Continued from... "I was on a job for Falmcrynth. Zhe said zhe was going to protect the forest and its denizens from dog gone human beings...the lousy kind. I believed zhe was pure, even though zhe was a Splugorth. But that darn tootin' varmint double crossed me! Don't you see? I need to make this right! All them mighty dinosaurs, gone, lost...because of me. That just plum ain't right, Benna. You gotta let me fix this. I gotta." "Mononoke, I understand your frustration. I understand your pain. You feel like you let down the one thing you set out to protect. It was not your fault. This Falmcrynth, he..." "Zhe...its a zhe...it prefers a gender neutral pronoun...sort of <big sniff as she wiped away her tear-filled eyes>...sort of zher thing <another sniff>." Benna paused awkwardly before she continued. "...Zhe used you. It was probably zhis..." "Actually 'zher', not zhis...that would just be weird to use 'zhis'." "Okay, the bottom line is that you have been hurt, and we can help. Its what friends do." "Really? Y'all would do that for little ol' me?" "Of course we would! But first, it is essential we finish this quest to England, which means we must make this stop in Genoa. Besides, aren't you a bit curious who is buying all this blood? We find out the buyer, and we make them pay, for you, for Nosmo, and for all who were lost...including the creatures of the forest. What do you say? Can you and Moro help us do that?" "Benna, your speeches seem a lot better in person than they are in my comics. What do you think Moro? Do you think we can hold off blowing the reproductive units off of that lying weasel, Falmcrynth long enough to help our...friends?" Moro jumped back to a military stance like a clinker just fell down its trousers. "I'll take that as a yes! Benna, you can count on us. I think I can help with this shipment, too. I'll let the captain know we can change course again." Two hours later... The ship entered port at Genoa. The raw smells of the dock wafted acridly in the nose. Sea gulls plumed in large annoying flocks at every turn. Their incessant screeching drowned out most sound except the mighty horns of the tug boats pulling in the cargo liners to their assigned ports. Beyond the grimey docks a market could be seen inviting travelers and sailors to a more colorful and exciting life of trade, food, and pleasureful living. A pair of gruff looking D-Bees stood on the mooring dock. Their leathery skin and pair of massive underbite teeth gave them a menacing look that told most to "buzz off!" They wore work trousers, thick suspenders, heavy work boots, beer-stained tattered wife-beater tee shirts, leather gloves, and newsie caps. Once the Olstein Crossbow was close enough, her crew threw hemp woven mooring lines to the the two D-Bee dock men. They quickly tied the lines off to heavy posts. The Olstein Crossbow crew got to work unloading the intended containers destined for Genoa. The Irregulars from their quarter's port holes watched the containers be unloaded. The captain had confined them to quarters. This city had a known population of vampire presence. Only the crew had permission to leave the ship. "Our you sure there is the right amount of charges, Mononoke?" Ask Benna overly concerned. "This plan has to go off seamlessly." "Sugar! You're talking to a master of demolitions. I've been rigging kaboom-booms since I was yay high to a grasshopper." Mononoke put her hand to a height below her knees. She started telling everyone one of her outlandish stories that seemed more fiction than truth. Most listened and enjoyed, as it eased some of the tension. Benna only half listened. She was finishing up a viral worm program that was part of the plan. In addition to pinging her computer every time a new shipment of blood was to be delivered to this port, she was creating false incriminating information, a paper trail leading back to Falmcrynth. "...and then as the boy came roundin' the corner, the buckbox lit up like a firecracker in a cigar shop. Scared the beejeezees out of him. He probably lost ten years off his lifespan as his ant-burning soul jumped six feet out of his skin. Run all the way back to Rusty Grove with his tail between his legs, crying like a pussywillow in April." The gang all laughed at Mononoke's story. They all jumped at the sudden ship's horn blasting interrupting the laughterous mood. "Finished!" Benna said excitedly. "What's you been working on, Sugar?" They all felt the large cargo ship lurch into motion as its propellers began to spin and propel the large vessel out to sea and off to England. "I think we might just be able to hit two birds with one stone. Hopefully, when V. Tepes's company comes looking for the reason his containers went BOOM, he'll be pointing the finger at your old employer, Falmcrynth." Mononoke hocked a big loogey and spit it to the side. "Curse zhim!" The ship's horn blasted two more times. "And now we wait." Benna said calmly. Saint Rebecca who had been quiet since her vision about Merlin and the Cave, came up to Nosmo. "Hey. Can I speak to you about something?" Saint Rebecca suddenly was thrown into Nosmo's arms as the ship's speed increased by several knots. Nosmo helped her back to her feet. "Yeah, sure." Nosmo replied he had since calmed down from the dragon blood incident and was now in his human form. Saint Rebecca found something to hold onto as the ship accelerated to is normal cruising speed. "What's up?" Asked the dragon. "Well, please don't get upset again, but as I passed by one of the crates with 'you know what'," still being cryptic to not set the dragon off again, "I instinctually object read it..." "And?" Anger was returning to his voice. The sounds of Genoa's docks slowly faded away, even the gulls screeching receded as the ship moved along its journey farther out to sea. "Hey! You can't get mad." "Fine. I won't get mad." "I...I saw a she-dragon. A snow lizard dragon who gave up her blood...freely." Rage came over Nosmo's human eyes. "What was this wench's name?" "Tyrania Gaze." "Aunt Tyrania? She is dead to me. I will make her death long and slow. It is about time the Royal Frilleds rise up and take their place above the other breeds, anyway. Thank you, Saint Rebecca for this information. I look forward to returning home now, and dispose of this filthy snow lizard." "Huh. You took that better than I expected." At that moment, the hatch door burst open spraying everyone with sea mist smelling of salt and brine. ThorFrid walked in through the hatch and spied the mini-fridge on the left side of the quarters. The ship lurched to the starboard side as she struggled to shut the hatch behind her. "Where have you been ThorFrid of FridNir? There is much battle we need to discuss!" Nosmo said with excitement seeing the Crazy for the first time in nearly a day aboard the ship. The Crazy threw a large spanner into the corner with her gear. She was sweaty and gleaming with sea mist. She wore a skin-tight midriff-cut Rob Zombie tee shirt and coveralls zipped down to her waist, the arms tied around her hips. She had grease smudges over her left eye brow, under her nose, and on her chin. She went over to the mini-fridge, and took out an aluminum bottle of ice cold water. She cracked open the top, and guzzled all of it in less than a minute. Some of the water drizzled down her neck not quite making it in her mouth. Everyone watched her in silence as they had never seen ThorFrid drink...water before. Ale, mead, and whiskey were her holy trinity of refreshment. She threw the bottle in another corner where there was some trash. And let out a big, "Aaaah." "K-Dawg's rail gun is fixed." ThorFrid said breaking the silence. "Huh?" Asked Rebecca. "How did you get off the ship for parts?" "Yeah," Mononoke added, "we couldn't even sneak Benna off to pop her cherry with a cute Italian sailor." Benna blushed with embarrassment. "One of the bridge crew, Ensign Helvig knew some guys in Genoa that could help me. Got to get cleaned up before I give him his payment, though. Apparently, he's not into sweaty, dirty raw back. He's even making me put on a dress. You all owe me big time." She belched loudly and scratched her sweaty crotch. She ambled her way into the only bathroom as the ship rocked to the port side. In the very moment she slammed the door, a massive explosion could be heard toward the stern of the ship, off in the distance of Genoa. "Bingo!" Shouted Mononoke. They all rushed to the two port holes to view the psi-ghost/demolitions expert's handiwork. ThorFrid, now topless also came running out to see what had happened. She squeezed into one of the crowded port holes with the rest of Fenryr. They all could see three dark clouds of smoke billowing from the now distant port. One cloud seemed a bit bigger than the other two. "Oops. May have added a little too much spice to the chili on that one." "Good work, team." Benna said proudly. "The wheels are set in motion. While we take care of Morgana, those two could stay busy at war with each other. I love it when a plan comes together." Benna smiled as she remember the good times she spent watching contraband moving pictures with her dad. She was pleased to have this new family around her, despite how messed up they were sometimes. Her moment of reverie was broken with Saint Rebecca's cry. "ThorFrid get those tits out of my face! I might be blind, but I still know when your tits are too damn close. The Inhumane Resources will be hearing about this."
