What Lurks Below

by Michael Soldat

  “You are awake, Lara. That is good. We have already received orders.”

  “Hwha? Orders? What time is it?”

  “Sunrise. Felas sent us details about what to do today. Part of our work is to recruit, like he said yesterday. Also, we are to inform people from other cities and nations that it is not safe here. Other people will be helping with that, so our main goal is to bolster our ranks.”

  “I… OK. Sounds good,” Lara said before yawning. “Wait. We? He’s making you come with us?”

  “Orcs are traditionally a people best listened to in times of trouble. I will try to help warn people visiting from abroad. From what the report says, many of the visitors here currently are from places that respect my kind highly.”

  “Works for me, I suppose. I’ve never been good at talking to merchants. I buy what I need and get out.”

  “Oh, you will most likely have to, my friend. We have a whole city to cover. Here.”

  Diedra pointed to Lara’s other side, where Felas’ orders sat on the desk. She was to take either Nami or Cecile and work through the port side of the city, while Lara took the other. They were to find people familiar with the mountains, or anyone who looked like they would be helpful. The paper went on to list potential whereabouts of merchants and ambassadors who should probably be on their way. It ended by telling Lara that it didn’t matter how many people she found. Every pair of capable hands would help.

  “So we’re splitting up in pairs?”

  “Yes. If it does not bother you, I would like to go with Cecile. Inside her, she has the fire of an orc. It is impressive.”

  “Fine with me. Nami knows more people down by the docks, anyway. She’s beat half the workers in drunken lifting competitions. It’s her thing.”

  “Drunken lifting?

  “Yeah. You lift heavy things, and whoever lifts the most gets a beer from the loser. Why, what do orcs do for fun?”

  “We lift without drinking.”

  “I guess that works. She just likes the free beer for winning.”

  Diedra raised an eyebrow, then went back to looking at the sunrise.

  “I hope my messenger gets home before this begins,” she said.

  “Me too. We’re going to need all the help we can get. Speaking of which, we should wake the others. I’ll get breakfast, first.”

  Lara got up, stretched, and poked her head out the door. The halls were vacant, but she heard footsteps, so she walked towards them. A steward was delivering some food to another officer, so Lara politely asked for breakfast after they were finished.

  “Alright, it’s done. I don’t think I’ve eaten this many breakfasts in one week, before.

  “Oh? Were you not up with Robert, planning for the day?”

  “He never needed my help, or if he did, he waited until I got in around mid-morning. I used to live in my own apartment down the road. Of course, things were never this bad. Moving in here seemed like the right thing to do because it would waste less of my time. I’m not going to walk back and forth from here to there every few hours.”

  Nami yawned in the other room. Then, a thud; she fell out of bed again.

  “You OK in there?” Lara said.

  “Fine. Just… fine…”

  Nami moaned while she walked in the main office, holding the back of her head.

  “I need to figure out how to sleep better.”

  “You’re right, but it’ll wait. We’re scoping out the port today, and I need you to help me find people we’ve gone into the mountains with before. Anyone who looks like they could hold their own will do, too.”

  “As long as I get food, I’ll search the whole city myself. Besides, it’s not like we both don’t know where people like us end up. One building out of every three is a bar. Poke your head in and yell, shouldn’t be hard.”

  “The people of Thogt drink a lot, I see,” the orc said.

  “We like to have fun, Diedra. I like you, but you don’t seem to know what that is,” Nami said, stretching.

  “Perhaps our definitions of fun are different.”

  “Whatever suits you best. I’ll take my brew, and by that I mean I’ll take it from some poor sap who thought he could lift more than me.”

  “I was just telling her about that!” Lara said.

  “Guess I’ve got myself a reputation.”

  “It’ll do us good. Food is on the way, though. Then, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Felas sent us orders here, and we need to put the best fighters together we can. Like you can guess, we’ll be taking on the worst of Kelthur’s goons while the army handles the grog.”

  “Of course we are. At least we’ll get the exciting fights, I guess.”

  Diedra looked shocked.

  “What?”

  “I do not understand your version of excitement.”

  Before Nami could explain, Cecile joined them.

  “Good morning! Thank you again for letting me sleep here. It does feel nice to have caring people around. Not that my neighbors aren’t, but they’re in their own houses, and it’s just…”

  “Don’t worry about it, Cecile. Glad to have you. Breakfast is on the way. We’re just talking about plans for the day. We’re splitting up into pairs and getting as many people as we can to join us. Also, we have to tell visiting merchants and dignitaries what they’re in for if they decide to stick around too long.”

  It took more time than any of the women would have liked, but breakfast arrived. Then, it disappeared down four hungry mouths in far less time. With full bellies, the soldiers set upon their tasks right as the first mass of workers headed to early lunch. Diedra and Cecile walked off towards the western side of the city while Lara and Nami strolled towards the docks.

  “Do you think they’ll believe us?” Nami asked.

  “I don’t think they have a choice. That’s why I brought the seal.”

  Nami looked at Lara’s arm. Her eyebrows rose.

  “You kept that? I left mine back at the office. Isn’t it supposed to be for diplomacy only?”

  “I haven’t a clue, but this seems like pretty important and official business to me.”

  Many people walking the streets eyeballed Lara. She knew it was because of the seal, but had no time to explain to people who weren’t priorities. The pair made it all the way to the farthest pier of the dock before they happened upon someone of importance. An older man, clad in a fine green shirt and pants under a white robe, stood on the deck of a ship.

  “Hello! Hi!” Lara yelled from the dock.

  “Hoy! Who’s that? I’m in the middle of unloading!” the man answered.

  “The king’s messenger!”

  The man looked puzzled, but walked to the edge of the ship and crawled down to meet her.

  “King’s messenger, eh? I’m just here to trade, what’s he want with me?

  “I know you are, and you do a fair amount of business here. We’ve got a bit of a problem-”

  “Not with you!” Nami added, holding her hands up, palms out.

  “Yes, not with you. We are, unfortunately, in a situation.”

  “A situation,” the man said.

  “One that could turn violent.”

  “Ah! A bad situation!” the man said.

  “Yes, a bad situation. That’s why Felas has sent me to tell people from across the seas to vacate. We don’t want you to get hurt or lose anything.”

  “Lose anything? Lady, if I leave, there goes my business. I deal with half the cities on this continent, and you’re telling me the king’s afraid of some bandits? I’ll take my chances.”

  The man started to climb back on his boat.

  “Hey!” Nami yelled.

  He turned.

  “These aren’t ‘some bandits’. They’ve got claws as long as your finger, and their boss wants to move on in. You lose a few coins from leaving now, but you’ll never make another coin if you stay, most likely. That is, unless you’ve got a good sword arm.”

  “Are you threatening me?�
��

  “Not directly, no.” Lara said. “Matter of fact, I’d rather keep you around. I like this city, and I like that you’re bringing your business here. Thank you for that. But, if we’re going to keep these creeps from ruining everything, we need men and women that can fight, not ones that can count coin. You’re a very important part of a normal functioning city, and Thogt is about to stop being one of those for a little while. Sure, maybe you can offload goods at more expensive prices if you stick around. Maybe no one else does, and you get to corner the market. But, what happens if you stick around and get caught up in the fight?”

  “I… well…”

  “Trust me, friend. I’m sorry to make you lose money, but I’d rather you not lose your life.”

  “Hey! What’s going on here?” another voice called from above.

  A bearded man, dressed far more plainly than the first, peered over the side of the ship.

  “Lara, is that you?”

  “Hi there! I haven’t seen you in years! Didn’t feel like almost getting stabbed again?”

  “Do you know this woman?” the robed man said.

  “Yeah! I went along with her to fight a grog in the mountains. Nasty things.”

  “Is this your boss?” Lara said.

  The man on the ship nodded.

  “Then can you tell him what a proper reaction to a wave of grog is? Also, imagine that there are worse things to deal with.”

  Hands clasped on the edge of the ship, the man’s jaw dropped.

  “Sir, we’ve got to leave. Err, you’ve got to leave. All due respect, but my city needs me.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me!” the robed man said. “Some cave bears storm out and the king is-”

  “Hey! These things killed Robert! Do you know who he is? Do you know what he’s seen?” Nami added.

  “Not the Robert that I used to see talking to bakers I delivered to in the morning, right?”

  “Yes! That one! He’s dead, and we’re facing down the things that killed him! I’m sorry for yelling, but this is serious, and you need to leave!”

  The robed man stared at his feet and thought a moment.

  “I’ll set sail as soon as I unload and get payment, then. When can I return?”

  “No idea. The creatures that live under the mountain are due by the end of the week. We’ll send word if and when we can to anyone who wants to return once things are under control.”

  While Lara and Nami were convincing the robed man to leave, his assistant on deck scrambled down.

  “Like I said, sir, I’ll be staying. Lara, Nami, if you’ll have me-”

  “Absolutely. What you need to do is find people you know, get them to convince anyone else who’s only in the city for trade to get out. If you find officials from other countries, send them to me. Merchants though, merchants need to go and they need to go now, unless they want to stay for the fight.”

  The robed man was already back on his ship. His former assistant was already yelling at another ship’s captain a fair distance away.

  “I hate yelling,” Lara said. “But sometimes, people don’t listen.”

  Nami shrugged. Lara led them off to another ship, where they found a captain who’d served with them. They had a far easier time convincing her of the danger, but she decided to stay and fight anyways. Lara enlisted her to do the same thing the ship assistant from before had done. Her territory lay inside nearby shops and businesses instead of along the docks.

  “Oh, while we’re here, someone from the far north is staying at an inn nearby. Those two can handle the merchants until we talk to them,” Lara said.

  “Not a fancy inn, I hope. I’ve never been good at pretending to be high class. They see the sword, and then I’ve lost all credibility.”

  Lara rolled her eyes. The diplomat in question could be slightly inland. Work continued around them as usual, but they could hear shouts in the distance about the message Lara dispersed. At the inn, Lara moved past the guard standing out front and directly towards the keeper.

  “Sir, I’m here on official business to see the ambassador you have housed,” she said, pointing to the seal on her arm.

  An old man, the innkeep felt the seal on her arm, then backed away in horror.

  “Something’s happened, hasn’t it? I haven’t felt a true seal in years. I’ll bring you there myself.”

  Upstairs, the trio passed open doors until they arrived at the end of the hall. Two other guards stood in front of a door sturdier looking than any of the others. They moved aside.

  “Sir? Sir, you have a visitor from the king!” he yelled while knocking on the door.

  “Blast you all! I just arrived!” someone shouted from inside.

  The door opened. A tall, brown skinned man with a long white beard appeared in nothing but white, shiny pants.

  “What is it?!”

  Scared, the innkeep stood aside.

  “We’re here on orders from the king, as you can read here,” Lara said, holding up Felas’ message. “I apologize, but you must leave immediately. We will be under attack by the end of the week.”

  Every bit of rage drained from the man’s face.

  “It’s Kelthur, isn’t it?”

  Nami nodded while Lara raised an eyebrow.

  “I was afraid of this. Do I have time to respond?”

  “If you can write something down right now, I’ll get it to him as soon as I can. Not personally, though. I have more people to deliver the-”

  The man turned before Lara could finish. Inside, he ran to a desk, found paper and pen, and drafted a response.

  “Here, here! I’ll be gone by dinner. There are ships heading out, are there not?”

  “You might not make it if you wait that long. I’ve got dock workers and ship captains spreading the word as best they can.”

  Again, the man turned back to his room. He grabbed two sacks, dropped a few gold coins in the innkeeper's hands, and ran. As he turned down the stairs, he yelled ‘sorry’.

  “How many people knew about Kelthur before me?” Lara said.

  "I'm not asking questions. If they know about it, that makes our work easier, I think,” Nami answered. “Let’s find someone outside to deliver this message, then get going.”

  Outside, Lara heard shouting. Specifically, she heard someone shouting her name. Nami followed her through the crowd as she yelled ‘I’m here’ until a spritely messenger found her.

  “Lara! Lara! You have to come see this!”

  “What is it?! I’m busy right now, and I need your help!”

  “Fine! But first, follow me!”

  Together, the three sprinted through the crowd to the north wall, where they climbed to the top. The messenger kept running west along the guard path until they could see out into the foothills.

  “I… need more… time… can’t…”

  “Look!” the messenger yelled.

  In the distance, Lara could see a pack of grays. They kept no grog with them, but they did not have to. Them being out in broad daylight made her worry enough.

  “When did they… get there?” Lara said.

  “A short while ago. Just walked down from the foothills. Haven’t moved since they got here, and they stare at anyone who’s walking on the wall.”

  “Great. Kelthur must not trust us to move along, so he’s sent someone to keep an eye on us. Has anyone seen them yet?”

  “No one but the guards on shift, I think.”

  “Keep it that way. Close the western gate, any land travel must go south. Alert Felas, and have him send me a message if anything changes. I’ve got business to attend to.”

  The messenger nodded and ran off. Lara and Nami jogged back east to the docks. After running out of breath on the way up, both women found the distance much more agreeable when not taken at a full sprint. At the docks, they entered the first tavern they could find.

  “Do you know any of them?” Lara asked.

  “Several. You?”

  Lara nodded.<
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  “Get them all to come to the courtyard tonight. I don’t care what you have to offer them, money, a good fight, whatever, just do it. Felas isn't telling us everything, so let him sort out the rewards later.”

  Nami smiled then darted off to talk to a gruff looking bald man with a large beard. Lara met one of her old mountain friends, a woodworking woman. Within the hour, seven men and women agreed to show up later that evening.

  “Not a bad start. Now what?” Nami asked.

  “On to the next tavern.”

  Over the span of the afternoon, Lara and Nami made the rounds of every bar, tavern, inn, and less reputable area finding people they knew. When they decided to stop for the day, upwards of fifty people agreed to join them outside the castle. Before heading back for dinner and the new soldiers' briefing, Lara remembered one more stop.

  “Says there’s an ambassador in town from somewhere far south. I didn’t even know there was another continent way down there,” Lara said.

  “You never traveled much.”

  “Neither did you!”

  “Yeah, but I made up for it by talking to people. Down there, where this person probably comes from, I heard it was beautiful. No cold, lots of grass for the cattle. Weird bugs, though.”

  “I’m convinced. You’ve made an excellent case with the weird bugs, so let’s ditch this and grab a boat.”

  “Hey! Words were never my thing, OK?”

  Lara laughed. Walking through the crowds, she felt relieved. Surely, she figured, her message had gotten around. No one was outright panicking, but everyone around seemed to share the same grim determination. They were preparing, she hoped.

  After a few more minutes, Lara and Nami reached a boat that drifted close to the pier. Longer than any of the others, the vessel sat a hair taller than either woman. On top, a dozen men and women sat in the sun.

  “This is it?” Nami said.

  Lara nodded before putting her hands on the side of the ship and looking over.

  “Hello?”

  Each of the deckhands looked over, but none said a word.