The headquarters for the Orcin Reconnaissance Crew took up the entire building they had walked into. From the outside, it seemed like a multiple story building like the others, a shop on the bottom and several apartments or one fine home sitting on top. Inside, the building was hollow and cavernous.

Shia came through the shimmering wall right after Teryn. From this side the wall provided a portal into the alley, showing where they were just walking, as if nothing was standing between them. The only thing that stopped it from being perfectly clear was a slight shimmering of the air in the portal.

The building was bustling with energy as orcs of all sizes and colors ran by. Papers were strewn about across desks with orcs muttering over them to each other. They were all dressed in similar studded leathers that Dahlia wore. In the far right corner a staircase led up to a cordoned upper floor that covered about a third of the roof space.

“Come on, this way,” Dahlia bid them to follow her and started walking through the main floor.

“This is a much bigger operation than I expected.” Teryn’s statement was met with a flashing grin from Dahlia as they weaved between desks and around hustling orcs. Murmurs of conversations surrounded them as they were barely given a second glance.

They crossed the room and ascended the staircase. At the top was a gangway with multiple small offices walled off, the entire thing overlooking the warehouse floor. Dahlia kept walking, stopping at the second office from the end and entering.

The office was small and sparsely furnished. A large desk sat near the edge of the room with a small window overlooking it. A chest was in the corner with a formidable looking padlock on it. Everything was bathed in a warm orange glow by a gas torch burning in the corner. Dahlia crossed the room and sat in a large leather chair on the opposite side of the desk. She gestured toward the two seats opposite her.

Shia and Teryn walked in and sat down. Dahlia crossed her hands in front of her and spoke, “So, I suppose you have some questions. I want your help, and I know you wont give it without reason. You may ask anything you like and if I am able to answer it, I will.”

“First things first,” the orc said, raising a hand as Shia’s mouth started to open, “I will explain a few basic things. I work for the Orcin Reconnaissance Crew, an elite group of spies and investigators. We are actually based out of the Orcin city of Grinnish, far to the north.”

“Yes,” she continued, nodding at other women's shocked looks, “There are other cities on this continent inhabited by all manner of creatures. Us orcs actually have an entire nation up north you know little about. Don't look so surprised, as if humans and elves are the only ones capable of creating empires.”

“We are here investigating Bronn’s Buyable Blades. We fear he is building up an army of sorts and control over this city to extend the reach of his power and influence. This comes into direct conflict with the Ruling Cities Laws regarding this continent.”

“Ruling Cities Laws?” Teryn interjected.

“Yes. The three main cities, Grinnish of the Orcs, Nekran of the Wights, and T’Chan of the Piarn. They met when your kind first stepped foot on the shores and decided to let you explore within reason. You happened to land on the most dangerous part of this continent and managed to only make a small foothold. The Three Cities fear Bronn plans to strike out and take more land.”

“Does anyone else know about the other cities? Does Bronn or the Queen?” Asked Shia.

“An excellent question,” Teryn noted, a little disappointed she wasn't the one to ask it first. She was brimming with so many questions, but limited with so little time. What about the other races? Do trolls and goblins make cities? How long have they been here? What is beyond those cities? What were Piam and Wights? This did not begin to even tap into the questions about, after discovering what they were, how they functioned.

Dahlia brought her back to reality when she started to answer Shia’s question. “The Silver Queen knows about the other races and the agreement in place. I would like to think she has not shared this with anyone else, but seeing Bronn’s current movement and consolidation of power, she likely shared the information with him and is working with him. We cannot allow that to happen.”

“How many other groups like this are infiltrated in the city? Does the Queen or Bronn know you are here?” Teryn asked.

“I do not know the answer to that. The Cities, though we make agreements and accords, are not in the habit of sharing our intelligence operations with others. And no, they don't know we are here. They probably have some idea that clandestine groups operate within their city, it would be foolish to assume they do not.”

“Does the Queen or Bronn run groups like this in your cities?” Shia said. Dahlia paused for a moment, scratching at her chin with a nail filed to a slight point. Finally, she said, “I am not sure. Our intelligence does not suggest anything, and it would be impossible for humans to set up in the city without being noticed. They could have swayed over some of the local races to help them, but to get as many as they would need and keep it secret seems highly unlikely.”

“I will be honest with you Dahlia, I have more questions than can be answered in days of questioning,” Teryn said. Nodding to Shia, she continued, “If it is all right with my colleague here, I'd like to start focusing on what we are going to do. Devin, Murton, and Griff have a limited time as it is. If I start going further into the questions I will get lost in the sheer academic curiosity of everything you are presenting to me.”

Shia nodded, “Yeah, it's probably best we focus on our task. Maybe afterwards we can meetup to learn more?”

“Maybe. I do not know the role of ORC once the current problem is dealt with. Many in our groups fear a conflict is inevitable, that once the Silver Queen is gone another will take her place, possibly more ruthless or more cunning in their endeavours.”

“As for saving your friends,” Dahlia stood up and walked over to the chest, “I have a few ideas that I would love your input about.” She took out a small key from a pocket hidden somewhere on her person and unlocked the padlock. It fell away, revealing a very delicate lock. She flipped the key around and inserted it, then knocked a few times at different intervals on the lock. She leaned in close and whispered something inaudible.

The padlock sprang open with a tinny clink. Dahlia opened the chest and rustled through some papers, pushing items aside. She pulled out a few rolls of paper and shut the lid, carefully replacing the locks to her chest. She dropped the rolls of paper on her desk and sat back down. Shia reached for one of the rolls and was met by a quick slap on her hand.

“Don't touch those,” Dahlia said as Shia scowled and rubbed her hand. Dahlia took the largest sheet of paper and placed it in the middle of the desk, pushing the others to the side. She untied a small ribbon and rolled it out.

The paper revealed itself to be a highly detailed map of the town of Mossglenn Depot, with every building rendered on it down to the smallest detail. Teryn leaned forward in amazement at the intricacies of the drawing. She could even pick out the Good Fortunes Tavern, their headquarters, on the map as its own little stand alone building. Even the roads outside the tavern were drawn to look muddy and shoddy.

Shia whistled lowly beside her. “How much did that cost to get?” she asked.

“We didn’t buy this, several of our agents drew samples of the town and compiled them into one map.” Dahlia explained. “Now I believe Devin and your friends are being held here.”

A filed fingernail came down on a large building in the northwest side of town. Teryn immediately recognized it by the elaborate facade that was drawn into it.

“Bronn’s Buybable Blades Headquarters? You really think he would keep them captive in his own headquarters? When he took us, he said to bring them to the dungeon.” Teryn said.

“He has his own dungeon deep in the bowels of the earth, below his main building.”

“How do you know that?” Shia asked.

Dahlia waved her hand, “That's not important right now.”

“You said you would answer anything we asked if you could.”

Dahlia watched the young girl for a few moments, tongue running over her right tusk. Finally, she nodded. “You’re right, I did say that. We have agents in his organization at several levels.”

“Do you have agents in other guilds and bands around town?” Shia asked.

“Now that I am not at liberty to speak about and will discuss no further. Let's get back to the plan, Devin’s time is running short.”

Shia leaned over to Teryn and said out of the corner of her mouth, “That means yes.”

“You are starting to sound and act like Murton,” Teryn chided the girl softly, but still let a grin slip through. Shia sat back, looking slightly pleased with herself, arms folded across her chest.

“We need a way to get into Bronn’s headquarters and down into his dungeon. I have a few ideas that are still pretty unrefined, and would love to hear what you have to think.” Dahlia said.

“Why can’t you just go in with your crew here and get him out?” Shia asked.

Dahlia shook her head, “I am not the head person. We are run by a group of five and they voted me down on that measure. Getting your help would be of monumental help to our crew, but risking being discovered to save the three of them is not worth the potential cost. It comes down to us three here. I will have the resources of ORC at my disposal, minus the labor force.”

“It also goes without saying,” she said with a half smile, “That if we are caught ORC will not save us. We do not exist while we are on this mission. Any reference to ORC will be met with swift opposition and denial.”

Teryn nodded, “That makes sense. Your group has bigger things to go after and needs to be kept secret. Let's hear what your plans are, and we can go from there.”

Dahlia's half smile turned into a vicious grin. “I think you’ll like some of the ideas I’ve penned out here.” She grabbed another one of the sheets of paper and unrolled it over the map as Teryn and Shia leaned forward.