You move towards the tax collector to intercede - you wonder for a moment if you'll even be visible to him, but his eyes alight upon your Form as you approach, his expression confused at seeing you among the party (as far as you can tell, of course. You've been able to rely on reading auras up until now,) and in seconds you have the attention of his bodyguard as well.
You've dampened your more standout characteristics somewhat - your hair a duller shade of red, your skin somewhat more blemished, and some 'dirt' on your clothes for good measure. Ignoring the wave of dizziness follows, you walk before him and his mount and bow.
"Good emissary of Vilitag, please." You look up at him, the bright amber of your eyes unaltered. "Look around you - does this look like a community with great excess? We've already lost some of our food to opposing armies (a lie you supposed might be true) and we need what we have." Your voice drops to a low tone.
"It won't help any sense of goodwill towards the Kingdom if we go through a winter of starvation. Please, err on the side of generosity." For a moment he is still, and then -
You, receive a blow across the face. Of course, you don't feel any pain, but the sting of anger is immediately present. You start to pick yourself up of the ground.
You're immediately aware of the farmers rushing forwards in a mob, yelling and throwing stones. The bodyguard rides to meet them, running his horse along the front of their charge, sword drawn, putting them to a halt. He wheels back out to the tax collector. Their voices are whispered, but you can hear them carried on the air.
"Gartal, if you do that again, I'll let them have you. At least *pretend* to be a decent human being-"
"What?! I can't just sit there while some village peasant talks about treason. What trash, veiling it in 'goodwill-'"
"I don't care. Restrain yourself, or you're on your own." He clears his throat, and speaks to the crowd in a voice used to command. "We'll be taking what we're due and leaving. Bring your foodstuffs to Gartal here and he'll assess them. We will only take what we need for the army."
Ignoring the glare of his companion, he takes control of the operation, directing both the farmers and the (now quite nervous) caravan servants. By the time one of the farmers thinks to look back and check for you, you've dissipated your form once more, observing the goings-on from a comfortable bit of warm air above the sun-heated roof of a silo.
You realize that could have gone much worse. As loathe as you are to admit it, you're in over your head in these situations - while you've got some grasp of human nuance from the collective thought of the village, you hadn't guessed that the taxman would receive your reasonable request as such a grave insult. You can guess how, you think - your comment on good relations went over to him as a threat of disloyalty if he didn't back off.
You're fairly confident you could have repelled that single warrior if it came to it, but if they are running in advance of an army... if you were embodied, you'd shudder at the thought.
Concluding that the situation seems stable, you drift upwards into the air and let it carry you across the village. In seconds, you reform (with a growing sense of fatigue) some distance beside Feryi, in the prairie between the village and the forest. She turns to you, mushroom in one hand and a neatly-divided basket in the other. "A fresh crisis, or did you just want some company?"
You tap your foot against the ground, and find it a little difficult to look her in the eyes. "While I would not mind your company-"
"-something has come up. What's our situation?"
You explain everything, and for a short time she leans against a stray tree, staring up at the afternoon sun. "It's, survivable. It sounds like they'll stay content with raiding our grain silos and the few things folks'll bring up from their homes to make it seem like we're letting them at everything. Ultimately, what you did worked out, but - I'm sure you're aware it just as easily could have gone much worse."
You are painfully aware, yes.
She shrugs. "Luckily, nobody particularly wants to die or draw blood over something like this. But when it comes to officials of the kingdom," you can see her hands tense, "always assume they're heartless bastards. It's never done me wrong. They see anyone outside of the cities as a bunch of savages that exist only for looting and conscripting."
You maneuver to change the subject. "Well... what now? I don't want the village to face a hard winter. Is there anything I can do change that?"
"...Sure, we have options. We could sell off some of our possessions to the town nearby - it'd be a journey, since the smaller villages won't have enough excess themselves. You could take a look around the valley," she makes a wide motion with her arms, "and see if there's anything valuable we could send by messenger instead of our tools. Or," she cracks a smile, "you could try and get some of our food back before they leave the valley. They won't reach the pass before nightfall, so they'll be set up in a camp. If you're careful, you could ensure some of their baggage never leaves." She pokes you lightly in a shoulder. "It helps to be incorporeal, I'd imagine."
What seems best to do next?
You are, of course, free to pursue any action or plan you formulate and find suitable.
What questions do you have for Feryi beforehand?
It is worth noting she has significant knowledge of the nature of Spirits, and their abilities and weaknesses.
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Topic: Guardian Spirit - Learn, Protect, Love (Read 2521 times)