Chapter Three Hundred and Sixteen — Past Tense
Chapter Three Hundred and Sixteen — Past Tense Amaryllis and I didn’t move.The Broccoli illusion planted herself on one side. The cervid mercenaries on the other.I knew what would happen. This was all a vivid memory, still. We’d... or the illusion of me, would talk. The cervid wouldn’t be completely unhelpful.Amaryllis, the illusion across the rivulet, glared at her captors, then she spared the illusion Broccoli a softer look. Almost as if thanking her for being there.This was the moment where Amaryllis really became my friend. Before this, we... well, we weren’t getting along that well. I had been trying hard to convince her to be friends, but maybe I was trying too hard. I had been desperate for friends back then. A new world, a system I didn’t understand, magic that was strange and bizarre and wonderful.Then, just as we were starting to become closer, Amaryllis was kidnapped.I had already decided that she was a friend, I think.The illusion-Broccoli argued with the cervid mercenaries, and it got pretty heated. She looked defeated-even sad, in her oversized beige gambeson and tipped-back helmet.The old me whistled, and Throat Ripper landed atop the hill next to Broccoli. He was as big as I remembered, all bones and armour. Even now, as strong as I’d become compared to all those months ago, I didn’t think I could fight him on an even playing field.A small army of skeletons followed, the illusions forming out of swirling light to stand atop the hill beside illusion-Broccoli. The cervid across from them looked nervous now.The back and forth continued.I remembered what would happen.The cervid would toss out a smoke bomb, to distract and blind illusion-me. Then I’d wash it away with Cleaning magic. The cervid would decide that it wasn’t worth fighting, and they’d toss Amaryllis down. Then they’d leave and I would get to reunite with Amaryllis. I think that’s the moment that really solidified everything for us.The smoke appeared as the cervid leader said something that I couldn’t hear, then it was cleared and-My breath caught in my throat, and I heard Amaryllis gasp.In reality, in my very vivid memories, Amaryllis had been tossed down to roll into the creek.In this illusion, her head was wrenched at an impossible angle; her snapped neck deformed around displaced bone, and the leader kicked her down the hill. She rolled, stopping halfway down in a tangle of loose legs and wings. Her eyes stared across the hill, confused, unblinking.“No,” I whispered, hands jumping over my mouth.The illusion faded, first at the edges, breaking apart like sand caught in an unfelt wind, then working towards the centre until all that was left was... was Amaryllis’ corpse.“No no,” I whispered. That... that was... but it hadn’t happened, it wasn't real, it was... was it Amaryllis’ fear?I turned to my friend, expecting to see her as shocked as I felt.Instead, she was furious.“Typical,” she spat.“What?” I asked.Amaryllis’ talons balled up, and she glared at the fading illusion, then at me. “I said typical. That’s probably what should have happened back there, isn’t it?”“No, it isn’t what happened at all,” I said. “It’s okay, Amaryllis, it never happened, you’re fine, we’re both fine.” I reached out to hug her.She stepped back, out of hugging range. “It’s not what happened, but it’s probably what will, isn’t it? Broccoli Bunch, always charging headlong into trouble. Like I said. Typical.”“What?” I asked again.Amaryllis brushed me off. “I’ve seen enough of this. I’ll make it back on my own.”“Amaryllis?” I asked. “What’s wrong? Are you okay? It’s okay to be scared.”“I’m not scared, you idiot. I’ve just realized that your stupidity will be the literal death of me.” She turned, and the emotions in her eyes were conflicted. Anger, but sadness too. “I’ll figure out how to get out of here on my own. I don’t need you, nor do I want you.”I stood there, frozen and confused for a few long seconds.“No!” I said “No, it’s not like that.” I didn’t know what it was even like, but, but things were confusing and weird and... and she was gone.Had I stood around for too long?I couldn’t even hear where she went. All I found around me was darkness and roots, and the faint light ahead that hopefully showed me where the exit was.I swallowed, then carefully wrapped my arms around my middle. It helped with the shaking.Once I felt a little more calm, I gathered up my determination and pushed forwards. Amaryllis... needed help. Probably. Maybe seeing that had scared her a lot more than it had scared me, and being afraid alone was a thousand times worse than being afraid with someone next to you.The wall of roots didn’t make pushing forwards easy. I had to crawl over and under them, sometimes taking my pack off to be able to squeeze through the few gaps I found.It was after flopping out of one of those and landing tail-first on the other side that I discovered that I wasn’t alone.A dishevelled Awen was standing nearby, eyes wide and teary until she saw me. “Awa? B-Broccoli?” she asked.“Awen?” I bounced to my feet, then looked around. Another wide clearing in the roots. The light ahead was much closer now too. Just a bit more. “Are you okay?” I asked.She nodded, then swallowed. Her arms rose, and I gladly gave her a hug. I needed it too, I think. “I was scared. I saw things and... yeah,” she said.“It’s okay,” I said. “I’m here.”The hug ended too soon. Awen felt strangely cold. She must have been really spooked.“Awa, I thought that...” she started, then stopped.A mist was filling the room again, transforming it into a whole new scene.It was a nice room, well appointed and richly decorated. I noted a piano in a corner, some bookshelves with hardcovers and a window overlooking a pretty courtyard. Then chairs and sofas formed, and I recognized the place.This was in Mattergrove, in Awen’s home.The people in the seats were easy to recognize too. Amaryllis, Abraham and his friend, even Awen and her parents and brothers.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.“This is when we met,” I said.Awen nodded, but she continued to look at the scene.Things happened as I remembered them. We talked a bit, there were introductions, and then I gifted Awen my old wand. She flushed and looked happy, and I thought the scene might not be so bad.Then Amaryllis and my illusion left, walking in place while the scene flowed past them. The illusions talked for a moment, with just a few gestures. I didn’t look so different than I did now, I don’t think. The ears and tail were conspicuously missing, though.Then illusory Awen came around and we greeted her again.This was the part where we went off. The part where I basically kinda-sorta kidnapped Awen.Instead, the illusion-Awen shook her head, teared up, and ran back up the staircase.Illusion-Broccoli glanced at illusion-Amaryllis. They shared a shrug, then headed out.“No,” I said. “That’s not how it happened at all. I’m really not liking the illusions in this place.”“M-maybe that’s how it should have worked out though,” Awen said.I spun towards her. “What do you mean?”She didn’t meet my eyes. “This life we lead, it’s dangerous Broccoli. So dangerous. I was kidnapped by pirates! I nearly died in the Insmouth dungeon! Those bombs the other day, a twitch and I’d be dead. I... I would be safer back home. Maybe I should never have followed you.”“I... no, you’re my friend, my best friend, I love having you on our adventures.”“Awa! You do, but they’re not for me, Broccoli. Don’t you understand?”My breath caught, and I felt something nasty in my chest, as if a fist were gripping my heart. “But...”“I’ll see you later, Broccoli,” Awen said. She moved on towards the light. “I think I need to think.”I watched her go, then shook my head and ran after her. “Wait!”She jumped over a root, slipped past another, and then... and then was gone.I stopped, feet heavy as my heart.Leaning back against one of the roots, I paused to catch my breath and steady my pulse. I had to blink a lot.Was I a bad friend?I pushed forwards, because I didn’t know what else to do.The roots proved as much of a challenge now as they did earlier. That meant I had to squeeze through even more of them. How had Awen and Amaryllis left so quickly? Or was the floor making it easier for them than for me?I winced as my hips got stuck between two roots. Had I been eating too well while in the capital?With a wiggle, I managed to squeak past, though I’d need to take a moment to fix the fur of my tail.Congratulations! Through repeated actions your Proportion Distortion skill has improved and is now eligible for rank up!Rank C costs one (1) Class PointI stared at the prompt, then smiled a little.“Thanks, Mister Menu,” I said. “It’s nice of you to try and distract me.”The light got brighter, and between one root and the next, I found myself in front of a door in a recess that had glowing walls around it. The door was simple and plain, but still really inviting. I stumbled over to it, then opened it up.There was a hallway beyond, wide and plain, with doors set about a metre apart. It reminded me a little of a motel corridor.People were milling about aimlessly in the corridor. Aria, Erin, some of the knights... my friends.I swallowed thickly and moved over to them trying not to drag my feet. Awen looked a little shaken, and Amaryllis was standing with her back real straight and a frown on her face.“Uh, hey guys,” I said.Awen turned towards me, then crashed into my chest. “Broccoli,” she said, though it was muffled.I returned the hug. She felt much warmer.“Hey, I’m sorry,” I said. “You too, Amaryllis, I’m really sorry.”“What are you on about?” Amaryllis asked."I ... I'm sorry I brought you with me! And that you've been through so much danger and pain and fear! And for all the kidnappings! And the times you nearly died! And ... and ..." I couldn't go on, I felt tears bubbling up.She looked confused. "What are you talking about?"I sniffled. "H-huh?""Where is all this coming from?""We ... we talked. About ... all the danger I've dragged you into."“No, we didn't?”I blinked, still hugging Awen, but now also very confused. “So we didn’t meet in the room with all the roots?”“Oh, there were plenty of roots in there, but no Broccolis,” Amaryllis said.Awen sniffed. “You were in mine.”“Oh,” I said.“You died.”“Uh.” I blinked again. “Pretty sure I didn’t.”Amaryllis sniffed. “Obviously whomever you saw in there with my likeness wasn’t me.”“So you’re still my friend?” I asked. “You’re not angry at me?”“I’m angry that you’d think so little of me that I’d abandon our friendship,” Amaryllis said.I grinned. “Does that mean you’ll give me a hug?”She rolled her eyes, then gave me a hug, and everything was okay and nice and warm. Awen giggled after a bit, then I joined in too, because laughing made the scary less scary.Eventually the hug broke, and my friends both looked better. I probably did too. Awen wiped her face clean, and Amaryllis’ shoulders slumped a bit. I glanced around, and saw that just about everyone was back. The lieutenant was missing, but he said he would be the last to go, so that was probably nothing to worry about.“Hey, girls?” I asked. “I think we should talk to the others.”“What about?” Amaryllis asked.I shrugged. “Just, you know, stuff. Maybe to distract them? Some don’t look like they had it easy in that last room.” The knights all looked pretty okay. I guess that they had all been through the room before, so they knew what to expect. Arin looked alright, and Lucille stumbled out of a room looking more angry than afraid.Erin though, looked a bit shaky, and Bron was still missing, as was one of the knights. Just saying hi and maybe giving them a quick hug might make things better. Amaryllis nodded, and Awen did too.“Hey everyone,” I said, loud enough that they all could hear. “I’m making tea again, anyone want some?”
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Chapter Three Hundred and Seventeen — Counting Sheep
Chapter Three Hundred and Seventeen — Counting Sheep “Is everyone well?” Lieutenant Petalwrought asked.He was the last to arrive in the hallway that connected all of the corridors together. Still, despite that, he didn’t look ruffled or bothered at all. He just went around and checked on everyone, then stood by the door at the end of the hall with his back straight and his eyes hard.“That floor can be quite the challenge for some. I’m glad to see that everyone is still on their feet and that the floor didn’t break any of us. I’m impressed. We will take a moment to relax again before moving on to the next floor.”“What’s on the next floor?” Lucille asked.Lieutenant Petalwrought crossed his arms. “The fourth floor is challenging. We will be fighting wave after wave of sheep.”“Cute fuzzy fluffball sheep?” I asked.The lieutenant blinked. “No, demon sheep.”“Cute fuzzy fluffball demon sheep?” I hopedThe lieutenant ignored me. “Their main attacks are straight-forward charges and magical bleats.”“Magical bleats?” Lucille asked.“The magic takes on two forms. One of them is a magical blast that imparts physical force. Think of it as similar to an air-blast spell. They can knock you off your feet, though they are not exceptionally powerful. They will try to trample you if you’re prone. The second aspect of their magical attacks is that they will put you to sleep.”“Will the potions we took negate that?” Amaryllis asked.“To a great extent, yes,” Lieutenant Petalwrought said. “Though the potion isn’t perfect, and enough concentrated magic can knock you out all the same. Less-focused attacks will still distract and weaken you.”“How do we fight them?” Erin asked.“They’ll be coming in waves over a fence-like barricade. Once we’ve defeated enough, the fence falls and we can move on to the next area. Usually there are three fences, but there can be more. I believe that the number depends on the number of participants and their respective levels, though we never quite pinned down the exact pattern.”So, we’d have to fight some sheep, then we would move on to the final floor. That seemed easy enough.“As for the method. The knights and I will form the front line. The sheep will always come from the same direction. If you can provide ranged support without harming any of us, then I’d encourage you to do so. The sheep’s faces and legs are their weak points. Their bodies are covered in a thick layer of wool padding that makes it difficult to cut them. A sufficiently sharp stabbing or piercing attack can push through their armour. Their horns are also quite tough. They can parry some attacks with them.”The others asked a few more questions, and eventually we settled on a formation that we’d take once we were on the fourth floor. Petalwrought even had us stand in that formation while in the hallway. Him at the front and centre, a pair of knights on either side, and finally the rest of us behind.Awen was going to use her crossbow, Amaryllis her magic, and the rest of us would help with what ranged magic we could manage.Erin and Bron both volunteered to be at the back, where they could run in and counter any sheep that made it past the knights.I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to help much. Cleaning magic wasn’t going to counter a charging sheep. I had fireballs though, and I imagined those would be pretty effective if I could set their wool on fire.“All right,” the lieutenant said. “Let’s move out. We don’t want to let the potions wear off too much.”The bedroom that connected every floor together was as I remembered, though again it was in worse shape. The water stains on the walls before had darkened, and the floor and bedding was mouldy and starting to rot. Something dark was dripping from a crack in the ceiling.A putrid stench hung in the air, thick enough that I instinctively flared my cleaning aura. It helped a little, but it seemed to keep manifesting, like it was enforced by the room itself.We didn’t linger there for long though. The lieutenant stood by the door to the next floor, then did a quick check of his equipment. The other knights did the same. One had given me back Weedbane, back in the hallway, so I checked the scythe’s staff and blade for any nicks. Then I shifted my pack to make sure it was on snug and then helped Amaryllis with hers.“Everyone ready?” Petalwrought asked.There were nods and “yes sirs” all around.He opened the door and we filed out after him.The floor was like a long tunnel. Big cliffs stood on either side, made of jaggedy rocks that towered above. The sky wasn’t a sky at all, but looked more like a painted ceiling, with little glow-in-the-dark stars placed between fluffy night-darkened clouds. The stars glowed enough to see — it wasn't bright, though, so a few of us sent out our magical lights again.“There’s the first fence,” Lieutenant Petalwrought said.The fence was... a fence. Some wooden boards held up together to form a wall that was just a bit shorter than I was from toe to eartip. We couldn’t see past it, not with the way the boards were pressed in. It looked like an ordinary fence, though there were stars and suns and moons painted on it to make it a bit livelier.“Roots,” Aria said.I followed her gaze to the base of the fence. She was right, there were roots poking in between the boards.“The last few times we ran the dungeon with the roots in it, they didn’t seem to change much,” Petalwrought said.A rumble sounded from across the gate, like a small stampede of horses clopping through muddy ground.The knights spread out in a wall before us, shields up, swords ready. The rest of us ran to our spots. I had a place in the middle, not too far behind the lieutenant, with both of my friends by my sides and then Aria and Lucille on their side.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.The fence shook as a hooved foot clacked atop it, and then a sheep was jumping over the fence. Another followed a split second later, then another.I was expecting a little sheep. Sure, the lieutenant had said demon sheep, but in my mind they would be waist-high fluffballs with widdle horns.These things were nearly as tall as the sylph before us, with huge curved horns that swept around their heads and came to a point next to their faces. Glowing red eyes locked onto us, and the front row of sheep bleated.I gasped as a burst of air slapped me back a step while a loud baa sounded in my ears like someone blowing on an airhorn.Then the world went woozy for a moment and I felt my eyes growing heavy. I almost fell to one knee, but the act of falling snapped me awake and I regained my balance. I pushed some Cleaning magic around my body. It helped, I think.Right! I was supposed to be helping!I concentrated and formed a brace of fireballs. The knights met the sheep’s charge and it broke against them, sheep snarling and bleating as the mass tried to press forward. “Range!” Petalwrought shouted.With a flick of my arm, I cast my fireballs towards the sheep.Lightning and a fiery whip cracked through the air from Amaryllis and Lucille, and I heard Awen's crossbow twang.The sheep bleated again as the magic and projectiles hit them. Fur caught fire and the sheep were pushed back and off the knight’s shields.It was enough for the knights to mount a counterattack.“Keep firing!” the lieutenant ordered while his sword hacked and slashed at the sheep before him.They were tough. Their woolly covering bounced off a few attacks, and I noticed that there were large roots tangled into the wool. It made it even harder for attacks to get through.Finally, the first of the sheep went down. That freed up a knight who immediately ran to help one of his comrades. With more attacks suddenly turned onto the other sheep, they quickly fell, each disappearing as a mist of whitish fog as they lay on the ground.“Well done,” Lieutenant Petalwrought said as the last of the sheep died.We all got a nice little dose of experience points (the sheep were level twelve!) but my attention was more on what had landed on the grassy ground where the sheeps faded. “What’s that?” I asked.“Ah, loot,” the lieutenant said. He picked up a bundle of what looked like... yarn? “You can make some excellent clothes from this. It’s spun already, and from what I’ve been told, of superlative quality.”“Does your order make clothes?” Amaryllis asked.“We’ve had a member or two who can, over the years, but no, for the most part we sell these off to raise funds. The drops aren’t so common that they’re worth farming. Mostly they serve as a nice reward.”“Can I keep that sample?” Aria asked. “For science, of course.”The lieutenant shrugged and tossed her the bundle. “Any injuries?”Once everyone confirmed that they were fine, we moved towards the fence as a group. A strong kick from Petalwrought was enough to knock the entire thing over with a loud whump.The other side of the fence was the same as this side. Was the grass a little greener? I checked back and forth. I couldn’t tell, but maybe? It was certainly closer to our goal.“Same formation,” the lieutenant said. “The number of sheep usually increases with each fence. If we started at five, then it’s possible we’ll have too many to hold back at the front.”“What do we do then?” I asked.“Mister Talldance, Mister Winterhand, if you would be so kind as to watch the flanks?” the lieutenant asked Erin and Bron. They both nodded and stepped up to the sides, weapons at the ready.As soon as we crossed the middle of the open space, the thumping of hooves sounded again. Sheep sailed over the fence, landed heavily on this side, then charged right at us.They were met with steel and magic.Sweat started to slide down my brow as I focused on flinging as many fireballs ahead as I could. They weren’t doing much, individually, but with a large number of them I was at least shaving the wool off of one sheep’s side.This group went down like the last. First one fell, then that dominoed into the entire group collapsing.“Check your health and mana,” the lieutenant said. He was just a little sweaty too, I think. Hard to tell with his helmet on. “If you’re low in health, we have some ointments and potions. We broke out the good stock for this mission. If you’re low in mana or stamina, we can pause for a moment before pushing forward.”Mana 85/145My mana tended to go up by a bit more than one a minute, I think. It wasn’t exact. “I’m still good for another fence, I think,” I said.“Likewise,” Amaryllis said. “But time saved now might repay later, especially if the challenge will grow fiercer as we continue.”“Two minutes to rest, then,” the lieutenant said.That wasn’t much at all, but it would have to do, I supposed.I stretched and resisted the urge to use just a little bit of Cleaning magic on myself. I could go a few minutes without wiping off my sweat. I wondered if I was growing to have a phobia of dirtiness? Would I still hug a friend if they were stinky?I looked at Amaryllis with narrowed eyes until she turned to stare at me. “What?”“Nothing,” I said.“Alright everyone,” the lieutenant said. “Let’s keep moving. We’re almost to the end.”We stepped up to the fence and kicked it down.It was supposed to be clear on the other side, at least until the next wave of sheep came after us.Instead, there was an abomination waiting. It looked at us with six baleful eyes, then, after taking in a deep breath, it blasted out a warbling scream."BAAAAA!!"
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