Mythica, book 1, Chapter 35+36

Chapter 35.

“Oh dear, that was not my first choice,” Hamish whined.

“Quiet, I’ve got a few things to sort out,” Sabine said as new information and choices presented themselves.

Path of summons grants an expanded mana pool to your advisor. He will also pull a larger portion of any new mana you acquire. With this new mana, Hamish will be able to stay summoned for a longer period and will develop new abilities that will help you with physical tasks and combat. He can now be summoned every 4 hours and barring any use of his mana, can remain in the physical realm for 1 hour. Mana powers your advisor’s abilities and will greatly shorten his time in the physical world.

A default ability has been granted to Hamish, and another may be chosen at this time. As you attain new ranks in Gnessos’ favor, Hamish will gain new or upgraded abilities based on his chosen path. The choices for these new abilities are to be made by the revenant, though your advisor may now give his input before you confirm a decision. Please review his default path ability and select a starting ability for Hamish from among the following choices.

Path abilities:

1. Summon minor undead. This ability allows Hamish to use some of his mana pool to summon a simple undead creature to aid your efforts. The creature will only exist for 1 minute per rank of favor. At your current rank, Hamish can only summon one minor undead at a time. Minor undead will follow Hamish’s simple commands and lack any special abilities.

Summoned creatures are tied to your rank, and the higher rank that you attain, the more powerful Hamish’s summons will become. Note that there is a rank limit of 10 for this ability.

Please choose an ability from the following options.

1. Rage. Hamish spends additional mana to infuse the rage of a revenant into the summoned undead of his choice. This rage greatly enhances the summoned creature’s strength, agility, and resistance to damage. The ability also burns up the summoned creature’s mana at a furious rate, causing its summoning time to be shortened accordingly.

2. Defensive barrier. This ability creates a barrier of mana around the targeted undead, granting it additional protection against both kinetic and magical threats.

3. Expert summoner. This ability allows Hamish to maintain one additional summons over his current maximum. The new summons requires the same mana cost, and will further deplete Hamish’s existing mana supply while in the physical realm.

4. Empowered summons. This ability allows Hamish to summon undead creatures that are 1 rank higher than your current summoning rank. These more powerful creatures require additional mana from your advisor and will limit their time in the physical realm.

“Hamish, what are your thoughts?” Sabine asked.

“First off, thank you for not making me a warrior of some sort. I’ll leave the menial labor to you and whatever band of vagabonds you’ve surrounded yourself with. Path of the wise sage was what I was hoping for, but I suppose I can make do with this summoner path. Hmm, it might not be a bad thing to be able to call forth someone who will listen to me…”

“Hamish, answer the question at hand, I don’t care about your critique of my selection,” Sabine said, interrupting what was likely going to be a long monologue from her advisor.

“Very well, of the four, I’m leaning toward expert summoner or empowered summons. I suspect my summoned creatures will be rather weak, so having multiple summons, or something a bit more powerful seems ideal. Rage and defensive barrier are solid choices, but their effectiveness will be limited until my undead are more powerful,” Hamish said.

“I was leaning toward the defensive barrier since it states it can be cast on any undead, which might include yours truly, but since you didn’t get to pick your path, I’ll go with one of your choices. Can you summon one of your undead right now so we can get an idea of what they can do? Sabine asked.

“Sadly, until you’ve made your final decisions, Gnessos will not unlock my new powers,” Hamish replied. It was too bad, Sabine would have liked to test one of the undead to see if it would be worth making more than one, or if summoning a more powerful version was the right choice. In the end, numbers were always welcome, even if they were weak creatures, they could distract an enemy long enough for Sabine to take care of the problem.

Expert Summoner has been selected.

“Hamish, can you summon something now, or will we need to gather remains to do so?” She had plenty of room to store things in the undead realm, but having to dump out a bunch of bones from her pouch every time Hamish wanted to summon something wasn’t exactly practical in the middle of a fight.

“No, my mana will interface with the realm of the dead and pull remains directly from there. Here we go, my first summons,” Hamish said, looking as pleased with himself as he could manage with the skull of verminkin.

Mana flowed from his core, leaving Hamish with only a tiny drop remaining. Much of his mana pool had already been depleted just by standing and discussing their current situation. When she had selected his new path, his mana pool was supposed to increase, but it appeared that would only take effect the next time she called him forth. A form took shape on the floor of her cramped room, and in less than a second, a zombie stood in front of her.

“Hamish, have it attack me,” Sabine ordered.

“Are you sure?” Hamish asked.

“Yes, a simple zombie like this isn’t going to hurt me and we don’t have time for you to question every decision I make,” Sabine snapped back. Hamish’s mana pool was almost gone, and she wanted to get this thing tested before she needed him to use the ability in a real combat situation.

“Attack,” Hamish said, raising his hand to point at Sabine in an overly dramatic fashion.

The zombie reacted immediately lurching toward Sabine and reaching at her with his hands. Sabine let the creature grab her but punched it in the chest with a normal blow when it leaned forward to bite her neck. The zombie was weak, and her blow caved in its chest, pushing it away and causing it to crumble to the ground. As it hit the ground, its body dissipated into a cloud of dust as it was pulled back into the realm of the dead.

“It’s completely unskilled and not very strong. Still, that thing popping up unexpectedly in a fight could be useful. Is it just zombies, or can you summon other types as well?” Sabine asked.

“I can’t control which type will appear, but I’m limited to zombies and skeletons at this…” Hamish said before his mana ran out and the verminkin skeleton collapsed to the ground. Sabine gathered up the verminkin bones, they were undamaged and could be reused. It kept her from having to look for a body and since being in a verminkin body seemed to annoy Hamish, it made Sabine more inclined to keep what she had.

Hamish had been given a big upgrade and should be much more helpful in the future. With him being able to stick around longer, and the shortened time between summonings, Hamish was now a viable tool in combat. She would have to see about gathering up more remains to keep stored in the realm of the dead.

Forcing Hamish to use a verminkin body was fun, but a human or something bigger would be more formidable in combat. He still would be untrained, but having Hamish survive long enough to summon a pair of undead was the goal. One question she forgot to ask was what would happen to his summoned creatures if Hamish was destroyed. Did they just crumble away, or would they continue to follow their last orders until their mana ran out?

With Hamish gone, Sabine had little to do until Orren and Skrix woke back up. The town was nearby, and maybe she could use the rest of the day to do some shopping. She had plenty of coins and jewelry, and Sabine did want to see about getting some additional weapons to stash inside her pouch for emergencies. Stocking up on food and water wasn’t a bad idea. She didn’t need any, but if the others ended up joining her on her journey, they would, and not having to pack it all away and lug it around was a huge boon.

Sabine found the walk to town a bit stressful. She was confident in the Mask of False Life, but so far, she had only been around the folks of Golden Harvest Village. It wasn’t like there were priests or others in that little hamlet that could sense undead. By the time she started, it was late afternoon, and the town activity was starting to pick up. People were getting last-minute shopping in before it was dark. In Sabine’s experience, it was the best time to grab a few bargains as desperate sellers wanted a few more coins before they were forced to pack up for the day.

A few of the vendors offered simple weapons and Sabine picked up some spears, more throwing knives for Skrix, and a couple of hundred extra bolts for their crossbows. She also found a short sword for Skrix, which would be more like a longsword in his hands. It had a thinner blade which meant that the weight shouldn’t be too much for the verminkin to wield. She also purchased Skrix a buckler and a heavier short sword to practice with. Using heavier weapons while training helped to build strength and stamina for when the real fighting began.

The marketplace was like many others, an open area with stalls filled with the various merchant’s goods. There were several permanent shops in town, but they were typically higher priced, and she wanted to conserve what money she could. Sabine bought some dried meats, fruit, and the hard, cracker-like bread that kept well for traveling. Some fresh vegetables and fruit were also part of her purchases, but she only bought a few because she wasn’t sure if they would keep fresh in the realm of the dead.

Ducking into a side alleyway that was deserted, Sabine placed a tomato and an apple inside the storage pouch. The opening seemed to stretch further with her new rank of favor, so it was no problem dropping them in. Giving it a few seconds, Sabine pulled the produce out of the pouch. From what she could see, they appeared just fine despite their brief stay in her storage area. Living things weren’t going to fare well there, but considering the vegetables and fruits were already picked, and essentially dead, they seemed okay. She dropped them back in, planning to keep them there overnight to see if they maintained their freshness.

“See boys, I told you so, a little lass with a fat purse chose to duck into the wrong ally this evening. Don’t worry, we’ll make sure that you get to your destination safely, but it will cost you,” A filthy-looking man said as he and two others moved to block her off from the exit to the alley. They were poorly dressed, but each held a knife in their hands and looked like the sort of desperate men that were willing to do anything for a bit of coin.

“I can assure you I have no need of your services gentlemen,” I’m perfectly capable of defending myself,” Sabine said, still holding her purse as she placed a hand on Reckoning.

“Nice bit of kit there, too much weapon for someone your size if you ask me,” the man in front said as the trio closed in. Sabine’s earlier assessment of him being filthy was confirmed when she got a closer look. The two behind him looked like they could be kin, maybe three brothers down on their luck and willing to harm others to fill their bellies with ale.

“You like the flail? It has a name you know; it’s called Reckoning. Want to hold it?” Sabine asked, acting friendly and naive with the trio lowering their guard a bit.

“Yeah, let a real man hold that for you, lass, and maybe we can get a bit better acquainted after our business is done here,” the man in the lead asked. Sabine had been careful not to let anyone touch Reckoning, but this man deserved what was coming to him.

The man grabbed Reckoning and ripped the coin pouch off her belt. He tossed the pouch to one of the other men who hid it away. It was no problem, he wouldn’t find anything inside, and it would return to Sabine shortly. The man holding Reckoning began to growl as the weapon bound itself to his hand, forcing its will and driving the man into the same mindless rage that Sabine had fought against.

This man didn’t have anywhere near the mental fortitude of Sabine, and he lost himself almost immediately. He lashed out, swinging the weapon in a clumsy arc before slamming the head of the flail into the chest of one of his companions. The wounded thug fell to the ground, desperately trying to draw breath. His chest was crushed, and Sabine could see he wasn’t long for this world.

“Marl, what are doing?” The final companion said slowly backing away. Sabine could see Reckoning’s other ability start to take effect on the wielder. His hand had blackened and started to rot away, the corruption moving up his arm at a rapid pace. The pain must have been intense but the man, who she assumed was named Marl, didn’t seem to notice. He was held in Reckoning’s thrall and wouldn’t let go until he died.

Marl began to swing the weapon at his final companion, who decided to run from his mad friend a bit too late. The first blow swept the final companion’s leg out from under him, and as he collapsed to the ground, Marl continued to rain clumsy blows until his victim was dead. He looked toward his first victim, who had stopped breathing, and then focused on the final one standing, Sabine.

The corruption had spread to the man’s shoulder now and she looked at him, Sabine could begin to feel it inside the man. It was her new title, Zalzaran’s Bane. She could sense the corruption and decay slowly destroying the man, but she needed it to move faster. Sabine could feel a connection to the corruption, it was part of Reckoning, it was part of her. She willed it to spread, feeding it dark mana as it decayed away the last of Marl’s life.

Marl wound up for a blow at Sabine, but the corruption, empowered by Sabine’s mana, was faster. She forced the corruption and decay on a single path, one directly toward Marl’s heart. The man dropped reckoning, his hand now too rotted to continue holding onto it. It was too late to escape his fate, though, and as the corruption reached his heart, the man collapsed dead, falling next to his companions.

Sabine picked up Reckoning and tied it to her belt. The weapon felt content and didn’t try to wrest control from Sabine as she expected. No, it had fed well this evening, and Sabine had done something it approved of. Sabine knew that she should be a bit horrified over the event, but her undead nature numbed her ability to have empathy. These men tried to rob her, and likely do worse, so the only thing she felt was disappointment when she searched the trio and only found a handful of coins and a dagger each.

As she placed the coins and daggers into her pouch, Sabine decided it was time to leave before the trio of dead thugs was discovered.

Chapter 36.

Sabine made it back to Hammerhead’s Tavern without incident. It was unlikely that the trio of thugs would be missed, and even if they were, she doubted their friends were the type to call the watch. The sun was setting when she returned, and the tavern was already doing a bustling business.

This time of day, the common room housed mostly traveling merchants and day laborers getting off shift and enjoying a drink before going home. As the night progressed, the clientele would be a rowdier bunch, and the place would be even more crowded. Sabine was glad to see both Orren and Skrix were up and had secluded themselves in a corner table where Skrix’s unusual heritage wouldn’t be as easily noticed.

From the empty plates and mugs in front of the pair, they had woken up hungry. Trail rations did the trick while out in the field, but there was something about a hot meal that made you feel better. The pair looked over at Sabine as she sat, Skrix had his hood pulled far over his head, but she could still make out the tip of his rat-like snout.

“Did you two get enough to eat?” Sabine asked, a little concerned over the number of empty dishes. The pair would not likely be able to move for a few hours.

“Probably overdid it a bit, but I have some good news,” Orren said, passing over a thin tome to Sabine.

She opened the book and could see the title was Cavendish’s Compendium of Greater Golgotia. She thumbed through it, but before she could dig in, Orren passed over an even more important item, a pair of rolled-up maps, one of Eastern Deira, and one of Golgotia. The map to Golgotia was sparse in detail, which reinforced what Orren had mentioned earlier about that nation not liking people interloping there.

Eastern Deira was familiar and different at the same time. The expected landmarks still stood, but some cities were gone, and the small village that her sister lived in was now marked as a larger town. It was a prime farming area, and after the war, the Vitalion Empire would have been keen for it to start producing again. Some roads had altered paths, or fallen into disuse, but Sabine was able to map out what should be an easy enough route to her sister’s place.

“If you intend to go to Golgotia, I would suggest the port at Shamrahar. It’s not claimed by any nation and has a bit of an unsavory reputation. That being said, it’s the best place to find a ship and slip in without drawing too much attention to yourself,” Orren advised.

Sabine looked at the map, the sea, and the port city were far to the east, at least a week’s journey into the wilderness outside of Deira. Orren also pushed over a small pile of silver coins, the amount he owed her for escorting him. That was unexpected, and after his assistance in the Darkrealm, she was willing to forget about the pay to escort him to Golden Harvest Village.

“Thank you Orren, you’ve done everything I asked. Take this back, you’ve earned it and more with your efforts in the Darkrealm. I appreciate that you kept your word about me,” Sabine said.

“When will you leave?” Orren asked.

“Tonight, once I get the last of my things organized,” Sabine said.

“What’s your first stop?” Orren asked.

“My first stop is to find the temple where I need to return the amulet. After that’s done, I want to check in on my sister and her family. Once everything here in Deira is complete, I’m off to Golgotia,” Sabine said.

“What about Orren-mage and Skrix?” Skrix asked.

“Yes, what about us, Sabine?” Orren added, a look of concern on his face.

“It’s up to you, I wouldn’t say no to your company, but my path is a dangerous and very long one, Orren. Skrix, you’re free now, here,” Sabine paused to pull a stack of copper and silver coins for the verminkin. “Take this and start a new life. Either on the surface or head back down and use your weapons and armor to try and take over as the newest leader of your people,” Sabine said.

“You’re eventually going to Golgotia, a place my family has always had a hard time documenting. I’m not going to pass up this opportunity to show my family that I am worthy of the Cavendish name. I’ll go with you if you’ll have me,” Orren said as he reached out to shake Sabine’s hand.

She was a bit shocked that he wanted to keep traveling with her. Sabine had figured Orren would head for the hills after their last adventure, but at this point, he should know that she didn’t plan to hurt him. To be honest with herself, Sabine didn’t want to travel alone, and Orren had an endearing quality about him. Now that he knew her secret, he was about the only safe person she could travel with.

“I’d be glad for your company, Orren, and I think you understand the risks well enough. Don’t feel like you have to go, though. After I leave, you’re free to tell others about me. I’ll be gone from here, so there’s no risk,” Sabine offered.

“I’m not worried about you doing anything to me, you’ve had more than ample time to do away with me while we were in the Darkrealm. I’ll stick with you, both for my own reasons and because I think I consider you a friend,” Orren said with a goofy grin.

“That settles it, you’re in,” Sabine agreed. She wanted to tell Orren that she considered him a friend also, but she didn’t quite trust her emotions. Would saying that she wanted his friendship mean she truly wanted a friend, or was it her undead nature just calling him that to secure his support? As with her prior life, it was better to avoid too much emotion.

“If Orren-mage go, Skrix go too,” Skrix demanded.

“You’ll probably die if you go, you know that don’t you? People here aren’t going to always react that well to a verminkin, and we’re pursuing dangerous people with powers that might rival mine,” Sabine warned.

“Not problem. Skrix have new stab-slasher, new armor, and besides, if I go below, I probably die quick-fast. Up here, I have Sabine-boss and Orren-mage to protect me,” Skrix said.

“Okay but remember that I’m in charge and if you give me and Orren any trouble, I’ll crush your skull with my bare hands,” Sabine warned. Verminkin were the type of creatures to respect strength, so being overly friendly with Skrix would probably be seen as a weakness.

“No skull-squishing needed. Skrix skitter and leap to do what Sabine-boss says,” he replied.

“If you two can walk after all that food you’ve consumed, we should get going soon,” Sabine said.

Orren retired back to his room to gather up his personal items. Everything Skrix owned was on his person, so he stayed to finish his drink. Given his small size, the large mug of ale should have had Skrix drunk as a skunk, but he must have had an impressive metabolism to still be acting normal, well, at least as normal as a verminkin could act. It was dark by the time Orren returned and they were ready to go.

Sabine wanted to tell Hammerhead that she was going. The gruff tavern keep was a crotchety old buzzard, but he’d helped give her access to the bounty board and dealt fairly with her while splitting the loot. He was too busy though, some adventuring party was trying to sell him an ogre’s ear, so Sabine and her group left the tavern. Nobody gave them much more than a glance as they left, which was fine with Sabine. She’d had to kill three thugs already today and didn’t want to add a few drunken thieves to the list if she could avoid it.

“Hey, Sabine. Is traveling at night going to be our thing? I know you and Skrix can see just fine, but at least one of us is human,” Orren asked.

“Not even a mile from our starting point and you’re already starting to complain? Traveling at night is preferable unless the cold worsens. It’s easier to keep Skrix hidden, and with my senses, I can help us spot if anyone tries to waylay us. Once we’re out in the wilds we can switch things up a bit,” Sabine said.

“Where we go-travel?” Skrix asked.

“Golgotia, is a country far from here. First, we need to find the temple and then check in on my sister,” Sabine said.

“What in Golgotia?” Skrix asked.

“Nasty people that need killing, I suspect,” Sabine replied.

“And many things for me to document in my compendium,” Orren added. Sabine noticed that Orren had taken the time to lighten his load. His oversized satchel was still full, but it was filled with useful items, not just piles of books. He must have sent back quite a library to his family, and she wondered what they would think when they eventually found out about his traveling companions.

“Skrix rather stab-kill than scratch marks on paper book,” Skrix said.

“Oh, Skrix, you’ll see, the pen is mightier than the sword,” Orren claimed.

“Bah, get stab-poked with both and see which is mightier. I say sword,” Skrix replied with confidence.

“On that point, I do have something for you Skrix, and a secret I believe I can share with both of you,” Sabine said, using Eyes of Undeath to scan the immediate area for anyone or anything that might be listening in or following them. Confirming the immediate area was clear, Sabine opened her coin pouch and proceeded to pull out the thin-bladed short sword for Skrix.

“This should give you a bit more reach than the dagger you have,” Sabine said.

“How did you do that, some kind of dimensional displacement spell?” Orren asked.

“Sort of, the pouch opens into a small spot in the realm of the dead that I have access to. I’ve stored most of our supplies and a few odds and ends inside there. The pouch is bound to me and if anyone takes it, it’ll make its way back to me before long. Nobody else can use it anyway, it’ll just be an empty pouch to them,” Sabine said.

“Incredible, I’ve heard of similar items, but they operate differently. May I examine it when we reach our next stop?” Orren asked.

“Sure, but one thing I do need to warn you both about before I forget. Don’t touch my flail, it will lead to a slow and painful death if you do so,” Sabine warned.

“I like to avoid slow and painful deaths, so you’ll have no trouble from me. That’s not a weapon I find comfortable to wield. I’ll stick with my crossbow,” Orren said. Sabine pulled more bolts from storage, enough to fill Orren’s quiver, and then pulled a six-foot-long spear with a leaf-bladed head to him.

“This is more like it, but it will take me some time to get used to you pulling spears and things out of that little pouch,” Orren admitted. Skrix just stood there holding his new weapon, staring at it, and drooling slightly.

“You can store anything you need into the pouch, but I suggest you keep some gear on your person just in case people get a little suspicious that we’re traveling too lightly,” Sabine offered.

Orren took the opportunity to store a few blank tomes that he hoped to fill on the trip, as well as some extra ink pots and quills. He had a week’s worth of food in his bag, which he kept, and Skrix was given a small pack that Sabine had picked up for him in town. She loaded Skrix up with a couple of days’ worth of rations but had the feeling that they would be gone before a day had passed.

“Skrix, there is one more thing you should know about me,” Sabine said.

“Sabine, are you sure you want to disclose this?” Orren asked.

“Yes, he should know, and if he runs off screaming about a revenant, who’s going to believe a verminkin? We’ll be long gone from here before anyone takes the time to investigate,” Sabine said.

“What is secret? Skrix not like secrets. Secrets usually mean bad things for Skrix,” Skrix said.

“Skrix, I’m not human, I’m what’s called a revenant, an undead. I mean you no harm, but if you don’t want to travel with us, I understand. The offer for you to leave still stands,” Sabine said, taking off her mask and revealing her true visage.

“What big deal? Human is dead thing, Skrix don’t care. Sabine-boss still treat Skrix good-well. Though, you keep mask on so Skrix not smell dead-stink,” Skrix stated, his nose twitching in displeasure.

“That wasn’t the reaction I was expecting,” Orren said.

“Undead, verminkin, humie, whatever, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is how Skrix treated. You not hit-wound me when angry, and not try to bite-eat me when you’re hungry,” Skrix explained.

“I suppose his attitude is logical,” Orren offered.

“Verminkin see a lot of things in the Darkrealm, I suppose that I’m far from the strangest thing he’s had to deal with,” Sabine said to Orren. “Now, Skrix, my true nature, and identity is a secret that I expect you to keep,” Sabine said, giving Skrix a firm glare.

“No problem-challenge, Skrix keep secret. I no want trouble for Sabine-boss, and no want her to squish-crush Skrix’s head, so I’se keeps your secret,” Skrix replied. That was a refreshing response to her revelation, and Sabine would take the easy wins every chance she got.

“That’s settled, now let’s get moving,” Sabine ordered. Skrix shouldered his load and tried to keep up with the pace that Sabine set.

Skrix was a bit scrawny and had a hard time carrying the rather light load she had placed on him. Verminkin workers weren’t exactly high on the priority list when their leaders passed out rations. Sabine would have to go easy on the little guy as far as training went, at least until recovered a bit from his difficult life.

“Do you know where the temple that you’re looking for is?” Orren asked.

“Let me check,” Sabine replied. Not exactly sure what to do, she tried concentrating on the amulet with no success. Getting frustrated, Sabine tried to push mana into it. Her dark mana refused the call, but the golden mana interacted well with the amulet and after a few moments, she could feel a pull to the east.

Pulling out her map of the area, Sabine tested out a hunch. It worked; the amulet was guiding her on the map. Her destination was outside of Deira, into the wild lands that no country owned. It was a familiar enough route for Sabine, it was the last route she had taken in her old life. The temple was only about a half day’s journey from the area where she thought the ambush had taken place.

It was also not far from the road to the port of Shamrahar, which was where they would try and catch a ship to Golgotia. Best of all, her sister’s village was only a few days out of their way, and she could visit before trying to find the temple. It would be a long journey, but they were well-equipped and prepared for it.

The moon was half full, and between it and the stars, Orren didn’t seem to have too much trouble finding his footing. Their route should be an easy enough one, most of it was on well-known trails and roads. Bandits, highwaymen, and opportunists might have a go at the small party, looking to steal whatever they could find, but Sabine was confident that she could keep them safe against normal foes like that.

The real problem was that there were far too many foes that were not normal in this world. Ogres, ghouls, necromancers, and a myriad of other threats were out there. Sabine was confident she could handle most; her concern now was whether she could keep the others safe.

She was conflicted, part of her, the part that was guided by her undead existence, saw Orren and Skrix as useful items that could easily be expended to further her goals. The other part of her, the real part that was Sabine Giroux, wanted to see them safe and cared for like any soldier or mercenary under her command. No, it was more than that, at least with Orren. She was beginning to see him as a true friend, someone she could trust.

Skrix was another story, he was shifty, and it would be some time before she trusted him. For now, he was almost like a pet to her and Orren, a pet with swords and a penchant for stabbing things. She would use caution around the verminkin, but she saw something in him. There was a spark in Skrix, and his child-like fascination with the new world he found himself in was endearing in a way.

Maybe she felt drawn to keep him because he was a bit like she was. He was someone forced outside the world he had known and was trying his best to make a life for himself. Skrix was also like Sabine in that he was trying to go against his very nature to better himself. He desired to be a part of their team and was willing to set aside his natural verminkin instinct to cheat, steal, and murder to make it happen.

Sabine also figured that if Skrix could succeed in going against his nature, maybe there was hope for her.