Triple Strength

266. Free Thinking: Tabitha.

“I won’t do it. I won’t release the Slave Class from the two Journeyman-level slaves. The Novice, yes. But freeing the Journeyman Level slaves without the proper support is inhumane. It is a death sentence. You might as well just kill them. It will save them a lot of suffering.” Lord Nelson was adamant about this.

“We can discuss the Journeyman level ones later. We want to free the Novice kid now.” I was getting frustrated. Wiremu had been up all night with Mayakku and was also tired and grumpy.

“And I want to meet and examine your elemental bonds.”

“But you have a skill that can manipulate and sever bonds. We don’t trust you with our bonds.” Wiremu just came out and stated what we have been working around.

Nelson didn’t seem that surprised at his revelation about the skill. “It is called Bond Manipulation and comes from the Bond Overseer Specialisation. I am willing to reciprocate in an information exchange.”

That sounded like it came from the Overseer base Class. Wiremu’s comes from his Hunter base Class. I had an internal chat with Nyx, and she manifested as a large sabre-tooth cat next to me. I was impressed that neither Nelson nor Todd or Sandra, who were flanking him, stepped back, although Todd and Sandra had their hands on their weapons.

Nelson looked fascinated. “Again, during the day, impressive.” It was morning, and the sun was rising. “May I come for a closer look? It is the first Elemental I have seen this close.”

“She does bite.”

“She can affect the Physical that much?” he said in wonder. “I understood elementals focussed on the Spiritual.”

I didn’t bother answering him. I will not reveal things that can be used against us if possible. “Shall we proceed to remove the Slave Class from the other novice?”

“I need to recover energy until this evening.”

“I know that is a lie,” Wiremu said.

“And you wouldn’t know that without a skill for it,” said Nelson.

“Or being familiar with how much energy it takes and how much a person like you should have.” Wiremu countered with a lie.

Nelson’s eyes narrowed a bit. I wonder what his lie detector is telling him. Are Wiremu’s Deceive and Roleplay Skills high enough to get past it? On the other hand, after last night, Wiremu and Mayakku may have an idea of the energy costs.

“You are a Hunter Base Class. What would you know about such things?”

“What would an Overseer know of Mental Healing?”

“Yes, but you are too young.”

“Circumstances sometimes mean you have to grow up very fast,” Wiremu responded.

There was silence for a few moments as they looked at each other. Then Nelson said, “Very well, let's sort out the kid, then I will need to rest.”

The ritual went the same as Umreti’s, without the interruptions. The girl barely had her first class, and performing the ritual was easier. Seeing it for a second time meant I noted things I missed the first time, and I am sure Wiremu and Mayakku gained even more insight. Mayakku got to recharge her enchantments as they had been used up over the night.

Once the ritual was completed, the girl broke down in tears and was inconsolable. Astrid came and took her under her care and led her away to help her in private.

I kept track of Nelson as Todd and Sandra escorted him to his bedroll, and he lay down. The bird was there, but still no sign of any fox. Wiremu had signalled the slaves had not approached this time we had our discussion with him or during the ritual. Did Nelson feel safer, or was it too quick for him to organise them?

How is he communicating with them? That is a puzzling question. The bird sticks around. It seems to be more watching us than carrying communications between the groups. Wiremu thinks Nelson is dropping notes for the bird to pick up and carry to the slaves, but we haven’t seen him write any or drop any. I have been keeping an eye on Todd and Sandra in case they are doing it for him, but there is no sign of it. Yet.

I still don’t know Nelson’s game. What does he want? Curiosity about elemental bonds is not enough. Yes, they are rare, but would you risk your life to see them as Nelson has? Would you follow an infamous crime lord and killer for it? I don’t think so. Does it have something to do with the bond he is waiting for? Did he need to get out of the clutches of the imperial troopers? Is he running from something?

The nearest town is three days away, and Freebourne City is 10-12 days away. If I can get Nelson’s guard into a tavern, I can probably get some answers from them. Probably only Todd and Sandra have real knowledge. They would be harder to crack.

Nelson is confusing me, and it is not just his motivations. He is a Slave Taskmaster and has no problem making slaves and using slaves, yet he is concerned about people and their Mental Health. Where does that come from, and how does he reconcile the damage slavery causes with this?

If he heard our conversation yesterday, he didn’t mention it. What is he planning? He didn’t even ask for payment to release the novice girl. One look at Nyx is not worth that. Actually, maybe Nyx is worth that and more. She is awesome.

We are staying the rest of the day, and hopefully, we will move on tomorrow, especially if he refuses to release the two journeyman-level slaves. Getting to a town would be nice and a city even better.

My thoughts were interrupted by the clash of weapons. I walk toward the noise in the open field out the back, and Modrica and Umreti are sparring. Is this a good idea? It is attracting attention from the other camp as well. I see Ruku and Runa approaching, looking like they might also spar. Then, I saw Todd and Sandra approach Ruku. They talked for a few minutes, and then Ruku and Sandra split off. Todd and Runa also paired up and they all started sparring. This could be an opening for them to get information, although Todd and Sandra are probably trying to do the same. Todd and Sandra seem more committed to Nelson than the average paid mercenary. I wonder what the connection is.

I am more interested in Modrica and Umreti at this time. Modrica had a mace and shield, and Umreti had a sword and shield. Umreti seems the more skilled. Modrica looks stronger. Modrica can certainly take much more punishment than anyone I have ever seen. I moved around the edge of the field, sat down next to Težka, leaned back against him and watched. This will take a while as they both have a lot of endurance, although I suspect Umreti is still recovering. It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon. It was even more interesting when they put aside their weapons and went to Unarmed Combat. Modrica was definitely the master here.

Umreti has not mentioned his history or his previous clan. Maybe he has to Modrica, but she was cast out of her clan, so she wouldn’t care much. Umreti seems content to leave his past and join Clan Črna. It might be partly a debt he feels he owes. Modrica seems to be enjoying having him. They only had to pause the sparring once while he had a minor seizure. Umreti needs to start our Mental training urgently. It might help his recovery, and he definitely needs a mental shield.

I am sure Ruku will start our group training as soon as we part from Nelson and crowd. After all, we have lost Kelda and gained Umreti so we need to rework some of the group scenarios. We are back down to Wiremu being our only ranged warrior. Modrica is good with her javelins, but she is better in the thick of the fighting and giving the enemy someone to focus on. Kelda’s Liten would have been our best-ranged attacker. She would be unmatched as a Wyvern Sparrow. It is a shame they left, and not just because Wiremu is lovesick.

Having a relaxing afternoon has refreshed my mind. It occurs to me there is one thing we should have done before now. We need to check out these slaves that Nelson has trailing us. Wiremu knows where they are, as Tāoke is keeping an eye on them. We need to check them out in person. It might give some clues as to Nelson's motivations. I might drag Wiremu away from the enchanter, and we can go together. We don’t do much together. It might be quite hard to drag him away. They are closer to working this out now than they have ever been.