Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty — Chain of Command
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty — Chain of Command All it took to see the commander of the base was for Bastion to walk up to the front and politely-but firmly-say “I need to speak with Commander Warmwood.”No one questioned us, and even though we passed many soldiers, not one of them stopped us—though a few stared, of course. I was getting used to it. Not only was I not a sylph, I was also very much not a soldier. Bastion got his share of attention too, and a few salutes, though some didn’t seem as certain as others.The commander’s office was in the largest building of the headquarters, a place where we were brought to and told to wait while the commander prepared himself to receive us.“Any questions?” Bastion asked me as we both stood by the wooden door that blocked the way into the office.“Why did only some of them salute?” I asked.He chuckled. “Observant. As a paladin, I have no actual military rank. Also, as a paladin, I can give orders to the military and expect them to be... considered. It’s a strange position. No authoritative power, and yet some cultural power. It helps that most paladins were, at one time or another, in the military, most with some form of officer ranking. Though there are plenty of paladins from elsewhere. The guard, and some were outright civilians before joining.”“Neat,” I said. Bastion’s specialness really shone when he was in his own nation. “Do I have to address the commander in any special way?”“Refer to him as Sir Warmwood or Commander Warmwood. Be polite. Do... try not to hug him. Don’t salute. You’re not a servicewoman and I doubt you know how to salute properly besides.”“I’ll do my best, Sir Bastion, sir.” I said. I snapped a salute, one foot thumping down and ears bouncing as I brought a hand to my forehead.Bastion looked me up and down. “If you were my subordinate, I’d have you running laps to improve your form.”I grinned and lowered my arm just as the door opened. “Come in, please,” someone said from the other side.Bastion stepped in and held the door open for me.The office was about what I expected of an office. There was a large wooden desk, sharp and angular, with a big padded seat behind it and two more seats before it, much less padded and not nearly as comfy-looking. The table was mostly cleared, except for a small potted plant on one corner and an oil lantern on the other. Some papers were stacked neatly in the middle, a gilded fountain pen left next to them.I blinked as the person I guessed was the commander moved behind the desk.I’d never seen an old sylph before. Not really. Or maybe I’d seen a few on the streets, but I hardly had an excuse to stare, and it would have been rude. The commander was an older sylph, with a heavy brow covered in white bristles, and saggy jowls under a scraggly moustache that could have passed for a brush. His hair still had some black to it, the same colour as Bastion’s own, and he had eyes that were a darker green than Bastion’s.“Commander Warmwood,” Bastion said as he saluted.The commander nodded. “A pleasure to meet you, paladin.”“Paladin Bastion Coldfront, sir,” Bastion said.The commander turned and eyed me up and down, and I had to suppress the urge to salute. It almost felt as if I had to in his presence. “And you are?”“I’m Broccoli,” I said. If I couldn’t salute, I could at least smile.“This is Captain Bunch, of the airship Beaver Cleaver. Her ship is the one I used to come here, and the captain happens to be a very talented explorer with a few skills that might come in handy,” Bastion explained simply.“I see,” Commander Warmwood said. “Very well. Pleased to meet you, captain. I hope you find the base comfortable and that my men have acquitted themselves well.”I nodded. “Everyone’s been very nice so far,” I said.“Wonderful. Now, Sir Bastion, might I finally learn why I have a royal paladin in my office?”Bastion shifted, arms folding up in the small of his back and legs planting more firmly in place. “Commander, it has come to my attention that there has been some recent trouble with the local molefolk colony. The city guard became aware of my presence and asked me for assistance.”The commander nodded slowly. “That seems appropriate, yes.”“We discovered that the molefolk have begun to build a large dam, which might threaten the safety of Granite Springs. Diverting the river entering the town would cause some obvious issues. The damage to infrastructure, and potentially the health of the citizens here, definitely escalates the issue.”The commander straightened. “I see. I imagine destroying a dam would be a difficult task for a lone paladin, no matter how strong.”“Actually, I believe it would be possible to convince the mole people to deconstruct their new project. It would be a much safer alternative than outright destruction.”Commander Warmwood grinned. “Ah, a fine idea. Have them take apart their own tools of insubordination. That has a certain level of ironic charm to it.”“Wow,” I said. “You just keep jumping to all of the most violent possibilities.”The commander looked my way, confusion showing in the set of his bushy brow. “Pardon me?”“I don’t know. Every solution you have is very... hammer-y.”“What Captain Broccoli is trying to say, I believe,” Bastion cut in, “is that we have already come into contact with the mole people. Specifically, a General Holey, who is in charge of the forces at the dam. In situations like these, with possible diplomatic tensions on the line, I find it best to open a channel of communication between both sides before escalating to violence.”“I... see,” Commander Warmwood said. He moved around his desk and sat himself down on his plush chair. Then he gestured to the seats across from him. I took one, wiggling myself in place until I was comfy. “That’s reasonable. I’m beginning to suspect that I’m missing some key information here.”Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.Bastion didn’t take a seat, staying standing instead. “I believe that might be the case, yes. Though I also suspect that it’s through no fault of your own.”“Very well then, lay it out for me.”“From my preliminary investigation, one that I started only this morning, I believe the sequence of events is as such: A quarry operated by Granite Springs relocated some of its equipment and started to dig in a new direction. This direction happened to lead the quarrying work into an area over the mole people town. I haven’t observed the Dhigeyhole — Granite Falls treaty, but this might be a violation of it.”The commander sniffed. “So we started digging over their heads, did we?”“Indeed. They have evacuated a portion of their town, and seem ready to divert the river for fear that it will shift towards the quarry, fill it with water, and potentially harm their town,” Bastion said.Commander Warmwood leaned forwards, elbows on his desk. “Were you not a paladin I’d say that the entire story was a little far-fetched. But I imagine this is the kind of complication you’re meant to deal with.”“They’re not usually so simple,” Bastion admitted.The commander huffed. “Very well, you’ve convinced me that the military should intervene. It’s our duty to protect the citizenry, and I imagine this situation is beyond the ability of the guard. Do you have a plan, Paladin Coldfront?”Bastion nodded. “Thank you, sir. During my meeting with the mole person general, he mentioned that he had sent frequent requests to Granite Springs, but these were intercepted by the military.”The commander sat straighter in his seat. “What’s the meaning of that?” he asked.“I do not know how trustworthy the general is, but he seemed quite put out by the lack of response. I believe the attempts, at least, were genuine. He also mentioned a Major Springsong.”The commander’s upper lip twitched, a distasteful look crossing his features. “Oh, him,” he said before schooling his expression.This was all very exciting. My mom used to love watching court procedurals and detective shows; this felt like being in one of those, but live. It was kinda cool. “Do you know him?” I asked.The commander eyed me, then Bastion before replying. “I do. He’s not under my chain of command.”Bastion tilted his head to the side, just a tiny bit. A quirk, showing his confusion, maybe. “He isn’t? Forgive me, is there any other battalion in the region?”Commander Warmwood shook his head. “No, but you’re not a foolish boy—I imagine you can figure it out.”“The Inquisition, then,” Bastion said.I blinked. I hadn’t heard of them in a while. “Aren’t you part of the Inquisition?” I asked.Bastion shook his head, then paused and seemed to change his mind before nodding. “Technically, yes. The Royal Paladins of the Order of the World operate under the auspices of the Inquisition. I’m a paladin of the Royal Inquisition. So yes, on paper, I’m part of that organization. In practicality, we are different. The Inquisition itself is mostly concerned with internal matters, protecting the nobility and ensuring a proper functioning of the nation, whereas paladins serve to protect the royal family. We serve the King, Queen, and their offspring more directly. Which often entails conflict resolution on their behalf.”My head bobbed up and down. I’d understood most of that. “So, Major Springsong is an inquisitor.”“With a small platoon of soldiers under his command,” Commander Warmwood replied. “I knew he was out of the base with the majority of his troops, but I imagined they were doing training drills or the like. It isn’t too uncommon to use the wilderness here for that sort of thing.”“It seems like that’s not the case,” Bastion said. “Not unless it’s the most bizarre wilderness training I’ve ever heard of.”“No, I would suppose not,” Warmwood agreed. The commander tapped the top of his desk with his fingertips. “This is becoming more complex than I’d imagined. It’s not in my purview to go bother the Inquisition, not without good reason. On the other hand, the settlement I’m supposed to protect risks being attacked or at least damaged. That’s plenty ‘good reason.’ ”“But you’re still worried?” Bastion asked.Commander Warmwood nodded. “It’s unusual.”“Um, but we’re going to do something, right? We can’t just sit back, not when this might hurt the people,” I said. “We should go talk to this Major Springsong and see why he did what he did.”“That seems like a reasonable approach,” Bastion agreed. “I don’t imagine you know his exact location?”The commander nodded. “As a matter of fact, I do,” he said. The old sylph pushed off his desk and stood up. “I’m going to raise the alert level within the base by a notch.”“Are you certain?” Bastion asked.“I have the impression that no matter how things turn out, it will mean action,” the commander replied. “My bones might be growing old, but they’re old because I trust them when they ache like this.”Bastion nodded. “Very well then. If you could have someone point us in the right direction, then the captain and I will be off. I feel like we’ll be running ourselves ragged by the end of the day, trying to keep up with everything that’s going on.”The commander snorted. “Indeed. I’m glad you’re here, paladin. I can’t imagine what it would mean to learn all of this even a day later.”“Just doing my job, sir,” Bastion said. “I hope you don’t mind if I skip some of the formalities. I think we might be more pressed for time than I’d initially imagined.”“I understand. Good luck, paladin. And you too, captain.”
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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-One — On the Back Foot
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-One — On the Back Foot “So, now what?” I asked as I followed Bastion out of the headquarters.The paladin paused, jaw working as he thought. “Are you certain you want to keep following me?” he asked. “This is becoming increasingly political.”“Is that a bad thing for me?” I asked. “I’m not about to let one of my best friends do something hard without at least trying my best to help him.”Bastion chuckled. “I should have figured you’d say something like that. Very well, our next step will be informing the guard of what’s going on. Then we move over to the quarry and find Major Springsong. I feel as if everything we’re dealing with leads to him in particular.”“Alright,” I said. We’d finally reach the person responsible for the entire kerfuffle. I hoped. If we reached Major Springsong and it turned out that it wasn’t them and that someone else was responsible then... “Is your job always like this?” I asked.“You mean running around, looking for fires, then stamping them out as best I can? Yes, that would describe a good portion of a paladin’s work. We’re often turned into errand boys, sent around to take care of things for the royal family where it wouldn’t be politically or practically possible for them to show up in person. We’re essentially problem-fixers with royal backing.”“That’s kind of neat,” I said. “The King and Queen must trust you a bunch.”Bastion nodded. “That’s one of the nicer perks, yes. It’s not every sylph that will even see their monarchs, let alone ever speak with them. The Royal Order is given a lot of trust, which also puts a lot of pressure on us. A mistake carried out in the name of the King is going to be very costly, no matter what.”I could imagine. That had to be pretty stressful. But then, I was sure Bastion managed it just fine. He was one of the coolest people I’d ever met.On leaving the headquarters, Bastion gestured towards the front gate, past more soldiers who were running laps around a small field. We weren’t halfway to the gate when I heard some shouted orders being tossed around, and soon the soldiers were snapping to attention and darting towards what I guessed was their barracks.“The alert level’s rising,” Bastion said.“What does that mean?” I asked. “I mean, I can guess, but I figure you know-know.”Bastion laughed. “It means the soldiers here have just gotten a day off from training. Now they’ll gear up and move on to one of the other things soldiers are good at.”“What’s that?” I asked.“There’s three things you’re taught to do as a soldier. Train, fight, and wait. Now they’ll have the rest of the day to wait.”The guards at the gate opened up the door for us, and we stepped out of the base and back out onto the packed-dirt road around town. A few guards were waiting for us there, and Bastion approached them to talk. I hung back a little bit.Today had been a lot of running around, and while it wasn’t quite as fun as some things, it still felt pretty nice. We were on a sort of adventure, but instead of the stakes being just... me and my friends having fun, they were larger.Then again, our last few adventures had been like that too, hadn’t they?I hadn’t really considered it, but more and more of our adventures were big, at least big in the sense that they were helping a lot of people with a bunch of things. That was... well, it wasn’t bad, but I had kind of set out expecting my adventures to only really be about me and a few friends. It was strange to think that more and more often our adventures were dealing with big, important things.“We’re ready,” Bastion said, snapping me out of my thoughts.I grinned at him and nodded. “Alright, let’s head out then.”The quarry was past the halfway mark between Granite Springs and the mole person dam, which meant our run wasn’t quite as strenuous. We’d also had a nice long pause to regain some stamina, though my legs were wobbly at first.Bastion set the pace again, not too fast, but not too slow, a bouncing jog that made us eat up the distance until we veered off the main road and onto the quarry road. We ran around the edge of a huge circular hole in the ground filled with water at its bottom.There were a bunch of buildings in the middle of the quarry, where carts pulled by donkeys were bringing big slabs of stone to the side of a workshop where some sylphs picked them up with chains and pulleys. On the opposite end, square-cut blocks were being stacked onto another long cart.Some of the buildings around looked like barracks, and there was an obvious kitchen to one side. Stables near the rear held the animals used to run the place, and there was a small building that looked like the headquarters for the entire place.Bastion led us across the quarry, walking with the certainty of someone who was definitely allowed to be there.The sylphs working at the quarry all seemed very strong, which was strange. They were still short, but short with big bulging arms. Most didn’t wear shirts, but nearly all of them had hard-leather caps that made their heads look like pins. A lot of them stared, but no one seemed inclined to move over and actually stop or ask us any questions.And then we were past the quarry and heading towards a small patch of woods not too far from there. An area with a small wall around it, and tents installed behind that.There were sylphs around who were all obviously soldiers, with black tabards over their gear, and spears held by their sides.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.They tensed as Bastion and I moved up the hill to meet them. “Who goes there?” One of them asked.“I’m Paladin Coldfront,” Bastion said. “I’m here to speak with Major Springsong, or whoever is in charge.”The soldiers looked at each other, then one ran off into their camp. I guessed that there weren’t more than fifty or so soldiers here, spread out across about half that many tents, laid out in neat rows. They had built a small wall, loose stones at the base with wooden posts above those, each ending in a rough-hewn spike.Bastion stood tall next to me, eyes fixed on the soldiers before us, who started to sweat a little at his unflinching gaze.Then the major showed up.I was expecting someone tall-for a sylph-in resplendent armour and maybe with the same bearing as Bastion. Instead, the major was a shorter sylph with a squinty look on his face, wearing shiny armour that looked half a size too big for him.He stared around, noticed Bastion and myself, then ran over with a blossoming smile. “Paladin Coldfront! It’s wonderful to see you, sir,” he said.“Hello,” Bastion said. He sounded like he was on the back foot. I guess the warm welcome was unexpected.“I didn’t expect your arrival so soon, but I’m infinitely grateful that you’re here. Please, follow me.” The major took Bastion’s hand, shaking it up and down in a hurry before turning around and walking into the camp.Bastion and I looked at each other, and I shrugged before we moved on after the major.The interior of the camp wasn’t anything too special. Tents were set in small circles around campfires, and the camp was laid out so that there was a wide lane down the middle which soldiers could use to move around. A larger tent stood at one end, with a pair of black banners hanging on either side of its entrance. The major stood there, with his back straight and features neutral, but he was also bouncing on the balls of his feet with nervous energy.“This is our issue,” the major said as soon as we walked in. There was a desk in the centre, with a pile of letters sitting atop it and a map across the surface. He shoved the letters to the side to make room to see the map. “There’s a monster living here," his finger stabbed down onto the map, "and we need it dead.”“One moment,” Bastion said. “I think you’re operating under a false assumption.”The major blinked. “Pardon?”“I’m not here to answer a specific request. I’m here investigating the issue with the mole people, especially with regards to the dam they’re building that’s risking Granite Springs.”“You’re not here for the dungeon?”“What dungeon?” I asked.There was a long silence as everyone in the tent took each other in. “... I believe that perhaps you are right, paladin—there has been some level of miscommunication here. I sent word to the capital three days ago, requesting assistance with a delicate matter. I had assumed you were the response.”“I understand that much,” Bastion said. “But unfortunately, no, I’m here because I was passing through. I heard there was an issue with the molefolk, and after tracking it down, I came here, to what seems to be the source of the issue.”The major’s face screwed up for a moment before his expression flattened. “The mole people have been causing me some level of distress, yes.”“Is that correspondence on the table letters from the mole people?” Bastion asked.The major glanced then, then back up. “That? Oh, yes, they are,” he said.I poked at the pile, moving some of the letters around. “Some of these are still sealed,” I said.“Yes, well, the concerns of some mole people hardly matter to the Inquisition.”“But these aren’t addressed to you,” I said.“They might hold information that would reveal what we’re doing here... Paladin, who is this bun?”“This is Captain Bunch. She’s outside of your chain of command,” Bastion said.“I don’t recall the army having buns in it,” the major said.“She’s an airship captain,” Bastion replied, which only seemed to confuse the major more. “And her concerns are valid. Are you aware of what the mole people are doing at this moment? For that matter, are you responsible for the quarry changing the location it’s digging in?”“I recall reading some base threats. And yes, of course. We can’t have them continue digging where they were, and the nation might well need the stone being quarried in the near future. I can’t possibly just halt all operations. Besides, doing so would only pose a greater risk that knowledge of the dungeon might leak.”“Ah yes, the dungeon,” Bastion said. “I’m aware that the appearance of a new dungeon is important to the nation, but a settlement the size of Granite Springs—not to mention the nation’s alliance with the mole people—ought to outweigh the value of keeping one dungeon secret.”The major blinked fast. I had the impression that he wasn’t so much mean, or even incompetent, as he was... focused on his task. “This new dungeon will hardly threaten the town. If anything, the movement of additional people to the region and the change in ambient mana would help Granite Springs.”“For things to help the town, the town needs to still be around,” Bastion said.I decided to butt in a little. “I don’t think the entire town is at risk, but, well, if we don’t do something, people might get hurt, and I can’t think of many secrets that are worth hurting people over.”“I... I see? None of this would be an issue if it wasn’t for that damnable near-dragon thing.”“... what dragon thing?” Bastion asked.
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