Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight — The Melancholy of Broccoli Bunch
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Eight — The Melancholy of Broccoli Bunch The old quarry still had a road leading down to it, a switchback path on the end nearest the quarry headquarters. That’s where the guards came from, both to inspect the body of the amphiptere, and then to start butchering it.I felt my nose twitch in disgust as the guards started to chop into the poor amphiptere. I had to swing my ears down to cover my eyes.“Are you well?” Bastion asked.I was glad for the distraction. “Yeah, I think,” I said. Physically I was mostly fine. A bit sore from all the running around, but that wouldn’t last. And if I was a bit tired, I could always just take a nap. “How are you?” I asked.Bastion seemed a bit banged up. His armour scuffed and scraped here and there, with a small dent around his lower chest where the metal seemed thinner. The thick cloth padding he wore under his armour was singed on the corners, likely from a bit of that acidic spit. “All things considered, I’m quite well. Good experience.”Oh! I’d forgotten to look at my system messages after the fight.Ding! Congratulations, after a hisstoric battle, you have defeated Sid, Lord of Acid Snakes, Level 32!EXP reduced for fighting as a group!I blinked at the level. That was huge! I’d never fought something so strong before. Though, to be fair, I had had a lot of help. A glance back showed some of the soldiers looking very happy. I figured a few of them had just levelled up from all of that excitement.The name of the amphiptere... that saddened me. Was Sid named by someone? Was the amphiptere someone’s pet at some point?Congratulations! Through repeated actions your Proportion Distortion skill has improved and is now eligible for rank up!Rank E is a Free Rank!That skill again! I still didn’t know what it did, or for that matter how I’d used it in the last fight to get it to level up at all.Proportion DistortionE — 00%The ability to fit in and fit out. Your ability to squeeze into tight spaces and fill rooms has improved.That wasn’t all that much more helpful. Was I able to naturally squeeze into smaller spaces now? That sounded kind of useless as far as skills went!I’d have to see what it changed into at Rank C, I guessed.I’d gained a heap of experience with Captaining and with Makeshift Weapon Proficiency, though not quite enough to get either to rank up. I’d need to practice more. The worse thing was that Captaining was actually getting ahead of Hugging Proficiency, which... what kind of terrible friend was I being?“Anything good?” Bastion asked.“Nothing too special,” I said. “No level ups, but I imagine I’m pretty close to my next one.”“Well done,” he said. “This entire battle will be quite the tale, I think.”I sighed. “It didn’t feel like an entirely fair battle,” I said. “It was more like... I don’t know, really. Bullying?”Bastion nodded slowly. “I can see how you’d think that. But I suspect it needed to be done. If the amphipteres didn’t harass civilians so often, maybe we could just leave them be. But that’s not in their nature. They are as prideful as their draconic parents.”“Yeah.” I said, for a lack of anything better to say. “What’s everyone going to do now?”“The Inquisition under Major Springsong are still poking at the crevice the amphiptere came from. The presence of juniors hints that there might be a nest nearby.”“She was a mommy?” I asked.“Uh,” Bastion said. “No, no I’m sure that’s not the case,” he lied, poorly.I tightened my jaw. I wasn’t going to break out in tears or anything like that. I was a big girl. I’d go back home to the Beaver and hug the stuffing out of my friends until I felt better instead.“I suspect that a lot of the meat will find its way back to Granite Springs. If you want you could stake a claim on some of the body. You did participate, and it would be hard to argue that you didn’t do your part.”“Why would I want anything like that?” I asked.Bastion rubbed at his chin. “I’ll take a small portion of the leather on your behalf, if you want. It’s valuable, and given to a good tailor, you could make something nice out of it. Additional armour, or some clothes.” Bastion made a dismissive gesture. “It’s a fair reward.”“I don’t know,” I hedged. It wouldn’t feel right.“Accept it, please,” Bastion said. “It will smooth things out with the commander, and the general as well. They’ll be quite busy in the coming days, I suspect. Moving the quarry over, likely dismantling that dam, and cleaning up the battlefield.”I nodded. There were a lot of guards coming over, with Captain Ward calling out orders from atop the back of a cart loaded up with equipment. The few soldiers that had been injured were being tended to by medics in lighter armour with white marks over their arms and around the top of their helmets.Things seemed calm. “I think... I think I might go back to the Beaver,” I said.“Are you certain?” Bastion asked.I nodded.“Then let me find someone that can carry you back.”I appreciated the gesture. It was a bit rude to not stop and talk to all the new friends I’d made, but sometimes... well, sometimes even my social batteries were spent. I needed a few minutes to myself, maybe with just a close friend or two to cuddle while I got over my blues.Bastion and I moved around the old quarry and to where the quarry workers were gathering to help butcher the amphiptere’s corpse. It wasn’t hard to find some carts heading back to Granite Springs. They needed a bunch of equipment that they didn’t exactly stock at a quarry, and there was talk of getting some local butchers over to help, since they’d actually know what they were doing better than the guards and soldiers.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.I hopped onto the back of a cart after giving Bastion a quick parting hug.The ride back was quiet. The sylph driving the cart paid more attention to the road than anything else, and with the late afternoon sun baking everything into a warm haze, it felt like the sparse forests and all the animals within were feeling too lazy to move about much.I leaned back and stared up into the sky, bright blue, with a few long streaks of puffy white pouring out from the tops of the tallest mountains. This was the first time I was alone since... it had been a while, actually.It was nice, and at the same time it wasn’t. Too quiet. Peaceful, yes, but I wanted to share that peace. To press up against Amaryllis, to hear Awen’s quiet murmurs as she thought about something and ignored the view.I huffed, a very mighty huff.The cart rolled over to Granite Springs, and I thanked the nice driver sylph for the ride before hopping off and making my way into the town. There were still plenty of people around, some of them gathering up in clumps to gossip and speculate.It wasn’t hard to imagine what they’d be speculating about, I’d seen two dozen guardsmen at the quarry, and I couldn’t imagine a town this big having that many guards in all. Plus the army moving out in force. Someone had to have noticed that.I plodded through the streets, a lone, strange bun ignored by just about everyone except for the few odd stares.The docking tower where the Beaver Cleaver was waiting seemed less busy than it had been that morning. The ships being loaded up were mostly gone now, and the crews of sylph that had been working on them were gathered in the shadows of the docks, smoking stinky cigarettes and chatting between each other.I climbed aboard the elevator, took a moment to figure out the controls, then shot up to the topmost floor where I disembarked and continued on to the Beaver. Awen was there to greet me, sitting astride the railing with a book in hand and her armour and coat on. “Hey,” I said.She looked up from her book, and a quick, small smile graced her lips. “Hey Broc,” she said. “You’re back.”“Yeah? Of course I am.”“I thought you might be in trouble,” she said. “So I was ready to start mounting a rescue.”“Why would I be in trouble?” I asked.“Because you’re Broccoli,” Awen said. She giggled at whatever expression I made in response to such a terrible accusation. “I saw the guard all up in a tizzy, and then the army was moving and all the dockhands were gossiping about it and staring at them, so I knew you’d done something.”“You can’t know that I was involved with all of that,” I said.“But you were?” she asked.I crossed my arms. “Maybe.”Awen laughed and leaned to the side to place her book on the deck. Her laugh calmed down. “Are you okay?”“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said. I put on a nice smile for Awen.Awen looked at me for a moment, then she swung her leg over the rail, and heedless of the huge drop below, jumped over to land on the deck next to me. “Do you need a hug?” she asked.“I could use a hug, yeah,” I admitted.She raised her arms a bit, and I wrapped mine over her shoulders and pulled her close. I think Awen grew recently, maybe while I wasn’t paying too much attention. I saw her everyday after all. She was still shorter than me by a good bit, but now her head tucked into the crook of my neck just right.“Did you want to talk about it?” Awen asked.“Ah, maybe?”“I think there’s some leftovers from lunch,” she said.“Who made it?”Awen backed out of the hug and gave me a look. Then she glanced aside. “It was Clive.”“Oh, yeah, I haven’t eaten since this morning, I don’t think. I could use something to eat.”“Come on then, you can tell me what you did that got the entire army deployed.”“I didn’t do anything. Just ran a few messages and met some people. Did you know there are molefolk living in Sylphfree? They’re big people, covered in fur.” I bounced over to the Beaver then waited for Awen to jump over as well, just in case she missed the jump.“Mole people? That must be weird,” Awen said.“A bit!” I agreed. “They’re nice though. I think most of them are short-sighted, so they’re very squinty, and they have big teeth, but not the sharp, mean-looking kind. They’re nice though. I didn’t really get to hug them to see how soft they are.”“Is their fur long?”“No no, it’s more like short, rough fur, I think,” I said.“Did you meet them in the city?” Awen asked as she led me down one deck and towards the kitchen.“No no, they were building this big dam way upriver. If they finished it, then it would be terrible for Granite Springs, so Bastion had to convince them not to, which meant that we had to gather the army to fight this big monster called Sid.”Awen tilted her head to the side as she considered all of that. “Broccoli, I think you’re skipping some parts of the story.”“Well, yeah, I had to meet with this major from the inquisition. He wasn’t mean, but he was really inconsiderate. And the commander of the army base. He was nice, but a bit... bossy, I guess? I think he’s a bit of a grumpy older guy, but he still seemed like a good sort of person under all the grump.”“Uh huh, so then what happened?”I grinned and started over, this time from the beginning. It helped a lot, just being home with... my family, I guessed.
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Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine — Ironclad Hugs
Chapter Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine — Ironclad Hugs “Do you have everything?” Amaryllis asked. Only her head was poking into my room, the rest of her not visible since she was leaning in from the corridor.I looked at my backpack and nodded. “I think so. I guess I’ll be travelling light, huh?”I had my best clothes on, armour atop that, and my spade was waiting for me by the door. My bag was nearly empty though. A few books for the flight, some spare clothes, including the suit I’d worn at that ball, some tea-making supplies, and a couple of hats. My captain-ing hat, my top-hat from that one dungeon, and my turtle helmet that was currently sitting on my head. That was it.“Travelling light is fine,” Amaryllis replied. “We might do some shopping while out in the capital.”I glanced up. “I thought we were going to be doing diplomatic stuff?”“Of course we are,” Amaryllis said with an eye roll. “But that won’t take up the entire time that we’re there. Our mission is important, yes, but for the most part it boils down to delivering a few messages to the right ears. Perhaps offering a few bribes and a bit of proof here and there.”“We’re not going to be bribing people, are we?” I asked.“Oh, not that kind of bribe,” Amaryllis said with a wave of her wing. “But I can make promises on behalf of my family. There’s a lot to be gained from trade between Sylphfree and the Nesting Mountains, trade that would very much be lost in the case of a war.”“That makes sense. Make the merchants want to avoid fighting because fighting would mean making less money.”“Exactly,” Amaryllis said. She stepped into my room fully. She had all of her adventuring gear on, with her dagger strapped by her hip and her feathers looking freshly preened. “I’m ready to head out whenever you are.”I nodded and stuffed a blanket into my pack. Getting caught without a blanket, or at least a towel, would be terribly silly. “I’m ready too!” I picked up my turtle-shell hat from next to the door and wiggled my ears into the helm’s ear-holes. It always made my fur go the wrong way when I put that on.Amaryllis and I peeked into Awen’s room while I rubbed my ears straight. “Hey Awen,” I said.The mechanic looked up to me from the floor. She was on her knees next to an open duffle bag filled with all sorts of tools and knick-knacks that looked like they were on the heavier side.At least it meant she was finally picking up her room. So many loose things were probably a hazard if we did any maneuvering.“Oh, awa, hi,” she said. “I’m nearly done?”“Did you pack anything other than tools?” Amaryllis asked.Awen looked down at her bag, then blinked. “Oh, I guess I’ll need another bag for clothing and toiletries.”“I guess I can help,” I said as I stepped in, careful not to place a foot on anything sharp-looking. “Do you have a second bag?”“Yes, here,” Awen said. She found a backpack in one of her drawers, under to even more tools, and set it on the ground next to me.“Right!” I said. “You’ll want some formal wear, maybe that pretty dress from the ball? And some everyday stuff. Your armour, of course, in case of adventuring. Don’t forget to bring enough underthings too. One for each day, plus one more in case of emergencies.”“B-Broccoli!” Awen whined.“Oh, right, I guess I can just use Cleaning magic if anything happens.”“That’s not what I meant, Broc,” Awen groused. She pouted at me, and I couldn’t help but grab her and give her a hug. What did I do to deserve so many cute friends?“Come on, let’s pack up the rest and head out, I don’t think we’re risking being late, but it’s only polite to arrive early.”“I’m certain they would wait for us,” Amaryllis said. “Though this is a sylph transport. They might be a little anal about punctuality.”"Some people are like that,” I agreed.We finished packing up Awen’s things in a jiffy, then climbed back to the top deck. The rest of the crew was there waiting for us. Clive was the first to step up. “Captain.”“Clive,” I said. “You’re in charge of the Beaver while we’re off. Keep him in tip-top if you can. Just do your best!”“Aye aye, captain,” Clive said. “We’ll be done patching him up to new in a day or two at most. Lady Albatross left us with plenty of resources, if we need ‘em.”“Well done then,” I said. I spread my arms wide, and the old harpy chuckled as he accepted the hug.Next were Steve and Gordon, both of them saluting easily as I approached. “Have a safe trip, ma’am,” Steve said.“You’ll have to tell us what the capital is like, once you’re back,” Gordon replied.“I’ll try to remember to grab souvenirs!” I said. “Hugs?”My hugging Proficiency was getting so much experience today!The Scallywags were next, all three of them standing together. Joe looked a bit sour, but that was par for the course. The other two looked just fine. “You three keep safe, alright?” I asked. “And if you find better work around here, at least stick around so that I can give you even more hugs when I return, alright?”More hugs were had!Then it was down to the very last-but most important-member of the crew. “Did you want to come with us?” I asked Orange.The cat looked up to me. At some point, she’d gone from being a spirit kitten to being a spirit... teen? Young cat? Whatever the next step was. She was about as tall as my knee when standing up on her hind-legs, which she didn’t do often enough.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.Orange looked up to me, then stood and did a figure-eight around my ankles. “Oh! You do want to come! Well then, is there anything you want to bring? I don’t know if you have any toys or anything. Actually, we should get you some toys, shouldn’t we?”Orange pounced up and installed herself on my shoulder, tail tapping the shoulder opposite the one she was resting on. I scratched her tummy fluff while she was there.“Okay,” I said before turning around. I glanced around the Beaver. It might be a few days before I got to see him again. “We’ll see you all super soon,” I declared.The four of us jumped off the Beaver and landed onto the dock. Orange cuddled closer so that she wouldn’t bounce off with the motion. The docks were lively and filled with people moving about. A few ships had arrived recently, and they were being unloaded by teams of dockworkers while freight was being shifted about, ready to head out once the newly arrived vessels took off again.Our destination was all of three ships over from the Beaver.Her name (or at least I think the ship was a girl-ship) was the Little Atlas, but she wasn’t all that little.From bow to stern the Little Atlas was twice as long as the Beaver Cleaver and almost as wide.Unlike the Beaver the ship didn’t have a very ship-like appearance. She was a lot boxier, with a prow that was angular and a hull that seemed to be entirely made of steel plates riveted in place.Amaryllis, Awen and I moved out of the way of a group of sylphs pushing a cart loaded with boxes freshly transferred off of the Little Atlas. We waited for the coast to be clear before stepping up to the ship. There were a few planks set up to allow people to cross over, and one of those had the person that I figured had to be the captain.She was a sylph that I suspect was on the shorter side, only coming up to my chest, but her captain’s hat more than made up for it. It was a very nice, stately hat, a bicorn with a few smaller feathers on the side and a nice badge pinned to the other.“Hello!” I called out with a wave that I hoped was properly jaunty.The captain looked up from some papers she was flipping through and looked our way. She said something to one of her crew then stepped over and folded her arms at the small of her back. “Greetings. May I help you?” she asked.“Yes ma’am,” I said. “I’m Captain Broccoli Bunch, and these are my companions. We have a, uh, charter onboard your ship today.” I glanced to the side, just to make sure the name on the side of the ship was right. It did say the Little Atlas in big bun-high letters.“Ah, I see. Yes, I received word about your arrival,” the captain said as she pulled out her papers and checked through them. “A little early, but better than late. It says here you would be four? Including a... Paladin?”“That’s probably Bastion, he’s a bit busy, I think. I haven’t seen him since yesterday afternoon, but I doubt he’ll be late, that’s just not like him.”“I see. I’m Captain Risa Galebane, of the Snapdragon Transportation consortium. It’s a pleasure to meet a fellow captain.” She extended a hand to shake, and I leaned forwards to grab it. She had a good grip.“I’m still very new to the job, so I’d love to hear any advice you have,” I said. Also, she had the coolest name for an airship captain. Way better than “Bunch.”“I’d love to share a meal, perhaps once we’ve taken off,” Captain Galebane said.“So, permission to come aboard?” I asked.“Granted,” she replied, a slight smile twitching up the corners of her lips before she gestured back onto the ship.We climbed aboard, and I couldn’t help but stare around. There was a balloon overhead, one that was nearly as large as the ship itself. There had to be a lot of gravity generators on board to compensate for the small size of the balloon. The ship didn’t have as many sails as the Beaver, but it did have a lot more propellers. Two on the side, one at the front in a large housing, and a large one at the rear.“Interesting design,” Amaryllis commented. “I think we experimented with multi-prop configurations like this before, but we never found it all that efficient.”“The gearing must be so complicated,” Awen said. “Unless they have multiple engines, which would bring a whole host of other problems along.”“I can imagine,” I said.Someone ran up to us, a younger sylph who bowed before us. “Hello, and welcome aboard the Little Atlas. Can I assist you with your things? I’ll be showing you to the guest quarters.”“Sure,” I said. “That would be really nice of you.”Awen handed him her dufflebag, which was the only non-backpack bag we had. He hugged it close, then with a grunt of effort, led us to the rear of the ship where a door was placed under the quarterdeck. We went down a level and past a large cargo hold, parts of the ceiling set aside to make room for packages being lifted out by the ship’s crew.The quarters we had were at the very front of the ship, a small section behind a door with a little living area and some rooms to the sides. They were smaller even than the rooms aboard the Beaver, barely more than a bed and a door, but they’d do for the trip.“Thank you,” I said. “I think we’re going to have a great flight.”
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