Chapter Three Hundred and Forty - Redemption Arc

Chapter Three Hundred and Forty - Redemption Arc

Chapter Three Hundred and Forty - Redemption Arc

Awa, the, um, Smooth Sailing, Awen proposed.

I thought about it for a moment. It wasnt a bad name. Very sweet. Cute, even! But I wasnt entirely sure if it fit the ship. It was too metallic and sharp for that name, maybe.

And here I thought youd ask to name it something like the Roses Lips, or something, Amaryllis said.

Awen blushed while a storm of denying awas! escaped her.

Am I missing something there? Calamity asked. By the way, clearly this beauty ought to be called something properly enticing. The Dagger or maybe the Sky Meowderer.

Im not sure about that last one, I said. What about the Friend-Ship? I asked.

Vetoed, Amaryllis said. We wont abide pun names. We could call it something like the... hmm, its a warship. The Strongly Worded Letter?

Awen made a noise that was very close to being a huff. Was she trying to get back at Amaryllis? Thats too long. It wouldnt fit on the side. And Broccoli, this is a boat more than a ship.

Im guessing the Friendboat is out too? I asked.

I got three nods in reply.

We need something a bit more fierce than that, Calamity said. Like some sorta predatory animal?

The Angry Moose? I tried.

Amaryllis frowned. What in the World is a moose?Fôll0w current novÊls on n/o/(v)/3l/b((in).(co/m)

Is it like a mouse? Awen asked.

I shook my head and gave up on the name. No, nevermind.

Well, how about the Hermeowne? Calamity asked. Its the name of this girl I was sweet on for a while.

Lets not name our new boat after one of your no doubt many failed romantic conquests, Amaryllis said.

Maybe we can name it after something it is? I asked. I trimmed the sails a bit. We were picking up some speed, but I was pretty sure we didnt want to be moving quite so quickly.

Awen clapped her hands. Ah! I know. It was a pirate boat before, wasnt it? And now its ours, and were the opposite of pirates. Or near enough. So the vessels being reformed. We could call it the Redemption!

Thats properly intimidating, Calamity said. I vote aye on that one.

Amaryllis considered it for a moment before replying. Its suitable.

I like it! I chimed in. It was also nice that everyone seemed to agree about the ships name too.

The story was mostly truthful, at least in the broad strokes. I would have complained, but Calamity was having fun, and his hunter friends seemed happy to rib and call him out for exaggerating.

I turned to Amaryllis and Awen once we were all back on firm ground. Now what? I asked.

Now we ensure that no one steals our ship from us without proper remuneration, Amaryllis said. And we need to relay our location to the sylph again. They might not want to meet in a place with so many strangers.

We could hunt for more clues, Awen suggested.

We turned to her, and she squirmed.

"We know the diplomats were attacked by pirates, but at that point the trail goes cold."

That seems like a good idea to me, I said. We need supplies, too.

I can help with that. The three of us jumped and turned to find Savan standing really close to us. She grinned. I know where to find all the stuff. What are you looking for?

Uh, fuel, mostly, Awen said.

Savan blinked. I dont know how to find that stuff, she admitted. But I know the people to ask. Come on!

With that, Savan led us towards the camp proper. It was a loose collection of tents, some large, some small, with a few buildings made of wood and tarps set up here and there and some carriages parked on the flatter ground that had little homes built atop them. It looked like a few of those more temporary buildings had been knocked down by the storm, but they were being fixed in quick order.

There was a large grazing area to one side surrounded by a picket-and-rope fence where horses and ponies were plucking at the grass, and a few roads cut through the camp. They were all made of stomped dirt, packed down by hundreds of passing hunters.

A few of the temporary buildings stood out. One had a mobile forge in it where a pair of cervid were working the bellows while another held tongs clenching a red-hot bit of metal. Next to that was a small shop with a cat person on a carpet surrounded by things for sale. Finally, Savan brought us to a small general store of sorts. She pushed the tent-flap door aside and stuck her head in. Hello? Do you sell fuel?

We ended up meeting a nice elderly human of all things who didnt have much airship fuel, but who did have some oils that Awen said would work in a pinch.

Then we crossed over to a set of tents set downwind of the camp where hunters were working at butchering their catch. They were more than willing to sell us a few tankfuls of grease and fat which Awen had some use for.

We wont have enough to get far, but this is more than what we had to begin with, Awen said as we lugged the tanks back to the airship.

On our way back, we met with Calamity who seemed to have tired out his buddies with his stories. Heya. So, are we heading out again?

Not quite yet, Amaryllis said. We wanted to see if anyone here knows anything about the pirates.

Youll want to chat with old lady Three Hooves then, he said with confidence. Come on, she knows everything and everyone. If anyone knows anything, itll be her.

We finished storing what wed picked up on the ship, and Awen volunteered to stay behind. She wanted to turn some of the blubber wed bought into oil, which meant she needed to create a little machine to get everything going.

Calamity led us up the camps hill towards the topmost part where the nicer carriages were parked. One of those had its sides open to reveal an old cervid woman resting on three legs atop a stack of well-worn cushions and blankets. For all her age, she looked like a tough old cookie, especially with the eyepatch covering half her face.

What sorta trouble did you bring me here today, Calamity? she asked.

Hello, Three Hooves, he said with a bit of a bow. Just wanted to introduce my new friends. This is Broccoli, and this is Amaryllis. They had a few questions you might be able to get to the bottom of.

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