Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

In a narrow alley between two closed merchant shops, Holli and Ryson reviewed the immediate area with a mind toward remaining out of sight.

"Not many people on the streets at night," Holli observed, "but enough for us to avoid attention."

Ryson agreed. Scattered groups of humans marched somewhat hurriedly down the avenues. Most turned into inns and taverns, while others just moved through the gloom until they turned some corner and continued forward out of sight.

Holli made no immediate move to step out of the alley. She watched those that passed intently and tried to ascertain the overall sense of those that lived within Huntston. She noted that most kept their heads down and their eyes forward. They did not seek attention, nor did they care to closely examine their surroundings. They moved onward with focused determination.

The elf then looked up and down the streets trying to locate any of the goblins that entered the town. She could not find a single one, and the magical flow continued to disrupt her senses. She believed she caught remote vibrations, but it was like smelling smoke from a very distant chimney. She turned to the delver with a request for his unique abilities.

"Without venturing out into the streets, can you detect any signs of the goblins nearby?"

Ryson concentrated on everything he could see, hear, and smell. He revealed what he sensed as he focused on catching any lingering indications of the dark creatures' presence.

"They're definitely in town, but we already know that. I can catch faint scents of their trails, but they're not nearby. I can tell you this; they've been in this town for a while, at least it smells that way. It's kind of like the scent is beaten into the ground. The thing is, it's not real strong. I don't think they hang around in this area, or even in the streets. I can't see them anywhere, and I can't even hear them. Still, it's like…" He paused for long moments trying to find the words to explain what he sensed. "It's not like they're hiding, but they're not out in the open. Maybe they're all holed up in some tavern."

"A large group… all in one tavern?" Holli offered. "I would think you would hear them. Even if they were across town."

Thinking about how drunken goblins would act if dozens had gathered in a single establishment, Ryson realized the night was much too quiet for such a possibility.

"Yeah, I probably would, but I don't. I really don't know where they might be, but they're not out in the open, and they're not close by."

Holli frowned. She did not like any of the information they were discovering.

"We have to be careful," she finally said. "This feels beyond strange. Obviously, something is very wrong here. Goblins enter the town, and then disappear. The humans allow them to enter, and do nothing to guard themselves against the incursion."

"So what do we do now?"

"Let us walk these streets and alleys with a careful eye. We will walk as the other residents. We will seem as if we have a certain destination and move with little delay. We will mask our attention to details as we travel, but we will both watch for indications of what is really going on here."

Ryson agreed and followed Holli out of the alley. He let her set the direction and pace and he did everything in his power to appear detached from his surroundings, but nothing could have been further from the truth.

He soaked in everything around him with all of his senses. In mere moments, he was flooded with tension. Holli was right, something was very wrong in Huntston and the delver could sense it with every fiber of his being.

The people that moved past him did so with both fatigue and suspicion, not focused directly upon him or his elf companion, but at every dark corner. They did not appear to shrink from some perceived physical presence lurking in the shadows, but rather an undefined terror that could drift out of any concealed gloom, as if madness would take hold of them if they allowed their guard to fall. It was like they expected disaster at every turn and their constant alarm exhausted them.

Beyond the anxiety that seemed to smother each human inhabitant of the town, Ryson continued to sense the faint traces of dark creatures. It was almost as if every road led to a pack of goblins waiting behind some lonely corner, yet they never encountered a single creature.

Both Holli and Ryson peered into many inns and taverns, but they never entered any of the establishments. Holli slowed the pace sufficiently to allow for brief glances through windows, but then pressed forward as if stopping would be a mistake.

Their glimpses into each tavern and pub yielded little more information than they gained on the streets. The patrons appeared tense, almost frustrated, as if they hoped a glass of wine or mug of ale would alleviate their concerns, but found only failure in the attempt. There was little talk and absolutely no cheer. Depression had set into Huntston.

"Pretty bleak," Ryson whispered.

"Indeed."

"No wonder they're leaving the valleys. I wouldn't stay here, either."

"But some are choosing to stay."

"Maybe they can't leave."

Holli considered the assertion.

"Do you think that is why dark creatures watch the passes out of the valley?"

"Maybe."

"But then why are so many allowed to leave at Pride Gap? Humans have been crossing the plains in droves and many have entered Connel. Why were they allowed to leave and others not?"

It was an inconsistency Ryson could not explain and he just shrugged.

"Have you sensed anything more in the magic?" the delver asked.

"The anomaly in the energy remains. It bends into the town, but it is quickly released. I cannot pinpoint an exact location or focal point of the disturbance. It is as if the magic is being drawn into the entire town as opposed to one specific area, and then it is disbursed back into the air."

"This all just keeps getting stranger and stranger," Ryson admitted. "I still can't pinpoint the goblins, either. I know they're around. I just couldn't begin to tell you where."

They turned a corner and Ryson immediately sensed a wave of danger flush through his senses.

"Something's wrong," he whispered, but in a harsh tone.

"I hear it as well," Holli acknowledged.

Ryson looked down at markings on the road and then down several alleys. He then looked up to the rooftops of several stores and warehouses.

"We're being surrounded."

"So much for remaining inconspicuous," the elf acknowledged. She quickly gauged her surroundings. Although she lacked the keen senses of a delver, she was still a trained elf guard and she knew how to assess danger. As she reviewed the events that brought them there, their current circumstances, and the options before her, even more questions developed in her mind. What she was lacking was answers, and it began to irritate her.

Ryson had placed his attention on the more immediate problem. He knew several guards were taking positions all around them. He focused on finding an escape route.

"I think we should…"

Holli cut him off before he could complete his suggestion. She knew he was planning to make a dash forward or a sudden retreat, but she had another alternative in mind.

"No, we will let them take us," she said with more than a simple hint of determination.

"Are you sure?"

"We need information."

"But do we want to be captured?"

"Yes, I think we do."

"Are you sure you don't want to get out of here?" Ryson whispered, as he and Holli stood still upon the streets of Huntston.

"I am sure. We need information. They can provide it to us… if we approach this properly."

"I don't know about this. They're pretty sloppy for town guards. I see a lot of ways that we can escape without really trying."