195. Legend: Tabitha

Poor Modrica died of her wounds. Nobody is going to believe it, but I don’t fucking give a shit. I will ram it down their throats, and if they push, it will be their cold dead throats. All Comedic Rhythm performances are cancelled for a month while I mourn my Krvne Sestre. We can’t perform without Nyx anyway, and she will take two to three weeks to recover. We will push the performances out a month to fulfil our contract.

I dressed as a teen messenger boy and went and saw Tāttā. He is tasked with spreading the news. I told him to make it really sad so I get public sympathy for my loss, and the army is to blame for not protecting her when they said they would.

Tāttā was fantastic. He said to really sell this, we need to have a touching memorial service and set up a shrine down by the footprints in the wharves, in sight of the broken gate. We set a public memorial service date two weeks away, and the shrine went up immediately. People would go there and inspect the footprints and lay flowers in Modrica’s memory, even though they never knew her. I am the public figure, and I went down there in tears, and the rumours spread.

Boy, did the rumours spread. Težka's footprints are her tears as she walked to the end of the wharf, carrying her dying bond away. Some say she took Modrica’s body into the river and drowned herself in sorrow. Others say she buried Modrica in the stone with her affinity and went hunting for revenge on her killers. The Legend of Modrica and Težka is growing. Some say they have seen her ghost haunting the farms around Kirghiz. May the great snake spirit accompanying Težka on that last fateful walk give them good hunting in the afterlife. A second shrine spontaneously appeared outside the concert hall.

Tāttā is a genius. It doesn’t matter how much the army officers know she is alive, the general populace only has sympathy for us, and they know the army failed us. Several soldiers claimed to have been there and that the army didn’t protect her. They say a tremendous fear gripped everybody when the great snake spirit arrived to drive off the attackers and walk with Težka on that last fateful walk.

It had become common knowledge there was an assassination contract out on both Modrica and me. There was so much sympathy that the public protested outside the Mercenary Guild office, demanding that is withdrawn and the coward that issued it must be revealed and face justice. On the third day of the protest, the head of the Guild came out and announced the contract had been withdrawn. Two days later, Black and Dianne received notice it had actually been withdrawn. The power of public opinion. No one mentioned who issued it.

Modrica and Težka are recovering with Nyx in a cave at the back of a farm we leased that is not associated with the Elemental Traders. Tāoke is also there, but his regeneration meant he healed the quickest. Modrica has a new class, and she and Težka have two additional new skills. The first new Skill is called Enraged Roar, and it gives them and their close allies a boost to their constitution, reducing the damage they take. It also gives Modrica and Težka a boost to their Physical Strenght and Agility Attributes, empowering their fighting. The skill is only boosting a small amount in the low levels, but it will grow.

Modrica’s new class specialisation comes from her Brawler Class. It is called Monster. Just that. It is not Monster Hunter or Killer or anything. It is just Monster. It gives five attributes per level, and four are assigned, one to each of the three strengths and one to Physical Agility. It came with the Skill of Blood Restoration, and by absorbing the blood of someone they have injured or recently killed, it will help restore them to health. The person or animal does not have to be dead, although it does have to have blood, so elementals won’t work. The blood does not have to be drunk just in physical contact, although drinking or eating raw flesh are the easiest methods. She can literally heal by bathing in the blood of her enemies. Monster blood is more potent than normal blood. A bloody fight is the best kind of fight for Modrica.

From Wiremu’s reading in the Lore Society, he thinks Skills adapt themselves to the user. There is apparently a whole floor of books on the status and skills and how they work. There is also a whole religion around it, “The Church in Status.” I hadn’t heard of them.

Ört has set Modrica’s arm, and it turns out her ankle was also broken. They are going to take weeks to heal, depending on how their new skill levels. We bring live animals from the farm, and they both injure it before killing it and then feed and drink from it. It is speeding things up, and the skill is levelling.

Težka’s eye is a problem. Regrowing body parts is a Master Level ability from Wiremu’s Regeneration Skill, and even he is not at that level yet. It looks like it is the same for Blood Restoration. We will need a Healer with the right specialisation as eyes are much more difficult than arms. This can’t happen in Kirghiz. After we finish here, we will ride for the Barbarian City States, and we won’t have a caravan slowing us down. In the meantime, Težka has learned Earth's Senses, so he has some sensing ability. Modrica has learned it from him, as I don’t think she would have learned it any other way. Modrica’s Mental Agility and Spiritual Perception are just too low. Modrica will never be good at it until she raises her Spiritual Perception.

Back in Kirghiz, I am now back living in the residential compound. As far as everybody is aware, Skygge is staying in seclusion. This was a bit embarrassing when I received a Summons to appear before the King, and I wasn’t even home. Rodion had to make up something about me not being up to seeing visitors. He is not very good at lying. We will need to work on that with him. Fortunately, the appointment was in two days.