72. Preparation: Tabitha

We had the evening shift of four hours from 6 pm to 10 pm. Near the end of the shift, two riders were coming fast from the direction of the army camp. They were being chased, but the watchtower's archers soon took care of that. Word went out that the Army was leaving their camp at dawn to make for Kulle. They were expected from lunchtime. Everybody was to be ready for action from mid-morning on.

Modrica and I were waiting with our assigned non-military reserves. The Guard had all their Scouts out by dawn and several very strong patrols to minimise surprises. Zabavano and the team were busking again, trying to ease the tension. Lunchtime came and went. Early afternoon the report came that the Army had defeated the Goblin Chief and would be here in a couple of hours. We stood down. The gates were opened with a strong contingent of guards, and they warned us that there were still large groups of Goblins roaming around. I checked on our wagons. I raided the Alcohol wagon for some celebratory supplies. Modrica stayed to watch over the wagons with the increase in personnel outside the gates.

The Army arrived late afternoon and set up camp outside the walls. The Canine Queens seemed to be intact. Word went out that Skavt and Oske were the heroes, and the celebrations began. I will get the real story from them later, as I am sure it was not that simple. I introduced Wiremu and the team to Zabavno and the group, and we celebrated together courtesy of Elemental Traders.

Getting back to Jern was the task, and we got in the first Caravan on the road. Arriving in Jern three days later was a lot like coming home. We still had our rental cottage, and it was less than a month from now for the auction, which had now turned into a week-long series of events. I let Nijel know I was back out of courtesy and found out he had adopted the title Shadow Lord and promoted Axill as his second. He was working up the legends of the infamous Black and pushing the shadow theme. It seemed to be working for him.

Time to build the Elemental Traders. I fixed the irregularity with the paperwork; it definitely belongs to Skygge and no other, especially not an Imperial. The Canine Queens are discussing the longer-term contract I gave them as lead Guards in a travelling Caravan. Putting together a roving caravan is not easy. Regular routes are easier as you can take orders and establish agents in major towns. Hence most roving groups are small, with only a couple of wagons and many low-end goods for villagers and towns. This means they are also not profitable or barely profitable.

To be successful, you need additional services that will be in demand, and that can be charged. A travelling Healer / Herbalist is one such service that will always be in demand, and this is part of the proposal to the Canine Queens, part that will significantly increase their income from this contract.

An Entertainment Troupe is another add-on service that will significantly add value to the roving Caravan. I haven’t broached it with Zabavno yet. I got him to appoint me as his agent and used my contacts with the Shadow Guild to get them into various taverns two nights a week and a Gambling house one night a week. They were rapt with that. What they didn’t have was any accommodation. Jern was packed out with all those who had retreated from the Goblins and the incoming visitors for the auctions. I sold off the two wagon loads of goods easily enough, and we parked them out the back of the cottage and outfitted them to be comfortable enough accommodations. What they wanted was for me to join them in their shows. I decided some might be fun, but I said I would only join them for the Gambling Houses' shows. I also needed to set aside two weekly practice sessions to work with them and learn their ways. They needed to decide on a name for the group.

Because of the influx of visitors to Jern, there was more variety of species around than normal. It looked more like Hrothgar. I didn’t see any of the Merpeople with gills, but I saw two very richly dressed Avions with wings and beaks. There was also a smattering of Beastkin, which you don’t normally see this far north. Beastkin predominated to the south of the Kirghiz Kingdom in what was known as the Barbarian City States. That meant they were self-governed cities doing their own thing.

What caught my attention was an elderly Catkin gentleman sitting on a blanket at the edge of one of the markets selling small trinkets with enchantments on them. I didn’t know much about the Enchanting profession, and I figured novice and apprentice Enchanters had to upskill somehow, but these seemed almost frivolous or of no purpose. A ring with a sharp enchantment? Fingerless gloves with a heat enchantment? A necklace with a repel water enchantment? Repel water would normally be on a coat or hat. A nose ring with a scent enchantment? Then it hit me. These trinkets weren’t designed for humans but Beastkin. A ring with the Sharp enchantment makes more sense when you have claws, as do fingerless gloves.

The question then is, why is he trying to sell them in a non-Beastkin area rather than trinkets for humanoids? I sat on the blanket beside him and picked up a nose ring. It is too big for me, but I wonder how much it would enhance my smell.

“Greetings, Grandfather.” I say.

“Welcome, young cub. May I help you with anything in particular?” The voice was low but smoothed with something like a purr.

“I am looking for a gift for my brother,” I said, “what do you have for humanoids?”

“Alas, we are sold out at the moment. I can take commissions,” he replied.

“What level of enchanting are we talking about?” I asked.

“Journeyman Level Basic Enchanting, with all the common physical effects, toughness, sharpness, heat, cool, light etc. Specialised in Resistance Enchanting, Apprentice Level, we can add or increase Resistances to common things, Heat, Fire, Cold, and Water. Apprentice Level in Skill Enchanting, but only some Skills, Small Blades, Bow, Shield, Stealth, Camouflage, Lockpick, Sword and a few others. The durability of the enchantments depends on the quality of the Spiritual Material we can access, among other things.”

“The Enchanter is a Beastkin?” I asked. He nodded. “Would specialised Beastkin Enchanting also be available?”

“Indeed, but that is specialised work.” He replied.

It had only been a rumour to me, but Beastkin were known as natural enchanters. They could enchant some items with things that are natural to their species. Toughened Hide, Night Vision, etc. The enchantment would wear out faster the more you used it, but it could be a one-off lifesaver or a surprise finisher.

“Why is it you are in Jern, Grandfather? This would seem to be well outside your normal area.” I was curious.

“We were being pressured to join a Trading House, and they were making it almost impossible to get the Spiritual Materials we needed to continue. We heard about this auction, so our small Pride made the journey to purchase what we needed.” He replied.

“Have you engaged a broker yet to purchase what you need?” I query.

“Not yet. We are negotiating the deposit required.” was the answer.

I figured there was more involved here. They were broke and had no Spiritual materials to do more enchanting, and the brokers wanted a good percentage upfront. I would have to be very careful here. This was a classic situation to manoeuvre people into and offer a loan to tide them over, which is then never able to be paid back, and you have an indebted enchanter at your beck and call. Anything that smelled like that would have this Pride running for the hills.

Of course, I could see the huge benefit of having an enchanter attached to Elemental Traders. This would have to happen very, very carefully. Skittish bloody cats. Grandfather’s attention was drawn across the street. I saw some thugs moving from vendor to vendor, obviously collecting the ‘Street Tax’. My Spatial Awareness picked up a slight increase in his heartbeat. They were very broke if they couldn’t even afford the tax. This added complexity as they could easily become enchanters to a crime lord, assuming the ‘tax collectors’ had any intelligence. That was not guaranteed. I couldn’t tell which Crime Lord. While the Shadow Guild was a major force, Nijel had missed out on a monopoly.

“Grandfather, I have a potential commission, but I would need to speak with the enchanter to see if they can perform the task.” I saw his suspicion. “I am willing to pay for their time.” I put some coins on the mat, which should be plenty for the tax, and quite a few left over.

“That is a lot of time you are paying for,” he commented.

“We will need to meet in private, and it is to ensure continued privacy whether or not we proceed. Do you have somewhere we could meet?.”

He looked at me and then said, “Tomorrow at noon. The Pride is camped on the North West Green, and one of our wagons is enchanted for privacy.”

“Thank you, Grandfather. I will meet you there.” I got up and walked away. I stayed in range and observed when the ‘tax collectors’ visited him. I sensed their surprise and mild annoyance that he had the coin. Unfortunately, these weren’t the dumb ones. I couldn’t tell who they belonged to and I wasn’t going to bother following them at this stage. They would start upping his ‘tax’ and applying other pressure. I would see what tomorrow would bring.