199. Observations: Wiremu.

“Have you ever tried sensing through your flames?” I asked Kelda. We were sitting on the porch of the Caretakers Cottage. I was vacating it so Anni could use it for an office and reception, and we could fence off the rest of the land, where the lions could roam.

“I am not sure I understand,” Kelda said.

“It is something I read about in the Lore Society. If you light this candle and I slip it in inside the door here outside your sensing range, it is still your flame. Can you sense from it? Probably try Thermal Sensing first because you know the heat of the flame.”

She lit the candle, and I moved it.

“I am not sure. I know the candle is my flame, just like the fire arrows are mine, but how do you do more?”

“Try focusing it through your Spiritual Perception Attribute as this is the key attribute.”

“Hmmm. I need to raise that attribute.”

I had been teaching her what I knew of Spycraft, and her Observer Class went up to 9. One more for Journeyman Level and to specialise. It meant she wouldn’t get the Spy Class, though. Her Warrior Class was only at Level 7. By the end of the five years of service, most soldiers are reaching the Journeyman level in it and looking to specialise. The Class is obviously not suitable for her. Yet the Observer Class is rocketing up in comparison.

She was still concentrating, so I didn’t disturb her. My reading has been enlightening. I discovered I could organise my Status to some degree, so I separated out the Lore and Senses into different categories. I picked Fighting, General, Senses and Lore. Some skills have a lot of crossovers, so the categories are a guide.

I have picked up Gem Lore, Metal Alloy Lore, and Spiritual Metals Lore. All my other Lores have risen. My Metal Worker Class has also been going up in leaps and is now apprentice Level. My Physical Perception has also gone up. I have Darksight, Farsight and Hearing Aid. I rely on my smell through my Bond Senses, so I don’t need Olfaction. I also don’t need Infrared Vision which is seeing temperature, because I have Thermal Sensing. I read about Xray Vision, where you can see through objects. Apparently, it is very good for Blacksmiths to see the consistency of the metal. It is like Tabitha's Spatial Awareness, but only where you are looking, not all around you at once.

There is a Telescopic Sight Skill which is an enhanced version of Farsight. Apparently, you can enlarge a small area of your sight so it is like you are closer. That sounds very handy. I could get an enhanced version of Hearing Aid as well called Expanded Hearing. I could hear higher than the elves or lower than the Orcs. I am not totally sure what the purpose would be of that one, but it comes with additional sensitivity, which could enhance the effectiveness of my Truth Sensing Skill. Once you start reading about what people have recorded in the past, there are so many options.

Kelda is back, “I think I can sense something, but it is going to take some work. I am trying to make things work through my existing link to the flame. I am not sure if that is right or not.”

“It sounds about right from what I read. I would keep at it, as I think it would greatly boost your observation abilities.”

Kelda nodded, “The Army or my past trainers don’t teach this.”

“I think they are focused on destructive power, but there are other options. I have been reading quite widely. I have a lot of sensing skills, and I have been looking at options for me.”

“When are you going to start on the Advance Classes?”

“I think the week after next. This coming week I am going to look at bonds. In all my reading, there is something that seems to be missing. I don’t know if it is something that is underlying skills and classes, but I am starting to sense something is missing in the bonds as well. I also keep thinking about affinities because, in my experience, affinities and bonds are linked. I can sense that with my Analyse Bonds and Bond Care Skills. It is part of what makes a bond compatible or not compatible. It is personality but is also affinity, even if neither has an affinity that they are aware of. I think it is partly why Rodion shouldn’t bond with the wolf cub, and I think of Otto and his affinity experiments. There was a ritual Otto was playing with to try to force an affinity. It was based on the ritual of testing whether an affinity is compatible. Wait up.”

I thought through what I just said. Otto and the rituals. Then the memory of the Goblin Chief performing a ritual and creating, or growing, a Shaman came to mind. I haven’t seen anything in the Lore Society on Rituals. Why not? Affinities and Rituals are linked, and they work through a bond, or perhaps in a bond. The Goblin Chief had some sort of Bond with his goblins and Shamans, and he used his ritual to turn a goblin into a Shaman. It worked through a bond connection. The mental exercises you do to prepare for a bond have a lot of similarities to a ritual. It is especially clear in the new exercises I found. Tāoke learned my Granite Affinity through our bond, and both Tāoke and I learned Lava Affinity through our bond with Puia.

I had a notification from my Status. My Bond Master Class just levelled. I am seriously on to something here. Bonds, Affinities and Rituals.

I turned back to Kelda, “Sorry, I think I might have just had a breakthrough. Bonds, affinities and Rituals are all linked, and I suspect skills and classes are also linked. I just have to figure out how. It may be clearer in the advanced Classes or bonds, but I think I need to find the material on Rituals, and I suspect it is restricted.”

When I was in the Lore Society next, I asked about the ritual to test if an affinity is compatible and was led to a small section on the upper floor next to the affinity section. There wasn't much there. There was an introductory book that introduced the ritual and the ritual itself. The ritual wasn’t complicated, but the higher the skill Sense Spiritual, the better the results you would get out of it. It would be better if you had the Spiritually Sensitive Skill or similar. You needed spiritual materials of different natures to use in the ritual. If you don’t know where the core comes from, you must perform the ritual multiple times to narrow it down. The first time you would test if it is Animal, Mineral, Organic or Spiritual. If you get organic like the plant elemental, then you can narrow it down to trees, herbs, vegetables, etc. But if it is acid and you didn’t test for that, you won’t get a result. This is testing the monster core affinity, but then you must test the person wanting to bond similarly. You can go through a lot of expensive spiritual material.

There was a simple definition of a ritual in the introduction. A ritual consists of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order with Spiritual energy. Spiritual energy can come from various sources: the person performing the ritual, the items used in the ritual, or the object of the ritual. The only ritual that seemed to be available was the one that tested for affinities. This was interesting as, in some way, my Bond Care and Analyse Bond Skills were testing for affinity compatibility. They were also testing for other things, but Affinity compatibility was definitely part of it.

I need to run some tests on this ritual and my skills. I got out my paper and started copying out the ritual. Then I remembered I had Otto’s notes, and he had the ritual in there along with his variations. I copied this out anyway, as I didn’t necessarily trust Otto’s notes.

It is time to read about bonds and how the mental ritual facilitates bonding. I bet the books don’t say that, but I think this is how it will be. I will be testing that too.

Tabitha is back performing with Nyx. She has been quietly investigating the nobles but has taken no action, so I think the nobles are writing her threat off. That is what she wants. I know she was very interested in the Duke’s study, but I don’t know what she found. She has her carefree comedian persona on whenever she is out as Skygge, so people find it hard to take her as a threat. Even when it is known, she has an associate who can break through steel gates. They don’t take her as a threat. People forget too quickly.

Tāoke is back in town. He hangs out either with me, on Oske or in the compound. I think he finds the Lore Society boring, but he sometimes comes to help with the bow. The bows are done. It is quite a complicated alloy mixture. In the end, we added some of my sand. The Blacksmith didn’t know I supplied it, but it gives good fire-resistant properties. The metal bow will last a long while against the heat. We created a Granite hand grip where I hold it, which helps insulate the metal. The key to the bow's survival is the self-repair, like the bowstring. We got a Master enchanter in for the repair runes and an alchemist for a coating on the metal to help resist more heat. I will have to recoat it periodically. It will be part of my maintenance. It has a really strong pull. I had to put my Physical Strength up to 60 to operate it properly. There is no way Kelda could shoot it. It is really powerful. I have two of the bows and an excellent knowledge of making them if I need someone to make another. The knowledge will help with my Weapon Repair Skills as well. The bow is quite distinctive, but Wild Bill is an archer. I am much happier now I have a good bow. I didn’t realise how much it was frustrating me without it.

This Metal Worker Class has certainly boosted my attributes. The new bow has a greater range and power, so I am seriously looking to get the Telescopic Sight. It had a massive requirement of a Physical Perception of 50 and a Spiritual Perception of 40. I would need to use all my spare attributes to raise my Spiritual Perception. It will help with my Bow Skills and my Scout Class, and to a lesser extent, my Spy Class, but I am becoming a close fighter with my new Warrior Class. I have Thermal Sensing for close range. I am going to do it.

The enlargement function of the Telescopic Sight is fantastic. Even at Level 1, everything looks four times closer than it is. The enlargement function is based on the Spiritual Perception Attribute, so if I increase that, it will also improve. By the time it gets to the Journeyman level, it will be forty times closer. I can vary it as I wish, and it works with Darksight. A small snag in the smoke from the city fires interferes with it, but I can deal with that.

I was on the roof of our house playing with, sorry, testing my Telescopic Sight when I heard a banging at the gate. Rodion yelled he would get it, and my Hearing Aid followed him as he opened the gate and said, “Elemental Traders Residence, How may I help you?”

Then a familiar voice said, “I am looking for Sten, Skygge, or Modrica. I believe they live here?”

Awesome! I went to leap off the roof and head to the gate as I heard Rodion say, “I am sorry, both Sten and Modrica have passed away. Skygge is in mourning and not taking visitors. You may leave a message.”

“What!” then the voice turned dangerous, “You had better give me more details, lad, and take me to Skygge right now!”

Then I came running around the corner, “Ruku! Good to see you mate!” I gave him a crushing hug.

“Good to see you too,” he glanced at Rodion, “whoever you are. Sten is dead, huh?”

“Absolutely. A very touching funeral it was, too, although I was not allowed to go. Modrica is in exactly the same state, and you just missed her memorial service. Close the gate Rodion, so the sound enchantments activate, and we can talk properly. Hello Wai.” I greeted Ruku’s Salamander bond.

Rodion closed the gate, and I led Ruku deeper inside, “It is great to see you, Wiremu and Tāoke. It sounds like you had an eventful time, with both you and Modrica dying. I thought I had exciting adventures.”

“You haven’t heard anything yet. Tabitha is now Countess Skygge of the Kirghiz Kingdom.”

Ruku stopped walking, “You’re serious?”

“Absolutely! Tabitha is out at the moment, but when she gets back, we will go out to see Modrica and her bond Težka, and we can swap stories. You haven’t met Puia either. We will do that when we get out of the city. Don’t mind the lions. They are bonded to the Catkin. That's Cōmpēṟi, Mayakku’s bond, and that is Kāvalar, Anni’s bond. The other two are down at the warehouse right now.”

“Wow, there are a lot of changes.”

“Well, you went and left us, Ruku. Of course, we got into trouble.”

“You got into trouble when I was with you. Don’t blame me.”