Away from the trading hub and center of the eastern Megaden, the forest grew thicker. Along with the plantlife, the density of Urchski dwellings also grew. Trees as big as towers were burrowed into and hollowed out. A whole urschki family could live within one such tree.
Saul finally met back up with Xen and Plafluf, all three of them moving among a beaten path towards the latter’s home. Few Urchski wandered around them, and they stuck out clearly among the dark green woods. Eventually Plafluf ran ahead to the doorway of one such tree, symbols written in his native language carved above it.
“Eh, you two wait out here first. I must go inside and make sure it is okay.”
Xen and Saul exchanged quizzical looks before their guide slipped inside. Saul moved over beside the entrance and placed his hand on the tree’s bark.
Strange, it seems like it’s still alive. I can’t even get a clear understanding of how old the tree is either. Hard to imagine how long it takes for a tree like this to grow to begin with. Saul thought to himself as he felt the smooth chestnut bark.
“Something wrong?” Xen asked him.
“No, just admiring the plant life. Not used to seeing this kind of stuff back in the center ring. Even though I’ve been here before, it still amazes me how they build around the forest.”
“The Urchski were tunnelers on the old world, I’ve heard. Makes sense they would take up refuge at the bottom of Alzholme, digging their ways into the trees. Heard there are even old tunnel networks below our feet from when they first came.”
Saul pulled his hand back and cocked an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t realize you would be so versed in their history.”
“I’m not. That’s just some of the information I needed to gather before setting foot in this place. The Megaden is a web of tangled communications and false ends. It’s like the entire population has a grudge against established law enforcement. How the noble families manage to keep guards in their roster is beyond me.” Xen said as he looked around.
“Easy, they do it for the money.” Saul responded with a shrug.
A sudden burst of activity sounded from behind the door and drew both of their attentions. The door creaked open to reveal Plafluf once again, but this time surrounded by three smaller Urchski. They stared at both Saul and Xen and tried to push past their sibling as hard as possible.
“Hurry, come in.” Plafluf said, shoving one of the smaller ones behind him. “These are my brothers. Do not step on them and you will be fine.”
As they filed into the home, Saul paused to take in the strange entrance. He and Xen both had to duck their heads down to not bump the ceiling. Aside from that, there was a spot of dirt on the interior with stiff rug laying on top. Plafluf pointed to his own small feet and then to the patch. It took them a second, but they eventually realized the patch’s purpose and took off their shoes on it.
The hall inside curved along the walls of the tree, slowly climbing up as it went. Along the way they had to be careful not to step on Plafluf’s siblings while they darted between their legs. By the time the hall ended, it curved to the center of the tree. Even through the heavy wooden scent of the structure, the delectable aroma of roasting meat could be smelt.
“Are we supposed to be smelling something cooking?” Xen asked cautiously.
“Do not worry, my mother is cooking a meal. You can sit at the smaller table with me and we will discuss things.” He said, gesturing to a small table with some cushions seated around it.
Though the chairs were clearly made and brought in, the table itself seemed hewn from the same wood as the floor. As they sat down, the only distinguishing feature from it and the ground below was a brown coloring added on top. Both of them sat down on the opposite side from Plafluf, Xen resting on his knees and Saul in a criss-cross.
“You can light fires inside a tree?” Saul asked him.
“The kitchen is covered in the sap, very heat resistant. Tricky part is digging the chimney. But!” Plafluf said, placing both his paws on the table. “We should now do the discussing.”
“Surrounded by your family?” Xen replied. “Not exactly the ideal sitting for either of us. Besides, just how many siblings do you actually have?”
“Eh, this is only the second generation, so about seven. Most of the ones at my age are out and about during this time of day. I do not have any mates of my own, so I am debt free for the time.”
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“I didn’t realize Urchski families were so... extensive.” Saul said, watching two of the smaller one hiss at each other.
“We all have one mother, and each of us usually comes from a different father. Men are more common than women, so it is okay. Mothers are the ones that own property most of the time, so they also house their children. Once they mate with someone, they have to provide bits for that woman. It is a slavery, but that is how life works.” Plafluf answered with a shrug.
Some bustling came from another entrance further up in the tree. After a few seconds, large footsteps could be heard coming from an entrance opposite to the one they all came in from. Eventually an Urchski passed through it carrying a large pot with a wooden spoon inside.
Unlike the Urchski Saul and Xen had seen thus far, this one was far larger than the other, coming just a head shorter than them both. They quickly pieced together this must be Plafluf’s mother just as she set the pot down and began ordering the smaller Urchski about in their native tongue. The language was as course as their fur, even if neither Xen nor Saul could translate it. Once her yelling had settled down, she moved beside Plafluf and smacked the back of his head.
Seems like the rumor that Urchski women are larger is true. Saul thought to himself. I always imagined they meant that the women were slightly taller, but his mother’s nearly twice his size!
Plafluf hissed in surprise, rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. The mother sat down on a cushion next to him eyeing both of her guests cautiously. A few seconds later, she spoke more of the Urchski language.
“She is saying she is going to sit here and make sure you are not doing anything illegal. She is a bit too protective of me.” Plafluf answered.
“Why are we even brokering information when someone intentionally tells us they’re going to listen in?” Xen answered. “I refuse to give up anything I know as long as she’s here.”
“Well, she can’t understand you.” Plafluf answered.
“Then... how is she going to determine what we’re doing?” Saul asked him.
“She will watch us to make sure nothing illegal happens here. A discussion should be fine though. None of my siblings speak the city language either.”
Xen opened his mouth to retort, but felt the icy stare of the mother on him. He stared back for a few tense seconds before settling down on the table with his arms folded. Saul took the opportunity to take out his own notes.
“Well then, if that’s done, I’ll start. First thing I came down here for was looking for a series of missing crates that were stolen from the center ring in the human section. The only lead I had was that the boxes which were taken all seemed to have been marked with a symbol before being taken. That same symbol was on the crates found inside the sewers where we met.”
“Strange, I don’t remember seeing them carrying the crates or anything. By the time I arrived they were just starting the deal and cracking them open. There wasn’t any money on them, just pieces of paper scrawled with text. One of the Urchski destroyed them with some kind of oil before I could get my hands on them.”
“Sounds like credit papers. I can imagine the amount of money paid for that stuff was too high to just carry around, especially not somewhere like the Megaden. But that would have to mean that whoever was buying this stuff was buying it in bulk.” Saul answered, jotting it down in his notes.
“Wouldn’t that be obvious?” Plafluf asked.
“No, the more common method is to steal a large amount of stuff and then sell it in parts over a longer period of time. With more buyers, it gets harder to track this sort of thing. I guess that makes this more worrying, because who wanted to buy this probably ordered it be stolen.” Saul said before putting down his pencil. “We’re looking for someone that wants a lot of weapons, but doesn’t want people to know they’ve got them.”
“Strange, I was sure my target was related to that deal. She went into hiding though, so I can’t imagine her need for a surplus of weaponry.”
“Maybe she was part of the deal? She could well be the one stealing them in the first place.”
“That could be possible. Strangely, once she got to the Megaden things ran cold. Perhaps whatever group is buying these weapons could be the same ones that are helping to cover up where she’s been.”
Plafluf’s mother stood up briefly and spoke to some of the younger siblings. As Xen and Saul looked in the same direction, they noticed a large bowl in the center of the other table. Bits of meat and carrot were stuck to the sides, but it was otherwise empty. At their mother’s beckoning, they lifted the large dish as a group and scurried back into the kitchen with it. Saul watched them carry it off and checked back down to his notes.
Someone in power within the Megaden with a fair amount of manpower, who also would want to buy weapons in bulk. If it were whoever was paying the guards in this area, surely they wouldn’t want to anger the merchants’ guild by buying stolen goods. There’s got to be something that we’re missing here. Saul thought, flipping through the pages of his notes.
Plafluf’s mother turned to her son and started speaking quietly. They had a brief exchange before the mother got up and moved towards the kitchen area again. She looked back to Xen specifically and pointed one claw of her paw at him threateningly. As she moved further away, the smaller Urchski started to cling to her tail and ride her out of the room.
“What was that all about?” Xen asked Plafluf.
“She said she had to go start cleaning the pot. Oh, but she doesn't trust you very much though. I think that your clothing looks similar to the ones the western guards will wear.”
“So she doesn’t want us doing anything illegal, yet she dislikes the guards?” Xen replied, leaning his head into one palm. “If I didn’t know any better I would say your mother has a sordid past.”
“No! She just distrusts the western Urchski. They and the Northern ones keep pressing into her side of the Megaden. There is a lot of fighting and trouble cause by them.”
“Wait a minute... that could be it!” Saul said. “If one of more of those sides wanted to organize a lot of trouble in the other areas, they’d have to buy weapons for it first. We’ve got to try and find where they might be storing weapons. My guess would have to be somewhere near the border...”
Xen pulled out a map of the local area and unfurled it at the table. The three sections of the Megaden were distinctly labeled with black lines, following along massive rivers that divided the Megaden’s forests. Plafluf pointed to some buildings of interest near the border, and they quickly came up with a route to search along. Starting near the southernmost part of the river and working up.
As they finished drawing on the map, Saul turned to Xen and pulled out his notes once again.
“Hey, not particularly my business, but if we’re going to be working and searching together, I’ve got a question for you. Is there a name for who you searching for? We might find him first, and wouldn’t want him to slip past you.”
“It is an Erudine woman. I cannot say the specifics for why she has been targeted, obviously, but she doesn’t really have a name.”
“What do you mean?”
“The name she had before she became the subject of our interest has... expired. Needless to say, I’m not sure what she might be calling herself at this point.” Xen replied before putting a hand on his chin. “I’m only allowed to divulge a certain amount of information, but I guess this isn’t too much. Her designation aside from a name was her recruitment number, number Twenty-Two.”