Chapter 134

Small, dark speckled, wood houses with thatched roofs shaped like upturned crescent moons were set in circular groups of fours, sixes, and eights. Each one was individually small, its main entrance letting out to a small courtyard with a circular cooking structure taking up the middle.

Older Dwarves sat in chairs leaning up against their shingled houses, watching children as they played in the courtyard, around the long circular table that ringed the cooking area, broken up in the same manner the houses were arranged.

Meanwhile, both men and women cooked, roasting fish and some strange tusked creature with a long muzzle and blunted teeth, turning it on a spit.

"This is cool," Riley remarked, her head on a swivel. They were moving down a cobblestone lane, the clusters of houses each occupied what would have been a large one or two acre lot on earth, complete with gardens and tenganut ripening in their trees.

To her understanding, tenganut's were brown skinned, but hanging from the trees in bunches of three, revealed bright red, fuzz covered sacks that weighed down their branches with clusters.

A dwarf standing on a ladder hacked a cluster down with a blade similar to a machete, dropping it down to a waiting helper, who held a knife. They then cut into the outer, leathery layer, revealing the brown-skinned prize underneath, setting it into one basket and the outer sack into another, forming two distinct piles.

Her stomach growled with hunger.

"I wonder if they taste better fresh?" Riley pondered.

Tobias chuckled as he tried to keep an eye on all that was going on around him, "You'll have ample time to find out, I'm certain, but first, we need to get to the inn."

"It is my first time here, my friends. Is it the same for you?" Caedmon asked, watching warily but still with a wide-eyed interest.

Hiss-Hiss-Hiss

Riley craned her head. That noise had come from behind her, hadn't it?

Tilting her head revealed nothing there. Dwarves moved merrily about their trees or cooking their food to the sides of her as the city bustled about, with no danger to be seen.

"Did you hear that?" She asked Tobias.

Surreptitiously, he turned around, with a wide smile on his face, as if taking in his surroundings like a tourist, all as his sword hand fell to his belt.

"Hear what?" He replied, a look of growing worry blossoming upon his face.

The noise repeated but in a slightly different pitch.

"And there's another one. You don't hear that? It's loud enough, " Riley wondered.

Tobias' brow creased in concern. "No, but your ears and senses aren't just better. They're magically better."

"Trouble then?" Caedmon asked.

"I'm not sure, but something is here, watching us. It's time for superhero rules," Riley said, sitting up on her hindpaws, scenting the air.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Something like rot drifted faintly on the breeze, but even that was far away.

"Superhero rules?" Caedmon asked as Tobias pinched the skin between his eyes.

"Make sure the civvies are outside the line of fire and limit collateral damage," She recited.

"And what's rule number two?" Caedmon asked, intrigued.

"Always stick the landing," Riley nodded sagely as a look of pure confusion washed across his face.

"If you ask any more, you'll just grow more boggled, trust me. How far until the inn?" Tobias slowly scanned around, joining Riley in her surveillance.

Caedmon unrolled the tiny scroll they had been covertly passed at their last stop, "The end of the lane should open into a marketplace. From there, it should be directly on the other side. Our contact should be waiting there. "

"We should keep moving. We're inviting trouble." Not waiting, Riley began hopping forward, and Tobias moved up beside her.

"Slow down, and pick your path. We don't want to tip our hand, but we should be quick about it. The marketplace is sure to be crowded. It wouldn't be good to fight there." Caedmon said, setting a quick pace.

"Superhero rule number one. You comprehend well, my Padawan learner," Riley said in a faux British accent.

Reaching the entrance of the marketplace, a dull noise grew into a roar, revealing a space packed with hundreds of dwarves and other races, all milling about.

"There's a lot more than dwarves here," Riley remarked, watching a group of humans in brown cloaks go by.

"These islands are a trading hub between our three cultures," Tobias said, moving slowly into the crowd.

"Let's split up here. I'll go left, you two, go right. Whoever gets to the Dancing Kraus first makes contact. Skirt the edge, but melt into the crowd." Caedmon suggested.

"And if we get attacked, we can draw them away from the bystanders in the center. Riley, take point and stay in front of me. I don't want us getting separated," Tobias said, raising his hood.

Riley hopped deftly, weaving and bobbing like a prize fighter to avoid being stepped on, "Way ahead of you."

Crossing a darkened alley, her head turned as something seemed to flicker for half a second.

Hiss-hiss-hiss

"We're being followed. The hissing is back," she reported.

"Then let's make it harder for them," Tobias turned left, heading deeper into the crowd, spotting a group of Dracovani eagerly chatting among themselves.

"Get beside the lizards, keep them to our right. Let me know if anything unusual pops up," Tobias said.

Looking down the lane, Tobias could see the sign proclaiming the Dancing Kraus at the end of it. A black-robed figure hurried by and disappeared, ducking into the squat opening.

"Caedmon's there," He said to Riley.

"He's speedy. I'm keeping my ears perked, but I've not seen anything. While I do all the hard work, why don't you buy some fruit?" Riley half joked, half suggested.

Pursuing a booth, Tobias smiled, "Good idea. They've got all your favorites here and a few new things to try."

"Oh dear, I fear I may grow spoiled with all this travel," Riley replied with fake concern.

Tobias produced a handful of copper coins as if by magic in his hand; next, a number of fruits disappeared into their inventory.

"Anything?" He whispered, making his way casually down towards the inn.

"Nothing yet. We may have lost them in the crowd," For reasons she couldn't fathom, her fur was standing on end. There was a ready tension to her world like an infernal or something worse was just beyond her sight, but aside from the strange hissing, there was nothing to suggest anything was wrong.

The day was sunny and would have been hot, save for a cooling breeze that wafted over the island like the Gods' own air conditioning. People were milling about, and for all she could see, the dwarves seemed a happy and welcoming people, content in their lives.

That honestly put it one up on the Ashenrealm. What was it about humans that they seemed to pursue misery for their fellows? So many acted as if they were drowning, content to pull others down, if only to pull themselves up by inches.

"Misanthropy later, focus, Riley, focus," Tobias critiqued, drafting off her thoughts.

Every sense was craned while the muscles at the base of her ears strained from the exertion she was putting into them, but there was still nothing.

"We're running out of cover. Get ready for a fast run to the inn," Tobias cautioned.

"Thanks," In truth, she hadn't been watching directly in front of her but to her right. That's where the strange tug of wrongness kept coming from, or, at least, she thought that's where it was coming from.

Getting stepped on was a small price to pay, after all, if it kept her from getting her ass shot off.

"Alright, dash!" Tobias urged, breaking out of the crowd in a full run, with Riley bounding forward a few hops ahead.

As they broke into clear lane, she heard it once again.

Hiss-Hiss-Hiss

"Contact!" Riley shouted, the noise running across her soul like nails on a chalkboard.

"By the dead gods, we were almost there," Tobias turned, his black blade appearing in his right hand just as the sky began to darken.