127. Compensation: Tabitha

“So they got away,” Sione said accusingly.

“Only if your Navy ships let them slip past again,” I said pointedly.

We were at our warehouse with Wiremu, Modrica, Gwaed and Ruku. Sione had come to find out what had happened, so we had given him the bones of the story.

“I’m going after her.” Gwaed declared suddenly.

Everybody looked at her. Sione was especially wary. He had discovered yet another Affinity user had slipped into his country without Military Intelligence knowing.

“Even without the details and the kidnapped enchanters, my report to date has the Generals moving us to a war footing. They will try diplomacy, but I think war is inevitable,” Sione said.

“She killed my bond.” Gwaed stated. “The last time someone killed one of my bonds, I killed them and everyone who tried to shelter them.”

“Just to be clear, for Sione’s sake, you are talking about Prince Bwli and his father, King Ofnus, the former Elven King of the Western Forest,” I said. Gwaed nodded, and I think Sione paled. I wasn't aware Mer could do that.

“It wasn’t a request. I am going after her. I would appreciate some help, but I am going anyway.” Gwaed said.

“I am not sure that is a good idea,” Sione started to say, but Ruku interrupted him.

“I think that is a great idea,” he said, “I will come with you.”

Gwaed brightened a little. Ruku continued, “I know what the loss of a bond is like. I would like to help.”

“That’s probably a suicide mission,” Sione said. Ruku just shrugged.

I said, “I have a contact we can talk to about transport to Northport. We can discuss it later,” meaning when Sione was not here.

Ruku looked at Sione, “I am not sure why you are not fully getting behind this. They kidnapped Kingdom citizens, and we could see about getting them back.”

Sione looked thoughtful, “I will need to discuss it higher up.”

“You will also need to discuss our compensation,” I said. “We worked hard on this and had significant losses, including a Bond,” I nodded towards Gwaed, “and Modrica’s Spiritually enhanced gloves.” The gloves weren’t repairable.

“Yet Abigail and five other enchanters were kidnapped, and the main assassin escaped.” Sione countered.

“That’s because you let a full Imperial warship into Obalno waters. We had an excellent chance of taking out the Swiftwave. We kept your Heir alive and cleaned out your gangs and the city Watch,” I said.

“I haven’t seen any Enchanting plans,” he said.

“They seem to have got lost. Maybe they will be found when we see what compensation might come our way.” I stood up, indicating this was over for now. Sione also stood, and as I showed him out, I said, “I expect to hear from you soon.”

After Sione left, I sat down with the others. I looked at Gwaed and said, “Your date at the banquet will have some contacts with smugglers that should help find a way into Northport. We will go and see him later.”

“Thank you for your help,” Gwaed said.

“That is what allies do,” I replied. “You helped us. We help you. I never did find out how you recognised me as the Black Butcher.”

“Mostly guesswork,” Gwaed replied. “I heard from Jern and Modrica the Merciless also has a reputation, and she stands out. Sugnwr also watched you break into the Enchanters Supreme with her Echolocation and Blood Sense. You had the same body and blood flow. I was fascinated when you brought Nyx to the meeting. I haven’t seen an Elemental Bond since I left the Elven Forests.” She sounded a bit wistful when she said that.

“You can’t bond with an Elemental, can you?” I checked.

“No, but you can learn so much from bonding with different creatures. Elementals are hard to learn from because they are so different, but I know one Elf who learned to become incorporeal from his elemental bond. That’s something for you to work towards.” Gwaed winked at me. She turned to Ruku, “We can see about finding you a new bond on our trip as well. Bonds are great.”

That was exciting. Think about what I could do if I could become incorporeal, even if it is for brief periods. Nyx and I will be spending a lot of time together on this trip to Kirghiz. The caravan is scheduled to leave in two weeks for Kirghiz.

“I might be ready for another bond,” Ruku said. “You are the expert in bonds. What do you suggest?”

“Water affinity, right?” Ruku nodded, “so, a water-based animal, but not exclusively water?” she asked.

“My last bond was a Bottlenose Dolphin, Opo.” Ruku said.

“The Osprey are quite common. They are more well known as the Sea Hawk. There would be a big boost to perception and ranged combat. What are you like at ranged combat?” Gwaed asked.

“Only mediocre. My speciality is more melee combat.” Ruku replied.

“Ok. Here is something a bit different for you to consider. About two hours south of here is a swampy area that is home to a colony of Salamanders.”

“Are they lizards? Wiremu asked.

“No. Lizards are reptiles, and Salamanders are more closely related to frogs, although they look similar to some lizards. They are amphibious, and one of the big advantages is their Regeneration. They can regenerate limbs. If you don’t have the Regeneration Skill, you will be able to learn it. If you have it, then it will go up a category, at least.”

“My regeneration is at the Journeyman Level. You are saying it will jump to Master Level?” She nodded. “So I can regenerate limbs?”

She nodded again and continued, “In addition, their skin is permeable to water and has a respiratory reservoir, which will help. Smell is one of their primary senses. They can breathe through their skin, and this particular type of salamander can also excrete a potent toxin from their skin. They need to be kept hydrated, but that shouldn’t be a problem with your water affinity, and they will probably learn your affinity and be able to hydrate themselves.”

“So, no direct combat abilities, but Opo didn’t either,” Ruku said. “I would be interested in going to see them. I assume they are small?”

“About 20cm long as a full-grown adult,” Gwaed replied.

“Easy to carry with me, and I like moist. It matches well with my affinity. It is a long time since I have made an effort to learn something new, or even advance my Skills significantly. With the poison, I could probably poison my water attacks. Yes, let's go and see them.” Ruku sounded like he had made a decision.

“My Animal Lore just levelled,” Wiremu said.

“As did my Aquatic Lore,” Ruku chuckled.

“The Druid Class required high Animal and Plant Lore,” Gwaed explained.

“What advice can you give to others in our group?” I asked, thinking mostly of Modrica.

“I think everybody should be trying to bond with an animal,” Gwaed replied, “Affinities are one person in 10,000 - 20,000, but anybody with minimal Mental Attributes and a bit of training can bond with something. People will more easily bond with some creatures than others, like Ruku really needs something water-based. However, it is much easier to bond than get an affinity, and the benefits are huge.”

“Modrica is not here, but she got on well with the Catkin. Would a cat bond suit her?” I asked.

“Probably. With her, I would go with the big cats, Lions, Tigers, and Panthers, as she is a melee fighter as well, and that will help them be more compatible. You should definitely encourage the Catkin to bond. They will bond very easily with similar species, so on your way to Kirghiz, try and find some leopard or lion cubs for them. Beastkin can bond with more than one animal if they are of similar species.”

“Are you going to look for another bond?” Wiremu asked.

“Absolutely, and I know where to go. We will need to stop briefly on the way to Northport to visit the breeding ground.” Gwaed responded.

“Breeding ground for…?” Wiremu left it hanging.

“A Griffon Vulture.” she said, then hurried on, “They are birds, not actual Griffons. It is just what they are called.”

“Why that?” I asked.

“We are hunting a Death Affinity user. Vultures are scavengers. They can sense death and decay. It should also be compatible with my affinity and my general personality.” she replied.

That was fascinating information. Nobody wanted to question her on what she meant about her personality. My mind also went to Najprej and Drugič, who were the only members of the Canine Queen without a bond. I should get them to talk with Gwaed before we leave.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t to be, as Sven found a dodgy trader going to Northport. Gwaed and Ruku wanted to get away as soon as possible to get there before the war officially broke out and to not be too far behind the assassin. Ruku made time to visit the Salamanders and came back with a young one on his arm. He said his Regeneration did jump past the Master level. He seemed quite happy, even though my skin crawled at the thought of the slimy thing crawling over me.

They left before we did. Sione out-fitted them with everything they asked for. The plan was to sail directly to Kirghiz once they had finished in Northport and meet up with us there. There were a lot of ifs in that plan, but the concept was good.

Saying goodbye to Eluf was the hardest thing I had to do. It was an all-night affair, and he broke out a hot tub. He hadn’t decided whether he actually wanted to be king yet, and he was far from the only contender. Stupid politics. It will take a lot to get used to politics, but if we can, we can use it against the empire.

Obalno has certainly been a learning curve. We were not completely successful, so we had a lot of learning to do. One thing I have learned is monster hordes are easier than politics.