The Waystation Ch. 24 (Patreon)

Chapter 24

Detour. II

“Go away,” Bell groaned and tried to hide under the blankets. “I’m dying, just let me die in peace!” She burrowed further as Bert tried to dig her out of the cradle. “I want to die! Just let me die!” The miserable pixie hid her face from the light.

“You’re just hungover,” Bert whispered. “But I think you might want to come and meet our new guests.”

“Stop shouting!” Bell snapped, “Ow. Too loud.” She winced at her own shout.

“A nice greasy fry up, and you’ll be fine,” Bert whispered.

“Don’t mention food,” Bell turned a pale green.

Bert looked down at the miserable pixie and relented. He scooped her into his hands, activating the Chill runes on them with a tiny thread of mana.

“No! Stop! Let me… oh, okay.” Bell relaxed back as the cold eased her hangover.

He sat there for five minutes until the pixie began to snore. He transferred the pixie back to the cradle she slept in, leaving a low-powered chill rune with her. She would be better later.

As he exited the Barn, Bud was lining up their guests. He marched up and down the row, telling them to straighten up or move further apart. By the time Bert arrived, the five young orcs stood at attention and a reasonable approximation of parade rest.

“Bud, I see you made some friends?” Bert smiled at the proud Gnork Skeleton.

“It’s better than that, Bert! I’ve got minions!” Bud radiated pure happiness.

“Minions?” Bert asked, confused.

“I rescued this lot from a goblin camp, and they swore to serve me!” Bud was so excited every word was a shout.

“I think you better tell me the rest of that story,” Bert said.

While Bud retold his big adventure, the five orcs did their best not to fidget. When he got to the point about making them swear service in ‘the best Fae tradition,’ Bert just sighed.

“I don’t have to give them back, do I?” Bud asked sheepishly. “I know you don’t like the whole servant thing… but….”

Bert looked at Bud for a long time. In his mind’s eye, he was back in Bud’s room and looking at the frescos. Equals. That meant not telling him off if he did something that Bert didn’t like.

“Hey, they are your sworn group.” Bert smiled at Bud. “They made a deal with a Fae, and they gotta live with it.”

“Thanks, Bert,” Bud said.

The skeleton then introduced Bert to his new minions. Mic and Ric were typical brothers, while their sister Sal was definitely in charge of their little family. Gor’tal was the oldest, biggest, and most outgoing of the lot, with a definite touch of the explorer in him. It had been his idea to leave their home and go on an adventure. Well, they certainly would get their fill now. The last of the group was Tru’nal. She was a quiet but intense girl who was clearly only here as she was friends with Sal.

As he watched the five interact, seeing how similar they were to kids from his world was funny. As he took them all into the Bear’s Fall for something to eat and drink, they told him and Bud their story. They apparently came from quite a poor clan amongst the orks. Space had been getting a little cramped as one of the more affluent clans was buying out all the houses in the area. In an effort to find something valuable to bring back to their clan, the five of them had set out on an adventure in search of treasure.

Bert listened until they all trailed off.

“I know, it was stupid,” Gor’tal said as he noticed Bert’s silence.

“Not really,” Bert shrugged. “You remind me of some people from my own world.”

There were gasps at the admission of being from another world. Tru’nal glared the others back into silence.

“Let me tell you about some kids a lot like you, a party of friends and heroes, a group that is famous in my world.” He scanned their rapt faces. “Listen closely now, and learn from those who have gone before you… This is the story of The Goonies and how they learned to never say die!”

Bell appeared a few hours later and immediately dived into the crystal water reservoir. Bubbles trailed up to the surface for a couple of minutes longer than Bert was comfortable with before she emerged bedraggled and bleary-eyed.  Flying over to Bert, she grabbed his hand and shook it until he activated a chill rune on it for her. She drifted off to sleep as he stood there, so he took her back to her cradle and refreshed the chill rune before laying her back down.

This pattern repeated itself every few hours for the next two days.

On the morning of the third day, Bert woke up and smelled food.

“Morning!” Bell trilled as he plopped himself down at the table. “Sleep well?”

“Fine, thanks,” Bert said, watching the pixie as she flew over with a towering plate of food. “Feeling better?”

“Much, thanks.” She came over with her own plate; it was almost bigger than she was. “I swear I’m never drinking that stuff again.”

“Did you meet the new arrivals?” Bert asked as he dug in.

“The Bud Patrol?” Bell nodded, “Yeah, they seem like good kids.”

“They calling themselves that?” Bert asked.

“Yeah, Bud is running them ragged. I swear he was born to be Fae.” She grinned. “I was sure you would tell him off, so was he.”

“They made their choices.” Bert shrugged. “It’s not like Bud is a bad guy; they will be fine.”

“So what did that village turn out to be?” Bell asked as she ate.

“The goblin one?” Bert asked.

“No, silly, the big one I saw….” Bell trailed off. “Did I forget to mention that?”

“I think so,” Bert said. “I might have missed something while I was fixing the bones I broke falling down that tower… three times.”

“Yeah, sorry about that.” Bell looked slightly abashed. “At least we know you were right about that making it easily defensible.” She gave him a careful look.

Bert just chuckled and nodded.

“I can take us there today,” She beamed.

“I’ll drive,” Bert said, and they looked at each other in silence for a moment before cracking up.

Bert stared at the large stone walls in the distance. They were visible in the rapidly thinning forest even though they were miles away as yet. He was frankly amazed Bell had even spotted it.

Unlike how Bud described the crudeness of the Goblin walls, these were smoothed and polished stone. Stone buildings were visible inside, even from this distance. What looked like thatched rooves as well. They drove until they were only a mile away and stopped to drop the drawbridge. After the last incident, he planned to keep a healthy distance from anything larger than a few houses.

Heading downstairs, after making Bell promise not to flatten anything or drink anything, he met Bud at the gate.

He was surprised to see the Bud Patrol lined up and ready to go as well. One of them was sweating slightly and keeping very still as Slothy gave them a curious sniff. The last few days had done wonders for the orcs. They had put some meat back on their bones thanks to regular meals and a bit of safety. In addition, they were now all outfitted with gear. The outfit was familiar to Bert.

They all wore variations on the theme of Bert’s own mismatched and cobbled-together gear. Seeing Bert’s interest, Bud hurried over.

“Hey, Bert.” He waved, “I got Way Way to make reproductions of your gear in their sizes. It doesn’t give the skills, but it is still armor.” Bud waved at the orcs, who straightened up and tried to look intimidating. “I mixed in some of the stuff you made me as well; what do you think?” Bud looked nervous.

“Looks great,” Bert grinned. “I guess we have an official Waystation Uniform now.”

Bud mounted up on Slothy, and the party set out with Bert leading the way. It was a short and pleasant walk over to the village. The walls looked a little run-down but not overly-so. It was definitely not abandoned, but they saw no one and nothing moving.

Bud nodded to the two brothers, and the orcs split off, moving in a circle around the outside of the village as the others waited outside the main gate.

Bert and Bud exchanged a look as they noticed the gate was slightly open.

Once Ric and Mic got back and reported no movement in the area, Bert walked up to the gate and looked inside.

Nothing, clear hard dirt streets, stone buildings, and a sign waving in the breeze.

Motioning the others to wait, he stepped back and launched his grapple up onto the walls.

A minute later, he crested the top and looked around. It was eerily quiet. Nothing moved on the hard-packed streets or in the town square. His eyes picked out freshly patched thatch on the roof nearby. It was not deserted. Bert trotted down the nearby set of stairs and moved toward the gate.

Nothing.

Flashing back to a series he had seen on TV, Bert paused at the gate and summoned his shield as he changed his hand into a hammer. He placed the shield down against the wall and banged it with his hammer. The sound echoed through the empty streets. He did it again.

“Bert?” Bud called through the gate.

“Just checking for zombies,” Bert called back.

“What?” Bud asked.

“Umm, it's something I saw once?” Bert said uncertainly.

“Oh, Okay,” Bud said.

“All clear,” Bert said and swung the gate wide open. He placed Ebb runes on the hinges to stop them from being able to move.

Always keep the way out clear of obstructions.

“Okay, we stay together and move slowly,” Bert called over his shoulder as they moved into the streets. “Keep an eye on each other, and remember to look up and check for threats.”

They passed through a series of streets bordered by closed-up houses, shops, and empty plots. They made it to the town square and looked around.

Still nothing.

“HELLO!” Bert bellowed as loud as he could. “ANYONE HERE!” He listened to the empty silence for a while.

“WE COME IN PEACE!” Bert yelled after a minute of silence.

“WE HAVE BEER!” Bud yelled.

Bert looked at him.

“What?” Bud shrugged. “Everyone likes beer.”

“Bring beer, and we will think about it!” A voice called from one of the houses behind them. A minor scuffle sounded briefly before the silence returned.

“Told you.” Bud looked smug.

They returned with five barrels of Trav’s best beer an hour later. Placing them down in the middle of the town square on tables Bert summoned from his storage; they stood back to wait.

An hour passed.

“Don’t freak out, okay?” A voice called.

“We won’t,” Bert crossed his fingers and started muttering ‘not bugs’ over and over under his breath.

A door opened slowly. Big ears of fluffy white fur proceeded the head out the door.

Bert struggled against himself and lost.

“What’s up, Doc?” He said.

“How did you know I was the doctor?” The bunny asked suspiciously.

“Lucky guess?” Bert smiled as he tried not to laugh.

Within minutes the square was flooded with giant rabbits of all colors. They wore clothes and hopped about while Bert did his best to keep a straight face.

He was fighting the urge to cuddle one.

The fur just looked so soft…

“We are out of beer,” Bud said just as Bert’s hand started reaching for the nearest anthropomorphic rabbit’s fur.

“We better head back then,” Bert said with relief.

Too much Floof. If he stayed much longer, someone was getting stroked.

“I will accompany you; see this Waystation for myself!” The town healer said as they overheard. “It sounds like a fascinating place.”

A relieved Bert led his party, plus five giant rabbits, back towards the Waystation a minute later. He strode ahead, getting some fresh air, and glad to have avoided a diplomatic incident by stroking one of them.

“Bell, we have guests,” Bert said as he opened the door into the Bear’s Fall.

“Just finishing up some food, be out in a sec,” Bell called from the kitchen.

Bert was looking forward to Bell’s reaction to the cute bunny people. He ushered them to a table, quickly summoning some stools to accommodate their tails.

“Here we are,” Bell came through the door with trays in her hands.

She froze, the platters clattering to the floor as she screamed.

“KILL THEM!” She screamed as Bert stared. “KILL IT WITH FIRE!” Bell’s Ringer slapped into her hand as she screamed again.

“Run!” The rabbits hopped madly for the door as Bert blocked blow after blow from the Ringer.

“Out of the way!” Bell screamed, “THEY MUST DIEEE!”

“Bell, fuck sake. What’s wrong?” Bert asked.

“Rabbits!” She cried, “FLITHY, HORRIBLE RABBITS!”

Bell fell out of the air as the last rabbits cleared the door. She was crying and hugging herself as she rocked back and forth on the floor.

“Gods, Bell.” Bert swept her up and held her to him as she cried. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they would upset you.”

“I-I- I don’t like rabbits.” She whispered. “No rabbits in the Waystation, okay?”

“I promise.” Bert held her for a few more minutes.

“Can I run them over, please?” She asked quietly.

“Uh, no.” Bert said, “But I promise I won’t bring them back here again.”

“Fine.” Bell flew up into the air. “But if they come within a mile of this Waystation, their town is toast.” She flew into the kitchen again and slammed the door.

Bert headed outside and found the startled creatures were being held at swordpoint by the Bud Patrol.

“What did they do to Lady Bell?” Bud asked coldly. “I think we might add Rabbit Tartar to the menu.”

“It was nothing. I think she just had a phobia about rabbits.” Bert shrugged.

“They didn’t do anything?” Bud asked again.

“No, just existing was enough.” He shook his head. “Ask Trav to bring some more drinks, and we will head back to the village.”

Bert did his best to explain the situation to the shivering and shaking giant rabbits as they returned to the village.

Things were a little awkward, but Bert still hoped to get some form of trade out of the village. They had to have something the Waystation could use, even if it were just some less creepy seeds for Scruff.

He was surprised when the Village Doctor asked them to come to a meeting at the town hall.

The hall was smaller than he had expected, with only a small handful of people attending. A table had been set up in the middle of the empty hall, with three worried-looking rabbits huddled on one side.

Bert sighed as he realized they had all been present at the Waystation. He figured this was the part where they carefully asked them to leave…

“We need your help.” The doctor surprised him.

“Urgently,” the Mayor seconded. “Or we will not survive.”

“Something we can help with, I assume,” Bert said.

“We hope so.” The other rabbit-man said. Bert’s Analyze skill identified him as the Guard Captain.

“We are not naturally Rabbits.” The Mayor said sadly. “We were, until recently, a village of humans. Until I made a grave error.” He shook his head sadly.

It was adorable.

“You could not have known,” The doc said.

“Still. We found a temple in the forest near here.” He faltered before continuing. “I thought it was a great opportunity. So I led an expedition into the temple. It was a terrible mistake.” The Mayor hung his head as Bert fought himself to prevent him from scratching the top of the creature's head

“We barely made it out alive.” The Captain said. “When we entered the temple, it was silent and empty.” He looked away. “We took everything we found in the temple. Until we came to the third floor.”

“It was empty as well,” The doc took over the story. “Treasure lay everywhere. We took it all. Except for the orb.”

“We tried,” The Mayor said, loathing in his voice at the memory, “Oh, we tried. The moment we touched it, we noticed it would not move. We all tried to lift it, but nothing worked. So we tried pushing mana into it.”

“Something happened then, alright.” The Captain sighed. “An energy came off the orb and hit us. We ran as fast as we could, more of us falling along the way.” He shook his head. “It was awful. I made it the farthest, falling as I got out the door of the temple.”

“When we woke up, we were this.” The Mayor stomped one of his back legs in irritation.

Bert really, really wanted to pet them.

“So what do you want of the Waystation?” Bert asked. “We are not curse breakers.”

“It is no curse,” The doctor shook his head. “I could cure that. It is worse.”

“We are dungeon monsters now.” The Captain said quietly.

“Pardon?” Bert asked.

“The temple was not a temple anymore.” With a heavy sigh, the Mayor said, “It had spawned a dungeon core after being abandoned for so long. The only thing it really needed when we found it was a little more mana.”

“It took us and remade us into its monsters.” The doc said. “We can not even enter the temple anymore. If we do, it will take us completely.”

Bert stared at them. Finally, he sighed and got to his feet to begin pacing back and forth.

“Okay, so you are dungeon creatures. Does that negatively affect your lives in some way?” Bert asked. “It seems like it was fairly traumatic, but doesn’t it come with some advantages as well?”

“You do not understand,” The Mayor shook his head. “Have you ever considered what it would be like to live as another creature?”

“Do you know what an outbreak of fleas does in this village?” The Guard captain shivered in disgust. “And that is not the worst of it. Did you notice that when you brought the beer, we were so careful to distribute it fairly?”

“Well, yeah. But that is just fair, right?” Bert said.

“Yes, but also no.” The Mayor said. “We must constantly fight our animal natures. There were many incidents in the first few days.”

“But, you’re bunnies,” Bert said in confusion, “What is the worst that could happen with a bunch of drunk bunnies?”

Guilty looks were exchanged.

“What?” Bert asked, a suspicion starting to build.

“We would rather not say.” They all nodded at the Mayor’s words.

“On an unrelated note,” Bert asked nervously, “I had my people set up a small party in the square while we came here to talk….”

Looks were exchanged before everyone dashed for the door at the same time. Thanks to his stats, Bert was the first to reach the square.

“Fucking Hell!” He yelled.

Bud was curled up under one of the tables, Trav had climbed a statue… and all the booze was gone. The poor Bud Patrol were various shades of bright red as they tried to hold back the mass of writhing bodies.

It was an orgy.

A fluffy, disturbingly loud orgy.

A mass of fur with constant wet slapping noises.

“No!” The mayor yelled in horror, “We will never support all the children from this!” He grabbed at Bert, “You must save us; we have litters! Litters!”

“Okay, Okay!” Bert pushed the frantic bunny away. “WAYSTATIONERS, WE ARE LEAVING!” He summoned his shield and moved mana into it, using it to move through the crowd. The rest followed him.

“I have seen horrible things,” Mic kept muttering to himself repeatedly.

“Welcome to the Waystation,” Bud chuckled as they swiftly headed back out the gates.