The Bloodforged Kin

Chapter 207 - 201: Troop 276 - Idaho City: Impending Doom

"Here," Jake said, handing Alex a plate of various-colored biscuits.

"These look like dog treats," Alex said.

Jake laughed. "That's 'cause you're a dog!" He laughed loudly at his own joke, forcing a smile from Alex. "Really though, I baked up some special stuff." He held up a dark red one. "Do you remember that lava creature thing that Liv killed with her water magic? I was able to cook what was left of it into these. I thought I'd make something that protected us from the cold, but this is better. It should give you some sort of fire powers."

"Some sort? You don't know?"

Jake looked hesitant. "Not totally… Okay, so my recipe skill let me know what it'll do, basically. It gives fire powers - but I don't totally know exactly what it does."

"How long does it last?"

Jake just shrugged and picked out a dark brown biscuit. "This one is from that tree-thing that was attacking that one town. It will turn your skin super hard, like bark - only stronger. This will be a good one if you get into a fight with a strong adult!"

"What about this one?" Alex picked up one that was too blue for a biscuit, looking almost like a chip of ice.

"Oh! That one is cool. Remember when we got trapped in that magical ice storm that almost killed us all? I grabbed some of the ice from that. It'll make you a lot faster when it's cold out. There has to be snow and ice around, but as long as you're in the snow it'll be like you're super fast and the snow doesn't bother you."

"Nice! That'll be perfect. What about the other two?"

Jake beamed at the praise and rushed into explaining the other two with excitement. "Okay, so this one is kinda weird but I think it'll be cool. The green ones are made from that magical moss we found. It gives you moss powers."

"Uh," Alex said slowly. "What are moss powers?"

"I don't know!" Jake said cheerily. "Tell me what it does because I'm super curious! I'd test it but I don't want to turn into a moss creature."

Alex tried to remember what the moss did, exactly. They'd found an injured animal rubbing itself against it, but before they could get there the animal had sprinted away. Jake had, as he did everywhere, collected it up for his 'pantry.'

"This last one is the coolest, but I only had enough to make one." He picked up a bone-white cookie that seemed too heavy for its size. "Remember when we saved those kids from that hill giant?"

Alex shuddered. There was an honest-to-god giant, just like in the stories, that had been snatching up kids and eating them. The town hadn't been able to do anything to stop it, the three-story behemoth smashing through every defense they had erected. It only took kids, though, which made it all the worse. His troop hadn't been able to kill it, so instead they had fought, tricked, and trapped it all the way to the edge of a cliff. Alex had rushed in and managed to slice the tip of a dirty, horned toenail off - the most any of them could do - before one of Ben's explosive creations had sent it flying over the cliff's edge. They'd considered going down to make sure it was finished, but quickly realized that they weren't equipped for that. They'd returned to the town and told them where the giant had landed, and the townspeople had been more than happy to rush off and finish the job themselves.

"This will give you giant powers!"

"Again, Jake, what are giant powers?"

"Powers! Of the Giant! You know, 'big, scary, I eat kids' powers!"

Alex reminded himself that Jake was still a kid, just about to reach twelve years old. "Do you have any idea what those powers are?"

"Nope!" Jake replied excitedly. "You gotta let me know what that does too!"

"Even if I let you know, it's not like you have any more toenails."

"But we might find more!"

Alex didn't want to spoil the excited look in his eyes.

"Well come on, then! Don't dawdle!" Todd was ushering everyone into the lobby of the building. "Alex, I'd like ya to meet Kristina and Jim." He pronounced 'Jim' like 'Jeem', Jim looking at Todd with surprise then casting a dark look at the woman next to him.

Kristina laughed. "That's right! Everyone call him 'Jeem,' he loves it!"

"I do NOT love it," he said.

"Bah, you're no fun." Kristina punched him on the arm.

"Alex and kids - uh, Troop - this is Kristina and Jim. They're going to be going with you tonight."

Kristina looked to be in her late twenties, healthy and glowing despite her pure silver hair. Jim stood next to her, silent and imposing. He was in his mid-thirties but looked more fit than any twenty-year old. He had dark brown hair and a 5 o'clock shadow that looked like it was a permanent fixture. He wore a beanie cap, faded jeans, and a winter coat over a Boise State sweatshirt.

"Kristina here is our dead-eye. She can take the wings off a fly without hitting its partner." The group looked at her, noticing the pair of rifles slung across her back and the pistols holstered at her hips.

"Jim is her husband and was a stone mason before all this shit - sorry kids - started." He, too, was wearing a hip belt, but it carried a heavy-looking 8-lb maul and a pick with a sharpened spike. Leaning against the wall behind him were two huge hammers that looked like they'd defeated many a block of marble in their day.

"Are you a fighter?" Alex asked Jim.

"Not since I stopped drinking," he replied. "Probably the best you'll find around here, though. Don't need to be much of a fighter to swing a hammer at something. If anything gets in the way, though, it's done."

Everyone nodded, not doubting his words.

"Why are you coming with us? It seems like everyone is staying here to protect their homes."

"We have a daughter, but we sent her to stay with her grandparents. He's an even better shot than me and is armed like the U.S. Army, so she'll be safe," Kristina replied. "I figure that the best chance we have of saving her is taking out the fuckers that are taking our kids."

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"Sorry kids," Todd said.

"Good enough for me," Alex said. "It's going to be dangerous out there, I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into."

"It's dangerous here," Jim said.

"If we can't keep up with a bunch of kids then fuck us, am I right?" Kristina laughed.

"Sorry kids."

"You don't have to keep saying that, Todd," Kristina laughed. "These kids look like they got more hair on their balls than most of the adults around here. They can handle a little swearing."

"I like her," Sam whispered to Alex. Her voice carried in the empty space and Kristina shot her a double thumbs-up.

"Okay, we need to move fast," Alex said. "We'll brief you on the plan on the way. Sam is our tactician so her word goes - we follow her, no questions. I'll lead the op, so if tactics fail you'll listen to me. Do you have a problem with that?" The 'do you have a problem with following orders from a group of kids?' hung heavy in the air.

"If you get the job done, I don't really care who's giving the orders," Kristina said.

Jim just shrugged indifferently.

"Then let's go. There's one more thing we need to do before we go."

"Actually, two things," Kristina said. She pulled a spliff and lighter out of her pocket, inhaling deeply. The scent of marijuana filled the room.

"Kristina, I've told you not to do that in here!" Todd groaned.

Kristina just smiled, took another hit, then stubbed it out and put it back in her pocket. "Okay, now we can go."

Alex, Sam, Liv, Emily, Kristina, and Jim walked through the night, Kristina leading.

"Where are we going?" Alex asked Kristina.

"Todd said you need some animals. We're picking up some hunting dogs - not the gentle kind, up here we raise them tough. We're picking up a few Dobermans and a German Shepard. I have a couple Chihuahua's at home that are meaner than all of those put together, but they're too small for this. Get lost in the snow if we tried to bring them," she laughed. "Plus one more that I think you'll like. Or I will, at least."

They made a few stops at different houses, the people hesitant to give up their beloved pets for the mission but giving way when Kristina reminded them what was at stake, or threatened to kick their asses. Whichever was needed.

Sam spent time with each, her Beastmaster's Command synergy making her fast friends with all of them. When she used the skill on an animal it gave her minimal mental communication with them and heightened their intelligence enough for them to follow complex commands. It wasn't communication, more of an advanced way of delivering thoughts and goals. She couldn't make them do anything they didn't want to, but their increased intelligence and loyalty to her made them more willing to do what she asked. It was especially useful with pack animals and pets, like dogs, since they were already primed to follow orders and please their masters. Sam spent the walking time reaching down to pet them, give them playful bumps, and communicate a sense of well-being to them. She thought about the mission, what they would be facing, and worked hard to make sure they understood what they were getting into. She wanted their help and was pressing the importance of it, but she wouldn't attempt to force any of them to do anything they didn't want to.

Her concerns were unfounded, the dogs thrilled at the chance to hunt, excited to be going on a night adventure, and more than willing to protect those that they loved so dearly. By the time they reached their last stop on the way out of the town the dogs were anxious to find the bad men and protect.

"What is this?" Alex asked as they stopped at a long fence made of rough wood planks.

"This is a cow pasture," Kristina explained. "A lot of the people here keep livestock, but since we're on a mountain there isn't a lot of flat ground for each to have their own pasture. This is a communal pasture where everyone keeps their cows."

"Uh," Sam said dubiously. "I like cows as much as the next person, but I don't think they're going to be helpful in this situation."

Kristina laughed, then called out loudly. "Moosey! Hey! Moose-a-licious! Moosey-butt! Get over here!"

In the darkness they could make out the cows that were milling about. A shadow appeared in the middle of them, huge antlered head rising half a dozen feet above the cows.

"What is that??" Liv asked.

"That's Moosey McMooseface!" Kristina laughed. "Years back he jumped into the cow pen here and decided he liked the quiet life enough that he stayed. People tried to get him out, but I'll tell you what - you don't get a moose to do anything it doesn't want to do. He became sort of a local mascot, and pretty soon everyone was tossing a little extra feed into the pen. He leaves the cows alone and he does a damned fine job of protecting the herd from wolves and coyotes. Hey Moosey! Get your stupid ass over here!"

The moose turned to look at her with disinterest, then dropped its head back to the ground to munch on frozen grass.

"I have treats!"

The head jerked upward again, this time with interest. It gently pushed its way through the cows then trotted to her excitedly. It reached the fence and looked down at her expectantly. It stood eight-feet tall at the shoulder, its wide-spread antlers reaching at least twelve feet into the air. It snuffled at her with impatience.

"Okay, okay, Moosifer!" She laughed and pulled an apple out of her pocket. He plucked it out of her hand with gentle lips. "I knew we'd need ol' Hank here, so I came with some treats. Todd sent out the word you needed animals to help, and nothing is scarier than this big dope."

"Hank? Moosifer? What is his name?" Alex asked.

"All of them! As long as you have treats he doesn't care what you call him. Big goof."

Hank - Moosifer - whatever, was snuffling at her again. "Here," Kristina said, handing Sam two more apples. "These will get you on his good side. The rest is up to you."

Sam gulped and took the apples. She would just barely be able to reach his head if he stood upright, his size daunting. He switched his attention to her, pushing his face forcefully towards her hands. She reached up to stroke his face but he pulled back. She pulled out one of the apples.

"Open your hand! Fingers out straight. He'll be gentle but can't see your fingers."

Sam straightened her hand quickly, almost dropping the apple. Hank was there to snatch it up before she did, though. She reached up and stroked his muzzle, pouring her synergy into him.

Friend. Help. Friend. Come. Need you. Help.

Hank's eyes opened as his intelligence heightened, but moose are not known for their IQs. Even so, he was smarter than most and had found a safe place to stay. She got the impressions of Here. Food. Safe. No leave.

She held the next apple up and Hank reached for it, but she pulled it back. Help. Treat. Help.

Hank snorted and stomped, throwing his head back and waving his antlers. He lunged for the apple but she pulled it back again, slapping his snout. HELP. TREAT. HELP.

He stared at her with defiance, then tipped his head forward. She held up the apple slowly. He nuzzled forward, pulled the apple in his mouth, then reared his head up again.

"You sneaky bastard!" She said. "You took the treat and didn't agree!"

Kristina laughed. "Hank is a stubborn ass, but he's good folk. Try again, but whatever you're doing, you need to make him see what's at risk. He doesn't care about all the stuff we do, or even what the dogs do. He's a moose, for Christ's sake."

Sam nodded. She was out of apples, but if Hank could lie to her, she could lie to him. She held out her closed fist, hoping he wasn't bright enough to notice that it wasn't an apple. Hank stepped forward, suspicion in his black eyes. He sniffed her hand, looking warily between it and her. She reached up gently and stroked his muzzle. She wished he understood words, but she could at least give him an impression of what he was risking by not helping.

Cows. Danger. Wolves. Coyotes. Foxes.

Hank snorted and jerked back, looking left and right. He stomped in place and trumpeted a warning blare that carried far into the night. When nothing immediately showed itself he lowered his face to her again. She tried again.

Far. Coming. Kill cows. Kill you. No treats.

This was enough for Hank. She felt the bond between them lock into place and suddenly she could feel his dark, dangerous thoughts. He was Moosey McMooseface and he would stomp anything that threatened his cows into the ground.