Lily

“How in the world did you do that?” Lily asked Staz, now on eye level with her. She stared at him in shock, even more so when she realized that his armored pants, steel bracers and even his kanabo had shrunk with him. How was something like that even possible?

“It’s the strongest spell I’ve got, reduce size, and it’s the reason that lord Ronin’s goblin got me so cheap.” He said with a self-deprecating smile. “After all, who wants an ogre mage whose strongest spell is to make themselves smaller? My brother went for five times what I did, because his strongest spell allows him to summon giant wasps to fight for him.”

“I’m not sure why you seem upset about this,” Lily said with some confusion, still completely taken aback by the transformation. “Someone of your size and strength, who can also fit anywhere smaller races can… until it’s time to bulk up and destroy them where they thought they were safe from you? That’s impressive.” She added, meaning every word.

“Well, thank you for saying so.” The oni said, clearly not believing her. “Anyway, as you can see, fitting into the tunnels won’t be a problem for me. I can maintain this form for a total of twelve hours a day. So, if it doesn’t stay cramped for longer than that, I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, right.” Lily said, remembering the argument they’d been having before he’d shown off his ability. “Well, I guess you’ve proven your point. I just…”

“I understand. It’s just a shame there isn’t a way for you to come with me, while staying here.” As the oni finished speaking, Owl two popped his head into the conversation.

“Actually, there is.” He said as deadpan as ever, “I was going to ask you to wear this anyway, but since lady Lily also wishes to tag along, then it will serve as double incentive for your cooperation.” Having finished speaking, Owl two held up a harness with several of the small cameras strapped to it. “It’s just a camera harness, if you wear this then we will be able to see and hear, not to mention record everything that you see. Lord Ronin will no doubt wish to see the outcome of the battle he didn’t want to miss as well.” Lily knew he was right, but she felt that last statement had been added on as more an afterthought than any real concern for his boss on Owl two’s part.

“See and hear, but not talk to?” Staz asked without moving to take the harness. “I don’t mind you tagging along for the ride, but I can’t have your voices popping into my ear when I’m in the middle of combat. That’s far too distracting.”

“One way audio and video only, I assure you.” Owl two said, finally able to hand off the harness to the giant, who was only a few inches taller than he was now.

“Very well,” he said, putting the harness on. It was much too large for him in his current size, but he just went back to being ten feet tall and then shrank again, when he resumed his smaller size, the harness fit him perfectly.

“That is just too convenient.” She said, smiling at the blue man as he was once more at her height. “Now all I want to do is challenge you to that rematch you promised me, I know we don’t have the time… but, I’ve got so much to do, how will I be able to watch him and do my work?” She asked the armored Owl Two, who was now holding a small box out to her.

“After lord Ronin expressed his desire to see what his people were doing on their missions, I developed this. I was only able to fabricate it now, however, thanks to the new materials I’ve been given to work with. It’s a contact lens and an earpiece. You can tap into the feed from the harness at any time, simply by pressing this button.”

“As fascinating as all this must be for someone who grew up without technology,” Staz said as he grew larger and turned around. “I’ll be off now. I’ll do my best not to get in your people’s way, but if they can’t get the job done, I’ll take the city myself.” With that, he was off, powerful legs pushing him onward at a speed few could match.

“Alright then,” Lily said after he’d disappeared from view. “Show me how this works, then I’ve got work to do, and I’m sure you want to get back to your metal man, or whatever.” Owl two only nodded and explained how to put on and activate the contact and earpiece. It bugged her eye at first, but she got used to it after a while. Then, after Owl Two had left, she set about her own tasks again.

Some time later, she found herself seated at her desk in the cave. Staring down at two sets of sabers and daggers. They belonged to Jewel and Amber, women she’d known her whole life. They had grown up together, trained together and joined a team together with Vara and Syl, two more childhood friends. They’d been instrumental in her ambitions to take over the Gilded Lily clan at the age of twenty-two. That had only been four years ago, but it felt like a lifetime now, as she stared down at the weapons through bleary eyes.

“Why did you do it?” She asked the silent room, as she ran her claws gently over the scabbarded blades. So many memories trapped in this steel. She smiled as her fingers passed over a nick that she’d put there during a sparring match, when Amber had tried to block using her scabbard after she’d been disarmed. They had been scolded something fierce when they’d been caught sparring with live steel, but it was a fond memory now, or at least it had been, before the betrayal.

“Did you call for us my lady?” Andessa asked, poking her head into the tent. Lily had asked her and Tupelo to wait outside until she called for them. She hadn’t been ready just yet, but she knew she wouldn’t be ready for some time to come, so she only nodded.

“Please, come in.” She said, wiping the moisture from her eyes as she composed herself. “Have a seat,” she waited until the elven man and bugbear woman had seated themselves in front of her desk before she spoke again. “I’ve chosen to spare your lives.” She said after some time of looking at the uncomfortable pair. “I did, when the others thought it would be best to make a clean sweep of the traitors. As such, I feel like you are my responsibility now.”

“Lady Lily,” Andessa said bowing her head, “we can’t express enough our thanks, and our willingness to serve you in anyway you see fit.” Her words were echoed with murmured agreement and a bow from Tupelo as well.

“Thank you for that,” Lily said looking at the young woman before her, and the indeterminate aged elf. With them it was hard to say, he could be thirty, or five hundred, age didn’t begin to show until right before their end. “But since it was me who saved you, I feel like it should be me who takes the risks you both represent.” She sat back in her chair with a sigh, looking back down at the pair of sabers again.

“My team is now short two members,” she said at last. “Thanks to the recent actions of those who were saved by my husband, and who repaid that favor with betrayal, I’ve learned how important it is to have not only trustworthy people at my back, but an entire team of them who are ready for combat at a moment’s notice.” She stared at the pair of them for a little while longer before she continued.

“I would like the pair of you to join a new team I’m going to make. For the most part, you will just act as guards, since I will spend much of my time in administration. But there will be times when the syndicate goes to war, and I will need good people at my back… the pair of you, a front-line fighter, and a ranged specialist. A goblin scout, a member of the food corps, Vara, Syl and myself to round out the team. Think that’s something you can do, or would you rather be relegated to mine duty?” Her guests stared at, first her, then each other for long moments before Tupelo finally broke the silence.

“My lady,” he said leaning forward. “We would like nothing more than to prove ourselves to you. Joining Eric and Andona was a mistake. One that I regretted within days of making, but after the die had been cast, I wasn’t sure what to do. But… like you just said, you need people you can trust at your back, are you sure you can trust us?... Oh, I’m not saying we aren’t trustworthy, but if you don’t feel absolute trust in those who are watching your back, then you could get killed while looking over your shoulder, rather than at the enemy.”

Lily stared at him for some time after that short speech. If she hadn’t been sure before, honestly, she could admit that she hadn’t been, she was sure now. She’d liked what she’d seen from these two while she had been watching from the shadows, and later by drone, and even though they had made mistakes, she could trust them at her back.

“Thank you for your honesty.” She eventually said, looking down at the sabers again. “But smart decision or no, I’ve decided to trust you. So, let’s get those collars off you, and then we’ll get you outfitted with proper gear. Unfortunately, the scouts and food corps are still gone, but I can introduce you to Vara and Syl and the four of you can work out a training schedule to get used to how each other fight.” Slipping the collars away from the pair’s necks, she ushered them back out of her tent. It would take them several hours to get her new people settled in, time she hoped passed swiftly, because she wanted to check in on Staz’s progress in the tunnels.

It took even longer than she’d thought, since Vara and Syl hadn’t liked the idea at all. They’d argued for nearly an hour, before being willing to even give the pair a chance in the simulated city, using sparring weapons only. Lily had started out with them but had retired because she was feeling sick again. She watched Vara from the corner of her eye, frowning after her as she left, but she paid it no mind. It wasn’t her fault her stomach was acting up again, besides, she had been waiting for quite some time to check in on Staz.

Getting back to her tent, Lily sat down on her bed and activated her contact by touching the earpiece that was concealed by her fur in her ear canal. She blinked rapidly as her left eye slowly shifted from seeing the inside walls of her tent, to show the tunnel walls passing by in a green blur. Her head swam as she got used to the difference, having to close her eyes to steady herself. Closing her eye didn’t change the vision from her left eye though, since the device was resting on her eyeball.

Owl Two had told her it would take some adjustment, and even explained that the cameras used night vision technology, which would make everything look green. Still, she leaned back onto her pillows and held on until the vertigo finally cleared up and she could check his progress.

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The oni was moving faster than she’d have thought possible through the cramped tunnels. He’d long since passed the miles long section the rats had been excavating until Owl two had commandeered them to dig the tunnel around the gorge. She didn’t know exactly where he was in the tunnel system, but judging by the speed he was going, he would likely reach the mushroom forest by morning. That was good because she was ready to get some sleep. Touching the earpiece again to turn it off, she was about to lie down, when she heard Vara outside her tent, calling in to her.

“Lily,” she said with clear hesitation in her voice. “Do you mind if we come in for a minute?” Lily wondered who ‘we,’ were, but knew her friend wouldn’t bother her for no reason, so she called out that it was ok for them to enter. Vara walked into the room a moment later, closely followed by Owl Two of all people.

“Vara,” Lily said, “this is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?” It wasn’t that she disliked Owl Two, but having men in her bedroom wasn’t something the first wife of the syndicate lord should be doing.

“Vara asked me to come by and give you a checkup, since you have been feeling sick more often as of late.” Owl Two said, pulling out a small test kit.

“A check up?” Lily asked with a smirk, “that looks more like the kit you used to take samples from Staz, what do you think that’s going to tell you about me?” Lily asked looking at the kit skeptically, “I’ve been a little stressed lately, I’m sure that’s all it is.” She said, waving off the concern she saw in her friend’s eyes.

“Then this won’t be a problem for you, will it?” Owl Two asked, moving closer. “Let me take my sample, then once it turns out to be nothing you can tell her ‘I told you so’ but if there is a problem, then we won’t have to find out the hard way.” Before she could protest any further, he’d already pushed the instrument into her arm. There was a light snapping sound, followed by a slight sting, and he was pulling it away again. “Thank you, lady Lily.” He said as he packed up. “If I find anything I will let you know, sometime tomorrow. I’ve got to finish my project soon, since, I have a feeling my lord will need my services shortly.” Before Lily even had the chance to ask what he was talking about, the strange man had already left.

“What was that all about Vara?” Lily asked her friend, who was still in the tent with her.

“It might be nothing,” Vara said with a shrug, and if it is, I’ll be sure to apologize, still, I’ll feel better knowing for sure… get some sleep my lady.” She said, and again, left before Lily could vocalize any response.

“Well,” she said laying back down into her bed once more. “Guess I’ll look forward to that apology then.” Yet, as she lay there, Lily couldn’t seem to shut her mind off, so she touched the earpiece again, and watched Staz running like mad down the tunnel, until she couldn’t stay awake anymore. The sound of the giant’s feet pounding rhythmically against the stone, lulling her to sleep.

* * *

Lily

The deep bass of Staz’s voice rumbling into Lily’s left ear woke her an indeterminate amount of time later. She sat up in her bed, blinking rapidly. Trying to reconcile the two different visions she was seeing, into a coherent picture. Her right eye saw only her tent, still dark, while her left eye captured the tunnels below them, made from different shades of green. She frowned, what had he said, she hadn’t been awake enough yet to catch it.

“…what did you say?” She finally caught sight of the goblin scout who had been hiding in a small nook in the cave wall. “How did you even see me? The traitors just went by, and not one of them even thought to look over here. Even the elves, and their eyes are sharp.”

“Peace friend,” Staz said in his calm tone, that nevertheless reverberated powerfully in the small tunnel. Lily noticed he was in his smaller six-and-a-half-foot form. “I was looking for you, plus, Lily and Owl two told me where to look. As I said, I’m one of lord Ronin’s followers. I got to the valley late and am here to lend what aid I can.”

“Really,” the goblin scout looked him over skeptically before shrugging. “Ok,” she said after a moment. “I’ll escort you the rest of the way. We’re at a critical part of the operation, so keep quiet, ok pal? If I think you are going to blow the operation than I won’t hesitate to put a bolt through your brain, got me?” Lily couldn’t help but chuckle at the bravado of the goblin scouts. So small, yet she had no doubt that the woman could and would make good on that threat, if she were pressed.

“Understood friend,” Staz said with a suppressed chuckle of his own. “My name is Staz, I’m an oni that Lord Ronin’s scout, Owl five, freed from a difficult position. Who might you be?” Lily smiled at how smoothly the giant spoke, putting those around him at ease. Not for the first time, she wondered what his story was. Her husband had sent him to the valley, so knowing him it was an interesting one.

“Name’s tiptoe,” the scout said, giving Staz a begrudging nod. “Come with me then Staz, hope you can move more quietly than you look, because I will not risk my lord’s mission for a clumsy oaf.” Having spoken her last line, Tiptoe turned and moved as silently as her name implied down the tunnel. As Staz followed behind her, Lily caught sight of another scout moving to the edge of the nook. No doubt to keep watch on the tunnel.

As the pair reached the edge of the mushroom forest, Lily couldn’t help but gasp at the sight. She’d seen maps and pictures in the command tent of course, but this was almost like being there herself. The mist was thick, blocking much of her vision, but she could still see the giant mushrooms sprouting towards the caverns ceiling, like giant fungal trees.

Tiptoe waved her hand around in front of Staz face, or as close as she could get with the more than two feet of difference between her and the oni’s shrunken form. The camera angle shifted slightly, indicating the giant had taken notice. The scout then moved her finger to her own lips, making it clear there was to be no more noise as they proceeded. Staz must have nodded, because after a moment and a hard glare, the scout moved over to the edge and slipped down into the mist, Staz right on her heels.

While the pair made their way through the mushroom forest, Lily spent her time taking in everything she could from the camera’s limited vantage point. There were so many mushrooms everywhere. Some were tall as the tallest trees she’d seen outside the bugbear cities. Others were more like bushes made from several waist high mushrooms whose heads fanned out into table sized balls. Still more barely poked out of the thick moss that coated everything in a layer of softly glowing greenery. It was a breath-taking sight, and she couldn’t help but make noises of appreciation as she saw a moth the size of a dinner plate fluttering by on bioluminescent wings.

Suddenly, she was forced back to the present situation as the camera dropped down. She blinked, reorienting on what the oni was doing. They’d been moving to the right around the edge of the mushroom forest for the entire time, now they’d reached a clearing in the mist, real close to where the river disappeared again into a downward sloping tunnel. A clearing created by the passing of hundreds of bodies, causing it to swirl up and away, revealing Eric’s army.

They were crowded around a small tunnel entrance, with five more scouts in addition to Song cornered against the cavern wall. Beside the small tunnel, were several cages, each holding a stone carver rat. Grown far larger than Lily remembered seeing them before. Last time she’d seen the rats, they’d been small enough to fit into her lap comfortably. Now, they had to be as long from nose to tail as the goblins were tall. Lily wondered if that was natural for the rats, or if Owl Two had been meddling with them while he bred new generations. She cracked a grin, having a feeling she knew the answer.

“You sure it’s just you here, and... it goes all the way to the castle? That city is a long way from here.” Eric’s voice drifted into her earpiece from where he stood beside Thomas. The large human was holding one of the newly captured scouts by the neck with one hand, his other firmly wrapped around the small woman’s hand. Lily imagined she could hear the fingers popping as the man squeezed, because the goblin whimpered in pain before she answered.

“… yes,” she whispered in a voice that carried in the silent cavern. “There were only six of us… Lily asked us to dig the tunnel just big enough for her to crawl through, and Owl two modified the rats to make them dig faster… it goes all the way, I swear… please…” She pleaded as Thomas dropped her now deformed hand and reached for the other one.

“That’s enough,” Eric said, causing Thomas to stop. “We’ll take them with us. It the tunnel doesn’t go all the way to the city then you can continue were you left off… grab them, and… you, you and you three, bring them along, will you?” He pointed at several burly bugbears, who stepped forward to accept their burdens.

“Oh no,” Lily whispered as the troops began filing one after another into the tunnel. She’d known it would be dangerous for the scouts who had to play the dig team. If there was no one there than it wouldn’t be very believable… Still, she’d hoped they wouldn’t be hurt too bad. As the last man entered the tunnel, Lily sat up straighter, ready for what would happen next.

For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then, without warning, the ground in front of the tunnel exploded out in a shower of glowing moss. She gasped as two of the K brothers forced themselves out of a hole, pushing a huge slab of steel up and into the tunnel’s entrance. A pair of scouts following right on their heels, holding long metal rods, they slammed through loops of steel on either side of the slab, and into well hidden recesses in the cavern wall.

The slab now firmly in place, the K brothers, Lily now recognized K2 and K3. Backed up. The bugbear man who’d entered the tunnel last was shouting and hammering against the slab, the tunnel too tight for any more of them to reach. K3 reached forward and swiveled a small round door out of the way as one of the scouts moved forward with a strange machine, which hummed and spat out puffs of thick orange smoke.

Lily had heard about this part of the plan, but hadn’t thought too deeply about it, considering all the things that had to go right for it to work. The scout pressed the nozzle of the device into the opening and the machine became much louder as it pumped the thick orange smoke into the tunnel. It wasn’t lethal, but it was highly irritating, like lots of cut onions or peppers. Lily grinned as she heard the screams coming from the now locked tunnel. The only thing keeping her joy in check were the six goblin women, including the highly battered and abused Song, who were in there with the traitors.

“That went better than we had any right to expect.” Staz said quietly to the goblin scout who’d led him here. “What would you have done if they hadn’t fell for it?”

“Watch,” Tiptoe said, pointing towards the clearing, that mist was already sweeping back into. K3, still visible, put his finger to his lips and let out a sharp whistle. A moment later, dozens of people came crawling out of the moss all around the clearing, each armed with a rifle or crossbow. From the mist shrouded forest, even more people poured into the space, again all armed with a ranged weapon of one flavor or another.

“We’d have shot them all and went back into hiding.” Tiptoe said smugly, looking out at the elves, bugbears and kaldarr who were now gathered around the tunnel.

“Impressive,” Staz said with a nod. “What’s the plan now then?” He asked as the pair of them approached K3 who’d caught sight of the blue skinned stranger and was already heading in their direction. His Eight-foot frame wrapped completely in the black steel armor, with its dark to light grey flames. Despite his vaunted rank, his flames still lacked the brilliant white that marked Lily’s husband as the lord.

“The plan stranger,” K3 said in a gruff, no-nonsense voice as he reached them. “Is for you to satisfy me that you should be here, and assuming you can do that,” the giant kaldarr turned and pointed out across the gorge towards the castle hidden deep within the city, set well over twenty miles away from them. “Is to take that castle.” Lily looked out over the expansive farmland, dotted at regular intervals with the small farming communities that would take care of the fields. Her eyes were drawn to one of those communities, one that was, even now, starting to spurt orange smoke from a storage building for either crops or equipment.