The Land Below our Feet II (Unleashed) COMPLETE

PIERS

Jogru stood on the prow of the majestic ship watching the waves colliding against the sturdy wooden artifact, his thoughts twirling chaotically as he absentmindedly whistled an old, familiar tune.

There were plenty of concerns plaguing his head while he leaned over the boat deck with his eyes fixated on the still foggy outline of the city's nearing piers as their brand-new fleet sailed the raging seas towards Lowland's gate.

The conversation he'd held with Zhengo almost a week ago still echoed in his ears as he considered the ramifications of what it all possibly entailed.

For starters, they now knew that there was an army marching towards Mavaer, which was a worrying enough matter on its own, as war is always an undesired outcome in every case.

But the real alarming issue, and what really rubbed them all in the worst of ways, was the fact that the attacking realm had never even had a single dispute with the defendant party in the past… Before this, both cities had basically ignored each other's existence at the most.

So, naturally, this came as an unexpected surprise… They simply had no motive for such a sudden strike!

What had compelled them to do this just now? It just made no sense at all! It was such an impulsive maneuver as it was a gratuitous one… And it had rendered them all equally in a profound state of bewilderment.

The oldest of the triplets frowned with exasperation at the painful notion of this, pondering how long it would take for the Commander to come back from his trip, and trying to anticipate what the seasoned warrior would do or say about this particularly puzzling situation.

Things would have been a thousand times easier if Ussiariah had just been available for consulting. Jogru had no doubt that, if their brilliant leader had been around, he would have already figured out the extent and reason of this otherwise baffling aggression.

But they couldn't just ask him what to do this time, so Jogru was invaded by hesitation. He hated being put in a position where he could not see all the pieces of the game! Right now, they had more questions than answers and that was never a good thing.

Even when Lowland's gate was not being attacked... at least for the time being, the triplet knew that the strategical geographic position that Mavaer enjoyed made it the perfect target, and the most logical one for someone with expansive ambitions.

And that was why they all should be very attentive to the development of this apparently sudden conflict.

If they had learned anything during the last war, it was that no threat should ever be deemed exclusive to a single kingdom when it came to preserving peace. And if they wanted to keep it the way it was now, then they would have to lend their neighbors a helping hand, and most likely intervene.

That part was undoubtedly settled from the very first moment Zhengo came to them asking for their realm's assistance. Jogru was sure that Ussi would have no objections to that at all.

But the tricky business was determining how many elements they could spare for the cause without leaving their own city under-protected. It was imperative that they found the perfect balance, and for that, he would be needing Greghan´s crucial input.

So, he was thankful that at least the timing had been flawlessly in sync with the completion of their sailing crew's training and the beginning of their merchant expedition. That way he could deliver the fleet to port as per the Commander's instructions and also have a much necessary reunion with the city's council and the heads in charge of pulling the strings while he was in town.

There was another topic that bothered Jogru even harder than the possibility of an abrupt invasion, and that was the claim that some firearms had supposedly been spotted among these unknown people, in such a distant patch of Midland... A place which had never been even remotely close to the last conquering attempt.

It was primordial that they found out as soon as possible how in hell they had learned about the weapons´ existence to begin with, and then… How on earth had they gained access to them in the second place?

After the incident at Nevareh, where Asharae´s troops had stolen the Wetlanders´ rifles, Ussiariah had concluded that the dangers of gun possession were much greater than any benefits that they could possibly offer, and reconsidered his initial decision to arm their people with them.

He had made a pact with all the parties and monarchs involved back then, and they had all agreed that, considering the severe inequity that these dreaded tools represented against their regular weapons, as well as the dilemma it would have put the other realms in when they found themselves at a disadvantage because of this. Their safest course of action was to seize all the existing ones and withdraw them from public access, keeping them hidden until further notice.

And even when they were still manufacturing new batches in case that they needed them in the future… The Commander had made sure to establish the strictest control around their production and storage.

The fire-guns were fabricated in a classified facility by a select group of Arganteans, where the secrets to their correct assembly were carefully guarded.

In order to guarantee precisely that, the warrior had made sure that every worker kept themselves to a very simple and specialized task in the process. The sum of them all allowing the mass-production of the finished devices to be possible, yet preventing anyone from ever possessing the ultimate know-how of their complete construction.

As of today, there were only a handful of people meant to be acquainted with the procedure at full length, and they were all easily traceable.

Their finished gear was stored separately in heavily fortified warehouses and under the care of what was supposed to be the most trustworthy squad.

No one outside these specific circles was supposed to even see a gun up close without proper authorization, much less wield one.

Even Ussiariah himself had limited the carriage of his own rifle to the times he was on the road, and mostly for hunting purposes only. There was no real need for anyone to bear a firearm when no local enemy was supposed to possess one of them in the end.

So, logically, they now had a very legitimate reason to be alarmed.

Because, just as King Ishtun had cleverly observed, if their intel turned out to be true, then they either had a leak, or the enemy had found a supplier. And in both cases, that could only mean bad news.

Immerse as he was in his own tribulations, Jogru had initially failed to notice that they had already arrived at the docks and the sailors were lazily beginning the slow task of unloading the merchandise.

With a heavy sigh, he walked to the gangway decidedly and swiftly descended from the ship. Leaving the men to their chores.

He'd just set foot on land when he was approached by this small, intriguing lady, dressed in familiar armor, who had just left him out of breath for a whole minute as the sound and meaning of the words that she was clearly uttering got inevitably lost in the salty ocean breeze.

-Sir? – Her concerned voice reached his ears at last while he fought to recover his spirits and focus on the extended palm before him, which he clumsily hurried to shake – Did you hear what I just said?

-Y-Yes! Yes, of course! – He rushed to reply, finally managing to offer her a warm smile and tightening his grip around her hand – I am sorry, it's been a long journey… That's all. So, you say you are Greghan´s new lieutenant then?

-That's right - She responded, smirking back at him and making his knees go weak - My name is Teranha, and I'm here to assist you in his absence today.

-Pleasure to meet you Teranha – The young man cheerfully greeted her, his head tilting curiously to the side, his eyebrow arching – Where is the Captain, though? I really need to talk to him.

-He is dealing with some pressing matters concerning the troops, I am afraid – The woman simply informed him, stretching her arm forward and pointing the way to the city gates – He will join us shortly as soon as he is done with that, but for now… I'm sure I can handle most of your immediate requirements in the meanwhile.

-Good – Jogru agreed, nodding at her and following her lead –Let us begin then. Because, as you will soon see, we just got caught in the middle of a very delicate situation, and there is a lot of work I'm going to need your help with. So, we have no time to lose.