Chapter 174: Servant of the Axe, 74 - Wooden Pawns

"And so, I decided to bring that matter to you two."

Kismet looked at me like I was stupid.

Madonna explained. "You are INCREDIBLY stupid."

"Which is why I only told her that I would ask."

"And you considered that she's probably just a spy for Lady Ingrid?"

Kismet turned her head and spat. (Which was okay, I had found them at a butter churn.) She then waved to Erin, who was only a short distance away. I was still watching her, after all.

"Go away, Rhishi."

"Uhm…"

"Begone." Madonna said. "Woman talk, male folk go away."

"Okay…" I went a distance away, where I could no longer hear them. It was incredibly boring, so I took a list of my traits, sorted by the statistic they added to.

[Might: Athletic, Durable, Rapid Healing

Agility: Crafty, Flexible, Stealthy

Valor: Defensive, Vicious, Wrestler

Resolve: Gloomy, Honest, Willpower

Insight: Curious, Linguist, Perceptive

Charisma: Spiritual

Lore: Child of the Ocean

Psyche: Mindspeaker]

Frankly, Willpower being a sub-statistic of Resolve, the naming looked suspicious. It seemed wrong for Honest to count for a Truthspeaker. And for Sarcastic not to show up while Gloomy did… But I could disagree with none of them.

I reached out, focusing on [Rapid Healing]. I already did a lot of things that it could cover, but which had never been purchased.

Somehow, I was getting other abilities, some of which I suspected were inherent. And while all of my traits were things that defined who or what I was, not all of what or who I was became a trait. Which actually was a goodness; I'd rather not have statistics in the double digits that were still weaker than another System's level three.

Three, the human average, seemed important; it was exactly where the traits stopped meshing one-for-one with statistic points. For example, it would take five trait levels to reach statistic rating four. The mathematics for that was hidden behind the cost for System Calculator.

Things got more complicated with level two statistics, which cost roughly three times what a level one did. The math here was clearly set to favor lots of little traits rather than massive ones, and the costs were…

But I was being beckoned over, and let my system fade away from my awareness.

"Rhishi, we want you to escort Lady Erin to Lady Ingrid."

Yeah, clearly my System wasn't the only cryptic thing going on. "Okay, at this time of day, she's probably in the grand hall with her husband."

Erin shook her head. "Envyday, she'll be one of the riders exercising the horses."

I blinked. "We don't have a stable."

"It's by the city. Come, I'll show you."

What? Was getting to town truly that easy?

It almost was. Once Lady Erin explained to the huscarl who stopped us that she was a free lady, and would go wherever she chose, it was that easy.

"Is Madonna a free lady?" I asked.

"Not even close." She said. "No doubt she wishes she were, but she isn't even an adult."

The legalities of our status boiled down to approval by the jarl. His erlshields could band together and kill him, but other than that, or defeat in battle, his word was absolute.

Before sarcasm overwhelms me, let me say that I dislike systems of government where there is so little recourse against the powers in charge. Not that I'm a big fan of systems that can't enforce laws, either. I guess I just want government to be there and NOT enslave me.

Come to think of it, had that happened with ANYONE who wasn't Eihtfuhr?

"You are thinking." Lady Erin said.

"I am." I admitted.

"If you are thinking of challenging the jarl to combat for his throne, you should reconsider. He is a champion Axeman, and a Raider besides. In terms of raw physical power, he is the greatest among those claiming an island."

"I doubt the dragon or kraken-spawn would agree with his assessment."

"Monsters. I am speaking of men."

"Who, at times, are also monsters."

She exhaled. "Who, at times, are also men. I cannot say that I approve of him taking a child as a wife, nor of his sheer greed in claiming the rest of you. But he was my husband of choice, and there was good in him that not even Jacob Hoyland could corrupt. He was not perfect, for no man is, but he was mine and I shall miss him."

"Do you know how he died?"

"Of course, I do; I throttled him to death while he slept in a drunken stupor. Women bring men into this world, and when we must, we take them out." She balled her fists, and then released them. "I can only hope that he will forgive me before I reach Asgard."

"I am more confused than before I asked."

"I find myself confused by the matter, but the more I look back the stronger my conviction becomes. I have broken the law, and my religious beliefs, and the Hearth Oath of my household. Yet I am absolutely certain that it was the right thing to do, whatever its cost to me."

"Not many would have that courage." I said.

"Not many do."

"So… if you are a free woman, why do you wish to escape with us?"

"Silly boy, because I can keep your plans from killing or thievery, so that you escape clean and unburdened. I will never be released from the consequences of my actions, but I can help you and yours away in a manner that doesn't harm others."

I scratched the bottom of my jaw. "Lady Erin, you are far more complicated than most people I deal with."

"I shall take that as a compliment."

"Please do, that is how it was intended."

And we chatted on less dreadful matters the rest of the way to the town of Lavin Buscala, where the weather was warm and the wind blew in the scent of salt and dead fish.

We never actually reached the town wall, as Lady Ingrid was returning with two of the household huscarls. I suppose I should briefly mention them, not as Ollog and Ismet, but as household huscarls. They ate as soldiers, and obeyed the orders of the jarl, but they were not his soldiers alone. Anyone of rank in the household could command them, and without being commanded, they had duties to patrol the lands and keep sentry on the perimeter.

That said, they were as capable as any other huscarl, and trained constantly in the effort to become better. Ismet was a Sentry with levels of Spearman, and Ollog was an Axeman and Arminger. I wouldn't have wanted to fight either of them seriously. <1>

Ladies Erin and Ingrid embraced, and Ollog waved me away with his shield. "Slaves walk ten paces behind."

Ugh. I could hardly hear anything from back there. Oh, and they meant THEIR paces, not mine. At between six and seven feet, their paces were considerably larger.

I looked over my shoulder. So close to the town, and still it was denied to me. It hardly seemed fair.

I took a breath; of course, it wasn't fair. By Norvik custom, I was a child until my fourteenth birthday.

[You have successfully tapped this sunny day, restoring one Sun mana. You have 1/1 Sun mana.]

I had almost completed the achievement Path of the Polymath; what would I be capable of by my fourteenth birthday?

If Rakkal didn't come and kill me for failing my mission by then.

I ground my teeth. I really did need my freedom if I was going to have any chance of doing… ANY of the multiple things that I had decided to do. Life was so much simpler back when I had been a slave, just doing whatever my owners told me.

It was just frustrating, to have more classes and thus a high divisor (okay, MOST of that divisor came from a power called Inherent Longevity, which I had been glad to have retained through the System reset) and yet not to have the status that should have come with it.

Or did it? Was my unhappiness that I thought I'd earned more than I actually was entitled to?

No, I decided. Not when other people were claiming ME as a possession. This was inherently wrong, and would need to be corrected.

Somehow.

What was I doing wrong, that I always seemed to be clawing my way uphill?

My stomach growled, and I set about wondering what manner of food we'd be cooking that night. I would end up with oatmeal and vegetables, but I still did enjoy the smell of other foods.

So much for deeper thoughts. I indulged my Gluttony, dreaming of basted lamb under cheese…

Wait. I'd eaten that just a month or so ago, in the town, before all of this became disastrous for us.

What had ACTUALLY happened to change our status so much?

<1> Arminger is a class that specializes in heavy armor and large shields. Although it lacks some classic warrior abilities such as Flurry of Blows, their ability to mitigate damage is impressive.