: Thermal Manipulation (Mineral) 10,

Master: Molten Rock 11

Affinity: Lava, Granite