Bert felt the impact against his shield up in his shoulder. His whole arm was going slightly numb. He swept his arm up, his hand transformed into a crossbow as he did, firing a stream of steel bolts, each glowing with Heat or Chill runes.

He hit nothing. Again.

The next hit sent him flying back off the top deck. He hit the ground and rolled as a shapeless black shadow chased him. Bert kept blocking, firing, and moving as the mass of shadows pursued him. No matter how fast he returned the attack, he hit nothing. The creature, whatever it was, seemed only to exist at the point of impact.

Spikes rose from the ground beneath the shadow creature as Way Way tried to strike it down, but they passed harmlessly through the smokelike substance.

Light made no difference, the creature apparently unaffected by it.

“Come on, you tricky bastard!” Bert growled, “Tell me how to kill you!”

Another tentacle of shadow slammed into his shield, and Bert blasted mana through it, smiling grimly as the tentacle darted away.

So, there was something that could harm it.

Bert turned his prosthetic back into a hand, using it to brace his shield as he got the timing down. The attacks were regular, almost machinelike. He counted under his breath before and after each attack. Once he was sure….

Bert released a massive blast of mana at the exact moment of impact. The blast traveled up the tentacle and blasted into the center mass.

A brief hissing screech sounded, and the smoky substance began to dissipate.

“Mana!” Bert yelled through his cupped hands, “They are vulnerable to mana bursts when they strike.

He stood in the dark, grinning wider and wider as he heard hissing screeches from all around him.

He took a moment, leaning against one of the stone pillars as he watched mana-charged arrows flying across the enclosed space. Once Bud knew how to end these things, they had no chance.

The hour-long attack had ended in under a minute, with the last hissing screech of whatever these things were.

He had tried to Analyze one, but nothing had come back. Maybe if he came across another, he would try again as it struck out at something.

Might work.

A few hours later, Bert stretched after a decent nap; it was his turn on watch again. He joined Wendy and Scruff as they patrolled the top of the Waystation in the last couple of hours before dawn.

“Did I miss anything interesting?” Bert asked as he sipped a spiced tea that the Grower’s Guild had introduced them to.

“Nothing much,” Scruff said as a group of vines hauled a mass of bleeding flesh over the side of the farming carriage.

“Really?” Bert asked, his eyes tracking another huge corpse being stuffed forcefully into the side of the farming carriage. “Nothing at all?”

“Nothing,” Scruff said casually.

“All quiet, nothing to report,” Bert nodded as a wet squelching noise sounded clearly from behind Scruff’s frantically relaxed face. “Nothing… to… report.”

“Nope,” Scruff smiled as a bright spray of blood erupted as the vines ripped the stubborn carcass in half.

“Wonder what’s for breakfast?” He asked. “Sure could use some meat.”

“Oh, for fuck sake!” Wendy lost her patience. “It’s right there; we can all see it, we can HEAR it!”

Bert and Scruff laughed as Wendy raged silently.

“They are called BruteOxen,” Scruff shrugged. “They went near the camp, so I had some vines harvest them.”

“How near?” Bert asked.

“Near-ish,” Scruff smiled innocently.

“Could I walk there before breakfast?” Bert asked.

“Probably,” Scruff said before breaking into a smile, “If you walk fast.”

“Oh my god,” Wendy sighed, “You’re as bad as he is!”

“I just hope they taste good,” Bert said. “We need meat for the guests.”

“Yeah, well, my babies need feeding,” Scruff shrugged. “Better these than the guests.”

Bert had almost got the first bite of BruteOx stake in his mouth at breakfast when Mic and Ric came charging into the dining hall.

“We didn’t do it!” They said immediately.

Bert eyed his steak longingly before sighing and putting it back on his plate.

“Do what?” He asked without turning.

“You better come see.” They shifted nervously. “And please don’t bring Bell.”

“Well, now I’m definitely coming,” Bell said from above them.

The orcs flinched and looked up with expressions of mounting doom.

Bell smiled down.

“We didn’t do it!” Mic tried again.

“Come on,” Bert said with a smile, “Let’s go see what they did this time.”

“WE DIDN’T DO IT!” The brothers protested in perfect rhythm.

Bert hurried after the orcs with Bell perched happily on his shoulder.

They were led down the main corridor all the way back to the storage car. The brothers meekly slipped into line with the other orcs and a pissed-off-looking Bud next to the door to the primary storage room.

“Bud?” Bert asked.

“You won’t believe me,” Bud said hopelessly, “You better look for yourself.”

With a sense of anxiety, Bert opened the door and peeked inside.

He slammed it closed again.

“How?” He asked.

“No idea!” Bud shrugged.

With a deep breath, Bert opened the door again.

“Hello!” Bernhardt chirped from his spot in the corner.

============

“I wasn’t quite done talking to you fine people,” Bernhardt beamed as he helped himself to another portion of steak. “This is fine steak, by the way; well done.”

“My pleasure,” Bell said smugly as she watched Bert seethe.

“Why didn’t you simply come up to the Bear’s Fall?” Bert offered slowly as if speaking to a child. “How did you even survive back there for all that time?”

“I couldn’t do that,” The old man laughed. “Milly would never let me leave the Guildhall without a fight.” He looked serious momentarily, “I wonder if she has noticed I left yet?”

“You must have been alone back there for a week or more,” Bert prompted.

“Not alone!” Bernhardt scoffed. “Never alone!” He scooped something out of his pocket and held up a series of seedlings. “I took the liberty of bringing some of my friends with me.” He fondly stroked the delicate stems and pale leaves.

“What did you eat?” Bert asked, refusing to ask where he went to the bathroom. If the man didn’t offer that information, he would simply burn everything inside.

“Oh, I don’t need things like food and water!” He laughed. “I simply planted myself in some soil your wonderful Waystation provided me.”

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“It did?” Bert asked, eyes shooting over to the panel on the wall.

“He only requested soil…I like him.”

“Well, it seems Way Way likes you,” Bert sighed in defeat.

“Oh, I like them too,” Bernhardt nodded happily. “They were at least willing to consider a trade.” He looked forlorn, “Pity I didn’t bring any of my children with me to trade.” He shrugged. “Maybe another one will turn up.”

Bert fought the urge to slam his own face into the table. How did this kind of thing keep happening?

“Do they at least know where you are?” Bert asked.

“No idea,” Bernhardt said with a dismissive wave. “I know I left a note, but I’m not sure where…”

“Okay,” Bert huffed. “But I have to insist you take a room here at the Bear’s Fall. I don’t think having the head of a Guild living in the luggage carriage would go down so well.”

“Nonsense,” Bernhardt said. “I will be quite happy to camp amongst the wonderful creations of your gardener.”

Bert stared at the old man as Bell laughed behind him.

Fuck it.

The plants probably wouldn’t eat him anyway.

Probably.

“If you are happier that way,” Bert said, dragging a hand over his face.

“Everyone get a good night’s sleep?” Bert asked as the same group as last night met on the upper deck after breakfast. McRae looked significantly more lively this morning, as did the others. Food, warmth, comfort, and showers could do wonders for even the most hardened of people.

A round of nods and thanks answered his question as he sat at a free chair, helping himself to the pot of spiced tea.

“So, anything you need from us for today?” Bert asked Sonny.

“Some rations wouldn’t go amiss,” Sonny smiled back. “Other than that, we should be fine. With this place set up, we can finally get to work on the Ruins themselves.”

“Great, we will have some stuff ready in an hour or so to take with you,” Bert said, sending a message to Bell via the Waystation.

“How about you?” He asked Abby.

“We will just be doing the initial exploration and mapping today,” She nodded. “Our attempts up to now have been frustrated by the cold and the local wildlife.” She looked uncertain for a moment, then hurried on, “We would appreciate any protection you might be able to offer us.”

“How bad is it out there?” Bert asked.

“Attacks during the day are rare, but they happen,” McRae said sullenly. “Normally, only a couple of creatures. Sometimes, a pair of BruteOx will wander through.”

“That’s fine,” Bert smiled. “I’ll send the Bud Patrol out with you.”

Abby nodded reluctantly.

“Problem?” Bert asked.

“Are you sure they will be sufficient?” She asked. “They look young.”

“Oh, they are.” Bert grinned, “But they are Waystation trained by my Captain, Bud.”

“Very well, thank you.” Abby still looked anxious. “Will he be joining us?”

“No,” Bert admitted. “He and Slothy are taking a little hunting trip.”

“Alone?” McRae asked. “This is dangerous territory.”

“I’m not worried,” Bert admitted. Anything that could take out Bud and Slothy could take out anyone, so there was no need to worry about it.

“What about defending here?” McRae asked. “We need to know this area is secure.”

“Me, Bell, Scruff, and my Daughter Wendy will be remaining here today,” Bert said. “At least until the afternoon, when Wendy will probably take Scruff out to grab some samples and supplies.”

“Just two of you?” McRae asked. “Is that wise?”

“Just a Lord and Lady of the Fae, enough plants to destroy a small town and the Waystation itself,” Bell said as she entered the room with a tray piled with compressed ration bars.

McRae swallowed sharply and looked away.

Bert grinned.

Once the others set off, Bert was left with McRae and April. McRae still looked troubled, while April just looked lost.

“Have you got any idea what we need to build to support the site?” Bert asked McRae.

“Yeah, I have a list,” McRae grumped. “But it will take months.”

“I think we can speed that up a bit,” Bert said, pulling the list towards himself and memorizing it. “I might pop out to collect some materials from the forest before the Explorers set out for the day.”

McRae just shook his head and got up from the table. He wandered out of the room, grumbling to himself.

“Friendly guy,” Bert grinned at April. “What are your plans for the day?”

“None,” She huffed. “It’s too cold out to run long distances, and there is nowhere close.” She stretched her shoulders, “I’m getting stiff without anything to do.”

“Want me to make you a treadmill?” Bert offered.

“What’s that?” April asked, her brows drawn together in confusion.

“It's sort of like a piece of floor that moves so you can run on it without going anywhere,” Bert frowned, “Put that way, it sounds ridiculous, but it would let you run.”

“Sure,” April said. “I don’t have anything else to do, and if I don’t run soon, I’ll go nuts.”

Bert took her to find an empty room; once they had one, it only took a moment to rig a simple treadmill on the floor. He added a fold-out bar to the wall so she had something to grab onto. It wasn’t much. Just a tightly stretched bit of roughened leather between a pair of rollers, but Way Way could make sure it ran as it was supposed to.

April gave it a try, laughing as they started to run faster and faster.

“I can have the Waystation vary the angle of the treadmill and even add resistance if you like?” Bert offered.

“Please!” She grinned, not slowing down.

Way Way gently tilted the treadmill, simulating running uphill.

“This is amazing!” She laughed.

“Enjoy,” Bert waved and pulled the door closed, giving her some privacy as she ran.

It was time to get the Express and head out to gather some building supplies.

==============

Bert had ended up taking Gavin, Lily, and Tim out with him. They didn’t need to come, but they did need something to do.

“Aye!” Gavin yelled, “Give it some more!” He punched the ceiling of the Express and cheered as it smashed down another tree. “By the Gods!” He panted. “I’d no mind one of these things meself!”

Bert laughed as Lily hung out the window, trying to coax Tim back down from the ballista on top of the Express. Her wings fluttered, keeping her firmly in place as the Express tore down another huge tree.

“Tim, get down here!” She called. “You’ll get hurt!”

A rattling laugh was her only response. They had not yet managed to get the Sky Metal armor off the little skeleton, who seemed to have decided they were permanent upgrades.

“Don’t make me come get you!” She called up to him in what Bert thought was a perfect Big Sister voice. She shrieked and ducked inside as a small fireball flew past her. “You little shit!” She snarled. “I’ll tell Bud!”

A screech of protest came back.

“You throw fire at people, and I’m telling!” She threatened.

Bert left them to their arguing as he deployed the collectors properly, grabbing stones and larger rocks for the Waystation as they continued to cut their way through the forest.

He knew he should feel bad for the deforestation, but this world was not overpopulated, and it could spare a few trees. After they left, it would probably be decades before anyone cut another tree down.

“What is it?” Lily asked, poking the massive succulent as they gathered around it.

“Isnnae a tree, ya ken?” Gavin said, patting it. “Feels a bit weird, too.”

Bert placed his hand against the smooth, cool flesh. It felt halfway between rubber and plastic.

A flash next to him and a hiss of frustration proved it also didn’t catch fire easily.

This stuff might actually be useful, Bert mused.

“Everyone back in the Express,” Bert ordered. “No, Tim, inside.” Bert caught the little skeleton and pushed him into the cab. “I want to see what happens if I cut it.”

While three sets of eyes, make that two sets of eyes and one set of glowing sockets, watched, he carefully sliced a section off the lowest of the clusters of fans.

The stalk shivered, and the entire cluster fell to the floor.

“Huh,” Bert poked the cluster gently, summoning his shield in case it released some kind of acid. Nothing happened. He tried again with another cluster, and the cluster dropped off before his sword even touched it.

Bert paused.

“How did it do that?” A breathy voice next to Bert muttered. He looked around, seeing Lily pressed against the window, watching intently.

“I thought I told you to wait in the Express,” Bert said casually.

“I am, look…” Lily huffed. “Oh, bugger!”

Bert laughed as Lily faded into sight.

“It’s okay,” Bert said. “I don’t think it is dangerous.” He put a hand gently on the stalk. “Thank you, whatever you are.”

Two more clusters dropped. Bigger ones from further up.

“Any chance of a seed. We have a gardener on board who would love to get to know you?” Bert asked.

A long silence.

“Why are you talking to the plant?” Lily whispered to him. “Are you okay?”

The ground trembled beneath their feet, and Lily jumped back with a yelp.

A thin tendril pushed out of the ground and dropped an off-white teardrop on the ground.

“Very kind, thank you,” Bert said, scooping it up. “Once she figures out what you like, I’ll come back and say a proper thank you. In the meantime, I’ll ensure no one touches anything like you in the area.”

He and Lily carried the clusters back to the Express, loading them into the collector before they left.

Bert whistled happily as Lily sat there, stunned, and Tim took the opportunity to scamper back onto the roof.

The Express rolled back up its ramp an hour later, full to the brim with wood and an assortment of stone, rock, and even a good number of the strange rubbery plastic clusters.

He left Gavin and Lily unloading while Tim sat on the roof of the Express and shot fireballs over the wall.

He climbed up to the Farm carriages, seeing that Slothy had already set out with Bud as he passed. He was looking forward to showing Scruff the new seeds but never got a chance.

“Why is there an old man planted in my fucking garden?” Scruff grabbed his arm, dragging him over to a corner of the middle level.

There, buried up to the waste in the soil at the end of a row of bolt bushes, was Bernhardt. He was snoring away; his back leaned against one of the supports, his arms hanging limply.

“How did he even get here?” She hissed.

“He snuck on board,” Bert sighed. “We only found him this morning.”

“How?” Scruff demanded, frowning. “You can sense anything happening in this place.”

“Can, not always do,” Bert said. “You get used to not spying on people,” He cleared his throat, “And it seems Way Way likes him, so they never told us.”

“So I’m stuck with him?” Scruff demanded.

“For a bit, yeah.” Bert shrugged. “I’m sure Milly will figure it out before too long and come collect him.”

“Fuck!” Scruff said, kicking a stray pebble. “You so owe me for this!”

“How about these?” Bert said, pulling the succulent seeds from his storage. “They were given by those huge smooth succulent-like trees.”

“Given?” Scruff asked, her eyes locked on the seeds.

“I wanted to cut some of the fan clusters, but they dropped off. I had a hunch and asked for a seed.” He smiled, seeing the spark in Scruff’s eyes. “So a tendril gave me this… and a few other of them did as well.”

“They think?” Scruff’s hands twitched, “Really?”

“Something like it,” Bert shrugged. “So…. we even?”

“Yeah, gimme.” She made grabbing motions with her hands.

Bert handed them over and headed off, completely forgotten by Scruff, who was sitting on the floor, whispering to the seeds.