The Waystation Ch.39 (Patreon)

Chapter 39

Buried, Burned, And Bloody II

Bert stood in front of the Waystation and felt the sweat beading on his neck and back. This place honestly terrified him. His mind flashed back to the first time he had seen the rolling grasslands before him. The shapes that had moved in the grass. It had been blind luck that his makeshift staff had hit one. A few seconds more, and they would have surrounded him, and he would have died horribly in the endless waves of grass.

He had vivid nightmares about it every other night.

His original plan had been to go around them. Use the vast forest to skirt the area, just as he had done the first time. It just wouldn’t have worked. He was not just trying to avoid the grass this time. They needed to follow the remains of the old road to have any chance of finding the city they were seeking.

So they had to go through it.

Miles and miles of waving grass hiding the Gods only knew how many giant tics. And the Waystation was not fast.

“How many could there be?” Bud asked, “They don’t have much in the way of food in there.”

“Thousands!” Bell said brightly, “They actually want the mana in the blood, so they can live off the ambient manner. They don’t die; just get really, really hungry.” She giggled as Bert paled.

“That’s not helping,” Bud said as he flexed his new shoulders. It felt good to be taller.

“I wasn’t trying to help,” Bell said, smiling brightly. She flicked Bert on the back of the head, “Come on, let’s get it over with.”

Bert nodded, and the three friends headed back into the Waystation.

“Listen up!” Bert called loudly. “This is going to be slow and probably nasty. Maybe we will get lucky, and the damn things won’t be able to get to us. If they can, we will be fighting them off for days!” He looked at the assembled Waystationers. “Their bites and their blood have a numbing agent. You feel sleepy or numb? Get off the walls fast and return to the Barn or the Bear’s Fall. Okay?”

A chorus of nods and agreement. He looked around again and then moved on. “Scruff can not be alone over on Trailer One. Who is heading over there?” No one raised their hands… “Guess that’ll be me then.” He frowned. He knew that Scruff’s area tended to scare people, but he was annoyed no one else wanted to protect the young farmer.

“Bud, you sure the Express is secure on that tow line?” He asked.

“Yes, Boss.” Bud nodded. “It’ll take a hell of a lot to break seven thick steel tow lines.”

“Then Bell will get us underway. Keep an eye on each other, and don’t let these things sneak up on you.” Bert nodded to the Multi-Bell sitting on his shoulder, and she popped, returning the message to Bell up in the control tower.

“Move out!” Bert started jogging toward the bridge to Trailer One. It was going to be a rough few days.

A few hours later, things were going pretty well. The constant motion on the tracks kept most of the Giant Grass Tics from being able to climb up. A few did make it onto and off the giant treads before being crushed, but the numbers were low enough that he was comfortable they could hold at this pace for days. Multi-Bells came by every now and then, giving him updates on numbers and events on the main Waystation.

If they kept this up, they could rest half their numbers while the others held the wall and trade-off as needed. None of that stopped his skin from crawling every time one pulled their floppy bodies up the walls or over onto the parapets. His hand was permanently changed into a crossbow. He didn’t want to get close to these things ever again.

“Hey, Bert!” Scruff said as she climbed the stairs onto the walls. “How’s it going?”

“Scruff, get off the wall.” Bert shooed her back. “These things are too dangerous.”

“Huh, weird.” Scruff laughed.

“What?” Bert asked, angry she wasn’t taking this seriously.

“You want me in there because I could get hurt.” She shook her head. “Sorry, that is the first time anyone actually tried to protect me, I think. Weird feeling. Like nice and massively annoying all at the same time?”

Bert saw the tic pull itself over the wall behind her and leaped to knock her aside.

He was too slow, by far.

A vine whipped out and cut the tic in half so fast Bert would not have seen the movement if he hadn’t boosted his perception so far.

Scruff sidestepped him as he dove past.

“Wow, you are really jumpy, you know?” Scruff said.

Bert rolled upright and turned, seeing the ball of vines twisting and writhing on Scruff’s back. It was… chilling.

“What the fuck is that?” Bert asked.

“Oh, this?” She reached up a hand, and the vines rose and caressed it. “My newest thing. I crossbred some of the jelly flowers with a steel vine.” She shrugged. “It sings… can you hear it?” She asked.

“No, I fu–” Bert cut off. He heard a sound like crickets mixed with a violin at the very limit of his hearing. It was haunting and beautiful… and should not be coming from a plant. “Yeah, is that safe?” Bert said, his tone suggesting otherwise.

“It is for me,” She laughed. “I don’t know if they like anyone else, though.”

“Okay, but I still want you to be off the walls, please.” Bert shooed her away.

“I’m going, oh wow… what’s the plan for them?” She pointed over the back of the trailer as she turned.

“What?” Bert looked down over the wall, seeing nothing.

“Look up,” Scruff suggested.

Bert did, then bent over again, vomiting over the back wall of Trailer One. He looked again, feeling the same lurch in his stomach but fighting it down.

Terror crept deeper into his mind.

His eyes focused at last, and he forced himself not to look away. Behind the Waystation, in the path they had cut through the grass, and on either side of it, a tide of giant tics followed. They climbed over each other as they fought to get an inch closer to the giant vehicle. Thousands of them were slowly getting closer and closer to the back of the Express as it was towed behind the trailer.

“We have a plan, right?” Scruff asked nervously.

“No, no, we don’t.” Bert shook his head. “We just have to make sure we don’t stop.”

Two hours later, the first of the Giant Tics climbed onto the Express; in seconds, a tide of them flowed over the giant machine and made their way up the tow lines.

“Scruff, I’m going to need more bolts!” He started firing as fast as he could reload, thankful for the autoloader mechanism. He aimed carefully to avoid severing the tow ropes. Soon the tow lines were slick with the blood of the Giant Tics, and they were falling to be crushed under the treads of the Hudson Express.

Bert gasped in relief as the tics seemed to realize the Express offered no hope, flowing off the vehicle and resuming the chase on either side of it.

“Bell is really pissed with you!” A Multi-Bell said as it flew over to him. “She wants to know why? And also she said you promised!”

“What?” Bert asked in confusion.

“Is that Trav?” Scruff asked from her spot on the stairs. She had just dumped a fresh harvest of bolts off for him.

“Why are you doing this?” The Multi-Bell said.

“What is he doing?” Scruff asked irritatedly.

“DOING WHAT?” Bert yelled at the irritable Multi-Bell.

“You sent a message with Trav to say we would all die if we didn’t let you go?” The Multi-Bell snarled.

“No, I fucking didn’t!” Bert growled.

“Yeah, we’re doing fine here.” Scruff said, “Why is he pouring stuff between the Waystation and the Trailer?”

Bert started to run for the bridge connecting them to the Waystation, sprinting across the ground.

Too slow.

A grinding creak made the Trailer tremble before a loud crack sounded. The Trailer started to slow.

Bert made it as far as the top of the walkway. He could have jumped it, but if he did… Scruff would be here alone.

As the Waystation pulled ahead, Trav straightened.

“Why?” Bert asked, his voice low and angry.

“She would have told you eventually,” Trav shrugged. “I’d rather serve one Fae than none.”

“I’ll tell her!” The Multi-Bell said and made to fly over the gap.

Trav threw something, hitting her and knocking her back. The Multi-Bell screamed as something covered her body. She fell from the air, Bert reaching out and catching her.

He used his water bottle to wash the Multi-Bell clean of the gunk, whatever it was, and she sat up and coughed. Her wings were… gone.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“He severed the connection!” She screamed and cried in his hands. “I’m not part of her anymore!”

“Bert!” Scruff screamed. “They’re almost here!”

“FUCK!” Bert screamed into the air as he spun, carrying the not-multi-bell in one hand as he sprinted towards the far wall, where Scruff was backing down the stairs with wide eyes.

He got there just in time to see the first of the giant tics pull themselves over the edge.

“Get back!” Bert called.

“Bring them to my fields!” Scruff yelled. “We can make it there!”

============

Scruff’s fields writhed… blood sprayed in all directions, only to be immediately sucked down by the greedy plants. The entirety of Trailer One was crawling with the Giant Tics, but the fields surrounded the cottage, a gift of death to any tics that came near enough.

Bert and Scruff were on the roof of her cottage. He ran out of bolts after the first hour as he tried desperately to keep the waves of tics away from overwhelming the plants. Out of ammo and with no other choice, he used his runes. Pumping energy into heat and chill runes in areas outside of the fields was exhausting. His tides roared in his ears as he fought to keep the swarm back. If it weren’t for the precise nature of some of the fields, they would be dead already.

In the next few hours, more and more fields were overwhelmed. It was just the most dangerous plants that survived. The poisonous ones had lasted a while but gave way in the end. Their poisons were diluted by the blood that flowed over the area.

The last survivors were the whip-like vines and some sort of disturbingly carnivorous squash.

“I need to spark more growth!” Scruff said. “It will leave me unconscious if I do this much at once!”

“For how long?” Bert gasped as he cast another chill rune, freezing a dozen tics in place.

“I don’t know!” Tears ran down her face. She gave a panicked look around. “Promise you will kill me before they get me!”

“Scruff, don’t!”

“Thank you for everything,” Scruff smiled. “Even if it ends like this, it was wonderful!” She pushed herself to the middle of the roof.

“CALL OF THE ETERNAL SPRING!” She yelled at the top of her lungs. Green energy exploded out of her as she slumped to the roof, out cold.

“Damnit!” Bert snarled as he started to cast faster. His mana channels burned with an unhealthy heat.

The green energy settled over the fields, which began to tremble… shoots pushed through the ground, and vines exploded. Thorns-like serrations grew out the side of the evolved Steel Vine. Living barbed wire tore apart the invaders faster than the eye could see. It did not stop at the edge of the fields either, whiplike tendrils tearing into the surrounding swarm and driving them clear of the cottage.

“Wow, that’s pretty impressive,” the Not-Multi-Bell said from her perch on Bert’s shoulder.

“Don’t fuck with a farmer, I guess,” Bert said as he pulled the unconscious Scruff over and rested her head on his lap.

“Are you okay?” The pixie asked.

“Nope. Not at all,” Bert grinned ruefully. “How about you?”

“Oh, I think I have an hour or two left.” She said sadly.

“Before what?” Bert asked.

“Poof, all gone.” She shook her head and sighed. “It was a very short life, but I think I got to see some impressive things.”

“So you are a part of Bell that will just… disappear?” Bert asked.

“No, Bell is still all her.” She said, “I was a temporary copy created as an extension of her. When that Satyr prick severed the connection, I became…well, me, I guess.”

“Can’t you… I don’t know… find some way to survive?” He asked. The pixie had been working as his spotter, and he quite liked her.

“Not unless you have a spare dungeon core lying around.” She said.

“Well, I actually do, if we can get to it.” Bert pointed over towards the Hudson Express on the far side of the walls.

“Huh, I forgot.” She sighed. “Pity I don’t have wings anymore. It would have been nice to live.” Another sigh, “Hey, can I have a name? I should at least get a name, I think.”

“How about Willow? Or Wisteria?” Bert said as he watched the plants fighting the seemingly endless swarm. He was too tired to really feel the fear at this point.

“Nothing plant-based,” The pixie said sharply, “I’m not a fairy.”

“Okay,” Bert thought for a bit longer.

“How about Wendy?” She said.

“Wendy? I like that.” Bert nodded.

“How long now?” He asked eventually.

“Not long,” She said, sniffing slightly. “Thanks for the name.”

“Thanks for everything, Wendy.” He smiled.

Scruff stirred and woke up, scrambling away when she found herself resting on Bert.

“Thanks,” She said.

“No problem,” Bert said. “Anything else we can do here?” He looked at Scruff and nodded toward the still-sealed barn.

“They might get excited and eat you,” Scruff shrugged. “They only seem to like me.”

“Are you sure you would survive here?” Bert asked thoughtfully. “If I could get us moving again?”

“Yeah, why?” Scruff asked.

Bert thought for a second and then nodded decisively.

“Okay, two options. First, you fight them off with what is in the barn while Wendy and I try to get to the Express, or we all try for the Express while what is in the Barn provides a distraction.” He said. “Which one gives you a better chance of surviving?”

Scruff thought. “If you hid inside, we could all survive here almost indefinitely,” She said, “I can hold this off for ages now that my fields are all vines.”

“Wendy dies soon unless I get her to the Express’ core,” Bert said.

“Okay, you two go. I promise I will be okay here or at least able to get to you.” Scruff looked defiant.

“Are we really leaving a kid to fight our battles?” Wendy said with skepticism.

“She’s older than she looks,” Bert said, “Besides, she already has been for most of this fight.”

“True,” Wendy said.

“We have a plan,” Bert summoned his shield. “This is going to suck, though. If I go down before we reach the walls, try and get there on your own, okay?”

“Wait!” Scruff said and gave a series of clicks with her tongue. Vines thrashed out of the fields, cleared a path to the steps, and then up onto the wall.

“Nice, thanks!” Bert said, then froze as a series of vines clutched his shoulders, and something wound up his body.

“Trust me?” Scruff asked nervously.

Bert just nodded. Scruff clicked her tongue again, and more vines wound themselves into a shifting ball on his back. It secured itself with a series of vines wrapped around his chest and shoulders.

“They will respond to what you want automatically,” Scruff said. “They read minds somehow.”

“Well, that’s not creepy at all,” Bert muttered, dropping to the floor. The vines cleared away, and he sprinted for the steps. Taking them two at a time, he crested the wall and leaped over. He got a fleeting glimpse of the tow lines still in place and, far below them, a milling pack of tics. He really wished he could grab the tow lines and just–

The vines on his back whipped out and wound around the tow lines. He slipped down the tow lines, and the vines let go just in time to drop him onto the roof of the Express.

The swarm around it reacted immediately, trying to climb the metal walls as he swung the cab door open and swung himself inside. The Vines reached out and slammed the door shut just as a tic slammed into it. Its disgusting mouth worked against the crystal glass for a bit before it slid off.

Unbound Spirit Detected!

Pixie designated: Wendy is unbound.

Bind to the Hudson Express?

Y/N?

“Yes!” Bert yelled. Wendy had been fading even as he swung down into the cab.

Integrating….

Success!

Wendy gasped and sat up. Her hair flashed into a bright red as changes rippled over her. A T-shirt with grease marks, an open bowling shirt, jeans, and boots replaced her previous outfit. She yawned, reaching out a hand and summoning a baseball cap which she placed on her head as opalescent dragonfly wings grew out of her back.

She blinked. “Hey there, trucker!” She laughed, a deep throaty laugh, and looked around. “Nice place this, but it needs a few tweaks.” She summoned a ghostly wrench and grinned. “Back in a sec!” She dived INTO the Express.

“Wendy! Fuck, wait!” Bert growled as the windows darkened, covered in the scrabbling bodies of the tic swarm.

He grabbed the controls, but nothing happened except a message appearing on the window in front of him.

Upgrade and Customisation are in progress…

Patience, fucker!

Bert felt the vines reaching out, holding the doors shut as they started to vibrate. His breath came in gasps as his vision was filled with the sight of the tics crawling over the windows.

Complete!

“What this!” Wendy’s voice came from speakers that rose from the dashboard of their own accord. A low rumble started deep in the vehicle. It rose and fell like a growling animal. A deep roar ripped out of the Express, the tics scrambling clear of the vehicle in terror. Wendy laughed, “Run, you little fuckers!” Lights shone from the front of the Hudson Express, while another set shone from above the cab. A small chain dropped down by his head.

“Give it a try,” Wendy suggested.

Bert pulled it and heard the rumbling blast of a truck’s air horn blasting through the night. He cheered. “I love that!”

“Retracting tow ropes!” Wendy called as he watched them snap free and be pulled into the bumper. “Ready to roll!” She called.

Bert grabbed the controls and heard the rumbling growl rise as he turned the Express in place. He put his feet on the pedals, seeing the large mandibles slide out of the front. He drove forward and heard the squelching as the tics failed to avoid his tracks.

“You will have to fire the towing ropes yourself,” Wendy said. “Which means going outside. Nothing I can do about that right now.”

“We have tow ropes?” Bert asked. “I didn’t do that.”

“That’s what I’m here for, trucker.” She laughed. “I made a few quick changes, but giveme time, and this will be the best rig in the multiverse.”

“So I take it your okay then?” he asked as he drove towards the front of Trailer One.

“Better than ever, thanks.” She sighed happily. “I have a new name, a new form, and an empty core that doesn’t argue back! What more could a little pixie want?”

“How about revenge?” Bert asked, a fierce grin on his face.

“Sounds like a plan to me, trucker.” Wendy’s voice was cold and eager now.

“Me too.” Bert muttered, “Me too.”

They got in place, and Bert started gathering himself to go back into the swarming tics.

“Let me talk to Scruff’s plants for a second.” She said and went quiet. “You’re all set!”

Bert had no idea what that was about but launched himself out the door in a single move, slamming it behind him.

As he arced into the air, the wriggling vines on his back flowed over his body, covering all the exposed areas of skin. It even formed a loose helmet over his head, with a slit for his eyes.

His breath echoed in his ears as he fought his way to the back of the vehicle. He found another new addition to his design. Two large crossbows fitted with spiked bolts on either side of the vehicle. He aimed and fired one side and then the other. Each one bit into Trailer One somewhere. Even where they hit metal, they seemed to pass straight into it. He saw two final bolts sticking out the back on the top of the Express and crouched to jump up. The plants coiled with him, and he almost jumped clear over the thing as they ‘assisted’ his jump. He scrambled back to the last towing lines, kicking a few tics aside as he did so.

“Hurry!” Wendy’s voice sounded metallic as it came from inside the Express.

Bert turned and froze as another pack pulled themselves into the roof of the express. Bert pulled his shield in front of himself and charged.

Bert pulled his blood-drenched form into the cab, and the vines fell away, pooling onto the floor behind him.

“Aww, bless, they’re all tuckered out,” Wendy said. “Take her out slowly now; we don’t want to tax those tow ropes too much!”

“Which way are we going?” Bert asked. The hours since the Waystation had left them behind had let most of the grass stand up again. He couldn’t see anything clearly through the blood running down the windshield.

“Give me a sec,” Wendy said, and windscreen wipers he was sure he had never put on this thing started up. He could see but still had no idea where to go.

“Got it!” Wendy said a path of luminous yellow appeared in front of him. It was wide and clear. It stretched into the distance before finally fading away. “Just had to tap into your pathfinding skill!”

Bert grinned and reached up, blasting the horn three times before he slowly pushed forward on both levers.

The Express shuddered and strained, Trailer One finally starting to move. It was slow, even with both levers all the way forward, but it was movement.

Now he just needed to find the Waystation and hope that Scruff held on until he could help her.