by Scott Wale
“While she is off, we may as well head into the chamber over here”, the Calcarx pointed. “It is considerably warmer than most other chambers due to some geothermal activity that flows through it.”
“It must not be much heat, because I would think you could feel it even outside of the chamber if there was any generation”, Tradok said skeptically.
“The chamber goes back a ways and is well ventilated, which I suppose is to the detriment of the cave network out here”, the Calcarx reassured him.
The group casually entered the chamber that the Calcarx had pointed out. None of them felt warmer and Tradok, being the most sensitive to temperature changes, swore he felt colder as they moved farther away from the absorption point where at least the light peeking through provided a tepid feeling. The Calcarx continued to corral the group deeper into the chamber. Tradok held up the lighting device and failed to see any other passageways or exit points from what appeared to be just another cramped chamber.
A patch of darkness still existed in one of the far corners that was hidden by shadows from the chamber’s stalactites. Tradok held up the lighting device and began to position himself to properly light up the corner. While doing so the Calcarx leaped forward swiping his arm and knocking the lighting device to the ground where it shattered and instantly covered the group in pitch black. The Calcarx let out a shriek and the sounds of feet tramping across the cave floor could be heard as others joined the party. Alejade, Fenrit, Nevit and Tradok were all subdued with their arms being held behind their back. Alejade’s staff fell to the floor during the scuffle while Fenrit was prevented from grabbing Scourge and Nevit from his cyphon. Tradok was held down by two of the newcomers, but the Sauronoid offered little resistance until he knew what the intentions were of his new captors.
“Don’t resist and we can make this easy for you”, a voice whispered into Fenrit’s ear while the premalier felt his satchel being pulled off his body.
“They’re in there, I can smell them”, said another voice.
“What do you want?” Fenrit asked.
“Berries, I’ve smelled them this whole time”, the Calcarx who had initially betrayed them replied.
“The berries are yours and we’ll seek no retribution if you just leave the remaining contents in the satchel”, Fenrit offered.
“Good deal”, the Calcarx agreed.
Fenrit felt the satchel snap off his shoulder and then heard as the Calcarx rummaged through the contents. The next sound was the Calcarx scooping out the berries and transferring them to some other container. After a few scoops a faint impact could be heard as the satchel was dropped to the cave floor. The Calcarx moved back to the chamber entrance, let out a shriek and then the four captives were released. They stood and listened as the ambushing party scurried out of the chamber and fled into the cave network where their knowledge of the layout gave them a safe advantage over their former captives.
“Did we just get mugged for some fruit?” Nevit asked.
“Hopefully that is all they took”, Fenrit replied kneeling down and skimming his hands across the cave floor in an effort to find his satchel. “I imagine it’s a welcome change for them from a diet that probably consists of mushrooms and cave moss.”
Fenrit located his satchel and opened it up to check the contents based on their texture. He felt one of his knives and the aft crystal. There was no reason to believe anything else was missing. The group had been fortunate their robbers sought nothing else. To lose Scourge or the various gear that was in Tradok’s gear pack would have been devastating.
“I believe they abided by my offer and only took the berries”, Fenrit announced. “Everyone ok?”
“I’m ok”, Alejade replied while searching the cave floor for her staff, which was not difficult to locate.
“It may be a bit of a challenge to get through the rest of the caves, but I’m glad to be rid of that nuisance”, Tradok said.
“I think that means he’s ok”, Nevit interpreted Tradok’s irritation.
“Let’s see if we can get back to the absorption point for a bit of light”, Fenrit instructed. “We can use Tradok’s other lighting device that goes with his torrid sleeper. We can fish that out while we wait for Jandra to return.”
“Any idea where we head after that?” Nevit asked.
“The path seemed pretty straight forward”, Alejade recalled. “It seems like we can just keep moving forward until we’re forced to make a decision.”
“That assumes the Calcarx was leading us on the right trail”, Fenrit pointed out.
“It pains me to give him any credit, but I have no reason to believe he was just leading us around in circles”, Tradok said. “When the trail splits up ahead I recommend we use our numbers to spend some time scouting each trail, rendezvousing at the divergent point and then choosing our best option.”
“I have a better idea”, Fenrit proclaimed.
XXII.
The challenge had been quite unique. Cerevus needed to show patience while he trailed the sluggish Ruk, but he also needed to remain unseen by Jalpa’s scout, which was the more difficult of the two tasks. Cerevus held the advantage of knowing all three parties were set for the same destination, but he still almost blew his cover when he approached the edge of the Echo Woods where more of Jalpa’s scouts were already in waiting.
Arkiva and Virra had decided to send a single premalier to the perimeter of the Echo Woods. The idea of sending any more risked detection by Jalpa’s scouts which would possibly create some friction in the necessary relationship that the Loupiq and Chafel still needed to maintain with the Ipta.
Ruk sat on a rock at the edge of the woods and pondered his next move. No cymutts were in the area, but he was eager to deliver his intel and dissolve himself of the situation. Delayed information meant fetching full price was out of the question, but he felt confident that he could still negotiate a fair price with Grimtav for what he had learned. First, he would need to wave down a cymutt and establish a communication link. Surely there had to be some of the mechanical beasts roaming the area.
Cerevus sat up in a tree just inside the line where the trees began to thin out and slowly fade away into the open Jade Plains. He had spotted three of Jalpa’s scouts and observed them as they watched over Ruk. He was unsure what his next move would be. His orders were to remain hidden to Jalpa’s forces and learn as much as he could about the situation. Distant observations wouldn’t provide the intimate details he felt his people needed. Perhaps an opportunity would present itself, but if not his current course had him performing the duty that had been bestowed upon him. Movement along the border of the Echo Woods caught Cerevus’ attention despite the thick foliage. A cymutt scouting party came in to view and now four parties with separate interests entered a game that, if everyone played right, they could all leave victorious.
Ruk slid off the rock and kneeled down to a pile of dirt that had accumulated up against the rock. The Tugos began to dig and eventually pulled out a dataport he apparently had hid before heading into the Echo Woods. With the dataport in hand he began to head in the direction of the cymutt. This was the fastest Cerevus had ever seen the Tugos move, but it was still slow by premalier standards. Ruk began to wave his arms and make noises to ensure the cymutt party didn’t move past him as they conducted their patrol pattern. When Ruk was satisfied that he had the cymutt’s attention he held his hands in the air to indicate he was not a threat. The three member scouting party approached Ruk and the lead cymutt sat right at the feet of Ruk and stared into his eyes. Ruk returned the stare and allowed a brief moment for the cymutt to establish a transmission link.
“This is Syrpin attempting to deliver a delayed message to Grimtav”, Ruk said using the code name he had established with Grimtav.
Ruk patiently waited for a reply. His message most likely transmitted immediately, but it would have to be reviewed by at least one living being before a response could be sent. Hopefully, it would get Grimtav’s attenti
on and a brief conversation could forever finalize their business together. This mission had put Ruk in far more peril than he had bargained for and Grimtav’s requests were becoming more nefarious. Once Ruk had his money, it was time to seek employment elsewhere.
“What is the reason for delay?” Grimtav’s voice emitted from the cymutt.
“It was only safe to approach Aman under the cover of dark”, Ruk said bending the truth. “They are on high alert, but I believe what I’ve found out will allow you to expose a weakness.”
“I’m still willing to pay for the information, but your delay means my original offer has been cut in half”, Grimtav said kicking off the negotiation battle.
“Half is less than fair”, Ruk exclaimed. “Some of my other clients pay a portion up front, but given the relationship we’ve established, I trust you to act in a fair manner.”
“I trust I’ll get my information in a timely manner”, Grimtav rebutted.
“I can threaten to take my information to another bidder, but we both know that no one else cares”, Ruk argued. “That means you can either make a fair offer or I can walk away making this a strained relationship.”
Ruk had hoped Grimtav would take the bait. Ruk knew he had been a dependable informant for Grimtav and that he could use the impeccable reputation to score a bigger payoff. Negotiations were a tiring endeavor, but it was the irrational way that most individuals chose to do business. Grimtav would probably give in quickly as financial resource constraints were not an issue for him as far as Ruk could tell.
“Seventy five percent, because I want to retain your abilities, but I also believe delays shouldn’t be tolerated”, Grimtav said.
“Eighty percent and I’ll tell you everything you need to know”, Ruk replied.
“Fine”, Grimtav agreed. “I’m transferring now.”
Ruk looked at his dataport for confirmation. He watched the screen which currently linked to his bank account and showed his current balance. His balance increased by the amount that Grimtav had promised. Ruk began to wonder how these types of transactions worked in the past without modern technology. Did individuals who worked in unscrupulous professions just accept liquid assets as payment? He pushed the thought aside as he prepared to update Grimtav.
Cerevus continued to watch from his perch as Ruk communicated with the cymutt. He couldn’t hear a word of the conversation, but Ruk’s occasional gestures made it obvious that he was still part of a conversation. Cerevus anticipated Jalpa’s scouts would intercept Ruk after he was done with the cymutt. Confirming those two interactions would be the minimum he could return to Arkiva. Cerevus wasn’t certain what Jalpa’s scouts would do with Ruk once they were done with their interrogation, so Cerevus would have to play it by ear in determining what more he could gather.
The lead cymutt took a few steps back and returned to its position in the patrol formation. The cymutt scouting party continued in the same direction which it had approached Ruk, while Ruk departed in the opposite direction. Cerevus turned his attention to Jalpa’s scouts to watch their next move. Jalpa’s scouts had slowly crept up near the edge of the Echo Woods, but they had done so by remaining high up in the trees. Cerevus guessed that even with their current position they wouldn’t have been able to overhear the conversation between Ruk and Grimtav through the cymutt. Jalpa’s scouts held their position high up in the trees, but followed along the edge of the Echo Woods on a parallel course with Ruk. When Ruk began to cut farther out into the Jade Plains the scouts jumped down from their hiding place and ambushed the Tugos.
Ruk realized his predicament when Jalpa’s scouts revealed themselves. He wouldn’t be able to outrun them and the cymutts had already gone far enough off in the other direction to call for help. He had managed to escape imprisonment and now he would need to smooth talk his way out of being returned.
“Good evening, sirs”, Ruk greeted the scouts with insincere salutations.
“We have a problem” one of the scouts began. “You’re supposed to be locked up in Aman, but instead you’re out here.”
“Are you going to take me back?” Ruk asked.
“Jalpa is quite upset that you escaped, so I don’t think it’s an option to just let you go”, the scout replied.
“What if I had something to give you?” Ruk offered.
The scout paused for a moment giving credibility to the impression that he was considering the option. All of Jalpa’s scouts had been given strict orders to let Ruk relay his information to the cymutt and then interrogate him for as much information as possible. They were not to bring Ruk back to Aman as a prisoner had no further value.
“I don’t have any need for artum”, the scout finally answered.
“Good, because I deal in information”, Ruk retorted.
“Jalpa gave us strict orders to bring him back” the second scout said continuing the ruse.
“If you bring what I have back to Jalpa, he won’t be disappointed”, Ruk guaranteed.
“Ok, let’s hear it and we’ll decide”, the first scout said.
“No, I want assurance that I won’t be taken back with you”, Ruk countered.
“How do you suggest we give you that?” the scout asked with genuine curiosity.
“All you have to do is take a few steps back”, Ruk instructed.
The two scouts exchanged confusing glances with each other and then turned towards Ruk allowing him to read their facial expressions.
“Ok, this is how it will work”, Ruk started. “You take a few steps back and I prep a message on my dataport to Grimtav telling him that the Ipta know of his plans. If you let me divulge my information and then let me go, then I don’t send the message, but the first step you take in my direction the message gets sent.”
Ruk pulled his dataport up to eyelevel so he could begin constructing the message.
“Hold it”, the first scout ordered. “How do we know you don’t send that message after we leave?”
“The only way this works is if one of us serves as a trustworthy party”, Ruk answered. “In this scenario that will be me.”
“It seems like we could avoid all of this confusion by just following through with our initial orders”, the scout threatened. “Now that we can’t trust you to not send a message when we leave you alone you have two options. You can come with us now or you can trust us to let you go upon your revelation. We’ll be confiscating your dataport in both options.”
Ruk realized he had been painted in a corner. There would be no smooth talking out of this conundrum. He was on his way out of Grimtav’s life and if he could avoid imprisonment here he would never deal with another Ipta again. It was time to offer just enough to buy his way to safety. Because the Ipta had been so menacing, he wouldn’t share the fact that he had informed Grimtav of their weakness. Maybe omitting this detail would still allow Grimtav to rid Faunar of their irritating presence.
“Fair enough”, Ruk conceded handing his dataport over to the scout. “Grimtav’s army of cymutts is already marching this way and should reach the Echo Woods by tomorrow. Their range has been extended far enough to reach Aman. They’ll begin their assault shortly after arriving. Grimtav is confident that the cover of night is not necessary, but he feels the additional advantage wouldn’t hurt. The timing of the attack should be information enough to buy my freedom.”
“Doesn’t sound like enough to me”, the scout added to the deceit.
“What more do you want from me?” Ruk begged. “Grimtav is going to throw an offensive onslaught at Aman and you know how and when.”
“I don’t recall discussing how”, the scout replied.
“He’s sending a large cymutt army right at you”, Ruk said trying not to let on that he had more to give about Aman’s perceived weakness.
“You can stop with the groveling and go”, the scout finally permitted. “If you ever set foot in the Echo Woods again, you’ll be considered free game.”
Ruk gave no reply and changed his course of
direction to follow where the cymutts had gone. If there were any more interruptions, the cymutts might at least take his side. He didn’t bother to turn around and give the Ipta scouts a second look. If something else was going to stop him, it’d have to get in front of him first.
Cerevus watched as Jalpa’s scouts returned to the safety of the woods. The first scout continued deeper into the woods likely heading back to Aman, while the second posted up with a third scout who had remained hidden in the trees during the encounter with Ruk. If Cerevus wanted to intercept Ruk, he would need to avoid the remaining scouts who were likely observing Ruk while he was still in sight.
Cerevus watched Ruk for a while before determining where he was headed. The cymutt scouting party had gone in the same direction, which was just another complication to consider. Cerevus considered the risk and reward of actually getting another confrontation with Ruk and decided it was necessary to cut him off around the bend of trees that would put him just out of sight of Jalpa’s scouts. The scouts had a better vantage point of Ruk than Cerevus, but when the premalier was confident they could no longer see the Tugos, and showed no signs of moving to continue the observation, he began vaulting from tree to tree towards the cutoff point.
The Tugos was still slowly bounding in the same direction that the cymutts had headed. There was absolutely no hope he would keep up with the quick paced robots. They were probably several lengths ahead by now, which gave Cerevus a sense of ease. He could get his information quickly and return to the refugee camp shortly after the first Ipta scout.
Cerevus dug his claws into the tree trunk and climbed down to the forest floor. He pulled an arrow from his quiver and knocked it into his tenik bow before he sprinted out onto the plains. Cerevus sprung directly in front of Ruk’s path with a large leap and his bow fully drawn.
“This feels familiar, but with a lot more light”, Cerevus greeted the Tugos.
“Why can’t all of you just let me be?” Ruk cried in agony. “I want nothing to do with this anymore.”
