Part 1: Into the Mine
Grim sent the Tempest airship to patrol along the suspected path that the Illuminated’s forces should be taking, with Orders to create whiteouts and high winds to stop or at least slow their advance. After getting a commcrystal confirmation that the Tempest had trapped the advancing Cambion forces in a ridgeline to the north.
With the Illuminated’s Guards now slowed by at least three more days, Grim proceeded to drive up to the mine site. As he approached, he stopped a short distance from the entrance and stuck his head out the window.
Yelling, he called out “Ho there, Anyone about?” Grim was cycling fire and shadow through his body to make a Leyas spike to draw Leyas sight to him.
Jumping down from the Truck, he walked forward toward the entrance and a bit to the side so that the truck would not be in the line of fire from the mine.
Calling out to any one he sees, “Howdy, my name is Allanon Jest. I just arrived in the region, hoping to set up a cartage company. But those rude fucks down at that “McGraw Harbor” seem to think that only Guilders should be allowed to trade here in the Wastes. Plain Snobbery. They be trying to keep any little company from getting a start up here and keep all the profits from themselves. Stingy money grubbing bastards. And that means a lot coming from me. I already got run out of a bunch of places. Them uppity Goblins down south accused me of war profiting and ran me off. Then I had to sneak by them Alien-hating colonial in the ‘lost colonies’, them asses should have stayed lost. And you would not believe how fucking hard it is to outrun them damn sick Uth and their bullshit. Finally get up here to the frontier expecting to find some freedom to make my own way and get Damn Guilders trying to carve the place up and claim all of it.”
“So, who can I talk to about getting some work? I am at my wits end. If’n I don’t find someway to make a ghaz or two, ain’t no way I gonna be able to survive long in this icebox. Damn I thought trying to survive down south when the air itself bursts into flame was bad, but even with my ring to keep the cold out, I can barely feel my toes.”
A white fur Olgog who only seemed tall because Grim was short approached. Grim noticed this white fur had robes made from the fur of other white fur Olgogs, and had a chest piece made of IceWyrm finger bones bound by K’iou hair. Carrying a staff of obvious Khaz gha wood, he approached Grim and made a hand gesture. Grim recognized it as a warning handsign used by the Sea Kings armies. Quickly flashing what he knew to be the reply handsign, the Olgog grinned broadly.
“I am Snowy Touch, and I am honored by my Ikuz as assistant overseer of this mine. You seem like good bastard stock,” said Snowy Touch, as five of his lesser Olgog workers spread out to surround both Snowy Touch and Grim.
At that moment there was a thump from the back of the hovertruck as the rear hatch popped open and a stack of cardboard boxes fell out. The pile was way larger than Grim remembered, but Grim had an inkling somewhere in that pile was Eli McGraw.
Water was already soaking into the cardboard of the boxes, and Grim wondered why someone would use cardboard boxes in a snowy environment. Grim moved to a box clearly labeled truck parts, tapped it to make sure it was real and not some disguise. Sure it actually was truck parts, he began hoisting it up.
“Sorry bout that, Snowy Touch,” Grim said, “The back latch has been broke ever since a trio of bastards tried to steal a ride without paying.”
“Your kind can be sneaky,” agreed the white fur Olgog, “Which brings me to the question, what sort of work can you do? Other than drive Earther vehicles, which is quite an accomplishment.”
Grim noticed out of the corner of his eye, one of the cardboard boxes had begun moving around the left side of the truck. Luckily this kept the obviously moving box out of the olgog’s line of sight.
Grim said, “I can do a bit of this and a bit of that. My real skill is opening new tunnels safely. I can demolition a section of tunnel, open five new mine shafts, while keeping the structural integrity of the rest of the mine. Find an Olgog who can do that and I will leave you be.”
The Olgog’s eyes went wide as he thought of five new shafts to begin expanding the mine deeper. It would obviously impress his boss. As Grim kept the Olgog busy talking price and length of contract, which also showed Grim, this Snowy Touch was way more knowledgeable about EARTHER business practices than a white fur should be.
Snowy Touch and Grim haggled rather extensively (Snowy Touch to get the best deal, and Grim to make Snowy Touch think it was a real negotiation). Grim watched as Eli’s cardboard box took up position near the doorway to the mine.
Then movement caught his eye, as Lurtor stepped from a shadow and grabbed one of Snowy Touch’s workers and pulled him into the shadow. About thirty seconds later, the white fur Olgog reappeared but gave Grim a wink. Grim realized one of these days he would have to talk to Lurtor about the dangers of Doppelganging unknown people, but right now at least they had a guy on the inside.
Finally with a price agreed at half the market value, Snowy Touch turned to his worker.
“You two, head down to the Ikuz and tell her we can finally punch through that warded layer,” Snowy Touch, “Thank you Mr. Jest, this will be a profitable venture for you.”
Luckily it was Lurtor among the gogs picked, and he followed the other white fur worker down into the mine. It was a small mine, and probably could only be worked by those under four feet tall. They walked for what felt like ten minutes in the dark before they reached a wider chamber with a single mine shaft going deeper into the ground. There were currently five Olgogs here, unloading a levitating cart that then would float back down to the lower level for refilling.
Stepping into one of the empty carts, they floated down into the deeper mine. Here in the lower level the ceiling was also only about four feet tall. There were three tunnels, two which were empty but obviously had been mined out.
The third was still active with ten Olgogs mining away with pick axes made from Dragon Bone. To Lurtor it looked like IceWyrm bone. The Olgogs moved in time with the tapping of a single tiny drum.
The drum was held by a voluptous female creature that was completely nude except for a sash made of finest Raiti silk. Her silver-grey skin was smooth, and hairless. In one hand she held the drum which she rotated and it tapped away its tiny beat. In the other, she held a Khaz gha staff that looked like the one held by Snowy Touch. Lurtor knew from the stolen memories that it was Captain Drella.
The Olgog that had come down into the tunnels with Lurtor approached Captain Drella. The Olgog whispered quickly with his eyes averted. Drella stopped tapping the drum, and the workers stopped working and fell to their knees breathing heavily.
She said, “A former tunnel rat? Well that is a strange occurrence. The only Bastards up here are slaves of the IceWyrms or soldiers for the Falsoini.
Unless Bysos Borak was correct when he said colonists were coming from the west enmass. Hmmm.
I could use a good hired tunnel rat.”
“You there,” Drella said while pointing at Lurtor, “You must keep the beat going until I return.”
He noticed she hadn’t even looked at him to command him. Lurtor knew if he said ANYTHING to counter Drella’s statement, she would look at him. His main goal was to make sure she never looked directly at him, so he shuffled forward doing his best slave impression. He kept the other olgogs between him and her, so their auras would hopefully help him hide who he truly was.
His spy training kicked in, and he simply assumed the role of the Olgog according to its memories.