The group, That being Randy, Ispulgasa, Harinezumi and X-Haria said their goodbyes to Dan and the innkeeper, the only two people they had spoken to in the village. They boarded the house-sized carriage. Harinezumi immediately entered her private quarters, Ispulgasa mounted the massive cassowary bird, and Randy settled into a seat beside X-Haria.
The carriage pushed forward. It would be several hours before they reached Vasity Chunk.
"Give it here"
X-Haria said suddenly, her crimson eyes fixed on the broad-bladed Rapier Dan had given Randy.
He passed it over.
"What for?"
She turned it slowly her hands, the polished steel catching the dim carriage light. Her gaze lingered on the reflection of herself, Randy watching a shiver Ripple down her spine. it was as if she were staring at a stranger.
"Your not.. going psycho, right?"
"Shut up. No. It's just... Helpers normally can't see their human forms."
"I don't get why that's scary."
"Of course you don't, idiot. Being able to see yourself as human is what makes you human."
Randy leaned back, studying her expression. Her grip on the weapon was tighter than usual, knuckles pale, as if she were holding something far heavier than steel.
...
The quiet was broken by the mellow sound of a tongue drum. Both Randy and X-Haria turned toward the noise. A moment later, Ispulgasa hopped lightly from the bird and entered the carriage through the front opening, leaving the over-sized cassowary to continue pulling them forward.
"May I have your attention, kind souls?"
He said, his voice was calm but was commanding none the less.
Randy and X-Haria looked toward him. The air felt still. only the steady thud of the giant bird's footsteps filled the silence.
"As you are well aware, we are approaching Vasity Chunk. Before we arrive, I must set down some ground rules, and share some information. is that alright, kind souls?
The two nodded. X-Haria handed the Rapier back to Randy who rested it across his lap.
"When we enter the city, you two must not speak unless my Mistress allows it. This is very important. We will pass through the main gates and head directly to the castle with some pit stops. Once inside said castle, you must not state your names until we reach the throne room. That is where you come in, kind soul."
Ispulgasa's kind smile lingered as his eyes locked onto Randy's.
"…Why am I important here? This sounds like royal business. And, respectfully, I don't want to be a part of it."
Randy asked.
Ispulgasa nodded gently and raised a finger.
"You made a deal. A silent one. We granted you transport because my Mistress believed you might prove useful during negotiations."
...
Randy frowned.
|Since when is giving excuses about how a slime got on a carriage a Negotiation tactic. Oh well.|
"So all I gotta do is help when needed."
"Spot on, kind soul!"
Ispulgasa exclaimed warmly.
"Now then, follow these instructions, and we will be A-Okay. Cheers.
He gave a polite wave before walking toward Harinezumi's quarters, leaving Randy and X-Haria in the carriage's quiet once again.
"He just said A-Okay in 2031"
X-Haria replied swiftly to randy's statement
"Their 2031 is vastly different from your 2031, If it were the same, Ispulgasa would have a pistol and we would be on a train."
Her face went a little green when she said the word train. Randy tilted his head to the side, opening his mouth to speak.
"You look like you're going to vomit. You Hate trains or something?"
X-Haria tilted her head to the same side as Randy's, as one of her Ahoge poked his forehead.
"Nothing too serious. A bit scarred from what happened on my first job."
"First job?"
Randy asked curiously.
"I was assigned to a human girl. She was sucked in by a bullet trai... .. ."
"I'm not interested anymore, thanks."
Randy had cut her off. As the carriage kept moving.
Harinezumi's room door had opened and then shut. Ispulgasa smiled faintly as he returned to his spot. The two fell into silence for the rest of the ride.
Hours passed..
The carriage eventually halted at the edge of a cliff. The group stepped out into the open air. Harinezumi floated effortlessly above the ground, her crown-blindfold tilting faintly to one side as if in mockery of gravity. Ispulgasa sat nearby, carefully polishing a flute. Randy, meanwhile, was busy dodging sugar gliders that leapt from the trees, attempting to land on his head.
X-Haria watched from a ruined tall wall, her robe shifting into a blanket with the ease of her abilities.
"Hey, Harinezumi."
Randy called, batting away a sugar glider.
"How are you flying like that?"
"I am not obligated to answer that question."
She said with such arrogance, scoffing seconds after
"Randy rolled his eyes and turned toward Ispulgasa, just in time to dodge another sugar glider.
"So how are we supposed to travel now? You said the next step is a cliff. that bird looks too overweight to do much in the air"
Ispulgasa turned to Randy, still cleaning the flute, his tone filled with pride, his eyes sparkling with excitement
"Cassowary, you say, kind soul? The giant beauty you see before you is a Bhelogowary, named after the brilliant magic scientist Bhelogo Powal. During the 19th century, the kingdoms faced a wide decrease in available horses and donkeys for travel. The people were desperate. Bhelogo was asked to devise a solution, and he delivered with unmatched genius. He took the egg of a cassowary, secured mana vials from the titans of the Arugula Savanna, and injected that essence directly into the developing shell. From this vision, the Bhelogowary hatched: resilient, obedient, and strong enough to carry houses with two floors. beyond a common beast of the field."
Ispulgasa stroked the birds feathers, then its head when it lowered it.
Randy sighed.
"Right.. so can it fly or not."
"Oh, Apologies. kind soul. No, she cannot fly."
Ispulgasa said, his smile never changing.
Randy would pinch the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.
"Then how are we getting across this cliff"
That was all Ispulgasa needed to hear, his eyes would sparkle his smile widened, he began to snicker, his voice laced with pride.
"Ah, but Bhelogo Powal foresaw that limitation as well. His brilliance knew no boundary. To solve long-distance crossings, he turned to another marvel of nature, the sugar glider. From their eggs in their ovaries, he bred something greater. He altered their ears to respond to precise sound frequencies like tones no other beast could hear, anyone using a flute that emits said frequencies could command. He gifted them with a natural reservoir of mana, vast enough to shield entire flocks in flight, and so they can fly no matter what's on their back. and as his final flourish, he imbued them with some titan mana vials that we're donated from the savanna. Their wings grew wider, their forms sturdier, their instincts sharpened until they became the ultimate carriers."
Ispulgasa lifted the flute to his lips and blew a deep note. The air trembled as hundreds of tiny sugar gliders scattered from the trees in a sudden storm of wings. Then, with a rush of displaced air, a shadow blotted out the sun.
A colossal sugar glider descended from the sky, its wingspan stretching wider than the castle gates of any castle, its fur shimmering faintly with condensed mana. The earth shook as it landead, its eyes glowing like molten silver, it stood on its hind legs and was eating a tree sized moth pupa.. Randy felt a shiver up his spine, seeing it eat A giant version of what seemed like a moth egg. for that mean't that giant moths have to exist.
"thus, The Bhelogio was born. also known as The Greatest Glider"
Ispulgasa declared proudly.
Randy rubbed the back of his neck, turning to Harinezumi
"Is your knight okay? He seems a bit overly obsessed with these animals."
Harinezumi finally stirred, tilting her blindfolded crown ever so slightly toward Randy. Her tone was calm, but carried the clipped weight of royalty explaining something beneath her.
"Ispulgasa is… indulgent when it concerns his bloodline. Bhelogo Powal was of his ancestry, and my guard takes every chance to extol that tree. Their family line is known for pride, not weakness, though none among them wield strong magic, they make certain the world never forgets the inventions their name wrought."
She scoffed delicately, the sound sharp as glass.
"If you find his lectures tiresome, or boring. take solace in this. They will not cease until he cease's to exist. in other words he won't stop, not while he draws breath"