Becoming Monsters: I'm Blue 29

Becoming Monsters is the creation of AiLovesToGrow, setting used with permission.

The idea for this story comes from Amethyst Dragonfly.

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Chapter 29: Who Went Before

Todd's crew came out of the guest room that morning to find Abbey and Justin already at the kitchen table with steaming mugs in hand. Both had fairly bemused looks on their faces to go with huge smiles and shy demeanors. May sniffed the air once and smiled just as broadly as they were. "All RIGHT you two! About freaking time! Must have been a good date, huh?"

Justin blushed deep red. Abbey blushed royal purple. Both managed to stammer something unintelligible in response.

"Still in the afterglow, too. Good job, whichever of you pulled that off. Huh, looks like it was Justin from the markings. But... Justin, seriously, look at her wrists! Ropes are good, but you had them too tight. Rubbed them a bit raw. Why did you go and do that?"

"Um..." he seemed to be trying VERY hard to get his brain together. "She's... kind of hard to actually restrain. I had to use Shaping to reinforce them and make sure they wouldn't come loose."

Todd looked impressed, as did both Song and Ghata. Alex, thankfully, was still asleep in his crib. May looked over at Abbey. "That good?"

Abbey nodded, ever so slightly. "He, ah, took his time and did it right. First one made me lose control of my size. We actually broke the bed, he had to fix it before we could go to sleep afterwards."

Todd looked even more impressed. "I'm not gonna say that's never happened to me, but then again I have assistance."

Ghata's smile got a bit crooked. "That was ONE TIME..." Song coughed twice. Ghata looked at her, understood immediately, and ceased the comment.

Justin stood. "Uh, anyway, I think that's enough bragging. No school or job today, slow morning, so does anyone else want omelettes?"

"Sit back down, if there's omelettes to be made then I'll be the one to make 'em." The matronly voice came from behind Todd's group as Abbey's parents walked up. "Y'all can set the table on the beach while I do it."

"Mom! Dad! Uh, how long have you been listening?" Abbey's face, which had been starting to go back to a color reminiscent of cornflowers, immediately returned to eggplant.

Her father had no mercy. "Long enough to be glad you're marrying someone who prioritizes you. Now fetch the silverware, I ain't setting the table alone and it's too nice out to be eatin' inside."

Justin took one step towards the fridge. "I can help with ingredients."

Mr. Williams looked at him with one raised eyebrow on his green face. "You can get that new sword of yours so that I can check it, then the plates."

Justin sighed. "Yes, sir." He started walking towards his bedroom.

The Goblin man smiled. "After all, the other guests can help with the rest. Come on, let's get to it!"

Todd, Ghada, and Song all sighed and followed his instructions. May heard her baby start to fuss, and ran to the nursery to make sure Alex was alright. Maybe give him his own breakfast. With eight people working towards the same purpose, and that purpose being one they all wanted, things went nice and quickly. A good breakfast with friends and family on the beach. Of course, there was a bit more sand involved with the wind than they liked, but it was worth it. Especially when Mr. Williams took a hold of Justin's glass blade and gave it a few experimental swings. He didn't say anything more about it, but his grin as he gave it back was enough.

Abbey was the one to think of one of the various elephants in the room after they'd been eating for a few minutes. "Mom, Dad, you mentioned needing to get a few things while you're here. Need help finding anything?"

Her mother shook her head, then swallowed her mouthful. "No, dear. We picked up the last of it yesterday. Actually, your father and I were going to tell you that we are heading back to Texas starting after lunch. We should have left yesterday, honestly, but neither of us wanted to go. And when we came to talk to you two about it, you weren't home."

Justin winced. "Yeah... sorry about that. Had a thing for school come up in the morning, then we went on a date until late. I didn't even think to tell you."

Mr. Williams looked directly at him with a crooked grin. "Already been over the date part, glad it went well and I ain't mad 'bout it. We're already packed up. Simple 'nuff when we're in an RV, didn't need to unpack anything in the first place."

"Makes sense." Justin reached for a napkin, having realized that he forgot until he dropped a piece of tomato onto his jeans. "Anything you two wanted to do this morning before leaving? I'm afraid we're not exactly stocked up on board games yet."

"Hah." Her dad's grin was back in full force. "If that's what we want, we can do that back home. No. What I'd like to get a measure of is where you two're 'bout to make your livin'. Been to Camp for supplies, I want to see Quiverbow's place and the Main Admin Hall."

Abbey thought for a second. "It's Sunday. Main Admin's going to be on skeleton crew and the Marshall might not be there, but sure. Kind of tourist-y in the area you're permitted to be in. The Clerics will probably be conducting worship services if you want to go to one. Justin?"

"I actually don't know about Quiverbow, either, but the shop stays open. Delvers tend to do their shopping on the weekends, and that can include our stall."

Mr. Williams nodded. "Good! We'll do that this morning." He looked at his wife. "And I promise not to get into any duels, fights, scraps, or other such unless life or honor is involved."

She looked right back. "Good." Neither elaborated further on this. Justin was afraid to ask. So, for that matter, was Abbey.

The conversation turned to other topics from there. The brilliance of the sky and horizon. The cuteness of baby Alex. Other such important things. Breakfast finished slowly, cleanup finished quickly, and everyone went to their separate spaces to wash up and get dressed for the day. That wasn't exactly a long process, given that it was the Guild Hall and none of them were donning armor. Justin had the sword belt to hold the blue blade, but that was a matter of less than a minute even to his inexperienced hands. The trip there didn't take particularly long, either, since they had a portal straight to the center of Camp. Which also happened to be one of the day's targets.

Abbey led everyone around to the front, then inside. Before everyone was even in, the tall telepath was stepping forward to meet them. "Abbey, I wasn't expecting you today. Forget something while you were here?"

"No, James, my family just wanted to see where I'm about to start working." She gestured at her parents. "James, meet Daniel and Euphegina Williams, my parents. Mom, Dad, this is James, one of the leads on this team."

James looked behind them "And I presume this gentleman is Justin?"

"No, the one to his left is. That is Todd, a guest, and with him are May, Song, and Ghata. The baby is Alex, and I'll probably be doing research on his kind in my downtime here." She pointed out everyone in turn.

"Really? He seems Human."

"Werebear. Gave us a time of it when he shifted and ran for the ocean, gave May's doctors a time of it when he was shifting in her womb."

James's eyebrows rose. "Oh! I definitely should not have presumed. Any indication of his Class?"

Todd shook his head. "None yet, and none of the Scans proved conclusive on that line. They're certain it will be a combatant Class, but not which."

"A Werebear Combatant. Don't tell Golden Age or they're going to try to recruit him as soon as he's weaned." James shook his head. "And Justin, I've not had a chance to hear much about you but your name. Abbey mentioned you'll be working at Quiverbow's?"

"Assuming she accepts my apprentice project, yes sir. Open Tent or an independent stall otherwise, but I have hopes."

James laughed warmly. "Don't call me sir, I work for a living. Good to meet all of you. You missed the Marshal, he's by the Dungeon Gate helping with morning religious services for the next hour or two."

"Thanks." Abbey thought for a moment. "Anything else I might need to know about going on today?"

"Had some more people sniffing around with suspiciously similar haircuts, if you catch my drift."

Abbey's father looked nonplussed. "What's that have to do with anything?"

Abbey turned to face him. "That means that it's probably soldiers sniffing around. We have nothing against them specifically..."

James interjected "Most of us, anyway.""

"... but they generally don't like it here, and if more than one or two are around without the Hall knowing about it beforehand it means someone's trying something."

Justin's brow furrowed. "You think it has anything to do with my... I mean, Lieutenant Colonel Majors? The Public Affairs guy who came by the other day from Colorado?"

James looked at him, directly and intensely. "It is... possible. If you uncover evidence to this effect, please let us know." He broke off the stare and smiled. "As for everyone else, I'm afraid most days this is just a lot of phone calls and paperwork. Perfectly boring, the Marshal gets to deal with the entertaining parts. For a given value of 'entertaining'."

Todd scratched the back of his head. "I mean, that one video of someone challenging him was going around the Internet for a WHILE with 'Dumb Ways To Die' dubbed over it."

"Like that, yes. The tourist pamphlets and information sheets are on the table to the right, but since Abbey is with you I doubt you'll need it. My phone is ringing, so I have to go." James abruptly looked at Mrs. Williams, then turned and jogged back to his desk.

"What a fascinating young man." Abbey's mom was looking in his direction.

"You could say that. He's a telepath, tries to stay out of people's heads, but if they're shouting it too loud he catches it. I think that's why he works here and not out in the guilds."

Her mom froze for a moment, then blushed a bit. Mr. Williams started cackling as they walked out. Once again, neither offered any explanation of this, but this time May was chuckling under her breath as she followed.

Abbey broke the silence as they walked. "Okay, so that's where I'm going to be working. The Marshal pays better than my job at the bank, and this is probably going to be both more challenging and a better fit for my degree. We have a major convention coming soon, so it's going to be all hands on deck to prepare for it."

Her dad nodded along. "Dungeon Expo West, right? Heard about it. One reason we want to be gone before the people start showin' up for it."

"That's the one. Okay, here's Crafter's Row. Justin, your turn."

He took a deep breath of his own. "My job isn't as guaranteed as Abbey's, Quiverbow's is four shops down the line. She won't let anyone but Apprentices in the back... or applicants, I guess... but there's plenty to see at the front. Someone always keeps it open during the day in case people come by for something either already made or to drop off a build order. I'm sure Quiverbow has ideas on how to apply my skillset, but what those are she hasn't told me yet." He led the way down the path, stopping before long.

At the counter stood a Human, one with a carbine slung across his back and a pistol at his side. And, it should be noted, a short buzz cut of light brown hair. He was at the counter of Quiverbow's shop, talking animatedly with one of the apprentices. This much wasn't a shock. What was surprising was their demeanors. The apprentice was clearly trying to calm the man down. The man was, equally clearly, getting extremely frustrated with whatever he was hearing from the apprentice. Justin looked at the others, gestured at them to stay back, and jogged up.

As he approached, the words became much clearer. "... I'm sorry, but what you are asking for is not in the cards any time soon. Not for us, anyway." The apprentice, a skinny young man with glasses, seemed to be certain about this.

The man with the buzz cut was determined. "I know that you enchant carbines. You're famous for your firearms, why are you refusing me?" He looked over. "You, do you work here?"

"Just starting. What's the issue?"

"I have a weapon he is refusing to enchant."

Justin looked over at the apprentice, quickly reading the name off his shirt. "Phil, what's stopping it?"

Phil looked back at him. "That's an AR15 pattern weapon. Quiverbow hasn't devised a formula schema for it, and though it's close to a couple we have on the books we'd need to put it through a week or two of design phase tests and might destroy what he's got in his hands doing it."

Justin heard the words and nodded. The words made sense superficially. He could talk about the rest after the guest was gone. "Sir, I'm not sure you know how Enchanters work. I'm not one myself, but I had to learn. Without a formula, you'd have to pay for a lot of time and materials for experiments just to make sure that doesn't blow up in your face, and since we're talking about firearms that's more than one. Quiverbow calls them schemas because it's multiple formulas. It won't be just the default price from custom order sheets, and can only happen if she isn't working on a project already." Given what those prices looked like NORMALLY, that was saying something. "If you didn't make arrangements beforehand, I can almost certainly tell you she has at least two plans in the queue already."

The man gave Justin a look almost exactly halfway between a stare and a glare. "Fine. I will take my business elsewhere." Without waiting for a response, he turned and left, obviously still irritated.

Phil turned back to Justin once the man turned a corner. "Thanks for the backup. Quiverbow's inside and really busy, she really doesn't need to be wasting time on this."

"Don't mention it." Justin gestured for the others to come over, but as they got closer he said what he was actually thinking. "Okay, any particular reason why the best weapon Enchanter in the country, one who specializes in firearms, doesn't have a formula for the most popular firearm in the country?"

Behind Phil, the door to the workshop opened up, and Quiverbow herself stepped out. "Because I don't feel like dealing with the people who use them. They are either soldiers or idiots trying to find a shortcut to power." She shrugged. "Or both. Good job responding to him, both of you. Especially you, Justin. You aren't even an apprentice yet, and you dealt with him better than most of my team could. And you ask the right questions, too? Let's fix that. You're my apprentice now, and I expect you at work tomorrow morning at nine so that I can have you machine some components."

There was applause from his group as Justin's brain caught up. "Thank you, ma'am!"

"Save that, you may not feel like thanking me once I've put you to work. Justin, who are these people?"

"Oh! Uh, ma'am, I'll start from the front. This is Abbey, my fiancee. She works at the Main Hall, or will soon. These are her parents. Behind them are Todd, May, Ghata, and Song. Guests of ours. The baby's name is Alex. We were showing Abbey's parents around before they have to return to Texas."

Quiverbow looked around them. "Quite an eclectic bunch. Any Delvers?"

Mr. Williams stepped forward. "I got my card, gotta chase off or kill plenty of random monsters."

"In Texas, too. If any of your team needs a good gun, you know where to order from. Justin, one more thing. Someone from the Central Bank of Seattle was asking around if anyone could help them with a renovation. Something tells me you would do well in the assignment, so I gave them your number. You are representing me now, so don't mess up."

Abbey got a lot more attentive very rapidly. "Central Bank of Seattle? That's where I work! Or, worked, until the Marshal recruited me. If they need something, I'll be able to be the liaison."

"Not exactly why I thought you'd do well, Justin, but it will work. Bring the sword tomorrow, too, we need to see if it can be enchanted properly." Without waiting for a response, she turned and went back through the door into the workshop, letting it close behind her.

Phil just stared at the door for a moment. "That was blunt even for her. Alright, Talonaxe is Below right now or he'd give you the welcome speech, but I guess it's on me this time. So hello, this is Quiverbow's Weapons and Enchanting. Ours is technically a team of independent crafters, working to make the best weaponry for delvers in the country while always striving to improve ourselves. What's your Class?"

"I'm a Shaper. Just picked up Atomos for fine-scale manipulation, usually work with glass and metal but those aren't backed by Abilities."

"Oh, Quiverbow's gonna work you hard. Good glasswork is impossible to find for what we need, and the ability to easily adjust components is just as valuable. She demands a lot, but she's also the sworn enemy of burnout. Half of your mana is yours to use for your projects. The other half is hers as long as you are an apprentice here. Obviously, I think it's worth it. If you get ideas for something new in the shop or how to improve something we have, say it. She'll talk pay with you tomorrow along with the official paperwork."

"That sounds really good. And considering I was making more sharpening knives than I was at my last job, I can only see this as a step up." Justin's future was looking good, he had to admit to himself.

Phil smiled. "Bit of advice, don't tell HER that until after you sign everything. Quiverbow didn't get this far by being bad at business, and if double your last rate is half of mine, she'll pay it as long as you accept it."

Abbey giggled behind him. "I'll tutor him a bit tonight so he doesn't embarrass himself."

There was a gentle cough behind them. Everyone turned, and found two Humans wearing guild badges for Longshot. "Excuse us, but if you're done we need to pick up an order."

Phil practically jumped out of his skin and fell below the counter, coming up with a thick tome and laying it open on the counter. He flipped a few pages and settled on one. "Uh, sorry for the delay. When did you place the order?"

The one on the left, slightly taller and thinner than his companion, pulled out a slip of paper. "Two weeks ago, on the 24th."

"Oh! I remember you. The new rifle, right?" He found the line he was looking for. "Says here your guild paid half up front. The project is completed, just need to settle up and I can get it from the safe."

The shorter one pulled out a bag of Coinage, and Abbey gestured for the others to follow her. Once they walked for a few moments she turned to the group. "No sense interrupting a major transaction. So... that's the slice of Camp we'll be working in."

Her parents looked at each other and nodded. Her dad looked back at Abbey and Justin. "Thanks for showing us around. Honestly, you know why I asked to come back here? After I already told you I found everything we needed?"

Justin shook his head. "I was wondering about that, but I couldn't think of what it could be."

The Goblin gave a crooked smile. "You proved already that you were willing to do what it takes to take care of my daughter, young man. Thing is? Love and willpower only go so far. Y'all got a lot of obligations in front of you, and that never makes things easy. We're willin' to help, too, but that only goes so far, as well. We needed to see what you were gonna do about it." He looked up at his wife. "Did I miss anything, honey?"

She shook her head. "No, that's about everything. You two look like you got a good thing going and are willing to fight to keep it. Justin, you have our blessing to marry Abbey. Just try to call us so that we can come to the wedding, alright?"

Neither Abbey nor Justin could get any words out. They chose to nod instead.

Mr. Williams broke out in another huge, crooked smile. "Looks like we knocked 'em speechless, dear. Shall we go grab some lunch then head for home?"

Todd coughed delicately. "That sounds awesome to me, how about you guys?"

The ladies who accompanied him all nodded in response. Alex probably would have if he had that much head control yet and knew what it meant. Abbey managed to shake herself out of the shock enough to be able to at least lead them over to the food court. There was a batch of meat pies just coming out, so Mr. Williams decided he'd treat the party to them. It was still a hair early for normal lunch, they got theirs fast, but there were definitely a lot more folks getting in line by the time they got their seats.

Todd was blissfully munching on his. "Man, this is way better than what we get back at the university."

Ghata nodded. "Or the hospital."

Song, already halfway through a vegetarian one, nodded in agreement.

Mr. Williams gave his an appraising look after his first bite. "Might actually be better than the one in Dallas, and that's saying something. So, anything you two need from down south before we leave?"

Abbey shook her head, but Justin had a thought. "Not a need, so much, but if you can talk about how you know a glass sculptor up here who's really good, I'd appreciate it. I'm not going to ask for handouts when I'm already living in a mansion created by a Wish, but I do still need to actually earn my keep."

"Boy, I'll go ahead and tell you that you should whip up a few chess sets to have on standby. I'll have some orders for you real quick."

"I look forward to them, sir."

Lunch was good, the company was better, but it had to end eventually. Much sooner than anyone wanted, Abbey's parents were getting back into their RV, backing out, then making their slow and careful way back up the road they'd come down. It was a long way to Texas, after all, and it wouldn't do to start this trip on the wrong foot.

All six of the adults left in the house looked on until the vehicle was out of sight. It was the first time in the home's history that a guest had left, no matter how needed, and that meant something. Still, life went on.

Todd coughed again. "So, uh, what now? No real plans this afternoon, homework's done."

Abbey shrugged. "I hadn't really thought about it. Been so busy that taking a break is kind of new. Tell you what, I know we have some decks of cards. Maybe some poker and a lot of idle chatter?"

May smiled. "Sounds great to me."