Varant brightens a bit.
VARANT: For sure, we'll be done with it in a few hours. But it'll be a right pain nonetheless—we'll have to be as methodical as possible, and maybe make some of the villagers hate us while we're at it. Marlond—!
MARLOND: I'm here.
VARANT: You are going to be our favorite person today!
KANI: So what makes that different from any other day?
VARANT: Because any other day, I'm your favorite person, Kani.
KANI: Lies! But really, we should keep alert, keep an eye out for any nibs and an ear for any peeps. Looking back at you for all of that, Marlond.
Marlond nods, his face as unreadable as ever.
Varant then gives the group the same lowdown he had given you at the warehouse in Mayika. Unexpectedly, he then turns to you—
VARANT: So we should split up, obviously—no need to fit six people in a cellar. But how would you divvy up the party in this case, Guildmaster?
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—<1> For efficiency, You and I would handle this storehouse and the others can each take a house in the village.
VARANT: Didn't we say to keep the joking around to a minimum…?
[GUILDMASTER]: Uhhh… yes, we did, didn't we? And of course, whenever possible, adventurers always acts in groups, and the smallest group is a pair…
VARANT: …
[GUILDMASTER]: So, obviously it'd be…
—<2> Marlond and Evylie, Maya and Tarrian, Kani and Ruvi.
VARANT: It's not horrible, but we want the best odds in all cases. Which means it's wrong. You trying to pair 'em up by personality or something?
[GUILDMASTER]: Well, it makes for the best teamwork…
VARANT: It's something to keep in mind, but not the deciding factor.
[GUILDMASTER]: Alright then… how about—
—<3> Marlond and Maya, Evylie and Ruvi, Kani and Tarrian.
VARANT: Good sense.
[GUILDMASTER]: We'll lean on Marlond for scouting the area, accompanied by Maya. When the village chiefs get back, the other two pairs can start inspecting the residences. You and I will observe the storehouse and its perimeter, letting the adventurers get the full experience.
VARANT: Let's do just that.
VARANT: Now, Maya—and Marlond, this is for you as well—Maya might seem like a poor fit to escort a ranger, and it's true that a fighter or Keep would make me feel safer. But remember that a good mage isn't all about explosions—
MAYA: Drats.
VARANT: —A firewall can change a fight as much as any fireball, shape the flow of combat your liking even. In this pairing, you may feel as if your role is reversed: keep your ranger safe and let him keep the pressure up on the enemy. You might even favor defensive spells of any compatible school to aid you in this role—spark fields, mirror images, stoneskin…
MAYA: Not my thing, but I get it… that could be really neat…
VARANT: And you know this I'm sure, but "not my thing" isn't valid when it comes to performing in your role. I'm not even sorry for playing the grouchy sergeant when I say that.
MAYA: Yes, sir!
VARANT: Heh heh, for once, I'll accept it.
Kani gives him a glaring pout, but is clearly trying to maintain her "serious-while-on-a-mission" attitude. But Varant seems not to notice her—probably deliberately—which makes her pout disappear and her glare turn into a growl.
VARANT: You good, Marlond?
MARLOND: Of course.
VARANT: Thank you. As for the rest of you, I'd say your roles are self-explanatory, but do you have any questions?
The adventurers all seem confident in their assignments, and Maya and Marlond head off, trusting Marlond to cover the ground as efficiently as possible. It takes the village chiefs a while to return, and in the meantime the rest of you have thoroughly investigated the immediate surroundings of the storage shed, finding no obvious entrances or other signs of aberrat activity. So when the chiefs return, Varant makes a suggestion you honestly didn't expect.
VARANT: Frankly, there's no need to do any more observing on something that's been sitting fine for over two weeks. Let's you and I split up and watch over the other groups; you don't need much more experience killing overstuffed rats I'm sure, but you might as well learn how to deal with cranky villagers.
[GUILDMASTER]: Right. In that case…
—
—<1> Evylie and Ruvi, I'm coming with you.
—<2> I'll take Kani and Tarrian. You two ready?
You join in with your pair of adventurers and follow behind one of the village chiefs.
You have some twenty households to cover, but first they lead you to the western edge of town where one of the wealthier families has its own meat cellar. The chief explains that they've heard noises coming from inside the last few nights but haven't dared go inside…
You volunteer to hold a torch as your adventurers scour the cellar. The three of you share a glance as you shut the doors behind you—you can't spare anyone to guard them and want to make sure nothing gets out. And as it clacks shut, you're immediately set upon by two aberrats.
They die quickly enough—your adventurers work together to finish them off one at a time, and don't have to spend minutes figuring out how to land a hit on them the way you did a few days ago. And, you tell yourself, it sure helped that they had light.
The cellar has been thoroughly ransacked, and you're worried it might be a total loss. Whole sides of meat have been pulled off their hooks and dragged through the dirt, most of them picked clean. Others have been half-eaten while still hanging up, and the place stinks so much that you're worried even the untouched meat might be a loss. But your current preoccupation is figuring out how best to seal the aberrat's tunnel entrance; there's just not enough material to plug it with. After discussing it with the village chief, you decide to head to the village's miller, who was also the resident repairman. He could have lumber to spare, the chief said.
So with a bit more hassle, you drag out the two aberrat corpses and drag in some planks and tools, and set to both stuffing up and then boarding over the entrance. Then you offer some awkward condolences to the family and leave them to the task of assessing the damage.
It takes two hours for you to work through the rest of the houses. The villagers were all obliging, some of them anxious, some of them thankful, but none of them happy about the ordeal. Eventually you and Varant's groups find each other again at the village's main storehouse.
Your party had found two more tunnel exits and, alarmingly, encountered an aberrat outside each. The other group found one tunnel and thankfully didn't have to deal with dragging aberrat corpses out of some poor villager's house. Soon after, Marlond and Maya return and make a quick report.
MARLOND: Two tunnels, but both were caved in due to the unfavorable ground. No sign of activity within the last two days at either tunnel exit.
Varant gives him a sharp look that you don't quite understand the meaning of, but Marlond apparently does.
MARLOND: I traced the tunnels. Filled the sinks at the sites of the cave-ins, shouldn't be any weak points left. Safe to collapse the entrances, they'll suffocate if they get trapped inside. Unless they're fast diggers…?
Varant shakes his head at his last question, his brightened face clearly pleased with the hunter's work.
VARANT: See, I told you he'd be our favorite person. Now, who wants to have the real fun and march into the den itself?
EVYLIE: I would appreciate the experience, sir.
Ruvi thinks for a moment, then gives a shrug.
VARANT: All right, but if you've got to call me something other than 'Varant', make it 'Instructor' or something.
EVYLIE: Thank you, Instructor.
A tiny flinch from Kani's cheek tells you that she's having a harder time than usual holding back some wisecrack or other.
VARANT: But for the purposes of training, let's send Tarrian in there with you. Ruvi, I know you love the stench, but you can take a nap out here if you like.
Ruvi shrugs just the same.
VARANT: Tarrian, don't cheat too much. Hold back on the light-field spells, eh?
TARRIAN: If that's an order…?
VARANT: Nah, get the job done right. And be safe, no matter how confident you are. Alright you two, I'll follow just inside but leave the fighting to you. Let's get to it.
Fifteen minutes go by, and you've given up on trying to make sense of the fighting by the sounds alone. Five minutes after the hissing and screeching stops, the three intrepid aberrat-slayers emerge into the fresh air looking decidedly grumpy, but otherwise unscathed. Well, except for that gouge on Tarrian's shoulder guard.
He notices you looking at it and his wry smirk tells you that it wasn't his fault. Which is what you expected, the darn things can leap at you from anywhere—but then you see the look on Evylie's face, who has also noticed you noticing Tarrian's scarred gear, and her abashedness tells you there's something you should ask about. But later, because Varant walks into the center of the group with the village chiefs beside him.
VARANT: Quest's not done.
The chiefs are as surprised as anyone else, but not annoyed like the adventurers.
RUVI: Ehhhh?! But we did all that…!
VARANT: That storehouse was their lair all right, and a proper one. But there's seven tunnel entrances in there, and we've only accounted for six exits.
RUVI: …Uuuugh…
MAYA: Bleh.
KANI: Ah… The buggers…
VARANT: We've stopped up all of 'em, which just means any that fled from us will be on the other side. Guildmaster, with your group, which buildings were the ones with the tunnel exits? We need to figure out which tunnel is our extra, and maybe Marlond can help us trace it.
This goes quickly, but you're all too aware that even the ten minutes it takes is enough for the aberrats to start causing serious trouble on the other side, wherever that ends up being.
To everyone's surprise, Marlond's estimation of the tunnel's direction—after accounting for patches of rocky ground that it might swerve to avoid—heads straight under the house you've been allowed to use for rest and storage. And only that house.
And to everyone's dismay, the owner—a widow who insists on going by the name Miss Nadi—becomes very defensive when you claim that there must be an emergency shelter when she previously said there wasn't any.
VARANT: You must understand, if we can't conduct a thorough search, the infestation will return. And you would be as responsible as us if it did.
MISS NADI: But there isn't anything!! And I did nothing wrong!
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
At this point, she's been too defensive for anyone to believe she's telling the truth, but Varant tries to give her an out anyways.
VARANT: Considering the way the other residences were constructed, it's very likely that there's an emergency shelter here even if you don't know about it. May I inquire as to how you took up residence in this house? Were there previous owners?
MISS NADI: There—there—
VILLAGE CHIEF: This was her husband's family home, before he passed…
MISS NADI: I'd need time—time to look for it—
VARANT: We already cleared their lair, we believe there are multiple monsters still alive, who would now flee to this side of the tunnel. We need to find the exit as soon as possible.
MISS NADI: I don't know anything! Haven't you checked the other houses yet?!
VARANT: We've checked all the houses, Miss Nadi…
MISS NADI: But I haven't done anything wrong! I swear it!! Just give me time…!
Varant hasn't seemed to make any progress yet, and you're worried he might lose his patience if this keeps up.
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—<1> (You know you can talk her down, but it starts with sending the young adventurers outside.)
You turn around and gesture for the adventurers to leave. Thankfully, they get the hint and file out quickly—you're quite proud of them for being so decisive. Then you turn your attention back to Miss Nadi.
[GUILDMASTER]: Miss Nadi, it's been nine years so perhaps you forgot who we are and what we do. We're adventurers. We deal with monsters and people who act like monsters. Are either of those you?
MISS NADI: Of course not! I've never hurt anybody—I… I haven't anything wrong…
[GUILDMASTER]: Then whatever's down there is none of our business. It doesn't matter who you are—you could be a pauper, a noble, an empress, and it still wouldn't be our business. And it's none of theirs either.
You glare at the village chiefs, who clearly weren't thinking the same thing. They back down for now but you know you'll have to talk to them later.
[GUILDMASTER]: I sent our other adventurers out because I want you to feel comfortable with that fact. But if you open that hatch yourself, you're only putting yourself in danger. If you want, I can go in there alone with you, or the chiefs can accompany us. Though for all of our safety, I'd ask that it be just me and at least one other adventurer.
You're not quite sure if it's you outsiders she's so worried about discovering her presumed stash, or the village chiefs; but this way you've covered each without it being obvious.
MISS NADI: I…
[GUILDMASTER]: Please Miss Nadi, we're not overexaggerating this threat. If you open it, you'll end up screaming, and we'll have to run in there anyways. Let's get this done as professionally as possible and leave as if nothing happened. That's what we want.
MISS NADI: …
[GUILDMASTER]: It's our job to fight for your safety, but right now I can tell you—I do not want to have to invade your privacy to do so. Please trust us to handle this discreetly, as we would for any client.
MISS NADI: Okay… You two, please… Help me…
VARANT: Would you mind, Miss Nadi… our ranger, Marlond. Long black hair, scarred face, gentle bearing. Could he accompany the three of us? More would be too dangerous in close quarters, but he can tell for sure if we've got everything.
MISS NADI: It's okay… thank you…
Varant calls Marlond in. His utterly unperturbed demeanor could mean anything, but you suspect he was able to hear the conversation in full—and you're curious how he feels about it, if he has any opinion at all.
[ You lose nothing, though your party gains no bonus experience. ]
—<2> (You remember an old trick when it comes to exposing unwanted pests…)
Varant continues to argue with Miss Nadi while you walk back out the door, eyeing the tufts of weeds, grasses, and other herbaceous plants and on both sides of the village's little road. Quickly spotting the perfect blade for the ever-popular grass whistle, you re-enter the common room and frown when you see Miss Nadi still hasn't budged.
[GUILDMASTER]: As a warning, everyone inside needs to cover their ears.
Everyone looks at you with annoyance and bemusement, but when he sees the blade of grass in between your thumbs, Varant growls and clamps his hands over his ears. It takes just a second or two before the others realize he's serious, and do the same.
It only takes a couple tries to get a good whistle, and you give it your full breath. Even before the sound fades you can hear the vicious screeching, screaming even, from below the floor in the room beyond. Miss Nadi looks horrified.
The adventurers all take combat stances, but you and Varant simultaneously hold them back.
VARANT: Too many people in close quarters. Three people only. Everyone else, stay out.
[GUILDMASTER]: Miss Nadi should also be in the room, but nobody else. Miss Nadi, please show us to the hatch and oversee us when we're inside. Remember, whatever's down there is your business and your business alone.
You give the village chiefs your best glare even as the aberrats continue to make noise, even thumping at the hatch door.
VARANT: Me, Guildmaster, Marlond, and Miss Nadi. Go.
[ You lose your blade of grass, but your party gains some bonus experience. ]
—<3> (Taking note of her words before, you know just how to deal with someone in her position.)
[GUILDMASTER]: Miss Nadi, it doesn't matter to any of us how you came by whatever's down there. It's really none of our business—Unless, of course, it was by wrongdoing. So really, it all depends… Did you hurt anybody in the process, or as a result? Did you get it by doing anything wrong?
Her face looks clouded for a moment, ashamed, but then she comes to a conclusion. With a clear gaze and untroubled mind, she says defiantly:
MISS NADI: No! I've never hurt anybody and I've never… never done anything wrong!
You give her a smile, charmed by her resolution… She speaks as if it's the first time she's realized that, despite her guilt. But also, you now know exactly how she got whatever's down there.
[GUILDMASTER]: Thank the Virtues for that. May I ask, though… what are you going to do with it all…?
MISS NADI: I wanted—I wanted—I don't want anyone else to be like me… You don't know…
[GUILDMASTER]: Miss Nadi…
Your sorrowful sigh can be heard throughout the scene.
[GUILDMASTER]: I don't know, I never will, but any of my guesses are enough for me to say… I'd like to add to whatever you already have. Varant, I'll be taking this out of my own wage.
You take ten silver coins out of your coin purse. With one hand you grasp her own, and with your other you pour them into her opened palm.
Her face goes blank, and after you back off, she starts fighting off the tears.
[GUILDMASTER]: We don't know, Nadi. And isn't that the point? To make sure nobody ever knows what that's like? Not ever again.
MISS NADI: I'm sorry… Thank you…
VARANT: We wish we could give you the time, girl, we really do. But—well, they'll probably be down there when you open it is all I can say. If you just want one of us there, it should be me, but the Guildmaster here can handle it too.
[GUILDMASTER]: I do wish we had the time to let you… deal with it first. But please trust in our professionalism. Speaking of—
You turn to address the village chiefs.
[GUILDMASTER]: For matters of safety, we need to minimize the amount of people inside. For that reason, we ask that you do not accompany us any further here. And frankly—this isn't your business any more than it is ours.
They both open their mouths at once, but you don't let them argue.
[GUILDMASTER]: If it endangers the village, we'll let you know. But it hasn't, and it doesn't. It's not your business. What kind of place would you be running if you felt the need to dip your nibs into every bedroom in the village?
They don't like the fact that they have no counterargument. One of them, at least, seems to be giving it some genuine thought.
[GUILDMASTER]: Miss Nadi, are you ready? With two of us, we can guarantee your safety.
MISS NADI: Okay… we can do this…
VARANT: Would you mind, Miss Nadi… our ranger, Marlond. Long black hair, scarred face, gentle bearing. Could he accompany the three of us? More would be too dangerous in close quarters, but he can tell for sure if we've got everything.
MISS NADI: It's okay… thank you…
[ You lose 10 silver, but your party gains extra bonus experience. ]
You make sure to stare down the chiefs again as Miss Nadi leads you to the next room. Though the house is quite large, Nadi has left only two rooms for her private use—her bedroom, and a cooking and dining area. This last room, moderately sized, is the one adjacent to the common room you had been speaking in, and along the middle of one wall is a lotch-skin rug—as cheap as you can get. All four of you stare at the rug as soon as it comes into view.
She uncovers it, revealing the same type of hatch you'd seen in the other buildings in the area. The area is at constant risk of fire, and though none have claimed the village in recent years, shelters such as this—though difficult to dig in the hard ground of this region—will surely save lives.
MISS NADI: Here we go…
In a flash, Marlond appears at the far side of the hatch, arrow nocked. It is then that you realize that the faint clack you heard wasn't a normal ambient sound. Following Marlond's cue, you take the opposite side of the hatch, weapon drawn and attack aimed. Varant quickly comes over to take Miss Nadi's place as the one to open the hatch. She understands the situation and backs into a corner.
[GUILDMASTER]:
—
—<1> (You should do the same on your side, in case more than one aberrat is waiting for you.)
Varant heaves the hatch door into the air.
At the first sign of black-brown hair, your reflexes kick in and your attack slams the creature that leapt at you back down into the pit.
Marlond has fared just as well. You're impressed at what you see when you look over. His arrow is embedded halfway into the monster's eye and brain, probably killing it instantly. Unable to stall the momentum of its leap, Marlond simply sidestepped its still-flying body—all in the same instant it took you to land your own attack.
[GUILDMASTER]: Now that's something I didn't expect to see. You should take a moment to be proud of that one, I think.
You look at his face, and see that he is quite satisfied with his handiwork. But a bit uncomfortable with your praise, which amuses you greatly.
—<2> (Being a marksman by trade, you doubt he's well-suited to felling a meter-long beast in such close quarters. You should try to help with whatever he thinks is going to come at him.)
Varant heaves the hatch door into the air.
At the first sign of black-brown hair, your reflexes kick in and your attack land simultaneously with Marlond's. But you can't see the result, as another mass of malicious darkness has leapt onto your chest, its tusks grazing your jaw as it angles for your throat with its fangs, and its weight threatens to drag you down into the pit.
Suddenly you hear the ringing rasp of seventy-five centimeters of steel flashing from their wooden abode into clear air—simultaneously, the light of blazing sunscript sears the space in front of your eyes.
VARANT: Sorry…
He sounds genuinely embarrassed, but you haven't quite caught on to why—
It takes a moment for your senses to catch up to reality, and you watch one half of the half-meter thick creature fall back into the pit. You notice the reduced weight of the other half still dangling on your chest, its grasp still vicious even in its lifelessness. Its hideous face stares back into yours as you look down, and with a jolt of disgust you hurl it into the shaft in front of you. Only to regret the decision, because now you'll have to haul it out again to dispose of it.
VARANT: Too much risk of chaos in such close quarters, sorry… I know you could've handled it.
You turn your eyes to him, amused by his sudden abashedness.
[GUILDMASTER]: Thanks, but I don't think that would've been an experience I care to have. If I'm to have an aberrat for a beard, I'd much prefer the dead kind of aberrat, thank you.
You notice that his sword is already returned, bloodlessly, into its scabbard. At your reply, his mouth curls to one side—his version of a grin, you suppose.
VARANT: Right, let's not assume the danger is over yet. Guildmaster, you or me?
[GUILDMASTER]: I'll do it, I'll call for Marlond once I'm sure there's nothing else.
VARANT: Alright. Miss Nadi, we're going down now, we'll let you know if we have to touch anything to get the job done.
MISS NADI: Thank you…
You slide down the wooden ladder and confirm that there's nothing dangerous at the bottom of the narrow shelter, or in the mouth of the tunnel exit. Your eyes pass coolly over broken ceramic pots stuffed with coins of every denomination, now spilled out onto the sandy floor. They're the only thing down here, but the aberrats still managed to make a mess of them.
The rest of the cleanup goes quickly. Marlond says it's unlikely that there's any more within the tunnel, though they would die if it's properly sealed from both ends. Unlike furloks, their digging prowess just isn't enough to save them in this hard ground before they suffocate or starve.
Your feet drag through the loose coinage as you finish up the barricade.
[GUILDMASTER]: I really shouldn't say anything, but… Miss Nadi, don't you need something to hold all this? How are you ever going to get it back up?
MISS NADI: I—I know… It's just, I don't want anyone… If I buy anything for it, people would know…
Really? Not even a general-use bag, or a sack, or… Well, the woman is serious about keeping it a secret, that's for sure.
[GUILDMASTER]: A flour sack wouldn't work?
MISS NADI: It's too heavy, and tears… I couldn't get it back out…
[GUILDMASTER]: Hm, I guess you're right… Miss Nadi, we have two leather sacks to spare from our lunches on the way here, smaller than flour sacks. Would you like to purchase them? Once the chiefs are out of the way, at least.
She looks surprised, then brightens for the first time since you've seen her.
MISS NADI: Thank you, I would…!
Sometimes even the simplest things can cheer somebody up, you think.
The hard part is hauling the corpses out, and you recruit Kani and Evylie to help with the task. But it's done soon enough, and Varant makes sure the quest is wrapped up properly. You find time to insist to the village chiefs that they stay out out of the poor woman's business—that you have an idea of what's going on and there's a reason for it, and they should respect the privacy of a widow. That does the trick.
Nadi purchases the sacks from you. You keep trying to lower the price, but she insists on paying you what she thinks they're worth, which is more than they are. And she parts with the adventurers with a surprisingly happy smile. When she's not being hyper-defensive, the woman can be quite likable.
Finally, your party is gathered at the edge of the village with all your belongings secured on your trusty pack lotch, which you're reminded doesn't even have a name. What have Messen and Tarant even been doing all these years?!
RUVI: At laaaast! Headed back home, to the land of cheese!
VARANT: No.
RUVI: Wh—wh—wh…!
KANI: We did complete the quest, didn't we?
VARANT: Quests's done, but the job's not. Let's head out a bit first, then we'll talk about it. It'll give you bunch the time to think it over anyways.
Maya scurries up beside you just as the march gets underway.
MAYA: Guildmaster… You seemed to know exactly what was going on, with Miss Nadi I mean, as if it were obvious. But I could tell the village chiefs didn't know what you were talking about. And I don't either! So…
[GUILDMASTER]: Ask me again in fifteen minutes, Maya. Hopefully you can figure it out yourself before then.
MAYA: Huh? Oh… Ugh, now I have two things to think about…
As your feet start to feel the strain of the day, you allow yourself to sulk a bit over the old man's stubborn resolve to be a true adventurer. And then you sulk even more as you realize you surely won't be back by tomorrow morning, when Annessa said she'd finally be available to show you around the Market's March.
If only the guild had a proper wagon…
———————————— CHANGELOG:
2025-03-23 ? Formatting changes.
2025-03-24 ? Minor text edits and fixes.
2025-03-28 ? Removed release note.