Triple Strength

40. Mercenary: Wiremu

Mercenary Contract issued by the Nystad Empire.

Wanted: Wiremu Hunter.

Description: Human male, 1.8m tall, fair complexion, brown hair, brown eyes.

Has a bonded Snake.

Wanted for: Spying, Murder, Attempted Murder, Escaping custody,

Injury of an Imperial Investigator, Damage of Imperial Property.

Status: Quarry Worker, Hunter, Spy. But known to use a status manipulation skill.

Bounty: Four Platinum if alive or One Platinum if dead.

To collect the bounty, deliver the live person, or evidence of his death to the Garrison at Kirsk.

Last known location Western Kirghiz.

What followed was a hand-drawn likeness of me, which was recognisable. I was clean-shaven in the drawing, and my beard would now help a little. It wasn’t an impressive beard like the dwarves. It was a bit thin and scraggly. After all, I am only an 18-year-old human. I was going to remove it, but not now.

When I saw that notice on the Bounty Hunter notice board, I raised my hood and left. My goal of becoming a mercenary and going on contracts was now buried in Troll shit. I had no idea what I would do now. Tabitha had a job lined up for the next few months, but it seemed wise for me to get away from Western Kirghiz.

I headed back to our temporary accommodation at the Sølv Emporium compound. Tabitha and I had just put a deposit on a three-bed rental cottage nearby. I guess if I gave her a month's rent, she could find a flatmate. I had commissions for armour and a new bow that won’t be ready for a week or so. Tabitha might collect them for me.

I was very aware of what was going on around me. I was probably acting nervous. I was envious of Tabitha’s Skill Spatial Awareness, where she was aware of things without looking. I probably made a mistake getting Darksight instead of waiting longer. Story of my life. What’s done is done, and now we make the most of it.

Pip is going to have to stay hidden again. I was sick of that, and I was enjoying being in a stronger partnership with him. We will work something out. We are moving forward, not back.

I got to the Sølv Emporium and went to the shop section as I hadn’t had a chance to get some weapons. Spears, knives and bows were my weapons of choice. Sølv could help me with knives and spear shafts. I could make my own spearheads with my Granite skills. Spear shafts were easy, and I picked up three. My current three were still usable, just worse for wear.

I wanted a decent skinning knife and then a couple of fighting knives. I could make stone knives, but they wouldn’t go through everything. The skinning knife I found was one made from Astral Silver alloy. The amount of Astral Silver was less than 5%, but it made skinning monsters a breeze, according to the saleswoman. I cut some scraps of Troll hide with it, and it seemed to be better.

For the fighting knives, I asked about the Deep Iron and Darksteel we bought in and if I could get some knives with an alloy from them. Yes, but all work that includes Spiritually enhanced metals is made to order, and a 50% deposit is requested. It would probably take a week to commission and was very expensive. I really couldn’t justify spending that much on a knife.

I was looking for toughness and durability. She showed me a Steel Tungsten alloy knife with some chemical elements from Granite to toughen and Topaz dust for increased hardness. It was more expensive than basic steel but not exorbitant, so I purchased two. My Granite affinity was showing an attraction towards it. I will be able to experiment later.

I would need some temporary armour, but I will deal with that later. I went to my room and made sure everything was ready for a fast departure. It was almost dinner, and I would discuss it with Tabitha and then possibly leave at dawn.

Dinner is a communal affair at the Sølv compound and very casual. I grabbed a plate and went to sit with Tabitha, Ulfhildr, and Thyrrni was visiting as well. The topic of discussion was generally around the crafters and the rush to get notices to the Kingdom couriers to get the word out about the auction. The date had been set at six months away. Most people who could come were within two months of travel, but this would give them some leeway for the winter weather etc. It would also give other crafters and miners time to add their items to the auction. The event was growing.

I saw Koza enter the dining room. He had a familiar-looking paper in his hand. Koza, who has specialisations in Monster Hunting and Bounty Hunting. He had a big grin on his face which looked really out of place. There was not much I could do, so I waited for him to arrive.

He put the Mercenary contract for my bounty face up on the table and rumbled in Common, “Wiremu, lad. You’ve done good. You injured an Imperial Investigator. Was it that bastard Smythe?” I nodded, a bit stunned. “Shame you couldn’t finish it. Been trying to kill him for a decade. He cowers behind the other troops.”

“So,” I replied, “you aren’t going to collect the bounty, will there be many here who want to?”

“Not many in Jern. No Orc will ever give the Imperials anything but piss, and we want that paid for in blood. There are always some. It is a big bounty. Watch your back. It’s a bigger bounty than I have ever had.”

“You’ve had a bounty on you, and you're a member of the Mercenary Guild?” I was puzzled.

“More than one. If you are a Guild member for any length of time, you will have a bounty on you. You either pay it, avoid it or kill those who issued it. I recommend you avoid this one.”

“How long is the bounty active for?” I asked.

“Six months, but the Empire has probably paid for longer. They want you badly.” He replied.

“That’s going to stop me from joining the Guild.” I lamented.

“Why?” asked Koza. “Half the Guild members don’t join with their real names.”

Tabitha joined the conversation. “I checked the requirement for identity, and you need either official ID papers from a government source or three guild members who have known you for at least 12 months to confirm your identity.”

“So I couldn’t join anyway,” I said.

“Of course you could,” Tabitha replied. ”The going rate for bribery of a Kingdom official for ID papers is around three platinum. However, the Sølv Kin have someone who could alter these ID papers for just a few silver.” She slid across official ID papers from the Nystad Empire.

Nystad Empire Identification for Citizen

Warren Carter, Warrior.

Human Male.

Born 33rd year of Emperor Nystid the 2nd in Yelets.

Then followed a description of Warren, 1.9m tall light brown hair etc.

“Are you sure?” I asked Tabitha.

“Absolutely.” she replied. “We have been through a lot and saved each other's asses a few times now. Warren would want you to have them. In fact, he would think it was a great joke, considering the sort of citizen you were about to become.” She was referring to the escape from the slave quarry and from captivity in Kirsk. Not everyone at the table had all that information, though.

“It would make getting back into the Empire easier,” I mused. The Empire and I were going to be clashing in the future. That was certain. I also had a Spy class that needed levelling. Speaking of a Spy Class that needed levelling, there must be some disguise skills available that might help. I checked with Identify, and there were several, but most were unavailable to me because I did not have Sentient Lore. The only one available was called Veneer. It made surface-level changes that were only temporary. The more changes, the more energy it took to maintain and the less time I could keep it up. I added it to my Skill list.

“We will get Warrior changed to Hunter and a few description changes, and you will be good to go. I would recommend we visit an alchemist and change your hair colour.” Tabitha continued.

“Go red like Ashby.” Thyrrni piped up. I activated Veneer and changed my hair to red.

Tabitha punched me on the shoulder, “You forgot the eyebrows and beard, idiot.”

“Blonde is good.” Ulfhildr said, running a hand through her hair.

Leaving my hair red, I changed my eyebrows and beard to blonde.

“We could add some Elf ancestry, and you could have blue hair.” Tabitha suggested. Now things were getting ridiculous, but I could appreciate Tabitha trying to calm me down. I released the skill. It took a lot of energy at the Novice level, especially doing the two things at once.

Instead of leaving in the morning, Ulfhildr took us to see the head Alchemist for the Sølv Emporium. He recommended that instead of changing my hair colour, I should darken my complexion. This would reduce changes to the ID and make me look more like Tabitha, as she was supposed to be my sister. Both Tabitha and Warren had lightish brown skin, whereas I was quite fair. I would no longer be mistaken for a “fair complexion”. The potion was two gold and would be permanent. It tasted horrible. It would take effect over the next day or so. The alchemist was a bit strange and absent-minded, so I hoped I would go a light brown, not green or blue.

The document clerk for the Sølv Emporium told us that Nystad ID papers had some spiritual properties in the material to stop forgery. Those changes would cost three gold and take a day. All up it was still better than 3 or 4 Platinum and potentially got me access into the Empire.

I spent the day in the Sølv compound, helping and levelling my Darksight. Tabitha went out shopping to prepare for her role as Merchant and get some items for the new accommodations we would be renting. It came with large furniture, like beds and some chairs and a table. We would need mostly small stuff, utensils, cooking supplies, bedding and a chest each etc. Actually, the list kept growing. We could get some of it from the Sølv Emporium.

The next morning I was relieved to see my skin was a closer colour to Tabitha’s than Koza’s. I should end up a bit darker than Tabitha to make a marked difference from a “fair complexion.” We decided to go out and set up the accounts at the Jern Treasury as a strong test for my new ID. It passed their test fine, and we each set up our accounts, naming the other as the next of kin as would be right for a brother and sister. We got ID disks from the Jern Treasury as well, which would fast-track our access at various branches and affiliates throughout the Kingdom. These disks were imprinted with a Mental and Spiritual imprint from each of us that was unique. We paid extra for this, two gold each, as we expected to be travelling. The cost also explained why the ID documents were not like this.

I also gave Tabitha the right to access my accounts on my behalf, as I was expecting to be away a lot. She could deposit my takings from the auction and use them for investments if she found good investments to make. She was surprised at that. I wanted there to always be a minimum of a Platinum, but otherwise, I was happy to match her coin for coin on any investments. Coins sitting in a treasury doing nothing seemed a waste to me, and she had the Merchant Class. Apart from armour and equipment, I would have few needs for it.

That afternoon we got access to our cottage and started moving our gear. We also moved the horses to a stable near the eastern gate. This would cost a silver a week. The cottage was small but comfortable. There were three bedrooms and a kitchen, dining, and living area all in one. There was a small basement for storage and an outhouse. There was piped water into the kitchen and the kitchen and outhouse had drains that took waste away. Dwarven plumbing was amazing. I drilled some holes in the walls in discrete places, so Pip could have the run of the place and access outside. His favourite place was already in front of the kitchen fire.

The next day I registered at the Mercenary Guild. I was nervous, but everything went smoothly. I was now Warren Carter of the Nystad Empire, a registered Mercenary.