Chapter 16

Atop the Knight Amelia, the name of the mother of the child who was latched on the Mecha's back, we exited my secret grove where my hickory laboratory and my parents watched us disappear into the midday shades. It was comforting to know that my parents had accepted my quest and my departure. Having their morals aligned with mine on taking this child to his relatives by any means necessary, gave me pride in the grass parents that had raised me.

After walking, Oona spoke. “We are going the wrong direction?”

“North-East?” I answered, telling her that I know which direction we should have started going.

“Then why?”

“Detour.” I promptly replied. The vagueness of my response didn't please the crowd around me. “I’m going to retrieve some spoils, that is rightfully mine.” I forewarned, with a wide and tight smile.

After a few minutes of backtracking, I found the carcass of the Leviathan. Everyone who hadn’t seen the carcass before, which was everyone, gaped at it, whilst I grabbed the Serrated knife’s pommel that was located onto the Knight Mecha’s belt, where the bastard sword was also sheathed.

Roping down with a grass rope, I landed on the ground to head to the decaying corpse before me. I cringed at the aroma of decay, so I ripped out a grass leaf from its network and wrapped it around my mouth and nose to shut my sense of smell of the thing.

After 30 minutes of bloody work, I had removed a huge portion of it’s golden thick hide. Now it was being smoked with a small stockpile of activated fire stones above branches and dry leaves. Surprisingly there wasn’t a lot of blood on the final result, and it didn’t smell too much of decay but instead of boar taint. Fear not, for I found some lavender to proliferate out the smell while it was being smoked.

When it was reasonably tanned, the boys and I craned the leather behind the Mecha, and around the woven basket where the baby was asleep. The two girls in our party did not want to participate in the work because they were disgusted at my calmness when I skinned the hide off the boar.

Now Art was comfortably protected from the weathers of travel, with a legendary hide to protect his baby pink skin. I made it so the top half of the leather can flap over the baby, hiding him from people that would be searching for him. But the visage of a steel knight with grass poking out of its edges wearing a golden backpack on its back would be a strange appearance in a world of men. Ah well, you go on with what you got. I shrugged.

We then continued our journey, this time our heading was north-east, eager to finally be on our way. A thought had crossed my mind when we moved on; starting a journey with blood and guts could forebode what might lay ahead of us. The notion was dreary, but I wasn’t a superstitious person in my nature, for I was a man of science in a magical world...

“So Mr. Bean.” Oona chagrin. “How old are you?”

I sputtered at the title. Oh my god, mother, I blame you. Oona was calling me Green bean before, now Mr. Bean, Oh, Iris have mercy on my young and vibrant soul?

The party was hustled around me, inside the helm of the Mecha, for some reason it felt claustrophobic to have so many people in a small space all around me, breathing atop my shoulders.

“Don’t these people have better things to do than gawk around me,” I muttered. Then I blasted myself, I did not assign them any roles to distract themselves with. I also need to outline the rules, and positions of this new company.

Everyone was talking to one another, whilst I had deliberated on the stool, on how to introduce this. Observing Teka, who was eyeing the surroundings outside carefully while nervously getting used to the walking animation of the Knight Mecha, I had an idea.

“Teka,” I called out from the constant chattering inside. He swiveled his head to face me. “Silence the troops,” I ordered. He gave me a wide grin, then a salute.

He then smacked his spear at the edge of the open visor of the helm, chiming a ring all around the circumference of the interior. “Silence!” He shouted, with a gruff and orderly tone. Everyone stared at him in disbelief, they outrage at his audacity, but silent nonetheless.

“Thank you Sergeant Teka!” I commended. I stood out of my stool, turning off the Mecha’s walking script as my hands left the analog twigs. I then turned into my quiet audience before me.

“It’s time for rules and order in this little company,” I pointed. “I had tolerated our constant badgering and noncommittal gatherings until now.” I lied.

Sera looked on strangely at me like she never saw this sign of me before. I probably always looked disorderly from her and the rest of the fair folks in our grove. Wink gave me a casual salute, added with his trademark wink. I had shuddered at the display, I should have not told him about what as a wink in my childhood.

“So what are the rules?” Oona had her arms crossed, whilst Peb was chewing on a rubber bound stone.

“First and foremost, I am not called...Mr. Bean,” I growled out but continued, “-or Sink the Tink, or anything...but, besides Commander Sink.”

Sera and Oona, both repeated the military title with incredulity, whilst Peb and Wink just nodded, understanding my little quirk of adding designation into everything I do. Teka gave me a wide mountain grin at the name. He was familiar with the military ranks and titles because he was trained as a Grass Soldier, so I was confident he would follow my way of thinking.

“So Commander Sink? What do you do?” Sera asked, curious about my moniker.

“I am the commander of this Knight Mecha, everything I say or order, is the law here,” I said, confident in my assumption.

Everyone except Teka and Peb gave me a weird look like they can’t believe that I believe that. My confidence went down a bit from this. Oh, the goddess can only curse me, when only Teka and Peb can agree to this. Well I moved on, because the distraction of laurels was always the key to form a tight command structure.

Going with the Obvious, “Peb, My sidekick, is the elemental stone supplier, with his binding stones. So he has been appointed the role of Stone Engineer.”

“Can I keep my old name? I don’t really like to add more names into my name.” He muttered, whilst chewing on his rubbery stone.

Taking a deep sigh, “Okay, but call me Commander.”

Peb nodded, grateful at my generosity and benevolence.

“Wink as a Grass Cultivator, his role will be to look after the grass within Amelia.”

“Whose Amelia?” Sera asked, curious at the naming of the Mecha. I waved her off, signaling her that I will tell her and those who were wondering who Amelia was after this.

“So what’s my title?” Wink asked.

“You’ll be called the Grass Engineer.”

“I can still wink right?”

My teeth grated at the notion. “Yes, for I am generous and benevolent.” I grated. He gave me a Wink.

“Sera, your role will be a special one.”

She brightened at my words. “Really?”

“Uh, yes. You will also be looking after the baby…”

Her face turned less motivated at the thought.

“And, to be my co-pilot!” I finalized. “Co-pilot?” She queried.

“You’ll be learning the ropes to control Amelia. So when I’m out of the Knight Mecha, you can man her.”

“Wow!” Sera marveled at the prospect. Oona peered at her enviously from the side.

“Why does she pilot the Mecha?” Oona had asked, peeved at the notion that she wasn’t given this assignment.

“Because...She is a Grass Singer, and she will also learn how to code her tunes to add new scripts into the Mecha.”

Sera’s face turned clueless when I spoke my technical jargon. “Code?”

“I'll tell you about it later.”

“So wait? Only Grass Singers can control the golem?” Oona’s shoulder slumped at the restriction.

“No, no. You will all get to pilot the Knight Mecha.”

Everyone’s face lit up at those words.

“Why?” Oona asked, a bit surprised.

“Because everyone will all get a turn, for in case the situation demands it, and I am not there. For the one final rule of this company, is that Preparation is key!”

“So what's my role?” Oona continued her pestering.

“Your assignment is to be our Guide.”

“Guide...” Her face turned angry at my assignment.

“Is that all you see me? A guide?” She pointed to me with an accusing glare.

“Uh, uh…yeah?”

She hovered out of the helm and flew towards the branches above to stew.

Sera looked at me too with an accusing glare. I looked at the guys, and then back at Sera.

“What?”

Sera shooked her head, then climbed out of the helm to go where the baby was currently dozing throughout the midday shade.

I stared at the exit with a perplexed look, wondering why the two females of our company acted that way. I can never understand the opposite sex. Mystified I turned back to the also clueless crowd before me, the Grass Engineer Wink gave me a savvy wink, which had re-ignited my mood to continue on.

“Finally, Teka.”

Teka stood straighter from my words. Now here was a man, who knows how to get the job done. I can’t believe that we were rivals for so long. If I knew this part of his personality, I would have considered him a confidant in my stay with the grove.

“Because of your class as a Grass Soldier, you will be a Scout and also Security Consultant of our company.” I designated.

Teka saluted at my appointment. I was confident, out of all of them, that he would at least follow my commands, surprisingly. After the assignments were all given, I told them where their stations will be.

Peb was at the waist, below the chest compartment, where he will be toiling on binding stones. He would often recycle his bindings with one already bound stone, using its element to then bind a dozen more. Wink was at the chest compartment, where he would sequester in mediation with the greenhouse built within, cultivating the grass networks into the pinnacle of health. Teka was out and above the top of the helm at the comb. He was essentially the lookout atop the ship’s mast, for now. I planned to make the crown of the helm a 360 viewing perch, so he could look around and be sheltered from the weather, unseen from human eyes.

For now, I told him to gather a lot of tall grass from the greenhouse, and tie them atop the comb as a sort of plumage. A grassy plumage atop a Knight, which hides a Grass Soldier within.

Sera was already where she was positioned, alongside the baby. She was petting the sleeping human, unfamiliar with the alien features of the large baby.

With everyone in their position, I shouted out from the opened entrance of the helm.

“Oona we are leaving now!”

After a few moments, I heard the buzz of wings from the branches perched off. Oona flew down to sit atop the steel pauldron with her arms crossed, giving me a disinterested pout. I gave her a weary grin as a reply, then continued on to my stool, where I activated Amelia with a tune.

“Everyone ready?” I shouted.

“Commander, Peb is ready,” Peb shouted up from the waist compartment.

“The Grass Engineer is ready.” Wink said in the chest compartment.

“Commander, Scout is ready,” Teka said above.

“Quiet down, the baby is sleeping,” Sera rebuke, at the backpack where the baby was asleep.

“Ready, Mr.Bean.” Oona hollered with a chagrin.

My temples pulsated as I muttered a few human curses. Pushing the right lever forward, we started our journey, with the weirdest of companies.

At the end of the day, we had camped, inside Amelia, whilst the baby had played with us all separately. For the role of looking after the child was shared between us all. I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but when it was my turn to babysit, I had the graceless duty of cleaning the poop and changing the diapers off that pink bottom.

Oh fate is unkind to the whims of a smallfolk, brilliant in mind, but sequestered in squalor.

After departing our campsite, I sat along with Oona, atop the right steel pauldron. It was Sera’s turn to pilot the mecha. Everyone was going to have a turn to practice the motion, but Oona was impatient to start her turn. I sat next to her so I could distract her from her eagerness.

“You know something,” I said.

“What?” Oona asked, distracted from watching Sera in the cockpit.

“I never apologized for calling you uh...I didn't mean to offend you.”

Oona swiveled her head to glance at me, I was looking up above the canopy of the trees, laying my head behind my arms. I felt melancholy throughout the start of my journey, slightly contemplative at leaving the forest that I had lived throughout my second life.

“It’s fine,” she muttered. “I get that a lot. You either get used to it and adapt, or you can cry like a baby,” signaling the baby.

“It won't help, that will never help. But, live with it.”

I contemplated her words, imagining a life where I was scorned everywhere I go. It left a sour taste in my mouth at the thought of it.

“Something is ahead. It’s shiny like metal!” Teka shouted atop his perch within the plum.

“Positions everyone!” I shouted, quickly standing up and running inside the opened visor.

Teka stayed hidden in the plum. Sera left the cockpit to be sealed inside the backpack with the baby. The baby was asleep with the flap closed for concealment. Peb stopped binding stones and headed up to the right shoulder. Wink went to the left shoulder. Combusting rockets were all sequestered in both gauntlets in case there was conflict.

Oona stayed at her spot for she had requested not to be concealed. Giving Oona a nod, I pulled the rope that would close the visor shut, concealing the face within or in this case fair folk.

In front of our trek was an ashen covered armored man, grime with the toil of the forest. He had a stick that was bandaged around his armored left leg, like a sort of splint. The man had no helm protecting his head, instead, he had a chainmail headpiece with blonde locks spiraling out from the edges of his worn and young face.

Judging from his age and his attire, he looked similar to a squire. He gave us a relieved expression when he had sighted us.

“Sir...Knight?”