Ogre Tyrant: Chapter 17 - What lies beneath - Part One {Rewrite}

 

With a wry smile on my lips, I realised that I should have known better. Toofy’s Class and Class Abilities were literally designed for this.

 

[(Class Ability: Treasure Sense): Detects and highlights items of value within a predetermined range. {Intelligence} increases range.]

 

[(Class Ability: Storage 8): Allows items to be stored in an extra-dimensional space. Stored items weigh nothing and do not deteriorate while within the extra-dimensional space. {Intelligence} increases the total potential volume of the extra-dimensional space.]

 

[(Class Ability: Scavenge): Chance to generate additional dropped items from enemies by expending MP (Active). {Intelligence} increases drop chance.]

 

Still in possession of a Basic Class, Toofy had unlocked her second and third Class Abilities, Storage, at level five, and Scavenge, at level ten. If I had been keeping a closer eye on her, I would have realised Toofy was level thirteen and rank three. Recalling the protracted battle to found the Settlement, her level actually seemed rather appropriate.

 

Thinking about it some more, I realised that I had seen Toofy pulling objects from the extra-dimensional space before. It had mostly been little things or scraps of food. At the time, I had just figured she was using her pockets, but now I wasn’t so sure.

 

“Toofy?” I asked warily, “Did you bring something to eat? I am feeling a little peckish.”

 

Toofy cocked her head slightly, giving me a curious look. “It’s kay, Toofy bring food!” She exclaimed happily and stuffed her left hand into one of her pockets. I was feeling a little disappointed, but that feeling quickly changed to shock as Toofy withdrew a fistful of meat skewers that had no possible means of fitting in her small pockets. “Take!” Toofy insistently offered me one of the skewers.

 

Somewhat dazed, I accepted the skewer and watched as Toofy and Ril demolished the other three between the two of them. Once they were finished, Toofy put the bare skewers back in her pocket.

 

“Toofy...Can you take out all of the skewers from your pocket?” I asked, “The ones without meat I mean.”

 

Toofy gave me another strange look, shrugged and began emptying her pockets. Within a few minutes, Toofy had emptied a pile of wooden skewers nearly as tall as herself. “Done,” Toofy declared distractedly as she circled the pile.

 

“You really didn’t know all of those were in there?” I asked while already guessing the answer.

 

Toofy noded, “Toofy forget, sometimes Toofy forget she forget,” she shrugged and began pulling more things out of her pockets.

 

It took a moment for me to figure out what Toofy meant but I think I figured it out. She would forget that she had stowed things away in her pockets, and when withdrawing them later, forget that they were there because she had forgotten about them earlier. Basically, it meant Toofy had far more supplies on hand than she intended, and was taking it for granted while unintentionally replenishing it at irregular intervals.

 

With Ril holding close to thirty meat skewers, and the tunnel floor littered with clumps of dawnmoss, manastones, a disturbingly impressive array of shivs, and an entire set of Swamp Lurker teeth. I withdrew the two iron ingots and a bounty sack from my pack and offered Toofy the sack. “Here, you can use this instead of your pockets. You should be able to fit bigger things in it,” I suggested enthusiastically.

 

Toofy gave me a dubious look then looked around for something to put in the sack.

 

“Why not try one of those rocks?” I suggested, pointing at the broken remains of the Clay Doll, or Rumbler as Lash called it.

 

Toofy shrugged, set down the sack and rolled a chunk the size of her head inside of it. The moment the chunk of dry clay passed the mouth of the sack, it disappeared. “Huh?!” Toofy stuck her head inside the sack, “Where rock go?!” She demanded angrily, squinting her eyes suspiciously at Ril.

 

Ril baulked, “Is Mama’s magic!” The Daemon insisted, “Like the pockets!” Ril pointed instantly at Toofy’s pockets.

 

Toofy frowned, apparently unconvinced.

 

“Toofy, Ril didn’t take it. Why not try reaching into the sack for the rock?” I suggested.

 

Toofy gave me the same nonplussed look.

 

“It’s magic just like your pockets,” I insisted, convinced a more detailed explanation would probably not work.

 

Still frowning and staring me down, Toofy reached into the sack and blinked in surprise, “It’s back!” She cried out excitedly, taking hold of the chunk of clay with both hands and heaving it out of the sack.

 

Asra and Lash had both watched events thus far in silence, but Lash seemed quite keen to be moving on. “There is much to explore,” she insisted, motioning to the tunnel ahead.

 

I nodded and turned my attention back to Toofy, “Alright, quickly put all your things away now Toofy,” I encouraged her.

 

Toofy nodded excitedly and began dropping things into the sack, squealing in delight as they disappeared before her eyes.

 

Interestingly, it seemed like Ril was able to deposit items into the space as well. As she helped Toofy retrieve her collection, any items Ril dropped into the sack disappeared, but only while Toofy was watching.

 

So there seemed to be some sort of trick to it or perhaps a subconscious activation of some kind. It raised another question though, which had interesting possibilities of its own.

 

If Toofy lost that sack, did she just need to find another container of some kind to withdraw all the items?

 

I had a hunch that it was probably how it worked, but would need to test it later to be sure.

 

Back on the move again, with Lash taking point and myself in the rear, it didn’t take long for us to find trouble.

 

The tunnel we had been following had gradually led us deeper and deeper underground. After travelling for a few minutes or so, we encountered a fork in the path and had to decide whether to continue travelling in roughly the same direction as before or detour to the right. Deciding to push ahead, we entered another cavern, although it was less than half the size of the one we had encountered before.

 

With no barrier to prevent the spawning of monsters, it came as little surprise that the cavern was dominated by somewhat familiar-looking spiked lizards, only these were the size of ponies. There were dozens of them, lazing or slowly ambling about the cavern, but unfortunately for us, they seemed to be incredibly territorial. The instant one of the closest lizards caught wind of our scent, it released a shrieking hiss that stirred the whole cavern of reptiles into motion.

 

“Asra watches our back, I’ll take the front with Lash!” I commanded, quickly moving to the front near Lash.

 

“Bite is venomous,” Lash warned as she readied herself to attack the first to enter her reach.

 

While I did not plan on putting Asra’s Venom Resistance synergy to the test, I was happy we had it. Growing up in Australia, I was taught to have a wary respect for dangerous wildlife, and no small number of them were venomous.

 

Our current position seemed reasonably defensible. There were a number of stalagmite clusters that formed a sort of screening wall that cut most of the spiked lizards off from our position. Unfortunately, the spiked lizards proved more than capable of forcing their way through or climbing around them.

 

With the prospect of facing so many monsters head-on, I was surprised to find that I wasn’t afraid, if anything I was eager for the fighting to begin. I could tell by Lash’s posture that she probably felt the same way. However, before I had time to fully consider the reason for my newfound battle lust, I was forced to devote my attention to the oncoming threat.

 

Even though the spiked lizards were not particularly fast or nimble, they were nothing if not adapted to this rough terrain. Their clawed feet seemed capable of anchoring into earth or stone with near-equal ease, growing closer by the second.

 

With the closest now less than ten feet away, I rushed forward and struck at the spiked lizard with an underhand blow from my morningstar.

 

*Crunch*

 

The spiked lizard had dodged my attack at the last second, causing me to miss its head and instead impact with its left shoulder, breaking bone and pulping the meat and scales as the spikes of my morningstar tore through the reptile's flank.

 

“RAAAGH” Lash roared and dashed forward to intercept another one of the spiked lizards, her axe crashing down in an overhead strike.

 

*Shunk*

 

The spiked lizard screeched in pain, its hindquarters falling limp from the devastating blow to its spine.

 

With my own opponent still alive and kicking, I slammed my shield into its face just in time to stop the spiked lizard from clamping its jaws on my exposed thigh. Swinging up and over my shield, I brought the morning star crashing down on the spiked lizard’s back.

 

*Thump*

 

The spiked lizard shrieked pitiably and attempted to retreat.

 

*Crunch*

 

I crushed its skull with my morningstar and rushed over to help Lash.

 

[You have slain {Spineback: 2 } +600 Exp]

 

Lash had already dealt with her previous opponent, its nearly severed head hanging limply from its neck. She was currently fending off three more spiked lizards, or Spinebacks as named by the status alert. Lash was landing solid hits but was limited to shorter strikes to avoid providing the Spinebacks with an opening they could exploit to effectively attack her back.

 

Rushing one of them from the side, I brought my morningstar crashing down in an overhead blow.

 

*Thump Crunch*

 

I felt the Spineback’s rib’s shatter beneath the impact as the head of my morningstar ripped into its back. Viciously yanking my morningstar free again, I could vaguely make out the exposed organs of the Spineback’s chest cavity.

 

Severely weakened, the Spineback attempted to retreat.

 

Lash and I both let it go, we had more than enough enemies to deal with already. More Spinebacks were about to join the fight and there were still two others to deal with already.

 

“I’ll hold them, strike from the side!” I called out to Lash as I hopped in front of her and bashed the Spinebacks backwards to make some room.

 

Lash gave a feral grunt in reply, her armour clanking and scraping as she hurriedly repositioned to my right.

 

The rightmost of the pair of spinebacks seemed to realise what was going on and began turning to face Lash instead.

 

*Thump*

 

I jabbed its side and drove the topmost spike of my morningstar into its exposed flank.

 

The Spineback screeched in anger, giving me its undivided attention once more.

 

*Shunk*

 

The Spineback spasmed wildly as Lash’s axe came arcing down and was buried in the rearmost section of its neck. Still snapping its jaws feebly, the Spineback seemed determined not to die just yet.

 

Bashing the remaining Spineback to drive it away from its fallen companion.

 

*Shunk*

 

Lash had rushed forward to engage another Spineback further ahead, striking its forelimb to deliver a crippling blow before rushing off to attack a different opponent.

 

Going back on the offensive, I bashed the Spineback again and felt the shield begin to buckle. Made of interwoven roots and branches, the shield had put up a good resistance to the powerful claws of the Spinebacks, but my repeated bashing combined with the accrued damage had pushed it to the brink.

 

Pivoting my hips and sweeping my morningstar in from the right, I caught the unfortunate monster in the side of the head as it leaned back in preparation to make an attack of its own.

 

*Thump Crunch*

 

[You have slain {Spineback: 1 } +300 Exp]

 

The spikes of my morningstar had anchored into the skull of the beast, so I had to yank it back hard to dislodge it again.

 

“Lord! There are enemiess coming from behind!” Asra cried out in alarm.

 

Turning back I could see a veritable carpet of movement blotting out the light of the tunnel and could hear a rising echo of maddening chitters. “LASH! WE NEED TO MOVE!” I roared and rushed forward to take hold of Toofy and Ril.

 

Driven by their own survival instincts, the pair of them scaled my outstretched arms like drowning cats and anchored themselves on my shoulders.

 

Asra was shaking, his eyes wide with fear as he pulled a fistful of manastones from the pouch at his waist and threw them towards the oncoming swarm. “Hold them back!” He shrieked and began to run.

 

Letting the badly damaged shield slip off my arm, I turned and ran after Asra.

 

Lash had fought her way clear to one of the tunnels ahead and to our right, leaving several wounded Spinebacks that were slowly closing in behind her. Alarmingly, the healthy Spinebacks within the cavern had begun retreating down other tunnels, making the threat posed by the Blood Hunters all the more real.

 

Snatching up Asra by the waist, I charged straight for Lash, doing my best to keep Asra as far from the Spinebacks as possible. With the way the wounded Spinebacks had slowly closed ranks while stalking towards Lash, it was ultimately a largely futile gesture.

 

Or it would have been if the hulking form of Dar didn’t barrel past me and launch himself into the flanks of the Spinebacks with suicidal abandon. “FEEEED!” The Daemon roared, impaling himself on the namesake of the first Spineback before hooking his claws into its scaly hide and clamping his powerful jaws down upon its neck.

 

*Shriiip*

 

Dar tore the Spineback’s neck and a good portion of its spine free of its body with one vicious jackknifing snap of his heavily muscled neck.

 

“KILL!!!” The sinewy form of Qreet was only moments behind her hatchmate. Just as Dar had done, Qreet bodily launched herself at another Spineback. However, unlike Dar, she managed to avoid serious injury and after biting down on the Spineback’s exposed neck Qreet seemed content to leave the damage at that.

 

Rushing past the pair of Daemons and the opening they had provided, I followed Lash into the tunnel. She had provided warnings about something like this happening, so I was aware of the general plan of action. Lash would do her best to lead us away from the swarm and we would attempt to find a tunnel leading up to the surface or circle around to the cavern we first entered.

 

Leaving a Clay Doll in our wake, we ran past it before it was even halfway through taking form.

 

Entering another cavern, Lash motioned for us to stop and I reluctantly complied.

 

Smaller still than the previous cavern, there was only one other tunnel large enough for Lash and Myself to pass through. Unfortunately, it would be a tight fit and we would both have to hunch down to avoid scraping our heads on the ceiling.

 

“Dangerous,” Lash muttered, apparently none too happy about the shrinking dimensions of our escape route. She looked back down the tunnel we had come from and paused for a moment. Letting out a cross between a growl and a sigh, Lash motioned to the tunnel ahead and began leading the way again.

 

The cavern proved to be unoccupied as we managed to cross it without incident.

 

Setting down Asra and coaxing Toofy and Ril to continue on foot, I settled into my position as rearguard again. Unable to see much of anything past Lash ahead and unable to turn back without extreme difficulty, I could feel my anxiety amping up with every passing moment. Seeing Lash tentatively entering another cavern up ahead, I felt incredibly relieved.

 

The cavern was by far the largest yet.

Naturally forced pillars of stone supported the ceiling, while a large pool of water dominated the centre of the cavern. However, the most striking feature of the cavern was the completely out of place worked stone facade of a towering gateway on the opposite side of the cavern.

 

“Is that a Deep Orc gate?” I asked Lash quietly. We had seen no monsters skulking about in the cavern thus far, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

 

Lash stiffly shook her head, “Not Deep Orc, it is a dungeon...”

 

“Dungeon?” I asked warily, “Like for keeping prisoners?”

 

Lash shook her head again, “No. Dungeons hold great treasure, powerful enemies. Many die, few return,” she stated dourly.

 

“Treasure?” Toofy’s ears twitched excitedly.

 

Ril tightened her grip on Toofy's hand and anchored her clawed toes into the dirt.

 

“D-dungeon?” Asra croaked, taking a half step back as he fearfully regarded the cavern.

 

“So dungeons are incredibly dangerous? Got it,” I sighed and glanced warily back down the tunnel.

 

[Summoned Daemon: Ruz has been killed by Blood Hunter!]

 

I stared at the grey status alert for a moment before recognising the name. Ruz was one of the single-horned Daemons and assumedly had been summoned by Asra to cover our retreat. More than a half-hour had passed since our flight down the tunnel. It was crazy to think that the Daemons had only now suffered their first casualty.

 

[Summoned Daemon: Wraithe has been killed by Blood Hunter!]

 

[Summoned Daemon: Myra has been killed by Blood Hunter!]

 

[Summoned Daemon: Kyon has been killed by Blood Hunter!]

 

The trio of status alerts appeared in rapid succession and doused my hope that we could just turn around and head back. The fight was apparently not going nearly as well as I thought.

 

Asra gave me a troubled look, “Lord, the Daemonss are taking losssess.”

 

I nodded grimly, “How many did you summon?” I asked, trying to get a better handle on the context of the fight. We were apparently too far away to earn EXP from their kills, so the best possible indicator would be information provided by Asra himself.

 

The Serpent-Kin teen shifted uncomfortably, “Sseven...I think...” Asra replied with more than a little embarrassment.

 

Recalling the fistful of manastones he had thrown, seven seemed about right. “So it’s just Qreet, Dar and one other Daemon left standing?” I commented, looking to Asra for confirmation.

 

Asra nodded, “Gric refussed the ssummon, sso-”

 

[Summoned Daemon: Tyat has been killed by Blood Hunter!]

 

Asra paled.

 

Gric refusing the summon was not altogether unexpected. I could only assume that something was happening in Sanctuary that required his immediate attention. Gric would be told of events in the tunnels from one of the fallen Daemons, so I was not as worried as I would have been otherwise. If we waited, then Asra could summon Gric and we could get a more complete explanation of what happened.

 

Waiting for Qreet and Dar’s death notifications, I was both relieved and concerned by their absence. Relieved, because apparently, they had managed to break the swarm, concerned, because we had no real way of knowing what condition the pair was in. It was possible that they had both been badly injured and left for dead.

 

“Asra, I want you to summon one of the Daemons that covered our escape,” I ordered. I needed to know what was going on.

 

Asra nodded obediently and seemed relieved at the prospect of additional reinforcements. Withdrawing a manastone from his pouch, Asra briefly flared a grey aura, “Wraithe!” He commanded with surprising confidence as he dropped the manastone to the ground and took a few steps back.

 

Within moments the Daemon’s body quickly took shape before our eyes. Many of the Daemons had undergone significant changes since the battle to rescue Lash and the other Deep Orc refugees. Almost all of them had taken on various reptilian and amphibian characteristics into their own physiology. So even though they had appeared predominantly human after hatching, albeit discoloured and possessing horns and a tail, The most ‘human’ amongst their number now, was Ril.

 

Wraithe, one of the female Daemons, was no exception. With a single horn protruding from her right temple, Wraithe had noticeably taken on characteristics of the Blood Hunters. Her tail was still covered in scales, but it was near twice her height in length and thin like a whip with spiked barbs protruding from the final couple of feet. Wraithe’s legs were also rear jointed and combined with the elongating distension of her clawed feet and toes, Wraithe was almost as tall as Lash and myself, although much thinner.

 

In general, Wraithe appeared to be very nimble and wiry, practically delicate compared to what I had seen of Dar.

 

Nimbly hopping to her feet, Wraithe gave our surroundings a quick once over, her slightly enlarged and tapered ears twitching slightly as her attention lingered briefly on the tunnel. “The humans are making demands, Lord,” Wraithe explained without being asked, very likely on Gric’s order. “Underlord Gric wishes you to know that he has the situation well in hand and that he has not revealed his true nature to the humans. Also, Underlord Gric wishes to know if you require assistance in returning to the surface.”

 

Even though I had suspected Gric was busy, receiving confirmation that there was some sort of trouble with the human army still made me anxious. “What about Qreet and Dar?” I asked, “What happened with the swarm of Blood Hunters?”

 

Wraithe stiffened slightly and hung her head in shame, “Lord, we defeated the first swarm, but a second swarm was drawn by the blood and overran us. We were still wounded and only Qreet and Dar were strong enough to fight back,” she shifted uncomfortably and gave me a worried look, “The summoning has not been terminated, but neither Qreet nor Dar have attempted to return to the surface...”

 

“Do you think they are waiting for us?” Asra asked hopefully.

 

Wraithe fidgeted uncomfortably, “It is possible,” she admitted.

 

I think I knew what was going on. “You think they are taking the opportunity to make alterations to grow stronger?” I guessed, knowing how much of a driving priority it was for the Daemons as a whole.

 

There seemed to be some kind of loophole afforded by the summoning mechanic. Because the Daemons that were summoned were only copies, they seemed to be able to experiment as much as they liked without their choices being forced onto the original.

 

Given the amount of trial and error involved, a situation like this one was an incredible opportunity, and apparently one that the pair of Daemons were not willing to pass up.

 

Wraithe nodded with what seemed like guilty reluctance.

 

Technically, the pair of Daemons were only doing what they had been told. Asra had given the command to ‘hold them back’ and holding down that particular cavern and tunnel was actually to our benefit. Daemons strictly obeyed every command they were given, both the spirit and the letter. It was one of the weirdest things about the rules this world operated under.

 

Intent always seemed to take precedence when determining the desired outcome.

 

With that thought in mind, I found it unlikely that Qreet and Dar were maliciously interpreting their command. It was far more likely that they believed that continuing to hold their ground was best serving Asra’s intent, which I assumed was that we would make it back to safety while the Daemons held off any wild monsters.

 

“Should head back,” Lash insisted, her helmet angled in such a way that she was able to keep an eye on the dungeon entrance.

 

It was obvious that there was more I needed to know about dungeons before entering one, so returning to the surface to get a more detailed explanation was a good idea. “Alright let’s head back,” I agreed.

 

Asra released a ragged sigh of relief which was heavily contrasted by a disappointed, “Awwwww,” from Toofy.

 

With Wraithe now screening ahead, we generally maintained the same formation we had used in the beginning, with Lash and myself forming a protective buffer from the front and rear for Asra, Toofy and Ril.

 

Despite not having accompanied us on our initial retreat, Wraithe nonetheless seemed to know exactly where to go. I could only assume that the Daemon had enhanced her sense of smell or was perhaps capable of following our tracks, which were admittedly rather easy to find.

 

Encountering the Clay Golem we had fled past earlier, Lash and I dispatched it quickly and with Toofy’s help managed to find another Iron ingot. There had been just the one this time, so I wondered what the actual chances of the ingot dropping in the first place were and whether Toofy’s Class Ability was more or less likely to generate an item. Maybe the rank of the monster had something to do with it as well? The first Clay Doll had been a rank two, and this one had just been a rank one.

 

Needing to stay alert, I pushed the thoughts from my mind and tried to keep an eye out for potential ambushes.

 

[Dar has slain {Blood Hunter: 2 } +100 Exp]

[Dar has slain {Blood Hunter: 1 } +50 Exp]

[Dar has slain {Blood Hunter: 2 } +100 Exp]

 

The trio of notifications suddenly appeared in rapid succession, making it obvious that at least Dar was still alive and under attack.

 

Wraithe chittered excitedly, revealing powerful rodent-like incisors, “Lord! There is much carnage ahead!” The Daemon declared excitedly, her clawed fingers twitching in anticipation.

 

[Qreet has slain {Blood Hunter: 3 } +150 Exp]

 

“Scout ahead and see what the situation is, then report back,” I commanded.

Wraithe grinned and sped off down the tunnel at a breakneck pace, nimbly dodging past or leaping over any obstacles in her way.

 

After a couple of minutes, and a smattering of kill notifications from both Qreet and Dar, Wraithe returned with the still squirming and shrieking form of a Blood Hunter coiled tightly in her tail.

 

*Crunch*

 

[Wraithe has slain {Blood Hunter: 2 } +100 Exp]

 

The blood Hunter grew deathly still, blood dribbling from its mouth and into the dirt.

 

“Lord, both minions, Qreet and Dar are following orders and holding the passage back to the surface. Only scavengers remain,” Wraithe lifted and waggled the dead Blood Hunter for emphasis, “They are larger but fewer in number, Qreet believes the path to be safe.”

 

“Alright, let’s go collect Qreet and Dar then head to the surface to see what is going on,” I motioned for Lash to lead the way and received a curt nod in reply.

 

Individual Blood Hunters would be no threat to her or myself, but Asra, Toofy and Ril were a different matter. The size of small dogs or a house cat, the Blood Hunters had a nasty set of teeth on them and their relative size made a showdown between them comparable to a grown human facing off against a wolf.

 

After cautiously travelling through the tunnel, we finally reentered the cavern that had been home to the Spinebacks. A mess of scattered bones just outside of the tunnel confirmed my suspicions regarding the Blood Hunter Swarms. Just like a horde of true rodents, they would descend on a food source and strip it as best as they were able.

 

Scrape marks on the bones suggested that they were more than capable of gnawing through those too, but had either moved on to a better food source, or been interrupted.

 

“RAAAAGH!” The bloodcurdling roar echoed through the cavern, drawing my attention to the vibrant amber scaled and hulking form of Dar standing guard by the other tunnel entrance. He was facing away from us, putting his most recent changes on prominent display. Hunched over like a gorilla, Dar now had dozens of short sharp spikes protruding from his back, shoulders and outer surfaces of his forearms and thighs.

 

Qreet was not immediately visible, but she promptly appeared a few moments later, slowly and carefully crawling across the roof of the tunnel above Dar. The way Qreet was moving seemed quite strange, given that she was upside down, but looked like she was climbing vertically.

 

Quickly shepherding Asra, Toofy and Ril across the cavern, it became obvious why Qreet was climbing like that. She had grown powerful hooked talons and was climbing the ceiling in a similar manner to how the Spinebacks had traversed the stalagmites and rock walls littering the cavern floor.

 

Both Daemons seemed quite happy to see us, quite possibly due to the multitude of injuries covering their bodies. Or perhaps because there were no more enemies in the immediate vicinity.

 

“LORD,” Dar growled, lowering his head in deference.

 

“Lord,” Qreet hissed, dropping from the roof of the tunnel and bowing low. Removing what looked like a bulging length of looped intestine off her shoulder, Qreet offered it to me as if the contents were incalculably valuable.

 

Taking a closer look, I confirmed that it was indeed a length of intestine. Stretched to near transparency, I could see that the lower section was packed near to the point of bursting, with manastones. I stared at Qreet in shock. There were hundreds of manastones in there. “How did you manage to collect so many?” I demanded.

 

Qreet and Dar shared a respectful look with one another, “Team-work,” Qreet hissed, struggling to pronounce the words while Dar nodded emphatically, mimicking wrenching something with his brutish fists and throwing it to the ceiling.

 

Qreet pointed emphatically back to her previous hiding place.

 

Leading the group down the tunnel, my breath caught in my throat as I caught sight of the nightmare-inducing ‘nest’ Qreet had made amidst the stalactites. Using intestines for rope and flayed hides to form a basin or floor, I could totally imagine Dar lobbing the severed heads of Blood Hunters up there for Qreet to ‘process’ before she discarded the remains.

 

Daemons were nothing if not resourceful...

 

“We should head back...” I croaked, doing my best not to vomit, “Toofy, store this in the pack please,” I handed her the intestine pouch and energetically wiped off my hand on my pants.

 

Lash was giving both Daemons a stoic but presumably appraising look from beneath her helmet. After a few moments, she gave them a curt nod of approval and moved to take her place at the head of the formation.

 

Qreet and Dar shared a look of elation with one another, hissing and growling quietly as they playfully shoved one another.

 

That was when I finally noticed another oddity of the Daemon summoning. Unlike the battle to rescue the Deep Orc refugees, where the Daemons had been summoned completely naked, Wraithe, Qreet and Dar were all wearing their primitive hide clothing. Well...Qreet and Wraithe were, Dar had most likely lost his loincloth at some point in the fighting. Not that he seemed to mind, apparently having taken inspiration from the reptiles to protect his vulnerable assets from danger.

 

Our trip back to the safety of the barrier was almost disappointingly uneventful. I was in no hurry to experience any more danger, but it still bugged me that we had been forced to retreat earlier. I was trying to be more assertive, and running away seemed like progress in the wrong direction.

 

Now safely within the protection of Sanctuary’s barrier, Asra dismissed Wraithe, Qreet and Dar, stumbling a little as he did so. The Pact Binder Summoning seemed to have an MP cost for both summoning and dismissing the Daemons, which was very interesting. I hadn’t known about that. Or if I did, then Gric hadn’t explained it very well.

 

The other half of our scouting expedition had returned as well and apparently had been waiting for us for some time.

 

Listening to their account of events, they too had encountered a Blood Hunter swarm, but they had been able to fall back to the barrier and thin out their numbers before exploring again. The other team had even managed to hold onto most of the corpses and brought them back.

 

The pile was impressive but I didn’t envy the job of bringing them to the surface. We had no cargo netting, so they would probably need to be tied off into groups of a half dozen and dragged up.

 

The second group only managed to find one Clay Doll and unfortunately, it hadn’t dropped an iron ingot. Lash was a little disappointed about that. Apparently, she wanted at least ten ingots for casting the first anvil and hammer.

 

In all the excitement, I had very nearly forgotten about the incident with the humans. The fresh wave of anxiety was more than enough to propel me up the rope and to the surface at what I had thought was an absurd speed. Apparently, it wasn’t all that fast, since Lash and the other Deep Orcs were right behind me. They had even brought Toofy, Ril and Asra along by giving them piggyback rides.

 

“Lord!” What I had initially assumed was a Deep Orc, but was actually Gric wearing a set of what I hoped was only borrowed armour, cried out and rushed towards me. Stopping only a few feet away, Gric bowed his head quickly, “The Humans are invading!”

 

It took a few moments for what Gric said to sink in, “W-what?!” I demanded.

 

“Their negotiator, Lt. Felix, let slip that more Humans would be coming, much more! Hundreds!” Gric didn’t sound frightened so much as excited and irritated.

 

Lash shifted uncomfortably, “Humans will attack?” She asked bluntly.

 

“Unclear,” Gric replied bitterly, “Lt. Felix would not reveal more unless it was with the Lord.”

 

Both Gric and Lash gave me a purposeful look from beneath their helmets.

 

“Did Felix say when he would be back?” I asked, doing my best to rein in my imagination before it began catastrophizing things.

 

Gric bowed his head again, “Lord, Lt. Felix and his minions are awaiting an audience at the designated meeting place.”

 

I winced and bit back my criticism of leaving the most important information until last. There was little telling how Daemon biology and psychology would react to something like that, and I needed Gric in peak condition right now. “Let’s go then,” I grunted, waving back Toofy as she made to come along, “No Toofy, I need you to stay here and look after Asra and Ril, Okay? I’ll be back in a little bit.”

 

Toofy slumped dejectedly but nodded, “Kay...”

 

After receiving a reassuring nod from Ril, I rushed off towards the gate, with Lash and Gric hot on my heels.

 

Taking a moment to compose myself first, I strode out from the gate and did my best to project an aura of calm and control. If the human army was searching for weakness as a premise to push for concessions, then I was going to put up the best fight I could manage. I owed my people that much at least.

 

Just like our other negotiations, Lt. Felix and his pair of trusted officers were patiently waiting near the briar wall, where the ground was driest and air less humid. Seeing our approach, the trio left behind their soldiers to wait at the appointed place. Gric may be onto something, they were nervous, perhaps about being the bearers of bad news.

 

Lt. Felix politely cleared his throat and smiled in what was probably intended to be a friendly manner. However, it was heavily undermined by the nervous twitch in his right eye and the sweat running down his brow. “Ah, you know, you still haven't provided a name or title to call you by,” Lt. Felix joked while probing.

 

It was true, thus far I had dominated proceedings by directing the flow of conversations to what I wanted, cutting to the heart of the matter to get things over with. “Chieftain will suffice,” I replied warily, “What is it that you want?” I asked pointedly, knowing it would likely throw him off balance.

 

“R-right,” Lt. Felix stuttered a little, removing his helmet, couching it under one arm, running his free hand through his short and thoroughly soaked hair. “My superior, Captain Klive, requests a meeting with you to discuss the possibility of a more established and, erm, integrated military presence in this region.”

 

I furrowed my brow and scowled, “Why?” I demanded, making my stance on the issue transparently clear. If push came to shove, we were currently quite capable of driving the humans out without an excessive level of violence or risk of fatalities to either side. But if the military presence increased, then any hostile actions taken by either of us would have severe consequences and collateral damage.

 

Lt. Felix gulped hard and wiped away the sweat from his brow, “I am not at liberty to disclose that information at this time,” he apologised with a cringe, his eyes briefly flicking to the morningstar slung through my belt. “I-if you would agree to meet with the captain, I am sure he will be able to explain everything,” Lt. Felix added hurriedly.

 

Realising I would get nothing further from him, short of crossing a number of lines that I was not prepared to cross, I grunted in annoyance and nodded, “Fine, tell your Captain I will meet with him, now.” Being pushy with military officers was probably not the smartest idea, but I wanted to make it clear that I was not going to let them push us around.

 

Besides, forcing a meeting like this gave them less time to prepare for any nasty surprises.

 

Lt. Felix seemed somewhat relieved, “Ah, well then, if you would follow me-”

 

“I will meet your captain, here,” I stated bluntly, interrupting Lt. Felix before he could go any further. No way in hell was I entering a military encampment of a couple of hundred soldiers. That was just asking for trouble. At best, it would give them negotiating power by abusing the obvious show of force, at worst, they would either threaten me directly or attack me if they didn’t get what they wanted.

 

So no, I was not going to just enter a den of wolves like a lamb to the slaughter. If their Captain had honourable intentions, then he wouldn’t mind meeting on relatively neutral ground. In a way, this hardline stance of mine was intended as a test. If Lt. Felix and his captain backed off, then it was clear that they almost certainly had bad intentions.

 

Lt. Felix looked a little nervous, but mostly seemed to be relieved, “Ah...I will inform my Captain of your willingness to meet and the change of venue,” he agreed amiably and replaced his helmet on his head.

 

Leaving with his soldiers in tow, I wondered if perhaps Lt. Felix had already expected an outcome like this from the start and had very literally just been following orders.

 

I didn’t have too long to dwell on it though. Less than a quarter-hour later, Lt. Felix, as well as the obligatory retinue of soldiers returned with a man in near-identical armour, with the addition of a steel breastplate and more ornate helm.

 

Leaving the other soldiers behind, Lt. Felix and the man I assumed to be Cpt. Klive approached Lash, Gric and Myself.

 

“So,” Cpt. Klive gave me a brusque once over, his neatly trimmed moustache quivering slightly in what I assumed was annoyance, “You are the ‘chieftain’ of this Settlement I take it?” He demanded curtly.

 

“I am,” I answered in kind.

 

The Captain just stared at me for a long minute before slowly removing his helmet. Contrary to what I had expected, he was smiling.

 

With salt and pepper hair and a host of wrinkles and scars besides, Cpt. Klive looked to be fifty or more years old, although he still seemed to be in impeccable shape despite his age.

 

“You don’t take shit from anyone do you?” Cpt. Klive asked with amusement, the corners of his eyes wrinkling as chuckled quietly. “Well, I suppose that is to be expected,” he commented, “If I was as big as you are, I wouldn’t put up with anyone’s shit either.”

 

Lt. Felix blanched and gave his captain a worried look, “Sir-”

 

Cpt. Klive waved Lt. Felix down dismissively, “I suppose I have been plenty rude enough already, best get to introducing myself so we can move onto more productive matters, eh?” He grinned and straightened somewhat to stand a couple of inches taller, “Captain Klive of his majesty's armed forces, pleasure to meet you son!”

 

I just nodded and waited to see what he wanted.

 

Cpt. Klive coughed brusquely and nodded, “Right, onto business then. I’ll be blunt Mr Chieftain, your home is smack dab in the middle of what could be best described as the hells latrine,” he grinned at his own joke before continuing, “But damn it all if it doesn’t grow on you! Tough livin’ conditions make tougher soldiers! I’ve been bringing recruits here for decades for that very reason!” Cpt. Klive’s expression grew wistful for a moment before he shook his head and came back to his senses, “Mr Chieftain, I want a piece of the hell that you have carved out for yourselves down here, and I’m willin’ to pay for it!” He grinned expectantly at me, making it obvious that he wanted a reply.

 

The way the Captain had expressed willingness to ‘pay for it’ I assumed was intended to be something akin to the phrase ‘pay top dollar for it’ rather than the passive-aggressive threat of benevolently offering to pay for it rather than just seizing it.

 

“What is it that you want exactly?” I asked warily.

 

Cpt. Klive grinned somewhat sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, “The higher-ups have been pushing for my promotion for some time now. They want to lock me up behind a desk...er, take me out of the fightin’,” he quickly amended, no doubt assuming I wouldn’t understand the reference. “So, I figure it is about time I give’em what they want and take’em up on their generous offer!” Cpt Klive grinned wickedly, “They said I could run any training base lower than the tenth floor, all I had to do was name it-”

 

Lt. Felix paled and his eyes grew wide.

 

“-and I want this’un!” Cpt. Klive declared animatedly, taking a deep breath of the swamp air. “Just think of the soldiers I could create in a place like this!”

 

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I insisted despite getting the gist of what he wanted. I would rather be safe than sorry.

 

Realising his mistake Cpt. Klive nodded apologetically. “Building military bases in the Labyrinth is normally no small undertaking and is a risky endeavour at the best of times. But I can tell that you have some, ‘extra help’,” he tapped the side of his nose and nudged his head in the direction of the briar wall, “So I would be willing to pay for the same privilege in establishing a base in the nearby area. What do you say? I can offer coins, supplies, weapons, just about anything, name your price!”

 

“Sir are you sure!-” Lt. Felix spluttered.

 

Cpt. Klive waved him down, “Hush up son, I’m negotiatin’!”

 

How many soldiers would be stationed in the base?” I asked warily.

 

“How many will you let me have?” Cpt. Klive grinned back wolfishly.

 

I frowned and considered that counteroffer for a moment. Maintaining a favourable ratio of my people vs human soldiers was a real sticking point for me. So long as the soldiers were outnumbered, they would think twice about doing anything stupid. The last thing I wanted was for some unruly soldiers to lynch one of my people and go running back to the Captain or some other officer under the assumption they would get away with it.

 

“I guess that depends on what you can offer,” I countered.

 

Cpt. Klive grinned wider, “Now we're talkin’! What do you want?”

 

“Guarantees,” I replied bluntly, “Assurances of your peoples’ behaviour and an agreement on what happens if it is broken.”

 

“Go on,” Cpt. Klive nodded, the look in his eyes suggesting he already knew what I was going to say next.

 

“If any soldier or human breaks my laws, then they will be punished according to my laws, not yours. That any humans attempting to escape justice will be handed over regardless of rank, title or reputation,” I demanded adamantly. Every other agreement we could come to wouldn’t mean anything if some git did something stupid and took cover behind their comrades.

 

Nodding in understanding, Cpt. Klive sighed, “I can’t agree to just hand’em over, military law forbids it. However-” He quickly raised his hand placatingly, “There is precedent for passing judgements in accordance with local customs. So assuming your laws are reasonable, I would have no issue in enforcin’em. I can apply for an auxiliary alliance status for your Settlement too, which should make enforcing laws against adventurers a great deal easier,” Cpt. Klive added thoughtfully.

 

I hadn’t really considered what would happen regarding adventurers, I had rather naively assumed they wouldn’t be stupid enough to try anything, or wander into the swamp to begin with.

 

“If you will guarantee their behaviour and enforce my laws, then I suppose no more than five hundred would be acceptable for the time being.” I proposed. With The Destroyer and quite possibly a second Awakened running around out there, the small amount of danger represented by the additional human soldiers seemed like a worthwhile trade-off for a considerable buffer.

 

Cpt. Klive smiled, “Fair,” he agreed, “Don’t want to raise too many eyebrows by settin’ up too fast anyway,” Cpt. Klive chuckled, “What about payment for the base?” He asked eagerly.

 

“I suppose that depends on what you want,” I countered, “Walls and a decent foundation are probably a given. But fresh and clean running water costs extra.”

 

Cpt. Klive blinked in surprise, then grinned eagerly, “Fresh, running water, you say?”