You know, John Brown has some distinct advantages is his diverse skillset. Most isekai protagonists in stories are city boys - and often in a low-level job at best. I suspect that most of the otherworlders don't actually have many survival skills, and any they do have just stem from them using their powers as a crutch rather than any true competency. So they don't bother to go out of "civilized" areas unless there's a direct need. If they go into the wilderness, it's just a short-term quest, relying on their raw power to overcome the challenges, and they leave as soon as they've accomplished their objective. Whereas John Brown was a 19th-century farmer, with the various skills that that sort of work entailed. Not to mention that, from viewing Extra History, it appears he was good with animals. So he could probably establish a relatively safe and sustainable refuge in the wild, in a place where few adventurers bother to venture.
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.
Not entirely sold on this being the case. I've read plenty of isekai stories where the non-protagonist otherworlders are fascinated with and loyal to the local church system. It can be for various reasons - the sudden exposure to magic made them more interested in religion, the church's practices justify their own values (such as the right to enslave locals), or they like being considered the faith's "chosen one". So I think there might be a church, only it basically acts as a yes-man to the otherworlders, boosting their egos while teaching the locals that the otherworlders are righteous "heroes".
Yes, beyond what you've watched there, Brown had experience with shepherding in his youth. During times of financial crisis Brown earned money by tending the herds of other people (Oviatt and Perkins), and he became somewhat renowned in his ability to judge sheep and wool. He even attempted to, through convening a gathering of wool growers and manufacturers, to negotiate a fairer price for local American wool. He held other conventions, with Perkins' help, and attempted to educate sheep farmers in methods of how to take care of wool by publishing articles in the Ohio Cultivator. Perkins and Brown even partnered to open up a wool comission house, this venture failed as Brown himself was not a skilled businessman.
So I think there might be a church, only it basically acts as a yes-man to the otherworlders, boosting their egos while teaching the locals that the otherworlders are righteous "heroes".
"Neutralized" doesn't mean that "The Church" has been completely destroyed. I was intending to imply something that's more akin to what you've theorized, as in that it had been defanged and subjugated to the will of the otherworlders. Again, I'm doing my best not to get too excited and spoil the worldbuilding too much.
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.
Sometimes I imagine the Waifu Catalogue is essentially the Isekai Black Market/Slave Selling Point.
Like seriously, think of what Waifu Sellers and buyers do with their waifus..
Buying them, making them submissive by turning them to cardboard cut out versions of them, selling them for power, selling/trading them, and other features I may have forgot.
Sometimes I imagine the Waifu Catalogue is essentially the Isekai Black Market/Slave Selling Point.
Like seriously, think of what Waifu Sellers and buyers do with their waifus..
Buying them, making them submissive by turning them to cardboard cut out versions of them, selling them for power, selling/trading them, and other features I may have forgot.
In (token, limited) defense of the Waifu Catalog, it does somewhat fulfill an SFW niche that hasn't been otherwise filled: the summon companions/waifus scenario. Years back, SFW sites like SB had threads discussing scenarios along the lines of "If you could summon someone, who would it be?" Exact criteria varied between thread (number, series, defining characteristics, etc.), creating a lot of variability. For me at least, it was an SFW thought exercise on picking your favorite fictional characters, and who you wish you could meet/befriend in real life or go on an adventure with - not for sex, but just as someone you'd like to know and hang around.
But, due to a lot of those topics unfortunately skirting the line with actually dating/romancing/marrying said characters, that type of discussion was banned, and people went elsewhere for those discussions, which I agree was probably for the best. But I sort of have a theory that this contributed to the formation of the Waifu Catalog and the like: discussion on companion summons ended up on QQ and increasingly moved away from its SFW origin to more sexual content.
So for me, at least, I do check out the Waifu Catalog sometimes, but not with sexual content as my goal, and while still not really liking the whole connotations of the set-up. For me, it's a way to continue to have thought exercises on "who would I summon as a friend/ally in an adventure?", as well as exploring opportunities for multi-cross interactions between characters from different series, for lack of better outlets. I just regret that it all has the sex slave element (not to mention the loathsome incentive to capture and sell more slaves) coated to it from front to back.
Additionally waifus being sold in exchange for a power/item/etc..
Thus I dubbed it "Isekai's Black Market". No longer was it the "Waifu Journeys List", but rather a "Catalogue" of Waifus to collect, sell, slave, indocternate.
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.
I find great delight in this story, and I look forward to seeing what will happen when John Brown ends up fighting slave-owning adventurers who will realize who he is!
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.)
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.
As far as world building questions go, i'm curious to learn about whether there are local anti-slavery causes and factions in this fantasy world that could be allies to John Brown's nascent abolitionist efforts...or potentially challenges to his own worldview (broadly similar to, but very culturally distinct from the Maroon communities of South America/the Caribbean Islands or the Quilombo of Brazil).
It would also be interesting to hear more about the history of the slave revolts that the mealy-mouthed preacher in your Interlude refers to (and whether they were like the Servile Wars of ancient Rome in any way).
When slavery is being heavily encouraged by religion, instead of just being another part of society, you know there's some sinister conspiracy going on.
When slavery is being heavily encouraged by religion, instead of just being another part of society, you know there's some sinister conspiracy going on.
I'd guess it has something to do with those heretics the speaker mentioned. Though whether it's there in reaction to them, or they uncovered something, or both, I don't know.
But aye, just one slave runs away, and the sermon hammers on how good and just slavery is and how damned those who help fugitive slaves are? That sounds like there's some particular reason to be so concerned about it.
Curious to see where this goes. Is this the same John Brown Isekai fic as the one I read on Royal Road a long while back? Oh, and I'm not at all familiar with Isekai, so to me it seems like Abolitionist Hero John Brown has just found himself in the world's shittiest version of Dragon Quest as populated by Gamergaters.
As far as world building questions go, i'm curious to learn about whether there are local anti-slavery causes and factions in this fantasy world that could be allies to John Brown's nascent abolitionist efforts...or potentially challenges to his own worldview (broadly similar to, but very culturally distinct from the Maroon communities of South America/the Caribbean Islands or the Quilombo of Brazil).
It's safe to assume that where there's fire there's smoke; where there's slaves there's bound (pun not intended) to be some sort of anti-slavery faction(s) and escaped slave communities. More on them will be revealed later soon, in around ten chapters' time.
Also, John Brown was quite aware of Maroon communities, and he knew about the Haitian Revolution (and he considered Toussaint Louverture to be a hero, having read his biography). Don't forget that Brown was born in 1800 (and lived until 1859). The French Revolution and the Haitian Revolution would be recent events from his point of view.
This isn't the same John Brown Isekai, the one you read is probably (unless there's another John Brown Isekai that I'm not aware of) the short-story version (titled "End of the Slave Empire") that I published 7 months ago (the John Brown Isekai on RoyalRoad can be found here by the way, if you're curious). The one you're reading here is the novel version that follows the same idea and setting (with recurring characters like Ayomide) with a completely different story.
For anyone who's curious about the meta-lore John Brown Isekai, here have been three different volumes of the John Brown Isekai (I regret having made this so confusing):
1) End of the Slave Empire, the original volume (with the story completed in 6 chapters) that I posted 7 months ago. It came about from memes I saw that combined John Brown and isekai.
2) Total Nekonomic Collapse, the odd cousin of the John Brown Isekai that's set in the totally-not-Nekopara universe. Another short, 6 chapter volume.
3) Fall of the Slave Harem, the volume you're reading right now.
Oh, and I'm not at all familiar with Isekai, so to me it seems like Abolitionist Hero John Brown has just found himself in the world's shittiest version of Dragon Quest as populated by Gamergaters.
That's an apt way to put it lol. The setting of Gemeinplatz is basically a mishmash of the worst Western (the international kind found online) and Eastern (mainly Japanese, Chinese and Korean, more on the latter two in later chapters) Isekai put together and blended into one mishmash setting that's hopefully not as bad as its components.
I think that one of the most interesting aspects of future "free Gemeinplatz" is going to be religion. The future freemen and women are definitely not going to have a good opinion of the native religion and if that form of mind control the maid café uses is widespread is possible the slaves don't even have a set of protoreligions of their own (like in Haiti).
Basically, what I mean is that there is doing to be a gigantic "faith gap" and John Brown is in an ideal position to fill it. He has the conviction, charisma and fervor to be a good preacher. Not to mention that his personal spin of Christianity (putting emphasis in everybody being equal before God and sanctioning the killing of slavery) is going to be very popular.
It's going to be fun to see it. Religious fanaticism and revolutionary fervor are an incredibly explosive combination.
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…
