Cinnamon Bun

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Six - Ready to do Violence on Their Behalf

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Six - Ready to do Violence on Their Behalf

Chapter One Hundred and Eighty-Six - Ready to do Violence on Their Behalf

This, Momma said as she laid a scroll down onto the table. Is a map of the area. She spread the scroll open, revealing a map carefully drawn in soft greens and vibrant blues. A few marks here and there, with some careful handwriting next to them, indicating points of interest.

I noticed Insmouth to the south, tucked at the end of the bay, and Hopsalot nearer to the middle of the map.

Alright, I said as I stood next to Momma, my teacup cradled in both hands.

She touched the start of a river to the west, traced it through the centre of Hospalot, then tapped a point a bit to the east, an area that had a few hills and a little river crossing through it. Right over here. The areas been cleared of trees for a while now. Theres a dungeon here, an old one that we previously used to train. Its been getting strange lately.

Another Evil Root? Howard asked.

Quest Updated!

Trim the Cruel!

You have heard a rumour about an Evil Root! Discover more! Destroy it!

I looked to Amaryllis, then nodded when she met my eye.

Possibly, Momma said. Weve been thinking of sending some of our warriors over to see if something was up. The dungeon is set in the ruins of some ancient fort. Lots of weaker enemies to practice against. Now weve noticed that sometimes the water flowing from there is stagnant and foul.

Moving stagnant water? Amaryllis asked.

Yes, Momma said. Or at least, something like that. Im afraid I dont know much about it. Weve been warning the little ones against drinking from the stream, and that weve been boiling our water to keep safe.

Thats probably a wise thing to do, in any case, Bastion said. So, if I understood correctly, you want to go see about this dungeon before the one in Insmouth?

Not quite, Momma said. I think we could fix this dungeon first, then see about the one in Insmouth. If we cant fix this one, then its unlikely that we can help further south. That, and there are some old relics we sometimes find in those dungeons that might come in handy.

Bastion tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword. How many floors does this dungeon have?

Nine, Momma said.

And you use it for practice? he added, surprised.

Buns tend to have a bit of wanderlust when they reach a certain age. We dont like to send our young ones out into the world without them knowing how to defend themselves at least.

Momma smiled rather wistfully. Sometimes, even that isnt enough. The world outside of Hopsalot can be a very dangerous place. But buns will be buns.

I see, Bastion said. What else can you tell us about the dungeon?

Momma hummed. The dungeon grew out of some ruins. In that regard, its a rather typical dungeon. Lots of simple traps. Skeletal enemies on the first few floors. The deeper down you go, the more difficult the enemy becomes to combat. Its very much a magic and undeath-themed dungeon.

I grinned. Well get to fight skeletons? I asked.

I havent decided whether or not you should come, Momma said.

I blinked. Huh?

No offense, little bun, but you and your friends, with the exception of the fine Sylph paladin, are not on the stronger side. This is an old dungeon, with foes that you would have difficulty against.

Huh? I repeated.

You moron, Amaryllis said. Havent you looked at the levels of the adults around here?

No? I tried. Are they high?

Momma giggled. A little bit, yes. These forests are very dangerous.

But you have that font to keep things safe, I said.

The bun matriarch shook her head. No sweetie, the font only suppresses the number of creatures in this area. Those that come to Hopsalot tend to be quite fearsome.

But it looks so peaceful here.

She nodded. Of course it does. We keep it that way. The woods for a league around Hospalot are patrolled day and night by brave buns. They hunt and drive off the weaker creatures, and work together to bring down the stronger ones. Our peace is earned.

Momma's speech gave off a scary vibe, and I couldn't help but lean back. I didnt know that, I said. I thought you were just, uh, really nice.

We are, Momma said. Its a hard lesson for some young buns to learn, but niceness need not mean toothless.

I tightened my fists by my sides and looked to the ground for a bit. It felt like I was being chastised by my mom for not doing the dishes or something. Sorry, I said.

Theres nothing to apologize for, she replied.

Amaryllis sighed. Broccoli is a particular kind of pacifist, she said.

What kind is that? Momma asked.

The dumb kind.

Amaryllis! I complained. Awen, being the best, patted my shoulder for comfort.

M-miss, um, Momma, Awen said. Other than our level, why couldnt we come along?

Momma hummed. Perhaps we also dont want to allow visitors to see our unique way of facing enemies, the bun said.

Oh! I said. Like the Way of the Mystic Bun? I asked.

The woman stared. Where did you hear of that, little bun?

I shrugged. Its a skill I got, from my Cinnamon Bun Bun class. It came from merging... um, if I remember right, it was Hopping, which came from Jumping, and Physical Manakinesis. Oh, and I needed Kicking Combat Proficiency too.

Momma looked me up and down, and I felt as if she was judging me a little, but not in a mean way. Well, I suppose I cant fault you if you came by it naturally. Its a skill that a few buns here have, and one that we find quite useful. A clever bun can use it to take on a much bigger opponent. I hope it serves you well.

Does that mean we can come along? I asked.

You seem set on exploring this dungeon, Momma said. Yet youre not close to your next class evolution yet. Why the hurry?

Its about the adventure, I said. You cant call yourself an explorer if you sit back and let others do all the snooping around.

She smiled. I suppose not. Give me a few moments. We were considering going to the dungeon in a few days, not so soon.

We could wait, I said.

Can we? Amaryllis asked. This detour is already eating up more of our time than Id want, and whatever lead we had is now dwindling fast. As far as I can tell, what were doing here is giving these Buns a chance to prove that they can take care of the local Evil Root on their own. Then we can see about getting their help to Insmouth. Its a transaction between Insmouth and Hopsalot. We cant park ourselves here and meddle forever.

But we want to help both, I said.

Amaryllis shook her head. No, we want to play middleman so that if both sides come out for the better, we can reap some of the rewards. If things go bad, we arent responsible for helping them.

Amaryllis, I said.

She huffed and turned away from me while crossing her wings. You soft-hearted idiot. You know what were travelling to Sylphfree for, right? Averting a war ought to rank a lot higher than saving a pair of tiny villages way out in the middle of nowhere.

I noticed Howard perking up at the last, but he remained quiet.

I cant ignore people that need help, I said.

I know. Its part of what makes you the idiot you are. Its also why I havent dragged you out of here by one ear yet. Theres a chance the buns here can take care of the root. If so, then thats great. If not, then its not really our concern.

Momma hummed a little tune. I see you have some discussing to do, she said. If everyone is done with their tea, perhaps we can step out back and enjoy the garden while I talk to some of the other buns?

Momma rolled up the map and looked like she was about to leave with it before she hesitated and placed it back onto the table. With a last smile, she picked up the cups left around and walked off.

I think, I said as soon as the kitchen door was closed. That my stance is pretty obvious. It would be nice to be able to help, and wed be making more friends along the way.

I think we ought to go, Amaryllis said. Not without bringing Howard here back, of course. We should keep our word, but we never agreed to any sort of extended stay.

I agree with Miss Albatross, Bastion said.

Really? I thought youd be all for helping people, I said.

They seem rather competent already, he said. I doubt we could offer all that much help.

I scrunched my nose as I thought. I didnt see whatever Bastion saw when it came to the locals being competent. They were certainly very cute, but they didnt look like fighters or anything like that. Just normal people with big fuzzy ears and widdle poof-ball tails.

I... I think we should help, Awen said.

I grinned over at her.

Then Amaryllis scoffed. The way youve been staring at Momma I think youd agree to anything she asks.

Awens face reddened and her enthusiasm sputtered. N-no no, thats not true, she said. I was thinking about Rose. Rose things.

I thought about it for a little bit. I was kind of acting rashly, Amaryllis was right about that much. My instinct to try and help was maybe getting in between me and my common sense. Insmouth wasnt my responsibility, but it was suffering from an Evil Root problem, and in a way that was my problem.

On the other hand, our mission was to reach out to try and stop an entire war. A war!

I didnt know if wars on Dirt were anything like those on Earth. I imagined they were a whole lot different. But they were probably just as bad. People trying to hurt others on a grand scale. That was awful to think about, and if we failed to stop that, then, in a way, it would be somewhat our fault.

I chewed on my lip a bit while tuning out Amaryllis and Bastions discussion. They were arguing about how they could get back.

I think Ill stay here, I said.

Their discussion cut off.

What? Amaryllis asked.

I think Ill stay here. In Hopsalot, I said. We need to pass by here on the way north anyway. So you could always just pick me up on the way back. You guys can bring Howard home, then pick me up on the way back.

And what, pray tell, will you be doing here? Amaryllis asked.

Helping with the dungeon. Maybe if I help theyll be able to find some way to break the Evil Root. And maybe thatll be enough to fix everything. One more pair of hands might not be much, but it might make the difference.

Amaryllis covered her face with her talons. You idiot, she said. Have you really made up your mind?

I nodded. I know that theres a chance that this will make us late, and that that could be bad. But we can help here, now, and if we dont do that just because theres a chance that we might not be able to help someone later. I squirmed a little. I dont want to be that kind of bun.

Amaryllis threw her wings into the air. Fine! You obstinate idiot.

Wow, I said. I couldnt help but smile as that tiny knot in my tummy at the thought of my friends being angry came apart. You gave in fast, I said.

Whats that supposed to mean? she asked.

I dont know. Maybe you wanted to help all along, but just werent sure?

Awen nodded. Amaryllis is a good person, deep, deep inside.

Deep... youre both idiots. And you both know that Momma hasnt agreed to anything. Theres still a chance shell flat out refuse to let us come.

I think that the gesture will count for a lot then, I said.

***