The meeting didn’t last that much longer and after leaving the cavern my first course of action was to revise the patrol schedule in response to the change in our priorities and the higher threat level. Instead of dividing the scouts into two twelve-hour long shifts I had the same two half squads run four overlapping eight-hour shifts.
The only problem with this new arrangement was that it didn’t allow me and Ian to come together to share information when we were changing over from one shift to the next before reporting to the captain. Instead, we had to communicate only through messengers and via the captain or if we ran into each other on our patrols.
Careful Scheduling of our patrol routes ensured this could happen close to the start of each patrol but should the incoming shift be delayed if, for example, they thought they were onto something then this wouldn’t be possible unless we chanced to run into each other later. Anyway once that was all sorted out as best I could a messenger was sent to Corporal Young informing him of the new patrol schedule.
Skill: Scribe (Basic ) => Scribe (Apprentice)
Allows you to think straighter whilst writing
Intelligence, Wisdom +0.5% when writing
I also informed my own half squad of the situation and the new schedule, advising them to get what sleep they could now for their next shift was to begin in four hours. With that taken care of I took my own advice and went to sleep only to awaken three hours later for I had still some work to do before we headed out to search for signs of the unknown enemy we would no doubt soon face.
I quickly washed, had something to eat in the mess tent and then took care of my horses before poring over a crude map of the lordship of long bank manor and a more detailed one my men and I had been compiling since our arrival. I used them to plan out the route we would be scouting this shift and I decided to split up my half squad for most of our patrol to increase the search area we would cover to hopefully increase our odds of finding something.
With that done I made sure that all of my half squad were up and about and informed them of what I was expecting from them this shift. We spent the next eight hours scouting all over the Lordship for any signs of unwelcome guests and in the end, we didn’t find any trace of them. That wasn’t to say the patrol was uneventful as not long after we had briefly rendezvoused with Ian’s squad and before I had planned to split up my squad Private Eric Pen spotted some fresh tracks that he couldn’t identify.
He had asked Private Henry Downes for a second opinion and when one wasn’t forthcoming they had immediately informed me of the situation. I was unable to identify them and so was the rest of the squad though Private Jacob Chandler the temporary newcomer to our numbers had a vague recollection he might have once seen similar tracks before. However, he couldn’t for the life of him remember when, where or what they might belong to.
Anyway, those tracks were the closest we had yet come to a clue that might lead us to those who had set themselves against us, whomever that might be. Thus we wasted close to two hours tracking down their source which turned out to be a weasel cat a large long-tailed cat-like mammal that isn’t native to the main continent of Telondia. It instead comes from a large only recently inhabited island about a fortnight’s sailing off the southeast coast of the continent.
“Now I remember where I’ve seen its tracks before, the lord of Bincot Manor married someone from the island who had brought a breeding pair of the animals with her as a wedding present from some relative. They had somehow escaped when I was five or so and at the time everyone was looking for them and when I was older my elder brother had told me what tracks to look out for.”
We only found one of the animals and it seemed to be relatively young so once they had escaped the animals must have had several children over the years and the one we discovered must be one of their descendants. I made the decision to capture the animal which wasn’t the easiest of things it turned out since they sure knew how to climb trees. Eventually, we managed to successfully capture it and were able to tie it via a long rope to a nearby tree for future collection. When we returned from our patrol I told the captain where to find it and I imagine he later passed the information on to his lordship.
Free skill: Climbing (Basic ) => Climbing (Apprentice)
You find climbing things a little easier
Stamina Regeneration +5%, Dexterity + 0.5% when climbing
Your Professional Level has increased to 7, Strength, Dexterity +1, one Free Stat Points and an extra Professional Skill slot awarded
STATUS SCREEN
Name: Niel Ryder
Age: 24
Race: Human
Level: 14 (97%)
Active Class: Warrior
Class Rank: 10 (84 %)
Profession: Mercenary (E Rank)
Professional Level: 7 (1%)
Factions: Ebony Hyenas Mercenary Company
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Health Points: 334/340
Stamina Points: 311/340
Magic Points: N/A
Stats:
Agility 17
Charisma 12
Constitution 17
Dexterity 19
Endurance 17
Intelligence 13
Luck 11
Perception 15
Strength 17
Wisdom 13
Free Points 1
Titles:
Child Prodigy, Horse Lord, Traveler (Second Generation)
Free Skills:
Carpentry (Basic 53%), Climbing (Apprentice 0%), Cooking (Journeyman 30%), Farming (Basic 67%), Firestarter (Apprentice 62%), First-Aid (Apprentice 54%), Shelter (Apprentice 41%), Swimming (Apprentice 66%)
Skills: (16/16)
Animal Care (Journeyman 18%), Black Smithing (Basic 63%), Cold Resistance (Apprentice 92%), Crafting (Basic 98%), Dancing (Journeyman 24%), Haggling (Apprentice 75%), Heat Resistance (Basic 69%), Herbalist (Basic 85%), Horse Riding (Master 36%), Hunting (Apprentice 78%), Identify (Journeyman 11%), Pain Tolerance (Basic 56%), Scribe (Apprentice 0%), Stealth (Apprentice 20%), Trapping (Apprentice 42%), Unarmed Combat ( Journeyman 36%)
Class Skills: (20/20)
Archery (Journeyman 5%)), Axe Throwing (Apprentice 14%), Balance (Journeyman 30%), Block (Journeyman 6%), Daze (Apprentice 53%), Double Handed (Basic 96%), Feint (Apprentice 58%), Knife Fighting (Apprentice 86%), Light Armour (Journeyman 3%), Mounted Archery (Apprentice 31%), Mounted Combat (Apprentice 54%), Muscle Memory (26% Basic), One-handed Weapons (Apprentice 4%), Parrying (Apprentice 60%), Shield Work (Apprentice 33%), Stick Fighting (Apprentice 16%), Lance Mastery (Apprentice 53%), Sword Mastery (Journeyman 45%), Two-handed Weapons (Apprentice 46%), Unseat Rider (Basic 69%)
Professional Skills: (14/15)
Battle Instincts (Apprentice 24%), Drill (Apprentice 93%), Fatigue Duty (Apprentice 21%), Map Reading (Apprentice 38%), Melee Fighting (Apprentice 38%), Night Vision (Apprentice 38%), Patrolling (Apprentice 56%), Sentry Keeping (Apprentice 62%), Shock Tactics (Apprentice 8%), Siegecraft (Basic 78%), Roll Call (Journeyman 38%), Scouting (Apprentice 67%), Screening (Basic 44%), Tracking (Apprentice 45%)
After having a quick look at my Status Screen I decided to invest my free stat point into Charisma. I then had a look at my banked Professional skill to see if I was still interested in taking it now that I had an open slot.
Professional skill: Long March (Basic)
Passive Skill
When you stop marching or performing any other strenuous activity after more than 1 hour your Stamina Regeneration will increase by 15%
Since it seemed useful and it might be a while before another of them turned up I decided to take it before continuing on with the patrol.
Once I had finished reporting the events of my patrol including the weasel cat escapade to the captain he told me that my idea of creating a plaster cast of the tracks seemed to have borne fruit and the casts were expected to arrive from across the river any moment. He invited me to the meeting where they would be presented to the under-dwellers to see if they could identify them. The casts arrived shortly after and the captain and I quickly headed to the cavern where we were joined by the same individuals that had attended the previous meeting and a younger man I hadn’t met before.
“Before he hands over the casts I would like to first introduce you to Royce Stetin the young man his grandfather Alijah trusted with the task of creating them. When he was younger Alijah had helped out the workmen who were renovating the Manor House one of whom had taught him the basics of his craft which he had, in turn, passed down to Royce.”
“I took an interest in the subject after hearing grandfather mention it once or twice and I think I must have been the only one ever to have done so. Now be careful of them, I’ve only actually done this kind of thing once or twice before and I’m no expert that’s for sure. Now just let me take a minute to lay them down the way they were found though how accurate I’ll be is anyone’s guess. Hopefully one of you will recognise them nonetheless.”
While he was laying down several of what I presume were the plaster casts of the tracks in question I studied the under-dweller to try and get a sense if they recognised them or not. By the time he was finished, it was clear to my mind that they had indeed recognised them and they were none too pleased about it.
“Well, Senior Star Guide Wex Witlentian do you recognise them?”
“Yes, I’m afraid I do.”
“Well if you wouldn’t mind please enlighten me.”
“Alright, but Senior Sky watcher Yudi Yatlasti is more knowledgeable on the subject so I’ll let him explain.”
“Well, I don’t know what your lot calls them, if they even have a name for them but to us, they are the Hixtum. As you may or may not know each of the nine sentient races that Telondian allows to live on Telondia are capable of breeding with at least one of the others. I know you consider yourselves distinct from the rest of us, calling us the tribal races and further that Telondian in his infinite wisdom allows you to continue to espouse this belief and please do not interrupt until I am finished.
And before I get sidelined anymore that is beside the point, for us it is the wetlanders and for you uplanders it is the forest-dwellers. What however you may not be aware of is the fact that other than the wetlanders we are also able to breed with the Water Bourn. The result of this happening is usually that the child dies before it is born but every once in a while they survive. However, unlike with the wetlanders where the resulting child resembles one of its parent's procreation with Water Bourn always results in a hybrid being that we call Hixtum and they call Mibrido.
The Water Bourn and we have historically never been exactly friendly with each other so such pairing between the two of us have unfortunately been forced, usually but not always during periods of warfare. And I am sad to say that while neither of us have killed any child that resulted from such occasions this was mainly because as you know Telondian would punish such a thing.
That said neither of us ever treated such offspring kindly so they usually ended up leaving their mother's tribes to wander the world. To my knowledge, it has been many years since we have mated with each other so none of them would still be alive today if they were not capable of breeding with each other or some claim any of the nine for that matter.
They have over the years gathered together in one spot some distance from here or the territory of their parent races for that matter. Before they did so what relations we have had with each other over the years were never peaceful but we haven’t been in contact with each other since long before your empire fell. Why they have come now to attack or disrupt our pilgrimage I do not know but I fear it will not end well.”
“Thank you for your honesty Senior Sky watcher, have you anything to add Senior Star Guide?”
“No, I am afraid not.”
“In that case since I have never heard of these Hixtum before could you answer a few questions for me Yudi Yatlasti?”
“You may, whether or not I will have answers for them I cannot say, however.”
“To the best of your knowledge then have they ever had contact or conflict with us?”
“Individually maybe, collectively however no but I know for a fact that your empire was at least aware of their existence. As for these days, I cannot say for all I know only those of you in this room are aware of them.”
“Are they peaceful or warlike then?”
“As far as I am aware they have only ever been in conflict with their parent races.”
“If they are a peaceful enough people it should require something drastic for them to embark on whatever they are up to here, any idea what that might be?”
“I have no idea, we stopped keeping an eye on them years ago.”
“Does the fact that they are not a warlike people at all reflect their capability to be so if they so choose?”
Before Yudi could answer that question our meeting was interrupted by a member of the Ebony Hyenas bringing news that the enemy had been spotted and they were heading this way.
“I am afraid you are about to receive the answer to that question straight from the horse's mouth and I don’t think you're going to like it.”