Triple Strength

85. Watchful: Tabitha

That afternoon, we got raided by the Obalno City Watch. Apparently, a local and prominent enchanter got robbed last night and other enchanters, especially foreign visiting enchanters, are prime suspects. They searched and made an absolute mess while we got a stern warning against receiving stolen goods, just in case someone might try to sell us something. That took most of the next day to clean up properly. Ruku’s presence did make a difference. Things would have been a lot worse if he had not been here. Maybe he does have a use.

Am'mā came up to me during the clean-up and asked quietly, “Did you do it?”

“Absolutely not,” I replied. “But I might be interested in some of the goods if they were to come on the black market.” She didn’t look like she believed me. Perhaps the City Watch should hire some experienced mothers, and they might have more success. Mayakku was also giving me suspicious looks. What is it with these people? Is my Mimic Skill failing me?

Both my Thief Class and my Burglar Specialisation levelled after last night. It is unusual for my Thief Class to level. Maybe I stole something of particular importance? It will be a few days before I will have a chance to go through the loot. The City Watch is living up to its name and watching us, so everything should stay normal for a while. Tomorrow night we are performing again for three consecutive nights. Sometime after that, I will check what I actually stole.

I have a lot of attributes available to me. I have been saving them up. I look at Wiremu and Tāoke. Wiremu has Bond Senses and Snakeskin which are natural abilities of Tāoke. What natural abilities can I learn from Nyx? She naturally has an incorporeal nature. She does not have a physical form. She is ethereal and immaterial in nature. Can I do that?

This is what we have been experimenting with, and I have been saving up my attributes as it will take a lot of them. It is an extremely high-level skill. All the Spiritual Attributes need to be at least over 40 and Spiritual Agility even higher. That is what Identify is telling me. I put everything into the Spiritual Attribute and got all three up to 40, but now I only have two spares, which is not enough. I have been trying to experiment with Nyx as well, but the attributes alone are not enough. I have to do something to trigger the Skill. That is going to be the hard part.

All these attribute increases in the Spiritual have certainly boosted all my Shadow Skills. I used to be absolutely exhausted after a show, but now I have energy left. The increase in Spiritual perception has also boosted my Sense Spiritual Skill. It is now much more sensitive, even though the level hasn’t changed.

I am aware my Physical Perception is now over 40, yet I only have two Perception Skills, Darksight and Spatial Awareness. I could get two more Skills. I don’t need any more sight skills. I have been considering Hearing Aid because Wiremu finds them so useful. I am still considering Sensitive Skin for the benefits of touch skills, but my Shadow Skills make lockpicking so much easier than the usefulness has dropped. I am not going to get it just for the sexual benefits. The other thing I am interested in is how Nyx ‘sees’. It is a sense of some sort, but I am not clear on how. It is strongly based on Spiritual Perception, so that is another reason to invest in Spiritual Attributes.

Ruku gave me the contact details of Major Sione of Military Intelligence. I was putting off contacting him, but I finally left a message for a lunch meeting at an inn after the performances this weekend. I am not sure what to say to him or how much to reveal. He will probably get more than I want to reveal anyway, so stick to the basics.

I upped the security around the Catkin. I do feel they are being unfairly targeted in this robbery. Species biases and professional snobbery while trying to stamp out the competition. That is just my opinion. I am not planning to check the loot until after meeting with the Major. What I don’t know, I can't reveal. There seems to be much more fuss about this robbery than I thought. Maybe it is more than the Master Enchanters' political clout.

Tonight's performance went well. Drugič was playing guard for us. Then Wiremu arrived.

“The Watch turned up at the warehouse and tried to take Mayakku away for questioning. Appā and Mutalil wouldn’t let her go, and the Watch was going to force it until Modrica flattened one of them.” I winced when Wiremu said that. “Ilaiya slipped away to fetch me, and when Skavt and I arrived, Modrica had laid out half the watch, and they were drawing lethal weapons. Appā and Mutalil had kept out of it and sheltered and guarded, Mayakku. The Watch only stopped when Skavt had Oske come out snorting and pawing at the ground with his head down, ready to charge. Skavt stepped in to mediate.

“The short story is that the Sergeant of the Watch wanted to arrest Modrica for assault on officers of the Watch. When she refused to go, and nobody was going to make her, she is now under ‘House Arrest’ and not allowed to leave the compound.” I snorted at that, and Wiremu also smiled. Modrica will go and do whatever she likes.

Wiremu continued, “Skavt got them to admit Mayakku was not under arrest, just wanted for questioning. They refused to answer when Skavt asked why it was a weekend night raid rather than a request to come to Watch Headquarters on Firstday. They refused to get the Investigator out to the compound to ask their questions, which Skavt pounced on, and it turns out the Investigator does not normally work weekends, and they were planning to have Mayakku locked up for the weekend for no reason. She has an appointment early on Firstday at Watch HQ.”

I narrowed my eyes in thought. “I suppose there is an increase in the Watch around the Compound?” I asked.

“Yes. Skavt insisted they be outside the compound, and we shut the gates. It wasn’t hard for me to slip past them. I think Ilaiya could even get past them.” Wiremu replied. Stealth was Ilaiya’s highest skill which was not surprising, as he was taught by Wiremu, who was a Master at it and had the Tutor Skill.

“Someone is pushing the Watch against us, even though there is no proof. It is probably the Master Enchanter. I don’t even know her name. How many enchanters are there in Obalno?” I asked. I should have checked before now.

“Only two that are independent of the ‘Enchanters Supreme.’ The Master Enchanter’s name is Störst, by the way. She is a politically powerful Dwarf in the city. She has quite the reputation for rolling over her opposition and has quite the temper.” Wiremu said.

“I should know this already.” I half complained to Wiremu.

“You are working at least three jobs. You are doing too much already,” he replied. “Besides, I have a Class for this, and I have finally started using it.”

It was a far too public place to mention his Spy Class, but he was not the only one who could be making use of his Class. I should be benefiting from his Class. I am too used to thinking of him as a Hunter. A Spy is what I need right now.

“Right,” I said, “do they need me at the compound?”

“It would probably be good to show up and reassure everybody,” he said.

“Ok. I assume they are taking a record of who is coming and going, so it might be fun to mess up their records and confuse our coming and going. I can also use that to reinforce their incompetence if Modrica’s example was not enough. I assume they think you are in the compound?” He nodded. “Right, well, you go to the inn for the night and turn up at the gate in the morning. I will sneak in and come out the gate, and we will continue to mess with their record of who is there and who isn’t. I think we will relocate the Catkin. Getting their wagons out without the Watch noticing will be a trick, but worth it, I think.”

“Right. I will see you later, and we can plan for Firstday.” Wiremu went out with Drugič and the Comedic Rhythm. I went into the compound and reassured everybody. Then Modrica and I went to the inn for the night. I went out the gate, and she went over the wall.

The next day I secured a property just ten minutes outside the city wall. Obalno didn’t sprawl outside of the walls as Hrothgar did, but certain industries were better being away from the city. Tanners, some Alchemists and Stonemasons etc. I found a small disused, open-cast quarry with rundown buildings. I ended up purchasing it for a minimal price. It was not Granite, but you can’t have everything.

We moved some of our goods to a shed on site, just with our normal coming and goings with wagons from the warehouse. We also moved the Catkin family. We would get their wagons to them the next day.

Tāttā was still working as a merchant for Elemental Traders, so he was working out of the warehouse, and Mayakku and Am'mā were busy enchanting in their wagon, but all the others went, including the kittens and Modrica.

That night we moved the wagons. When I first got Engulfing Shadows, I had visions of galloping on Dusk silently through the night. A silent, fast shadow. Here I was using it to sneak four wagons out of the compound. This was the early morning after our performance. Nyx and I syphoned energy from the Watch guard till he fell asleep, and then I took the wagons silently out of the compound, one at a time. The watch guard awoke after an hour, but he would be lethargic until he had a good night's sleep. The next day we covered the wagons with waterproof material to hide their shape, and the Canine Queens drove them out the city gate with clear markings that these were wagons from Enchanters Supreme. It was pretty simple.

One more performance tonight, and then tomorrow morning is our appointment with the Watch and lunch with the Major.