108. MATCHMAKING: TABITHA.

I really want to work out the puzzle that is Rotte. She has a very high Status blocking skill, and I have only been able to get an idea of her top two classes. Fortunately, she only has blocking and not Confusion or manipulation, so I can trust it is true when I can get through the block. The top Classes are Blood Druid and Blood Alchemist. Not what you would expect from a gang leader. I am strongly suspecting a Blood Affinity, which would make her very, very dangerous.

However, I can’t get distracted now. We need to route out those behind the corruption. Eluf would take care of the Watch, but as much as they had agreed he would also take care of the administration corruption, she would not leave that to him. The key had to be someone high up, and it was going to be someone with a plan to deal with Eluf. The sheer number of tentacles they have in Obalno shows that. I am betting it is a local using Imperial resources to grab the Dukedom. This would indicate it is one of Eluf’s siblings or a high-ranking noble.

Eluf had two siblings. His sister, Linne, was married to a local noble, and they had two children. She was next in line for the Dukedom until Eluf produced an heir. Then there was a younger brother, Sven. He was a lot younger than the other two and was being trained as an advisor and administrator. Linne and her husband, Rainer, were the prime suspects having the most to gain. Sven would have the fingers in the most pies, so from an operational viewpoint, he had the connections. They could be conspiring together, but I still think it comes back to a single person at the top. On my next date with Eluf, we will include some discussion on the family. Maybe we will need to have dinner as part of the date, as it doesn’t seem to be an appropriate topic while naked in a hot tub.

For now, I need to crash for a few hours. There is another performance tonight, and I want to visit some taverns this afternoon and see what the gossip networks have on the Duke’s family. Modrica stayed at the Quarry with the kittens. They are not so small now. Catkin may have a shorter average life span than humans, about a third less, but their kids mature three times as fast. Six years after birth, they are considered adults. Which would mean Ilaiya was only about seven years old when we first met him. Poor kid. Wiremu is hiding it, but I can tell he is furious.

We know it is a dangerous world, but the way the Duke mismanaged Obalno, I wonder if he needs to be assassinated. There certainly needs to be an accounting.

I took the night off after the performance. The gossip on the street is pretty tame around the Duke and his family. Eluf returning after being away so long was a surprise and received a mixed reception. When the Duke became sick, everybody expected he would name Linne as the Heir. It would undoubtedly have solidified the backing of her husband’s Noble house. There were a lot of rumours about tension there. There was not much going around about Sven. He was around twenty years old and quite bookish. The only thing said was that he was the go-to person if you wanted something done. There didn’t seem to be much in the way of sex scandals or rumoured affairs. The most significant discussion was about who Eluf might choose as a wife, and apparently, he is sleeping with the mysterious lead actress from Comedic Rhythm. That has a few wannabe heiresses upset.

I spent the next day helping Tāttā and our flagging business as Elemental Traders. He had finalised a deal with Master Glass for the sand Wiremu collected and with Gwydr for the glass knives. We can expect delivery in a couple of days as they are not hard to make once you have the right mix of ingredients. He will also add some crushed gems to increase durability and allow enchanting. They sound fantastic and are definitely an upgrade on the one he gifted me. When I went shopping that afternoon, I tested the knife for its original purpose, and it worked very smoothly. At the end of the day, I made a small profit, including the expense of my purchases.

We have another week of performances in the Bardic hall, and then it is the Birthday Gala for the Duke's granddaughter. That would be Linne and Reiner’s oldest, who is turning six. That is some sort of milestone age around here. The next milestone is at sixteen, when you are considered an adult. Becoming an adult at sixteen is actually a grey area for a couple of years until you prove yourself, preferably by getting your first Class. It is another excuse for a party. Most kids are well into their apprenticeships and nearing their first class around then, so I guess that is worth celebrating. The kids are finally off their parent's hands, so that is something I would celebrate too.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

We were planning to be on the road not long after the Gala. The lease on the Warehouse and the safe houses extend a month after the Gala, giving us time to finalise deals, pack and get on the road. We now own the quarry, so I am going to need to find someone to lease it long-term. The Elemental Traders are also looking for a permanent agent in Obalno. That has been made more difficult with us being ostracised in the merchant community. Even though that will clear up when we solve this issue, the stigma will remain. If we don’t manage to resolve this issue or it gets resolved in a negative way, we probably won’t be leaving any agents here.

I am thinking of starting an unrelated Company here that can feed us information and business without the stigma of the Elemental Traders name. In previous towns, I have made contacts with criminal organisations, but Obalno is larger, and a legitimate cover organisation would work as it is also a key smuggling port. I wonder if I can get Rotte and Gwydr working together. They are both elves, even if one of them is in hiding. A bit of matchmaking may be in order here.

Skavt is clearing up the Canine Queen issues in the Mercenary Guild in her usual direct and bull-headed way. It has gotten worse since her bonding with Oske. She was always direct, but now she almost charges at things. She is getting some behind-the-scenes help from Eluf, but she doesn’t need to know that. This should help in hiring more guards. I will need to increase the offer we make them. The death of so many in our employ does not encourage others to hire on. Hopefully, Ruku’s reputation will attract some strong people.

Ört isn’t interested in restarting his clinic with only a few weeks to go. He spends most of his free time hunting for herbs. That’s what he told me anyway. He has been caught sitting under a tree reading a book more than once. He and Kryddor are basing themselves at the quarry now the need for guards in town has been greatly reduced.

Najprej, Drugič and Skavt are working on their professions when they are not on duty. Skavt’s main priority is to hire more guards and work with Selma, our Caravan Mistress, to get us ready to roll out. Selma is hiring wagoneers and getting Abigail and our carpenter to go through the wagons making sure they are in good shape. Selma suggested we advertise our timetable, and we might get some independent wagons to join us. Most of the goods between here and Kirghiz are shipped as it is quicker than the wagons. However, there are several towns we will visit that are not on the shipping routes. Juggling the current issues and future preparation is quite strenuous.

That night’s performance had a few mistakes. We are going to need to practice and sharpen things up again. I think we are all getting tired. Getting on the road will give us all a break. Manus and Zabavno said they have some new material to work on during the trip, so it is ready for Kirghiz. That sounds like fun.

Wiremu and Ruku got back this afternoon with a detailed map and a rat-hole entrance. When he told me about the Vampire Bat, it confirmed things for me. It would definitely be Rotte’s bond. That woman is full of surprises. Druid is a Class that allows for additional bonds and reduces their requirements. Her Blood Affinity has obviously altered the class, but she has three known bonds. Sorry, her ‘probable’ Blood Affinity. I am a betting woman, but I doubt anyone will bet against me with a vampire bat as a bond. I shared my Status discovery and suspicions with Wiremu, Ruku and Modrica because if she turned against us, it would get ugly. We are all considering how we would counter a Blood Affinity with a lot of experience in disease and poisons. It is scary stuff.

There are twenty-eight people in that cave. There were four that Tāoke says we should be wary of. He wasn’t able to name them, but Wiremu will be able to recognise their smell when he gets close. The rats are going in tonight, so we need to organise the attack for two nights hence, hopefully before they are reinforced. I don’t know their plans, but it won’t be to hide in a cave. Probably they are waiting on the smuggler ship. I hope some of those in the cave are of Imperial origin because I have questions.

What a fucking troll shit of timing. I just realised that two nights away is Date Night. I can see my candle-lit dinner and hot tub disappearing. Fuck! Eluf was interested in sparring with me. I wonder how he would like to fight beside me. It would be a date like no other, and we will definitely need the hot tub afterwards. We would have to disguise him so he is not recognised, but everybody there will be disguised. He will have to agree to shut up about things he sees. Can I trust him that much? I know he is free that night. It would be good to have another strong fighter. The bulk of our forces are from the Pack Rats, and stand-up fighting is not their strength. Ruku is getting a ‘retired’ Marine mate to go with him. He will be assaulting from the sea and disabling the boats. Eluf was a Captian in the army. Maybe I can get Major Ruku to order him to be quiet. Now I am dreaming. It will need to be a personal promise between the two of us. I am more than happy to sweeten the deal, personally. I will run it past the others, and then I can approach Eluf.