Soul Caller 1 - Chapter 42 (Patreon)

By the time they were a day's travel from the Sky Mountain tribes hunting lands, Merrick felt as if he had a solid grasp on human culture and its oddities. He had to admit, however, that he found the way they interacted quite peculiar. The humans were much more interested in things like hierarchy and power over others than his people. In Merrick's experience, the spirit warriors and hunters of his tribe would much rather not have the responsibility of leading and guiding others if they could help it. After all, to assume that responsibility meant less time to explore the world. Yet the humans were different, and seemed to revel in being able to tell each other what to do. That thought confused Merrick, as he didn't care to tell anyone what to do.

At the same time, the humans had a highly sophisticated economy, allowing them to develop and trade goods with a diversity and complexity far beyond anything Merrick had ever observed among the people. He thought that maybe there were tribes on the plains or near the oceans who had developed more complicated ways of exchanging goods. But even if they had, he had no doubt that it would pale in comparison to the human system, which truly astonished him.

Furthermore, he had learned much about the role of prospectors and their relationships with the mining companies, who constantly sent them out to search for manastones. Having the conversations with Joseph had prompted him to begin hiding the manastones he carried in small caches scattered across their trail. It wasn't that he didn't trust Joseph particularly, but that carrying hundreds of manastones into a human settlement was a recipe for disaster. Electing to keep ten of the smooth stones, which, according to Joseph, was more than the prospector had ever seen in one place at one time, Merrick buried the rest of them in small groups when he went out to hunt. Thanks to his eidetic memory, he was positive he would remember where they were all buried, but even if he never saw them again, Merrick wasn't overly concerned. He had proven his ability to survive in the wilds, and apart from powering his manatech devices, had no particular need of the manastones.

He had begun to understand other things as well, including a clearer sense of how the manatech weapons that he carried, worked. So long as the manastones didn't overheat, which is what had happened during his fight against the giant wolf back in the canyon, they would eventually recharge, restoring the weapon’s ability to function, even if they had been fully drained. If, on the other hand, they were fired constantly without a significant rest period, they would lose their ability to maintain their structure and collapse, transforming into nothing but gravel.

The closer they got to Sky Mountain, the more excited Merrick felt. His excitement grew until he could hardly wait to see his sister, his brother-in-law, and his friends. It had been almost nine months since he had been in the village, and though he had expected to be gone for a long time, he was sure that his family and friends had started to worry about him. Yet as they took the trails leading into the tribe's hunting grounds, Merrick sensed something was off. By this time, they should have run into one of the tribe's patrols, but the forest was eerily silent.

Joseph, sensing Merrick's growing concern, followed quietly, looking around with alert eyes, his hands keeping his rifle at the ready. Coming around the side of the mountain, Merrick smelled a thick smoke, and his expression fell. Where the tribe's village had stood was a charred expanse of ash, and the clear ravages of flame. It only took a single glance to understand what had happened. Wildfire. The entire side of the mountain had burned, consuming the village in a fierce blaze. Studying the charred forests, Merrick realized that the fire had started above the village and to the side and swept down and across it.

Merrick's heart caught in his throat as he stared over the charred timbers and melted and blackened mud that had been his home. Quietly picking his way through the ruins, he looked for any sign of survivors, but saw nothing. The only comfort was that there were no bodies either. His hope was that the village had been evacuated before the fire had surrounded it, and considering the lack of corpses, that seemed to be the case. He also found very little in the way of goods, a clear indication that the tribe had been able to evacuate before the flames arrived. But still, he couldn't help but feel depressed. It had been some days since the fire, though the charred smell lingered in the air. And when he arrived at the ash-covered remains of his sister's home, Merrick couldn't help but kick one of the half-burnt boards in anger.

"Doesn't look like anybody was caught in the fire," Joseph said, looking around. "There's that at least."

Standing in the ruins of the burnt village, Merrick didn't know what to say. He had been so looking forward to seeing his family that he now felt as if the bottom had dropped out, and was at a complete loss. Seeing his dazed look, Joseph patted him on the shoulder.

"Coldwater's to the east of here. About three weeks' travel down on the plains. Chances are good that's the direction your tribe went."

Joseph's words perked Merrick up. Of course, if his people had evacuated the village, they would have needed to find another place to set up. And likely, they hadn't gone too far. East was a reasonable thought, though they could have gone south as well, towards their original hunting lands.

"Come on," Joseph said. "A group this size will have left some tracks. Let's see if we can figure out where they went."

Together they left the village, heading east, starting to scour the trails for signs of passage. After a few hours, Joseph spotted something, calling Merrick over. As he crouched down next to the prospector, Merrick tried to make sense of what he was looking at. His ability to observe was excellent, but he lacked some of the tracking skill that Joseph possessed. Looking at the tracks pressed into the trail, and then back at Joseph, who was frowning, Merrick started to grow concerned.

"What is it?"

It took Joseph a moment before he responded, and when he did, he pointed at one of the tracks.

"These are boots. My people. But mixed in I can see other prints. They look like bare footprints. Your people. They passed this way two days ago, which is well after the fire had burnt out. They're heading east along the trail, and aren't moving particularly fast, from the looks of it, so we should be able to catch up."

Nodding, Merrick got to his feet.

"Let's go," he said, eager to get on the trail.

Standing up, Joseph brushed off his hands.

"Sure, but be careful. Not all prospectors are as friendly as I am."

It soon became clear that the party they were tracking was following the road, so Merrick set an aggressive pace, and they jogged to the east. The road wound through the mountains, but unlike the small animal trails they had been following out of the wilds, this path was well worn by the feet of many travelers. Furthermore, the way was marked clearly, and they made excellent time. That night, after pausing for a few hours of rest, they continued in the darkness to try and close the distance. Though the moon was often covered by thick clouds that hinted at the early summer storms on their way, the stars were bright, and the path easy to follow.

Resting again about mid-morning, they ate some of the meat they'd carried, and then began to move once more, eventually catching up to the group they were tracking that evening. They smelled the fire long before they saw the camp, and as they began to get close, Joseph stopped Merrick, an uneasy expression on his face.

"What's the matter?" Merrick asked, eager to approach the camp.

"You better be careful," Joseph said, giving Merrick a long look, his eyes narrowing.

Merrick's head tilted to the side as he stared down at the shorter prospector.

"What do you mean by that?"

Holding up his hands defensively, Joseph shook his head.

"Look, I'm just saying, if you waltz in there, carrying two rifles, and speaking in common, you're bound to get more trouble than you want."

Merrick had to admit that Joseph had a point. He had no idea who these strangers were in the camp ahead, and there was as much a chance they would react poorly to him as there was that they would welcome him with open arms.

"Besides," Joseph continued, "I think something's wrong."

Waiting for Joseph to explain, Merrick glanced at the path ahead and then looked back at Joseph.

"We've seen four or five of them, humans I mean, and three of your people. But something's wrong with their strides."

Frowning, Merrick continued to look at Joseph, not understanding what he was saying.

"I mean, take your stride, for example," Joseph said. "You step about half again as far as I do, on account of being so tall. But all the tracks we've seen show much shorter steps. That either means they've got kids with them, or they're tied."

A chill settled over Merrick's heart as he heard Joseph's words.

"Tied? You mean they are tied together?"

"Yeah, with chains or ropes, so they can't run."

"You mean, they're prisoners?" Merrick asked, his tone weakening.

"That's what I'm worried about," Joseph said, glancing at Merrick from the side of his eyes. "I'm just saying, I think we should be ready."

Slowly Merrick nodded. Joseph was right. He had been about to rush into a camp of strangers, with no knowledge of the situation. Thanks to Joseph's warning, however, it was easy to come up with a better solution. Thinking for a moment, he gestured to the small pack.

“Give me your pack and we can pretend that I’m your porter. That should solve any question they have about me, and you can talk to them to find out if they are friendly or not.”

The term porter was not one that Merrick's people used, as every spirit warrior and hunter was expected to carry their own things. But it was a familiar concept among human society, where hiring someone to carry your pack was not only common but expected. Realizing what Merrick was proposing they do, Joseph nodded.

"Yeah, I think that'll work fine," he said, handing over his pack.

Slinging it on top of the large bag that he carried, Merrick rearranged the rifles so it didn't look like he was going to grab one and use it at a moment’s notice, but rather, was simply carrying them for Joseph. Rolling his shoulders back, Joseph straightened up, trying to look as confident and imposing as he could, like the type of person who would be walking around alone in the wilderness with nothing but a porter.

"We'll walk in there, scout the scene, and then play it by ear," he said. "Remember, there are more of them, and they'll be armed, so we don't want trouble if we can avoid it, but if they start something, be ready to end it.”

Mutely, Merrick nodded, falling in behind Joseph as they began to walk toward the camp. It took them another five minutes before they arrived, and when they did, they found the camp set a little ways off the road in a small clearing. As soon as they saw the fire, Merrick scanned the men sitting around it. There were five of them, all dressed in prospector's clothing and well-armed. Scattered around the fire, they watched a pot of bubbling stew, their bowls in hand.

"Hello, the fire," Joseph called out, lifting his hand in greeting.

Hearing the greeting, three of the men stood up, reaching for their rifles while the other two slowly put their bowls down, eyes fixed on Joseph and Merrick. From over Joseph's shoulder, Merrick's gaze flicked from prospector to prospector. Two of them were armed with pistols, and all of them had rifles in hand or close by. One of the men still sitting by the fire was a thin man with a mean-looking face, and he spoke up after a moment.

"Welcome. If you're friendly, come on in.”

Joseph shrugged, his hand never straying far from the butt of his pistol.

"Pretty sure I'd have to be, considering the firepower you chaps are carrying."

The other prospector who was still sitting, a long-haired man, gave Joseph a sleazy smile.

"You know what they say, rifles and fences make for good neighbors."

As they got closer to the camp, Merrick heard a slight sound at the edge of the woods and looked over. There, he saw a sight that nearly stopped him in his tracks. There were three women tied together with ropes that looped around their legs and waist. Two of them were strangers to him, but the third was a figure he was intimately familiar with. It was Sellie, one of his best friends. She was in between the other two women, who appeared to be shielding her, and it was clear from the way that she was slumped over that something was wrong.

Seeing the direction Merrick was looking and the furrow in his brow, one of the prospectors, who had thinning hair, spat through broken teeth and shifted his body so that he was in between Merrick and the women.

"What are you looking at, savage?" he asked, his tone derisive.

The rifle in his hands wasn't quite pointing at Merrick, but was still aimed in Merrick and Joseph's general direction. Merrick's attention shifted to the prospector, his gaze as cold as winter rain, and though he didn’t move, the prospector began to tense up. Joseph, realizing that things were about to get bad, quickly interjected, gesturing to the women.

"You gentlemen don't look like slavers. I would have pegged you for prospectors."

"Opportunists is what we are," the long-haired man said, his smile never fading. "We picked up those ladies a few miles back. One of them's sick, but the other two are healthy enough. They'll fetch a good number of coin in Coldwater."

Turning to Merrick, Joseph pretended to grin and patted him on the shoulder.

"They help sick girl," he said in Merrick's language.

Noticing how both the mean-looking prospector and the prospector with long hair both looked at one of their companions, who nodded slightly, Merrick figured that the man knew enough of the people's language to understand what Joseph was trying to say. That was confirmed a moment later when the heavyset man stroked his mustache and nodded.

"That's right, just trying to help. How's about you sit down and have some food?"