The Waystation Ch.37 (Patreon)

Chapter 37

The Way Back III

With most of the wall completed, the Waystation began to creep forward. It took over an hour to move out of the town completely. The various spikes were moved as needed, maintaining control of the land.

Ultimately, it had taken another full day for Bert to be ready to move the Waystation out of the new town. He had insisted on putting wells in the small parks in each terraced row, ensuring everyone had access to water. He had also rigged up the simplest of showers in the houses, using a water cistern and gravity to at least provide some washing options. The water would be cold, but it was something.

Once they were safely clear of the city, he finished the walls and created a grand main gate with a gatehouse and a place to fly a standard if the town ever got one.

Bell had gotten a little carried away with her clearance of the forest. There was now almost a half mile of cleared ground outside the Town.

Bert slowly moved around the outside of the oval, using all the wood she had gathered and what they had left of the stone from the old city to build farmer’s cottages, barns, and cold houses.

He finally emerged from the Waystation’s tides and felt completely exhausted. His mana channels felt burnt; his muscles ached, his bones ached, and even his teeth were aching. He groaned.

That was a long, long building session. As he stood and tried to stretch out the twinges in his back, he got a good look at the completed town for the first time.

It took his breath away. The sheer power of the Waystation was easy to forget when you were on it all the time.

It took something like this to make you realize how incredible it was. A town had been built in a matter of days. Gleaming stone, polished wood, and strong walls. And around it all, a series of small farms backed up against the wall. It was sheer magic. Real, actual magic.

He slept for about twelve hours, ignoring even the persistence of the gong. Eventually, Bell got fed up with being subtle. She poured a bucket of icy water over his head and giggled as he spluttered.

“I fucking hate that!” Bert growled.

“Fond memories!” Bell cackled wistfully. “Scruff wants you, so I had no choice.”

“Yes, you bloody did,” He muttered.

She nodded energetically and dodged as he half-heartedly threw a spare sock at her.

Scruff was already sitting at the table when he got out to the main room, hands clasped in front of her. She looked anxious. “You built farms!” She said nervously.

“Yeah, I figured they would need them,” Bert shrugged.

“I’m not training more farmers!” She tried to sound strident, but it came out more panicked.

“Okay,” Bert shrugged. “They should be able to figure it out.”

“Really?” She asked.

“It’s not your job to teach everyone how to farm,” Bert laughed. “Besides, they treated you like shit, so fuck ‘em.”

“But you built them a town!” Scruff said.

“We knocked their last one down,” Bert said. “They were assholes, but they would die without our help.”

“Are we staying to help them out?” Scruff asked.

“Naah. We built them a town. I’ll show them around, but other than that,” He shrugged.

“Yeah, it was fun, but I’m bored now.” Bell giggled.

“I suppose… I suppose I could train one or two nice ones.” Scruff said hesitantly.

“Were there any nice ones?” Bert asked.

“Well, yeah. A couple.” Scruff said absently. “I wonder if any of them are still around?”

“You don’t go anywhere alone!” Bell said sternly.

“I promise,” Scruff said earnestly.

“Okay, if you want, we could help them out a bit,” Bell shrugged.

“And no touching them until they’ve washed,” Bell said. “You don’t know where they’ve been!”

“Promise,” Scruff laughed.

“One more thing,” Bert said.

“What?” Scruff asked.

“Remember, you are no street kid. You are the Farmer of the Waystation, and they should treat you accordingly.”

She grinned. “Really?”

“Really.” Bert and Bell nodded.

“This could be fun,” Scruff said.

Martha was overseeing the recycling effort when he found her. All that ruined cloth and hide they had used to make tents and awnings were piled up in front of the Hudson Express. Bell was sitting on top, grinning. It made Bert immediately nervous. There was at least a fifty percent chance she started it running before the people managed to get out of the way.

She saw him looking at her and giggled, winking at him. He chuckled and looked away. Only the Gods could help them if they pissed her off.

Or she got bored.

“Hey!” Martha said, spinning around. “All clean!” She beamed.

“So I see; want to go have the official tour?” Bert asked.

“Can’t wait!” She grinned, looping her arm through his and pulling him towards the main gates. “I can’t believe these walls!”

“Wait till you see the rest!” Bert laughed.

Inside the city, he led her through the terraced housing, taking her into a couple of them to show the different sizes on offer. There were ones more suited to larger families or to couples and even a few tiny places only suitable for singles. He had tried to get a good mix, unsure what the people needed.

From there, he showed her the wells and then moved over to the crafting and storage quarters. She oohed and aahed in all the right places, her smile getting bigger and bigger.

Finally, he showed her the municipal building.

“This is incredible!” She beamed. “This hall alone is bigger than our old one.”

“Glad you like it,” Bert said. “I’m unsure how you will sort out who owns what.” He shrugged.

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” She said, still smiling. “We will own everything together as a town.”

“That certainly simplifies things,” Bert smiled. “It may prove a little more difficult than that in practice.” Another shrug, “It certainly did on my world.”

“We have spent a lot of time thinking about it,” Martha assured him.

“Sure,” Bert didn’t honestly want to get involved.

They walked back outside, where a flurry of wet, clean-looking people flowed into the city. Bert wondered what was happening as Martha started directing people to one house or another. None of them seemed to carry anything he could see.

“They don’t have any belongings?” Bert asked Martha when she got a moment.

“No, all they had is being recycled, for the betterment of us all,” Still that smile.

Something about it was starting to look a little creepy.

Bert wandered out to where the people were coming from, finding everyone funneling past the Waystation as it sprayed water over them.

“Bell!” Bert yelled.

“What, they couldn’t go in there like that?” Bell appeared a moment later.

“Why are they all naked, dammit!” Bert growled.

“I know, weird, isn’t it?” Bell said. “They threw their clothes in the recycling.”

“Seriously?” Bert asked.

“Yeah, but that isn’t the bit you won't like,” Bell said innocently.

“What is the bit I won’t like?” Bert asked, not sure he wanted to know.

“Look closer at the line,” Bell said in her sing-song voice.

“Do I have to?” Bert grumbled. He had deliberately avoided it so far.

“Yup,” Bell giggled. “You're going to go nuts!”

With a sigh, Bert examined the line. His improved perception stat gave him an uncomfortably clear view. Then he saw it.

An arm here, a leg there, both hands on one.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” Bert growled.

“I warned you,” Bell giggled.

Bert turned and stalked back towards the new town.

Martha was in the storage quarter, overseeing a group placing the bolts of cloth and leather that the Express was putting out as they were stored.

“Can I have a word?” Bert asked as patiently as he could.

“Of course, Bert.” She was still fucking smiling.

“I just noticed something about the people outside,” Bert said as he led her out of earshot of the rest.

“What was that?” Martha asked brightly.

“There seem to be a lot of people with new limbs. That Handyman class certainly seems to be spreading fast.”

“Of course, you can’t turn down a gift of the Fae!” She beamed.

“Yeah, it’s not really all that,” Bert said. “And to be clear, you absolutely can turn down a gift from a Fae. And most of the time, you should.”

“I know that, silly.” She laughed. “But I meant that the gift you gave me can be spread to others who have… lost their limbs.”

Bert noticed the slight pause in that sentence.

A chill went down the back of his neck.

“That seems like a lot of lost limbs,” Bert said tensely.

“The guild was not gentle in their treatment of those they deemed lesser,” Martha said.

“They did all that?” Bert asked, feeling a little better.

“Yes,” She spat, “I hope they burn for how they treated us.” Her smile returned. “Thanks to you, all those people have a second chance at a full life.”

“I’m glad,” Bert felt himself relax… mostly.

She continued to chat idly as she directed people here and there.

After half an hour, Bert excused himself and went to find Bell. There was still a little knot between his shoulder blades, and he was always one to follow his instincts.

Scruff came to lunch with a huge smile on her face. Bert was still feeling distracted as that damn anxiety would not go away.

“How was the training?” Bell asked as they all dug into roast venison.

“It’s incredible,” Scruff grinned. “Everyone is being so nice. I mean, I thought that they would be a bit standoffish like they used to be.”

“They seem different now?” Bert asked.

“Yeah, they smile all the time. They practically kiss the ground as I walk by,” She giggled and then covered her mouth in horror.

“Did you notice many missing limbs?” Bert asked.

“No, they all had those new ones, Like Martha.” She looked up as the table went silent. “What?”

“Define all,” Bert said, leaning forward.

“Everyone who was learning to farm,” She frowned. “Now that you mention it, that was kind of weird.”

Bert and Bell exchanged a look.

“We may have a problem here,” Bert said with a sigh.

After lunch, the Waystationers scattered, heading off into town to ‘help’ while they did as good a job of counting as possible with everyone moving around. Bert leaned against a door jam and watched as the closest thing they had to tailors took the basic cloth bolts spat out by the Express and made simple shirts and trousers in a variety of sizes.

They didn’t use any colors. Just the bare cloth. And no variation in style. Every one of the tailors was a Handyman. Their ‘fingers’ split into narrow shards of bone and created holes for the stitchers that came along behind them.

It reminded him of a production line from Earth as the people sat in rows. They passed each step to the next in line, moving as one.

It was… eerie.

What was more, they barely talked. They just smiled at each other.

He followed one of the completed sets of clothes over to one of the warehouses. There he saw lines of naked people waiting as they were handed a set of clothes, one after another.

Silent, smiling lines of naked people.

That knot between his shoulder blades got tighter.

He wanted to go storming off and demand answers from Martha. What he did was keep watching.

Tru’nal walked the new town, hooded and robed. It was an old trick that the orcs used when they had to move through the human lands. People ignored you, assuming you were a servant of some god or other.

It wasn’t working.

She heard the mutters as she passed and felt the eyes on her. She tried to turn back toward the gate, only to find a group of people following her. She felt her heart rate spike. This was how orcs died.

She would at least die with her race showing proudly. She flicked her hood back and stood tall. She waited for the shouts and attacks to begin.

“Are you lost, miss?” A young boy asked, smiling.

“Did you need help?” An old man asked, also smiling.

“I am just going for a walk,” Tru’nal said hesitantly.

“It is a beautiful place, isn’t it?” A woman said happily.

“Yes, it is,” Tru’nal said.

“Have a nice walk,” A voice in the crowd said. They dispersed.

Tru’nal continued walking, checking to see if they followed.

No one did.

So she walked the city, a human city. She even took off her robe. Her arms bare, green skin showing. And everywhere she went, they smiled. Or waved.

It was a dream come true. An orc walking proudly amongst friendly humans. Their race had wanted this for a long time.

So why was she feeling so scared?

Bell perched on the rooftop of the municipal building. It was the tallest thing around. She waved a hand, and a half dozen Bells appeared in front of her. They jostled each other and laughed.

She clicked her fingers, and they flew off, moving between the buildings at blinding speed, some hiding here and there.

She grinned. They would do most of her job for her, returning whatever information they gathered when she pulled them back to herself. It was the coolest skill she had ever got.

She sat and watched the humans set up stalls in the market.

She was just starting to doze off when something hit her. She had been watching the market slowly fill up with stalls and kiosks. It looked normal, but something had caught her attention.

It was the people. The humans walked in a set path past each stall, even through the empty ones. At this point, that meant most of them. They entered from the same place and walked along a set path through the market and out the other side. And they didn’t buy anything. When they picked something up, they just smiled and moved on.

Where were the goods coming from?

Bell followed one of the merchants’ assistants back through the town to one of the crafting buildings. A kitchen was set up, and they were patiently making bread. All the same bread. No rolls, no breadsticks, just the same loaf of bread, over and over again.

Next, she followed the baker’s assistant to the warehouse where they got the grain. It seemed normal, but again… where did it come from. They certainly hadn’t grown crops in a single day.

She followed the warehouse worker through the streets to another warehouse. She loved Bert’s layout. It made following people so easy.

She saw the warehouse worker enter the warehouse and come out with a bag of grain, which he returned to the first warehouse.

Weird, why have a warehouse supplying a warehouse?

Bell bided her time, choosing her moment, then flitted across the street and into the eaves of the warehouse. Bless Bert and his simple mind. It was basically just a massive barn. And Bell knew barns like someone trapped in one for years… because she had been.

It took her no time at all to squeeze her way inside.

She looked at the scene below her in confusion.

There were vats of poop… she wrinkled her nose. Actual poop. Gross.

What was worse was the people stood in them. They held their arms out to either side as stalks of wheat grew from their arms at incredible speed.

Each of the vats was manned by someone with both arms missing. They had been replaced like Martha’s, but they used theirs to grow crops. It was super fucked up… but she had to admit it worked.

Bell stifled a giggle as she looked at the view below.

She left quickly; the smell was awful.

It’s like she always said to Bert, human food was shit!

They all met up at dinner and compared notes. It was not a pretty picture. Bell’s graphic descriptions of her discovery effectively canceled dinner itself.

They all stared at each other in shock when they were finished comparing tales.

“What the actual fuck is going on with these people?” Bert frowned.

“Why don’t we just go ask?” Bell asked. “I mean, they are weird as shit but not violent.” She looked around, “Get it?”

Bert gave her a look, and she huffed.

“It’s not actually a bad idea,” He shrugged. “Shitty puns aside.”

“If I beg, will you both stop?” Scruff grumbled.

“No,” Bell giggled. “Shall we go ask then?”

“Just me and maybe a Multi-Bell,” Bert said. “The rest of you get ready for a quick exit, just in case.”

“Round or through?” Bell grinned.

“Round, please,” Bert sighed. “We just finished building this place.”

Bert and a Multi-Bell walked up the quiet main street, seeing no one around.

“This is where we die, right?” The Multi-Bell said quietly.

“Yuh, feels like it,” Bert grinned. He had no idea why he always found this part so much fun, but he couldn’t deny it anymore. There was a lot of fun to be had facing the creepy stuff head-on.

“So, we have an exit strategy? She asked.

“Hit everything very hard until we get away?” Bert offered.

“Ahh, the pixie approach. I like it,” She giggled.

A sound drew their attention to the Municipal Building. Voices came from inside. Bert shrugged and walked towards it, finding the doors open and light spilling out.

They crept closer, peering in through the door, finding empty rooms and corridors as they slowly made their way through the building. When they finally came to the Town Hall, they got a clear view…

“Welcome, Bert. Welcome, Bell.” Martha called from her pulpit. It was definitely a pulpit, and Bert felt that chill down his spine as he looked around. It looked more like a religious service than a town meeting.

The two of them took up a position near the door and simply watched.

“We are here tonight to give thanks for the gift of this town, and to give thanks for each other.”

“The group is all!” The assembled people chanted.

Bert frowned.

“Ever since I received this gift, I have sought to bring us together!” Martha beamed.

“The group is strength!” The chant came back.

“Together, we will make it!” Martha cheered.

“The group is all!” They cheered back.

Bert and the Multi-Bell looked at each other and shook their heads. This wasn’t great.

“Could be worse, I suppose.” The Multi-Bell said quietly.

Bert just nodded.

The meeting kept going that way for a while. It seemed to be a weird mix of self-help speech and religious service. He was just about to call it a night and head out when the tone of the speech changed.

“Of course, like all great endeavors… unity demands a sacrifice!” Martha said as she smiled benevolently down on the audience.

Bert’s head whipped up. This was what he was worried about, what that nagging tension had been.

“Bring in the supplicants!” Martha called, her face serious at last. The simple clothed villagers brought in a woman and child. They were in the same garb as the rest of the town. Those same plain undyed cloth shirts and pants. The grey looked extra eerie in this setting. The mother and son knelt in front of the pulpit as Martha came out from behind.

“With the sacrifice of flesh and the acceptance of a new class, you give of yourselves for the betterment of all!”

“The group is all!” The crowd chorused as they gathered around the two figures.

Bert motioned to the Multi-Bell and started to move towards the figures as the pixie flew up, keeping an eye out.

He pushed through the crowd just in time to see Martha’s arm transform itself into a bone and wood axe. She raised it and cut the mother's arm off before he could say a word.

“What the FUCK!?” Bert yelled, charging forward as the townspeople tried to hold him back.

“All is well!” Martha said, that smile on her face as she touched the stump of the arm. The woman stiffened for a moment, then smiled as a new arm of wood and bone grew out.

“See?” Martha said with a radiant smile on her face. “She is improved, and now she is one of us!” She raised her arms above her head.

“The Group is all!” The crowd cheered in joy as Bert looked on in horror.

“Touch the child, and I'll kill you,” Bert growled.

Silence fell in the hall, and Bert summoned his shield.

“If you command it, it will be so,” Martha smiled sadly. “He will not join us… yet.”

“We need to talk right fucking now!” Bert said.

“Of course,” Martha smiled. She turned to the hall at large and raised her voice.

“That will be all for tonight! Go forth and be fruitful!”

“The group is all!” The people said repeatedly as they filed out of the building.

Bert waited until the last one had left, then turned his furious eyes on Martha.

“This is some sick shit, Martha!” He snapped.

“You may be able to kill us, Bert, but you don’t own us.” She smiled again. “We do as we wish now.”

“What is all this ‘group is all’ shit?” He yelled at her, “You can work together without all of this bullshit.”

“We are stronger together!” She beamed at him, “I am stronger now, a unity of rock, bone, plant, and flesh.” Her eyes were manic, “By absorbing these things into my body, I was made stronger!” She paced back and forth. “And now there are more just like me! And the group will absorb more willing souls! We will grow stronger!”

“Stop it!” Bert yelled, “What is wrong with you?”

“You are too blind to see,” She shook her head sadly, “As others will be, but we see clearly now!” She beamed again. “And one day, we will make the others see the wonders we hold dear!”

“Only if you survive that long,” Bert felt his blood pulsing in his temples.

“Kill me then,” She snapped. “But another will rise to my place. The group is all! And one day, Bert, we will be too powerful for you or anyone else to push around.”

“I should have let you die,” Bert snarled, storming from the building.

“Yes, blind one, you should,” Martha whispered to herself as he left. “One day, we will absorb enough, and then no one will resist us!”

The Waystation rolled away from the new town as Bert frowned out the control tower windows.

“I still think we should have just flattened them all,” Bell said as she hovered next to him.

“We wouldn’t be quick enough,” Bert said. “If even one got away, they would just start again.”

“So what, we just leave them?” Bell asked.

“At least this way, we know where they are.” He forced himself to look away.

“For now,” Bell said helpfully.

“For now,” Bert agreed. He was suddenly very, very tired. Sometimes you could do more damage trying to help people than by ignoring them completely.