Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven — Upper Management
Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-Seven — Upper Management We rushed up the final few floors, following the directions I’d teased out of our harpy prisoner. Baron Vonowl was in for a rude awakening once we arrived.On reaching the floor where the baron was hidden, Bastion gestured everyone to silence and approached the door to lean up against it. He listened for a bit, then came down the steps to where we all gathered. “Large floor. It sounds like a mostly open space. I can hear maybe a dozen people in there.”“That’s a concerning number,” Caprica said.“We can probably take them, we have the element of surprise on our side,” Amaryllis said.“That might still be tricky though,” I said as I glanced back up. The door was the very last one at the very top. I was a little surprised that the tower didn’t have roof access. Or maybe it was elsewhere? In any case, that wasn’t our problem at the moment.Bastion shook his head. “We don’t have time to worry overly much about anything. Our timetable is short. I’d much rather we not get caught out by the returning pirates while loading the hostages back onto the ships, so we need to move quickly. I’ll take point, Caprica’s guards can assist me on the flanks, everyone else comes in after. If you’ve been holding anything back, now wouldn’t be an unreasonable time to use it.”Everyone shuffled in place, then Bastion launched himself up the steps, blowing the door with a boom, Caprica’s guards were right on his heels and the other soldiers rushed in right after.I didn’t wait long to follow.The first thing I heard as I stepped in were panicked yells and the sharp crack of steel on steel. The top floor was more of an open plan than most of the floors below. A good quarter of the space was used up by a set of large cages pressed up against one wall and half-covered by curtains. The rest of the space was one large living area.Harpy and human guards were rallying against Bastion and the royal guardsylph, maybe a dozen of them in all. They looked competent at a glance, but entirely unprepared for the sudden fight, and a pair of them were already groaning on the floor.I tightened my grip on Weedbane and moved to the side, taking my place in the impromptu line that was forming as we stretched out across the room.The guards we’d surprised were backing up towards a stairwell off to one side of the room-probably the roof access. Behind them was a harpy in a finely-made suit of purple and blue cloth. He was red in the face and was shouting some rather rude things at us while backing up.That had to be the baron!My attention was snapped back to the present as I eeped and ducked under a sword swing. One of the guards was right in front of me, an angry scowl in full display as he tried to chop me into little Broccoli Bunch bits.“Focus, Broccoli,” Amaryllis bit off. She reached out with her dagger-wand and filled the room with crackling lightning that speared out towards a trio of guards. One went down convulsing, but the other two raised their hands and the magic splashed off sort of shimmering shield of mana.These weren’t untrained pirates. They were a lot better at their job. But we’d still caught them with their metaphorical pants down. The guy I was fighting had a sword in one hand and a chair in the other, and unfortunately for him, he didn’t seem to have the same experience with chair-combat as I did.I caught the tip of Weedbane’s blade between the bars of the chair he was using as a shield, then twisted back, ripping it from his grip. I took a step back, then spun Weedbane around and flung the chair right back at the guard, dropping his sword in the process.Then I kicked the chair as hard as I could, ramming the legs into his tummy so that he fell back wheezing.Our foes were going down in quick succession, the surprise and the ferocity of our best fighters no match for them. Which is why I was surprised when the fighting suddenly came to a screeching halt as someone screamed.“Stop!”Everyone, minions and soldiers alike, froze up for a few seconds. Then the brigands ran backwards to the staircase pressed up against the wall. The harpy who could only be Baron Vonowl was halfway up the steps, a buckler held in both hands. He was huffing and puffing, and looking like he couldn’t decide if he was angry or scared.“Just who in the world are you?” he shouted.I glanced around, then met Caprica’s eyes. She gave me a sort of ‘you explain this one’ nod. “Hello!” I said. “My name’s Captain Broccoli Bunch, and my friends and I are here to rescue the people you kidnapped.”“What?” he asked.“... Uh. Which part did you not understand?” I asked.“Do you have any idea who you’re messing with?” the baron asked.Calamity snorted. “An idiot with delusions of grandeur?”“I’m pretty sure you’re Baron Vonowl?” I asked. “In any case, you’re the guy being protected by all of these guards while, uh.” I glanced over to the cages where I could see a dozen or so harpy’s standing up. They were in better shape than the prisoners down below had been, dressed in finery and very nice outfits, though their clothes had ended up a little tattered from being imprisoned. “While these nice people over here are in cages, which kind of paints you in a bad light.”“A bad light? Do you have any idea what you’re doing?” He swept a wing towards the cages. “Those fools who were born into underserved power wanted to bumble their way into delaying an inevitable war instead of pressing our great nation’s advantage!”I blinked. “Uh. Yeah, no, we already negotiated peace, more or less. I don’t think anyone actually wants that war to happen.”The baron seethed. “Then you’re as great a fool as any of them! Our saviour, Rainnewt understood. He acknowledged our inherent value!”This novel's true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.“Okay, I think that’s enough,” Bastion said, interrupting what sounded like the beginning of a proper villainous monologue. “Lay down your arms and surrender, and we will be lenient. There’s no need to die for someone like him.”A few of the baron’s guards looked to each other, then back at us. At the moment we were pretty evenly matched in terms of numbers. Then a couple of sylph came into the room from the stairs and rushed to join us.I could almost hear what they were thinking. There might only be even numbers here and now, but that would change soon.The first sword clattered to the floor, then another.The baron screamed, then started up the stairs. “Cowards!” he shouted.Calamity’s bow twanged, but the baron ducked behind the shield he held and Calamity’s arrow thunked into it. Spells started to fly towards him, but those of his guard who decided not to surrender rused forwards and magical shields shimmered and popped as they intercepted the magic that should have hit the baron.Before any of us could catch up, Vonowl threw open a door at the top of the stairs and disappeared out of sight.The guards that decided not to surrender were punished for that choice as Bastion and the others met them with a sudden charge. “Captain, go after the baron,” Bastion shouted.“Got it!” I replied. I crouched for just a moment, then shot up and over the fighting to land on the staircase. I sprinted up the remaining steps and onto the roof of the tower, vaguely aware that a few others were running after me.The tower’s roof was a flat space, with crenelations along the edges and a very slight incline that was probably there make water run to the edge. A strong wind blew across the rooftop, and at a glance, I could see the open expanse of cloudy sky and the great forest that surrounded the tower.There was also, I noticed immediately, an airship parked on the rooftop.It was the same class as the Redeemed, small and light and with a soft balloon that was inflating itself even as I watched. The balloon was connected to a set of tanks that looked like they were recent additions to the rooftop.The baron was onboard already along with two other harpies that hadn’t been below and who were hurriedly preparing the ship for launch.“Hey! Wait!” I shouted before taking off towards the ship.“I will do no such thing!” the baron said. “Look, Commander Megumi returns, and with them the forces that will crush your pitiful rebellion!”I paused, shoes scraping on the rooftop as I turned to see that he was right. Off in the near distance were two airships, both unfamiliar and both heading towards us.In the other direction, over the forest and much, much closer, was the Beaver Cleaver and the rest of our little fleet.I had to warn them, the fleet was flying low over the forest, using the mountainous rise around the tower as cover, but that also probably meant that they couldn’t see the pirate ships returning to the tower.But no, baron first.I ran across the rooftop, and the baron saw me coming. “Hurry up!” he shouted before he grabbed a knife from within his doublet and slashed at one of the cords that was serving as an anchor. The ship tilted to the side and the harpy with the baron squawked.One of them, thinking quick, pulled on a lever and the other cords snapped off, leaving the ship mostly free. It started to rise even though its balloon still seemed a little under-inflated. Then the engine started up and the tubes filling the bag popped out of their holes.The entire ship lurched forwards and over the side of the tower. Somehow, it was still rising despite the very early departure.I reached the edge of the tower, planted a foot on one of the crenulations, and jumped.I didn’t exactly have a plan, but I figured it was as good a time as any to wing it.The baron seemed quite proud of himself for his escape, at least until I crashed onto the side of his ship. Weedbane hooked onto the ship’s railing and my feet thumped into the hull, absorbing some of the impact of my hit.I glanced down for just a second, then refocused on hanging on. There was a long, long drop below.Then the baron’s face appeared above me. “You are a fool to even try to fight us, Captain. History will remember you only as an inconvenience.”“Uh, aren’t you the bad guy?” I asked.“There is no evil in setting the world aright! If it is necessary to use force to do so, then force must be used!” he declared.I was about to point out that that sounded pretty textbook evil when the baron planted a taloned foot on my scythe and pushed. I scrambled up, grabbing the edge and planted a foot on the ship’s hull so that I could climb onto the deck.Vonowl didn’t stop his monologue and I was too busy to interrupt. “You’re about to learn why the harpy are superior, though it won’t be a lesson that’ll stick for more than a few long seconds, I’m afraid.”I hissed as his talons came racing down for my hand and I let go of the ship. I could reposition, but I couldn’t regrow fingers. Then Vonowl swept down and, with a grunt, grabbed Weedbane by the sides of its blade and shoved it back and off the side of the ship.I had a moment to feel everything in my tummy lurch before the ship started to fall upwards and away from me.I might have screamed a little.Then someone rammed into me from the side and my vision was filled with blonde hair and buzzing fairy wings. “You’re heavy!” Caprica complained into my ear.Oh, right, I had friends who could fly.I took a moment to breathe in and try to stifle my adrenaline, then I shrunk myself to make it easier for Caprica to sylphhandle me back onto the top of the tower where I was greeted by Amaryllis who smacked me upside the head.I probably deserved that.
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Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-Eight — The Enemy Always Gets a Vote
Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty-Eight — The Enemy Always Gets a Vote Amaryllis looked really cross with me. “Broccoli. Which one of us has wings?”“Um, you?” I said.Then she smacked me atop the head with her feathers. “That’s right,” she said between smacks. “You could have died! Jumping to your death like that like a headless moron. Stupid bun! Stupid Broccoli!”“Hey, don’t smack the ears, they’re sensitive!” I complained.“I ought to test the sensitivity of your behind with a paddle if it means you won’t try something like that again,” she said. She sounded really angry. Then I noticed how wet her eyes looked, and I instantly felt terrible.“I’m sorry,” I said. I moved in close and gave her a hug. “I thought... well, I didn’t.”She huffed. “Yes, not thinking is a habit of yours,” she grumbled.“I probably would have been fine! I can make myself small, so I’d weight less and wouldn’t smack the ground as hard, and my ears can act as parachutes, and I’m good at jumping!” I prattled, but it didn’t seem to be winning Amaryllis over much.“This is very sweet and nyall, but can nya two pay a bit more attention to what’s goin’ on?” Calamity asked.I glanced up while still clinging to Amaryllis, after all my heart was still beating fast from the spook I got while nearly falling and I needed the comfort. Calamity was right though. The Beaver Cleaver and the rest of the fleet was coming around and so were the pirates.“We don’t have much time,” Awen said. “We need to tell the fleet what to do.”“Either turn around or face the pirates,” Caprica said. “I don’t imagine we can fight them while loading on the hostages. That would be the height of irresponsibility.”“What about the baron?” I asked. I finally pulled out of the hug with Amaryllis and half-turned to see where the baron’s little ship had gone.It wasn’t too far off yet. I could still hear the rumble of its engines as it puttered along. The crew harpy aboard the ship seemed busy inflating the balloon from the reserves they carried onboard. It looked like they’d just barely managed to remain buoyant in the air.“They’re heading west,” Awen said. “Towards the Snowlands?”“Technically we’re in the Snowlands already, even if all they do is claim this space without inhabiting it,” Caprica said. “But yes, the nearest city to the west of here would be Sissifin. Or maybe the pirates have a second base of operations, or he’s aiming for somewhere entirely different. I don't think we have time to speculate.”She was right, the pirate’s crew were coming, and they’d know something was up. We wouldn’t be fighting pirates caught with their pants down and split apart across a dozen rooms where we could take them out in clumps, but a properly prepared group expecting a fight. And I bet that all the best fighters were on board those ships. You didn’t leave your best back at the base when you were going out to pirate something. Or so I assumed.I looked to my friends. Bastion made it up onto the roof and glanced around, he was soon followed by Caprica’s guards who ran up to stand near her. My friends were all here and no one was proposing anything.I think it was mostly because we were all a bit tired. The last bit had been... well, it was all a lot.“I have a plan,” I said. The idea was still somewhat fresh, but it was there. And we needed to do something. Speaking up got everyone’s attention. “Caprica, call off the fleet, tell them to pull back and wait. If they do need to fight, then it’ll be best if they’re in the air already. Bastion, we need to move the prisoners up to here. Or the floor right below. We’ll evacuate from the rooftop. Prepare some of the slyph to take over the weapons of the ships below too. If the pirates decide to fly over the tower to attack the fleet, then we’ll hit them from below. If they come to land... then we let them.”“And if they do land?” Caprica asked.“Then they’ll have to climb all the way up the tower to reach us,” I said.“Through a narrow, easily defendable stairwell,” Amaryllis said. “Three or four sylph soldiers working in tandem could hold the stairs for a week.”“They’ll be able to free the pirates we imprisoned,” Calamity pointed out.I shrugged. “That’ll take a while. We can’t exactly move the prisoners with us. Besides, if we leave with all the hostages and sabotage their ships, then it’s an absolute victory for us, isn’t it?”“I’ll send the message right away.”“They’ll see the baron’s ship,” Awen pointed out with a gesture in the baron’s direction.I chewed on my lip, then shrugged. “Okay. It’s a loose end, but I never said my plan was perfect.”“It’s good enough, I think,” Amaryllis said. “Let’s start moving people up. The hostages below will have had a few minutes to relax and get their legs under them for the climb.”“We shouldn’t rush them, they’ve been in cages for a while,” I said. “But, uh, maybe hint that they should put as much effort into moving as they can.”Bastion clapped his hands. “Alright, you heard the captain. Clear the roof, we don’t need them seeing us up here and figuring things out. Someone free the hostages on the level below us and push the baron’s guards in their cages. Captain Broccoli, you’re in charge up here for now. Once the ships arrive, start the loading process. Princess, I’m heading back down to direct things from there.”And with that, Bastion jogged to the edge of the roof and took the quick way to the ground floor. I almost gasped before remembering that he could fly.Swallowing, I ran back inside and into the baron’s lavish quarters, my friends bunching up behind me.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.Some of the sylph had already started freeing the hostages, and I noticed that they were complaining quite loudly already. That was something I could work with.“Amaryllis, can you stay up here and help me with the nobles? Awen, Calamity, um, would you mind bring the other hostages up from the bottom of the tower?”Awen nodded, and Calamity gave me a sloppy salute. “Sure thing, captain,” he said before moving off.I nodded to his back, then turned to the nobles. “Okay everyone!” I said loud enough that my voice rang out above their grumbles and calmed them down for a moment. “My name’s Captain Bunch, and I’m one of those responsible here. I need to talk to you all, so please listen for just a moment.”“A mere captain?” one of the harpy asked.A snapping spark flickered next to Amaryllis, like a whip-crack, and the nobles flinched.“Thanks,” I muttered, then raised my voice again. “In a moment you’re all going to be freed. We have ships coming in, but there are a lot of pirates returning to the tower. We’re going to evacuate everyone from above. So, please stand off to the side over there where you can, uh, relax out of the way. I’m sure the baron had some food up here, and we’ll share that between everyone while the other hostages are brought up.”“Other hostages?” a harpy asked.I nodded. “The crews of your ships, and all the others who the pirates captured. We’re not leaving anyone behind, okay?”The last of the hostage’s cages was opened while I finished up my speech, so Amaryllis and I directed the nobles towards the far end of the baron’s quarters. Someone had demolished a few walls, leaving only pillars behind, but some walls were left intact. It turned the upper floor into a space with lots of wide open nooks where plush sofas were waiting.“That’s mine!” One noble harpy said before she flounced over to a large seat and flopped down into it.“Uh, it is?” I asked.She sniffed, a very Amaryllis-like expression. “That... rotten-yolked good-for-nothing baron Vonowl made a point of parading around all of the necessities we brought with us.”“Mhm!” another agreed. “Did you think he commissioned that fine suit he was wearing himself? Of course not! The fatherless curr was merely lucky that our sizes were close. Though, perhaps they were closer before I went so long without food.”“We’ll work on the food thing,” I promised. I just wanted to wait for all of the baron’s guards to be tossed into cages before we started to snoop around.Once the nobles were settled out of the way, I left Amaryllis to babysit them while I searched for some food. Unfortunately, I was waylaid by a sylph I recognized as one of the scouts while looking. “Ma’am,” he said with a quick salute. “We have issues.”“Issues, plural?” I asked.He nodded. “We were seen, we suspect.”I gasped. “Oh no. Are the pirates heading towards it?”He shook his head. “They are moving lower. We suspect they’re planning on connecting to the tower midway up, onto some of the balconies on the middle floors.”I blinked. “They can do that?” I asked. “Wait, how do we know that’s what they’re planning?”“Speculation, based on the height they’re flying at, ma’am,” the scout said.It would be a pretty clever manoeuvre. “Where’s Caprica?” I asked.“The princess is still here,” the scout said. He leaned to the side and pointed over to the other end of the room where Caprica was pacing.“Thanks,” I said.“Any orders, ma’am?” the scout asked before I could go.I considered what to say. It was weird to have people looking to me for orders. “Prepare for a fight,” I said. “This is going to get complicated, I think.”The scout saluted, then darted off without making more than a whisper. I didn’t have time to marvel at how cool the sylph scouts were though, not when things were about to get rather hairy in a not-fun sort of way.“Caprica,” I said. “What do we do?”“First, we don’t panic,” she said. She was next to a thin slit of a window, the curtain covering it tossed aside so that we could see out. I noticed the Beaver Cleaver and one of the sylph frigates flying our way. “We’ll have several minutes between the arrival of our fleet and the pirates, even if they’re kicking things into high gear.”“Will that be enough to evacuate everyone?” I asked. None of the hostages below had arrived yet. They weren’t in great shape, and there were lots of steps. “We’re not going to have a choice, we’ll have to fight.”Caprica didn’t look too pleased with the idea, but she turned to one of her guards anyway. “Contact Bastion. Have every archer and range-specialised mage come up here. We’ll launch what attacks we can from the rooftop.”“Would that work?” I asked.“Against an entire airship? It would be a miracle if even one arrow hit someone past the gasbag, but there’s a chance, and the pirates won’t enjoy having arrows and spells shooting past their heads,” Caprica said. “It’s the best we can do from here. The fleet will have to take care of the rest.”I stepped past her and looked out the window. Two of the pirate ships were relatively close. Both were larger than any of the ships we had in our little fleet, and they were probably better-armed too. We might have had the numbers on our side, but that advantage wasn’t great when we needed every ship we had.The third pirate ship was lagging way behind, so it wasn’t a worry just yet.I squinted. The two ships that were closer weren’t flying together, I noticed.In fact, one of them was racing ahead of the other.Almost as if it was coming straight for us.
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