Cinnamon Bun

Chapter Two Hundred and Fourteen - Planning Commitea

Chapter Two Hundred and Fourteen - Planning Commitea

The next ones hard, Howard said.

We were out of the first floor and a good ways into the cave-like passage that Howard said cut through the entire dungeon.

Its one that requires that you fight, the fishman added.

Were pretty tough in a fight, I said. We can work together pretty well too.

Howard gestured out ahead where the cave split. To the right was a wide, broad passageway. To the left was another path, smaller and thinner, that curved up and out of sight around a bend. Its to the left here. We should wait a little bit before going in. Best to know what were all going to be facing in there.

I agreed. We should take a bit of a break then, I said. Im not hungry or anything, but I could use something to drink. Anyone want some tea?

A bit of tea wouldnt be amiss, Emmanuel said.

The others seemed to agree too. Awen pulled a rolled-up blanket from her pack and set it on the ground where it was dryer, and I sat down next to her and rooted through my backpack for my kettle.

Amaryllis filled it, using some neat spell to draw water out of the air. She made sure I used Cleaning magic on it afterwards too. This place could use a few dehumidifying runes. Its making my feathers itch.

That must be annoying, Awen said. I cant stand it when my scalp is itchy.

Amaryllis hummed. Having hair must be a pain, its so long. I imagine it gets everywhere. Does plucking it hurt?

Yeah, I said. Dont your feathers hurt when you pull them?

It depends, of course. A properly groomed harpy will ensure that any broken or bent feathers are plucked. It stings a little, but it also feels kind of nice? I never really thought about it. Hard to describe, I suppose.

Like picking at a scab? I asked.

No, thats disgusting Broccoli.

Bastion sat down across from us with a heavy sigh. I have some biscuits, he said as he reached into his own pack. Better than the rations we get in the army, but not by much.

Im sure theyre fine, I said. It was going to take a minute or two for the tea to warm up. I was going for a mixed herbal tea. Some ginger which Id bought along the way, and some dried lemongrass. It had an interesting smell, at once bitter and citrus-y. Hey, Bastion, you have wings, right?

Bastion looked at me, then glanced to his side where his wings were fluttering a bit. Yes?

Whats that like? Do you need to do special stuff for them?

Not really? Theyre surprisingly robust. Harder to cut into than skin, but a lot more brittle. There arent any bones in a sylphs wings, unlike a birds. The only maintenance is keeping them washed. You wont see too many sylphs in drier places either; it makes our wings feel fragile. Warm is fine, just not dry.

Huh, I said. Thats cool! How do you wash them though? I imagined someone trying to twist around this way and that. I could only just touch the middle of my back, and I was pretty sure my Flexibility stat was cheating that for me.

Communal showers, though you can do a good job of it yourself with a sponge on a stick.

Theres sponges here? I asked.

Yes? Bastion asked. Theyre from the ocean?

Oh, I said. I felt silly. Time for a change of subject! So, Howard, what can you tell us about the next floor?

Howard had found a little bump on the floor to sit on. His legs splayed out a little, with his pipe on one thigh and a little pouch which he was fiddling in on the other. Refilling his pipe again? I supposed smoking was kind of a complicated process. And probably not that great for anyones health, but I wasnt going to throw stones from my glass balcony.

Next ones tough, he said. Theres no end to the monsters in it, not that theyre too much of a challenge.

What are we facing? Bastion asked.

We call them Mist-folk, Howard said.

Thats both mysterious and ominous, I said as I started to pour the tea out into some tin cups. The vapours from the tea wafted up and fought with the damp air to be the strongest smell around. Whats a Mist-folk? Are they nice?

Afraid they arent, Howard said.

I gave everyone their cups. Emmanuel hunched down so that he was laying on his tummy on the far end of Awens blanket from us. He took his cup carefully in both hands. Thank you, he said.

He could be nice when he wanted to!

I sniffed at my tea, then inspected it.

Ginger and lemongrass tea, to soothe stress and inflammations, and help fight back against infections.

I took a sip and let the warmth seep into me. It was nice, really nice.

The Mist-folk are the challenge to the floor, Howard said. To exit you need to open the locks on an old well at the far end of the town. To get the keys, you need to fight and win against a Mist-folk. Theres one key for every person that walks into the floor.

So we need to fight six of them? Awen asked. Are they hard to fight?

Theyre not, and yep, six of them, Howard said. He finished pushing something into his pipe, then lit it with a flick of his fingers. He knew a bit of magic then. Its more complicated than that. See, if you go in as a group, youll never get to the end of town. Not for lack of trying. Just... the town aint normal. Youll walk to the end of the street and find yourself back at the start. Moving through some doors in a house will land you in another house across the town. Sometimes youll turn the same corner four or five times and never get anywhere. Only way for things to be normal is to have a key.

The fishman leaned forwards and scratched something onto the ground, the Eldersign hed mentioned.

Thats cut into the side of every key. They have triangular heads.

So, we wander around, find six Mist-folk, convince them to give us their keys, then were good? I asked.

Howard shook his head. They wont show up if youre not alone. The town will try to split us apart too.

Oh, I said.

That was actually kind of scary.

Now, the Mist-folk, theyre clever in their own way. Theyll look like one of us. You wont be meeting yourself, youll be meeting your friends. Might even really be your friends, the town will throw you back together sometimes.

Theyll look like Broccoli and Amaryllis? Awen asked.

Like any one of us, Howard said. He puffed at his pipe. Theyll talk, be real convincing.

I frowned. That sounded like trouble. We could use a codeword? To tell who is who?

Howard shook his head. Theyll use it. Dont rightly know how it works. We always just figured they could read your mind, tell you what you want to hear from your friend.

Wait, wait, I said, raising a biscuit-filled hand to pause the fishman. We need to fight monsters that look like our friends?

He nodded. Thats the whole of it. Hard to tell whether theyre a friend or not. Therere some tricks. Asking the Mist-folk to use magic or abilities they dont know. Or you can smell them. They dont have a smell.

I dont want to be sniffed, I said.

You probably dont even have a smell, Amaryllis said. What with the amount of Cleaning magic you use.

Howard shrugged. Its a trick thats worked before. Miss Bunch has her Cleaning magic, if you meet her, ask her to clean something. Not yourself. Thats asking for trouble. They can use offensive magic, and will attack if you lower your guard.

Thats awful, I said.

We should organize things then, Bastion said. Broccolis Cleaning magic is hard to reproduce. Amaryllis, you have your own interesting sort of magic, as does Awen.

Amaryllis nodded. If I see anyone, Ill zap first and ask questions later.

Um, I said.

A small zap.

Ah, I have glass magic, Awen said. She raised her hand, focused very hard, and a piece of glass appeared in her palm, at first just a tiny thing, like a diamond, but it grew in fits and starts, wrapping around and forming into a small crystalline ring. Would that work?

Might have to let anyone you meet pick up the glass to inspect it, Howard said. He shook his pipe. This is my trick for this floor.

Oh, it smells strong, I said.

He nodded.

I am not certain as to what I could do, Emmanuel said. I suppose it would be hard for anything to copy my grandeur.

Hmph, Amaryllis said. Just stab any cervid you see. Mist-folk dont bleed, right?

They dont, Howard confirmed.

O-one moment, Emmanuel said.

Bastion hummed. Im not sure what I could do. I dont have any particularly flashy skills, and many of my skills rely on me having a weapon in hand, which isnt something youd want to see in a negotiation.

I sighed, downed the last of my tea, then stood up. Everyone else seemed to be done too. I guess well just have to be careful then, I said. Bastion, if we meet a monster that looks like you, well attack it first. Just dont resist, okay?

That... is very much not something I want to test, Bastion said.

We wont attack you to hurt you, I said. Just to poke you a bit. Like, uh, your leg?

Bastion stared, one eyebrow rising. Well see, he said.

Great!

We packed things up. Awen took her blanket back and we made sure not to leave any trash behind. It wouldn't be nice to make everything all dirty, especially not for the next people who would come down to visit.

Does anyone want a hug before we go on? I asked.

Your new buffing skill? Bastion asked. I noticed the minor buff with the tea. Interesting, but not entirely useful in this particular situation.

I dont really have the time to find great teas, I said. But one day Ill find some great ones thatll do all sorts of things. Anyways, hugging is my new skill. It doesnt make you stronger, but it does make you feel better.

Better how? Emmanuel asked.

Well... like a hug normally does, I guess?

The cervid shifted a bit. I think Ill pass.

Awen was quick to raise her arms for a hug when I looked her way, so she got the first squeeze. Then it was Amaryllis turn, because she liked hugs even if she always made a fuss about it and tried to look all tough.

Do you want one, Bastion, Howard?

Im a bit old for hugs from pretty young misses, Howard said with a grin. But thank you.

I think Im well enough without, Bastion declined.

I nodded. There was no pushing hugs on people. Right, lets go!

Howard took the lead, taking the leftmost path with careful steps. I was a bit worried, he was a little on the older side, even if he was still very spry.

The cave opened up onto a beach, with water lapping at the shore, and a half moon hanging in the sky above. The air smelled of seaweed and that sorta salty fishy smell that the ocean always had.

Not too far away was a little shack, and, beyond that, a path that led away from the beach and up a small cliff to a town overlooking the calm waters.

Wed made it to the second floor.

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