And heaven shall ring with anthems o'er the deed they mean to do,
For his soul is marching on.
The land of Gemeinplatz is a land filled with fantastical creatures, adventurers looking to slay them, and so-called heroes looking to distinguish themselves from the adventurers. The most common of these heroes are those who come from Earth, who enjoy a most leisurely time with their cheat skills. It's a perfect world, the utopia of those who wish to become overpowered and get their own power fantasy, where even the most everyman of the everyman can pull themselves by their bootstraps and become a hero.
Yet, underneath this "Gemeinplatzer Dream" is a disgusting truth.
To satisfy the needs of heroes who can't find function like a normal human being (which most of them can't), the lucrative Gemeinplatz slave trade crushes the dreams and ruins the lives of hundreds every day. These slaves endlessly labor, in the harems of so-called heroes, at the mansions of the landowning "heroes", and as rare materials for various dubious magical spells.
In a world that looks down at them as demi-human, where the ruling class has no incentive to end this profitable trade, in which their oppressors are overpowered as all hell, what hope is there for the slaves?
What hope is there, is named John Brown. This time, he'll finish what he started.
New chapter every Sunday at 19:30 GMT.
(The John Brown Isekai is also posted on RoyalRoad, you can follow it here.)
Content Warning / Disclaimer (in general, for all of the John Brown Isekai):This is the John Brown Isekai. This work deals with slavery and the horrible things it brings.
While I've avoided writing anything in a gratitious or a needlessly detailed manner (a.k.a. everything is kept PG), the following elements are and will be present in this story: Slavery, xenophobia, fantasy racism and fantasy hate crimes.The author doesn't condone any of the aforementioned. Writing a work about these things doesn't mean I support any of them, they are supposed to be bad things.
Another point: The otherworlder / isekai'd characters in this work are meant to be exaggerated characters based on MCs from webnovels / light novels from their respective countries. Those characters are not supposed to be representations of your average American, Korean, Chinese or Japanese person. I don't think that the Americans are dungeon-dwelling slavers, nor do I think that the Japanese are egoistic OP jerks. Nor do I think that the Chinese are ruthless sect masters, and I don't think that that the Koreans are materialistic capital-G Gamers.
I hope you enjoy reading the John Brown Isekai.
I would sing how an old man, tall, with white hair, mounted the scaffold in Virginia;
(I was at hand—silent I stood, with teeth shut close—I watch'd;
I stood very near you, old man, when cool and indifferent, but trembling with age and your unheal'd wounds, you mounted the scaffold)
- Excerpt from Year of Meteors by Walt Whitman 2nd of December, 1859 (11:00 AM)
Charles Town, Virginia
Around two-thousand soldiers were gathered around a carriage. Inside the carriage was not an honored guest or a high-ranking official. No, guarded by two-thousand was just one man convicted of treason. The man was on his way to the gallows, sitting on his own coffin.
The man on the coffin had no chance of escape; all of his allies had been driven out of the city, there had not even been a minister available that could dare visit the man lest they draw the ire of the town.
Yet, despite his upcoming, inevitable death, the man seemed calm. His mortal body would soon lie moldering in a grave, that much was inevitable. He had already finished his divinely ordained mission, spending his last month in prison responding to letters, talking to reporters, doing everything to advance the cause he had fought for all his life.
The man was too old to run away and become a fugitive; he had accepted that he'd commit one last great act, that of becoming a martyr.
The carriage finally came to a stop in front of a wooden scaffold that had a noose prepared on top of it. He walked in a composed and calm manner, as if he was going for dinner and not to his death.
He uttered what'd be his last words to the sheriff.
"This is a beautiful country."
He had a clear view of the surroundings from the platform. Two entire battalions of troops were protecting him, a mostly ordinary old man if not for his unordinary acts. They had even put a cannon directed at the scaffolding. It was clear that he had succeeded in his death; he had succeeded in striking fear in the heartless heart of the South.
If they were so afraid of one old man, what'd they do when others inevitably followed in his footsteps?
The noose, made out of cotton from South Carolina, was finally tied to the man's neck along with a hood covering his head.
The audience was silent. The troops had done their best to make sure no one sympathetic to him was nearby. The circle of men around him was so large that nobody outside the circle would be able to hear him if he had decided to hold one last speech.
Yet, the troops could not drive off the man's greatest collaborator that still listened to him, for the man knew that the Lord was still here with him.
He had instructed the sheriff not to make him wait. Without much delay, the noose tightened around his neck following a short drop.
He was left to slowly suffocate.
Yet, something odd happened before he fully lost consciousness.
Suddenly the man's vision turned fully white, as if some divine light had suddenly engulfed him. He felt as if he was floating on top of clouds, not suffocating anymore.
He heard a faint voice that seemed to come from a great distance "Damn it, I asked for Jon Brown, not John Brown!" The voice seemed to be extremely annoyed. "How do you people mess up so badly! There's a whole bloody century and a half between the two!"
The aforementioned John Brown was greatly discombobulated. He had been ready to die. He was definitely not ready for whatever was happening.
"Alright, just send him anyways. I can't bother with fixing this mess."
The white void around Brown slowly faded, turning to a black void while he finally went unconscious…
[Oh dear, you are dead!] Some extra historical context: This prologue depicts John Brown's execution in Virginia. All the images in the prologue are real, contemporary ones related to his hanging. Yes, it was true that they hung him with cotton made from slave-labor. Yes, there were two-thousand soldiers guarding just one man. And yes, they did have an actual, functioning cannon pointed towards his execution site (there was also a cannon outside the courthouse during his trial). I did my best to make a historically accurate depiction of his last moments in life.
Cannon standing outside the courthouse, contemporary newspaper illustration from 1859. Cannon vs. Brown, who wins?
So, who was this John Brown that the Southerners were so afraid of?
(The rest of this section is copied from Chapter 1 of John Brown Isekai: End of the Slave Empire):John Brown was an radical American abolitionist that was executed for treason (also being the first person in the US to be executed for treason) after leading a raid on a federal armory and failing to incite a slave insurrection. Before his famous raid he also led a militia in Kansas made out of abolitionist volunteers to fight against pro-slavery forces there and turn Kansas into a free state (state where slavery was banned).
In his actions he was heavily religiously motivated, thinking that he had a sacred obligation to end slavery, believing that all men were created equal (hence opposing an institution that ran on men not being considered equal). He advocated for violent action against pro-slavery forces, eventually culminating in him raiding an armory in Virginia so that he could acquire equipment and rally slaves for a nation-wide slave revolt. He was severely outnumbered, only having a party of 22 men, and he failed to rally any slaves as the U.S. Marines and local militia apprehended him.
While the raid might have failed, it instilled fear in the Southern slaveowners who feared men following the example of John Brown increasing in number. This eventually culminated in the Southern states seceding and the American Civil War, ending in slavery being abolished in the US with the Emancipation Proclamation. In a very roundabout way, John Brown was succesful in his raid even if it cost him his life. John Brown, waiting for his execution, could guess that his death would ignite a spark, and wrote the following in a letter to his brother:
I am gaining in health slowly, and am quite cheerful in view of my approaching end, — being fully persuaded that I am worth inconceivably more to hang than any other purpose.
Old John Brown's body lies a moldering in the grave,
While weep the sons of bondage whom he ventured all to save;
But though he sleeps his life was lost while struggling for the slave,
His soul is marching on.
- John Brown's Body by William Weston Patton
68th of Winter, 5859
Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu
Today was a beautiful day like any other. The last few precious snowflakes were slowly floating down to the ground, racing each other in a futile attempt to cover the earth with a thin sheet of heavenly white.
The famous mountains of Curry, consisting of earthly dark green with disappearing hints snow-white that were slowly beginning to brim with life, were quite a sight to behold.
In the midst of these scenic mountains, walking on a path, was one earthling otherworlder whom had been titled "Watanabe Generico" by the few comrades he had acquired. He was a young man with a protagonistly look befitting his title: short black hair, distinct lack of facial hair, and a twig-like physique.
Watanabe had been a gamer in his past life, having spent many hours grinding for levels in MMORPGs and whatnot. He had gladly accepted the offer made to him after his death; to use his gaming skills to save the land of Gemeinplatz (or something vague, he wasn't sure what he had been told)!
Yet, the ambitions of Watanabe didn't stop at just a vague notion of "saving the realm". In his previous life, Watanabe had never had any chances to have any relationships with women other than his mom and his sister (which thankfully were not romantic relationships). He wanted to rectify that in this new world.
Watanabe thought of himself as the peak of masculinity, an alpha male if you will. He was a self-declared intellectual, spending copious times watching videos on YouTube and listening to podcasts by self-declared "independent thinkers".
He thought, and the people that he listened to told him, that society on Earth must have brainwashed women into ignoring true men like him, what other rational explanation was there for his previous maidenless predicament?
It couldn't have been the fact that he only showered only once a month, nor the fact that he never went outside, and surely, this predicament couldn't have come about because he always looked down at any woman he was with.
No, surely, a man like him would seem so attractive to the traditional women of this world that he'd soon gather a harem… Right?
He couldn't really afford to wait, so he had used his "hero"-ing money to buy a slave. "When in Rome, do as the Romans do." is what he thought when he had made the purchase.
Following him, bound in chains, was some slave whom Watanabe simply referred to as "Rye Bread", he couldn't actually bother to learn how to pronounce her name. Her actual name was Kyauta, a woman around two heads taller than him.
She could've easily beat Watanabe to death, she really wanted to do so, if she was the one who was armed and not in chains.
Other than having someone around him that wanted to kill him if given the chance, Watanabe Generico had another problem: He wanted something sweet to eat. This otherworld lacked in conveniently accessible sugar found on Earth. An absence of Mountain Dew had been troubling him since the beginning.
Watanabe seemed to hit the jackpot, only in terms of his quest for sweets, when he chanced upon a plateau in the lower regions of the mountain. There lay some trees, and under their protective shade laid bushes which had green pear-shaped berries crowning them.
Is this edible? I shouldn't put myself at risk, he thought. He plucked one of the berries and would have handed it over to Kyauta if her hands weren't busy being in chains. "Hey, be grateful. Your gracious master's giving you a generous gift."
Kyauta recoiled in response. "Sir, they are not edible, these are-"
"What, you think you know better than me, woman? I'm a modern, intellectual man from the 21st century, you should listen to my wise words. Come on, don't be shy, say 'Aaah'…"
He got a prompt response from Kyauta, that being a spiteful spittle of spit being spat upon his now dispirited face. He was mad, quite mad, frothing even. He raised his generic broadsword to retaliate with unjust punishment, his anger trapping him in a state of tunnel vision.
Then, without a chance to even scream or shout anything, Watanabe suddenly collapsed. He hit his head on the cold hard ground with great force that ended his pitiful life in another world.
Watanabe Generico had failed to notice the fact that John Brown had been slowly sneaking up to him, a novice mistake to not be aware of any wild abolitionists while adventuring. Brown had simply done the Lord's work by caving his skull in with a large boulder.
Brown quickly checked the many pockets of Watanabe Generico, finally finding a set of keys. He got up, intending to free Kyauta from her shackles, only to notice that she was already a few meters away. She had been doing the sane thing by running away from the stranger who had bashed someone's head in a few seconds ago.
"Don't skedaddle just yet!" shouted Brown. Seeing that she had no intention to approach him, Brown threw the keys towards her as far as he could "Use these, young lady! Get those cuffs off!"
Kyauta paused for a second, leaning down to pick the keys as best as she could with her limited movement capability. She then continued her merry way away from Brown, not willing to take chances with the wild man from the mountains.
Brown didn't intend to give chase; it'd probably cause more misunderstandings if he did so. Plus, he had a whole corpse to dispose of now.
The old man had honestly hoped that he'd get a break in the afterlife, where he would finally reunite with all the family he had lost over the years, where Earthly sorrow and separation would end under the grace of the Almighty. Brown had already considered his mission done when he had sacrificed himself to become a martyr on Earth.
Yet, if Providence had prevented his death, if he had been raised again by the Heavenly Father, then he'd never stop or falter in his divinely ordained mission, not until he finally found himself in front of the Pearly Gates.
There's the opportunity for catharsis as we see one of history's prominent anti-slavery fighters go Bleeding Kansas on the most messed-up, toxic power fantasy archetypes of popular speculative fiction.
Don't worry, he's going to go beyond Bleeding Kansas in this story, whenever the story gets to those parts.
Also, I'm new to these forums, is there a way to align the images to the center or is a lost cause (no, not that kind of Lost Cause)? Nevermind, I am an idiot who missed the blatant alignment button.
Here we see the generic slime monster in its natural habitat. It is quite a sight to behold. With its smooth, semi-transparent body containing blueish tinges that take on the color of the environment, it can camouflage itself and manage to survive in a variety of ecosystems.
The Gemeinplatz slime, a term referring to many species of slimes that are commonly grouped into one, is a distinct member of the protozoa. This unicellular organism can be easily seen with the naked eye unlike its microscopic cousins, commonly reaching the size of a fully ripe cabbage when fully developed. This odd creature is a very opportunistic omnivore, feeding itself with plants and carcasses whenever it can find them.
The blue Azdavay slime, one of the subspecies of Gemeinplatz slime, is currently in great danger. Its body is very fragile, making it a target for predators looking for easy sustenance. While the slime does travel in packs of three or more to defend itself against its enemies, it has found itself under increasing pressure by a new predator that has introduced itself to the environment.
This newcomer is an old member of the Homo sapiens who has found himself outside of his usual ecosystem. Like most members of his species, he has two arms, two legs, and two spears waiting to be thrown at his next meal. The human has spent the last day crafting these spears, sharpening wooden sticks with a knife looted from another human in hand.
The wild human lies in wait, patiently hiding behind a bush while he waits for a trio of slimes to unknowingly approach him. Slowly the slimes hop over to their doom, in ignorant bliss as they know not what is about to come at them.
Finding that the time is opportune, the human jumps out of the bushes, screaming to scare the slimes. The slimes' hesitation is what brings about their end; the big blue blobs freeze for a moment in fear. A moment is what a human needs. He throws one of his spears at the slime closest to him, killing it when its nucleus is pierced and destroyed by the spear.
The human isn't done just yet. He readies his second spear, this one piercing the other slime, the third one successfully running away.
Thus concludes the wild hunt of the human, two slimes left on the ground marking the results of today's hunt. He picks up the slimes by the spears still attached to them, muttering a prayer in thanks to a Lord that nobody in Gemeinplatz is aware of.
Nature is indeed wonderful, yet it is also unnecessarily cruel to slimes.
Old Brown was back in his old cave, having returned with a fresh harvest of two slimes. They have been his only source of food in these lonely mountains. He had seen no other soul since the slaver (whose body had long ago been eaten by wolves and slimes) and his slave.
It was quite a worrying situation, to say the least. While the local fauna had been easy to defeat up until now, Brown knew not what to do if he encountered something fiercer. Nor did he know how he'd survive if winter came by to visit again. Even worse, exiting the mountains might be more dangerous than staying in them. What were the people of this land like? For all he knew they might all be cannibals that'd ate old men for breakfast.
John Brown had died 6 years before the what most would call the grandfather of isekai, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, was first published. He was quite uninformed on how to survive in another world.
Brown set aside troubling questions of survival for now though, he was sure that Providence would guide His faithful to safe shores one way or another. It was time for him to get occupied with making some of the good stuff.
Putting down the slimes, making sure that their liquid didn't spill out on to the floor, Brown took ahold of a steel helmet that he'd looted from his only visitor. Brown wasn't an uncivilized man; he wouldn't straight up scoop up some raw slime if he could help it, and help it he could. He took ahold of a flint and scraped it on the helmet's surface, using it as a makeshift firestarter, to create sparks to light up the kindling he had already prepared. This firestarter was then promptly promoted to a bowl that'd hold the slime's former innards. The blue fluid quickly began bubbling inside the bowl, emitting a smell that was a queer yet oddly satisfying (to someone as desperate as Brown at least) mixture of fat and sugar. This process of boiling the slime got rid of excess water and harmful germs (though Brown had also died before the Germ Theory of Disease was widely accepted, meaning that he didn't exactly know what he was accomplishing by doing this).
Brown now put aside this "solid blue stew" to allow it to cool down to a gelatin-like consistency, for it was easier and more civilized to eat something solid with your hands. He didn't remain idle though; for idleness was a tool of the Devil, he thought, and Brown wanted nothing to do with the Devil.
Thus, while his mind was wandering off in search for a way to relieve this sinful idleness, Brown stumbled upon an idea. He knew that people were present nearby to wherever he was. The steel helmet of the slaver showed to Brown that the humans nearby were civilized enough for metalworking (though apparently not civilized enough to have abolished slavery), meaning that they'd also be civilized enough to engage in trade and business. It'd be quite beneficial if Brown had some way of engaging in trade if and when he encountered human civilization. But what would the people here want to buy? He needed something that'd appeal to a market that he knew nothing about.
By now the fire in his cave had left a great pile of ash, one that Brown had no idea what to do with. Wood ash, slime liquid that smelled of fat, smelling… Eureka! At this moment Brown would have actually shouted "Eureka!" if he wasn't concerned about attracting unwanted attention.
Brown emptied the helmet, which now contained solid blue soup resembling the slimes it had been made from. He then began engaging in the making of consumer goods in another world. While Brown's day marched on, busy with his new commercial venture, so marched on the day of the inhabitants of the small town of Azdavay. The town was mostly visited by travelers as a stop between the copper mines of Curry and the grand dwarven city in Zon'Guldac. Azdavay had a highly developed service industry to thanks to these travelers going to and fro.
One individual of note to our tale was a certain demi-human named Ayomide, who toiled away in a corner maid café as a waitress. This establishment was run by an otherworlder that had the idea to bring the concept of a themed café over to Gemeinplatz. It had a small but loyal entourage of patrons.
"Welcome home master, I welcome you to La Isékai!" May you all burn in the underworld you sons of asses.
Not only was she working in the hellish service industry, she was forced to work in the service industry. As if dealing with the dregs of humanity (also known as 'customers') wasn't enough, she wasn't getting paid to put up with them.
"What do you want honorable master?" 'Honorable master' my arse!
Her internal objections were for naught, for the gods had cursed this world with magic. She was directly controlled by the proprietor (or "master" as he fashioned himself) during business hours, her body moved with no volition of her own.
It was hell on not-Earth.
Ayomide sometimes wished that the proprietor's magic was better so that he could at least bother to wipe her capability for thought during working hours. At least she would suffer less that way.
"Here's your sweet brioche, master!" …
Her propensity for silent insults would slowly give way to tired silence since she became more and apathetic as the day marched on. By the evening her head would be completely empty; her brain simply had nothing to process as she couldn't control herself.
Thus, the day marched on, and on, and on, as if it would never end.
"Please have a nice day master!" Ayomide and the rest of her fellow staff waved a stiff goodbye, with an even stiffer smile on their faces. Things quickly changed when the customer was seen outside. In a manner that'd be most uncanny if any outsiders observed it, all of the waitresses stopped smiling and waving in unison. They didn't make any sound, no relieved sighs or humorous banter that'd mark the end of a normal business day, while they marched in an orderly manner to their quarters.
Their quarters were a cramped one, only containing the bare minimum needed to contain the dozen slaves. Bunk beds with only straw bedding, a bucket in the corner that constituted a latrine, a lack of windows making the air inside feel more than metaphorically suffocating… The slaves heard a 'click' from the lock of the steel door. The master always made sure to lock them in to keep them from escaping during the night.
The room was eerily silent after that.
The silence was broken with the sound of a dozen bodies collapsing. The magic controlling their bodies had stopped, it took a good few seconds on the ground for the slaves to remember how to control their own bodies. A couple silent expletives flew around in the air during this process, after that no other words were muttered from the tired slaves who immediately headed to bed. It was useless to strike conversation; they barely knew each other due to not being able to converse during work.
Tonight though, Ayomide didn't plan to be asleep. She waited an hour to make sure that all her coworkers were sleeping before slowly moving her aching body towards an empty corner of the room to do her nightly training.
Silently she cast a few weak spells to warm up. "[Breeze], [Breeze], [Breeze]…" Her ginger hair waved ever so slightly at every cast. It was easy, even in her tired state, for her to cast such simple spells by speaking them out loud.
Such simple, vocal spellcasting wasn't her goal though. [Breeze]![Breeze], godsdamnit! Her hair stood still. She didn't give up, silently shouting '[Breeze]' deep into the night. Yet, her hair stood still, no matter how many hopeless tears she shed, even as the birds outside began to chirp to welcome the coming morning.
Ayomide heard the footsteps of the master slowly descending the stairs. Did she really want to welcome another captive day of having no control over her life? Was she to forever remain a disposable slave to a hellish corner café? Would she die yet another forgotten living corpse, comprising a simple, small cog in the monstrous slave economy of Gemeinplatz?
…N-No, I want to live! [Breeze]!
Suddenly she felt her hair move, a cool breeze embracing the back of her neck.
Ayomide had managed to cast a spell with only her thoughts.
A cold breeze rolled down the mountain, as it always tended to do, knocking over the odd particles of snow that were still falling. Spring was coming, yet the mountains of Curry stood ever so stubbornly, trying its best to preserve the grip of winter. The only signs of spring were the odd plants piercing the thin sheet of snow to reveal odd hues of green and yellow. The smell of wet earth carried by the fresh mountain breeze was quite pleasant, being the kind of smell that makes one feel alive.
It was quite a sight to behold, and behold Brown did. He, while waiting for his product to complete developing, had set off on a self-imposed mission to survey the mountains to see if there was any road to civilization. The old man oft found himself voluntarily stopping in his tracks to admire what he took to be the majesty of Creation, waxing poetically while doing so.
As for his observations, there weren't many signs of human civilization in his immediate area, other than the occasional abandoned mineshaft that had been abandoned and looted long ago. It seemed that only Brown had decided to settle down in this area. There was also an earthen path, the same one that he had seen the slaver on, that might (or might not) lead to human settlement. The forest that extended down from the mountains blocked him from seeing if there were any dwellings in the distance. He had decided that he'd head down there if he was left with no choice, the chance of being lost in a foreign forest was too high (especially as there were no familiar stars in the sky that could help him with navigation).
Brown stopped when he saw a small lake, made by centuries of snow melting and eroding the rock, that contained a small population of various fish. He wasn't hungry, so he felt content with watching the fish swim around the glistering, clear water.
That's when Brown realized he wasn't alone in watching the fish.
For what was afraid of had happened and old Brown's eyes had now met something fiercer: a black bear standing on only two legs, watching the water in search for fish. The bear was chewing on the dead carcass of an unfortunate slime as it waited for an opportune time to acquire much needed protein. From its standing position the beast looked almost human, a very hairy human that could easily end Brown's otherworldly adventures.
Brown was a brave man, brave enough to raid a federal armory with 22 people, but he was not foolish enough to think that he could defeat a bear by his lonesome. He silently moonwalked, in a manner that would seem comedic to him if he was not in a life-or-death situation, trying not to capture the attention of the bear that might think of him as an easier source of protein…
Crunch. His escape plans were ruined by an abominable twig that he couldn't properly see while moving backwards.
The bear stared at Brown.
Brown stared at the bear.
"Good morning, young man. I am just some old, dry meat you see; you have no need to-" His persuasion attempt failed, evident by the fact that the bear had begun running towards him in a manner that was shockingly fast for its enormous body.
Brown, in a desperate attempt to gain an advantage, threw his makeshift spears before legging it. One of the spears bounced off the bear's fur, sharpened wood was no match against skin as thick as it, while the other managed to find itself being lodged in the bear's soft nose. This unexpected addition to the beast's body stunned it for a bit, allowing Brown to acquire much needed distance from the bear while it growled with killing intent.
He began a brisk march towards the small cliff where his safe cave lay, with his furry 'friend' in tow. Brown was fast; the bear was faster. Every step meant a shorter distance between the two. It was quite hard for Brown to maintain such speed, especially as the melting snow had made the ground quite unsuitable for this unexpected morning jog.
By the time Brown had reached the small cliff whose top housed his cave dwelling, the bear was so close that Brown could feel its crazed breathing make contact with his neck. Without taking a look back he began jumping to-and-fro towards the top of the cave when…
Thud. Brown found himself hitting the cold ground, backside-first. Now he made eye-contact with the bear, not for long as Brown had to do his best to quickly jump sideways to avoid the claws flying down to him. This pitiful jump wasn't enough as one of the claws found its way to his right shoulder, piercing through his coat as if it was made of toilet paper.
Brown didn't have any time to swear or deliver a one-liner to entertain the readers, his shoulder was now bleeding and he urgently had to make his way to the cave. He ignored the pain for now, standing up to again make way to the cave. This time he was successful, all that extra adrenaline came in handy. Thankfully the bear wasn't as agile, it could only growl and groan at Brown while watching him up on the cliff.
"Thank the Holy Spirit for guiding me away from that bear…" muttered Brown. He collapsed on the floor of the cave, his chest rising up and down in pain-laden exhaustion. He didn't have anything to stop his shoulder from bleeding any further. He could only pray and hope that the wound wasn't going to get infected.
Brown laid on the ground like so for about an hour, wanting to sleep but being unable to from his shoulder aching so dreadfully that he thought he was about to earn another one-way ticket to the Pearly Gates. After his rest he looked down from the cave to see, much to his horror, the bear patiently waiting down there. Around it were the emptied shells of the local slimes it had hunted during the hour. The bear seemed intent to set siege to its new mortal enemy.
"By the Lord, at least the bears in America weren't this patient." commented Brown in observance of his new rival. By now he had gotten used to the stinging pain in his shoulder.
Brown didn't know when or whether the bear would give up, so he returned back inside his cave to observe how his product had developed. Inside the cave were a dozen bars of blue soap, made from slime fat, solidified inside clay molds. It wasn't that hard to make simple soap; he only needed mix together some wood ash and fat. The molds had an odd shape: the sole of Brown's shoe. He had tried to make the molds into more of a brick shape at first, but it was hard to make something straight and proper without any tools to do so. Thus, inspiration had struck him when he accidentally stepped on a ball of clay, Brown had found out that his shoes were the best way to make consistent molds.
He took one of these molds containing soap and, in a fit of anger, threw it at the bear that was still frolicking down below. The mold hit the bear's thick skull, breaking the mold open and letting the soap go free on to the stone floor below. This move hadn't hurt the bear much, only serving to frustrate the beast even more.
Being besieged by some wild bear had left Brown in a sour mood. "Now, what am I going to do with you…" "Welcome home master, I welcome you to La Isékai!" May you all burn in the underworld you sons of swine.
Another day meant another round of work for Ayomide. The same people, the same dishes, the same drudgery...
"What do you want honorable master?" 'Honorable master' my tail!
Most days, as they contained nothing special, would go by very quickly for her. Today wasn't such a day, quite the opposite, she hoped that today would develop to be a day of jubilee. Time showed its relativity as it slowed down to a torturous halt.
"Here's your green mochi, master!" May the mochi get stuck in your detestable throat.
Thus, the day marched on, and on, and on, as if it would never end.
"Please have a nice day master!" And let me have a nice day of my own.
Ayomide and the rest of her fellow staff waved a stiff goodbye, with an even stiffer smile on their faces. Things quickly changed when the customer was seen outside, in a manner most uncanny, all of the waitresses stopped smiling and waving in unison. They didn't make any sound, no relieved sighs or humorous banter that'd mark the end of a normal business day, while they marched in an orderly manner to their quarters. Ayomide was about to execute her plan before being rudely interrupted by the proprietor.
"Ayomide, my kitten, come here for a second." What? She was surprised to see a break in the daily monotony. He hasn't noticed, has he?
The proprietor was making a gesture with his finger that signaled Ayomide to come to him. He didn't need to actually do this, as he was the one who was currently controlling her movement, but pretending that his slaves weren't only doing his bidding out of mind-control magic felt better for the proprietor. From his dumb smile she understood that he hadn't understood anything about her plans for today. Her body moved to stand next to the proprietor while her coworkers went for their quarters. The proprietor locked the door to the slave quarters, while humming a chipper tune that was quite foreign to anyone in Gemeinplatz.
Ayomide's mind wasn't sitting idle while all this was happening. Painting on the wall, too inconvenient... That broom? Too far away. That leaves…
The usual dumb smile of the proprietor, covering the entirety of his young, inexperienced face, was one that made Ayomide retch. "Let us have some fun, kitten. Come on, don't be shy…"
At this moment Ayomide was unable to control her speech (as usual), but she still controlled her thoughts. Today, her thoughts were of the dangerous kind. [Dispel Magic: Body Control]!
Ayomide felt relieved as she felt her muscles obey her again. took hold of the priceless porcelain vase that had caught her eye. Before the proprietor could notice that something was going wrong for him, the vase had made swift contact with the man's face. It shattered into a thousand or so pieces, one large piece kindly lodging itself to the man's left eye. The proprietor himself was shattered too after having found himself on the ground, left too stupefied to properly process what had just happened.
"You- You dirty, swarthy wench! You damned ni- Argh, I can't see!" He was brewing up a storm, but none of the slaves inside their quarters were willing or able to help him.
Ayomide's heart was racing, she had done it. There was definitely no turning back now. She didn't have the time to be standing inside the café, it was likely that someone would soon come to investigate the ruckus. She barged out of the front door, running for dear liberty. Some (non-)historical context: I don't actually know if John Brown knew how to make soap. Since soap is an important item, and Brown was a man who lived on the frontier for many years, I assumed that he'd probably know how to manufacture it.
Welcome, folks of all kinds and dimensions, to the Annual Curry Mountain Brawl!
From the top enters a new contender in this year's brawl, Mister John Brown from Connecticut! He has a special thing just prepared for this occasion folks, and he's ready to spice up this year's contest.
And standing at the bottom, staring at his rival standing at the small cliff, is Bipedal Bear! It is at quite a disadvantage, some of you might know, for it has picked the low ground for this fight. Yet this veteran of the mountains looks like it is not willing to give up its title this easily, it has besieged old Brown and is not intent on leaving.
The contestants are staring at each other, with killing intent the likes of which have never been seen before, looking to see who'll strike first. Brown seems to be holding a helmet containing a boiling mixture of highly concentrated lye.
What does he inte- oh my God, he's going straight for the eyes! Old Brown has gone for the forbidden "chemical warfare" technique, long banned by the Geneva Convention. Luckily for him Geneva is not a city in Gemeinplatz. He has poured the burning liquid down from the cliff to the head of the bear, blinding his opponent!
Chances aren't looking good for bipedal bear, folks. It seems to just be running around wildly, trying its best to strike at its opponent. Though, if Brown approaches, it could still be dangerous with its sharp claws, folks, so don't tune out just yet!
Old Brown seems to be planning to descend the cliff, perhaps looking to escape before the bipedal bear can notice him. Can he do it folks? Can this new contender in the brawl earn a place at the top, or will he become tonight's dinner?
…Wait a second, the bear is down, folks! It has slipped on a bar of soap that found its way to the battlefield! What an unfortunate accident, even Brown seems surprised at this predicament! I-It seems that the bear is not moving anymore. Is this the end of the road for the bear?
One, two, three…
…eight, nine, ten! That's a KO!
What an unexpected twist, folks! This year's champion of the Annual Curry Mountain Brawl is John Brown!
Adventurers, the people that most stories about another world focus on. They are adventurous, brave folk who'll stop at nothing to throw their lives on the line for fame and glory. From their ranks rise heroes, fiends, and everything in between. They protect the common folk; they slay monsters that threaten the realm… Those would be the words that a layman would use to describe adventurers.
A cramped room, a floor dirtied with unspeakable substances, and a mass of unwashed, rowdy folk. Those would be the words that'd describe the adventurers of Azdavay, or the adventurers of any far-away town for that matter.
There in a dank room sat a group of three around a round table, drinking and smoking their hard-earned money away. Their sense of fashion resembled a Renaissance Fair where no one knew how medieval people dressed. Among the most atrocious of their crimes against fashion were the random bits of metal plate, none of these plates in a place that'd protect anywhere vital, stuck throughout their body. None of them wore a helmet in a bid to show off their overly pompous hair. In short, the most important thing for adventurers wasn't practicality or survivability. The most important thing was looking cool while doing their job.
The conversation around the table was a dull one, consisting of bits and bobs about the adventurers' adventures and other drudgeries.
"Shinasi, it's been getting harder and harder to find mountain slimes nowadays." began an older adventurer, chewing on some tobacco that had been imported from the east. He had a giant scar that travelled from the bottom to the top of his head, most assumed that this scar must have been earned in honorable and glorious battle. In fact, he had earned this scar when he had dueled another adventurer in an argument about what portion of the loot they got to keep. "I always end up finding useless slime corpses instead. Business has been drying up lately."
"You don't say Shakir!" replied a younger man, with great sarcasm in his voice. He had an assortment of scars too, righteously earned when he was travelling through the treacherous realms of his thorn-infested backyard. The only piece of armor he wore was a small steel plate over his heart that was fastened by two belts, the rest of his hairy chest was bare (thankfully he was wearing pants). He was slurping on some cheap wine as he spoke. "It's obviously the man-bears waking up from hibernating. They'll calm down in a week or two."
"He's probably right. Believe me, those things are vicious." added the only woman in the group. Shakira's lack of sensible clothing could only be matched by Shinasi. "You know, that Vadanabe Ceneriko, or whatever he was called, I bet he was eaten by a man-bear."
Shakir grumpily grumbled at the thought of his 'comrade' who he hadn't seen for a while. "Such a shame too! That boy had one of those 'cheat skill' things. And he had a slave to boot!" He shook his head, chewing his tobacco even more intensely. "Such a shame, such a shame…"
Shinasi shrugged. "Eh, plenty of otherworlders end up in the mountains. We'll probably get a new one coming here eventually." He chuckled and then added "If they survive."
Their conversation was cut short by someone entering the Adventurer's Guild building; there was a bell hung to the door that made it easy to hear guests. "Here comes an otherworlder now." said Shakira, watching a familiar figure enter the room. This figure was a young male Awmereighkan, quite a common species of otherworlder, who had been staying in Azdavay for around a year or so. He usually gave them easy yet well-paying quests to gather some ingredients. The adventurers were quite fond of him because of that.
Today though, unlike his usual calm self, the Awmereighkan seemed to be quite disturbed. He quickly walked up to the counter where the guild's receptionist lay, barking something in broken Low Gemeinplatzish.
Shakir tilted his head, trying to get a good view through the crowd in the guild. "Young man has got one of his eyes covered with bandages. What happened?" He received his answer as the receptionist rung the bell on her desk, signaling an emergency quest.
"Hear ye, gather ye!" This announcement from the receptionist caused great excitement among adventurers. Emergency quests tended to be profitable, after all.
"Adventurers of this guild! Sir Jacob Smith of Florida has informed us of a great emergency! Please- please no pushing, stand in even rows as I relate to you the contents of your quest!"
Tonight was a beautiful night like any other. Moonlight shimmered on to puddles of water, snow no longer being in sight as spring banished the last vestiges of winter. Flowers, hardly seen in the moonlight, sprung forth to welcome the new season. A catgirl was running from slavery, trying her best keep herself under the cover of darkness.
The last few days had been hellish for Ayomide. Her old master wasn't the type to just lay down and accept losing a significantly valuable piece of 'property'. The damnable adventurers over at the guild had been hunting her down, keeping her on the run. She hadn't been able to catch a wink, or anything to drink. Her muscles, doing their best to keep her upright during the chase, ached like they were ripping apart from their seams. It didn't help that the mountains she had escaped to were still cold; the revealing maid outfit from the café did nothing to protect one from Mother Nature.
Ayomide could easily see in the dark, like others of her kind, but she had slowly started to lose focus and clarity in her sight as the night marched on. Suddenly, she tripped on a log that she hadn't paid attention to in her wild run.
She found herself laid flat on the ground, the wet ground making her feel even colder than before. Struggle as she may, Ayomide was unable lift herself up anymore.
This is it…
Her vision fading, Ayomide found herself smiling during what might be the last moments of her admittedly short life. At least she was dying a free woman. That's what mattered in the end, Ayomide thought.
…suck it, Jacob…
Brown woke up along with the first rays of sunshine visiting his cave. He groaned in pain when he felt his back aching like he had been on the rack for the entire night. The old man had been forced to sleep on the floor of the cave for a few weeks now; the spine of someone entering his sixties didn't react well to having to spend the entire night laying on stone. Brown heard some concerning crackles come from his poor spine as he straightened himself.
"Yawn… thank our Heavenly Father above for keeping me alive for another day. Ow, ow, Lord help me, ow…" Brown winced once more as he tried to get up, his right arm being of no use. The wound that the bear inflicted had gotten awfully discolored. He was afraid that it might be infected; having to amputate his own arm was definitely not going to be fun if that was the case.
Finally managing to rise and shine after ten minutes, Brown made his way out of the cave to acquire food for the day. He'd have smelled the wet earth and the fresh smell of the blooming flowers if he hadn't placed the bear's hide next to the entrance. Brown and his father before had been tanners; it wouldn't have been proper to let good hide waste away. The hide, stretched on a makeshift rack made of stray logs, smelled awful as it was covered in animal dung. Brown hadn't covered the hide in dung just for the fun of it; covering leather in dung was what helped it soften up (thanks to the bacteria found in the dung, unbeknownst to Brown). He planned today to begin tanning the leather using the tannin he had gathered from the logs of pine trees from the forest below.
Thus, old Brown jumped down from the small cliff leading to his cave, only to have his morning routine be interrupted by an unexpected visitor.
"Miss, are you okay? Oh Lord…" Brown rushed to greet his visitor.
On the ground lay a woman of particularly short stature, unmoving as if she were a corpse. Her dress had been dirtied and torn greatly; Brown had to avert his gaze while approaching her to avoid seeing anything indecent. Her face was as dirty as her clothes, beneath a layer of dirt and grime lay black skin with a slight tinge of crimson. Her hair was ginger, barely noticeable beneath a layer of mud, standing in stark contrast to her dark skin.
Brown crouched to get a better view of her and was relieved when he saw that his visitor was still breathing, even if only barely managing to do so. He used his uninjured arm to drag the young woman out of the mud, covering her with his coat so that she wouldn't be exposed anymore to the elements. Then he rushed back to his cave to quickly find something for her to eat and drink, his mind in a state of great worry about the wellbeing of his guest.
…this place smells like shit. I thought that the Otherworld wouldn't be so stinky.
Ayomide opened her eyes. She could only see the wide blue sky in this position; she felt as if she was floating. This illusion of floating disappeared when Ayomide noticed that she was still laying on the ground. She quickly raised her head up to see, much to her surprise, that she was still in the same spot as last night. The only difference was the she was now blanketed in fur that smelled… unpleasant, to be polite.
"Alright, what is going on here? Anyone?" The mountains seemed to be as abandoned as they normally are. This didn't help explain how she was currently alive. Did some wandering mountain deity save me? She looked around again, no mountain deities or spirits to be found in her local area.
Everything was calm. Too calm, in fact. Ayomide felt a tad bit scared as the wind howled by.
"Good morning young lady I-"
Ayomide shrieked and jumped back in shock. She quickly turned her head around to find a wild man that towered over her. He was quite a scary sight with his messy hair flying around in the wind, with a face that hadn't been washed in an entire month. She calculated that only an insane man would probably decide these mountains as his habitat and Ayomide mentally prepared herself accordingly for a wild encounter.
The old man was more nonplussed compared to Ayomide. He hadn't expected to hear such a shriek. "Ex-excuse me for having startled you, I approached you silently as to not wake you up." An awkward silence filled the air as both paused. "My name is John Brown, young lady, what is yours?"
"Ayo… Ayomide."
"Right, Miss Ayomide, is it? Are you able to get up?" Brown extended his hand towards Ayomide. Struggle as she may, Ayomide found herself unable to get up even with Brown's help. "Well, thank the Lord that you're alive at the least. Just wait a minute, I'll bring something to eat." The old man then left the premises, running back to his cave.
The lord? These mountains don't seem like a suitable place for any lord, thought Ayomide. Unless this man has gone crazy and thinks himself as lord of these mountains. Still, the old man seemed cordial enough.
Brown quickly returned with a crude clay bowl that was filled with solidified slime of some description, along with a clay cup filled with murky water. He had been spending some of his idle time making earthenware; eating out of some dead man's helmet felt too macabre for Brown. Plus, he needed somewhere suitable for storing bear meat and earthenware pots were the best that he had for the job. It wasn't too hard to find clay and fire it up in a pit. Someone inexperienced in pottery like Brown could learn how to make useful items with some experimentation.
"Sorry young lady, but our household currently lacks spoons. You'll have to make do with eating using your bare hands." said Brown as he handed the bowl and cup over to Ayomide. She blankly stared at the bowl for a second or two before realizing that it contained something that was edible. Ayomide also remembered that she hadn't eaten anything proper for a week or two. These two realizations combined, she quickly chowed down the slimy goop in record time. The goop had mixed with the unglazed clay to create an awful wet mixture of earth and sugar; it felt like the best meal Ayomide ever had in her life. She was shedding tears of joy by the time she finished the bowl.
Brown was watching Ayomide in a concerned manner. "Are you okay, young lady? Are you in need of anything?"
"No- No, I'm fine sir. Thank you for saving my life." said Ayomide as she wiped her tears.
The old man smiled warmly in response. "No need to thank me. Thank the merciful Holy Spirit for guiding you to safety, young lady."
Ayomide tilted her head, confused due to Brown's ramblings that seemed odd to her. "The holey spirit?" How would a being in charge of holes lead me to safety?
Brown shook his head and furrowed his brows. "No, no. The Holy Spirit."
"The howlin' spirit?" Something to do with wolves or dogs?
"No, I-" blurted John Brown. He heaved a deep sigh. This probably wasn't the right time for evangelism, but Brown was a stubborn man. "So, there's the Lord, right?"
Ayomide nodded her head. "Yeah, you were talking about him earlier. Haven't seen him yet though. Is there really a lord in this mountain?"
"Think beyond the mountains, for the Lord is everywhere!" Brown pointed to a faraway point in the sky while making this point.
Ayomide followed where Brown had pointed in hopes of seeing this lord. She only saw a few clouds lazily gliding in the sky. "Everywhere? If this lord is everywhere then why isn't he here?" Maybe he cast an invisibility spell?
Brown clung on to his patience. "No, don't think of a simple lord! I'm talking about the Lord, the one who cannot be compared to any other mortal lords of this realm! King of Kings, our Maker!"
A lord that cannot be compared to another lord… Wait, it can't be! "Are you talking about the emperor?"
"No I'm not… I don't recognize any emperor, young lady." Brown gave up on his impromptu catechism session. The people of this land seemed to lack understanding of such topics, or so he thought. "Christ almighty help us…"
"Kreist…" Brown's mention of a certain carpenter intrigued Ayomide. "Right, I've heard of that name. That damnable proprietor would shout this Kreist's name, something like 'cheese us goddamn Kreist', every time he got frustrated with something." She looked happy to have finally understood something that came out of the old man's mouth. "I still don't get why he kept requesting cheese though…" And this old man is requesting help from Kreist. Wonder who he is.
Brown, in opposite to Ayomide, was quite shocked at the casual blasphemy that Ayomide was relating. Putting 'damn' and 'Christ` together was much more serious of an insult according to a devout 19th century man like Brown. "What an uncouth proprietor! How condemnable! That heathen!" He crossed his arms and shook his head in great disapproval.
Ayomide was surprised to see the overt reaction of Brown to what she thought was a weird interjection. "Being uncouth was the least bad thing about that man, believe you me. The whole locking us in some dark room every night…" She audibly shuddered. Everything felt surreal to her, as if her entire life up to now had been a bad dream.
Brown had been wondering up to now as to why he had found Ayomide up in the mountains; the conversation had finally shifted in a way that was suitable for him to ask such hard questions. "And I'm assuming that's why you've made an escape and found yourself here?"
Thus, like water freeing itself from a broken dam, Ayomide's emotions flowed free along a torrent of tears. She told Brown of her life that had begun in some cramped barrack, of her countless equally damnable owners, and of her life during her escape. She hadn't been able to properly talk to someone else for years, by the end Ayomide felt greatly relieved as she had never done before. To see something other than contemn, pity or apathy; being treated as a person felt strange yet great. Liberty tasted thus to someone who had never even seen a glimpse of it.
"…now I don't know what to do, old man. I can't return to town and I don't think I'll be able to return to anywhere with other people. Being free is such a hard thing." Ayomide was smiling while she said that. I know what to do. I'll have some proper sleep, no more waking up in the morning for me!
"I'm not in the position to dictate what you'll do, young lady. Nobody, other than the Lord, is in a position to dictate what someone else does. 'A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth his steps.', remember that young lady." Brown had been waiting for the right time to ask Ayomide this question. "I will aid you to the fullest extent I can if you do decide to leave here and go on your own. But, if you wish to stay here, then I hope that you'll assist me in my divine mission."
A divine mission? This old man really likes to make over-the-top remarks. "What'd your mission be, old man? What has the, whatchamacallit, this holy spirit of yours inspired you to do?"
Brown stood up, and posed himself as if he was speaking to a crowd. He seemed excited at the prospect of getting to speak about his mission. "Our divinely ordained mission and obligation is to fight for the Lord and wipe out all that profanes His Creation." Ayomide tilted her head, showing that she had no idea what Brown was talking about. Brown continued his speech with great fervor nonetheless. "That which is the greatest act of profanity against the laws of the Almighty is slavery, which throughout its entire existence has been none other than the most barbarous, unprovoked and unjustifiable war of one portion of citizens against another portion, the only conditions of which are perpetual imprisonment and hopeless servitude, or absolute extermination."
Ayomide could easily understand the second half of the speech. I can actually understand him when he's not talking about spirits and whatnot… She had saved her own tail; many tails were left unsaved in this realm. She could hop on a boat and escape to a realm that didn't practice slavery, but thinking that thousands of her brothers and sisters would lay in captivity disturbed Ayomide greatly. Fighting an entire system of slavery wasn't safe, still, had Ayomide chased after liberty for the sake of a modicum of 'safety'? People are going to be hunting me down no matter what, might as well go down fighting.
"I understand, old man." Ayomide extended her left hand towards Brown. "This is how you make an agreement in Awmereighka, right? With a handshake and whatnot." She had observed him throughout their conversation; the fact that he wasn't from this world was clear as day, especially to someone who had interacted with many an otherworlder. He seems to not be a prick at the least, a surprising thing for an otherworlder.
Brown was left flabbergasted for a second. He smiled before extending his right hand in kind. "The Lord has given you an eye that is most keen, young lady."
"You don't need a keen eye to see the obvious, old man." The pair shook hands, signaling the beginning of camaraderie that'd change Gemeinplatz forever.
As their hands separated, Ayomide noticed that Brown had winced in pain when they shook their hands. "Is your arm injured, old man?"
"Yes, young lady, a bear slashed my shoulder while I was fighting it." He rolled up the sleeve of his coat to reveal his shoulder that had gotten discolored. The wound was oozing with substances that need not be mentioned.
"That looks awful… Wait a second, stand still." Brown was surprised as Ayomide grabbed his arm and did her best to slide closer (she still couldn't stand up) to Brown. "What was that word again… This- Disin… [Disinfect]!" Brown was beyond surprised, and left utterly speechless as all the aforementioned awful ooze and discoloration slowly disappeared. He stared at his arm eyes wide open and slack-jawed, left in disbelief. Ayomide collapsed as her muscles gave in; magically disinfecting such an infected wound wasn't exactly easy on the body.
Incoherent noises came out of Brown's mouth while he tried to process what had occurred before him. His ability to speak properly finally returned after a few minutes. "Ah… Wha… It's… It's a miracle from the Holy Spirit! Bless our Heavenly Father above, praise be to our lord and savior Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!" He continued showering praises upon God while prancing, tears rolling down his cheeks due to feeling overwhelmed with hallowed joy.
Ayomide was still collapsed on the ground; all of her energy had been drained in one spell. She felt the effects of 'mana fatigue' as it was commonly called. Her eyelids lazily closed themselves, begging her to fall asleep again.
She does have a concept of religion, so do other people in Gemeinplatz, but the details of that will be kept for later chapters when Brown has to deal with the question of actually governing people.
Just keep in mind that, since a majority of the otherworlders (who make up the upper-class of Gemeinplatz) come from modern day Earth, Gemeinplatz isn't exactly on actual Late Medieval / Reneissance levels of zealousy. "The Church" commonly found in this sort of isekai setting, or the equivelant of it on Gemeinplatz, has most likely been neutralized by an errant otherworlder who had an issue with them.
Nothing so charms the American people as personal bravery.
- John Brown, addressing the League of Gileadites
47th of Spring, 5859
Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu
Mount Curry, and the rest of Casamonu, had enjoyed a lucky period of respite from snow or rain. Yet, as spring came in full force, endless rain was now on the menu once more. The soil, already muddy from melting snow, now became marshlike up in the treeless mountains. Those who are sane would avoid travel during these times to avoid being soaked in water and covered in mud. The already deserted mountain path had become even more deserted, except for a few less-than-sane adventurers looking for easy prey.
"Damn the mud…" murmured Shinasi as he slowly marched on the path with his adventuring comrades. "We should've gone out the moment this quest dropped, instead of waiting like idiots." He and his comrades were wearing slightly more sensible clothing while outdoors. They all wore a thick piece of gambeson, to protect from both injury and cold, along with less sensible random bits of metal strewn throughout their bodies that provided minimal protection but maximum fashion. They carried their helmets in their bags, for the creed of the adventurer decreed that showing your hair and face off was more important than always protecting your noggin.
"You were the ones who told us to wait until the man-bears calmed down, you idiot." replied Shakira. She held the flat side her ridiculously enormous two-handed sword up on her head, using it as a makeshift umbrella. Shinasi was doing a similar thing with his shield. Shakir, the oldest and wisest of the bunch, had simply cast a magical shield over his head.
"It's your fault for listening to me then!" Shinasi half-seriously continued complaining like so while Shakira replied and Shakir listened. There wasn't really anything else that they could do to pass the time while on the road.
Fog began obscuring their vision and the air got colder and colder as they got up higher and higher on the mountain. Nevertheless, the brave adventurers marched on for the noble cause of 'getting that dosh'. Sir Jacob had put a good price for finding and bringing back his lost slave.
All this walking made Shinasi quite hungry. Thankfully, he spotted some juicy pear-shaped berries on the side of the road. He reached for them, only to be interrupted by the flat side of Shakira's enormous sword slamming his back.
"What the Otherworld was that for?!" screamed Shinasi as he rubbed his aching back. "There are enough berries for all of us, no need to get jealous!"
"These are poisonous you bloody idiot!" Shakir took one of the berries to show it clearly to Shinasi. "These are the 'death's crown' that sprout in the rainy season. You might not have seen them due to being a winesop who's afraid of mud dirtying their precious boots."
"It's called 'being an oenophile', not 'being a winesop'!" Shinasi grumbled in mild annoyance at being unable to have a snack. He turned around from the bush, and met with a nondescriptly small cliff. What was non-nondescript about the cliff was a tall, humanoid shadow that stood over it. This shadow seemed to be watching them from beyond the fog.
"Weird shadow watching over us to my front, to single-file battle formation!" whispered Shinasi as to not alert their enigmatic observer. The adventurers, now in serious business mode, quickly entered their usual battle position. Shinasi was at the front doing tank duty, holding a shield and spear. Shakira was next to her with her enormously large sword ready to cleave anything down. Shakir took out his staff and retreated to the back. From there he began his usual analysis of their enemy.
"Considering our altitude and the size of the beast, I estimate that we're most likely encountering an ogre, sasquatch or a cyclops. All three of these beasts should be peaceful as long as they are not hungry. Let us retreat, not breaking visual contact, while exercising caution." Shakir's range of vocabulary seemed vast only when he was in combat mode. Heeding his words, the trio slowly walked backwards in formation.
Suddenly the beast behind the fog shouted at them. "Greetings travelers, you need not to retreat! I bear no ill will towards you!" The adventurers' retreat stopped. They looked at each other, trying to decide what to do. "Come here and rest good sirs, there is a cave here that'll shelter you from the rain!" Shinasi hesitated, before he broke formation and began walking towards the shadowy figure.
"Shinasi, what're you thinking?! Maybe he's a mimic of some sort, don't go near strange people without thinking!" protested Shakira.
Shakir shook his head. "No, mimics don't dwell outside of dungeons. I don't know any monsters that dwell in these mountains that have the capability for proper human speech." He stepped forward to join Shinasi. "It's just one man, we can easily beat him up if he tries anything strange."
Shakira wanted to respond with "What if he's a skilled wizard or cultivator?", but she gave up upon realizing that her team members wouldn't listen out of a desire to rest. She joined them in scaling the small cliff. Reaching on top, they found an old man standing in front of a brightly lit cave.
"Welcome to my humble little abode, travelers. My name is John Brown, and your names are?" Brown seemed excited at the prospect of getting to meet the people of this land. "Please, enter before you get soaked any further."
The trio gave their names as they entered the cave at the behest of this odd hermit. There was a fire burning in the middle with a helmet being used as a makeshift bowl. Scattered on the edges was a bear's pelt, a small mountain of blue soap bars and some crude earthenware.
"Excuse me if the food is meagre, I wasn't expecting to receive any guests with this kind of weather." Brown scooped up some cooked slime from the helmet and distributed it evenly among his guests. He also took one bowl for himself, leaving some spare in the helmet.
Shakira and Shinasi were staring at Shakir, who had to step up in situations that involved suspicious strangers handing out free food. [Check Poison]… He waited for a few seconds before an answer beamed into his head. Nothing. He nodded at his teammates to indicate that the slime stew was safe to eat.
The trio attacked at the food as if it was a monster, forgetting to thank him or Him for providing them their meal. Brown had to content himself with staring at them with a disapproving look; he had to put up with some uncouth people if he wanted to get any information as to his whereabouts. Ayomide hadn't been useful in this regard, especially as she had not been awake since Brown's arm had miraculously recovered.
Brown pushed aside thoughts of chiding the adventurers. He had business to conduct. "Well then, good travelers, where do you hail from?"
"We've come to these mountains from Azdavay, looking to complete our quest." Shakir had taken up the job of answering Brown's queries. "Apparently, a fugitive slave was last seen travelling in these mountains. We're here on the orders of the Adventurer's Guild of Casamonu to apprehend them if possible." Shakir took out a small piece of paper from his pocket. "'Short darkskin female demi-human with ginger hair. Bad tempered and prone to violent outbursts.' Have you seen anyone that matches this description?"
Brown shook his head "No, I haven't seen anyone here for the last few weeks." He was acting more cautiously since he now knew that he was dealing with bounty hunters of some sort. "I think they'd be dead by now if they escaped alone to these mountains in this weather."
"Right…" Shakir sighed in disappointment. This whole quest has been a huge waste of time. It'd be better if we just returned to Azdavay. "We'll take our leave, then. Thank you for your cooperation." The adventurers sat up, intending to leave. They were curious about who Brown was and what he was doing, but they were not curious enough to waste their time talking to some hermit.
Brown had one last question for the adventurers. "Before you leave, could you please help an old man and point me to where this Azdaweigh is?"
"You just need to go straight down the mountain path, Azdavay is right on the path." Shakir pointed in the general direction of Azdavay while speaking. "You probably shouldn't travel alone, though. The forest isn't too dangerous since it's close to town, but some of the creatures there can be quite a problem if they knock you out."
Brown nodded his head and gave a simple farewell. "Right, thank you. Safe travels to you then." He watched as the adventurers left the cave one by one, leaving Brown in his lonesome.
After confirming that the adventurers were not in sight, Brown quickly poured the leftover solid blue soup from the helmet to a bowl. He rushed over, bowl in hand, toward the inconspicuous bear hide that lay in the corner of the cave. The old man pulled the bear hide aside to reveal Ayomide, who was awake much to Brown's surprise.
"Young lady, you've awoken?" He handed the bowl over to Ayomide. "I thought you were never waking up after the… the miracle happened."
Ayomide lazily yawned while she slowly got up. She didn't seem too bothered by the situation. "Good morning…" It was night "…It's just a bit of mana fatigue, old man. Nothing too serious."
"Nothing too serious? You've been sleeping for a week, young lady!" Brown was nonplussed at the plussed state of Ayomide.
"I needed some good sleep, that's all." She yawned again. Ayomide was looking much healthier compared to the first time Brown had seen her. She had a relaxed smile on her face as she stood up to stretch her legs. "Thank you for not letting those adventurers get me."
"Thank the Lord, young lady, for your hasty re… covery?!" Brown's words slowly lost their way when he noticed something odd with Ayomide. He hadn't noticed this since Ayomide had been covered by a bear's pelt all this time, but she seemed to have a long, furry object that was wagging on her back. "Young lady, if it isn't discourteous of me to ask, what is that odd object behind you?"
"This?" Ayomide turned her back to Brown. "It's called a tail. Did you not have tails in Awmereighka? All the otherworlders I've met were always obsessed the tails of catgirls…" She pointed towards the tail as it wagged to-and-fro. "Also, here are my ears, if you've never seen one either." she added sarcastically as she pointed toward the two catlike ears, which Brown had thought were unruly tufts of hair up until now, that stood atop her head.
Old John Brown had expected to encounter slavery. He had expected to encounter crimes against humanity. He had not expected to encounter a catgirl.
"What hath God wrought…" I wanted to copy over a comment I made in another forum, wherein a reader asked me about why Ayomide had joined so easily. I've gotten this criticism before on the original, short story version of the John Brown Isekai (posted here if you're curious about that one) so I wanted to address this.
That's a good question; I've seen this asked in the previous parts of the John Brown Isekai as well so I want to adress this properly.
Now, think that there's an escaped slave. What options to they have? They can either:
1- Escape to a place where slavery is not practiced and they cannot be easily captured.
2- Live as a fugitive, running away from the law.
3- Join a group of escaped slaves, still running away from the law.
In case of the 19th-century US, slaves could more easily escape to Canada (where slavery was abolished) through a network called the Underground Railroad. In Gemeinplatz, this Underground Railroad or such a network doesn't exist (as far as Ayomide and Brown knows). There are places where slavery isn't practiced (that will be revealed in later chapters), but escaping through a slave country as someone from a discriminated minority would get Ayomide quickly get caught. She failed to escape, and live alone as a fugitive, so she ended up almost dying.
So, in short, no matter what Ayomide does she'll be hunted down by the authorities. She's aware of this too, as you can see from her thinking "People are going to be hunting me down no matter what, might as well go down fighting." Joining Brown doesn't put her at greater risk; on the opposite, she has increased her chance of survival by teaming up with someone else. Brown has food, clothing, and shelter, which are all things that Ayomide needs right now.
In this situation it doesn't matter if Brown will be successful or not, as he isn't forcing her to stay with him. Ayomide knows that she can leave at any time if things get too dangerous, and she is definitely not fully on board with Brown's crusade. Think of it more like a pragmatic decision on Ayomide's part.
Here's also a side-note about whether Brown would work with the non-Christian natives of Gemeinplatz:
From what I've researched of Brown, while he was as zealous as any mortal man can get and he definitely thought that he was 100% in the right about everything he believed in, he wasn't the type to force his belief on to others. He had two Jewish people (Jacob Benjamin and August Bondi) fight along with him in Kansas. His party that raided Kansas was composed of a variety of Christians, almost all of which Brown would definitely not approve of in religious matters. In Pennsylvania, he protected a local group of Native Americans (and invited them to dinner) when the people of the town wanted to drive them out. This is an important point, I think, that stops Brown from turning into a villain in this type of setting.
I just hope there's another Otherworlder other than Brown that is also a decent person and not an example of the worst qualities of an otaku and a human being.
Don't worry, in about five chapters time, you'll be getting a hint as to who'll be coming to aid Brown in the future.
"Young lady… Ayomide! Wake up!" Brown's voice reverberated like so in a particular cave in Mount Curry.
Ayomide, sleeping under the bear pelt gave her usual response. "Mmh… Give me five minutes… or five hours."
"As a wise man once said, young lady: Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise."
"But I'm not a man…"
"That doesn't matter, does it? Come on, get up young lady."
Ayomide seemed sufficiently convinced by Brown's words: After a round of yawning and stretching she finally got up to greet the new day. Thus concluded Brown's daily ritual of getting Ayomide to wake up.
Next came breakfast, which usually constituted of some form of cooked slime and nothing else. Lacking knowledge of the local flora, especially as to what might or might not be poisonous, the duo had decided against trying to vary their diet by foraging for now. Brown hadn't participated in hunting (being against hunting for sport) so he lacked the know-how that'd allow them to have the option of eating meat. One saving grace was that with the coming of spring some birds had laid their eggs, meaning that they at least had a source of protein for the current season.
"Mmm… worth it to climb all those trees." commented Ayomide as she took a bite out of a boiled egg (made by putting eggs in a water-filled helmet and boiling them). It was pretty bland without any salt or other seasoning, but it tasted (mostly on a psychological level) much better compared to anything else she had during captivity.
"Praise the Lord for providing us with eggs on this very fine day…" Brown muttered a prayer before taking a bite of his own.
With the conclusion of breakfast came time for the main event of the day: labor. While the slimes of the mountains and the endless rain did provide them with a stockpile of food and water that was more than enough, Brown quite disliked idleness and saw it as a state to be avoided. Ayomide didn't particularly care about being idle, but she didn't mind working on projects that'd improve their quality of life either. Hence, they found themselves busy with one thing or another every day.
Brown had mostly busied himself with making pottery; he really wanted to travel to Azdavay to advance his plan of abolition but couldn't due to the potential dangers of the forest. The endless rain had made it nigh impossible to properly fire anything as Brown didn't have a kiln; he had been making firing pits (which was as simple as piling some wood and burning them) to make his pottery. Brown tried making a kiln out of mud, but his makeshift design (made with his occasional observance of modern kilns in 19th-century America) had either cracked while firing or straight up failed to fire anything. The duo still spent some of their time shaping clay and preparing earthenware for firing, mostly as a recreational activity. It was fun to sit around together and shape some clay while chatting.
Brown and Ayomide, if running out of food, frequently ventured outside to hunt slimes and gather firewood. Brown had gotten used to throwing his makeshift spears. Ayomide wasn't well-versed in combat magic, so she joined Brown in hurling spears around. She'd climb up trees to launch a surprise attack on slimes, or gather eggs from nests. Slime leftover from their hunting trips would be made into soap, Brown planned to sell these whenever he could finally reach Azdavay. They had built up a small mountain of blue soap in the cave over the last month.
The day's work ended as the sky darkened. While Ayomide's eyes could easily see in the dark, Brown's couldn't. With no sources of lighting other than the moon and the fire lighting in the cave, Brown (and Ayomide) had to retreat inside. They had dinner, comprised of eggs and slime. The duo would sit around the campfire, chatting the night away until they were tired. Brown usually told Ayomide about his life back in America along with biblical stories. She in turn talked about her life up to now, though in all honesty, most of her experiences were a blend of bleak and bland that weren't that interesting to tell or listen to. Frequently being under mind control (or, in Brown's own words, 'the spell of the Devil') didn't leave space for forming memories of one's own. Still, talking about her past was a form of therapy that Ayomide needed desperately in her life.
While Brown and Ayomide were spending time around the fire, they took care to heat water in the helmet. When it began getting late, they took turns (Brown going outside while Ayomide was bathing, or vice versa) taking a 'bath' using the aforementioned hot water along with using some soap of their own manufacture. Cleanliness was next to godliness after all, so Brown made sure to never neglect bathing daily even under their current circumstances.
With the end of bathing so came the end of the day. Ayomide tucked herself under the bear pelt, while Brown had to content himself with using his coat as cover.
Thus ended a normal day in Mount Curry…
Q: John Brown Isekai slice-of-life webcomic when?
A: I'll actually release it if I earn more than 500$/week on my Patreon... Probably. If my skills at drawing ever get good enough, currently my art looks like a failed attempt at manufacturing sauerkraut pasted on to paper.
(Shameless Self-Shilling: You may not be able to find the slice-of-life John Brown Isekai, but do you know what you can find right now? Up to 20 advance chapters of John Brown Isekai on Patreon. Your support helps me out a lot, and I one day hope to dedicate all my time writing for you fine folk.)
Interlude – A sermon in the (after)life of Jacob Smith.
Hmm... Hmm... I didn't have him in mind, but... That does give me an idea for chapters in the far-future.
(Semi-related note: I love the SufficientVelocity forums: people actually engage and post feedback here other than "Thanks for the chapter!". All of the comments here have been very helpful, and I take care to read all of them!)
I actually want to write a GameLit / Isekai story based on gacha mechanics one day (Genshin Impact haunts me to this day). I'll probably do so after the John Brown Isekai finished (which is a prospect that's far in the future; I've got lots of stuff planned for here. This story is going to get crazy in a good way, I've been waiting for years to write something like this). Back on Earth, Jacob hadn't been a common attendant of his local church. He thought that churches in Florida were too 'woke', so he preferred spending his time on Sunday by ranting online about how Western civilization was collapsing or whatever.
However, things had changed when he had found himself on Gemeinplatz. The Temple of the Divine here was, according to Jacob, a fine establishment that had no problems speaking the truth. No censorship, no mobs, just pure, unaltered free speech coursing throughout the halls of the temple.
He still found the priests boring, and by the Divine were they boring, and he still dreaded having to sit on embroidered pillows during the sermon. Even the wooden pews were better, at least he could sit on them. But no, the people of Gemeinplatz sat down, legs crossed, while they listened to whatever some old git had cooked up for the day. Still, he had to endure it, going to the temple regularly allowed him to cultivate a more positive image amongst the people of Azdavay.
The temple was a cubic structure made of fine stone brick, with a wooden dome on top of it doing its best to reach the heavens. There was also a tower, part of the temple, that housed a bell used as a call for prayer. Regular glass windows adorned the building protected by iron bars; actual stained glass was too expensive for some backwater town like Azdavay.
Crowds of people streamed in and out of the temple every noon of the fifth day, to gather for prayer. Jacob, of course, was amongst the crowd going in, this going-in crowd being mostly comprised of people with skin lighter than white bread. It'd be untoward to keep their fellow Believer in bondage; slaves weren't given any religious education. Their inferior brains couldn't reach the Divine properly, or so mainstream doctrine went.
The crowd passed a few salutes toward Jacob, some even bowed to the otherworlder among them. This crowd was all-male, as women and men were separated in prayer. This felt somewhat odd, even to a man like Jacob. The rest of Gemeinplatz, while inequal in many ways in that regard, was mostly not separated by gender. He had seen adventuresses, businesswomen, even the occasional lady in their own right. It was as if the temple had stayed a few centuries behind, with all-male priests, and strict segregation of the sexes in their places of worship.
Inside the temple was a whole another sight. The floor was covered with a grand carpet showing even greater embroidery, the dome shone light through it that gave a hallow aura, and the stand of the priest stood tall over the flock. The walls and the ceiling were covered in various geometric shapes and patterns, this particular temple was controlled by a more conservative, Iconoclast sect. Most of the temples in Northern and Eastern Gemeinplatz were.
Jacob found himself a seat in the front row, not that he was pious, but because he wanted to be in front. Unfortunately, this meant that he had to endure the droning speech of the priest.
The temples in Gemeinplatz saw themselves as a place of enlightenment, so they always made sure to drag an old priest to impart some wisdom before noon prayer. Jacob was astonished as to how they made such a corpse of a man walk, maybe they dabbled in some necromancy to get him walking. "…and, good gentlemen, this is why we have to make sure to stick to the Divine Path: be ye kind, gentle, and forgiving in your conduct toward fellow believers. So says the Divine, praise be to Its name." The priest heaved a cough, doing his best to read a piece of paper he was holding. This old sack of bones needed notes when he wasn't reciting scripture. "On to a terrifying incident that has just befallen our community, one that I believe we should take as a warning for how things will be if we stray from the Divine Path. A case of a fugitive slave has been brought up…"
Jacob perked his ears upon the mention of a fugitive slave. He was slightly annoyed that his personal problems had somehow leaked to the ears of the priest, but this was no surprise. Clergymen were often intertwined in their local community after all, it wasn't too odd for a priest to have heard about Jacob's case from some people in the Adventurer's Guild.
"Now, let us not forget this one simple truth: we must always make sure not to stray from the Divine Path. Let us not forget of the tribes and peoples that the Divine, praise be to Its name, condemned when they dared, with endless impudence, rebelled against Its law and word. Despite what some heretics may say, in complete blindness to The Hallow Word, slavery is a natural part of this world's order. Being against what's sanctioned by scripture rebellion against The Hallow Word, the Divine (praise be to Its name), Its Prophet (praise be to His name), and society itself, not to mention that abetting fugitives is a crime against the rights of your fellow Believer. One who does so is no different from a thief, equally damned in the eyes of the Divine, praise be to Its name." The priest's eyes directly locked with Jacob. "May the Divine, praise be to Its name, keep sending Its messengers to guide us through these tumultuous times."
The priest looked like he intended to give further sermon, but the chime of the bell interrupted him. It was time to pray. "Praise be to Its name." The priest put down his notes, preparing himself for prayer, which was conducted in a language that was long dead in Gemeinplatz. Jacob himself didn't know what words he said while he was praying, so he mostly just moved his mouth around to look as if he was participating.
The prayer was conducted by the priest, with the flock following him. They sat up from their pillows, raised their hands toward the sky in unison while the priest chanted the prayer out loud for the crowd's convenience. Then their heads went toward their stomach, then up again, then they prostrated… Jacob shut off his mind while going through this procedure. He was sure that everyone did. This wasn't really anything dissimilar to how he had felt in church.
"Amen." With this the flock ended their 'hallow gymnastics routine', this was the closest word that Jacob had to describe the experience.
He went out of the temple with the rest of the others, back to the café where Jacob would continue his Divinely sanctioned job. I've been consistently asked questions about religion in Gemeinplatz, so here's an entire chapter dedicated to it.
58th of Spring, 5859
Mount Curry, Azdavay / Casamonu
The eternal rain came suddenly came to a close in Casamonu as if God himself got tired of the constant downpour. The mountain bloomed once again with life as the temperatures returned to a milder state. It was still cold, especially up in the mountains, but not cold enough to freeze one to death.
Brown woke up, seeing the sun shining through the clouds for the first time in weeks. The ground had mostly dried up, making it suitable for travel. It was time.
"Young lady… Ayomide! Wake up!" Brown softly shook Ayomide, who laid on the other side of the cave. She was fast asleep under the bear pelt, as usual.
Ayomide mumbled some semi-coherent words as she tried to resist waking up. "Mmh… Give me ten minutes… or ten hours."
"As a wise man once said, young lady: The early bird gets the worm."
"But I'm not a bird…"
"That doesn't matter, does it? Come on, get up young lady, the sun's already shining."
"No, it hasn't been shining for- Yes it is shining. Huh." Ayomide turned around to meet the sun. "Alright, give me a sec…" She yawned and stretched her arms before rising up from the pelt. The two had breakfast, consisting of cooked slime and boiled bird eggs, while they also discussed their plans for the day.
"So, young lady, Providence has granted us with clear skies today." Ayomide cringed slightly at Brown's overly grandiose form of speech "Thus, I'd say that it is time for us to begin my journey to Azdavay."
Ayomide raised an eyebrow. 'My?' "Am I not travelling with you, old man?"
Brown stated the obvious "I don't think it'd be a good idea for the young lady to go nearby to the town she escaped from."
Right, there is that aspect to that. But… "Didn't the adventurers say that travelling by your lonesome through the forest is a bad idea? I could just not enter the town itself while you do the shopping and whatnot."
Brown closed his eyes to think for a second. "Hmm… It's your choice, young lady. I can't and won't force you to take or not take such a risk. I'll be fine with our Heavenly Father watching over us."
If he watched over you so much then why did you end up being executed? "We're comrades-in-arms, right?" Even though we haven't had done much… or any fighting. "It simply wouldn't do if you were to end up being mauled by some weird forest creature." Ayomide considered herself somewhat lucky due to not having met such a fate.
"Then, young lady, it is decided. We shall set off together to Azdavay." Brown looked to be pleased at Ayomide's decision. Comrades were not dime-a-dozen, especially in these mountains most foreign to him. "Let us get ready for our journey!"
The forest of Azdavay, along with the forests of the rest of Casamonu and the northern part of Gemeinplatz, were famous for its vastness. Various forms of deciduous, broad-leaved trees covered the landscape as if they were part of an endless green ocean. Most famous of these trees were the tilia trees and their fruit, whom the locals would often dry to make tilia tea, and chestnuts that were always a welcome addition to one's diet during winter. Yet, the ones currently visiting the forest were definitely not concerned with any of the aforementioned.
"Why do forests have to have so many bugs!" Shinasi groaned as he swung his spear wildly, in a futile attempt to drive off the flies that had come out in the dry weather.
"You know, flies usually buzz around food that's left around. Maybe they wouldn't be a problem if you weren't a milksop." replied Shakira. She confidently carried her enormous sword on her shoulder, not openly bothered by the flies.
"Am I a milksop or a winesop?! By the Otherworld, at least be consistent!"
Conversation in the forest that surrounded Azdavay went thus. Mud and heat had made the land like heaven for flies looking for easy prey, and foolish adventurers were falling for the flies' trap.
Their bickering was brought to an end by Shakir. "Ssh! Calm down young'uns, there's somebody up on the road." The adventurers suddenly assumed professionality, stopping their bickering and brandishing their weapons. The adventurer's code stated that one must look cool at all times, and they made sure to abide them.
The figure on the road waved his hand in greeting. "Greetings, fellow travelers!"
"It's the mountain hermit again." Shinasi kept cool as Brown approached the adventurer group. The old man was carrying two makeshift spears on one hand while carrying a large clay jar with the other.
Shakir took the job of doing the greeting. "What a coincidence, Mister Brown. What brings you to this road?"
"I was heading down to Azdavay to sell my soap." Brown pointed at the clay jar that he was carrying. "Your group seems to be heading back as well, I'd be honored to accompany you to Azdavay."
The adventurers looked at each other in a displeased fashion. Adventurers weren't wont to providing protection for free. "Well, you see… Uhm…" Shakir began cooking up some excuse to refuse Brown.
Brown understood what they wanted from the look on their faces. "I'm willing to provide you a cut of the profits if you guard me."
The tone of the adventurers quickly shifted "Gladly sir, we'll provide our protection!" Shakir smiled as he signaled his comrades to continue their march. Getting a bonus is always nice, innit. With negotiations out of the way, the group of four was free to march on to Azdavay.
Half an hour passed, and the quartet marched on without incident.
Shinasi stretched his arms and yawned. I'm bored. There's nothing attacking me other than flies- He stopped this train of thought; it was bad luck to internally and / or externally monologue about things being peaceful.
"What the- [Lightning Missiaagh!" Shakir was suddenly snatched by a green, plant-like tentacle before he could counter it. The remaining trio quickly turned around to meet the source hiding behind the trees: an odd monster that looked like the lovechild of a tulip and an onion. It's body, as tall as Brown, consisted of a bulb that resembled a blue onion crowned with a red tulip-like flower on top. Several 'tentacles', four of them in fact, extended from the bottom of its body with one of them currently holding Shakir.
"What hath God wrought upon this realm…" Brown quickly tossed his jar of soap aside and readied his spears for throwing. Before he could draw first blood however, Shakira rushed with her sufficiently enormous sword to cut the overgrown vegetable. The veggie calmly responded by wrapping her sword with tentacles, blocking her from swinging it.
"Accursed vegetable! Go back to the cutting board where you belong!" Try as she may, Shakira was unable to regain control of her weapon.
"Shakira! This guy's one of those weaponnapper, we won't get very far with our weapons!" As if to prove Shinasi's point, the weaponnapper nabbed his spear.
Shakir was being swung around by the weaponnapper, his body upside-down. The tentacles were wringing him like a wet towel, a scene that'd be the source of fanservice if he wasn't an old man. "I'll get him, [Lightning Misspuwah!" He was instantly knocked out by the monster knocking him into a tree.
Brown took a step back to think, before being struck with an idea. He picked up one of his bars of soap from the ground and threw the bar at the monster. The monster caught the bar of soap like any other weapon, as planned so far.
All four of the weaponnapper's tentacles were now busy holding something. Brown took his spears and threw them in quick succession. His skills at the spear had greatly improved in the two months he had been in Gemeinplatz; one of the spears landed on the tentacle holding Shakir while the other hit the beast right in the bulb. Shakir landed on the ground with a grand thud, being no help as he was still knocked out.
Unfortunately for Brown his spears didn't seem to be too effective. The weaponnapper used its newly freed tentacle to grab the human who had assailed it. Brown was now left incapacitated by the tentacles surrounding and slowly strangling him. A pious evangelical like John Brown couldn't Hail Mary out of this sticky situation. He could only pray for some sort of intervention, whether it be divine or profane (though, according to Brown's fatalistic point of view, any sort of intervention could be considered 'divine') mattered not.
Suddenly a figure clad in bear's pelt jumped out from behind the trees. "Leave the old man alone, you stinky onion!" Ayomide had been trailing behind Brown ever since they had encountered the adventurers. She had intended to keep herself hidden from the adventurers, however, this was no time for stealth.
Ayomide rushed forward to meet the weaponnapper, with one of Brown's makeshift spears in hand. The monster didn't do anything as releasing any of its arms would mean potentially releasing a weapon that could harm it (its simple brain couldn't comprehend the fact that soap is usually not a deadly weapon).
Ayomide was now ten feet (three meters) away from the monster. "[Breeze]!" She threw the spear at the monster's bulb and, unlike Brown's last futile attempt, used wind magic to increase its velocity. The spear went in with unnatural speed, piercing through the weaponnappers bulb and coming out from the other side to end up lodged in a nearby tree. The monster's tentacles dropped to the floor, freeing Brown and everyone's weapons. It seemed to move no more.
"Who the…" blurted Shinasi. His (and the other adventurers) questions were left unanswered as Ayomide ran away as fast as she ran in. Brown assumed a mildly surprised expression too, as if he had never seen Ayomide in his life. The adventurers stared at each other and Brown in shock while they tried to process what just happened.
"All's well that ends well." commented Brown after sufficiently having thanked the Lord for His intervention.
Shakir was the first of the adventurers to recover. "Right… Right, all is well. Shakira, could you use that sword of yours to peel that flowery part of the weaponnapper?"
Shakira obliged, cutting open the 'tulip' to reveal a bunch of giant seeds packed inside, along with a glowing semi-solid orb of what looked like nectar.
"Think that this will sell for some money?" commented Shinasi upon observance of their loot.
Shakir smirked and rubbed his hands together in reply. "Will it sell? Of course, it will!" Weaponnapper seeds and nectar were an upper-class delicacy that, while not being too uncommon, still sold for a decent sum. There was more than that they could carry; every seed was as big as a head of cabbage. Everyone, including Brown, took two seeds for themselves, the adventurers leaving the rest in hopes that they'd grow to be more weaponnappers to profit off of. The adventurers stored the nectar in their water flasks. They were close enough to town that they wouldn't need to drink more water anyways.
With the looting done, the quartet reorganized once again to continue their march on Azdavay…
