Chương 61: Requesting Passage

Lieutenant Dory was working late tonight, and she wasn't the only one. There were three other knights with her in the tent, which was only supposed to be a temporary office back when the lockdown began. Thanks to its unusual geography, there was only one entrance to the Ygg Latten Peninsula. The steep hills topped with walls only opened to travelers at a tightly guarded pass. As a result of the lockdown, a makeshift town had popped up just outside.

It was probably too much to call it a town, as it was little more than a collection of tents, wagons, and carriages. A place where traders and caravans could spend the night under the protection of the garrison. A few enterprising individuals had set up business, with certain tents serving food, ale, and haircuts. Dory's posting was called the forward garrison, which had been an apt name before recent events.

Now it felt more like the rearguard because all the actual fighting was happening within the peninsula itself. She looked up when a party of adventurers entered the tent. At the front was a young lady with a cat on her shoulder.

"Greetings!" the lady said far too cheerfully.

"Is this where we apply for entry?" Dory sighed, pushed up from her desk, and made her way over. Any interruptions meant that she'd finish her tasks later, but it was her turn to field visitor questions.

"I'm Lieutenant Dory. What business do you have on the peninsula?"

"Call me Amberlin! We're here to help you fight those weird goop monsters." The other knights' heads jerked up. One of them rushed over to seal the tent flap behind the party, as if it would do anything to keep the conversation from being overheard. The lockdown had been quite successful at containing the truth. That didn't stop the rumors, of course, and there were enough of those around that someone was bound to get it right by pure chance.

But when Amberlin spoke, it had been with the confidence of actual knowledge.

"What makes you think there are monsters on the peninsula?" Dory said carefully.

"I don't imagine the governor called up all the soldiers to help him drink his wine," the adventurer replied. Dory studied the party more carefully. Only one of them appeared halfway competent, and that was the elf. Amberlin looked like someone who made a living shipping pumpkins, and the last member of the group was obviously a teenager. Yet all three had adventurer's badges pinned to their clothes, and somehow the elf's was the lowest at bronze. She looked over again at the teenage girl.

How did a child manage to make silver? She didn't even think someone so young could register as an adventurer.

"It's just a military exercise..." That was the standard cover story. It probably wasn't going to fool this party, not if they knew about the mucks, but procedures required her to make the attempt. And if there was a leak, she had to find out where it was, which was why she then asked, "Where'd you get the idea of goop monsters, anyway?"

"We ran into one on the beach just north of here," Amberlin explained.

"Well, it ran into us. Well, tried to run. Too many legs. Or too few legs? Help me out here, Havlo."

"I couldn't have described it better myself, Lady Amberlin," the elf said. Every quill in the tent had stopped scratching. The other knights understood as well as her what this meant.

"Can you tell me exactly where you saw this monster?" she asked.

"About a day north of here," Amberlin replied.

"There's a fishing village." She knew the one. If a muck had managed to make it all the way out there, then the situation on the peninsula was much worse than she'd been told. She thought of her younger brother and her parents. Were they really still safe in there? Current orders were to admit any capable adventurers to the peninsula. Silver rank easily fit the bill. But they had a child with them.

It didn't matter if the girl was the most talented prodigy in the world, it was wrong to send someone so young into such danger. After another glance over at the teenager, Dory made up her mind.

"If it's as you say it is, then you're better off not going in," she told them.

"You won't be allowed to leave, and the situation is only going to get worse."

"Dory!" one of the other knights exclaimed. She looked back over her shoulder.

"You know it's true. If those things are getting all the way to the beaches up north, that means we're losing ground."

"Maybe our help can turn things around," Amberlin said. She shook her head.

"I can't in good conscience—" At that moment someone unsealed the entrance and entered the tent. Dory's stomach dropped. It was the major.

"I see you've found the field office," the major said to the adventurers.

"Are you getting the help you need?"

"I think so." Amberlin flashed Dory a cautious smile.

"Sir—" she began. The major held up his hand.

"I heard you from outside, lieutenant. Thankfully I don't think anyone else did. You're lucky this office is set away from the civilian camp, and they're doing karaoke night at the tavern."

"Karaoke was tonight?" one of the other knights wailed.

"But sir—" she said.

"Why don't you take an early night?" the major ordered.

"Someone else will process these adventurers and issue their entry permits." The way he was staring her down left no room for objection. She let out a deflated, "Yes, sir." She packed up her files and left the tent. There were so many thoughts running through her mind that she decided to skip karaoke and instead made the walk down to the shore. The seas were strong tonight, but the familiar sound of crashing waves helped to calm her inner turmoil while she sorted through her thoughts.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. She didn't know how long she stood there, but there came a noise behind her and she turned to see the elf from earlier, the one called Havlo. It looked like he had sought her out.

"I appreciate that you tried to do the right thing," he said.

"You believed that we were a party about to get in over our heads and tried to spare us the mistake."

"It's a silly thing for me to do," she replied.

"The more warm bodies in there fighting, the safer my family will be."

"It's never easy to do the right thing." She turned back to the sea, the waves glistening under the moonlight, and pointed.

"Do you think, somewhere beneath all that water, the mucks are making their way north?"

"Mucks—is that what you call those monsters?"

"Until now they've been targeting the bay. But if they've changed their behavior..."

"For now, it could just be a few individuals that got carried away on the currents," he said.

"We will know for sure once we see the situation on the peninsula. In the meantime, is there anything you can tell me about them? Has the governor figured out where they're coming from?"

"All we know is that it must have something to do with the decay field. That's what we call the phenomenon in the water that's making things rot." She turned back to him.

"You think an extra three people can make a difference, but the mucks come from the water, and not even the archmages can go in after them. I'm sure you can see the problem there." She hesitated before adding, "There is one other thing you should be aware of." She cupped a hand to her ear. He copied the cue from her and turned toward the peninsula. She sensed him casting a spell but couldn't tell what it was. Immediately afterward he spun back to face her, his eyes wide.

"Is that—?" She nodded. Sometimes, when there was a lull, you could hear the wails of the dead. If you weren't listening for it, you might mistake it for a strange effect of the wind blowing along the cliffs.

"What is it from?" he asked. While she could tell him, it was better to leave it to his imagination if she wanted to scare him off from entering the peninsula. That's why she said instead, "Just because they granted you the entry permits doesn't mean you have to go in. Until you enter through the pass, you're allowed to change your mind." The elf shook his head.

"It sounds like the peninsula is precisely where we need to be."

"Haven't you been listening?" Her voice began to rise.

"The bay is being assaulted by forces beyond our understanding. Why would you want to subject your friends to that?"

"With Lady Amberlin here, I'm sure a solution will make itself known." He said it with such confidence that she couldn't offer a retort. He continued, "I only came by to reassure you. If you don't wish to share what you know, that's fine. Whatever is going on in there, we'll find out soon enough." She watched him return to the merchant town, her thoughts beginning to spin once more. Something wasn't right about this party. Were they fools, or was there something else going on?

While she was trying to decide what to do next, the teenage girl appeared, approaching from along the shore.

"Oh, good!" Dory said.

"I was just thinking about how to get to talk you alone. I want you to know, dear, if your party is doing anything that makes you uncomfortable, you don't always have to go along with them."

"You seem like a nice lady," the girl replied, her tail flicking idly.

"That's why I wanted to come by and reassure you." There was something odd about the way the girl said it.

"Reassure me of what?"

"I know our party seems weak, but some of us aren't actually that weak. I'm afraid I can't say any more, but please be at ease." Dory took another look at the girl and the silver badge pinned to her cloak. It seemed unthinkable that someone her age would already be promoted. It took years for most adventurers to gain the skills necessary to rise out of bronze. Just how young had she started?

There was something about the way the girl carried herself that wasn't like any teenager Dory had ever met, but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. And the more she tried to figure it out, the more that other discrepancies became apparent. A normal teenager, no matter how brave, wouldn't be so unbothered by the idea of walking into a region under siege by amorphous goop monsters. That's when the thought occurred to her. What if the girl wasn't a lizardkin child at all?

The world was full of fantastical beings. There were powerful creatures able to change their shape. Master mages could shroud themselves in shadows and disappear before your very eyes. It made no sense that a teenager could outrank a full-grown elf mage. Not unless...

"This isn't your true form, is it?" she asked carefully. The way the girl looked at her, that brief moment in which her composure waned, all but confirmed it.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone," she quickly added by way of reassurance.

"You promise?" The girl's eyes seemed anxious. Dory couldn't tell if this was part of the act or if it was genuine. Either way, there was only one right answer.

"I promise." The girl seemed to relax, and then said stiffly, "Where did I slip up?"

"It's your confidence," she explained.

"A normal teenager would be full of doubts." The girl nodded.

"That makes sense." Dory wondered what the girl really was, but dared not ask. There weren't many entities capable of shifting their appearance so convincingly, and all of them were known to be trouble. But it explained the elf's—Havlo's—confidence. If they had someone of this level, then maybe they really could turn the tide.

"What name are you going by?" she asked.

"I'm registered as Maelle."

"It's an honor to meet you, Maelle." Maelle grimaced, warned her, "Remember your promise," and then quickly retreated without another word. Once more Dory was left alone with her thoughts, only this time she felt a glimmer of hope. She'd been worried about having to sneak her family out of the peninsula if the situation had become truly hopeless. Not that there was an easy way to do that. And that was if she could persuade Mom and Dad to abandon their home.

But if she could at least talk her brother, Remore, into it first... Something brushed up against her leg. She looked down to see a tuxedo cat.

"Hey, you're the one that came in with Amberlin's party, aren't you?" She reached down to pet it. The cat batted at her hand, and she took this to mean that it didn't want to be touched. Instead she crouched and held her hands out in invitation. It approached while looking at her eyes, sniffed at her hand, gave it two licks, and then ran off. She stood back up, wondering what that was all about. A couple of moments later another person came running up from along the shore.

Dory couldn't help staring, mesmerized by the hair blowing in the wind, the individual golden strands shining in the moonlight.

"Hey, you're Dory, right?"

"That's right." She recognized the woman now. It was Amberlin. Somehow it was hard to connect the person before her with the one she'd met in the tent. If she'd seen this version of Amberlin first, she'd have handed over the entry permits in a heartbeat.

"Did you see a cat come out this way?"

"It ran off a moment ago." She pointed in the direction it had gone.

"Oh, that's all right, then," Amberlin said.

"So long as he's heading back to town." It occurred to her that this person must be exceptional indeed to command leadership over someone as ancient and powerful as Maelle. Or was Amberlin just the spokesperson and Maelle was the one holding the reins? Either way, she couldn't afford to offend her.

"Your boss seemed pretty angry," Amberlin said.

"It sounds like you're going to get reassigned."

"Oh."

"You look worried," Amberlin observed.

"No, I'm not."

"I get it. Fighting is scary when you can die."

"That's not what I'm worried about." Amberlin grinned at her. Dory sighed.

"At least I'll get to see my family again. I hope my brother has been staying out of trouble. It hasn't been that long, yet it feels like an eternity."

"You don't get time off?"

"All this was supposed to be temporary.

'One more week,' they kept telling us.

'The lockdown will be over in just one more week.' The teamsters who come to take the deliveries tell me my family is doing all right. But I still feel uneasy, you know? They aren't allowed to tell us about the situation in the bay in case it leaks out. And that leaves me wondering, what if they've also been ordered to tell us our families are fine even when they aren't?"

"Does this mean you'll be coming with us in the morning?" Amberlin asked. She thought about it for a moment.

"You know what? I would actually like that. Maybe I can introduce you to my family." It meant that she would have to see the major again tonight and convince him to let her go. Which shouldn't be too hard, considering that the two of them hadn't been getting along lately. But it would be worth it. Not just to see her family again, but to get them acquainted with this party.

It was a bit of an ulteriour motive, but she hoped that making powerful friends like this would somehow ensure their safety in the uncertain times ahead. Because whatever ancient powers Maelle and Amberlin wielded, she wasn't sure it was going to be enough.