“Nanomi, Lores. You two have the Exalted quarter today. Let the newbie get some practice in on the easy stuff.” Supervisor WindyRiver said. She continued rattling off duty assignments to the rest of the guards of alpha team seated around the briefing room. Tables with warped tops, chairs with rickety legs, the whole building had gone a long while without enough funding to maintain it. “Sayta, Alonzo. You’ve got the business district. Weej, Mitri. The docks.” Weej swore under his breath and Mitri let out a series of clicks and hisses in his native tongue. “Put a lid on it.” Supervisor WindyRiver snapped, glowering at them. “Gamma team was already knocking heads last night. They’ve done the hard work. You just have to go in and be seen.”
Weej raised his pink, hairless arm. Supervisor WindyRiver nodded towards him. “Has there been any response from Tranquility for extra manpower to deal with this increase in smuggling?”
Supervisor WindyRiver let out an exasperated sigh and rubbed her face and eyes, avoiding touching the magic warts adorning her snout. “No, Watchman TwigCrikBend.” She said, emphasizing his rank. “I have had no official response. Unofficially, I’ve been told to stop asking. So take that however you wish.”
“I can take the docks today.” Nanomi offered. “Weej and Mitri can take the new recruit. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“No.” Supervisor WindyRiver said, brooking no argument. “You’ve pulled too many solos, not that you can’t handle yourself. I need you to show Watchwoman Arladottir the ropes.”
Nanomi bowed her head, tentacles swaying with the motion, respecting the decisions of her superior. “Yes ma’am.”
Supervisor WindyRiver went to a cabinet on the wall opposite the door. A heavy iron lock lay on a hasp holding shut a drawer, added when the original finer inset tumbler had failed. A key from a ring attached to a chain on her belt opened the drawer, and she found what she was looking for quickly. She returned to the group with a handful of colorful stones. She handed Nanomi a small blue stone and dropped a nearly identical one in her pocket. She repeated this with pairs of yellow and red stones to Sayta and Weej. “Dismissed.” Supervisor WindyRiver said. She waited until she had received salutes from each, then walked out of the room.
“Come on Mitri.” Weej shoved against the black carapaced shoulder of his partner. “If we’re quick we can grab some of those pocket pies old man SouthFarPasture makes and we won’t have to get lunch by the river.”
“As long as you’re buying, we can eat whatever you want.” Mitri said, his mandibles clacking with what anyone having spent time around a Vos’arane knew as a good natured laugh. The two of them stood and left the briefing room, continuing their conversation down the hall.
Nanomi stood and beckoned to Lores to follow her. “Stay towards the south end of the business district if you can.” Nanomi said to Sayta and Alonzo. “Just in case things get hairy and Weej and Mitri need backup. I’ll keep Lores and myself on the east side of the Exalted quarter as well.” The Suswhog and Human nodded their agreement.
The old woman and new recruit left the headquarters of the city watch and turned west, heading slightly uphill towards the richer part of Placidia. The Lyceum, the beating heart of every major city in Yorpa, lay at the center. Only those who could afford to send their children there lived nearby, and only those who had previously attended had employment that paid well enough to afford the tuition. Nanomi had originally thought, when she came to this land seventy-three years ago, that it was a rigged system for the rich and powerful to keep their riches and power. After spending much of her early life scrimping and saving to send her own child to the Lyceum in Moonfall, her attitude had changed. It wasn’t necessarily the best system, but it worked well enough to maintain peace and stability.
“Lead Watchwoman Ja, could we slow down a bit?” Lores asked, her breathing labored.
Nanomi looked back and realized the young Halfling was struggling to keep up, being less than half the height of the Tenkan. Nanomi cut her stride. “Apologies, I was lost in my thoughts. And just Nanomi is fine, the teams try to keep it informal among ourselves.”
“Thank you, Nanomi.” Lores said tentatively. “This is my first day in the field. I just passed the written exams last week.”
“You’ve swung a club before though, haven’t you? Thrown bolas too?” Nanomi asked.
“Just in training sessions.” Lores admitted sheepishly. “I grew up on a ranch up north, though. I’m stronger than I look.”
“What animals did your family raise?”
“Big horns mostly. That’s sort of the reason I’m here.” Lores said. “Great-grandpa thought he could corner a market, give people an alternative to paire wool. He imported a flock from way out west. But the sheep never did well, it’s too flat out here maybe. We’ve never had population growth as long as I can remember, and the inbreeding is only getting worse year after year.” Lores paused and a frown crossed her face. “Mom wanted to bring in fresh blood, thinking that’s all we needed to turn it around. I couldn’t watch her sign over the land in order to get the financing. I needed to get out. I haven’t been back in nearly a year.”
Nanomi decided to share with Lores, as she had shared in turn. It was good for team cohesion. “I was born in the slums of Ngafis, about seven hundred miles west of here.” Nanomi said, trying to reach back nearly a century ago. “I hear it’s better now, but back then open hatred for my race was still acceptable. The Ka’Zanto Combine’s Companies probably are a large part of turning that around. That’s how I came to Yorpa. The Grey Company had budded off from the Black and had come ashore in Ngafis. I became a camp follower at first, then joined the Company later, when I needed the money to send my son to the Lyceum.”
“Where was the father?” Lores asked, trying not to make assumptions.
“The Company was in Opal. His scouting party never returned from a mission from the far side of Wyandee Lake. Wagmiru was only three. I wanted him to have a better life. A quieter life. I kept him fed, housed, and educated while I was crisscrossing the region with the Company. I’d make it back a few times a year, but he didn’t think it was enough.” Their walking was slowly taking them to their intended destination, the blocks passing by as they talked. “We don’t talk much anymore. He’s a Lesser Exalted in Moonfall, with a mate and two children of his own. I haven’t seen them since they were babes, they are young adults now.” Nanomi said, a hint of loss in her voice.
The change in architecture and surroundings had been subtle at first. Wood buildings, with the occasional brick, gave way to stone. Lots became bigger, and the businesses changed from sundries and food stalls to art galleries and finer clothing. The towers of the Lyceum had been visible since leaving headquarters, but the main buildings were becoming visible as they walked deeper into the quarter. “How did you come to leave the Company?” Lores asked. “It seems much more glamorous, not to mention better paying, than being part of the city watch.”
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“I was offered a promotion by Captain To, he’s probably dead by now.” Nanomi mused. “May Ko’Vum watch over his spirit.” She made a ritual motion with her hand against her head, a closed fist thumb to temple. “He wanted me to lead a platoon, to become a lieutenant. Wagmiru had finished his schooling by then, and it took me until that moment to realize I was just coasting along, going where the wind blew me. I declined, and took my leave of the Company. I bounced around for a bit, but ended up here and the city watch fit my skill set fairly well.”
“How are you not the Supervisor by now? WindyRiver can’t be more than forty years old. You’ve got to have been here since she was still a squealer!” Lores said.
“Doila WestRockyField was the previous Supervisor. She retired a little over five years ago. Director Flynson from Tranquility came down and offered it to me. I declined that promotion too, told him I was done being in charge, that I just wanted to be a grunt. They brought Renda in then, but changed the bylaws so that the senior most guard was the Lead by default. I chose not to fight it.” Nanomi said. “Renda and I came to an understanding. I say my piece, but she makes the calls. She’s a good Supervisor.”
They had walked onto the campus proper of the Lyceum by this point. Grassy lawns separated white stone buildings. Dozens of varieties of trees gave shady spots to sit and study. Buttressed sky bridges connected some buildings to their neighbors, and the tops of the towers very nearly glowed in the morning sun. Students in uniforms, professors in robes, and other citizens of the quarter were going about their day. Nanomi gestured to a bench, Lores nodded, and the two of them sat and watched the mid morning passersby for a few moments in silence.
Lores took a drink from a canteen on her belt, then said, “What is the plan for today? I know what the book says, but how do we apply that to this quarter specifically, and the rest of the city more generally?”
“It’s mostly just to be seen.” Nanomi explained, keeping her eyes scanning the surroundings as she spoke. “Make sure your cloak doesn’t cover your tunic too much. People need to be able to see that purple if they are looking for us. We used to have cloaks in the same color, but when we’d get into scuffles they’d rip and tear and need to be patched. It got to the point it was better to just get a sturdy cloak and wear a tunic over our armor for identification.” She pointed north. “We’ll head up that way to Harmony Plaza, then basically just circle the Lyceum. We try to hit the larger open areas in each part of the city, and the general rule is to never take the same path twice in a day….” She trailed off, noticing a commotion from the entrance to the main library a bit down the block. She tapped Lores on the shoulder. “Come on, double time. Something’s wrong”
Nanomi went into a quick jog, hoping that Lores would keep up. People were streaming out of the doors and down the steps of the library building, clearly agitated. An elderly Human in senior professor’s robes saw Nanomi running up and shouted “Watchwoman! I was just about to send people to call for you, thank Chernoff you’re here.”
“What is going on professor? How can we help?” Nanomi said, with Lores catching up as she spoke.
“We were doing some renovation in one of the basement storage rooms a few weeks ago, and a previously unknown laboratory was found, it was quite exciting.” He said.
Nanomi interrupted. “Professor, why are these people afraid, and injured?” She pointed to a student cradling an obviously broken arm.
“Oh yes, sorry. Lemern!” He shouted. A Wartle Suswhog in junior professor’s robes stepped forward. “Run to the infirmary, bring healers.” She nodded and turned without a word, sprinting away. He turned back to Nanomi and Lores before continuing. “We had a team of researchers cataloging the hidden lab when one of them accidentally dropped a large sealed jug, shattering it. Despite looking like a simple white liquid before, something was in it.” He paused, doubtless for dramatic effect, and Nanomi wanted to smack the man. “The creature grew, becoming ten times its previous size, and began wrecking everything, whipping back and forth, attacking anything that moved.”
“How many are unaccounted for?” Nanomi asked.
The professor blinked vacantly for a moment. “Uh…that is a stupendous question.” He said, turning around and looking back to the group of students and faculty still milling around.
“There’s no time for this.” Nanomi said, nearly to herself. “Lores, with me. Let’s go.” Nanomi took the stairs two at a time and entered the main lobby. A vaulted ceiling and massive staircase, leading up to overlooking balconies, dominated the space. She scanned for the telltale stream of people fleeing to determine the direction she should go. A wounded Tiefling appeared, purple bruises already showing on his yellow skin. As Nanomi went in the direction from which he had come, it became easier to establish where to go next as those with the greatest injuries had been the slowest to escape, even with the help of their coworkers.
Down another flight of stairs and signs of physical damage started to appear. Doors ripped off their hinges, walls half collapsed, shelves and furniture shattered. Lores had caught up as Nanomi’s speed had lessened, and they found a Halfling man, laying face down, bleeding from the head but alive. Nanomi pulled a bandage from a compartment on her belt and began quickly dressing the wound. “Lores, get this kid back to the last staircase, drag him if you have to, but get him out of the way. Here.” Nanomi reached into her pocket and produced the blue stone Supervisor WindyRiver had given her over an hour ago. “Use this. Concentrate and Send a message to Renda. Tell her to get Sayta and Weej out here. We need backup.”
“But what about you?” Lores protested.
“I’m going to find the thing that did all this. Try to stop it. You are to scout and find more casualties, get them all back to a safe zone, then wait for the others before coming for me. If the creature shows up, fall back, do not engage unless the wounded are threatened. That’s an order.” Nanomi turned without another word and went deeper into the basement. She pulled a club and dagger from their spots on her belt and went door by door, hallway by hallway, trying to hone in on any sounds.
It had been quiet for a few minutes, and Nanomi thought she had found the formerly hidden laboratory where the ruckus had started. A crude door had been cut into the stone and mortar, expanded from where they had made the initial discovery. Nanomi couldn’t put her finger on why, but the space felt old, like it had been sealed up for centuries. There wasn’t much left in the lab, either by the rampaging creature or the researchers removing and cataloging, but Nanomi thought she could hear something faintly, so she continued into the ruined space.
The smell of decay hit her as she moved further into the room. Not a rotting or deathly smell, more one of dust and mold. The front room had been a work space, the counters, cabinets, and remaining equipment now all broken and shattered. Nanomi did her best to step around any broken glass or noisy debris that littered the floor. A swishing sound was definitely coming from the next room. From the door, Nanomi could see a few bookshelves still standing, all empty. The lighting had been haphazard ever since the path of destruction had been found. Many sconces of Continuous Flame had been knocked down. And with whatever light source the researchers had been using now missing, Nanomi could just barely see.
Not wanting to light a torch, Nanomi thought it worth it to try and detect the presence of a mind causing the sound. She kneeled and said a few words in Tenkan, as quietly as she could, while setting her club and dagger down on the ground. With one hand she reached into a pocket to touch a copper coin, and the other she made a triangular motion with her fingertips. The tentacles hanging from her head began to tingle, with the tips twisting and curling of their own volition. She tried to Detect Thoughts, questing into the next room and the source of the swishing sound.
Confusion. Anxiousness. Searching. Where is it, where is it, where is it? There was an intelligent mind in the other room, but the flavor of it felt wrong. Like no other mind Nanomi had ever touched. Was this the creature? Nanomi thought. It didn’t seem likely that anyone would have stuck around. Nanomi wanted to attempt to reach deeper into the mind. Knowing that this would alert them, she picked back up her club and dagger and stood, ready to defend herself should things go poorly.
She pushed, and the reaction was violent. Nanomi was expelled, forcefully, from the mind of the other. She reeled back, and fell down on one knee, raising a hand to her head that felt like it had been split asunder. The swishing from the other room had momentarily stopped, then something exploded out through the door. A white blur engulfed Nanomi, and then she lost consciousness.