CHAPTER 46 Fluffy and Soft and Wonderful

CHAPTER 46

Fluffy and Soft and Wonderful

Brownie

“And here we go again,” Brownie muttered.

Rufus growled beside her, claws springing from his paws, long and vicious looking. His hackles raised, and she was about to tell him it was alright to let her handle things when he stood up in the wagon and announced, “I am no mere merchant but Commander General Rufus of the Dark Enchanted Forest. If you wish to walk away with your lives, you should do so now .”

Brownie counted seven masked and hooded figures on the actual road, and three with some sort of [Obfuscate] skill off to the right. There were no bushes, no trees, and no buildings to hide behind, but they did stand in some overgrown grass, which was more than enough to activate most hiding skills.

She sighed.

“We know who you are,” a raspy voice called out from the middle of the group as a single tall figure stepped forward, pointing a long pike at them. Donna did not like spears or pikes, and the mare shifted a couple times on her feet. Brownie sent as much calm as she could to the horse through their bond … but Brownie also knew that nothing was going to save that man if Donna decided to act.

“Then you also know I’m one of the strongest fighters in the entire Dark Horde. So.” The beastman tilted his head. “Why aren’t you running?”

There was a bit of hesitation in the bunch, but the leader of the group only laughed. “We came prepared!”

With that, another man threw a bottle to the ground, and a billowing plume of acrid smoke shot out of the ball as it hit the ground.

The first pointed. “Now, attack! ”

Donna had had enough. She whinnied and rose up on her hind legs, kicking in front of her. A cry rent the air, and Brownie felt satisfaction through her link with the horse.

[Your bonded companion has defeated a Blackfog Spy (Level 28) . You have gained +14 EXP from Donna’s Shared Experience Perk.]

Rufus shouted, “Stay here! I’ll be right back.”

“Wait!”

Rufus wasn’t expecting Brownie to reach out and grab his arm before he could make the jump down from their wagon. She stored her lyre harp and then activated [Sturdy] to leverage herself as an anchor and prevent him from going anywhere as she sent a message to Donna in her mind and yelled, “Ride!”

[ Sturdy : Your body is as immovable as the mountain and as forceful as the storm. When holding your ground, you add your Constitution 15 to your Strength 19 stat. Current total: 34]

Donna landed on all fours from her second attack and activated [Charge]. She broke the earth beneath her hooves as she launched forward. And as Brownie had anticipated, there was no one in the group powerful enough to hold their own against the stampeding horse.

They burst through the other side of the acrid smoke just in time for Rufus to get flung back into Brownie’s awaiting arms. Her ability allowed her to catch him without getting pushed back, which was important because Danielle was still slung over her shoulder. He fell gracefully, turning to try and brace himself, and she was suddenly holding a very soft and fluffy beastman.

He whipped a hand up and over her shoulder, palm to their enemies. “[Protector].”

A great shield formed overhead. It blocked the volley of arrows raining down on them, sending the missiles ricocheting off in all directions.

Brownie was impressed; it was a huge shield, covering the entire wagon and then some. Unfortunately, it didn’t last.

“Ugh, the smoke. Let go, I need an—” The beastman coughed, struggling to rise. Then his eyes rolled up into his head, and he went limp, his extended arm sliding off her shoulder. He collapsed fully on top of her, and the shield flickered out.

Even before he collapsed his body had begun to change , morphing into a giant golden beast that resembled a cross between a golden retriever and a wolf. His head rested on her lap .

Rufus had defended against the first attack, but a second round of arrows was headed their way. Brownie fumbled for the pendant at her neck, thankful that Rufus in beast form had slid to the floor at her feet. It gave her room to leverage her arm free and grab the small circle flute.

She gave a silent apology to Rufus as she blew as hard as she could.

[You have attempted to activate the Perk: Piercing Wave . You have succeeded. The area of effect attack hits targets equal to Siren Song , dealing piercing damage. Targets available: 6.]

The seventh arrow fell, hitting the seat. The other six arrows splintered in the air and blew backward from the wave of sound that hit them while Donna nickered in irritation. She could hear the sound of the pendant flute just fine and didn’t appreciate the awful ear-piercing noise. The bard sent her apologies to her horse.

Just before they crested a hill and finally made it out of sight of their attackers, a single skill-powered arrow landed in the back of the wagon. It tore through one of Donna’s feed bags, and oats spilled out around the jutting-up black arrow.

For a moment, Brownie worried her horse was going to turn around and go destroy the band of brigands for their insolence … but Donna knew that Brownie wasn’t built for combat. The horse kept running.

The wagon was rolling down the lane at breakneck speed, much faster than a normal horse could have pulled off, and within seconds, they had escaped. She had an antidote for him as soon as she was sure they were in the clear, but in the meantime, Brownie dropped her pendant flute and wrapped both arms around the unconscious Rufus. She told herself it was because she was worried about the bumpy ride … and not because he felt wonderful to hold. Fluffy and soft and wonderful.

She had a problem.