I took a moment to get dressed and equipped, then took a little more time to eat before I left the room. As I walked out I realized I was in a makeshift hospital of sorts. I was surprised to see that most of the patients being treated were stonemen, though a few mushroom dwarves and kobolds were scattered about as well. I received respectful nods from each group as I walked through and I did my best to return them. I was a little surprised to not see any angry looks from the stonemen, but with how much more common death seemed to be in this world on top of their own culture seeming to be very comfortable with it, it seemed likely that cut down on the ill will they’d feel toward me.

When I was out of the building I saw a number of people milling about, stonemen, mushroom dwarves, and kobolds all scattered around working, speaking with one another, and generally cooperating. “Two days?” I muttered under my breath. After another couple more I wouldn’t be surprised if they were all sitting around a fire singing kumbaya.

I flagged down a kobold who was holding a number of materials and tools under his arms. He stumbled over to me, dropping a hammer and giving me a head nod as he approached.

I reached past him and picked up the hammer, adding it back to his precarious pile. “Do you know where I can find Zevrack or Rockelle?”

He pointed, once again losing some tools from his pile, “They’re up at the dig site.”

I bent over to again help him retrieve his tools. “The dig site?”

“Yes. We’re using it to reach the beast. I’m heading there now. Follow.” He turned around and started walking before I could respond.

I shrugged and followed, balancing out picking up the tools he left in his wake while smiling and nodding at the people I passed by whose expressions were much friendlier than they’d been before I’d collapsed. Once we were out of the town we passed by several other work crews and groups, each accompanied by guards who were keeping wary eyes on the cavern around us.

Eventually we came to a large excavation site in an offshoot of a tunnel I’d never seen before. There were groups of all three species working together by hauling stone, breaking up earth, or even keeping people fed and watered. I was amazed that things had progressed so quickly since I’d been asleep. I could see Elle standing on a platform directing several people along with Lokren. Tog and Zevrac, chief’s of their clans, were in the ditches digging with their people. Zevrack junior was tinkering with tools, making repairs, and adjustments to the implements being used to dig.

I followed the kobold to Zevrack’s table and watched as he dumped his pile in front of him. Zevrack didn’t even notice, and simply continued to tinker. I watched for a little while. I’d seen the damage his traps could do, but I’d not been able to admire his craftsmanship and skill. I noticed for the first time that he’d actually filed the ends of several of his claws into the equivalents of screwdrivers and other tools, all of which let him make incredibly delicate adjustments to the things he was working on.

He started to reach for a small hammer that was just out of his reach and I grabbed and handed it to him.

“Thank you Cor.” He said, returning to his work. Then he blinked a few times and looked back at me. “Cor! You’re up.”

I nodded. “Yeah. I see I missed a few things.”

“Yes. Very long nap you took. There were many negotiations.”

“Negotiations?”

“The Buried Claw was owed territory. Dwarves owed answers. Stonemen were meant to provide both.”

I looked out at everyone working in the tunnel. “It looks like it worked out.”

“Yes. All freshly dug territory will be ours, as will whatever loot the creature has, excluding people, the dwarves were very picky about that. The Stonemen provided all the answers. The tender…” he shivered, likely remembering the walking nightmare that led Mykas. “He was able to create an agreement for us.”

“How did the stonemen handle talking with him?”

“Several vomited.”

That didn’t surprise me. “Any more disappearances?”

“One more Buried Claw has been lost. We have netted and trapped all salt water flows. The creature is stuck where it is.”

“Any dwarves lost?”

He cocked his head. “Don’t know. Not keeping track.”

I nodded, that made sense from his perspective I assumed. “I’m gonna talk to Elle. Thanks for catching me up.”

He nodded, and immediately went back into repairing and enhancing the tools in front of him. His hands almost blurring as he got into the flow of his work.

I climbed up to where Elle was standing and was greeted with a warm smile and hug. It surprised me, but I enjoyed it.

“Glad to see you’re up.”

I nodded. “I’m glad to see that I’m up too. I wasn’t sure I would be.”

“Borgani was confident you’d recover.”

“Well I wasn’t exactly able to hear that prognosis.”

She gave a short nod. “True.”

“So, Zevrack gave me a general update, but I was hoping you could help me figure out exactly what we’re doing? What did we find out from the stonemen?”

Her eyes sparkled. “Well, they’re a warrior culture. They’ve chosen leaders primarily based on strength. This means that men are usually the ones in charge, but it’s well known that if women are unhappy with who is considered ‘the strongest’ they’ll poison them until they get someone they can work with. They place a large amount of value on honor, though our version of honor and theirs is different. You for instance are now considered an ‘honored enemy’ which means that they can speak to you or through your representatives, even in a lower tongue than their own. Their farming is based primarily on the husbandry of different large insect species and-”

I held up my hand. “This is very interesting, and I’d love to hear more, but I meant more what we found out about the kidnappings.”

She looked a little disappointed at being broken from her explanation, but rallied quickly. “We compared notes about the attacks, and determined none of them were far from a source of salt water. After that we compared maps and notes on caverns altogether with the kobolds, on top of where people had gone missing. From there we began searching in areas that seemed likely to overlap or be central to us. The stonemen have a natural ability to sense caves and caverns, so we realized there’s a massive and hollow cavern just behind this wall, through which a large amount of water flows. We’re digging above the water of course.”

“Did comparing notes get us any closer to realizing what it is we’re dealing with?”

She shook her head. “No. No group has seen it. You’re the only one to catch even a glimpse.”

“Well, I’m hoping its reliance on stealth means that it’s not something that can handle fighting this many people at one. I wonder why it’s kidnapping specifically people. I’ve seen plenty of creatures in the caverns that would’ve provided more than ample food for a predator.”

Elle nodded. “I can’t guess. The only thing I’m certain of right now is that it needs to be in saltwater and is likely solitary. Aside from that…” She shrugged.

“Alright.” I rubbed my hands together. “Where do you need me? Guard duty? Organizing?”

She picked up a shovel and handed it to me with a smile.

I sighed, but took it and hopped down into the nearest pit. I started digging, not realizing that I’d leapt into the same pit that Chiefs Zevrac and Tog were in until I heard them speaking.

“Traps just aren’t our way. Neither are hit and run tactics,” I heard Tog say through the grunts common with slamming a pickaxe into stone.

“Ziss iz foolish. Traps and poison iz best. Less chance of death for you.”

“But you’re not actually fighting! You don’t feel your opponent's bones break! There is no honor in it.”

“Ziss is eazy for dwarf to say. Dwarf wide and strong. Up front fight iz natural to them. Honor to us iz in living. Cannot become dragon if dead.”

“We are natural warriors, it’s true,” said Tog in a tone that made me believe that was the only part of what Zevrac said that he’d actually heard.

They stopped talking and resumed their digging so I chose to focus on the task at hand, but as soon as I found myself in a good rhythm an enormous hand clapped me in the lower back.

“Warrior! I am surprised to see you up,” said Tog. I turned to see that his expression was surprisingly friendly and relaxed.

“Same to you.” I figured bravado was the way to go with him.

He chuckled. “I was answering that ones.” He pointed up at Elle. “Questions before they’d even pulled the last of your spears out of me. We are made of tougher stuff than elves it would seem.”

“I’m not sure, I’m only a half-elf.”

Tog stroked his beard thoughtfully. “So would a full elf be tougher or weaker?”

“I suppose you’d have to fight one to be certain.”

He smiled. “That’s a good idea!”

I smiled back. “Are we okay? You’re not going to like, challenge me to mortal combat or anything for beating you?”

He shook his head. “No. Your method of victory made me initially hesitant to accept defeat, but when I learned that those of Mykas weren’t responsible for my missing people, and were in fact also missing people, I realized you had done me a great service. You had prevented me and my people from dishonoring ourselves further than we already had, and you’d done so by challenging a much superior opponent to Gra-Thuk.”

I nodded.

“A much much superior opponent. I could not imagine the terror you experienced facing one such as me.”

“Still, I’m sorry for the lives of your people that were lost.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. They died in battle. They will return to us in time.”

I wanted to question that, but Tog seemed to be done talking as he began slamming his pick into the wall near us, tearing chunks of stone out of it at a steady pace. I’d have to save that question for Elle, I’m certain she already had an answer for any questions about the stonemen. It had already been two days after all.