What Lurks Below

by Michael Soldat

  "You can't have it! It's not yours, you have no right! I don't care what that piece of paper says!" the widow shouted.

  Cecile would not relent. Lara wasn't sure how the older woman could fight so hard and so quickly, as she'd never seen such a berserker rage before. Unfortunately, Kelthur kept up, trying his best to pummel Cecile into the ground. Nami put her hand on Lara's shoulder as they both watched for any way to get into the fight. Behind them, Diedra easily swatted away what few grog tried to help their master.

  "We have to do something, Lara. The others are getting pushed back. Soon, we'll be surrounded by grog. Think we can get around Kelthur?"

  "That would be a good idea, if we can manage it!" Diedra yelled behind her as she clubbed a grog straight into the ground from a charge.

  Around them, the masses began to close in. Neither flow of beasts seemed more interested in the four women battling their king, but their change in course started to shrink the space Lara and the others had to move in. Cecile darted around Kelthur again and again while Lara and Nami closed in. The widow saw the pair approach and focused on keeping her opponent's focus away from them. One swipe after another, Cecile made sure Kelthur wouldn't be able to turn without her blade piercing him. Lara pointed at one of the beast king's knees, then held up her hand with three fingers. Next, there were two. Finally, one.

  "Go!"

  Both women charged at the back of the underking, each hitting one knee with every bit of force they could muster. Kelthur stumbled backwards as Lara and Nami recovered and ran to Cecile. Behind them all, Diedra charged, war club held high. With one final step, she brought it down between Kelthur's shoulders. The mace slammed into the underking's armor with a crack that rattled many ears, making several grog stumble nearby. As her foe stumbled down to one knee, Diedra darted around him to stand with her friends.

  "Well played, orc," Kelthur muttered. "But not well enough."

  The underking flicked both of his wrists, flinging both gauntlets into the sea of grog. He turned to Diedra and lunged, barely swinging over her head as she fell to the ground. Kelthur lifted his knee to stomp the orc flat, but was pushed off balance as Nami's two-handed blade clanged off his armor. Diedra managed to crawl to her comrades before the underking could turn.

  The ambush having failed, Kelthur now stood on the same side of his forces, facing Lara and her army. Besides Diedra, the women turned to see the underking's army slowly but surely making its way through the human ranks. One man fell to their left while another lost his shield to the right. A woman on the wall used up her last arrow, and fled.

  "You had a chance at peace, fools. To be fair, you didn't have to go under the mountain, as I did. You just couldn't stay here," Kelthur boomed.

  Lara, Nami, and Cecile turned back to the underking as Diedra got to her feet. Kelthur raised his arms, palms out, towards the battle going on behind his four opponents. He hummed a moment before leaning back. Seconds later, a massive wall of force erupted from his hands, knocking the four women over and driving the rest of the forces, both friend and foe, to their knees. The grog recovered quickly, but many of the human forces struggled to fight their enemies from on their backs. Lara turned to see her people overrun as Kelthur chuckled behind her.

  "I told you that I wasn't going to accept 'no' for an answer. What did you think would happen? This blood is on your hands, Lara."

  "Stop!"

  Lara, her comrades, and Kelthur all looked up at the wall to see if the familiar voice they heard belonged to Felas, and all were surprised that it did. He stood above the gate, holding one human hand in the air, and one grog. After a moment, Kelthur put a hand up to the battle without breaking his gaze, and the grog stopped.

  "Why should I, old man? Just because you figured out a little magic?"

  "Kelthur, things have changed since you and I signed that pact so many years ago."

  The underking laughed, which made Felas flinch. He continued.

  "I can only guess that you don't care, but I'm right. Two different men signed that paper, and now look at us! You have succumbed to your power, and I have begun along the same path, if only to stop you. I ask that you hear me out, so perhaps we can reach a new deal."

  "I suppose I'll humor you, if only because these minions of yours will relish a few more moments of life. I am not always cruel."

  Felas exhaled deep, then inhaled.

  "Take me with you, and I will teach you what I've learned. In return, we get five more years to prepare."

  Kelthur burst out laughing.

  "Five years?! For turning your arm into that?! Why, Felas, I think even your people will agree that you're the one that's gone mad now! You'll have to come up with something a little better than an arm if you're to get one week, much less five years."

  The underking walked forward a few steps.

  "I'll give you a moment, but please. I'm very eager to start changing things around here to the way I like them."

  Felas walked down the stairs and into the crowd of grog. They moved around him as if Felas were protected by a bubble that they could not penetrate. Standing close enough that he could gently lob a stone at Kelthur and hit him, Felas lifted his grog arm. Slowly but surely, one of the grog around him turned towards the underking and started to walk.

  "What is this? One of my pets isn't listening?"

  The grog walked to Kelthur and sat down in front of him. It looked the underking in the eyes, then fell to the earth, lifeless.

  "Interesting. Perhaps you do know something after all."

  "What haven't you been telling us, Felas?! What is all of this?!" Lara yelled.

  Nami put her hand on Lara's shoulder, but Lara cast it off.

  "No more lies, no more hiding things! I've been doing everything by the book so far. I've not asked many questions, or needed too much more than funding for my work. Meanwhile, you've been lurking around somewhere, figuring out how to turn yourself into one of these abominations. Now, you can control them?! You surely must know that information would prove very helpful. Why don't you tell us these things, Felas? Why don't you talk to your people, whom you supposedly trust, about anything as important as this?!"

  Kelthur smiled.

  "Ha! I do appreciate your bickering, but it shall have to wait. I swear, it is by pure coincidence that I must delay your bickering, but I cannot deny that it gives me pleasure. Your proposal is accepted, dear Felas. I will decide if your information is truly worth five years' time when we talk more, but for now, you have delayed the great move for now. Come, and tell me what you have learned."

  Felas walked up to Kelthur. The underking put his giant mitt on Felas shoulder, and they turned to leave. Lara and the others crept forward.

  "Not another step, my dear," Felas said. "I must do this. I must do this for Thogt, and I must do it alone. I appreciate all that you've done, but you must stay behind and prepare the city. Expect a return in some time. I only hope it is just me."

  Lara howled.

  "No! I want answers!"

  Felas looked back, but did not respond. Instead, he walked through the gate with Kelthur. The grog, grays, and strange robed creatures retreated calmly. Shortly, only a fraction of Kelthur's forces remained inside the broken gate, and only because they were wounded and could not move normally. Lara and the others dared walk to the gate to watch Felas go, but saw that he had been intercepted by a small group of soldiers led by one man. The other forces ignored them, but Kelthur and Felas stopped.

  Lara could barely make them out from this distance, but she saw Felas and the soldiers' leader speak for a moment before the king lifted his grog arm and slammed it down. Simultaneously, the man dropped to the ground, bouncing ever so slightly. Lara winced, despite being a fair distance away. All of the other soldiers parted as Kelthur and Felas walked on.

  No human moved again until all of the grog had departed. Soldiers began to help each other off the ground and tend to any wounded they could find. While Nami, Diedra, and Cecile tended
to those around them, Lara could not stop staring ahead as her answer to all of recent history's questions walked off with someone she considered a deadly enemy. Even after the two royals' figures were naught but specks on the horizon, she couldn't tear herself away. Fortunately, in her direct line of sight, the soldiers that confronted the underking finally helped their leader to his feet. He limped, but the figure led them back towards the city. Soon enough, Lara realized who dared attempt such lunacy: Laoui.

  "Hey!" she yelled once Laoui was closer. "What was that about? Are you OK?"

  Laoui waved, but did not respond until he was much closer.

  "Lara, hello. Sorry to have deserted you in the battle, but I knew Felas would do this. I had to try and stop him from making such a horrible mistake."

  "What was it? What did you tell him?"

  "I told him that we could hold against the grog, that with his newfound power, we could push Kelthur back. He wouldn't even respond. He used that power to slam me into the ground. I have faced many a gray in my time, and they could not stay my blade for a second. This was overwhelming, Lara."

  "Let's get you to the doctor. If you don't mind, I'd like it if you stayed a bit, if only to fill me in on anything you might know. There's lots to be done, Laoui."

  He smiled.

  "Gladly, friend. I apologize for him, you know. He thinks he's doing what he has to do."

  With one arm around Laoui, Lara walked him back to the others, where she and Diedra propped the injured soldier up as they all walked to the doctor. Nami and Cecile broke off to organize aid for the army. Neither human nor orc spoke until, back at the keep, they left Laoui in the care of the same man who tended Robert.

  "I am sorry, Lara," Diedra said after they sat down in the privacy of their office.

  "It's ok, Diedra. I appreciate you for being here, and for fighting alongside us."

  "I was not speaking of the battle. Thank you, though."

  "Oh? What else, then?"

  "I am sorry for what may befall your city. Felas should not be able to do what he did. In the past, many humans have tried to gain such horrid powers, and all have failed. The others did many vile things in hopes of acquiring these powers. I can only wonder what Felas did to succeed."

  "We have some time to figure that out, at least. I want to know how his arm turned into that... thing."

  Diedra sighed. Before she could speak again, there was a knock on the door. A steward called in to them.

  "Your pardon, ma'ams! The queen wishes to see you at once!'

  Lara and Diedra looked at each other, grumbled, and got back up. They walked as fast as their tired feet would get them to the council room, where no guards stood watch. In fact, the door was open, which surprised both women. They walked in to see Danae standing on the opposite side of the council table, in plainer clothes than ever before.

  "Y-your majesty, hello."

  "I don't feel or look particularly majestic, Lara. My husband has left us all to fend for ourselves, and I am nowhere closer to answers. For the past half hour, I've helped the doctor find bandages, make bandages out of things that aren't normally bandages, and run around to find more things to make bandages out of. Unlike that bastard I once loved, I don't leave my people when they need me."

  "I'm-"

  "Sorry? Don't be, Lara. You're not a deserter. But, there will be time to be angry later. We have a city in disarray and at least some time before those abominations come back. I want you to take whoever and whatever you need to put the pieces back together. If anyone gets in your way, you send them straight to me, preferably with a damn good reason."

  "Yes, ma'am! If it's OK, we'll get some food in us first, then I'll work until I fall asleep standing," Lara said after a deep breath.

  "Absolutely. It's been a rough day, and I imagine many more will follow. I have to get back to the infirmary, but you and, hopefully, your friends, are the only people I think I can trust with this sort of work. The people like you, Lara. You remind them of Robert, who I sorely wish was still here right now. Nami and Cecile, I think, are also becoming fairly popular. Diedra, I know you've rarely been in the city, but I think if you give Thogt a chance, its people will grow to love you.

  First, though, we have to heal. Then, we grow stronger. If and when those two come back, we'll be ready for them. Dismissed, and good luck."

  Without giving the two a chance to respond, Danae charged out the door. Lara and Diedra looked at each other, slightly bewildered.

  "Well, uh... I guess we have work to do."

  "Indeed, Lara. I think I will join you for a meal, if that is OK with you. These arms of mine are tired, thanks to all of the grog they put down today."

  Lara smiled and nodded. Together, they walked back to the office, making sure to snag a steward to get them a meal. With Felas gone, there would be much work to do if Thogt was to return to anything approaching normal. At least now, no impending threat sat on their doorstep.

  -----

  Hours after battle, Nami lurked around the splintered north gate, picking up weapons and shields to get them off the road. Around her, workers swarmed as some cleaned up the debris from the gate while others brought new wood to build with. No longer did wounded soldiers moan on a battlefield. All had been carried somewhere more comfortable, where their wounds could be taken care of. The road, after being cleaned of most of the detritus of battle, appeared nearly as it had before. Everything almost seemed peaceful, though she couldn't help but conclude that they had lost.

  "Hmph."

  Nami looked up. Standing above the gate, Kelthur stared down at her with a devilish grin. Before she could react, he tossed a grog skull down gently before leaping over the opposite side of the stone. Nami raced out of the gate, scaring some of the workers, but could find no trace that the underking had landed. She returned back to the grog skull and inspected it. Somehow, Kelthur had carved words into it without shattering or breaking the bone.

  'Five years', it said.