60. Lieutenant Kelda: Wiremu

I woke by a campfire with some of the other wounded. Tāoke was there and still in his two metre long form. I am not sure why. Kryddor was there as well lying at my feet and I saw Ört helping with some of the other wounded. I had a quick look at my status before I officially woke up. I saw both Dark Sight and Farsight were now Journeyman Level giving me a base point in Physical Perception each. Imbue Venom was also Journeyman and Regeneration now Apprentice Level. A few other skills had also gone up. I also had three new monster kills and Monster Hunter went up a Level. Two of the kills were Tāoke’s but I guess we were a team.

I raised my head to look around and that was a bad idea as the world started spinning. I lay back down. Kryddor saw me and gave a small yip to get Örts attention. He came over straight away.

“Lie back down.” He commanded. “You should have told me you had Death Toxin on you. It is very lucky you are still with us. I think your Snakeskin delayed its effects and you must have good poison resistance.” I nodded. “I shoved a general health potion down you, and the Lieutenant had a specific anti-toxin potion. I think Tāoke has been sharing energy to keep you alive?” That last was a question.

I checked and he was sharing energy through our Animal Bond so I nodded.

“That is a Master Level Bond ability,” he said, impressed. “You will still feel weak for a day or so till it works out of your system. I am surprised you are awake already.”

“Regeneration.” I said quietly in explanation.

“Right, Monster Hunter Class. I had forgotten. You might get several levels on it by the time it clears the poison and heals the leg.” He said. “Death Shamans are only ever taken out with ranged weapons. I have never heard of anyone decapitating one and surviving afterwards. It would be a good story, but no one will ever believe you. I will get you something to eat.”

He left to get some stew from the cook pot. Now I realised why Tāoke was still large. He had been using his energy to keep me alive. I communicated my thanks and appreciation through our Bond.

He returned with a bowl of stew and thick bread. “Where is your bow?” he asked.

“Dropped during the fight,” I replied.

He nodded and gave a short whistle. Kryddor yipped a response and trotted off, presumably to find and fetch my bow back. The spear was easily replaced, the bow was not. I felt a change and noticed that Poison Resistance had gone up. Regeneration was not the only thing that might get several levels.

I must have drifted off again, because when I came too dawn was in progress and Tāoke had reduced to his normal size and was hidden again. Kryddor was asleep beside me and both my bow and spear were next to me. Poison Resistance was up again to 17 and Regeneration up to 6. My thigh throbbed and ached but it was bandaged properly. My armour was going to need more repair, but I would be dead without it. If my armour had not resisted the initial glob of Death Toxin, I would have been dead.

I saw Drugič by the cook pot and got her attention. She brought me a bowl.

“Is everybody OK?” I asked.

“Yep.” she said cheerfully, “you're the only idiot.”

“What about the soldiers?”

“Half the platoon is dead or injured. Most of the deaths were around the Fire Lieutenant. The other Lieutenant is not happy with how the battle went and the number of casualties. Half the wounded will be up this morning after the potions have worked. Word has been sent to the camp for help getting the others back.” She looked at me. “He is talking you up as the hero of the battle. Apparently you tried to solo three Shamans?” she quirked an eyebrow up in question.

“It wasn’t the brightest idea I have ever had. I did think I would have some help from the army, but apparently they were busy.” I replied.

“Apparently. How many Monster kills did you get?”

“Three,” I replied, “but two were Tāoke’s.”

She nodded. “They still count as ours. Our contract specifically excludes core and ear rewards, because they don’t want us fighting.”

“Or they want to pay for this deployment.” I snuck in.

She nodded, “However, I will let Skavt know and we will see what she can wrangle from the army. You did save their precious fire princess.” She grinned.

“So she lived? That's good. What’s her name again?” I asked

“Lieutenant Kelda. You might get a date out of her, being her hero and all.” She winked. She was enjoying this.

“Riiiight. Like that’s going to happen.”

The army support arrived just before lunch. They brought extra pack horses with slings between them for those who still couldn’t walk. I took one look at them and decided I was good enough to ride Rocky. The poison had been dealt with and Poison Resistance topped out at 18. Regeneration was hard at work on my leg. It could be a week before it was fully functional. Ört helped me up on Rocky. It would be a slow trip back to the army camp. Tāoke decided to ride on Oske again. Skavt said at the start of the fight Tāoke was on Oske’s head spitting poison as Oske trampled goblins. Then Tāoke suddenly left and they figured I was in trouble.

We were about an hour into our slow march and Lieutenant Kelda guided her horse alongside. There were two unhappy guardsmen behind her. My team drifted away to give us some space. Yes, I saw Drugič wink as she went to talk to Skavt.

“Hello, you’re Warren Carter I believe?” She started the conversation.

“Hello Lieutenant. Good to see you up.” I responded. She had a shoulder bandaged and the entire arm immobilised.

“Please call me Kelda when I am not on duty.” I caught Drugič’s grin. Yes, everybody was listening even though they pretended not to be.

“Then Warren is fine.” She looked young up close. Possibly younger than me, not that I was quite sure how old I was these days. I think this is my nineteenth winter? Maybe it is the twentieth? Whatever.

“I wanted to say thank you. Apparently, I wouldn’t be alive without your intervention.” She said.

How the hell do you respond to that? “You're welcome. We all did what we could.”

“I am told you can do quite a lot. Is your Snake bond here?”

“His name is Tāoke and I think he is buried deep in Oske’s fur.” I indicated to the yak who towered over all the other animals.

“Well I owe him thanks as well.” She paused. “I am told you have an affinity.”

“Oh?” I queried.

“Lieutenant Aaren saw you create a stone shield.”

“I am not very happy with that knowledge being out there.” I responded.

“Why?” she seemed genuinely puzzled. “You can get a lot of help with skills and classes and life can be a lot easier.”

“I have all the help I need,'' I indicated to the Canine Queens. “And I don’t like what is demanded for that help, for example, compulsory military service?”

She was silent for a long time. Then she said, “I got my affinity when I was nine. My parents were crafters in Hrothgar and we lived in a good house. I was playing with the kitchen fire and I ended up burning down the house. Only my mum was home and she got out but we lost everything. The Kingdom stepped in and offered us a bigger and better house and my parents a monthly stipend from the King. I was given tutors and could no longer play with my friends. I was told I could only use my affinity in a special room with supervision. The catch was that when I turned 18 I had to join the army for five years. If I didn’t want to stay in the army after that the Kingdom would offer me another job. I would always be on call to the army. My parents accepted the deal. I am near the end of my first year of service. I have only been training so far. They sent me up here to get a monster kill safely in the kill zone. That would eventually make the Monster Hunter Class available and hopefully I would get the Regeneration Skill. They want me to be less fragile.”

“Did you get a kill?” I asked.

“The Shaman I killed back there was my first, but I have to wait to level my Warrior Class to 10 before I will be able to get the specialisation. That seems a long way away.” she said.

“I am a bit puzzled why you have a Warrior Class? I would have thought Archer would be better with your affinity?” I was puzzled.

“I don’t have Farsight.” She sounded like there was an unhappy history there. “I wasn’t supposed to get into danger. This was my first fight.”

I looked at her in surprise, “Then you did amazingly well for your first fight. Getting that fireball away after taking the spear was amazing and saved my butt.”

“Lieutenant Aaron didn’t think I did well. He just gave me a long list of my mistakes, from wasting energy and not aiming, to poor shield work, to not being aware of my surroundings,” her voice lowered, “to getting my men killed and the list went on.” She had obviously just been raked over the coals and probably sent to thank me as the hero.

“Your men were meant to protect you, not the other way around. You did enough and came out the other side alive and wiser.”

“You can fight. Will you train me?” She asked.

“You are in the army and they have plenty of trainers. I don’t think they would be happy for you to be trained by a mercenary. Especially a mercenary who is not even a citizen of the kingdom.”

“You are not a Kirghiz citizen?” she asked bewildered. She had definitely been sheltered.

“Officially I am a citizen of the Nystad Empire.”

The shock on her face was worth it. She would have grown up with them as the enemy and with Hrothgar on the border, skirmishes were common.

“I might add that I am not a citizen in good standing there. Quite the opposite in fact, but I am technically a citizen.”

She obviously didn’t know what to say after that and decided something needed checking and rode forward up the column.

Drugič rode up and slapped me on the shoulder saying in Orcish, “You were doing great there for a while ‘Warren’, but you blew it at the end.” She grinned and rode forward herself.