156. Troll Shit: Tabitha.

What a ride. It was a shame Oske slowed us down a few times, but it did get hairy for him a couple of times. Pun intended. My Intimidating Aura kept us out or several fights that would have slowed us down.

What a bond. This is amazing for Modrica. Težka is more than suitable for my Krvne Sestre. They will be amazing together. It is just as well that Modrica is so stubborn, or this wouldn’t have happened.

It also wouldn’t have happened without Wiremu being so quick to recognise the bonding. Forget that saying about blood relatives being better. You don't get better than Wiremu. I have no words. That man is amazing, and I would give everything to him if he wanted. All he wants is a hunting ground and Tāoke. Actually, that is not true. He also has an issue with slavery in the empire. We are coming as soon as we find out how to break the slave class, which should be after Kirghiz. We are coming.

Meanwhile, we have to deal with the fallout of Modrica’s bond with Težka. According to Astrid, there is an entitled noble who will cause trouble if she were to ride into Duhovno on a Dire Bear. Not to mention all the greedy mercenaries wanting his core. That combination is a match made in hell.

The noble is from Kirghiz, and Težka will be fully grown when we get there. There won’t be any hiding him, then. The obvious solution is, can we assassinate the noble? He has only one minder, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Take him out into the Steam Lands, and don’t bring him back.

For now, we need to establish a base camp out here in the wilds to hide Težka. The closer to the city it is, the more likely other mercenaries will spot them. We need to go further out than here, and this is a five-hour hard ride.

Then there is Astrid. Wiremu thinks we can trust her, but the question is how far? She wants to go into Duhovno and report the loss of her team. I think it is better the whole team is missing in action, with the only report being whatever lies the noble has made up. That will be the first condition if she is serious about a job with me.

What Modrica is hiding is that Težka has an Earth affinity, and Modrica has also awakened it. The first Skill they got was similar to Wiremu’s first Skill, Granite Bones. Earthen Bones is not as strong as Granite Bones, but it does allow a bit more flex. Modrica is the toughest person I know, and she just got tougher. I also know the first Skill she plans to teach Težka is her Armoured Skin Skill. They are going to be very close to unkillable after a few levels. I am going to make sure they get those levels. The only person who will know about her affinity is Wiremu, and he is the perfect trainer for them.

We moved out after breakfast. Tāoke is still healing, so he took his favourite position on Oske. With his size, Skavt had to shove him over to make room for her. I walked with Astrid leading Dusk, and Wiremu taught Appā and Mutalil how to hide our tracks. Not an easy task with Oske, Težka and Dusk.

Astrid is a trained Healer rather than a Herbalist like Ört. Healers are very strong in Spiritual Attributes and then second in the Mental Attributes, with the Physical lagging behind. She is well over a century old and has specialised in combat healing, including Bone Setting, Wound Healing, Infection and Poison Cleansing and Revitalise. That is a lot for one person, but I guess she is over a century old. She can’t regenerate limbs or do any flesh sculpting. She has some fighting skills and the Militia Class, an introductory class for general weapons. It is a bit like Wirimu’s Quarry Worker Class or my Riding Class. I offered her a job, but with conditions that would never be in writing. I gave her till we found a new campsite to consider it.

Four hours later, Kryddor found a suitable cave near a cool flowing stream. Modrica and Težka went in and lured its current occupant out into the open. It was a Forest Troll. Seriously another Monster now? Do we attract them or something? We have been here a week and hit three monsters, whereas the average for the entire city is two a month. Even though one of them was artificial, it is still the monthly average for a week.

Tāoke was going to sit this one out and watched from his comfortable perch on Oske. Wiremu was firing Poison Arrows to eat away at the Troll’s regeneration. Astrid activated her Revitalising Aura, which was better than Ruku’s Refreshing Mist Skill. Modrica and Težka kept the Troll's attention on them, and the rest of us laid into it. My new Syphon Constitution worked well on it and gained several levels. The Troll seemed to have a Plant or tree affinity as it could strengthen its limbs and use plants to attack. This made it tougher to whittle down. The Troll was on its last gasp of life in just over an hour, with only a few risky moments and light injuries. Astrid had a ranged heal from her basic Healer Class, so Ört didn’t have to run around with potions.

Ideally, the kill should go to someone without a Monster kill, so we backed off at the end and let Modrica, Astrid, Appā and Mutalil finish it. I think Appā eased off as well to give his son a better chance. Mutalil was going all out with his strikes and was ecstatic to get the kill, which gave him the Monster Hunter Class and the Regeneration Skill. Astrid was very surprised when we gave her a chance at the kill. It cemented her decision to work for me. I thought it might. My Mental Perception is becoming useful especially combined with what Eluf taught me.

We cleaned out the cave while Wiremu, Appā and Mutalil carried the troll away to harvest it. This time they could take more than the skin and bones. They could harvest the blood and organs, and with Astrid’s preservation skill, they would keep well enough to sell.

We settled into the ex-troll cave. There was a lingering scent. Ört was very interested in the Core. He had long thought he had a plant-type affinity ever since getting his Forester Class. He had never been able to awaken it, and he had tried a lot of things. The Core might awaken it for him. I offered to pay for the ritual to test compatibility, but even then, there is no guarantee. The core might be wasted, and Ört will risk potentially being crippled or going mad or dying. The risks are lower with compatibility but never go away. Then there is his bond, Kryddor, to consider because what happens to Ört happens to Kryddor. The bond can sometimes help filter the core, as we have just seen with Modrica. This is how the rich and kings try to get affinities for themselves and their heirs. It won’t hurt to test.

Astrid was staring at us again.

“What?” I asked.

“You would consider not selling the core on the chance of trying for an affinity? Are you all some rich crazy nobles in disguise or something?”

“No, the closest thing we have to a noble would be Canwr from the Comedic Rhythm. No comment on the rich part, but we have enough for our needs.” I replied.

“Wait, you know the Comedic Rhythm? Rumours are flying about their amazing show from Obalno. You couldn’t get me into the two shows they booked here, could you?”

“You are probably best to wait till we get to Kirghiz and see it there. They are trying out new stuff here, and it may not go so well,” I said.

“You can get me into the Royal Concert Hall shows in Kirghiz?”

Appā interrupted. “She’s trying to be humble, Astrid. Skygge can get you into any show because she is the lead actress, and Elemental Traders are major sponsors of the Comedic Rhythm. You will see them practising all the way to Kirghiz.”

Astrid sat down on the cave floor with a thump, “Holy stinking troll shit.”

“Did we miss some?” quipped Mutalil. There were several groans, and he got things thrown at him for that.

“Save the dad jokes for your kids,” I said. He just grinned at me.

That broke the awkward reveal, and we settled into light banter as we prepped the camp. It was late in the day, and those of us heading to the city would leave at dawn. It would be a full day’s travel.

In the end, it was only Modrica and Težka, Wiremu and Tāoke, and Astrid staying. Skavt and Ört wanted to, but they needed to get back to Najprej and Drugič, and Astrid was a healer staying here. Appā and Mutalil had family and new bonds to return to, and I had business and show practice.

Astrid was a bit nervous about being just left with Wiremu and Modrica for protection, but I also reminded her she had a Dire Bear and Venom Serpent. She can find out about Wiremu’s affinity later. She has had enough shocks for a while. I guess they have at least kept her mind off her losses.

We loaded Oske and Dusk with all the materials to sell. Wiremu came back before dawn with four more moles. Astrid cast her skill one more time on the perishable things, and it was now a race to the city before they started to decay. The Canine Queens would be back in about a week.