B2 Chapter 202: Infiltration, pt. 2

Watching the boggarts and larger bugbears loiter outside of what must have been their dwelling, a heavy ball curdled in his stomach. A shaman. That was…not great.

Ianmus had been more than happy to expand on the specifics of boggarts on their journey out of Deadacre. Apparently, beyond a certain group size, boggarts started changing. At first they just got bolder, more headstrong, and meaner.

Soon though, more dangerous figures would appear in their tribes as stronger variants of whatever equivalent they had to classes became available. Assassins and scouts, deft fighters and accurate rangers, and more. The true tipping point was when a warchief appeared—that was when they could officially be called a plague.

If they weren’t curbed quickly, it only got worse. Sometimes, very rarely, an undiscovered boggart nest would progress to the point where smart ones started appearing. It was a basal, crude, intelligence—one that was still just as hungry and warmongering—but it was lethally dangerous. Shamans. The spiritual backbone of a plague, casting foul magics through instinctive will and sorcery.

Normally…it took significant time. Boggarts bred and aged quickly, but it still took a few years for the new generation to develop these classes. Either this nest had gone undiscovered for some time, or—a far worse option—the rising mana was increasing the base-level of their development.

The crude runes on the bugbears hide armour could only have come from a shaman. A well developed one too—maybe more than one if they were unlucky. The plague was reaching maturity. As soon as they had drained their surroundings dry of nourishment, they would spill free—most likely onto the plains, where food was clearly visible from the hill tops.

He needed to share this with his team. Between that and the appearance of bugbears, they might need to change their tack.

Crouched by the boulder, he waited for the raiding party to enter.

The reply to their call came quickly—and faintly. Whatever had heard their call was deep. With their welcome secure, the bugbears took the lead. Hurrying to a hidden nook—frustratingly obscured by a lip in the cave wall—the leader passed out torches.

Reaching down to its waist, it pulled out some sort of bone charm. An effigy of sorts, one marked by similar runes to the ones on its armour. Cupping the crude artefact tightly, the bugbear lifted it to his torch as its jutting brow furrowed in concentration.

The torch burst into flame.

The boggarts moved quickly after that, the leader lighting torches before they set off into the cave in a disturbing show of discipline.

Not daring to rise from his crouch, Kaius planted his hands on the ground and slowly made his way down from the ridge. Once far enough that there was little risk of being spotted by a scout, he rose to his full height and set off at a jog towards his waiting teammates.

He’d left them a hundred strides down the steep slope’s surface, nestled in a small alcove between three jutting rocks—one of which held the familiar sign of a glowing circle of runes on its exterior face. A portal to the Depths, one of the many they’d seen on their journey. Analysing it had revealed it was an entrance to the third layer—common enough, and not worth reporting to the guild.

They’d still kept well clear of it, they were on a time limit, after all.

It was a surprisingly good hiding spot. Even knowing where they were, it was impossible to spot them from where he stood. Only a narrow passage between the stones on the right-hand side of the cluster would allow a view into its admittedly cramped confines.

“—and the water! Oh, you must see the ocean sometime, Porkchop. I promise it is truly as endless as I say. Large enough that the Arboreal Sea’s endless reaches were named after it.” he overheard Ianmus whisper to his brother.

Porkchop snorted, but without directing attention towards him, Kaius missed his actual reply. Even their bond required intention to speak through, after all.

“I’m serious! The name for the water came first, and yes, I promise it is actually salty. That’s not just some joke we tell land-locked folks.” Ianmus insisted.

Kaius shook his head, a wry smile on his face as he walked around the grouped boulders. While he wasn’t quite as skeptical as Porkchop, he could understand the incredulity. It was hard to imagine an endless stretch of nothing but water spanning from horizon to horizon.

Where did it all even come from?

He entered their hide away, both of his companions snapping up to meet his eyes.

“Kaius! Ianmus was just telling me about the water around his city! I don’t know if I believe him how much there is though—surely it can’t rain that much?” Porkchop said, greeting him enthusiastically.

Kaius stepped closer, scratching his brother behind the ears. “It’s the truth, though one I’ve never gotten to see for myself. I don’t quite understand how it’s so big or salty either.”

“I’ll have to take the two of you to see it some time, then. Either at Mystral, or Port Yorr on the east coast—it’s a large city-state on the other side of the dukedoms, one I’ve been meaning to visit. It’s supposed to be rather beautiful.” Ianmus said, smiling at the idea. Kaius understood. In the rare few occasions he’d gotten to see someone on their first visit to Three Fields, the singular look of awe that they gave the Arboreal Sea was a memorable sight.

Pleasant, in the way that it reminded you of the fantastical nature of something that had become mundane through simple time and proximity.

“Still, that’s for the future—Kaius, did you manage to spot any further tracks for us to follow?” Ianmus continued, switching his attention to their task.

The casual candor and easy atmosphere vanished, replaced by a tempered focus that focused the mind. He nodded. “More than that, I’m pretty sure we’ve found their den. One of them, at least.”

Porkchop looked at him sharply. “You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” Kaius replied, taking a seat on the loose earth. “There’s a cave on the far valley wall, a big one—and deep too. Whole place is littered with signs, and I managed to catch a raiding party entering. I’m surprised you didn’t hear the leader’s call.”

“Wait, that was a boggart? We thought it was a mountain goat.” Ianmus frowned.

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Kaius nodded.

As soon as he did, Porkchop was rising to his feet, shaking off the trail dust that had coated his belly. “What are we waiting for, then? Let’s go get this done.”

“Woah,” Kaius held up his hand, getting Porkchop to halt before they could leave their hideaway. “There’s more.”

Porkchop groaned, but returned to sitting all the same.

Ianmus huffed, leaning back as he stared at the blue sky above. “There’s always bloody more.” he muttered to himself.

Kaius chuffed at that. It was hard to disagree. They did seem to have a tendency to find themselves in situations where the dangers and stakes were higher than expected.

“That there is, friend.” he smiled ruefully. “They have a shaman, an established one, maybe more. The raiding party had crude runes impressed into their hide armour. Worse, there were bugbears.”