78. Retirement: Ruku

I pulled my lanky frame up onto my small outrigger canoe. I had a fish on the end of my spear and a small sack with the rest of my catch tied to my belt. I emptied the sack into the flax basket on the canoe. I had recently taken up weaving to try and make them for myself and give me something to do in my retirement. It wasn’t going well. I wrapped a lavalava around me. I usually swam only wearing a utility belt, in this case, only holding a knife and the sack. Nakedness wasn’t taboo in the village, but I didn’t want to upset anyone or give the village herbalist any excuse to chase me to become her fourth, or maybe fifth, husband. It seemed any mature human male would be in her sights. I avoid her now. Luckily, I had Regeneration in the Journeyman Levels, and that fixed most things. It did tend to leave a lot of scars, though.

I picked this village to retire in because it was close to the coastal city of Obalno, which was a major trading port and shipyard for northern Kirghiz and a major base for the Kirghiz Navy. Mostly I picked it because it reminded me of the village I grew up in. That village was much further south, right on the border with the Barbarian City states, which were mostly Animalkin-controlled. That was where I bonded with Opo and awakened my Water affinity. Opo might have been an ordinary Bottlenose Dolphin, but our partnership spanned over thirty-five years.

I had initially been trained in the Fishing Class as a boy in the village, and after I bonded with Opo, I specialised in the Diving class, which gave me the special Skill, Oxygen Efficiency. That was now at Master Level, and I could spend about an hour underwater performing normal activities.

Because I was born on the Kirghiz side of the border and had an affinity, military service was compulsory. Opo and I joined the Royal Marines in the Kirghiz Navy, and I found I liked military life. The Navy initially trained me as a basic Warrior. I then specialised as a Commando getting the Skill, Enhance Attribute. This enabled me to choose an attribute to enhance at no cost. The amount of enhancement and time it was active depended on the level of the Skill. There was a high cost if you pushed it beyond the time limit, which I had done on occasion.

We spent thirty years protecting the coastal shipping from monsters, pirates, various border skirmishes and one war. Opo was invaluable as a scout, and I specialised in Aquatic Infiltration. That basically meant I swam to the ship, town, or monster and spearheaded the attack. My first monster kill was manning a harpoon on the ship as we were trying to move a junior Krakken from the shipping lanes. Because the Navy had crammed some Lore into my brain and fast-levelled Warrior, I got the Monster Hunter Class with the Regeneration Skill. As I moved up the ranks, I got the Leadership Specialisation which came with an awesome Skill, Inspiring Aura. This can inspire not only fellow warriors but also craftsmen. The ship's carpenters only got us home after one disastrous trip by doing some very creative repairs that they are sure would not have happened without the Aura.

The last few years, I had been based in Obalno, training the next generation of Commandos, and the Navy had made sure I had the Trainer Class for this. Hence the Navy was not very happy when I retired at the young age of fifty-two. I retired at such a young age because of Opo's death. After all, we had been through, for him to be taken out by a mutated Great White Shark was devastating. I had been so close to getting there to help, but Opo’s regeneration couldn’t cope with the damage. It was like all the colour had been sucked out of the world. Nothing mattered anymore.

Some would be impressed by my Status, but I couldn’t raise the energy. A lot of my Skills came through my bond with Opo, and looking at it was just another reminder. I did a quick check anyway, but it had been months since I had levelled anything.

Ruku

Class

Fish

Diver

War

Comdo

MHunt

Lead

Trainer

Total

Type

Attribute

Level

14

9

12

9

7

9

5

Constitution

Physical

Strength (PS)

12

7

14

3

24

9

7

76

188.0

Agility (PA)

10

5

14

9

10

9

7

64

Perception (PP)

11

2

10

9

0

9

2

5

48

Mental

Strength (MS)

12

8

0

3

12

7

9

51

115.0

Agility (MA)

12

5

3

9

5

34

Perception (MP)

9

2

5

9

5

30

Spiritual

Strength (SS)

10

3

5

9

8

0

7

42

118.0

Agility (SA)

10

5

5

3

5

4

3

3

5

43

Perception (SP)

8

2

8

1

9

5

33

Totals

94

39

56

36

60

45

34

32

25

421 Free Points

0

0

0

0

1

4

Resistances: Pressure +35, Cold +49, Poison +7, Pain +26,

Skills:

Novice: Cooking 4, Weaving 4, Carpentry 4

Apprentice: Shield Bash 8, Sewing 6, Coach 7, Skill Book 5

Sailing 8, Throw Weapons 9, Stealth 9, Harpoon 7

Animal Lore 6, Monster Lore 5

Orcish 7, Barbarian Common 8.

Journeyman: Sword 11, Shield 12, Axe 10,

Piercing Strike 14, Camouflage 10, Fast strike 13, Unarmed Combat 12

Sonar 13, Farsight 10, Tasty 11, Ocean Sense 10, Sense Spiritual 12

Interrogate Status 12, Hide Status 13, Identify 12

Tough Hide 11, Water Sprint 10,

Spear Fishing 10, Repair Weapon 11, Regeneration 12

Water Surge 12, Refreshing Mist 10, Hydrate 11, Whirlpool Shield10

Inspiring Aura 10, Enhance Attribute 11

Dwarvish 14, Mer 10

Aquatic Lore 10

Master: Darksight 16, Animal Bond 15, Spear 15, Small Blades 16, Fishing 15,

Water Manipulation 15, Oxygen Efficiency 15,

Affinity: Water

Monster Kills: 6

I noticed that if I spent a couple of points on Physical Perception, I could get a fifth perception skill. I had Darksight, Farsight, Sonar and Tasty. There wasn’t anything I was interested in at the moment. Most people were confused about the Tasty Sense, but it was essentially the underwater equivalent of the Sense of Smell. Unfortunately, it also highlighted how bad my cooking was. That was something else I had tried and failed at in this retirement. The Tasty Skill was keeping me at least semi-motivated to improve my cooking.

My Ocean Sense was telling me there was a storm coming. This was sort of a situational awareness Skill giving a general sense of what was around me, and with my years of practice, I was getting good at interpreting it. I raised the sail on my canoe and headed back toward the village. I pulled the canoe up the beach and took my catch to the evening market, keeping a few of the better fish for dinner. With my Refreshing Mist Skill, I could keep things fresh for quite a while. Even if the main purpose of the Skill was to refresh weary soldiers, that didn’t mean it couldn’t be used for other things.

I went to my small hut on the edge of the village, where I could sit, enjoy the sunset, and watch the storm clouds build on the horizon. When I arrived here two and a half years ago, I bought the hut, but my attempts at Carpentry had probably decreased its value. It was something else I had tried and failed to learn, probably because my heart wasn’t in it.

What I did enjoy in the village were the kids. They were fun, and I helped them get up to mischief, all in the name of building their Skills, of course. That is what I told their parents anyway. I wasn’t the most popular among the adults in the village. I would be very popular if they knew about my Inspiring Aura Skill and Trainer Class, but my Hide Status Skill was strong, and I wasn’t interested in people putting demands on me.

I had to head to Obalno tomorrow anyway to act as a “Consultant” to the Royal Marines to help them select the next batch of Commando Trainees. I would go back later to help with some of their training. This was the deal I had negotiated with the Navy on my retirement. Obalno was a two-day caravan ride away, but I could easily get there in a day with my military training and Attribute levels.

The storm passed over during the night, and the ground was wet. There would probably be showers as well. I hoisted my pack onto my back and started the gentle six-hour jog to Obalno. I timed it so I would get there mid-afternoon. The City guards were doing basic inspections at the gate, but they just waved me through when they saw my Military ID. I knew that even though I was in civilian clothes, there were definite giveaways that identified someone who had spent many years in the military.

I slowed to a walk through the city, looking at the changes since I had last been there. I approached the gate to the Navy Base and showed my ID. Both Guards snapped to attention and saluted me.

“Yes, Sir! Major Ruku, Sir! The Captain is waiting.”

I thanked them. I think the stories about me are growing over time. It wasn’t even a fully grown Octopod. I think it is good I retired, but I know I need to get some direction back in my life. I was assigned a room in the visiting Officers section, left my gear there, and went to report to Captain Tait.

Tait and I were in the same Commando Team during the Two Year War with the Nystad Empire. The war ended about fifteen years ago. We were stationed in Kirghiz City then, and the Empire brought a fleet to blockade the Kirghiz River to stop supplies from getting to and from Kirghiz, located about 30km upstream from the river mouth. The Nystad fleet had no answer to the Aquatic Infiltration commando teams, and we had sunk or disabled several ships before they even knew we were there. Then the Obalno Fleet arrived at the same time as the Kirghiz Fleet came out of the river, and I don’t think many of those empire ships got back home. Maybe they learned not to mess with the Kirghiz Navy, but I doubt it.

Our careers had crossed paths several times since then, and Tait was a good friend. He and his wife were major support when my wife left me ten years ago, taking our two children with her. I think she was sick of me being away at sea all the time. At least the kids don’t hate me, and we get on OK when I visit. They are young adults now making their own way in the world.