“You’re released for the day into the village on your recognizance. You will report no later than noon tomorrow. Remember the four “No’s.” No killing, no property damage, no assault, no stealing, And because we have a bard with us on this excursion I’m adding a fifth no. Bard, can you guess what the fifth no might be?”

“Uhm…. No sleeping with married folks?”

“You picked up on that too quickly bard. I’m keepin’ an eye on you.”

--Safety Brief, Overheard conversation from A Lenorian Army Squad. AC 1478.

“Thanks everyone.”

As Drill Sergeant Lee finished publishing the orders, a flash of mana sounded. When it cleared, I looked down at my claws and I see that there is a new rank emblazoned on them. I make a mental note to place the tag properly at a later time. Just as I think that was it for the ceremony, Sergeant Lee continued speaking,

“Attention to Orders. The Incursion City Army has recognized leadership capability and exemplary conduct under fire. Due to this demonstrated capability, we are thereby promoting Private Luna to Private First Class Luna.”

“A round of applause.”

This time I clatter my pincers together as loud as I possibly can, a smile gracing my mandibles. Once that is completed, the commander continues speaking.

“Training class 1732. Your mission was to provide forward reconnaissance to a team moving towards the barrier. Upon insertion into the area of operations you failed to establish immediate communication with your supported team or with higher echelons. Instead, you ventured into a danger zone exceeding your level.”

Oh no. This doesn’t sound good.

“By doing so, you incurred massive expenditures in military resources in an attempt to rescue you. Entire staff sections were pulled from their standard duties in order to track down your last known location.”

A vague feeling of dread begins to grow and I start second guessing my actions. Looking back, there were many things I could have done better. Maybe we would have never ended up in that situation to begin with. As my thoughts begin to roil, the commander finishes with,

“HOWEVER! You took initiative in the absence of orders. When faced with a new situation, you did what any good scout should… you investigated. Through the course of your visual observations, you were able to identify and escape from an, up to this point, unknown corrupted monster within the kelp forest. MORE IMPORTANTLY! You were all able to escape alive.”

Okay… this sounds good. But I’m caught on the edge, not sure where he’s going with this. The octopus draws out the silence after that to an almost unbearable level. Then he says,

“As such, I declare that training class 1732 is ready for active service. You are given a day’s leave. Report no later than noon tomorrow at the reception and integration desk where you in-processed and you will be shipped out. That is all.”

Drill Sergeant Lee and the commander leaves, and as they walk out we’re all left there stunned. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, and to be honest, I had almost completely forgotten the reason why we were meant to be out there in the first place. Luna breaks the silence,

“Is…. Is that it? We’re done here?”

“WE PASSED!” The Bill brothers raise their claws as one and starts racing around the courtyard laughing. I notice that they both appear to have new shells, made of metal instead of chitin. I make a point to ask about it later. I’m broken from my musings by a voice that I didn’t realize how much I missed. A deep bass says,

“TODD”

And I’m greeted by an old friend. In a flash, Luna dons her chainmail armor and launches herself forward. She carefully wraps Todd in a hug, not applying too much pressure against his spikes. I hear Todd say,

“GOOD… TO… SEE… YOU…”

She untangles herself from her hug and begins gushing,

“What have you been up to? How is it in the city? How did your level get so high? Has everyone been treating you well? Where are you living now?”

Todd ripples his spikes in a manner I can tell is bemusement. At this point, the brothers have returned from rushing around the area and everyone is awkwardly huddled around the three of us. I start to make introductions,

“Wilhelm, Bill and Billy, Mina, this is Todd. He’s a good friend of Luna and I.”

Mina speaks up,

“It’s nice to meet you and all, but how are you allowed back here? I thought the base would be off limits to civilians.”

I didn’t even think about that. I turn a questioning gaze over to Todd and he simply says,

“PERKS… BEING… OLD…”

Confused expressions all around until Luna finally clues them in.

“What Crabby here forgot to mention is that this is Todd, Elder Todd more specifically.”

“OH!”

“Why didn’t you say so?”

“You missed the most important part of the introduction Crabby.”

I throw my claws up in the water. Jeez, everyone’s a critic. At least the others don’t seem as awestruck as a lot of people in the city. I chalk it down to everyone here having come from a dungeon themselves. We make small talk for a few minutes before Wilhelm brings up a good point,

“We have the day off. What do we do now?”

My claw-jerk reaction is to huddle back with my book, trying to study and prepare for shipping out tomorrow. But I immediately push it down. I need a bit of a break, and I’m sure Luna does as well. I barely was able to see much of the city before arriving at the recruiting center, so I’m not sure what it has to offer. Plus, with Todd here maybe he has an idea?

“Do you have any idea where we can stay or what we can do Todd? I think you’ve been out in the city more than all of us combined.”

“STAY… WITH… ME… HAVE… ROOM… EVERYONE…”

Luna and I immediately start to dissemble, I think it’s only been a month or so and there’s six of us. I know I wouldn’t want to impose.

“No, we have bunks here. We wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”

“There’s six of us Todd, I’m not sure what kind of apartment you found but…”

The others catch on quickly as well,

“We were thinking of visiting the artificer crabs on post. We might be able to stay with them.”

“I was going to look for a tavern to perform at anyway.”

“Was going to lift weights and pass out.”

I should have known our efforts would be futile. I’m pretty sure Todd saw through us at a glance as he responds with a simple,

“ENOUGH… VEHICLE… IS… WAITING… COME… ON…”

Now I’m left wondering even more. Todd has one of those swimming vehicles? Big enough for all of us? What has he been doing?

We follow in amicable silence out of the building and off post. We take the exit through the recruiting center and find ourselves back in the main part of incursion city. The hustle and flow of traffic is the same as when I left. It seems so long ago now, and yet it has only been a month. In front of the building is what appears to be a long black sled. I’m not sure what it’s made of, but it looks sleek and shiny in the water. As we move closer, I can almost make out my face in the reflective surface.

Sitting up front is a young otter sitting behind a circular wheel. With a closer look, I can see a scar going down one side of his face, and he appears to be missing an eye from the injury. He waves and then begins speaking in a strange dialect I’ve never heard before.

“Yo! Army peeps! How’s it hangin?”

I look down at my claws and then at the others. Nothing appears to be hanging at all. He continues,

“Yeah, how ‘bout you drop them ‘duds and we’s can pop on over to Elder-T’s place? Nothin’ gainst the uniform but some peeps got some bad feelings, ya dig?”

This is getting even stranger by the second. What am I digging? To be fair, after recent events, I’d much appreciate not digging for a while. Luna seems to at least catch the flow of conversation and she takes her armor off. A second later, her exterior shifts to her natural coloring and in lieu of a better option we all follow suit. We load up in the black sled behind the driver and lift off.

The otter continues with his strange words at a breakneck pace.

“I’m One-Eye, nice ‘ta meetcha.”

We all introduce ourselves and I speak up to ask,

“So, how did you and Todd meet?”

At that, he lights up and becomes energetic, waving a paw back and forth. I really wish he’d keep both hands on the wheel.

“Yea, I was doin’ some side gig’s, hustling to make them credit’s ya know? Jus’ takin folks round and doin’ the guide bit.”

He suddenly sits up, his spine rigid in the seat. His voice instantly changes and becomes more refined. With a bit of a haughty air he gestures grandly and says,

“You are now entering the suburban area. Previously the factory zone, the increased demand for residential housing shifted the demographics. As citizens grew older and had families of their own, the city expanded. The factory zone was relocated to its current location, where it stays to this day.”

He slumps back down and laughs.

“Tha’s when I found Elder-T wanderin’ round. He was wanderin’ next ta where I grew up. I showed ‘im round an that’s that.”

What is what?

I look at Todd and he doesn’t say a word, just sitting stoically in the front seat beside One-Eye. I decide to just let my trepidation pass and go with the flow. I’m sure Todd wouldn’t put us in a dangerous position. And yet, a nagging doubt keeps surfacing at the back of my mind.

What has Todd been up to?