The Special Economic Zone Chapter 6: Here's the Plan

Here’s the Plan

“So you guys are with the Underground Railway.” Thorn shook hands with Alice.

Alice nodded. “We’ve been with them for some time now. To think that we’d meet our savior so soon after we parted!”

Ron looked between Thorn and Alice. “Did something happen that I’m not aware of?”

Alice motioned with her thumb. “This guy saved us from a goblin cave, even though we weren’t able to pay him much.”

Besides Alice’s group, there were about a dozen other people in the room. Ron clapped his hands. “All right. We’ve got the plans in place. Thorn here will be our translator and interpreter for the mission. Does anyone have any objections?”

No one spoke.

“Good.” Ron sat down on a crate. “We leave at the next bell ring.”

The room was silent for the next half hour. When the bells finally rang, everyone stood up at once.

Ron got off his crate and pushed aside a large piece of equipment. Underneath was a trap door, which he lifted. The group filed in. Thorn was last.

Several of the adventurers held up balls of magic light. The tunnel stretched about half a mile underneath the city. It was cramped, just tall enough for Thorn to walk with a stoop. Wooden beams supported the ceiling.

They reached the end of the tunnel. Ron held his finger to his lips. He reached up, carefully, and pushed open the trap door above the tunnel. A ladder dropped down.

Ron waved at Thorn. “Come on. We’ve already told them what’s happening, but I need you.”

Thorn weaved his way to the front of the line. He nodded at Ron and then climbed up the ladder to the slaves’ quarters.

The room was stacked to the brim with a large number of slaves in thin, narrow bunks. Thorn closed the trapdoor so that light didn’t escape.

“I’m here to help.” Thorn spoke in he trade language of the demihumans, Ruipe.

The demihumans began to stir in their bunks. One vulpine man turned on a small lamp.

“You’re the Underground Railroad.” The vulpine man rubbed his eyes. “You’re finally here.”

Ron opened the trap door and climbed into the room. “What’s he saying?”

“He says we’re finally here.” Thorn helped Alice into the room.

Ron began ushering the party out of the trapdoor. When everyone was in the room, they began the rescuing process.

Fifteen minutes later everyone had been extracted. Thorn was the last person to climb into the trap door. They traveled the tunnel until they reemerged at the warehouse.

The demihumans were stuffed into a convoy of carriages, covered by trade goods. The caravan left the warehouse and traveled to the western gate.

The guards stopped the caravan. “Is this the scheduled delivery of masonry to the town of Buile?”

Ron nodded. “Yes.”

“Then we’ll take your tariff.”

Ron handed the guards a bag of coins. When the paperwork was done, the carriages left the city.

About ten miles from the city walls, Ron stopped the carriage. He got out and addressed the people around him.

“Normally, we’d smuggle you to Rishidan and send you back to your homes. But today we’ve got another chose for you. Wich of you are vulpines from Rea’s pack?”

About a dozen vulpines stepped down from the carriages.

“Thorn here has made a promise with your pack leader. You’ll be going with him.” Ron nodded at Thorn. “Anyone else who wants to follow him can do so.”

At least fifty demi-humans stepped out of the carriages.

“Are you sure about this?” Thorn extended his arms. “We don’t yet have a proper town built.”

The leader of the former slaves approached Thorn. “Our homes are long dead. This may be the only chance we have of regaining our lives.”

Thorn looked at Ron.

Ron nodded. “Okay. Those who want to return to their homes come with Alice and her party. Everyone else comes with Thorn and I.”

Thorn tilted his head. “You’re coming with me?”

“I want to get a good look at this Farrow Dells of ours. If everything is as I imagine it, we could have a special thing on our hands.”

Thorn nodded. “Well. It’s about fifty miles to the east. We’ll need those carriages.”

The convoy split, the larger half going with Thorn and Ron, and the smaller half going with Alice and her gang. They set out towards Farrow Dells.

Thorn knew that if he were alone he could get there in a day. Obviously, though, this wasn’t the time to be showing off the fact that he could break the sound barrier while flying.

They traveled over a mountain pass, through forests filled with monsters, and through a thick and muddy swamp. Thorn made sure that everyone boiled their water before drinking it—he had played Oregon Trail to know enough about that.

They eventually reached the valley known as Farrow Dells. A deep wolf’s howl sounded around the depression, echoing off of the mountains. The vulpine demi-humans responded with their own howls.

The ground shook, and the trees parted. Out of the forest came Rea, the wolf pack leader of Farrow Dells. In a flash of light, she transformed into her humanoid form. Her tail swished behind her.

“You found the rest.”

The vulpines that Thorn had bought from Hanson’s came out of the underbrush. Thorn nodded at Rea.

Rea led Thorn and the rest of the party along a small animal trail, until they came to a clearing that had recently been deforested. Several crude grass huts were scattered about the clearing. The rest of the demi-humans that Thorn had saved milled about, performing various chores.

Thorn had known that none of the rescued slaves had much in the form of building knowledge, but even so he was disappointed in the progress that had been made.

He needed some dwarves. That would be his next mission. Thorn looked at Ron.

“Are you sure this is the place you want to be?”

“I see potential.” Ron crossed his arms, his eyes sparkling. “I see a place where the tyranny of the king cannot reach.”

Aki, in her draconic form, crested the valley’s mountains. Her form overshadowed the sun. She landed in the clearing, throwing up large amounts of dirt and dust. After she had finished landing she switched to her humanoid form.

“Ah, you’re Ron, the beast master of Albern.”

“You know of me, oh great one?”

Aki picked her teeth with a toothpick. “You don’t have to call me that here. Just call me Aki like everyone else does.”

Ron bowed. “Thank you, Aki.” He took a look around the burgeoning village. “Okay. Here’s what we’re going to do.” He looked at me. “You need to find us some dwarven architects.”

“I will.” Thorn looked up at the sky. “Do you think you have everything under control here?”

“One question.” Ron crossed his arms. “Do you think you can establish this location as an end point for the Underground Railway?”

“I can.” Thorn motioned to Aki. “Aki. I know you’re against slavery. Do you wish to cooperate with Ron and the Underground Railway?”

“I do.” Aki grinned. “I always love to mess around with human society.”

Ron turned to Thorn. “Well. I’ll be heading back to Albern to make arrangements to move my entire operation here.”

Thorn nodded. “I’ll also be on my way to find some dwarven smiths and architects.”

“Do you need people to go with you?”

Thorn smiled, taking off his magic suppressing ring. “Nope.”

“Whoa.” Ron shielded his eyes as if he were looking at the sun. “Where did you get that much mana?”

“I was gifted it by a god.” Thorn tapped his feet against the ground. “Aki, where’s the nearest dwarven civilization?”

“A hundred miles to the east. I’ll give you a map.” Aki rummaged in her bag of holding and pulled out a paper map. “Here you are.”

Thorn took the map. “All right.” He tapped his foot against the ground and rocketed into the air. “I’ll be back in maybe a month!” He sped away, towards the dwarves. A shock wave followed behind him.

He flew over untamed wilderness for about half an hour, and then he came to a civilized plain underneath the mountains. Farmland stretched everywhere in all directions. He passed several human cities, and crossed two rivers.

In the distance, a single large mountain rose from the horizon. It was the Great North Mountain, the city where dwarves lived. Thorn slowed his speed and landed in a clearing about two miles from the entrance to the fortress. After checking all his clothing, he put on his mana suppressing ring and started towards the dwarven city.

When he came closer he realized that the mountain was under siege by a human army. About ten thousand soldiers were camped in tents underneath the high cliffs.

Thorn approached the camp. When he came to the road checkpoint, a soldier stopped him. “Who goes there?”

Thorn held out a gold coin. “Do you think you can just let me through?”

The soldier appeared to think for a minute. Then he shook his head. “No. I’m sorry, traveler, but you have no business here.”

Thorn sighed. “Can I at least ask what’s going on here?”

“We have been ordered by the king to exterminate the devilish non-humans who live in this mountain.”

“They’re dwarves. Why would the king want them dead?”

“I do not know, good traveler. I just follow orders.”

Thorn turned around. “Sorry for bothering you.” He walked away, waiting until he was out of sigh of the guards before stopping. He slipped off his mana suppressing ring. “Okay. Let’s see if I can do this.” He imagined himself becoming invisible.

He remained visible.

“Maybe there’s an invisibility cloak for sale.” Thorn checked the map Aki had given him for the nearest city. Dalmor was about ten miles to the west. Thorn decided to head there. Since the land was inhabited, flying probably wouldn’t be a good idea. It took him the rest of the day to reach the city gates.

Just like Albern, the city was under heavy guard. A line of travelers waited at the west gate in order to get in. Thorn made sure he still had his adventurer’s card.

The line, however, did not move, instead getting longer and longer. The farmers on their wagons started cursing and making gestures.

Thorn decided to see what was going on at the gate. He stepped off the road and followed the line to the city gate. A young slave was struggling with two guards.

“You little twat!” One of the guards was holding the girl down. “You’re an escapee. Don’t think that the Baron will pardon you for your insolence!”

Thorn stepped up to the commotion. “Hey. What’s going on here?”

“That’s none of your business, traveler.”

Thorn tossed the guard a silver coin. “Can I make it my business?”

The guard looked left, at the line of waiting travelers, and then to the right at his comrade. “This little brat escaped from the Guild Master’s mansion. We’ve got orders to bring her back but she won’t stop struggling.”

“How about I take her back?” Thorn grabbed the girl, who was a rabbit blend demi-human, and pulled her to himself. “I’ll ask the Guild Master to give me some coin for my trouble.”

“If you say so.” The guards relented.

Thorn winked at the rabbit girl. “Calm.” He spoke in the rabbit tongue, quickly enough that the guards probably didn’t notice.

The rabbit girl stopped struggling. She coughed. “Please, don’t take me back.” She spoke in basic this time, and her accent was stilted.

Thorn knocked her gently on the head and carried her over his shoulder. “Can I go in now?”

“Sure, sure.” The guards waved Thorn through.

Thorn immediately turned towards an alleyway. He placed the girl down on a crate.

“Okay.” Thorn knelt. “Here’s the plan.”