FH: Orange Alert

[Jim Roberts]

[Feb 5 AM – The Waterworks]

> And a floor mounted valve, a near twin to the one that Laquendi had
> operated to gain access to this room of bridges, lay before them,
> along with a sealed metal door.
>
> Making good on her standing offer, Laquendi, after a quick examination
> of the valve, gave its wheel a careful spin. As with the previous two
> door valves, the adjacent door slid open with a metallic screech. The
> way to the Northeast Passage was open.

Again, Finfin led the way, with Abbot Kenobi forming a rearguard, as
they carefully continued deeper into the Waterworks. Now they were no
longer in the “near” spaces by the Upwinders’ HQ, the tension rose.
Here, they were more likely to be beset by the patrol devouring wraiths,
the “hundred marching feet”, or whatever other Nastie the Upwinder
scouts had warned might be out here.

But just now, the greatest menace seemed to be the risk of chest
infection from the rising damp, carrying along who knew what additional
menace from the swamp above. Or, of course, the perpetual risk of rust
to the Abbot’s fine armor. Stagnant pools were everywhere, usually
constrained into side drains or catch basins, but sometimes overflowing
out onto the floor, and the occasional waterfall into a cistern marked
their progress.

Rather more concerning were the continuing plethora of little side nooks
and crannies, and the not infrequent little side passages. None extended
more than a dozen feet or more, often containing ominous looking pools
of filth… but all suggested sources of menace that had to be at least
cursorily checked.

About the time that they were expecting their path to soon curve away
northward, Lomi raised her hand in a universal symbol to “halt”. The
scout was not in the lead, so it took a few moments for the command to
propagate forward to the melee line ahead, but soon afterwards, everyone
was standing still, looking curiously at the tall Yelti scout. Lomi had
cocked her head, clearly intently listening… to something.

She then nodded, convinced she’d heard something that the others, so
far, had not. “Something ahead,” she whispered. “Baying… or moaning…”

A moment later, first Laurelin, and then all but Tramma and Finfin were
nodding in agreement. And not long after that, even Finfin was nodding
in assent.

“Whaaat?” Tramma asked.

“Your tall pal is correct, Songbird,” Jeyshann sighed. “There IS
something out there, and getting noisier.”

It was only a moment or two more before EVERYONE could hear a bone
chilling wail, or bleat.

“nnnn….eheheheh…EHEHEHEH…EHEHEHEH.eheheh…” the odd noise warbled and
echoed from ahead. Ominously and most likely unnoticed in the
excitement, Laurelin’s glowing globe was pulsing a quiet blue flashing
warning of danger.

“If you were to douse these ‘con lights’,” Laquendi suggested, “I might
be able to see considerably further.”

“Really?” Finfin asked blandly.

“Yes,” the dusky elf replied simply. “About three times as far.”

“I… did not know that,” the elven officer observed, deciding that he
would, in the interests of harmony, perhaps NOT observe that this would
have been fine information before their extensive efforts in seeing what
lay in wait in the Bridge Room not terribly far behind them. Perhaps his
time with Mithi and her pals really WAS having a positive influence on
his disposition.

Laurelin, however, had a modification to the proposal. “Why do we not
douse just the Daylights, like your Mikey, and my Globe, and leave the
others that the Lady of the Stars made for the elvenkind still active? I
believe that should co-exist with Laquendi’s vision.”

As far as the humans were concerned, the world plunged into pure
darkness when Finfin pocketed his “Mikey”, and Laurelin silently
commanded her Globe to mute its brightness. However, all of the elves
could still see normally. And after a bit of time for her vision to
readjust, Laquendi found that her enhanced Darkvision was returning.

“Thank the Lady,” Laurelin stated simply in liturgical Quenya, when
Laquendi reported this fine development.

“I can now see some one hundred and more feet down the corridor,” the
silver haired elf reported. “And no sign of any motion.”

“While I,” Jeyshann seethed, “can see exactly nothing.”

“I can HEAR something else, though,” Lomi warned in what for her was
blackness, and both Laurelin and Laquendi nodded.

“Feet?” one ventured, while the other speculated, “Hooves?”

“The sound of a hundred marching feet?” Finfin asked carefully.

All three ladies shook their heads in negation. “There may be a hundred
or so, I really can’t tell. But no way are they marching.”

“More like… running,” one of the elven ladies added.

“Or galloping,” the other opined.

But further discussion was drowned out by a particularly loud repeat of
up to a hundred voices. Or just one or two, enjoying the reverberations
of the tunnels, though both Laquendi and Ben rather doubted THAT.

“nnnn….eheheheh…EHEHEHEH…EHEHEHEH.eheheh…” the voice (or voices)
repeated, considerably louder this time.

“Why don’t you step beside me,” Laurelin suggested to Laquendi, “to
extend your range just that little bit further?” This, Laquendi quietly did.

“I am glad you elves can see so well,” Jeyshann growled, “but unless you
would like me to start using some of my OWN resources, I hope you will
be restoring the lights before whatever THAT… or THEY are.”

“It doesn’t sound like THEM!”, Tramma added, having already been on a
Wagon Train that had tangled with Ants. “But I too wouldn’t mind some
more light.”

“I would say keep going,” Laurelin suggested. “Maybe if the non elves
put a hand on the shoulder of a neighbour, it will help you along in the
dark.”

The elves could see, and ALL could hear Jeyshann splutter and hiss in
vexation. “I am willing to stand in the dark so that Laquendi
Silverlocks can see what is coming towards us from considerably farther
out. I am willing to stand here fully lit, figuring that there is no
realistic hope in hiding from… whatever that is that is barreling
towards us. But I will be DAMNED if I will stumble forward in the dark,
helplessly holding someone’s hand, all for an advantage that – like
everything else – I CANNOT see.”

From the other side of the group, Tramma quietly offered, “The Great
Medicine Woman does have a point, folks. Standing pat is hard enough.
But us humans trying to walk forward and not fall on our faces right in
front of… THAT, seems kinda tough.”

“It does sound like what is coming will be here soon enough,” Finfin
agreed, “without over half of our crew stumbling a few paces closer.
Those who have better hearing – do you agree that it or THEY are
approaching?”

A repeated and even louder “nnnn….ehEHEHEH…EHEHEHEH…EHEHEHEH.EH…EH..eh…”
provided the elven officer’s answer. Now, even he could hear the rising
cacophony of dozens upon dozens of hooves clattering on stonework.

“Indubitably,” the silver-haired elf agreed. “Defensive positions, pull
the light back to us.”

Laurelin took a few steps towards the rear of the party, near Abbot
Kenobi. The elven priestess then concentrated on her Glowing Globe,
sending it a mental command to resume its “normal” light glow, but at a
much reduced intensity and size. It was enough to provide the humans
enough light to be able to navigate without tripping over the multiple
hazards, but not enough to spoil the nightsight of any elves on the
front line. Not if they were careful and only looked forward, of course.
Even at its dim setting, a direct glance would foul any elven
Darkvision. Fortunately, Laurelin’s patron, Valya Starkindler, was also
the patron of all elves, giving the priestess some considerable
familiarity with how best to arrange light for the benefit of elvenkind.

The priestess’ eyes narrowed as she then sent the Globe another command.
It was to continue following her… but only at enough distance to not
spoil her own elven sight – or any elf standing near her. The Globe
bobbed briefly, acknowledging the new instruction, and Laurelin began
the few steps needed to return to the front line.

“Why didn’t you just do that in the first place,” the Cat Priestess
Jeyshann grumbled. “If I had really thought about it, I guess I know
that’s how low light vision works when I cast the spell.”

“Well, they figured it out in the end, sweets,” Tramma reminded her
soothingly.

“And before those hoofbeats trampled us in the dark,” Lomi nodded.
“Hopefully whatever they are, their eyes will reflect enough light to
guess at where to shoot as they close.”

Meanwhile, Laquendi, at Finfin’s invitation, had stepped forward to join
him on the “sharp end”, gaining just those extra few feet of reach with
her Darkvision – and a corresponding bit of extra distance from
Laurelin’s globe. The silver haired elf was continuing her Darkvision
probing of what was ahead, taking particular care to always face away
from what from her vantage was exceedingly dim light. Her eyes narrowed,
even as the weird echoing howling strengthened.

“I have movement,” she stated abruptly. “Four, at 120’ feet, coming in
fast.” Knowing that everyone would want more details on what at the
moment only she could see, Laquendi focused her gaze. They were
quadrupeds, warm blooded, medium in size, and somewhat furry. Rather
more pertinently, all had horns, and looked entirely too eager to ram
them into whatever got in their way.

“You might wish to consider taking that step backwards now,” Finfin
gently advised Laquendi, even as he readied his blade.

Laquendi did exactly that, calling out her brief analysis, “Four hostile
Dire goats incoming, imminent contact!”

Far back behind them, Laurelin’s glowing globe began strobing blue
light, silently warning of the danger of being eaten by goats.

Orange… Alert.

Tramma half sang, and half chanted.

Orange… Alert.
Contact… imminent.
Contact… imminent.

There was no Bardic magic behind the verses, the performer choosing to
husband her resources. But that didn’t mean that she couldn’t quote from
an obscure bit of Yelti, or possibly Numenorean Lore.