Displaced

Chapter 20

Looking out at the vast empty clearing and mountainside that was supposed to be Krose, Stragma's summer city, Arlette Faredin realized with some discomfort that this whole "disappearing metropolis" thing was beginning to feel rather banal. At least this time more than just a crater remained. Gazing out at the vast open space, she tried to imagine what the city had been like just days ago. The area consisted of two parts: the piedmont at the foot of the mountain and the mountain itself. The industrial and commercial buildings likely would go on the piedmont, given the space and flat ground needed for both. The hole-riddled mountainside, on the other hand, would be where all the people's homes went. The mountain was practically more cave than mountain by her estimate. She could even see more cave entrances pock-marking the adjacent mountains.

Just some days ago, when Commander Waterbloom and his team had left this place and headed north to meet the incoming caravan, they'd left a bustling mega-city of twelve million people, only to return some days later to find an empty land. It was like twelve million people had just all decided to leave while the task force had been out. In fact, that was exactly what had happened. Unlike normal countries, Stragma only had one city, in which the entire nation lived for mutual protection, or four cities that were each only inhabited for a quarter of the year, depending on how you looked at it. The populace would live their lives at a city until forced out by one of the many massive dangers of the forest, at which point they would pack up their homes and belongings and move the entire city, buildings and all, to the next season's location. The thing was, the Stragmans had lived this way for generation upon generation. They knew when to pack up and leave every season and had nomadic life down to an art form, or so she'd been told by others who'd been to the forest before.

Everything she could see, however, didn't tell the tale of an organized, normal migration. Debris littered the ground, objects of all sorts seemingly left behind on purpose or through a mistake born of haste. Half-completed projects laid strewn about. She spotted a mound of half-tanned hides, discarded midway through the tanning process. But perhaps the greatest sign that the people of Stragma had left early was the steady stream of vitriol coming from Ahmakiq Waterbloom's mouth. She did a quick survey of the group. Jaquet stared out at the clearing silently, his face serious as he studied the situation. Basilli leaned against a tree, nonplussed and annoyed. Sofie stood behind Pari, face aghast, covering the beastgirl's ears in a futile attempt to block out the commander's profuse profanity.

"Alright everybody, gather 'round!" the two-tone leader called after calming down a bit. "We can't stay here long. Whatever made the city move early is trouble, and I don't want to run into it. Still, I think we need to do at least one sweep of the caves before we move on, make sure there aren't any citizens that were left behind. Captains, form squads of five and report to me for assignment. You, you, you, and you," he said, pointing to several members of the group, "you're staying with me to coordinate and protect the Shells. Now let's move, people!"

The task force leapt into action, dividing itself into squads and reporting to the commander before heading off towards specific sections of the mountainside.

"We can help too if you need it," offered Arlette. "Speed things up a little."

"Very well, your assistance is appreciated," nodded Waterbloom. He pointed to a section of the mountain to the left side. "You take that section. Grab a few spare torches before you go. Remember that speed is a must. Every moment we wait here is another chance for disaster to arrive."

Arlette nodded and walked off, gathering her group and heading towards the area they'd been given. As soon as they were out of Waterbloom's earshot, Sofie moved alongside Arlette, concern painting her face.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked rather predictably. Arlette quickly explained how Stragman cities worked, to which the other woman nodded her head in understanding. "Okay, but that doesn't explain everything. Why are some people staying behind? What is a 'Shell'?"