B4 Chapter 35: Thieves in the Night
B4 Chapter 35: Thieves in the Night
The longer Marcus spoke with the dwarves, the more confused he became. And not just at their... questionable religious practices. It seemed as though the "orc" raids had begun mere months ago, not that long at all. Even more interestingly, they featured very little bloodshed at all. Only three dwarves had perished over the entire time, one who'd lost track of time working in the sunstone mines and the others a pair of hunters. No one had seen the assailants, but the victims had clearly been taken by surprise and dispatched quickly.
He also managed to ferret out that the theft hadn't just extended to the dwarves' precious sunstone. It also was depriving them of rather large quantities of food---which was apparently a mere footnote in their minds, comparatively.
"It is merely another trial upon our people," the eldest dwarf---named Warmbeard, apparently---explained. "Another test from the eternal flame, meant to burn away the weak and unworthy and leave us stronger for it."
Yeah. Marcus considered pushing back against that one, but he'd already spent quite a lot of time addressing similar issues today. Considering he was already intending to solve the source of this one, he decided to let it be.
At this point, Marcus's working theory was that both the thefts and the murders were locally sourced. He wasn't convinced they were linked, and the lack of food certainly would make stealing some extra far more tempting, especially with how scraggly these dwarves seemed.
Even a subtle floating of the idea made it clear the zealots didn't believe such a thing could happen. Of course, that wasn't an uncommon sentiment among tight-knit communities. It was one of those things that made them easier to take advantage of, if one was so inclined.
Exploring his theories could wait, though. For now, he contented himself with recovering from a long journey alongside the crazy dwarves. Despite their near-starvation, they didn't hesitate to break out whatever food they had for Marcus and his companions. Which was to say, a lot of meat. Apparently, crops and other plants that grew in the sun were sacred for their mutual appreciation of its splendor. In contrast, mushrooms and things that grew in the dark were akin to poison. But animals that walked under the sun were fair game.
Aside from a few polite protestations, he didn't complain. It was the best meal he'd had since leaving the capital. Abel looked considerably more uncomfortable with the situation, however, and his mount had to content himself with more travel rations for the night. Luckily, the dwarves didn't pay either of them much mind. Not with Marcus drawing all of the attention to himself.
As the dwarves mourned the disappearance of the "eternal flame" below the horizon, the sunstone buildings slowly dimming in the night, they finally headed to bed. Marcus extricated them from whatever strange rituals the cultists were about and headed to sleep. The next day, they would truly start their investigation.
"You're getting good at this."
A voice entered his head unbidden. Marcus glanced at the sky. "I'm surprised to hear from you now. Don't you hear your new worshippers mourning your disappearance?"
On cue, the sky began to lighten once more. The sun began to impossibly rise above the horizon, reversing its path.
The dwarves cried out and fell to their knees in supplication. The wailing of the entire town filled the air as worshippers burst out of their glittering homes and stared, crying at the sight.
The whole thing lasted for perhaps a minute. Then, the sun disappeared once again.
"Showoff," Marcus muttered.
The voice chuckled. "What can I say? My chosen gets special privileges. Plus, I like this group. Their buildings make for admirable art."
"Fair enough," he admitted. "Although I really do wish some of these cultists could be less insane."
"I have come across a few groups that eat their prophets," Apollo informed him cheerfully. "I can send you toward one of those next, if you'd like."
Marcus shuddered. "I'll pass, thank you."
He'd spoken with Apollo enough to become relatively familiar with the deity. Still, he was acutely aware of the gap between them. The display with the sun was only one example of how much power the Roman god had gained.
"I'm sure you'd be fine. You'd probably convince them that it's a metaphor or something." Apollo chuckled again before changing the subject. "Be careful tomorrow, by the way. I hear there's another raid coming soon."
Marcus perked up with alarm. "You know something about all of this?"
"Obviously. I have a little care for the situations I send you into, you know. Just be reasonable, and everything will be fine."
Before he could ask what that meant, he felt the god's presence disappear from his mind. He shook his head. Though the words themselves weren't a puzzle, the message didn't remain any less cryptic.
Marcus sighed and lay down in bed. It was a problem for tomorrow. No use worrying about it today.
***
The next morning they began their work. Marcus and Abel began to survey the surrounding area, identifying the different points of interest and places where one might approach the town most easily. Abel in particular proved quite helpful at this, as one of his skills dealt with finding the easiest path for his mount to traverse. Considering that few would be able to maneuver as easily as that horse, it cut down on the possible avenues of approach quite considerably.
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Marcus also made some inquiries around town to see if his suspicions were correct. However, he had little luck there. The dwarves were as tight-knit as they seemed, and his skills didn't pick up on the slightest bit of deception as they bared their souls to their "prophet". Although he did find out far more about the interpersonal issues of the clan than he would have liked. Specifically, that everyone was sleeping with everyone else under the sun. Literally.
He hadn't expected the lead to pan out, not after Apollo's warning. But it gave him something to do.
By the time the sun began to set once again, they were settling in to watch over the storehouses. Marcus cast [Critical Reception] as wide as he could, aiming to pick up on any uninvited guests trying to sneak through. Meanwhile, Abel sat astride Gerald, ready to pursue any leads or flee from danger should they be discovered.
It wasn't long after nightfall that Marcus picked something up. A few pinpricks of quiet determination moving between the rocks, sneaking along as the cultists slept. He nudged Abel and pointed.
"There. Seems like they're making for the food this time."
The boy nodded grimly. "Do we stop them?"
Marcus shook his head. "No. Strong as I may be, I do loathe the idea of throwing myself into conflict unnecessarily. But we should follow them and see if we can ascertain their identities."
The boy nodded and offered him a hand. Marcus landed behind him on the saddle as Gerald began to move, his hooves hardly making a sound against the stone below. The damn horse moved with more grace than half the [Rangers] he'd ever met. And that was before he used [Illusory Domain] and [Perfect Disguise] to conceal their presence.
With Marcus directing them, the trio began their pursuit. The intruders moved quickly enough that they were nearly finished by the time Marcus could lay eyes on them. Shadowed figures moved between the now dark building and a makeshift cart, loading earthen vessels of preserved meat into it. Their limbs bulged with the telltale lumpiness of hard muscle as they easily moved the heavy food about. And their faces... While it was too dark to make out details, Marcus saw the silhouette of a pointed tusk as one turned.
Orcs. It really was orcs. But even now, he found himself doubting. They weren't acting anything like the green-skinned barbarians he'd seen before. They were cautious, looking furtively about as they worked. Heck, they were using a cart. He'd never so much as seen a wheel in the vicinity of an orc before, unless it was being ripped from its axle and used as a bludgeoning weapon.
The "orcs" finished loading and began to quickly retreat. His interest thoroughly piqued, Marcus motioned for them to pursue. They kept their distance, wary of alerting these thieves even now. If this was an illusion or imposter, then following them would help to identify who or what was putting up such a ruse. If it wasn't... then finding the last remnants of the orcs would be a huge boon to the Legion. He had no doubt Tiberius would want to wipe them out for good.
The wagon quickly moved away from the town, its wheels carving small ruts into the dirt in places and being carried across difficult terrain in others. They didn't follow any obvious path, meandering and climbing across areas that made Marcus glad to be astride Abel's mount. Once or twice, he thought he saw an orc's nose twitch or a sidelong glance shot back toward them. But considering how much they were looking about, it could've just been his mind playing tricks on him.
They traveled for long enough that Marcus was considering turning back when they finally reached a small ravine. Their quarry hurried through it, glancing up at the walls on either side as they passed. Marcus and Abel waited for them to move out of sight before following. He could still sense them with [Critical Reception], so they were at no risk of disappearing.
Something snapped beneath Gerald's hoof. The horse jumped suddenly, leaping backward as the ground itself fell away. Marcus stared in astonishment as a massive pit trap replaced the section of stone before them, its dark maw yawning.
A trap. They knew they were being pursued.
A glance at Abel showed that he understood as well. The boy shouted, directing Gerald to wheel in place when---
"Stay where you are!"
The voice cracked like a whip in the silence. The way behind them was now filled, the faint glow of sunstone-tipped arrows illuminating the green skin and tusks of the orcs blocking their path. Their bows were drawn and ready to fire.
Marcus swore under his breath. Only now did [Critical Reception] pick up on them. How had they managed to sneak up? Or even figure out they were being pursued? And since when did these things learn how to use bows?
He reflectively appraised the figures
[Orc Stoneswimmer] - Lvl 17
[Orc Hunter] - Lvl 18
[Orc Chieftain] - Lvl 20
They were orcs after all. And they had classes now?
"Chief. They're humans."
An almost willowy orc in the center frowned deeply. He began to lower his bow, though the others remained drawn. "You. Are you from the human lands?"
For once, Marcus actually found himself caught off guard. The fact that they hadn't been immediately filled with holes was astonishing in its own right. He responded carefully, reading the situation. "The human lands? To the east? We do hail from there, yes."
The lead orc nodded. "Dis...dismount and lay down your wea-pons. You will come with us."
The orc was clearly having trouble enunciating some of the larger words with his tusks. The fact that he was even trying boggled the mind.
Nodding, Marcus slowly lowered himself down to the ground and laid down his rapier. He kept his spellbook and hidden knives on his body, though. Abel did the same, laying down his own sword at Marcus's urging. Another orc lowered his bow and hurried forward to collect the weapons before carefully tying both men's hands behind them. He tried to slip a lead around Gerald's head, but the horse whinnied in indignation, drawing the attention of every arrow.
"Easy, Gerald," Abel soothed his mount. "Don't worry. Let it happen for now, ok?"
The horse snorted angrily. Marcus gave him a flat stare. "If you don't let it happen, then you’re putting us all at risk. Understand?"
His eyes flicked to Abel for emphasis. If it came down to it, they might all be able to fight off their captors. He could probably even jump that gap behind them. However, that wasn't a question Marcus particularly wanted to find out the answer to. He wanted to see where this went instead.
The horse's eyes narrowed, and he snorted again. Finally, he allowed the orc to place a loop around his head. Marcus had no doubt it would actually hold the animal if he wanted to break free. But it was something.
They began moving through the mountains again in silence, their progress slower and more difficult now. Marcus tried to get some information out of the orcs as they walked, but when he began to speak, they shushed him.
"Noise will bring the monsters. Stay quiet."
That was enough to shut him up for now. He supposed his answers would come soon enough.