CHAPTER 100 General Knolith Is Incredible

CHAPTER 100

General Knolith Is Incredible

Brownie

Brownie noticed when Rufus flinched from her question, but she didn’t regret asking it.

If he was battling the lizardkin for his job every year, she would like to know if he needed to worry about what would happen in the worst-case scenario.

Olen answered first. “General Knolith is incredible .”

“That’s right!” the black rabbitkin agreed. “He’s one of the more terrifying fighters I’ve ever battled, and his ability to read the flow of battle is outright brilliant.”

“When I fought him, he was already calculating the exact amount of knockout damage it would take to propel me from the ring without losing momentum to carry through to Baker Annie.”

“I saw that!” Jessica cut in. “Baker Annie didn’t even get a chance to swing her axe before he blew her out of the square.”

“And he was able to manage his own abilities so well that he could defeat all of us with enough left over to help fix the city wall.” Olen decided it was time to move on before the soup got warm. As he walked away, he added, “It was really well done of him to do so.”

“Well then.” Brownie never took her eyes from Rufus during the exchange. Her beastman wasn’t responding to the information at all. His tail hung as usual, and his carefree face didn’t crack once while they listened to the tavern extol the virtues of his competitor. “That’s good to know.”

“Jessica.” Rufus suddenly turned to his sister, who was fiddling with her empty cup of tea.

“Yes?”

“It’s probably time you head back.” He stood, having never even touched his soup .

The two shared a look, and then Jess sighed. She looked out at the dark rainy storm unloading buckets of water onto the town just beyond the doors of the Damp Gizzard, and then she took a deep breath to convince herself it was time. “You’re right. I have to get back soon, or my husband’s cooking will go to waste. I’ll tell everyone you said hi.”

Rufus got up to hug his sister goodbye. Brownie stood as well.

“Nice to meet you, Jess.” She stuck out her hand at the beastwoman.

Jess moved right past the hand and gave Brownie a big hug. “You take care of my brother, alright?”

“Of course.” Brownie squeezed the beastwoman’s shoulders a bit and then they released.

Jess gave them both a big smile and a mock salute. “When next we meet!”

Then she and Rufus were standing alone. As alone as you could be in a slowly filling tavern.

“Are you two done?” Princess Penelope came up behind them, a bright smile on her face. “Must you run? I’ll clear the plate if so. But please decide, and say you tried, my stew before you go?”

Rufus stared down at the full bowl of soup, then over at Bronwynn’s remaining magical drink. He visibly hesitated, his eyes glancing at the stairs and back to Brownie … He drew a deep breath. “We’ll stay a bit longer to finish.”

There were so many things going on with the beastman that Brownie would have gone with him anywhere. Magical drink abandoned or not.

Though honestly, if he’d dragged her off to bed upstairs without eating his dinner, she would have stored it and brought it out for him later.

They sat back down, but Penelope lingered at their table.

“Excellent, a wonderful choice. I’m happy you’re staying downstairs.” The princess winked at Brownie. “Any chance for a song that we can both voice, or some music to that you’d care you share?”

Princess Penelope was so enthusiastically excited, clasping her hands in front of her clean apron, but it was Brownie’s turn to hesitate. Her eyes flickered to Rufus and back.

“I don’t know …”

Her beastman reached out and squeezed the hand she had clenched on her thigh. “I’m sure everyone would love to hear a song, myself included.”

She nodded, summoning Danielle to her lap. Before she checked if her strings were on key—which as a magical lyre harp from a dragon’s hoard, Danielle was always on key—Brownie double-checked with her partner. “You’re sure?”

“Actually”—Rufus picked up his spoon and smiled reassuringly—“it’ll be less awkward than if you just sit there staring at me while I eat.”

Brownie couldn’t resist laughing out loud at that .

“Wonderful. I’ll fix your bowl, with a very simple [Reheat],” Penelope used a perk, then she waved her hand at Brownie. “Something lively would do well, with a catchy tune, and a beat?”

“Alright.” Brownie plucked a chord, and it twanged instead of twinged . She and Penelope both flinched.

Brownie couldn’t resist glaring at the magical storm raining magical rain through the small window. The Damp Gizzard had an overhanging roof, and the two-story building was covered in vines and ivy that draped down to provide much appreciated shielding from the wind.

“One second.” The minstrel pulled out her tuning peg and carefully tightened each string by half a note.

Penelope motioned to her husband, letting him know he would be in charge of the kitchen for the next little while. Olen finished taking the orders of a beastman wolf and a beastman goat, before heading to the back. The squirrel hopped down from the bar with some ale for the pair.

Don’t ask how he carried the mugs when each was as big as he was, but that squirrel delivered.

Brownie played the opening chord to her chosen song, “The Dragon’s Wife.”

You say that you have heard the tales,

And rightly so you may.

But I have one that I would love

To sing for you, today.