by Jeff Sabean
“One of our companions gave Heishi a bag with an extra-dimensional pocket to hide the orb. None of us want to touch it, and it is safe to assume forces of evil are searching for it as Jim was a dictator but not exactly a long-term planner. He could not have coordinated three separate armies to attack Harmonui, so there is some other intelligence at work here that we have yet to discover.
“I tell you all of this so you can be wary of who you trust. You will become a target simply for being an associate of Heishi, the man who killed Jim. If there is another who is leading these combined armies, you may also be at risk if that one believes you know where the orb is.”
As he finished his explanation, Aki sat back in his chair thoughtfully. After taking some time to digest the information, he nodded and looked Shenroc in the eyes again,
“Thank you, my friend. I will be careful, and from here on it would be best if we did not advertise anything about me to anyone new. As far as anyone needs to know, I am simply a human mercenary you hired to clean up this city, and when a ship becomes available, I will purchase passage and go meet my friends and save your world, because that’s just what we do.”
“I was hoping you would say that, my friend, as I am going to make you earn your pay today. Last night, some of my men found a system of passages that lead from the basement of this keep into the sewers. We think this is how Jim was traveling around Terminus without being seen: he would appear in different locations of the city at random times, which made the people fearful to cross him because he could be anywhere at any time. Yutri and I plan to enter these passages this morning and would feel safer if you were with us to watch our backs.”
“NOT THE SEWERS!” the group heard as Shenroc finished speaking. All three jumped to their feet, hands reaching for their weapons, and relaxed immediately upon recognizing Hankish as he strolled into the room, Abugraic in tow glaring at his brother.
“I cannot let you go down there alone, but it would appear my brother has not changed his opinion of fighting in a sewer,” Hankish stated with a twinkle in his eye. “This should make for a very...colorful...tale around a table of ale!”
◆◆◆
When breakfast was completed, Shenroc lead the way to the armory to refit Aki with appropriate gear. He replaced his boots, multicam pants, and black t-shirt with leather pants and boots with a long sleeve light-weight shirt, then pulled on a hard leather top and bracers to protect his forearms, then tied it all together with a dark grey cloak. He kept his black dagger tucked into his left boot where he always kept it and adjusted his new garments to ensure he still had maximum mobility.
Nodding his approval at Aki’s transformation, Shenroc lead the group to the underground passages his guards had discovered. Much to the relief of the group, “sewer” was not a valid description of the tunnels. Abugraic lead the way in, as he was well versed in searching for traps, and as a dwarf he had an affinity for underground areas. From what he could discern as he searched the entrance area, there was a network of tunnels built above the sewage tunnels: to any above ground, the manhole covers spread around the streets lead to tunnels covered in fecal matter, but in reality these top-level tunnels were quite clean, with salt water flowing down the middle of the tunnel, and crystals glowing red lining the walls. The tunnel dead-ended where the group had entered from the compound, with the water flowing underneath a solid rock wall to the left and heading down to the right, the tunnel carved to follow the flow of the water.
“Them Chondri can swim like no other,” Abugraic explained to the group. “That water in the middle’d be the fastest way to get around, if one didn’t mind showing up wet...”
“Excellent point, good dwarf,” Aki replied, attempting to gauge the depth of the water. “We should remember to stay vigilant near the water: if it is deep enough to cover one of them completely, they could surprise us if we are not careful. What’s the deal with the red lights?”
“Chondri see in different wave lengths than humans do,” replied Hankish, as he slowly inspected the crystals on the wall. “They cannot see in the dark, as some races can, but can see quite well in the red spectrum. When they enter a frenzied state, they have protective lenses that will cover their eyes, and they attack by smell and by sensing what is around them. Believe me, when we find them, you will need the light more than they will as we kill them, but have no fear, I have a trick or two that will give you the edge you need in these conditions.” He winked at Aki as he finished speaking, then returned to his inspection of the crystals.
“May I ask what you are doing?” Aki asked Hankish, his interest piqued by the halfling’s concentration on the crystals.
“I am discerning whether or not we may turn up the light in here to assist you,” Hankish muttered over his shoulder, his gaze never breaking from the crystal in front of him. “But I believe I have made a more important discovery,” he continued, then pried the crystal from the wall.
“Watch this!" He tossed the crystal down the tunnel, and when it shattered against the wall a ball of flames erupted from the pieces. Grinning widely, the halfling pried the next crystal from the wall, placing it in a pouch on his hip. “We should collect as many of these as we can: I have ideas for how to use them.”
“Durn fool always has to find a way to make something explode,” Abugraic muttered, prying a crystal from the wall and slipping it into a similar pouch on his side. “Just leave enough of ‘em to let the human see.”
With Abugraic in the lead, the group began slowly working their way through the tunnels, checking for traps and stopping to allow Hankish to carefully remove every third crystal from the wall. After the initial descent, the tunnel levelled off and ran parallel with the streets above, and a short time later the companions discovered a manhole cover above.
Yutri lifted Abugraic up to reach the ladder mounted to the wall, then the rogue climbed up to set a trap on the cover. By combining a crystal with a metal spike and a bit of rope, he explained to the group that any of the Chondri attempting to open the manhole cover would have a fireball erupt in their unsuspecting face.
“That should keep them on their toes,” Aki nodded with approval.
“Why would we want them on their toes?” Yutri asked, a confused look on his face.
“I apologize, my friend, it is an expression where I come from, it simply means it will make them more cautious about jumping down manhole covers to escape us when we fight them in the streets,” Aki explained.
Abugraic dropped silently to the floor and continued to lead the group down the tunnel. Each time they passed a manhole cover, Yutri would boost him back up to trap the cover before moving on. Soon, he found another passage that split off the main tunnel to the right. He stopped and waited for the group to converge on him, asking which way he should take them.
“I once read a book,” began Aki, “that said the best way to navigate any maze is to always follow the wall to the right. Eventually you will work your way through the maze, and to find your way out you just have to turn around and make all left-hand turns.”
Bristling a bit at having a human explain how to navigate underground, Abugraic agreed that the logic was sound, and after making a nearly invisible mark on the corner, he led the companions down the tunnel to the right. They continued in this manner for over an hour, always turning right, collecting fire crystals, and trapping any manholes they encountered. The initial excitement waned, and the group lost some of their initial vigilance as they trudged along, following the dwarf.
As complacency began to set in, Abugraic silently called the group to a halt, waving his hand frantically back to get down. A dim light appeared down the tunnel, coming from an opening on the left wall across the water. The companions pressed against the walls as closely as possible, hoping to not be caught in the open as they watched the light growing brighter.
It did not take long for the bearer of the light to appear around the corner, and Shenroc stifled a gasp as he recognized the bar tender from The P
ortal.
“Did not Heishi kill that one before our battle with the guards?” Yutri whispered to Shenroc when he, too, recognized the little man.
“You saw what I saw, my friend,” Shenroc answered, clearly confused. “It does appear to be the same whelp: I could even see his eyes turning different directions from this distance.”
“Should we kill him again?” Yutri asked with a smile.
“Let us follow him, quietly, and see who he leads us to. Then we can kill him again,” Shenroc stated, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “That one is responsible for duping many honest men into Jim’s ring of death.”
Each member of the group nodded their assent to follow the strange character, who was shuffling down the tunnel the direction they had been traveling. It did not take long to discern his destination, as the tunnel suddenly ended around a left-hand curve, with nothing but a ladder leading to a manhole cover and the street above.
As the bartender began to make his ascent, Shenroc nodded to Yutri, who rushed forward and ripped the little man from the ladder, thrusting him to the floor and pinning his arms to his side.
“Eeeehhhh, whassat? Who’s there?” screeched the wild-eyed bartender, his eyes rolling around in their sockets and not focusing on anyone standing around him.
“Quiet, dog, or your next death shall not be as painless as the last,” Shenroc hissed through clenched teeth. “You will tell us how you survived and what you are doing down here, or I will let my large companion return you to the grave.”
“Eeeehhh, yes, yes, I’m still alive. Never died, no not me! My brother, yes, yes, he is dead, killed by some human, but not me, I got away and I’m still alive, yes, I am!” The bartender stuttered, futilely attempting to make eye contact with Shenroc.
“Your brother?” Shenroc asked, a bit of shock clear on his normally stoic face.
“Yep, yep, yep, my brother! Oooohhh, I know you! You’re a good fighter! Are you here looking for The Illustrious too?” the little man asked, a look of comprehension dawning on his face as one of his eyes focused on Shenroc.
A fist smashed the little man in the jaw at the mention of fighting, and red eyes flared directly in front of his face as Shenroc struggled to control his orcish heritage.
“You would do well to never mention forcing me to fight ever again, worm,” he stated bluntly. “What do you mean looking for Jim? Is he down here?”
“No, no, no, no, NO!” the bartender whimpered, attempting to turn away. “No one has seen The Illustrious, no, no, no, they haven’t. Thujau told me to look for him, so I look. Eeeehhhh, he’s not down in the sewer with Thujau, and not in these tunnels, so I was going to the street to find him. Eeeehhh, I can’t find him anywhere!"
Shenroc stared at the pitiful man for a moment before responding. “Thujau, who is that?”
“Eeeehhhh, he is number two, head of security for The Illustrious. You know him, he runs the fights...” he stopped the last word short, the fear in his eyes at mentioning the fights again apparent to all present.
“That is the one Heishi called ‘Hungry,’” Yutri interjected. “I heard them call him Thujau before, but I like ‘Hungry’ better.”
Nodding, Shenroc turned back to the companions. “It would appear that the number two in Jim’s organization is still alive and is lurking in the sewer. Who is ready to get dirty?”
Not understanding much of what had just taken place, Aki was still the first to nod his agreement. “I’m not scared of a sewer, that’s what baths were made for. If taking out this guy Thujau will make your city safe again and get the ships sailing, then what are we waiting here for?”
“What about him?” Yutri asked, nodding at the bartender he still held down.
“Normally I would arrest him and have him stand trial for his crimes against the good people of Terminus,” Shenroc began, his eyes boring holes into the little man’s head. “However, we have all witnessed his atrocities, and seeing as how we do not have a fair judge appointed yet, we shall make this fair. All those in favor of judging him guilty, say ‘aye.’”
“Aye,” stated every man standing in the group other than Aki.
“Any say ‘nay’?”
Silence.
“There you have it, gentlemen, the aye’s have it. Luckily, this will be a quick death,” Shenroc stated, staring the bartender in the one eye that had stopped spinning and was focused on him, “which is more than you or your filthy brother deserved. Yutri, do the honors.” He turned his back to address the rest of the group as Yutri slipped his war hammer from his back and put the whelp out of his misery.
“Now then, know that I am not a vigilante. I will not have disorder in Terminus any longer. The moment we can elect a fair judge, we will not kill lawbreakers, regardless of their crimes,” he said with a disgusted glance over his shoulder at the dead bartender. “In the meantime, those clearly guilty of murder or supporting murderers will be dealt with swiftly. If anyone is not comfortable with this, tell me now, and you do not need to be a part of it.”
As every man nodded his head in agreement, Shenroc took that to mean the group were all in agreement.
“I apologize for that nasty bit of business, now let us find Thujau and be done with this,” he stated, his jaw set. “Master dwarf, please lead the way.”
“Why did it have to be the sewers?” Hankish deadpanned, as Abugraic slapped his brother on the shoulder and turned to lead the group back to where the bartender had appeared.
Chapter 4 – New Friends, Old Enemies
Abugraic lead the group back to the side tunnel where the bartender had first appeared, stopping only to collect more of the red glowing crystals. Turning down the tunnel, he noticed immediately the lack of crystals to light the way and handed one back to Aki to hold.
“Now don’t be dropping that, lad, or you’ll be having a very bad day,” he said with a grin that implied he almost wanted it to happen.
“Don’t worry about me, shorty,” Aki replied, causing the dwarf to puff up his chest a bit, “I have this covered. Just don’t run us into any traps.”
Grinning in the dim light, Abugraic turned back to the tunnel, and was immediately stopped in place as a small, albeit bright in the gloom, flame burst into view directly beside him. The group collectively took a step back as they brought their weapons into defensive positions and were not comforted to realize the flame was dancing in the palm of a petite hand.
“If you needed a way to see in the tunnel, you should have just asked instead of risking an explosion,” a deceptively sweet voice stated from beyond the flame.
As his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness, Aki saw a beautiful young lady standing in front of Abugraic. She was leaning against the wall with her right arm extended, palm facing up, the flame dancing in her outstretched palm, a wry grin painted on her face. Her fiery red hair hung loosely around her shoulders, the curls bouncing slightly as she tilted her head to the side, her emerald eyes returning his gaze. She wore a loose cloak of crimson, the hood hanging on her back, covering a light-colored blouse of a silk-like material, dark pants, and knee-high black leather boots. In her left hand she held a short staff loosely, one of the fire crystals attached to the tip, although it was not glowing.
“And who might you be, down here all by yourself?” Aki asked, breaking the silence.
“I am Ja’ade Xyrstiina, and who said I am alone?” the young lady asked, the impish grin on her face breaking into a full smile as the group glanced around nervously at her statement.
“I am going to need a bit more than just your name and a veiled reference to hidden companions,” Shenroc stated, taking a step toward her.
“Master Shenroc, I presume?” Ja’ade stated more than asked as she turned her piercing gaze on the half-orc. “I have heard much about your exploits with the other-worlder, leading to the removal of that pig Jim. You have earned my respect, and so has your rather large companion,” she flicked her eyes toward Yutri with that statement, “but you have no
chance of wooing me, large one, so save it for the vendors on the street,” she finished as Yutri pasted his best smile on his face.
“Bwahaha, she definitely knows who you are,” Shenroc exclaimed, unable to contain his amusement as his companion began to blush readily. He then turned his attention back to the young woman standing in front of him.
“You have me at a loss, lady, as you seem to know who we are, but have yet to explain who you are or what you are doing in this foul place.”
“I told you, Master Shenroc, I am Ja’ade. As to what I am doing down here, I suspect my intentions are the same as your own: to rid Terminus of Jim and his ilk, and to possibly find the horde of treasure he amassed by exploiting the good people of this city. You and your companions rid the city of Jim, so that just leaves his minions and the matter of his riches.”
She paused, staring at the slightly stunned expression on Shenroc’s face.
“Oh, you hadn’t considered the treasure. Or you did not know there was one?” she asked, correctly assuming the source of his astonishment.
“Everything has taken place so quickly, I had not considered his wealth,” Shenroc replied sheepishly.
Glancing at the brothers standing to the side, Ja’ade giggled before continuing. “Why do you think THOSE two joined you? You do not think the famed thief Abugraic and his charmingly distracting brother Hankish would join you simply to clean up the city, do you? An idealistic half-orc and his overly large dwarf companion, a pair of thieves, and...” she paused, turning to stare at Aki again “...a human of unknown origin. It would appear this is a growing trend these days.”
“Glad to know you don’t know everything, lady,” Aki deadpanned.
“Indeed. Your answer gives away more than you intend, other-worlder,” she shot back, her smile turning into a full laugh. “Now, which of you nice young men are going to invite me to join you in clearing out these tunnels of riff raff?”
