Triple Strength

66. Hrothgar: Wiremu

What a boring trip. I know you don’t want to be fighting all day every day, but travel is long. I could have kicked myself when Tabitha suggested I make an effort to get the Scout Specialisation. I should have been doing that ages ago. The Mapping Skill is good. At the Apprentice level it will accept information from more than my sight Skills. Treasure Sense and Granite Sense would both be great to have on the maps. Granite Sense will make the map more like Thyrrni’s Ground Mapping Skill. That is the benefit of the Affinity to enhance other skills as well. No wonder Affinity users are in such demand.

I looked at what other Specialisations might be available to me. The other close one is the Ranger Specialisation. Rangers often come from the Forrester or Hunter Classes or similar. The focus is to care for the forest or whatever environment you are in. I had all the Skills apparently but not at the needed level. I needed both Plant and Animal Lore but I needed one of them to be at Journeyman Level. They were both at Mid-Apprentice and I found them very hard to level. Plant Lore had gone up with the reading Ört had given me, so I guess I needed to do more of that.

I remember Thyrrni saying she had the Drawing Skill to be able to draw her maps to sell. I found a Cartographer in Halvvägs that sold maps. Apparently, Cartographer is a class around making and copying maps. I could get the Class if I trained under him for a year. With most Basic Classes you need to be trained by a Journeyman Level person. This is always the case for the higher level Classes. Simple ones like Quarry Worker and Riding could be learned by doing if you are inclined towards it. Then when you get that Class to Journeyman Level yourself, you can train others, and specialise if you meet the requirements. There was no way I was going to spend a year in a dusty office copying maps. However, I did pay him to teach me the Map Making Skill. According to him, this was better than the Drawing Skill. The Drawing Skill is all about making things look nice. The Map Making Skill was all about accuracy. Getting scale and distance right, how to represent heights and depths and what a contour was. I learned some commonly used symbols and about making a legend and scale and naming conventions. It took most of the day but I got it and it was a good Skill. It would need to be Apprentice Level before I wasn’t embarrassed about showing my maps to others. I also bought some supplies off him to practise with. This would give me something to do on the last long stretch to Hrothgar.

I am pleased Tabitha has found some peace and enjoyment on this trip. I know it is temporary and the nightmares will never truly go away. Maybe music will help long term. I am glad Ört could help.

As we neared Hrothgar I was getting nostalgic. The Mother’s Tusks played a big part in starting what has turned out to be a massive growth time. Most people would take ten years to get their main class to Journeyman Level. Counting my time in the Quarry I took four and most of it in less than one. I amassed the Skills to specialise straight away and I now have three Basic Classes and three Specialisations. There were definitely special circumstances and opportunities. The Affinity definitely speeds things up and makes more opportunities available. I am thinking a quieter life is in order for a while, maybe some fishing, but I don’t always get a say in that. There is still a Goblin Horde under Jern somewhere and a Bounty out on me. The fish god is also against me.

Without my Affinity, I would be dead at the first Field Troll, or earlier. I doubt I would have made the climb out of the quarry. Without Tāoke I would be dead in the quarry or a slave. Tāoke deserves better. Now that I am rich, maybe I should buy him a chicken farm. Eggs are still his favourite. It will need to be near a lake so I can give the finger to the fish god and go fishing. We will also need somewhere to house his favourite sleeping pad, Oske.

Nearing Hrothgar I am a bit nervous about two things. I am a bit nervous about meeting Branik, Kopje and Smeška of the Mothers Tusks. For all, I know they will be away on Contract, but I am not sure how they will react.

I am mostly nervous because we are so close to Kirsk and I still have a large bounty. I have been trying to get Manipulate Status to Journeyman level, but it is stuck at Level 9. All Bounty Hunters will have some sort of Skill to pierce through a Status. I know because it is a Specialisation available to me, except I don’t have a skill like that and therefore don’t meet the criteria. I don’t think I really want to be hunting people anyway. I will take it if it comes, but it is not where I want to focus. Hunting and exploring are the things I am keen on. Seeing new places and creatures, both above and below ground. I think I might try to get the Ranger Specialisation. I meet all the requirements except the Lore level.

Hrothgar is huge. The city is sprawling well outside the walls. I can see strong fortifications up into the mountain pass with my Farsight. That is where the Empire would come from. There are walls on the Kirghiz side too but the city outgrew them a long time ago. More of the city is above ground as well. I can see some three and four-story buildings. Actually, that one might be six stories. The buildings outside the walls are mostly stone, I guess to provide some protection in case of a monster attack. The new city boundary is a wide river which seems to run around the edge. Many buildings next to the river are warehouses and a lot of the traffic and movement of goods in and out of the city seems to be by boat and barges.

The main roads are wide, and about four wagons could pass each other. Off the main roads, they narrow to one or two wagons and there are a lot of alleys for pedestrians only. Jern was a majority Dwarven city, Hrothgar is supposed to have a lot of Orcs but I have seen a lot of different races, many I couldn't even name. Those two have wings and beaks, and that guy looks like he has gills like a fish on his neck. There are Orcs, Dwarves, Humans, Elves and Gnomes as well as many others.

The Caravan staging area is on the outskirts of the city just across the first bridge we came to. The Caravan would be leaving for Jern again in two weeks. This was one of the regular caravans that ran between Jern and Hrothgar. Tabitha signed on for the return trip and for yard space to store the wagons and stable space for the pack Horses. Then we left with our mounts to find more suitable accommodation and stabling. We walked as Modrica and Vresig were with us. When it started to get busy and harder to move through the crowd we had Skavt mount Oske and they made a path.

We found an Inn that looked reasonable and a nearby Stable that had room. The Stables were not sure they had stalls big enough for Oske. A corner of the yard had a roofed area and he would be fine there. “Just make sure he has plenty of food.” were her final instructions.

The Inn, Hrothgar’s Hrano or just Hrano for short, was a three-story structure going up and one story down. We made sure the Bonds were welcome and as there were five of us in the Canine Queens plus two bonds and Tabitha, Modrica and Vresig of the Elemental Traders she booked out the entire top floor for us for the two weeks. There were ten rooms on that floor so there was a couple of rooms spare but we could spread out. Everybody except Modrica, Tabitha and I had relatives or friends to catch up with over the two weeks so most of us would go and do our own thing, catching up as we saw each other. Tabitha, Modrica and I would sort the cargo. I think I was just tagging along as muscle, but that seemed redundant next to Modrica.

Tabitha wanted to offload the cargo as soon as possible so the next morning we grabbed a wagon to deliver the metal and asked around about the alchemy ingredients. Apparently there is an Alchemy Society in Hrothgar where we could advertise what we have for sale to a targeted audience. It turned out the Society would take it all if we sold it to them at a reduced price. Tabitha had it assessed and haggled for a bit then accepted the deal. This was her first bulk wholesale transaction and was enough to get her Merchant to Journeyman Level.

Goods sold in two days, I can have some time off while Tabatha organises goods for the return trip. I wanted to have a look around the city and see if I can find the Mother’s Tusks. This would mean a trip to the Mercenary Guild. It turns out there are three guild offices in three different locations around the city. The Head office is inside the walls, so the first thing is to buy some clothes to blend in. I don’t want to stand out. I also got a haircut and beard trim into the latest styles in Hrothgar. A moderately successful city mercenary was the look I was going for. I left my large weapons at the Inn but made sure my knives were prominent and my Throwing Weapons were full and headed out.

There wasn’t snow on the ground here, but it was still winter. For the sake of blending in, I left my bear hide cloak at the Inn and wore a long leather coat I purchased. I wasn’t nearly as warm and there was no place for Tāoke on my shoulder. It did have deep pockets so I lined one with fur for Tāoke to curl up in.

Inside the walls might be called Old Hrothgar, but it was definitely a more expensive part of town. People were better dressed, the shops were flashier and selling a, well I won’t call them a higher quality of goods, but they were a more expensive quality of goods. The Mercenary Guild had a four-story building near the centre which was a major trading hub. It would be bound to have several stories underground as well.

I showed my Guild membership to the doorman. I got a small frown when he saw I was an Imperial, but he didn’t say anything. The ground floor was a Tavern and trade centre. The first floor up was the main Guild administration and Jobs area. The first floor down had the fighting rings and training area. I went up. I showed my ID at the counter, again getting a small negative vibe. It makes me think the Empire has done something recently.

“I am looking to find the Mother’s Tusks,” I said. That got a much stronger negative reaction.

“They won’t be working for any Imperials and they certainly won’t be hiring any,” was the grumpy response.

“That is fine, I am not looking for a job. I am more looking to settle a debt.” That got a very negative reaction and I realised how it could be taken. “I am the one who owes the debt,” I clarified.

That made more sense to the Dwarf but he wasn’t friendly. “If you leave a note I can get word to them.”

“Very well, please address it to Branik, Kopje or Smeška.” There was another reaction to Smeška’s name. Something must have happened. Something to do with the Empire. “Please tell them that Warren and Tabitha Carter are in town and would like to meet them at the Sweet Drinks Tavern near the southwest market at 7 pm Tomorrow.” He wrote that down and I passed over a few coins and left.

Something was very wrong. Branik will know Warren is dead and is expecting Tabitha at some point. I probably need the other members of the Canine Queens to get information for us, they’re not hampered by being Imperial citizens and have the advantage of being Orcs. However, I doubt I will see them for a few days. I walked normally down the street, but I was trying to see whether I had someone following me. The city was just too busy and confusing to me and I couldn’t tell. I left the central part and meandered around doing small bits of shopping. I didn’t want to lead anyone back to our accommodation so I found an Inn and went in and registered for the night, forking over the coin. It was only lunchtime so I had lunch at their bar and then left again.

This city was far too busy. There seemed to be nowhere where there weren't people. Man, I hate cities. I had come so far that I saw another branch of the Mercenary Guild. I figured I would go into the tavern and buy some drinks and see if I can get any information from the half drunk. The Orc on the door almost didn’t let me in. Something is definitely up.

I sat at the bar. The barman was a human and she served me my ale.

“I just got into town, and there seem to be more anti-imperial feelings than normal. Did something happen?” I asked.

She frowned, “Where have you been?”

“Jern,” I replied, “ been dealing with a Goblin Horde up there.”

She winced, “Nasty business that. I heard the army had gone up there.”

I nodded, “Four platoons. We contracted to the Jern Guard for a couple of missions.”

“Who is we?”

“That would be my sister and me.” I decided to leave the Canine Queens out of it for now. This was the Mercenary Guild and all information is for sale and I might be being followed.

“What has the Empire been up to in order to rile the Orcs?” I brought the conversation back to where I wanted it to go.

“About three months ago four Imperial Bounty Hunters came through looking to fulfil a Platinum level bounty and targeted the Tusks as knowing something. When the dust settled two of the Bounty Hunters and three of the Tusks were dead.” She sounded upset even now.

“I am acquainted with some of the Tusks, do you know who died?” She rattled off three names. Two I didn’t know but the third was Smeška. I could still picture his smile and always cheerful attitude. This would complicate things with Branik.

“What about the other two Bounty Hunters?” I asked.

“The Army arrested them for the murder of innocent citizens and chucked them back across the river with a ban for life from re-entering the Kingdom.” she said.

“They got off lightly then.” I commented before I meant to.

She nodded, “Indeed.” She then went to serve other customers and I pondered this information.

There will be Imperial informants very active in the city. They will have the Carters as people of interest as they know Tabitha was on the Caravan and hired by the Mothers Tusks. The Caravan Master at the time would have told them everything he knew. If Branik gets my message she will treat my invite like it is a trap. Would they blame me for Smeška’s death? My gut feeling is they wouldn’t, but I blame myself, at least partially. They were hunting me.

It was late afternoon so I went to the Inn where I booked for the night, ordered room service for dinner and went to my room as if I had settled in for the night. I waited for the city to quiet down. It was after midnight before I decided it was as quiet as it would get. I slipped out the window and stealthed a circular route back to the Hrano.

Tabitha was up, or maybe she just got in herself, so I went for a chat. Modrica heard us talking and joined us. I shared what I knew and we discussed what to do. Tabitha decided she and Modrica would go and meet Branik and I would stay here till they knew where things lay with them. I was to keep out of sight all day. She knew how uncomfortable I was in a city. However, this was her hunting ground. I guess I had some reading to do and a Map Making Skill to level.