Chapter Eight
Zarik
This Order of Midnight that Quint mentioned had me intrigued. More than intrigued, actually. I'd spent hours upon hours searching the Internet for this supposed group and came up empty. If this group existed, they were so deep underground that there wasn't even the barest of whispers about them online. Which, in this day and age, was remarkable.
Having turned up zero information on the computer, the only avenue left open to me was the one I actually preferred – getting out into the streets and having a look myself. As valuable a tool as researching was, I would always rather be on my feet doing something more substantive than scouring books and the Internet.
Quint had used the Dragon Door to go back to Chondelai to speak with the Keepers, leaving me there to dig up what I could on the woman and this supposed group of hunters. And I didn't want to have nothing to show for my efforts when he came back. So, it was time to get my nose out of the books and my feet out onto the streets.
The trouble was, I had no idea how to go about finding somebody – or a group – that was obviously very good about not being found.
Looking at my watch, I saw that it was a little after midnight. Having nowhere else to start, I decided to take their name literally. It had been past midnight when I'd encountered the woman before, so I rolled the dice, figuring that they did most of their hunting after midnight. Maybe that was when those Chokan things were most active.
It was flimsy, but it was the only thing I had going for me at the moment. I was just going to have to rely on a little good fortune coming my way.
I got ready, strapping my twin daggers to my hips – and hoped I didn't run into any of those creatures. Getting my new weapons was something else Quint was taking care of back in Chondelai. I could have had them commissioned by somebody here, but I thought the work of the Dragonborn smiths was always superior to the work of man.
Geared up, I headed out into the night. It was overcast and much of the world was gloomy and dimly lit. There was a chill in the air and in this part of the city at least, all was quiet. I made my way back to the vacant lot where I'd first encountered the lizard-men and the woman, hoping that luck was on my side.
Cautiously, I entered the lot and scanned the area. There was no movement. Doing my best to avoid being seen, I picked my way through the lot and to the open manhole cover. I knew what was down there and I hesitated. Without weapons that could kill the creatures, I was only going to manage to get myself killed.
But at the same time, if this woman truly did belong to some order that hunted them, the chances were good that she was going to be down there somewhere, doing what she did. And down there, without the proper equipment, if I ran into trouble, I was going to have some problems.
But, if I wanted some solid intel – not just on the girl, but on the Chokan as well – I was going to have to roll the dice.
Quint would kill me if he knew I was going to take that kind of a risk. But I thought of it as a no-lose proposition. Either, I was going to get some much-needed information, or I was going to be dead and wouldn't have to worry about having Quint pissed at me.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward and dropped down into the sewer, landing on my feet and coming up with my blades in my hands, ready for a fight. However, just like before, the tunnel in front of me and behind me was empty. No masked woman, no lizard-men – nothing but the bugs and rats that inhabited the place.
There was a silence down in the tunnels that was a little unsettling. It was as if the sewer itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. I walked on, in the direction of the hole in the wall where I'd seen those creatures holding their disturbing little rally the other night.
I got to the hole and peered inside. The creatures weren't there and the air inside that cavern was still and silent. It was gloomy and dark inside the seemingly deserted cavern. Curiosity began wiggling into my brain like a worm. Unfortunately for me, it was a worm that could lead to a sudden and grisly death. Images of having my insides torn out and consumed by lizard-men flooded my mind.
But still, I was curious.
Hard earned experience – not to mention, more than a few scars – reminded me that my natural curiosity wasn't always the best thing and had on more than a few occasions, led me into a dangerous situation. But I was confident in my ability to get myself out of a jam, and so, taking one last, long look inside the cavern satisfied me that it was deserted. At least for the moment.
So, I climbed in and picked my way along the rocky path that led down to the floor. The air still smelled of the fire that had been burning the other night and now that I was out of the stink of the sewer, I got my first clear scent of the Chokan.
And it wasn't a particularly pleasant smell. But at least, it was memorable. Besides, knowing that scent would come in handy. I would know beforehand if any of those things were sneaking up on me, hiding in the shadows, or were otherwise, up to no good.
It wasn't a smell I enjoyed and the cavern was as thick with it as the sewer was with the stench of rot. Picking my way along the cavern floor and doing my best to do so silently, I entered one of the tunnels that branched off from the main room – deliberately choosing the one that smelled the least like the Chokan. Although, truth be told, their stale scent was pretty heavy in all of them, which increased my chances of running into them.
It was an encounter I didn't want and would do my best to avoid. A soft sound, something like a furtive footstep behind me made me spin around, my blades up and ready. The tunnel behind me was empty, and when I scented the air, I didn't detect the scent of one of those creatures – the scent of them that filled the tunnel was older.
Deep pockets of shadow clung to the walls thicker than fog in San Francisco, and I strained my eyes, but did not see anybody lurking, waiting to launch an attack. I thought that perhaps, the sound had been some of the dirt and rock on the walls of the cavern tunnels becoming dislodged and falling.
Maybe. I sold myself that excuse anyway, but remained on higher than high alert as I turned and continued on.
I kept close to the wall, moving from shadow to shadow, I was doing my best to see ahead of me and behind me at the same time. And I was beginning to question the wisdom of what I was doing altogether. That question was bitterly underscored when I turned a corner and found myself face to face with half a dozen of the Chokan.
“Damn.”