Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Two — Dine Another Day
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Two — Dine Another Day Mister Sebastien and Mister Geoffrey sat down across from us and remained very silent for a while.It got a bit uncomfortable, awkward, even.“I’m sorry,” I said. It was only nice to extend the first olive branch. “That was sort of rude of me. We’re your guests, and I did the whole rank thing. I mean, it was kinda fun, since I never got to do that before, but still mean.”Edmund coughed into his fist as if to hide a very inappropriate grin.I didn’t have a full picture of how things were going down between him and the company men, but I could feel a bit of tension between the two.Sebastien, the younger of the pair, cleared his throat and spoke up first. “It’s... all well, Captain Bunch. Please forgive Geoffrey and myself. We acted rashly. You are, of course, guests, and deserve all the courtesy that comes with that.”I nodded, a big smiling coming on. Civility was so nice.“Yes,” Amaryllis said with a tone that had me worried. “I imagine that you treat all of your guests with such wonderful hospitality.”I placed a hand on her thigh under the table, a small gesture to tell her not to go too far.She huffed and rolled her eyes. “So,” I asked. “You two don’t look like lumberjacks,” I said. “I can’t imagine there’s all that much busywork to do in a camp like this.”“You’d be surprised,” Edmund said. “We do need to keep track of supplies and the like, not to mention how much lumber’s being shipped down south, and how many goods we need from up north.”That made some sense. “Why do you get things from one direction and send them to another?” I asked.“The river,” he said. “There’s a little river that runs all the way down to Needleford, or at least a little village between us and the city where they can load the lumber up onto wagons to haul down to Needleford. We get most of our supplies from Cherryhold.”Awen perked up. “My family sells a lot of things that end up there,” she said. “It’s closer to ship to Cherryhold than to Needleford. Or, well, it’s faster and safer. Otherwise you need to go the long way around the Seven Peaks.”“Neat,” I said.Geoffrey grumbled something and shifted on his seat. “We’re here on official business,” he said. “Nothing that ought to bother you, ladies.”That... was fair. I probably shouldn’t pry. “So what sort of business?” my mouth asked before I could rein it in. I slapped a hand over it, just in case. “I’m sorry! It’s none of my business.”Edmund snorted. “They’re here to make peace with the dryads,” he said.“Unfortunately,” Sebastien said. “It’s not going as well as it should.”“Did you snub them?” Amaryllis asked rather snobbily.Judging by the quick grimace that crossed Sebastien’s face, the answer to that might have been a resounding yes.“They’re trees!” Geoffrey said. “Trees! No money, no property, no idea of how propriety works.” He smacked the table. “They’ve no king or nation. I’d call them savages, but even savages have some form of society.”Edmund’s expression darkened quite a bit. “And yet they’re beating us at every turn. Ever since they got that leader of theirs.”“I met a really nice dryad once. He was pretty cool. He helped me find some flowers and we fought some monsters together. I don’t know if he had a nation, or a king, but he was a nice person,” I said.“That’s not most folk’s experience with the tree people,” Edmund said. “They can be mighty violent and territorial.”“Well,” I said. “You are encroaching on their territory.”“This territory belongs to the East Mattergrove Company,” Geoffrey said.I had the impression I’d heard that before in a history lesson or two. It didn’t usually end well. “How much did you pay the dryads for it?” I asked.Amaryllis snorted and, to my surprise, Bastion chuffed in withheld laughter.Sebastien, probably sensing that his friend was about to be rude again, waved his hand down before Geoffrey and looked my way. “Captain, you mentioned speaking to the dryad. Did you encounter one that can talk common?”“The killer oak can speak common,” Edmund said. “It’s broken and slow, but it’s mostly understandable.”“Uh,” I said. “No, I’m pretty sure I can speak tree.”“Is he the one you got that spear from?” Amaryllis asked. “The one you carried around for a bit and that you obviously don’t know how to use.”I snapped my fingers. “Oh, I forgot all about that,” I said. “Yeah, Oak gave that to me.”“Oak?” Edmund asked.I nodded. “That’s his name.”The man eyed me for a bit. “Well, I suppose it’s a common enough sort of tree around here,” he said.“If you speak tree...” Sebastien began. “Miss... Captain Bunch, how long do you intend to stay in the area.”“Only until morning,” I said. “We really don’t want to impose.”The man leaned forwards. “I see. We have a bit of a problem right now, and if you could act as translator, I think we could remedy it with far less bloodshed and trouble. I understand if you’re busy, but perhaps the East Mattergrove Company could make it worth your while.”“I, uh, I’m not saying yes or no so soon,” I said. “Could you tell me how things have been going so far?”Edmund raised a hand, finger up in a ‘one moment’ sort of gesture. “Food’s coming. We ought to serve up before getting into the heavier talk.”A glance over to the kitchen showed a couple of the younger guys grabbing some stacked plates and little baskets filled with utensils which they started distributing around the tables. Another group came up bearing some big pots filled with steaming food.As they approached our table, I could make out the scent of boiled... everything. When they came over to our table and started slopping some of the food onto our plates, my suspicions were confirmed. The chefs here just boiled everything together.“Delicious,” Amaryllis said before taking so much as one bite.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.“Awa, it’s... probably not that bad,” Awen said. “Um. I’m sure I couldn’t do better. Probably.”I took a spoonful, blew on it until it was cooler, then nibbled it down. “Hey, this is alright.”“The boys out back don’t know how to make the food look good, but it always tastes just fine,” Edmund said. “And it’s hearty too. This is the kind of warm grub you need after a day’s work.”I took another bite and made agreeable noises around it. There was some meat, which still tasted a bit off, but the veggies and the broth made up for that.Sebastien poked his food a bit before he started to eat, and Geoffrey looked at it with outright disgust before he started to spoon some into his mouth.My friends were far less picky, it seemed. Bastion was chowing through his meal like a soldier, matching some of the lumberjacks for speed and efficiency, and the girls were nibbling away at their meals.“So, Mister Sebastien,” I said. “You were saying about maybe having some work for us?”The man nodded quickly, then dabbed at his mouth with a handkerchief. “Indeed, Captain. We have been trying to meet with the dryads to set up some sort of peaceful accord. We could... solicit aid from the army, but bringing troops here from Mattergrove would be expensive, and seeing as how the dryads are now armed and seem quite capable, a protracted battle in these forests would be incredibly expensive for the East Mattergrove Company.”“Not to mention morally... uh, bad,” I added.“Yes, of course,” Sebastien agreed. “One of the bigger challenges we’re facing now is not only reaching the core of the forest, where the leaders of the dryad stay, but also communicating with them. You seem to have a solution to both.”“That’s nice,” Amaryllis said. “But while we have those solutions, we don’t exactly have much in terms of incentive to assist you.”Sebastien considered that.Personally, I was okay with a bit of a detour. Maybe we could help the dryads out, and Oak too, and then we could find a nice, peaceful solution to everything.“The East Mattergrove Company is not without some financial resources,” Sebastien said.Awen nodded. “They are one of the biggest companies in Mattergrove,” she said. “We used to have a lot of them come to Greenshade because it’s a trade city. They’re probably the richest non-noble group in Mattergrove.”“Richest in one of the poorest countries,” Amaryllis said. “That means they’re a small fish elsewhere.”“Perhaps we could give you a favourable deal on some cargo,” Sebastien said. “Or if your vessel is at capacity already, we could offer you a letter of introduction, perhaps a rebate on some of our wares.”“Do you have fuel for ships?” I asked. “And a place to maintain them?”Sebastien nodded. “We do. The East Mattergrove Company does a lot of shipping between Mattergrove and Deepmarsh by sea and air. We’re the principal traders with our eastern allies.”I looked to my friends for guidance, Awen first, since she knew the company best.“Awa, they’re, um, a company. But we do have something they want, so I think they’ll be fair,” Awen said.“It would take up some of our time,” Amaryllis added.“We’re not in that much of a hurry, though,” I said.Bastion hummed as he gestured for seconds. “The main diplomatic mission is only leaving in a week and a bit. We’re set to arrive quite a bit earlier than they are, even if we make a little detour to assist these fine gentlemen.”“Mister Sebastien, would it be possible to receive a permanent discount on any purchases we make?” Amaryllis asked.The man frowned and looked to his older partner. “I’m not senior enough to make that kind of deal,” he said.“I am,” Geoffrey said. “A permanent discount sounds like a whole lot of trouble.”“Ah, but it’s to fix a problem you’re not competent enough to fix yourself,” Amaryllis said. “I’ll have you know that Captain Bunch here, despite her appearances, is an expert negotiator. Not only would you not have to hire your own negotiator, you’d have transportation to and from a dangerous area, and it’s safe to say that no one on this side of this table is a slouch when it comes to combat. Awen takes after her uncle, Broccoli came in second place at the Rosenbell tournament this year, and I’m an accomplished mage myself. Bastion here is, well, he’s a royal paladin, I’m certain that I don’t need to elucidate on his abilities in combat.”One of Bastion’s brows perked up. I could sympathize, I was wondering what Amaryllis was up too as well.“That’s... quite tempting,” Sebastien said. “Maybe if the sum of the discount is low enough we could make it permanent.”“No more than two percent,” Geoffrey said.“That’s a pittance,” Amaryllis said. “We’d lose more than that dealing with transportation to and from such a backwater. Ten percent.”“Ten! By the king’s beard, are you trying to bankrupt us?” Geoffrey asked. “Three.”“Three? For a tiny, insignificant company run by bureaucrats too incompetent to be hired by the royal family? Seven.”“Five, and I’ll have you know that the crown wishes it had our astute business acumen,” Geoffrey said.Amaryllis hesitated. “Five, and the right extends to anyone in our crew.”“Anyone? Are you mad, you bird?” Geoffrey asked. “We’ll give it to the Captain and the Captain alone.”“Fine, then ten percent, seeing as how any of us would need to go through her as an intermediary anyway.”Geoffrey huffed, then grumbled something under his breath. “Four, and it’s transferable.”“Five, and it can be transferred to any of us,” Amaryllis insisted.The old man nodded. “Five.”I had no idea what just happened, but Amaryllis looked particularly smug, so I decided that it was probably for the best to just push on. “Then it’s decided,” I said as I extended a hand over the table. “Tomorrow morning, when the sun’s up, we’ll see about flying you closer to the dryads. And then I can act as a translator for you, if you want.”
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Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Three — Hello Darkwoods, My Old Friend
Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Three — Hello Darkwoods, My Old Friend We were up bright and early the next morning to a breakfast of oats and a bit of cut sausage with some boiled veggies on the side.The Beaver’s crew, all gathered in the port dining area, chowed down with alacrity while the rising sun painted orange patterns across the table. I munched and crunched my way through some carrots while occasionally picking up some sausage with my fork and placing it into Awen’s plate.She was a growing girl. She had to eat to become big and strong so that she could give Rosaline some proper hugs.“So,” Bastion asked as he dabbed his lips. “Into the Darkwoods to confront some dryads about lumber rights. Not how I expected this trip to go.”“Ah, well, sorry?” I said. “But that’s how adventures should be. One big detour after another, so that you can grow strong and experience all sorts of new things. But, ah, if you want to stay aboard the Beaver, or even at the camp until we return, I’d understand.”Bastion shook his head. “No, no I don’t think I’d miss this for the world. As I said, it’s not what I expected to be doing, but it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”I nodded along and finished my meal while sneaking peeks at Bastion.He was a bit strange, a bit calmer than my other friends, but he was also surprisingly nice. I couldn’t help but feel that that was all it was though-him being nice and polite. He didn’t think of me and the others as friends.Not yet at least.I knew that with a few adventures and some quality time together, we’d break through his tough polite exterior and get to the gooey friendship inside.“Broccoli,” Amaryllis said. “I don’t know what you’re thinking right now, but it’s stupid, so please stop.”“What?” I asked.“Your face. I’ve grown so accustomed to it that I can tell when something dumb is happening behind it. If we’re going to be going on any sort of diplomatic mission this morning, then it might be best if you keep the idiocy on a low simmer.”“That’s a bit mean,” Awen said.“She’s got a tough skin,” Amaryllis said with an airy wave.I pouted at her while stuffing the last spoonful of oats in my mouth. I would have liked to continue, but with breakfast done, it was time for work. “Alright. Anyone want to volunteer for the dishes?” I asked. “We’ll need Steve and Gordon and Clive up top, of course.”“Any amount of hauling rope around to avoid the dishes,” Steve said.“Awa, I’ve never done dishes before,” Awen said. Resolution lit up her eyes. “I’ll try my best.”“And I’ll be as far away from that impending disaster as I can manage,” Amaryllis said.Clive finished his plate, pulled out a pipe from his coat and started to pad some leaves into it. “So where are we going, Captain?”“First, I think we’ll head over to the camp. Pick up the East Mattergrove representatives there,” I said. “Then we’ll head off towards the Darkwoods. I... don’t know how deep into them. Do you think you can manage that kind of flying?”“Bit tricky, but if we stay low enough, we ought to avoid any nasty problems,” Clive said. “The magic above the woods is messy when it comes to navigating. They’ll spin your compass the wrong way round and all, but we’ll be eyeballin’ it anyway.”“I trust in you,” I said as I hopped to my feet. The Beaver’s chairs were all, by necessity, bolted to the floor. Some had magnets on their feet that could click them in place on the studs across the floor, but most were just bolted there. It made it a bit annoying to sit down properly. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road.”“Are you implying that we’re a circus?” Amaryllis asked. “Oddly suitable.”Rolling my eyes, I led the charge out the back and onto the deck. The morning air was just shy of cool, and a nice sparkling layer of dew had collected on the rails where they were melting away with the rise of the sun.The wind was just shy of brisk, and the sky completely bare of clouds. “Looks like a nice day for flying,” I said.“Bit of a headwind if we’ll be heading deeper into the woods,” Clive said. “It’ll make travel slow, but escape fast. Might be for the best.”I grinned at him. “Good. That might come in handy. What do you need me to do?”Clive stretched a bit, his knees snapping and cracking with the motion, then he began giving orders to everyone on deck. I jumped to it, doing the best I could. It wouldn’t do to be lazy, especially not while learning how to fly my own ship.The Beaver’s anchors rose, and with a burp and a roar, the ship’s engines came to life. Soon, we rose into the sky once more, though we levelled out less than fifty meters from the ground.Clive stayed at the wheel, gently guiding us over to the lumberjack’s compound just a little ways away.I could see a lot of young men in overalls and checkered shirts standing outside of their shacks and looking up to the Beaver as he came in and slowed down right next to the camp.“Port anchor down!” Clive called.Being the closest to the anchor, I hopped to it and started spinning the crank to lower the heavy metal hook with a series of clangs and rattles as the chain unwound itself.Some of the lumberjacks grabbed the anchor and secured it around the roots of a chopped tree. I pulled the chain taunt, then locked the mechanism with a handy wedge. “We’re anchored!” I called back.“Lowering the ladder,” Amaryllis said as she punted a rope ladder off the side. It smacked against the hull and settled a moment later. “Let’s see if they can make it all the way up,” she said.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.I made sure my outfit was nice and straight, then came to stand by the side of the ladder. It wouldn’t do for anyone to come aboard the Beaver Cleaver without being greeted by its captain. The first to come up was Edmund, the big old lumberjack tugging himself through the gate in the gunwale with no difficulty.“Ma’am,” he said with a nod.“Hello Edmund,” I said. “Welcome aboard.”He grunted, then turned around to look over the edge. “You need help down there?” he asked.I moved over too. Geoffrey and Sebastien were both making their way up, the older of the two nearer the top. He was obviously having a bit of trouble with the ladder. It was swaying, even with a couple of guys at the bottom holding it in place, and he didn’t seem all that strong to being with.There was nothing for it. I considered getting a rope to lasso him around the chest and tug him up, but I couldn’t imagine someone so serious accepting that.Edmund and I helped him over the edge, then Sebastien came up with a bit more alacrity, even though he was carrying a briefcase in one hand.“Welcome aboard,” I said with good cheer.Geoffrey waved at me, then found one of the benches near the rails to sit on and recover. Sebastien was a bit winded too, but not nearly as badly. “Permission to come aboard, Captain?” he asked.I appreciated the formality. Mostly because it sounded so cool. “Granted!”A couple more guys came up, all of them lumberjacks with smaller axes in their belts and heavy coats on their backs. Guards? Or just helpers?“If that’s everyone,” I said. “Then we’ll lift the anchor and head on out. Does anyone here know exactly where we’re heading?”“I do,” Edmund said. “It’ll be a bit strange from the air, but I figure I’ll manage.”“Brilliant,” I said before gesturing to the quarterdeck. “Clive, that’s our pilot, is up there. You might want to join him. And... could I ask one of you gentlemen to help me with the anchor? It’s a bit heavier pulling it up.”“You two, help the misses,” Edmund said as he pointed to two young lads with lots of muscles and sharp chiseled chins.Pulling the anchor up was very sweaty work that unfortunately ended all too quickly.The Beaver turned a bit to face due east, and its engine changed tones as we started to push out ahead. I figured Clive had things in hand for a bit, so I moved over to Sebastien and Geoffrey who were both sitting down.“This ship is quite nice,” Sebastien said. “I’ve never seen a design like this.”“It’s a bit of an experimental one,” I said. “Made by the Owl clan and refurbished by the Albatross. This is actually his maiden voyage.”Sebastien’s eyebrows rose. “How fortuitous.”“Is it meant to be painted in such garish colours?” Geoffrey asked as he gestured around.“Nah, it was a much more boring colour. I’m thinking of painting some things purple, to serve as accents to all the yellow.”We were making good time over the top of the forest. Not moving too fast, but not too slow either. I think I could have out-hopped the Beaver while moving in a straight line if it wasn’t for all the trees below.I saw Edmund pointing off to starboard and the Beaver soon veered off that way, with Clive calling out to deploy some sails on that side.The place Edmund seemed to be directing us towards was a little clearing with a river running through it, covered in boulders and rocks. Maybe calling it a river was an exaggeration, actually. The stream was maybe three meters across, and didn’t look all that deep. The clearing around it hinted that the water would be higher at other times in the year though.At first, I thought it was clear, empty, but then I saw movement and could make out that some of the trees along the banks had bright green leaves and looked a bit out of place, too close to some others and in some cases moving in the wrong direction to account for the wind.“There are dryads down there,” I said.Sebastien spun around and looked down, and I saw some of the lumberjacks tensing up.The Beaver started to fight against the oncoming wind, holding in place with only Clive’s gentle touch preventing us from being blown away. “Lower the anchors!” the harpy called.“Make sure you hit rocks, not trees!” I added. The last thing I wanted was to start any sort of diplomatic meeting by having to say sorry for squashing someone.The anchors came down slowly, with a bit of help from the lumberjacks and soon with the Beaver firmly anchored, we didn’t have to fight against the wind as much and could just rest in place. Clive even lowered the ship a bit more and brought the keep just below the treeline.“I’m going to get my adventuring gear!” I told the others before rushing off to the cabins.When I got to my room, I ditched my captain’s hat and carefully threaded my bun ears through the holes of my trusty adventuring hat.New Skill Acquired: TurtlingRank: FI wasn’t entirely sure what that skill did, but I figured it would help me take a blow. My hat-wearing skill was almost ready to level up, so maybe by then I’d be able to see what the acquired skills did more easily.I grabbed a bandoleer that had a few pouches and a knife, then my trusty spade, and was out to the top once more.The lumberjacks were all gathered by the ladder and my friends were right next to them. Awen had her big repeating crossbow slung over a shoulder, and Amaryllis looked competently bored next to her. Even Bastion was there, testing the fit of his sword in its sheath.“Is everyone ready?” I asked. “Because It’s time to go meet some trees!”
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