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Chapter 1 - Wail in the Night

30th Day of Shinixuroc

103rd Year of the Industrial Era

As Satoru Nakamura walked down the street, he couldn't help being reminded how much he stuck out in the dwarven city. He shifted his bulky form to avoid pushing an elderly dwarf woman over as he walked.

All around him were the squat homes of Olaraa's people. They reminded him of the human buildings he'd seen in the southern reaches of the continent, yet smaller. The white plaster walls and black shingles had a glittering sheen to them thanks to the rainfall earlier that evening. The wooden support beams that could be seen on the outside had turned a dark brown as they grew wet, and the air was filled with the scent of damp spruce. A few houses still had their lamps on, but most were as cold and dark as the autumn evening. It was accompanied by a foreboding stillness, as though the sleeping city was but a mere facade to hide something far more sinister.

The aroma of wet grass filled Satoru's nostrils, along with something more pungent and foul. His muzzle wrinkled, showing his obvious disgust.

"It smells like he needs another changing," he said quietly to his wife, who walked alongside him.

The ursar woman's round ears perked up at the sound of his voice. She looked up at him with emerald eyes that captured the faint light from the street lamps, and smiled. "You'd best get used to it, dear," she said. She flicked her head to the side to move some stray strands of hair out of her eyes. "He's got a couple years before he's trained properly."

In her arms was their child, a tiny ursar cub that mewed pitifully in her arms. His head was rested in the crook of her arm and his limbs were safely secured within a silver-colored blanket.

"Splendid," Satoru remarked bitterly. As an ursar, he had an enhanced sense of smell, among a number of other gifts. He debated investing in a large clothespin to hold his nose shut whenever the cub was around.

A swirl of fallen leaves whipped around them, ruffling his cloak. The cub stirred noisily in his mother's hands as he tried to cover his face. He cooed and fussed and kicked his legs as best he could. Mizuno quietly shushed him and rubbed the underside of his muzzle with a finger.

"Do you think things will go well?" she asked when the cub finally stopped fussing. "We've spent a lot of time planning. I would hate to think we would fail after all this time."

"I pray that it will go smoothly," Satoru replied, his voice nothing more than a hushed whisper. His ears moved and swiveled ever so slightly as he flexed a series of tiny muscles, scanning for the presence of other beings. "These dwarves are not very trustworthy. I suppose that's for good reason."

Mizuno giggled. "We are foreigners here, after all. They're nervous enough with that plague that started floating around."

"I suppose that in a few short days, it won't matter, will it? Once that knight leaks out what's going to happen . . ."

"Speaking of which, did you see the size of those stones in the cathedral?" Mizuno's eyes lit up, though they were partially obscured as her hair fell in front of her eyes again. "They were absolutely gorgeous. I've never seen such large, purple gems before."

Satoru grinned. "Perhaps we'll see about getting you one when we go back tomorrow night. I'm sure they won't even notice."

Mizuno smacked her mate on the arm. "Oh, don't be silly. They would notice! Besides, there's bigger things to look forward to than a couple of rocks, right?"

"Yeah," Satoru replied wistfully.

Though the night was young, the two ursar were the only souls out that night. The plague, combined with civil unrest within the city following a recent war, left most beings unwilling to leave their homes. It was fortunate that their large appearance kept most people away.

Satoru was still on edge though, despite the confidence that his size bestowed. His body tensed with every clatter, bump, and skitter that he heard with his intensely sensitive ears.

"You worry too much, dear," Mizuno said.

"You can't be too careful in times like these," he replied. "Besides, it's not me I'm worried about. I want to keep you and the cub safe."

"They're just superstitions." She shook her head and sighed. "That's how dwarves are, Satoru. Don't buy into everything they have to say."

"But it's the last day of Shinixuroc!" he said, trying to punctuate how bad that truly was. "They said it's the height of the God of Death's influence! Not to mention he was only born a couple weeks ago. You heard what the midwife said when he came out."

"That's enough." Mizuno spoke more firmly this time. "Nothing bad is going to happen. You're letting their words get to you, and nothing more." She met his eyes and held him in her gaze. "Okay?"

"Okay."

"You'll see. We'll wake up tomorrow, go about our business, and all will be well. You just wait and see."

"Just so you can say, 'I told you so,' I'm sure."

"Exactly. Now you're catching on."

The ursar couple shared a quiet laugh as they rounded a street corner. The lights down this side-road were dimmer and more sparsely placed, but it was also the location of the inn that they were staying at. Satoru allowed his eyes to shift and adapt to the lower degree of lighting. What lights he could see dimmed slightly, but everything became clearer, with a slight reddish tint.

At one of the street corners, he could see the warm body of a dwarf male relaxing against a wall. He puffed on what appeared to be a cigar, but it was hard for him to tell at a distance.

As the ursar passed by, they gave a curt greeting and the gravelly voiced dwarf greeted them back. He had a cap that was drawn low over his face, and they could see nothing but the large nose and thick lips behind a bushy orange beard.

Once they were out of earshot, and only a few doors down from their inn, Mizuno said, "Have I ever told you how nice the people here can be?"

* * * * *

It was supposed to be the end of Kierra's shift. The next guard on duty was late to his post, leaving her fuming next to the gates.

The day had been busier than usual. The young paladin was posted outside the ghetto to keep watch over the quarantined area of the city. Several riots had broken out and countless individuals tried to leave quarantine without any clearance. Kierra rubbed at a blackened eye under her skullcap. It was still tender, and she knew it would likely stay that way for a while.

An ear splitting scream cut through the still air, startling the dwarfwoman. She cursed her luck and made a mental note to kill the next shift for being late. Now she would have to deal with whatever nonsense was going on.

Without hesitation, Kierra left her post to go and investigate the sound. She unholstered her axe from the hoop on her belt with one hand as she reached into her belt pouch with the other. In her palm rested a tiny amethyst, no larger than her thumb.

"This is Guard Aleman reporting in," she spoke to it as it lit up. "Just heard a scream to the south of the quarantined area. I'm moving to investigate. Requesting backup."

The stone blinked twice to confirm her message before its light faded. She quickly stuffed it back in her pouch before continuing on.

The streets were dim, and she could hardly see. Speaking a few words laced with magical power, a globe of light appeared from her hand and floated beside her, casting a bright sphere of light on her surroundings. The globe floated over her shoulder and a little behind her as she moved.

The streets were empty, and she saw a few lights in the houses go out. No one wanted to be around to see what was happening. Even the inn that Kierra passed was devoid of activity.

Boots scuffed the cobblestone road as someone scurried away. Kierra gave a sigh of resignation as she realized it was too late to apprehend the culprit of whatever foul deed had been committed. In her heavy armor, there was no way she would catch up to the individual. She could only hope they would run head first into her allies.

Kierra directed the light ahead of her with a command. She could see several prone forms lying on the ground ahead. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the pool of red covering the road. Fearing what horrible act of mutilation she might see this time, she adjusted the light once again.

In the middle of the street was an ursar couple. Kierra rushed to check for a pulse as she thrust her hand into the bloodied fur on their necks. Though they were both still warm, they were no longer alive. Kierra sighed and shook her head. More victims of religious extremists, she thought.

A bundle lay on the ground next to the female. Kierra knelt down to take a look, gently pushing aside the cloth. Her soul weaped at what she saw lying on the ground in a growing puddle of his own mother's blood.

The little ursar writhed a little and opened its mouth as it wailed. Certain that danger had passed, Kierra gently scooped the baby up in her arms. No amount of military training or combat could harden her heart enough to prepare her for such a sight.

Kierra's eyes wandered over the bodies of the cubs parents. She saw the stab wounds in their mid-sections. The clothes they wore didn't look very extravagant, so she surmised they couldn't have been rich, nor would they have had a lot of money on their persons. This further confirmed her suspicions that the murderer was likely after them because of their religion. The War of Ideals had ended, but it's effects were still being felt throughout the realm, she mused.

"Sorry, wee lad," Kierra whispered as she stroked the soft head fur. "Looks like you're a ward of the state now."

The cub squirmed and began to cry. It was then that Kierra noticed that his diaper needed to be replaced with a fresh one.

"Don't fuss," she pleaded, "We'll get ya cleaned up once someone gets here, then take ya to see someone in the morning."

Kierra looked at the bodies of the ursar once more. They looked like farmers to her, considering their poor style of dress. "I don't know if ya have a name, lad, but ya look like the son o' farmers. I'll call ya Bartholomew."

She waited a while longer before more guards showed up. Kierra explained the situation to them, and then quickly excused herself to look after Bart before he could start crying again.