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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 5-3, A Call to Arms

Roland grew up in Vallara, and, as such, considered himself to be above most of the petty concerns having to do with dirt and grime most Newporters suffered. Despite coming from a comfortably well-off trade family, the Wolf-Husky had learned from his naturalistic mother the joy of feeling bare earth beneath his toes and the sensation of running his paws through a pile of freshly tilled dirt. Regardless of his appreciation for what some referred to as the 'filth of nature', there was nothing natural about the Newport Sewers.

Aside from the eye-watering, nose-numbing stench of the subterranean tunnels, the air had an actual TASTE to it... and it was something Roland fondly wished he would never have to experience again... and that was saying a lot for a man whose mother once gave him Yellow Marshroot to bring down a particularly bad fever. He never thought he'd find something that tasted worse but, then again, he never anticipated traveling through a city worth of excrement. The fact that the tunnels were oddly warm and incredibly humid left him wondering if his personal scent wouldn't be scarred for life. Regardless, he pushed on.

The dark catacombs of tunnels were said to spider web their way throughout the entirety of the city; northern tunnels terminated in an uphill slope to solid rock; to the south they eventually emptied into the sea; to the west they dumped into the Holst River; the east was the direction they needed. The sewer tunnels themselves were smooth hewn and tiled with what Roland took to be some kind of finished clay bricks but it was hard to tell due to the limited light. Light, of course, was something of a sore spot for the trip.

Despite there being nine members in their party, their guide, a human named Henry Evans insisted that they have no more than two tech torches among them. Aside from the fact that the directional lights were on the more expensive side, Mr. Evans had stated quite clearly 'it was for the group's safety'... whatever that was supposed to mean. Roland didn't usually consider himself much of an objectionist (excluding anything having to do with his father's point of view), but, in the short time the scholar had known the Human he couldn't help but start comparing the grimy man's oppressive ways to his aggressively in-control sire's heavy-handed parenting.

Though much of their travel through the tunnels Henry spoke in quiet tones with Alarice and Inigo. He'd reinforced time and time again the importance of keeping any discussions muted because sounds carried very well through the tunnels and, as he put it, "Decent folk'll start questionin' if their privies start talkin'. No need t'alert th'guards, am I right?"

So it was that the group trudged along in the near blackness; Henry himself held one torch while Wiesen, who was half-way back in the party had the other. For Roland, who was at the very rear along with Joshew, it meant that he barely had any light by which to navigate, forced instead to follow after the party and hope he wasn't stepping in something foul... which, unfortunately, happened far too often for his liking.

Despite his frustration with the low amount of light he did, regardless, have to admit that it was better than nothing. Unfortunately for him, there were certain times when 'nothing' was exactly what they had. At intermittent intervals, their guide would turn off his torch and direct Weisen to do the same. According to Henry there were numerous intersections where the light level in the sewers could be monitored, and they would, at that point be required to link up and follow the rest of the group by feel alone. Without a doubt, those times were the worst.

Unable to tell exactly who was in front of him, Roland traded off holding Alvis' paw and Brother Jessen's paw. The Coyote had stowed his gauntlets and greaves for the trip through the sewer so in either case the Wolf-Husky grabbed hold of bare paw, making it harder to tell who it was leading him. Joshew, however, was always the recipient of his other one.

The blind Human remained at the back of the party and, as anticipated, seemed to have no greater trouble in the dark tunnel than he had at any other time. Roland continued to offer him warnings whenever he encountered an uneven part of pathway, but Joshew continued to rebuke him, pointing out that he could handle himself and that Roland should worry about watching what was ahead of him and not worry about the Human.

Sometime, after what felt like they'd been traveling an hour with lights off, Joshew almost took a spill off the walkway and into the veritable river of sludge to their right, and it was only Roland's strong grip on his hand that kept the Human from taking said plunge. That one time, and that time alone, Joshew offered up a very rare "Thanks."

It would have meant more to Roland if Henry hadn't ruined the moment by inserting an excessively abrasive, "SSSSSHHH!"

Particularly in ill humor, Roland gave a soft squeeze on the paw ahead of him to get the next person in line's attention, followed by a "Psst!"

The owner of said paw stopped and Roland caught the distinct scent of cinnamon and cloves; even through the horrific stench of the sewers the ever-present aroma of censor still somehow managed to identify Brother Jessen. The scholar leaned forward to the Coyote, whispering, "Pass this on: If we could use some light we wouldn't be making as much noise."

The booming reverberation of Henry's full-powered voice echoed through the tunnels like the sound of a musket, "No need. We're almost there."

Only at that moment did Roland realize just what the Human had meant by the ability for words to carry in the sewers. A few seconds later, as they turned a corner in the tunnels, Roland finally caught sight of daylight up ahead. Several murmurs of relief flooded the area; the Husky-Wolf's was one of the first among them.

* * * * * *

The sewers of Newport... Jessen had once called them home, but that was practically a lifetime ago. Growing up on the streets of Newport had not been easy and sometimes survival depended on going places others wouldn't. The Coyote would have sighed, if not for the fact that the group was still surrounded by the fetid stench of a city worth of effluence. Instead, he simply shook his head, admiring God's plan in how everything somehow always seemed to come full circle. As the party emerged from the tunnel into the light beyond, that feeling only grew.

The sewers terminated at a metal grate that Henry was holding open for the party. From there it was a four or five foot drop into what appeared to be a drainage ditch. The ditch was made of a rise in the ground from which the sewer exited on one side, and the other side was a large, six foot tall earthen berm. Jessen knew well that the ditch would be used to control overflow sewage during rains and he thanked God that the weather had been recently dry. Since rain was normal that time of year, that much good fortune was a show of God's kindness.

Life had not been as kind to Jessen for most of his years, but emerging into the clean, sweet air and warm sunlight was not unlike what he had felt when he was saved by the Church. There was a freedom and liberation involved with stepping out of the darkness-- both literally and metaphorically. The drop down onto the ditch wasn't difficult, and it felt reaffirming when his feet touched the ground.

The Coyote took a deep breath, glancing around with a smile on his muzzle when he realized for the first time in many days that, regardless of the shadows that might fall, given enough steps, it was always possible to emerge from them. His positive musings were cut short, however, by a very direct order. Henry pointed up at the sewer exit back the way they came, "Carriage comin'-- back inta th' sewers!"

Despite the fact that several members of the group looked ready to object, if not out-and-out mutiny, they ultimately obliged when the sound of a large wagon drew nearer. Henry held the grate open as everyone climbed up into the foul passage. Jessen assisted his companion Alvis back into the tunnel after Weisen and Sada, and was followed by Roland and Joshew. Alarice and Inigo joined them a moment later.

The Human climbed in last, closing the metal bars quietly, motioning everyone further back so there was enough room for him to return to the shadows. He remained where he was, peering through the grate as the carriage stopped just above the embankment that housed the ditch into which the sewer opened. Motioning Alarice forward, the two spoke in a whisper. The woman eventually straightened up from her crouch, "Good. That's our ride."

Alvis was the first to object when he looked at the transport, "That doesn't look anything like the carriages we took in town."

The Human woman smiled in response, hopping down from the drainage tunnel, "If course it doesn't-- and that is precisely the point."

Joshew grunted an affirmative as he and Roland jumped down into the ground below the tunnel, "Can't argue with that logic."

Jessen helped Alvis down while Weisen scooped Sada up in his arms and simply leapt from the exit and landed half-way up the earthen berm on the other side of the ditch. Right behind the Coyote, Henry Evans clung to the edge of the tunnel so he could close the grate before likewise jumping to the ground. Those in the ditch followed Alarice and Inigo up the incline while Weisen and Sada waited at the top.

The carriage, as it turned out, was much larger than any of the individual ones they had taken in town. Jessen had never traveled outside of Newport, but he recognized the build of a long distance country transport. The big carriage was nearly as wide as an alleyway and twice as long as a standard city wagon. It was built stoutly and had a series of springs attached to the wheels to provide a greater amount of comfort for passengers as they traveled the uneven roads that connected cities through the wilderness. One of the greatest differences the Coyote noticed, however, was that the vehicle was drawn by animals rather than automation.

Alvis must have been thinking something similar, "Most of the carriages in town were steam powered... why aren't these?"

Alarice opened the carriage door, "Three reasons. First, steam exhaust can be seen from farther away. Second, we're making a long trip where there won't be any service for a steam carriage if something goes wrong. Third, Vallara doesn't have many steam carriages and we don't want to create issues with the locals."

Weisen nodded, "Three perfectly valid reasons, my lady."

Sada shot the Dragon a look, "Except, unless I'm mistaken, you could probably fix a steam carriage."

The Dragon shrugged, "Still two perfectly valid reasons, Ms. De'ahm."

With little else to be said, the group climbed aboard the large transport. Numerous murmurs, whistles, and exclamations of surprise created a chorus of appreciation when everyone discovered that the large carriage had four separate compartments. Not only that but each compartment also had, thank God, a change of clothes. Relief swept across the group as everyone paired up two to a cabin and Henry, the odd-man out, climbed up to the driver's bench. Jessen did not miss the fact that the Human didn't bother with a change of clothes-- nor did he even seem to mind.

He pushed the thought out of his head, however, as Alvis offered to share his compartment with the Coyote. Jessen smiled at the light reddening of the scholar's ears and nodded his head, feeling the warmth in his own as he did doubtlessly the same, "Of course. I would be happy to, my friend."