A Wildling Brood 2 (2/2)

Garon and Bak’shaz laughed, but then they were at the hut, and Celia felt the gnawing of fear coming back to weigh her down. That look the woman… that Mordecai’s wife had shot her… that look had been pure wickedness. What if his wife was angry that he brought Celia home? What if she was going to, to… Celia’s imagination failed, but she was sure it was something horrible.

What if she was mean?

“Ah, there y’are.” Mordecai rocked on the porch, seated comfortably in a fur-covered chair, feet up on the railing, puffing his pipe. “C’mon up an’ meet Zuula.” He had a weary smile on his face, that she’d never seen before. It was almost smug.

Gathering her courage, reassured by the presence of her new friends at her back, she pushed through the beaded curtain and into the hut.

The scent was different now, she noticed. Not that raw, spicy scent, that hotness that grabbed at the nose that she’d first smelled. In her arms, Threadbare snuffled, turning his head to see.

The walls were lined with beds, and the largest of them had Mordecai’s boots next to it. In the center of the hut coals smoldered in a firepit, the smoke from the bubbling pot escaping through a hole in the roof. Idly, Celia wondered what they did when it rained, but she was soon distracted by the decorations on the walls. Broken weapons, a pair of shattered manacles, what looked like half a dozen shriveled up body parts from animals she didn’t recognize, tapestries, dried plants of all kinds, and looming above it all like a god’s idol before its offerings, was that painted wooden mask. Much too large to fit Celia, too large to fit Mordecai, it loomed with red-painted wood and bone teeth filling its mouth, the eyesockets empty but seeming to dance in the firelight, shifting around as if it was constantly surveying its domain.

“Child...” A deep voice purred, and Celia jumped. What she thought was a wall hanging was a curtain off to another room. While she’d been woolgathering, it had been swept aside. Yellow eyes peered out at Celia from the darkness, and the little girl swallowed.

But this time, the eyes were free of malice.

“Welcome to Zuula’s home, child.” A somewhat plump woman swept into the room. She had a robe on this time, loose around her enormous bosom, but snug around her wide hips. Her visible skin was green, dusky green in the firelight, and Celia could just make out the traceries of scars starting where her wrists met the robe’s sleeves.

But she had a pretty face, and though her teeth were many and sharp, her satisfied smile matched Mordecai’s for friendliness. Her dreadlocked hair was pulled back in a braid now, not loose.

It almost seemed like two different women. Celia’s eyes flickered from the matronly figure to the mask.

Perhaps it was two different women. She gained a wis increase then, and didn’t know why.

Zuula merely stood there, arms wide, smiling at her.

“Er, hello,” Celia said, nervously stepping closer. “I-ah!”

Zuula swept Celia into a bonecrushing hug, squishing Threadbare against her side. The little bear wriggled, and Zuula looked down. “Ha! De little Golem!”

“Er, yes, he’s Threadbare. Say hi, Threadbare.”

Threadbare waved.

“Dreadbear. Good name.”

“Ah, no, Threadbare.”

“Is what Zuula said, Dreadbear.” The woman released Celia, dropping her to the ground. The little girl staggered madly on the planks of the floor, trying to avoid going into the stone-ringed fire. “Come come, you is welcome. Mordecai be sayin’ you feed him, yes?”

“What?”

“On de way here. You hunt him food, yes?”

“Oh, the Blue Jay…” She rummaged in her pockets, and pulled out a handful of crumpled blue feathers. “Yes, I guess I did, though he did most of the-“

“Then Zuula owe you a dinner!”

“She helped with the fishing too, Mom.” Garon offered up from the doorway.

“Ha ha! Fish for dinner! Goes well with every ‘ting that Zuula growed this morning! Bring it in, put it in de gumbo, Garon. ”

“Oh, and we’ve got a pig now.”

“Pig can go in de gumbo too.” Zuula pulled a massive, curved knife down from a ceiling rack. “Part of it, anyway.”

“No, I mean, Bakky tamed it.”

“Hm! Den he go in de gumbo eventually, but not now. Pig, not Bakky.”

“Almost done cleanin’ the fish,” Mordecai called in.

“Tch. Waste of good fish heads,” Zuula groused, but shrugged. “Feed to de pig, den.”

“Already did!” Bak’shaz yelled.

“Not all of dem, Zuula hope.” The woman licked her lips.

“Saved you the biggest one, mom!”

“Good. Good boy.”

And so, a little while later, they all had gumbo. All except Threadbare, which was fine with him. The others seemed to enjoy the taste, but it smelled spicy and weird to his bear nose, and he was much more interested in exploring the hut, anyway. He ambled around freely, peering at things. Behind the second beaded curtain he found a small room with a heavy fruitlike scent over the smell of dung. It had a toilet and small sink in it, a thing he’d never seen before because he’d never accompanied Celia to the bathroom or even been in the bathroom of Celia’s old house. Curious, he clambered up and peered into the bowl of it, staring at the water, not seeing any fish.

From there, it was easy enough to climb up onto the seat, and stretch up, take hold of the sink to hoist himself up and examine that…

…which worked until his paws slipped, and he tottered backward, feet sliding on the well-worn ceramic of the toilet seat-

-only to be caught at the last minute by a callused hand.

LUCK +1

Mordecai looked down at him. “You keep fallin’ at bad times, mister bear. Need ta work on yer footing.”

Threadbare nodded, and patted Mordecai’s wrist.

“Glad I ran into yer. Summat we needs ta discuss, anyway.” He left the bathroom. “Celia, you mind ifn’ I have a word with Threadbare?”

“Um, no? He doesn’t talk.”

“He lissens, though, yah?”

“Yes! He’s great at that!”

“Right, then.” Mordecai headed out the door, putting the teddy bear to the ground as he did so. “Walk wi’ me a bit, Threadbare.”

The bear nodded, and followed.

Mordecai headed out towards the setting sun, to where the woods grew thin and the hills started up again. “You’re a bit more’n ya seem, me friend.”

Threadbare shrugged.

“I knew Caradon was up ta somefing when he asked me ta bring him toys every week. Bunches of ‘em. Rose some questions in town, I tell you that. But I did. An’ yer the result.”

Threadbare considered it, and nodded.

“Smart golems. Tha’s part of what we need. Figurin’ out a way to make’em work properly, so he can upgrade Emmet. Because we need Emmet, if this fing is gonna work.”

Threadbare shrugged.

“Ya know scouts of tha proper level can look at yer status screen, right? I did when I met ya. And for tha longest time I couldn’t figure out why Caradon had given yer tha ruler job.”

Threadbare shook his head. He hadn’t gotten that from Caradon. He’d earned that through regicide, thank you very much. He wasn’t sure what regicide was, but it was the word that had popped up, he remembered.

“Two possibilities come to me, then. Both pretty ugly.” Mordecai stopped in a field of grass. It was empty out here, with the sun well on its way down, and the wind riffling through the field. Just Mordecai standing there solemn and patient, and Threadbare looking up at the old wanderer.

“First thing that come to me, was that yer tha way for Emmet to get the Ruler class. Emmet pops you, an’ then becomes king. But then I think nah, if he’s found a way to give it ta golems, then he could just give it ta Emmet, right?”

Threadbare nodded. That wasn’t what had happened, but the statement was true. The part that he understood, anyway.

“The second thought, an’ the one that makes the most sense ta me, is that yer how he wants to give the Ruler job to Celia. And it ent through marriage or adoption. Which leaves…”

Regicide, the grass seemed to whisper. Threadbare shivered, though he didn’t know why. He’d have to figure out that word at some point. It boded.

“Tha’s the one job we need for ‘er, the hard one ta get. We need ‘er ta have that job, an’ there ain’t many kings around these days. Or queens. Or other kinds of royalty. Balmoran has fallen in th’ North, and the Earl’s dead, along wi’ his son. The engagement’s not an option no more. There’s just one king left, an’ she’ll need everyfing she’s got against ‘im. And so will them what follers her.”

Threadbare stood in the grass, staring at Mordecai as the wind swirled and howled across the hills.

Mordecai stared at the little toy for a long time. He’d seen it in action, first against the eagle, then during Celia’s test. Watched it every step of the way. He knew what it was capable of. At least, he thought he did.

“I suppose the question I got fer yer, the big one, is simple. Will ya give yer life for Celia when the time comes? Give up everyfing you ‘ave for that little girl?”

Threadbare considered it.

For exactly three seconds.

Then he nodded.

Celia had saved him. Saved him from being dust, he thought, saved him from the cat the first time around, though that had worked out okay in the end. She’d definitely saved him from the Eagle, and they’d more or less saved each other from the troubles during that whole scouting run. He couldn’t imagine a life without her, and though he didn’t know what love was, he knew that he loved her. She was his little girl, and he was her teddy bear, and that was that.

Mordecai sighed. “Can’t say I like it, even if I unnerstand it. Hard times. Hard choices. But I respect yer creator, so if yer at peace wi’ it, then I’m at peace wi’ it, regardless of what comes. Come on Mister Bear, let’s go home.”

Wondering what all that had been about, Threadbare followed him back to the hut.

THREADBARE'S CHARACTER SHEET

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Threadbare

Age: 8 days

Jobs:

Greater Toy Golem Level 7

Bear Level 4

Ruler Level 2

Scout 2

Attributes:

Strength: 47 Constitution: 54 Hit Points: 145 Armor: 22

Intelligence: 37 Wisdom: 55(60) Sanity: 92(97) Mental Fortitude: 12

Dexterity: 24 Agility: 33 Stamina: 65 Endurance: 32

Charisma: 35(40) Willpower: 27 Moxie: 61(66) Cool: 20 (30)

Perception: 37 Luck: 35 Fortune: 71 Fate: 7

Generic Skills

Brawling - Level 9

Climb - Level 6

Clubs and Maces - Level 7

Dagger - Level 4

Dodge - Level 1

Fishing - Level 1

Ride - Level 1

Stealth - Level 3

Swim - Level 2

Greater Toy Golem Skills

Adorable – Level 12

Gift of Sapience – Level NA

Golem Body – Level 5

Innocent Embrace - Level 2

Magic Resistance –Level 4

Bear Skills

Animalistic Interface – NA

Claw Swipes – 6

Forage – 7

Scents and Sensibility – 7

Toughness – 7

Ruler Skills

Emboldening Speech - Level 1

Identify Subject - Level 1

Noblesse Oblige - Level 1

Royal Request - Level 1

Simple Decree - Level 1

Scout Skills

Camouflage - Level 1

Firestarter - Level 1

Keen Eye - Level 1

Sturdy Back - Level 5

Wind's Whisper - Level 1

Equipment

Rod of Baronly Might - (Level 5 Club, CHA +5, WIS +5, +10 Cool )

Quests