Warp Token Update

2k words

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“Ah, almost forgot about that,” Roderick said, glancing down at her. “The gates will be guarded, and if word has reached Portomaggoire about the Skaven invasion, which it likely has, they’ll be inspecting anyone who comes through. Assuming the city’s still open to visitors of course. You might be able to pass off as a dwarf –  keyword being might –  as long as you don’t speak, and we find something to cover you up.”

“Cloak covers Skaven just fine-fine!” she replied, pulling her hood over her face to demonstrate, the leaves tied to it rustling with the movement.

“Yes, except wearing a camouflaged cloak isn’t exactly in line with dwarven fashion, and won’t blend in well inside the walls. Smuggling you through the gate won’t be an easy feet.”

“Still have long time to get to city,” Skyseeker pointed out, snickering under her breath. “Will come up with clever ruse soon!”

They weaved through the fields, the city entering and leaving view as the bumpy hills obstructed her vision. The hours of walking seemed to blend together for Skyseeker, but at one particular crest of a hill, she was able to see stretches of blue water surrounding the city wall to each side, the water reflecting off the lowering sun. Unlike the rivers of water back in the marshes, the liquid here was mostly clear, its surface textured with breaker waves that flowed from left to right in mesmerising patterns. She couldn’t wait to take a closer look at it.

As their shadows began to shorten, then extend from behind their feet, they came across a feature in the ground, recognition flashing in her eyes. Another road cut a swath of cobblestones through the uneven terrain, the paved rocks trailing away in a crooked line, their destination obvious enough. It looked less abused than the one they’d seen in the dense forest, almost maintained. That meant man-things were active in this area.

“While walking on an actual road for once would be nice,” Roderick began. “every step closer to the city increases our chances of running across someone. Let’s keep our distance for now.”

Skyseeker agreed, the two keeping the road a short distance to their right as they approached the city. Clumps of forest began to obscure the base of the wall, Skyseeker just able to pick out the turrets through the gaps in the canopy. The sun was well on its way to the horizon by this point, the sky painted a harsh gold in its wake. Before long, the sun arched below the wall, its heat slowly going absent, leaving Skyseeker cold and not a little bit apprehensive about their next move.

Skyseeker’s ears swivelled towards the city, the sounds of hushed conversations soon reaching her attentive hearing range, her glands bleeding a hint of fear-musk. How many man-things called this city home? If it was even a fraction of the size of Skavenblight, there could be tens of thousands of them behind those walls. Killing all them would be very difficult, even for her prestigious self.

Roderick heard the noises too – a few sluggish minutes later of course – gesturing for her to stop.

“Good sign,” he whispered, inching through the woods more carefully now. “If the gates were closed, we wouldn’t hear a sound. Not at this hour.”

Keeping low to the ground, she followed him, creeping forward with a paw always hovering inches above a weeping blade. They soon came upon the edge of the woodland, the undergrowth forming a natural barrier of trees. She poked her head between two trunks, spotting the road just a few feet out in front of her. She followed the gentle curve of the pavement with her eyes, her muzzle trailing to the left, Skyseeker blinking as she took in a strange sight.

Only a short knife-throwing distance away was the foot of the wall, so unimaginably larger now that she was up close. It rose into the air like a sheer cliff face, ade up from hundreds of individual weathered stones, each one so large even a rat ogre would have trouble lifting one. Its slate-grey surface was smooth, but only just, the little gaps where the stones didn’t quite sit flush together drawing her eye. They made for obvious weaknesses for a skilled climber, but it was an impressive construct all the same.

Her gaze lowered, towards the wall’s solitary feature. The road wound its way up to a gate, the opening shaped like the man-thing letter V, but upside down. The opening tunnelled like a burrow into the thick wall, straight out onto the other side. The top of its arch was lined with rows of metal teeth four or five layers deep, the contraptions sitting into grooves in the ceiling. She had seen enough man-thing architecture back in Skavenblight to know those teeth were part of things called portcullises, which were barriers slotted neatly into grooves above the gate when not in use, beyond anyone’s sight.

Standing guard of said gate were a group of man-things dressed in wargear, six in all, halberds pointed to the sky as they stood in a defensive line. They peered out from behind their helmets at an approaching wagon, the contraption pulled along by a four-legged-thing, or a horse as Roderick called it. The driver yanked on the horse’s reigns, the wooden wheels of the vehicle rolling to a stop. One of the guards began to speak with him, but their drawling speech was drowned out, not just by distance, but by even more man-things.

Groups of them milled about the gate, some leaving – using another branching road that curved along the wall to the right and out of sight – most moving towards the city interior. A lot of them were dressed in colourless cloth outfits sporting minimum protection, suggesting they were slaves of some sort, while a few others looked like they meant business, garbed in protective leathers and even a few plated pieces like Roderick’s armour, swords and axes winging from their belts.

“Eeek! So many man-things!” Skyseeker hissed, her fear-musk filling the air. She ducked into cover, certain that she would be discovered if she exposed herself for a second longer.

“It’s a city, lass, what did you expect?” Roderic asked, peering through the shrubs to her side, chewing his lip in thought. “Looks like they’re inspecting everyone who enters. Not good.”

“Any other gate-things?” she asked.

“Certainly, but they’ll be just as guarded as this one. Hmm. Perhaps we can stop the next wagon, hide you along with the cargo or something.”

“That sound like great plan… NOT!” she added. “This why man-things always losing, not know how to plan like Skaven plans!”

“If you have any suggestions, then let’s hear them.”

“When Skaven wants to make infiltration, simple plans often best ones!” She jabbed a claw up at the wall. “Look, plenty of holdhands for paws. Man-thing guards only watching road, not wall. Won’t see me!”

“You… want to climb a couple hundred feet of wall?”

“Rick-rod sounds doubtful. Should see Skavenblight caverns, rocks go for thousands of feet! Some are even this big” She spread her paws out as wide as possible to illustrate their size. “Stupid wall is nothing!”

“You did climb that tree fairly well, so I suppose I’ll take your word for it,” he replied. “There’ll be watchmen up on the battlements, mind you. They won’t be excepting a lone Skaven to climb up to their posts so brazenly, but still…”

She could sense his apprehension, insulting him mentally for being so idiotic. “If man-things get in my way, it’s kill-stabbing time!” she declared, producing a weeping blade and twirling it through her fingers, its glow bathing them in green light.

“Sky!” Roderick gasped. “Let’s make one thing very clear. While we’re in this city, killing is the last possible resort for either of us.”

“Aww, Rick-rod! How come?”

“These men are just doing their duty,” he explained, wagging a chiding finger at her. “They’re different from the men you’ve faced out in the country, lass. These are keepers of the peace, not soldiers of war.”

“… What about just one tiny little stab?”

“Absolutely not! Murdering is out of the question, unless you have literally no other choice. Understand?”

“You’re no fun,” she sighed, sheathing her blade, Roderick flashing her a stern look. “Fine-fine! Won’t stab man-things, but no promises!”

“Oh yes there will be. I want your word that you’ll do as I ask, Skyseeker. We’re here to use the city to leapfrog us to the desert, not to murder the town guard. My conscience is burdened enough, I can’t have you adding to it.”

She blinked in confusion, wondering how he could ration her killing to becoming his fault, but then she remembered she wouldn’t be anywhere near this city if not for Roderick’s input to the plan. He waited patiently for her answer, his expression unwavering. He was a determined individual, if nothing else.

“Urgh, very good-well,” she relented, lifting her goggles and looking him in the eye. It was a small gesture, but she had a feeling he would appreciate her candor. “Take word. Have all the words, like this one, and this one!”

“Thank you,” Roderick replied, relaxing a little. “Now that we’ve sorted that out, it’s time to go. We’re losing daylight.”

“How will Rick-rod get inside?” she asked. “Climb like Skaven?”

“Nothing so elaborate,” he answered. “I’ll try my luck with the front door first.”

“And if man-thing guards get suspicious?” she pressed. She tried to mask her concern, keeping her eyes locked on the top of the wall.

“Attacking someone in clear view of the gate isn’t a good look for the guard, you needn’t worry,” he replied. Damn Roderick and his keen eyesight, could she hide nothing from him? “Get climbing, lass,” he added. “Meet you on the other side.”

He flashed her a grin, stepping brazenly through the foliage and onto the road, starting off towards the gate. She could almost see the confidence he was radiating, how did he do it? If their positions were reversed, and she were the one to walk through the gate in plain sight, her glands would shrink to the size of walnuts from how much fear-musk she’d spray. He must have a devious plan indeed. What she wouldn’t give for the chance to pick his thoughts apart…

She realised her glands were in fact spraying, but it wasn’t the acrid stench of fear-musk leaking out, but one that was much sweeter, one that only a Skaven breeder was capable of creating.

“G-Gotta scurry!” she stammered, hurrying off towards the city. “Wall won’t climb itself!”

-xXx-

Roderick watched the rat woman leave, her pink tail vanishing into the undergrowth on his left. He worried what might happen should she be discovered during her climb, but right now he had his own problems to deal with, Roderick turning his attention to the main gate.

The wagon that had been pulled aside seemed to have been given the all clear, the guards parting to let the horse trot through. A line of people had formed behind it, Roderick walking over to join the queue, standing behind a pair of older gentlemen garbed in overalls. They looked like farmers, probably from one of Portomoggoire’s outer settlements he’d spotted on his approach to the city.

As the line moved up, he turned his eyes towards the wall, searching for his companion. He spotted the Skaven after a moment, Skyseeker bounding up the great stones one leap at a time, her heavy panting carrying on the wind. Her custom-made cloak gave her the appearance of a jumping shrub, Roderick grinning in amusement as she crossed the halfway mark.

His smirk faltered as she paused in her climb to wipe her brow dramatically, Roderick silently urging the rat woman to hurry it up. To say she stuck out like a sore thumb would be an understatement, but if anyone could pull of a successful infiltration wearing a cloak like that, it would be Skyseeker.

“I said step forward, sir.”

Roderick snapped out of his stupor, his gaze falling onto the speaker, one the gate guards beckoning to him. The man wore a thick leather gambeson, the material stretching down to his wrists and knees like a tunic, his legs covered in a sheet of mail. Over this he wore a white and blue surcoat, the Tilean coat of arms – a pair of crossed swords – etched into the front. His appearance screamed militiaman, as did the rest of the entourage flanking him.

“Name?” the guard asked. He sounded rather bored, and not a little bit tired too.

“I am… Riccardo,” Roderick replied, hoping his Tilean accent didn’t sound too forced. “Mercenary.”

“Didn’t ask your occupation,” the guard scoffed. “Pass?”

“What?”

“Need to see your pass,” he explained, lifting a hand and probing the inside of his ear. “Orders are in times of war all citizens are required to carry a pass. Helps verify identity and reduces the risk of foreign intrusion.”

“Do I look like a spy to you?”

“You look like trouble,” the guard replied flatly. “If you’ve no pass, ask for a form at the town hall.”

“So I need to get inside to get a pass, and I can’t get in without a pass. How’s that make sense?”

“I’m a guard, sir, I don’t make sense of orders, I just carry them out.”

Roderick silently cursed, seeing that this approach was leading nowhere. Time for plan B…

“I come in the name of my liege,” Roderick said. “Mazzili, master of the Regiment of Renown of the same name. I’m here to recruit good men for the cause up north, where we fight for the province of Olesi, battling vicious tides of countless Skaven.”

A couple of the other guardsman exchanged glances. Perhaps they’d been told the Skaven hadn’t reached this far south yet, or perhaps word of Mazzili’s fate had reached their ears and Roderick had just screwed himself. He’d been hesitant to drop his former Commander’s name, but of his limited options, this was his next best shot in.  

“I’d call your bluff,” the guard began. “but I see you wear one of the rat’s weapons on your belt. Odd sight, that. Still,” the man added, looking Roderick up and down. “Surely your liege would have had the foresight to send you with a pass in your possession, if he really did ask you to walk all this way to our fair city.”

Damn it, he’d hoped his former liege’s name carried enough weight this far south. He didn’t have time for this, neither did Skyseeker’s for that matter. If she got caught in that city, and he wasn’t there to help...

“My liege has foresight in droves,” Roderick began. “But perhaps allthe pressure from the battles caused it to slip his mind. He did, however, entrust me with a fair share of booty, courtesy of the paymaster. Helps to swindle potential recruits in, you see? Say, how much do you earn every hour you stand around watching that gate?”

The man’s left brow experienced a twitch. He hadn’t immediately dismissed him, that was a good sign.

“A poultry sum, I’d imagine,” Roderick continued, reaching for his pack. He produced a handful of gold coins, making sure only the lead guard could see, the little tokens glinting in the setting sun. “You could earn a proper mercenaries wage, and you wouldn’t even have to raise a sword. For just one minute of your time, I’ll pay you for a dozen hours’ worth of gold. We have a deal? Or should I go visit one of the other gates?”

Roderick knew the man’s answer even before he’d even said it, the guard’s eyes lighting up as Roderick extended his hand. The man let his halberd rest against his side, using the other to swipe the coins, sliding them into the inside of his surcoat. “On your way then, mercenary. Have a nice evening.”