The Non-Human Society Chapter 63 - Sixty Two – Vim – To Fix a Wheel

"Just a little more!" Karl strained as he tried to position the wheel back into place.

"You can do it father!" the young daughter cheered her support as I lowered the cart just a small amount in hopes of it being enough.

It wasn't.

He simply wasn't strong enough to lift the wheel high enough and onto the tal axle. It didn't help that the wheel hub itself wasn't the best of work, but...

Karl strained, grunting and panting as he tried to heft the wheel a little higher. The tal hub on the wheel made noises as it banged against the tal of the axle point, yet it didn't slide on.

After a few more monts of strain Karl lowered the wheel back to the ground with a great huff of exhaustion.

When he did I also lowered the cart back onto the stack of boxes beneath it.

Although I made a show to also seem as if the task had been difficult, I still held onto the cart with one hand. To keep as much weight off the wooden boxes as possible.

This cart probably weighed a ton or more. It was a miracle that those boxes could support even a fraction of the weight.

"Just... just a mont. I need to catch my breath," Karl said as he sagged against the wheel which now rested up against the cart.

I nodded, but didn't say anything.

It wasn't his fault of course. The man wasn't that old, and had obviously done physical labor before. Yet before our arrival, he had been trying to dig out a stump from the field nearby to use as a prop to jack the cart up high enough.

Many hours of digging out a stump tired a man as it were. Let alone the many hours trying to fix the wheel itself.

Yet...

Glancing at the nearby won, I did my best to ignore the accusational glare of my companion. It was far more piercing since it was blended with the two looks of worry and hope from the daughter and wife next to her.

I didn't need to ask why she was glaring at like that.

After all, I knew she'd be able to lift the wheel with ease. She didn't need to tell that.

Though, odds were that glare wasn't just because she was upset I wouldn't let her help.

She knew I could put the wheel back on myself, without help from anyone.

I nodded, more so at myself than her.

Fine. Next ti.

"How's it so blasted heavy? I was moving it fine earlier," Karl complained to himself.

"Just take a rest for a mont. It's not going anywhere," I said.

"Won't ever if I can't do this," Karl said back.

The man sounded crass, but I knew he ant no ill-will.

He had cried upon my offer to help. Nearly fell to his knees in relief because of it.

They had been here since last night, and not only had other rchants and such passed by without helping... so had a small group of knights.

I didn't recognize the na of the small band of knights the family had spoken of, but supposedly they were well known around this area. So it had been quite a shock to them that they'd not help.

I'd rember the Knights of Bleak Glory, at least for awhile.

Karl glanced back at his family, and I watched him study the two. They had retreated a little away, back to the small makeshift campsite. Karl's wife, Mary, had asked her daughter and Renn to help her boil so water. Most likely for tea.

"This is my fault Vim. I begged her to co with this ti. I should have let her stay," Karl whispered.

"So she would worry and panic even more? Trust , this is the better outco. We'll fix this and all will be well," I said to him.

Karl glanced at , and I felt a little silly to be looked at with such a gaze from a sweaty man. Seed I had just earned a life-long friend.

Kealla, their daughter, broke into a giggle at sothing Renn had said. Sothing about my shirt.

Glancing down, I realized my shirt had coiled upward, revealing my stomach. I let it be and ignored it as Karl wiped his face, and seized up the wheel before him.

Yes, I didn't want to remove my shirt and jacket. It'd not look good to be without a drop of sweat or gri, while he was covered in the gunk.

I took a small breath and contained the sigh that wanted to escape.

My plan had been to try and help him until another group of travellers ca by. Then request their help and aid, so that we could have four or five n trying to lift this and not two.

Four or five accomplishing a herculean task was believable... but two? Especially when one of them was so blasted tired already...

But no one had arrived. Nor was there anyone in the distance, either direction.

Which ant it was ti to risk it.

"Focus on the bottom," I said, pointing to the bottom spokes.

"Bottom?" he asked.

"Lift it from there. I'll guide it. I can't help you lift it, but I can guide it," I said, grabbing the wheel by one of the center spokes.

"Are you sure?" Karl asked, worried.

I nodded. "If we don't we won't get this back on, I'll get too tired. You too. So let's do it," I said, trying to give him a little confidence.

Karl held my gaze, and then nodded.

While he bent down, I glanced to the won. They weren't looking over here, and were stuck in conversation.

Good. Finally.

"Ready?" Karl asked.

"Ready," I said, and lifted the cart up off the boxes with a single hand.

I didn't try to feign a struggle as I had been doing, and instead reached out with my other hand and helped him lift the wheel.

Unlike the cart, I did keep a check in how quickly and easily I lifted the wheel. Since Karl had basically wrapped his whole being around it in an effort to lift it, he'd notice if I took all the weight myself.

Karl grunted, and I aligned the wheel's hub with the cart's axle. Half a mont later, it slid on in.

"It's in!" Karl shouted with relief, and quickly went to pull all the boxes out.

I returned my other hand to the cart, to renew the illusion of effort, and held it just high enough off the ground for Karl to pull back all the boxes we had stacked beneath it.

Once the boxes were tossed aside, Karl grabbed the wooden hamr and went to hitting the wheel just above the hub, to force it together with the axle as much as possible.

I kept an eye on the way he hamred, and where he did, and flinched when he missed. Luckily he stopped the hamr in ti before breaking anything, but he glanced at with worry.

"Let ," I said as I lowered the cart.

The wheel was connected enough that I could lower it, but the axle wasn't all the way through yet. Karl gave the hamr and I gave it a few light taps.

"They did it!" Little Kealla shouted behind us as I finished reconnecting the wheel.

"We did!" Karl happily joined his daughter in a joyful bounce of a dance. He grabbed her hands and begun to spin around with her, causing her to laugh.

"Get the horse connected. See if it rolls fine," I said, doing my best to stop them from growing too excited.

Not because I felt it wouldn't work, but simply because I didn't want to get caught up in it.

"Oh! Yes!" Karl nodded and hurried away, to grab their horse that had been allowed to graze nearby.

"Thank you so much!" Mary was shaking Renn's hands, and I ignored Renn's pleading look for help.

Bending down to inspect the wheel a little better, I realized it was actually salvageable. The hub was a little... worn. Not enough to have actually caused the original failure in the first place though. What was wrong was the hub, even originally, was that it had been the wrong size.

Either Karl had bought this from a newer, younger, blacksmith or the wheel itself was a replacent and he had simply purchased whatever had been available.

This wheel wasn't the right size for this axle.

But that could be fixed.

Reaching into the hub, I firmly gripped the iron axle with my fingertips... and tugged it.

It quickly and easily slid all the way through the hub, and the wheel locked into place. Hefting the hamr, I then tapped the axle piece along the ridges, forcing the axle to conform and bend a little. Causing the axle itself to act as its own locking chanism as to keep the wheel from sliding off again.

Once done the finished product looked a lot better. The wheel was a little wobbly, more than I'd like, but the odds of it falling off now were pretty nonexistent.

It'd probably creak loudly as it rolled around, but annoying noises was better than failure.

Before I stood back up and away from the wheel, I hesitated for a mont.

Looking to my right, I stared at the wide eyes of the daughter.

"You're strong," she said in awe.

"So is your father," I said simply as I stood up and away from the wheel.

She kept her eyes no as I looked around. Karl was securing the horse to the front of the cart. Mary was still holding Renn's hands in thanks.

"Here," I handed Kealla the hamr, which she happily took for so reason. Maybe her father normally never let her touch such stuff.

Walking around the cart, to the other wheel, I inspected its hub and axle.

Sure enough it too was a little... wrong. The axle was fine, but the hub was just a tad bit too big for it.

I pushed onto the wheel, and the axle easily slid all the way through.

"Here!"

Right before using my own hand to replicate what I had done to the other wheel, I glanced to my left and found the hamr being offered.

"Thank you," I said to the young girl as I took the hamr from her.

She nodded and then watched as I preemptively fixed this wheel too.

"Are you a blacksmith?" she asked after my last hamr strike.

"Used to be," I said.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked, full of childish innocence.

"I found I wasn't very good at fixing stuff," I said as I checked the wheel. I gripped it by the felloes and spun it a little. It skidded along the packed dirt, spinning fine.

"Seem good to ," Kealla said with a shrug.

"Alright I'm movin'er!" Karl shouted a warning, and I guided Kealla back a few steps as he ushered the horse forward.

The cart skidded a mont in place, thanks to all the grooves we had made ssing with it, and then a mont later rolled forward. Karl had the horse pull it for a few monts, to make sure it wouldn't get stuck again.

He hooped a happy holler as the cart moved, and Kealla clapped next to .

"Wonderful!" Mary shouted, and hurried forward towards the cart as Karl brought it to a stop.

I ignored the married couple as Karl hopped off the cart and they wrapped each other in a happy hug.

Kealla giggled as she broke into a run to join her parents in their celebration.

While the family happily enjoyed their good fortune, I sighed and went to fixing my clothes. My shirt had gotten rolled up under my jacket, thanks to being up against the cart for so long.

"Is it fine now?"

Glancing at Renn, I nodded. "Should be. It'll get them ho, or to Nevi at least," I said.

"Hm..." she nodded too as she watched the family hug and kiss one another.

"Get ready to go," I told Renn.

"Huh... oh... yes," she said with a nod, and hurried to go get her bag. She had left it at the small campsite.

Walking over to the family, Karl noticed and separated himself.

I didn't want his hug, but accepted it all the sa as he wrapped in a great embrace. "Thank you so much Vim!" he shouted.

"It's all good Karl. I'm glad we were able to get it to work," I said as he squeezed .

He shook as I patted him on the back.

Being shirtless still, and although no longer straining... he was still covered in a layer of sweat and gri.

I ignored it as he finally let go, and took my hand to shake it. "Really. Bless you. Thank you," he said again.

Ignoring his tears, I pointed to the cart. "Get it fixed in Nevi. Or sell it. The wheels are the right size, but the hubs aren't. Just get new wheels, or a new axle. Whichever is cheaper," I told him.

"I'll do so! My guild has a craftsman in Nevi who deals with wagons, I'll use them," he said.

"Good," I nodded, glad to hear it.

He squeezed my hand one last ti, and bowed his head. I let him make a small prayer of thanks, and smiled as he nodded one last ti. "Blessed be," he whispered as he finished his prayer.

"Thank you Karl," I said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Thank you Vim, really!" Mary approached too, to shake my hand.

Shaking her hand, I then shook the little hands of Kealla.

"Thank you!" she happily shouted, a little too loudly.

"Please take a pelt, Vim," Karl went to the cart, sounding excited.

"Oh no Karl, we have a long venture ahead of us. I appreciate the offer though," I said quickly. I had expected this already, so knew how I was going to get out of it.

"Huh? No, really... I have a fine moose pelt that isn't that big, so it would be easy to carry and," Karl tried to point to it, the thing was only a few down from the top.

I raised my hand to slow him down. "It ans a lot you'd offer such a valuable thing, Karl... but we really can't accept. I'll be honest I'd not be able to pay the tax of taking it into the town we're headed to," I said.

Karl's face imdiately went a little red, realizing he had just embarrassed .

And embarrassing your savior was a horrible thing to do.

"Then... then uhm..." Karl quickly tried to think, but I knew there was nothing else he could offer .

After all a rchant didn't travel with much coin. Not during ventures like what he was doing. He had probably only a few coins left at all, which he'd desperately need upon reaching Nevi. They had travelled a long distance with those pelts, after all.

"It's all fine Karl, really," I said with a smile.

"No, it's not! What... what about..." Karl hesitated, looking to his wife.

I flinched at the look shared between them.

They were going to offer the few coins they had.

"I got flowers!" Little Kealla then hopped around her parents and darted for the cart.

"Oh..." Mary made an odd sound as she watched her daughter jump up to the front of the cart, clambering up as to get sothing.

"Vim I," Karl started to say sothing, most likely to offer his last few coins, but I raised my hand to silence him.

"It is all well, Karl. The Gods blessed us for our efforts, and that is more than enough of thanks for . Please, let it be," I said sternly.

The man's face contorted a little, but he knew better than to argue what I had just said.

After all if he did, then he'd be vocally saying he didn't believe his gods were justified in their actions.

"Here!" Kealla hopped off the cart, a little ungracefully, and then hurried over to and Renn. She had a bundle of different colored flowers, so pretty and so not.

No flower fields were nearby so she must have plucked them elsewhere along their journey.

"Oh! They're lovely!" Renn was the one who happily accepted them from the girl, which caused Kealla to beam a massive smile.

"Thank you!" Kealla thanked us as Renn accepted the flowers, she went to slling them... and sohow seed genuine in her happy pleasure.

Kealla's mother approached to pat the girl on the back, and gave Renn and a gentle smile.

Renn knelt down to offer Kealla a single flower. A purple one that matched her eyes.

While the won went to talking to one another, I stepped aside to give Karl one last handshake.

"I'll repay this, Vim, I swear it on my na. When you return to Nevi please co to the Fellish Guild in the north of town, it's a large red building," Karl said quickly.

I nodded. "Next ti. Take care of your family, Karl, and hold your head high," I said to him.

He sniffed and nodded, blinking happy tears.

"Goodbye!" Kealla and her mother waved at as I nodded and waved to them. With a look to Renn, she nodded and we turned to go.

Leaving the family behind, who continued to wave at Renn for a small distance, I sighed at the sight of the nearly setting sun.

That had taken far longer than it should have.

Renn turned around finally, to walk next to . She held the bundle of flowers the little girl had given her closely, as if they were precious. "That was kind of you," she said.

"It didn't take too long, and was an easy task," I said.

Her eye's told she knew better than to believe , but also knew better than to say differently.

"Still... doesn't change how kind it was. I'm glad you were able to fix it; Mary had been in quite a panic. Their house had been leveraged for those pelts," Renn said.

"Their house?" I asked. Really?

She nodded. "Half of it, I guess," she said.

Ah. Their equity. Probably ant he had needed more credit than his na alone allowed, and his guild asked for equal half of his ho in exchange for it.

Which ant those pelts had actually been a little expensive...

While we walked I shifted a little to glance back at the family. They were packing up their cart and campsite as to return to the road.

"Kealla liked you," Renn then said.

"Children like everyone," I said.

"Little girls don't," she argued.

"What of it?" I asked her, wondering why she had even said such a thing in the first place.

She lifted the flowers to show . "She wanted to give these to you, not ," she said.

I frowned and wondered if she had been right. I honestly hadn't paid much attention to most of the conversations that Renn had with them. Most of it had been upsetting. Not really depressing, Mary had just sounded sad. The kind of sad that made feel guilty, as if it was my fault.

"I'm just saying I've noticed children like you. Kealla, Pelka, Lomi," she gave examples.

"Lomi hated ." She hadn't even said goodbye.

"She loved you," Renn whispered.

I said nothing, especially since Renn had sounded so hurt by my comnt.

"I'm old. I may not look it, but children can sense it. Even human children. Sotis the young are... astute," I said carefully.

"How old is old?" she asked.

"I was born before the age of humans," I said.

The sudden silence that followed made realize what I had just said aloud.

Did I really just...?

Glancing at her, I had to look away. Luckily she wasn't looking at , but instead her flowers... but she had gone into deep thought.

I really should be far more careful with what I say...

"Then... how co you look so human?" Renn then asked.

My insides twisted and I wanted to groan.

Of course she had realized that obvious fact.

"Just happenstance," I said as lightly as I could.

"Hmm..." Renn made an odd humming sound, but I knew better than to glance at her.

She had obviously heard the blatant lie.

Damn .

For a short ti we walked in silence, and I didn't like it. Although I was glad she wasn't pressing the matter, I knew that was simply because she was being respectful.

Sohow that made it worse for . A part of wanted to hate her... so when she was so obviously willing to abide and be so understanding... it made feel like an absolute ass and hate myself instead.

"I'm glad you helped them Vim," she then said.

Although glad for the change in conversation, I felt bad still as I nodded.

"Honestly I had thought you wouldn't," she added.

"Thought I wouldn't?" I asked, wondering what she ant.

"You had told not to help them. No matter what. I thought you planned to walk on by, ignoring them, originally," she explained.

"Ah..." I nodded. Yes. I had phrased it that way. "I just didn't want you doing anything physical. You look like a young woman, not much older than a teen. It wouldn't do for you to be lifting hundreds of pounds with ease," I said.

Renn nodded. "I know now. But... you glared at when you warned to not help, so I figured otherwise."

I tried to rember our conversation before approaching Karl and his family. "I had glared at you?" I asked.

"You did. Rather strongly too," she said.

"Hm..." I obviously did. Renn was not a liar. But, oddly, I didn't rember it.

"I'm just glad, to be honest," Renn then said.

"Of?"

"You. I was a little worried you hated humans as a whole," she said.

I frowned and hesitated with my response, since it was probably one of more serious statents she's made lately. "I am the Societies protector, but that doesn't an I view humans as simply an enemy to be destroyed," I said.

"I know. I can tell. I just... Well... Hm..." she stopped talking, as if she wasn't sure what to say.

"Many of our kind would have ignored them. But that is because they'd see enemies, not people. Yet don't think I don't see that too, Renn. Karl would burn either of us at the pyre if he knew what we were," I said.

"Would he though?" she debated .

"For his family, yes. For if he didn't throw the stone, or light the match, it'd be them thrown into the flas next," I said.

"Hm..." Renn nodded, but did so sadly.

"Yet until that happens, I'll not treat them as enemies," I said.

Not willingly at least.

"Lomi said you killed a man for just seeing her ears once," Renn said.

I blinked at the reminder, and then nodded. "I did."

"What if they had seen my ears?" Renn asked.

Glancing at her, I held her gaze as I nodded.

She blinked and ca to a stop.

I nodded again as I also stopped walking. "I would have," I said, to say it aloud.

"Even the little girl...?" she asked softly. She squeezed the flowers a little as she asked her question. They ruffled in protest.

"Are you worth her too?" I asked her.

Renn blinked and her back went straight. Suddenly she looked worried.

"Are you worth that little girl's life, Renn?" I asked her again.

She opened her mouth, and her eyes shook as they wavered. Suddenly she was completely unsure of herself.

"To you are," I told her, before she could say otherwise.

Renn's shaking ca to an abrupt stop, and she stared at with wide and pure eyes.

"I'd have killed all three of them. Without hesitation. For you," I told her.

I'd do so for anyone. Any of our mbers.

Even the ones who didn't outright deserve such sacrifices. Even the ones who didn't realize what such devotion was worth.

That was part of my agreent. That was part of my promise.

For as long as our mbers didn't break their promise. For as long as they upheld their pact...

So would I.

"Please don't. Not for ," she whispered, as if afraid to say it aloud.

Holding her gaze, I watched the tears well up in those gleaming jewels.

She took a deep breath and shook her head, to argue. To tell no. To say I was wrong.

Yet I wouldn't change my perspective. I'd not change my stance. Even if it bought her ire and hate, I'd still follow through with my words.

And I decided so because of those tears she shed. Because of that look on her face. The despair in her realization to what lengths I'd go through.

It was precisely because she thought herself not worth it, which made her one of the few who were.

"I would," I said again, vowed it.

She hung her head low, crying quietly as she nodded.

I would.

Even if it broke my heart to do so.

I would.