Chronicles of the Exalted Sun Child

Book 14-5.1: Herrera

Hilfers Caravan started assembling early in the morning, a couple of hours before dawn. It would not depart until midday, but most of the passengers and merchants joining it were asked to arrive as early as they could. Yuriko suppressed a yawn as she and the others walked towards the east of town. She hadn’t had the chance to do anything besides her basic morning ablutions, and her body felt a bit sticky from last night’s fun. She cast Cleanse every now and then, and though she was finally clean by the time they left the town, nothing quite replaced an actual bath.Come to think of it, from here on after, and as long as they were in the Sandsea Desert, bathing would be a luxury. Scratch that, it would be an impossibility. It was a hundred leagues of travel to reach the city, and they were expected to cross ten leagues a day. There were wells and oasis outposts on their route, which was a rather circuitous path. Yuriko had no doubt that it would have taken her less than a day to fly directly to Herrera, but it probably was not worth the trouble it would cause.

Outside the walls, the caravan assembly stretched out for several hundred paces. Wagons on sledges were yoked to large, yellow-brown beasts that had a couple of prominent humps on their backs, long necks, and funny-looking horsey faces. Camels, they were called if Yuriko remembered correctly. She didn’t know why they were used instead of Steelds, enchanted carriages, or even airships.

Their tickets indicated they were assigned to the sixth wagon from the rear, and since she wasn’t sure if the train was already complete, they waited next to the gate. Yuriko spread out her Anima perception to cover half of the town and focused on the warehouse holding the slaves. They weren’t going to be moved today but were going to be transported in a couple days within another caravan. That would make things a bit more difficult for her initial plans…well, they weren’t plans actually, just whims. She still had not figured out what to do after she freed the war slaves.

Ethnically, the slaves looked to be similar to regular Xothans. Most, even the Sha’ledras, Durandir, or beastkin, had tanned skins. Hair colour was normally a product of Elemental Affinity, as Yuriko discovered from a book. Whatever their original hair colour was would be subsumed as they deepened their connection to their affinities. Most Xothans had dark-coloured hair, but it wasn’t unusual to find someone with white, silver, red, green, or blue hair.

So she wondered if these so-called war slaves were actually Xotha’s own citizens in the crossfire between feuding clans. It wasn't so much said in the handbook, but Yuriko’s intuition told her she was right.

So if she freed them, what then? But then again, all she had to do was give them a chance. They could live and die on their own merits. They were headed to Herrera and should follow the same route the Hilfers caravan would take. She’d make her move after five or so days, and do it in the darkness of the night.

Satisfied with her whims, she spoke about it to Gwendith and Heron using their mental connection.

‘Do what you want, but come back safe,’ was all Heron said.

‘Yuri…thank you.’ Gwendith had been quite passionate the night before.

Well, they would cover her absence, and since right now, she and the others were obscured by their tan robes, it was only Fluffington that really made them stand out. The poor pupper had to stay near Gwendith so that he wouldn’t die from overheating. Still, Gwen’s skill was such that the area around the wolf felt incredibly pleasant.hing she did learn that sort of eased her conscience was that children of slaves were born as freemen. She also knew that what she would be doing tonight would hardly change things for these people and their culture. Not unless she destroyed or took over the Xotha Matriarchy which she had little reason to try, and not enough power to pull off. The leader of each Prime Clan was a Grand Magus, which would have made them the strongest power in their geographical block, but only if they worked together. The Archmagus of Ishodir is one of the few reasons for the disparate clans to work together and Yuriko was nowhere near that power level.

She might try to use her Mien to undermine the social structure but eventually, it would prove futile when those she affected rose above her Anima level.

Hmmm, then again, the majority of people never go beyond Magus, right? Well, perhaps she should try. How would she go about it though? Implant the thought that owning someone is bad and shouldn’t be done? Something that simple?

Yuriko nodded. Simple was probably best. She leaned back against the wagon and decided to begin. She looked at the woman she’d talked to before, and silently pulled a thread from the other and connected it to her own. She sent the thought through it, then pushed the connection away.

The woman blinked in confusion, then looked around, her eyes focused on the slaves doing their work. Her eyes dilated and she breathed heavily, and Yuriko could hear her heart rate go up to the extreme. Sweat poured out from her exposed skin, and her face paled.

“Tsk.”

Yuriko clicked her tongue and reconnected the thread, then she rescinded the order and suggestion. She’d been too hamfisted and it conflicted with the woman’s thoughts too much. If she hadn’t reversed the order, the woman might have died from conflicting thoughts.

It wasn’t so easy to change anything unless she was willing to overwrite the woman’s entire mind. But then, if she did so, wasn’t that much worse than slavery?

Come evening, Yuriko was still not sure of what to do, but she had already snuck away from camp and was already flying towards the slave caravan.