ALL NOVEL Chapter 31: On the Road
We had packed everything we could in about thirty minutes. When we arrived back at the tent, I saw that only a handful of items my mother and father had packed a couple of days before had been spared. Mainly my wand, the magic pouch, and some articles of clothing. Mostly my favorite black and blue dress and some underwear.
At least I have another set of clothes to swap out, I guess.
I thought as we tossed everything into one of Olson's wagons, save for my wand and the Enigma pouch, which I strapped to my belt around my skirt. It was also around this point that I got a good look at everyone who was in this camp with us.
If I counted correctly, there were roughly forty of us. Possibly more due to many of the others mentioning people being in Mayburry. We were a diverse group; the majority I saw were humans. Yet I noticed a few families of akumari, halflings, and even a group of orcs. The orcs were an intimidating bunch, all men; I assumed they were construction workers based on their hard hats and thick denim overalls. One even seemed to be carrying a box of tools.
It was odd, to say the least. Most fiction in my old life depicted orcs or creatures similar to them as bloodthirsty monsters. Yet these guys, while scary-looking, seemed relaxed. If this world is anything like the fiction from my old life, I'll just be happy to have these guys on my side in a fight.
"They're coming!" A man shouted from up ahead on the wagon train.
Immediately, panic began to sweep through the crowd, and even my heart sank before instantly being alleviated when I heard a woman shout.
"Elliot, you idiot! You can't just go shouting that!" A red-headed woman walked up and slapped the man across the cheek.
"Apologies! I meant our people!" Elliot rubbed his cheek. "Our people are returning!"
We all collectively sighed, and even Mother, who was sitting on the wagon, cradled her head and sighed before looking back at Varis and me with a nervous smile.
I glanced at Varis, who didn't even bother looking at any of us. After the false alarm, his head drooped back down to look at the ground and kick the dirt. I went over to him and took his hand gently in mine.
He didn't resist. Instead, he looked up at me, and I saw the rage in his eyes as he said in a hushed whisper, "I'm going to kill them. All of them."
I blinked and leaned back a bit before glancing in the direction of the river. The images of the corpses drifting in the water are still fresh in my mind. I shuddered and looked back at my brother.
"I know you want it, Varis, but… there's nothing—"
"We have to do something," Varis said quickly. "W-we have magic. W-we can do something; we have to stop them."
"Varis, we're kids." I said softly, yet this seemed to anger him.
"I don't give a damn!" He said it loud enough to draw our mother's attention. "You saw what they did, Luna. Th-those people. A-all those people… Even in all my books and stories about the Dark Lord and villains, they never mentioned stuff like this."
That's because, in fairytales, they gloss over these things. I thought to myself.
"This is evil, and we need to stop it!" My brother sniffed and pounded his fist.
"Your sister is right, Varis," Mother spoke. "You're both just kids, and children don't belong on the front lines of a war. Unlike your stories, Varis, this is reality; unfortunately, little kids aren't heroes."
This seemed to anger him more. "That's bullcrap! Momma, you're strong! Can't you stop them—"
"No!" Mother turned to him fully. "I can't, Varis." Her face seemed conflicted as she closed her eyes and said, "I am not the strongest. There are other mages and sorcerers out there who are far more powerful than me. I am also not invincible. Neither is your father. We can't do anything to stop this. The best we can do is keep moving."
As if on queue, the sound of screeching striders caught our ears, and at the head of the wagon train, four striders carrying eight men approached us and dismounted. Among them were my father, soldier boy Peter, Mr. Hautchkins, Mr. Olson, and a handful of other men I didn't know.
Many of the people in camp began to swarm around the men as they began to dig through the saddle bags on the striders and toss out supplies they got from town. Through the crowd came Father as he began to walk towards us, his arms opening when he spotted me.
"Luna!" He called and rushed towards us.
I squeezed Varis's hand before releasing it and going towards Father. "Papa!" I greeted him happily as I wrapped my arms around him and he lifted me off the ground.
He twirled around with me, laughing happily, before giving me a firm kiss on the cheek, his mustache stabbing me as he placed me back on the dirt. "You look amazing, love. You look a bit more like a goblin, but you look great!" He teased me as my face burned brightly.
"Slyran!" My mother scolded him.
Out of nowhere, a clawed hand lashed out and slapped my father across the back of his head as Isa walked past us. "You should be ashamed." The serelli scolded as she continued by, one arm full of supplies she got from the men.
"S-sorry, I was kidding." Father grunted and rubbed the spot on his head. "What's going on here?" He asked, looking down the train and then back up at Mother. "I thought we weren't leaving till tomorrow."
Mother sighed. "Change of plans." She pointed to the air, and we listened to the sounds of distant battles. "The children… found corpses coming down stream." My mother said it with hesitation. "The water is tainted here, and that also means the carnage isn't far off."
Father nodded. "I see." He glanced at Varis and me with a sad expression, especially when looking directly at my brother. "How're you holding up, boy?"
Varis said nothing and huffed as he crossed his arms.
"He thinks we should take on the entire Rusimian Empire on our own," Mother said as she also crossed her arms.
Father sighed. "I wish I could; I do." He looked down at my brother and got to his knees. "What did I tell you before we left home?"
"I need to be strong." Varis grunted.
Father nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "And?"
"And that I need to protect Luna and Mother." Father nodded.
"Yes. Which means you need to stay with them." Father poked his chest. "I understand why you're upset, and I am too. But we shouldn't let the anger consume us. Our actions have consequences, boy, so before you go running off and trying to fight those monsters by yourself, think about how that'll affect the rest of us. If you go off and get yourself killed, how would we feel? And who'll help me protect them?"
"I-I get it." Varis angrily huffed. "I won't go running off."
"Promise me." Papa said it flatly.
Varis hesitated and looked Father in the eyes. After a moment, he gulped and said, "I promise, sir."
Father closed his eyes and nodded before standing; he then looked at me. "Same goes for you, dear. No running off." He then pointed to the two of us. "However, if anything does happen and we get separated, keep heading west."
I noticed Isa approaching us from behind after having stored the supplies she had gathered and crossed her arms as Father continued.
"There's a ferry crossing that'll take you across the Kenchala; you'd then follow the road to Johanneson. There, we'll meet back up. If you ever see soldiers or men you don't recognize, run and hide; do not try and fight them." Father said and shook his head.
He hasn't planned this talk, though his heart is in the right place.
Isa cleared her throat. "Everyone else is pretty much ready. We should check with the Olson's to see if they're good to go; if so, we'll be clear to go."
It was at this point that Peter came over to us. "All supplies have been distributed, sir." He patted Father on the back, who turned and nodded.
"Excellent. I'll go let Olson and his family know. You kids stick with your mother." Both Varis and I nodded as Father moved up the line.
I looked at Varis, who gritted his teeth, and once again I took his hand. "It's okay," I said softly. "Everything will be fine."
"Maybe for us," Varis grunted, and he glanced back towards the river. "But not them."
I didn't know what to say to that, and I glanced away as Isa placed her clawed hands on our heads. "It is best to not dwell on it; doing so will only fog our perception going forward," Isa said as she lightly patted us. "For now, it is best to focus on the present."
"It's not that easy, though." Varis huffed.
"I know it isn't, but you must try," Isa said in a gentle tone. "When we get someplace safe, then you are welcome to let it all out."
"Alright folks!" A booming voice came from the front. We looked forward and saw a short, stout dwarf with a beard nearly as long as his body climb aboard the front wagon and face us all. "I've been informed we are heading out early! You have five minutes to check your belongings. After that, we march to New Gessik, which is twenty-four gilos away! It should take a day if everything goes smoothly."
Those on the wagons, mainly the elderly and children, nodded, while the adults and teenagers who were stuck on foot with heavy packs groaned.
"Alright! Get to it! No dallying, those wandering off; be back in five or we leave without ya!"
We traveled on the road for hours. Which, for me, wasn't so bad. Thankfully, due to my young age and injuries, I had been granted the privilege of sitting on one of the many wagons with the other children, elders, and those too hurt to travel. Yet those walking along with us did not seem to be faring as well, as many men and women dragged their feet and complained about the beating sun, which was growing warmer day by day.
Yet we continued. I wasn't alone in the wagon; Mila sat with me, though she was still reasonably traumatized by the river. I too was disturbed, though I took Isa's advice to heart and tried not to think about it. Instead, I spent most of my time talking with my mother who was controlling the reins of the strider on this wagon.
We didn't talk about too much of anything. Mainly small talk and her trying to cheer me up by complaining about how she wanted to cuddle me so much. Which somewhat worked as it brought back memories of our camping trip—the good ones, that is.
During those brief periods of no conversation, I distracted myself by listening to the men and women walking along with us. I had gotten lucky in that Peter walked along with us, having been one of the men who went into town and a soldier. The other refugees with us were bombarding him with questions, especially when Peter pulled out a newspaper he had gotten from Mayburry.
"So, is it true?" A woman asked the man as they walked. "Is the rest of the alliance getting involved and coming to help us?"
Peter adjusted his pack on his shoulder with one hand and held the paper in the other. "So says the news here!" He said it cheerfully before sighing. "There is a catch, though. Damn, the Idiots of Light are attacking everything and everyone. Word has it that Xing attacked the Yanks at the Isle of Keppeni, wiped out a naval base, and sank dreadnoughts on route to Naponi. The paper here said they did it using some form of a underwater machine."
"Underwater?" A middle-aged man scoffed. "Do they get the Aquans involved?"
Aquans? I cocked my head and turned to look at them. Isa never told me about sea people before. Mermaids sure, but like a whole civilization?
Peter shrugged. "Dunno about that, Ivan. Though it wouldn't surprise me if it was like them fighting machines on the front."
Another patted Peter on the back and said, "You were on the front, right? You saw them fightin' machines? What they like?"
Peter visibly paled and swallowed hard. "Awful things they be. They aren't even Enoran. What I mean is that nobody is driving them. Like they're aliens or something."
"Alien?" The woman from before asked with a tilt of her head.
"Yeah, you know, like in weird story blocks in the papers?" Peter said, shaking the newspaper in his hand. "Little men from the moons? Sort of like that."
"So they're piloted by little men?" The older man, named Ivan, asked.
Peter sighed and shook his head. "No, no. They aren't controlled by anyone; I'm just saying… they don't seem alive. Yet they are."
"So they're undead?" Another said, and Peter shook his head and facepalmed.
"No. They're machines. Living machines." He sighed. "The paper here covers some of it for those who want to read it." He held it out, and the woman snatched it from his hands. "They're large spider-like things with a massive headlamp. They walk on four legs and stand nearly as tall as the trees around us. You heard those rapid gunshots earlier, right? Those ones that tatatatatata!" He mimicked the sound, which admittedly made me smirk, though those around him seemed nervous. "It was fitted with many of those rapid-firing guns. Like six in total. It sounded like an entire brigade firing on a single target, complete overkill."
"Sounds absolutely dreadful." Ivan muttered.
The younger man, behind Peter, said, "Or a waste of ammo." He laughed.
"Aye, maybe." Peter nodded. "But when one of those monstrosities is shooting at you and your men, you'll be shitting bricks." He sighed. "But that isn't even the worst of it. Those things have arms. The tentacles that snake around like lethal vines. I saw them walking over trenches, snatching men out of them and tossing them around like toys, or impaling them with bayonets. Those who tried to flee were either gunned down or…" He gulped. "Turned to ash."
"Turned to ash?" Ivan asked.
"Aye, that headlamp of theirs. Something behind it allows the machines to cast spells, one of which is a ray of fire. It showed like a spotlight, and those caught within screamed, and suddenly their forms burst to ash."
"Sounds like disintegration." Mother said as she joined in on the conversation. I turned my head and saw she was still looking forward as we moved. "An infamous Apex spell. Usually, the strongest spells an ethereal can learn, and many Celestial Magi. If those machines are capable of performing such feats, they are not to be underestimated. Even then, it should be impossible." She muttered.
"Momma, you said magic comes from the soul, right?" I asked her, and she nodded. "So, if a machine can do magic, that means it has a soul, right?"
Mother smiled, looked over her shoulder, and side-eyed me. "You're really smart." She giggled. "Because that's exactly what's confusing me."
I smiled and nodded along with her. Robots with souls? I didn't expect such a thing when coming to this world.
"Peter, could these things do anything else?" Mother asked him.
Peter thought for a moment. "I… well, yes. I noticed that they had the ability to fire cannons. Or what I thought were cannons."
Mother glanced at him. "You'll need to elaborate."
"I-I'm sorry, Mrs. Ashflow, I didn't have the time to take a good look when running for my life." He sighed. "It was like a ball of fire. The headlamp closed on itself, I think, making a small hole, and from that small hole it shot something, like a cannon shell, and blew up one of our trenches."
"If it's coming from its light source," Mother thought as her lips pursed. "Sounds like a simple fireball. Not as powerful as disintegration, but still up there in terms of magic wielders." He tapped her chin with one hand.
Great. Not only are these murder bots armed with machine guns, but they're also wizard bots as well. I sighed. Couldn't I have just been reborn into a typical fantasy world? One without murderous death machines.
"Fireball sounds about right." Peter nodded. "I don't recall anything else, really. I do know one thing for sure: They aren't immortal. Or at least, they can be hurt. My friend Kensley disabled one with a thunder spear when it walked over us."
"Oi, what's a thunder spear?" The younger man behind Peter asked.
"It's a spear with a bomb strapped to the tip. It is supposed to be an anti-beast weapon. You stab it or throw it at a monster, and the shape charge blows out towards the creature. I haven't seen it done, but it's said it can take down a dorrogan."
"Well, if I could disable a death machine, I'd believe." Ivan said it with a nod.
"Well, disabled; it might be too fancy a word." Peter chuckled. "Kensley tripped it, but it did get back up."
"What happened afterwards?" The woman asked after passing the newspaper off to the younger guy.
Peter fell silent. "I'd rather not talk about it."
An awkward silence fell over the whole conversation then. Though Ivan stroked a thick mustache on his upper lip and said, "Well, soldier, man, what's your goal now? Are you planning on going back to the front?"
Peter paled again and said, "I-I'm going to report back to Johanneson and check in at the headquarters there."
I smell a lie. I looked closely at Peter and noticed the shift in his eyes. Honestly, I couldn't blame him. I never experienced a war until now or even served in the armed forces. Yet back in my old life, I watched a lot of raw footage of real-world conflicts. I could understand wanting to get away from those, and I definitely could understand if War of the Worlds machines were prowling the battlefields.
Ivan clapped Peter on the back. "Well, we have a long way to go until then. So get comfy with us." The man chuckled, and Peter side-eyed him and smiled with a nod.
There is indeed a long way to go. I thought.
We arrived at New Gessik around nightfall. By this point in our journey, we were nearing the southwestern peaks of the Dushland Mountains; at least that's what my mother told me. The village itself was situated at the edge of a large Kefner forest, which loomed over their heads as they went up the mountainside. It wasn't a big village from what I could see; there were a handful of sparsely spread-out homes along the river and what seemed to be a lopsided tavern that rested on the highway. I noticed nearby was a small attachment of soldiers, possibly guards who were stationed here, as well as some fortified positions with field cannons.
I overheard Peter explaining that this was most likely going to be an artillery station, judging by the installation and the empty spaces left for more guns. That would make sense seeing as we're on a higher elevation now overlooking the valley.
When we arrived at the village, Olson had us stop the train right outside the tavern, which I saw as aptly named "The Tilted Taven" due to its lopsided appearance. It was clear we weren't the only refugees here either. Outside the tavern, we saw beggars, along with folks standing alongside the road. Dirtied and disheveled families, lost like us, wandered about the streets.
Mother turned to me as the wagon parked along the side of the tavern and said, "Come with me. We're going to go find your brother and father."
I nodded and began to disembark from the wagon along with a handful of others.
"Take your time; no rush!" The dwarf, Olson, shouted as many people began to quickly rush into the tavern. "Those of you wanting to travel with us, we leave tomorrow at sunrise! Be ready then, or else you're playing catch-up!"
As I hopped onto the muddy road, my mother came around and took my hand. She wasted no time in pulling forward through the crowd of people that streamed into the tavern. After a few moments, I could faintly hear my father's voice alongside Isa, and as we came around to the back of the tavern, I saw him with Peter, Varis, Isa, and Herbert Hautckins.
"Kossatan also began a thrust up into Saxsonia." Father sighed.
"You're kidding me," Isa muttered softly. "Why?"
"Because they're in league with Xing and Rusimia. Saxonia is near us and part of the alliance; get them tangled up, and our closest ally can't help us," Father explained as he shook his head and looked to Mother, and smiled. "There you are, love."
"Back here discussing politics, I see," Mother said as she placed a hand on her hip.
"Well, it's pretty much the only thing we have to talk about now," Father said with a shrug.
"And hello, Herbert." Mother looked at him. "Where is your family?"
The older gentleman straightened up and smiled. "Already inside. I told them I'd be in a bit. Though I heard rooms might be strained in there."
"Packing folks like kettle fish," Isa said as she turned to me. "How are you faring, little one?"
I looked up at Isa and the others and shifted from foot to foot. "I'm okay. Admittedly bored, but much better than this morning."
The rest of the adults smiled, and Varis came over to me and said, "Well, at least you weren't walking all day; my feet are sore!"
I blushed faintly and said, "I can walk tomorrow if you want me to!"
"No, you aren't," Mother said. "You're so small. I'd lose you amongst everyone." She patted my head.
"Just look out for my bald, shiny head!" I joked, and to my surprise, everyone began to laugh except for Mother.
"Your head isn't shiny; it's cute!" She tried to compliment me and then sighed. "Nevermind. Everyone, c'mon, let's get inside. Hopefully they have beds for all of us."
The tavern was bustling with activity. Despite its bizarre appearance outside, the interior felt massive. Maybe a trick on the eyes or perhaps magical air to this place, but the interior sported a visible second-floor balcony with stairs leading up to more tables and chairs, while the ground floor was home to a stage where jazz musicians stood playing and a large area full of tables and booths. On the far end was the bar, and behind it was a massive, bald, and burly human with a mustache and eyebrows so thick I could not see his eyes or mouth beyond the brown fuzz.
I followed in behind my parents, Varis beside me and holding my hand, with Isa and Herbert trailing not too far behind. As we approached the bar, the large, burly human lifted his cannon-like arms and slapped both palms onto the table.
"By the gods! Cailynn Sartosi, Lady Moonweaver!" The man exclaimed in a heavy foreign accent. "You're alive!"
Father side-eyed Mother, and she glanced at him and said it just loud enough over the jazz-like music. "It's a long story." She turned to the big man. "Hello again, Moris." She bowed. "However, I no longer go by those names." She slapped Father on the ass and pushed him forward as he yelped. "As you can see, I am married, and I have forgone that previous title."
"Ho ho!" Morris laughed and shifted his heavy belly around as he went over to a massive keg behind him, grabbed a few tankards, and began to fill them with alcohol. "Is that so? To think such a beautiful lady herself would finally settle down, I never thought Moris would see the day; he should notify Boris of this." He laughed and placed three tankards down. "What shall Moris and Boris refer to you as?"
Mother sighed as she looked at the tankards the large man was offering her. "Cailynn is fine, though my full name is now Cailynn Ashflow." She hesitantly reached out, took a tankard, and motioned for Father to do the same.
"Aye, Ashflow?" Moris lifted his tankard, the foamy liquid sloshing and spilling over the side. "Moris believes he heard of that name. " He turned to his father. "Alinar Ashflow?" His brown unibrow arched, yet no eye was visible.
Father visibly tensed, and I felt Isa place a hand on my shoulder as well as Varis's as I turned to see her looking down at me. She motioned with her head for us to follow her, yet before I could move, I heard Father.
"That is my father's name. I'm his son."
Moris pulled back, and finally, as his eyebrow rose, I saw two charcoal dots for eyes. "Alinar had a son? The scandal!"
My father raised a hand. "Let's change the subject, please. We'd just like some rooms."
"Yes. Yes. But first, a toast to a happy belated marriage!" Moris straightened up and lifted the mug. "To Cailynn and her beloved!" Suddenly, a handful of patrons around the tavern hoisted their mugs into the air and cheered before downing their drinks.
This feels weird. I don't like this. It's like a hivemind.
Father and Mother hesitated, but they tipped their heads back and downed their drinks before grimacing and slamming the tankards down with a deep sigh and cough.
Moris laughed as they drank and said, "Moris believes he has two rooms left. Give him a second to contact his brother, Boris." He turned around grabbed a bottle and smashed it across the table, and I shrieked along with a few other patrons as silence fell over the room.
"BORIS! GET YOUR TREMBLING CHEEKS UP HERE!"
Aside from a handful of other patrons, the only person who seemed unbothered was Mother. She looked at our father and said, "Don't worry, this is normal."
"What the fuck was that?!" Father exclaimed.
"Boris can be hard of hearing, yet he respond well to broken glass." Moris said nonchalantly and shrugged.
The sound of creaking wood, followed by heavy panting, and finally a door being thrown open behind the bar. A second, equally massive human man and an exact carbon copy of Moris waddled into view.
What the actual fuck? It's just the same guy; is this a bit? I looked at Isa and Varis, yet they seemed equally as confused as I was.
"What is the issue, brother Moris? Why is the glass broken on the floor?" The second, Moris, no Boris said, his voice also the same.
"You see, brother Boris, we are busy. Many guests today. Can you get keys A24 and A25 for these fine guests?" He hummed and gestured to us.
Boris turned, and his eyebrows were raised. "Ah! Is this the lovely, Cailynn? Boris never thought they'd see you again!"
Mother nodded and said, "Yes, and my name—"
"You go by Ashflow now, correct?" Boris's mustache twisted upwards like a smirk.
Mother blinked and looked confused before saying, "How'd you know?"
For a second the two twins? Clones? They looked at her with blank expressions before suddenly laughing in unison and fist-bumping each other.
"Boris has heard everything already! That is why." He chuckled and then slapped his hand on the table and removed it, yet in its place were two silver keys.
Mother and father shared a confused look.
Yeah, no, same. What the fuck is happening?
"Thanks," Father said as he reached out and grabbed the keys.
Mother then took out a gold coin and placed it on the bar. "Here. We'll only be staying one night."
Moris? Boris? I had no idea who was who now. One of them reached out, took the coin, and nodded to Mother. "Enjoy your stay at Tilted Tavern. You will find rooms upstairs at the far end of the hall."
Mother nodded. "Thank you, you two." She turned around and quickly ushered us to the stairs.
I wasted no time in moving now, allowing Mother to guide us where we needed to go in this most bizarre tavern.