Chapter 36: Man vs Fire

Chapter 36: Man vs Fire

When Basil finished cooking the fried velociraptor bucket, the Major Chicken episode was reaching its midway point.

Lieutenant Salmon, why? young Sergeant Chick asked as he held the dying warrior in his arms. Why did you save me? I thought you had betrayed the Meat Brigade?

I was only pretending to switch sides so I could figure out Emperor Vegans master plan. The Major Chicken writers couldnt show blood due to heavy censorship, so only water poured out of Lieutenant Salmons wound. No matter what Emperor Vegan pretends, Major Chicken was right fish is still meat. Red or white, skin or scales were all meat inside.

What a wonderful device, this television, Vasi slurred as she slouched on the sofa, holding a vodka bottle with one hand and scratching Platos back with the other. With her messy hair and many grams of alcohol in her system already, the witch was the perfect picture of a professional partygoer. The dialogue is corny as fuck.

Nah, Cornmaster was destroyed two episodes ago, Shellgirl replied in between beers. Bugsy and Kuikui were the only watchers too fascinated by the episodes big twist to drink. Plato purred on his cushion, and Rosemarine

Basil sighed and glanced at the rooms open window. One of Rosemarines enormous eyes peeked through the frame.

Im so sorry, Basil apologized as he tossed her a crispy velociraptor leg. I wish I could enlarge the house further.

Its okay, Mister, Rosemarine replied cheerfully. Her forked tongue caught the piece of meat and swallowed it whole immediately. I see it all from here!

She was the only plant in the house to keep up with the series. The rest of House Garden didnt particularly enjoy watching a cartoon about meat lovers beating the ever-loving crap out of vegetables.

Heres our savior coming! Vasi rejoiced as Basil arrived with the food: a salad for Shellgirl and the fried raptor bucket for everyone else. Got any sauce?

Curry and barbecue. Basil sat between Plato and Bugsy with a satisfied grin. Just in time for the good part.

I tried to defeat Lord Quinoa and I I failed. Lieutenant Salmon coughed water. You must take my protein energy and team up with Major Chicken to defeat Lord Quinoa. Its the only way youll defeat this weedsucker, Chick.

But if I do that Well-animated tears dripped from Sergeant Chicks eyes. You will

Ill be destroyed, Lieutenant Salmon said, so he wouldnt have to utter the cursed killed word. But Ill pay the price so that you may live.

Sergeant Chick closed his eyes in pain and took Lieutenant Salmons hand within his talon. Well win well defeat the Vegan Empire, Lieutenant Salmon. I promise.

Dont cry, soldier. I know you can do it Lieutenant Salmon transformed into particles of protein light flowing into Sergeant Chicks body. Tell Major Chicken that he was right.

Sergeant Chick wiped his tears as the lieutenant completely disappeared. The young soldier grunted with rage and sorrow, with lightning crackling in the background. His muscles expanded and his feathers turned a shade of gold. An epic bass rock music played as the sergeant roared to the skies.

QUINOA! Sergeant Chick shouted as loud as his lungs would allow, sending rocks flying with the sheer power of his voice.

Hes going Superbuff Musclemode! Bugsy gasped. I thought only Major Chicken could transform?!

Can Kui do that too? Kuikui asked, mesmerized by the scene. Kui must eat protein!

Basil pointed at tonights dinner. The hungry velociraptor hungrily tried to commit cannibalism by seizing a fried wing, but fell into the bucket instead.

Hey, leave some for the others! Plato immediately leaped from his cushion and tried to pull Kuikui out of the bucket. You stupid halfbreed bird!

No racism under this roof, Plato, Basil said as he unstored A Short Introduction to the Veda and Hindu Religions from his inventory. Major Chicken marathons are a moment of peace and tolerance.

Put that book away, Vasi chided him. Didnt we study enough today?

Basil wasnt sure if he could call testing alien holographic games studying. After growing sick of listening to Wyrdes dragon suprematist rhetoric, the duo had tested the eighteen other hologames inherited from Steamslime.

Almost all of them were dating sims. The uncensored kind.

Basil had considered playing them to better understand the Unitys culture, but set the games aside when the porn-level dialogue became too much for him. Some of the lines would haunt him for the rest of his days.

I want your eggs in me, master! Im gonna hoard your seed, master! Basil shuddered at the mere thought of playing those those torture devices again. He had no idea Steamslime was so depraved.

There was a silver lining to the testing phase though; one of the games, Crafting Factory X, was a crafting simulator in the same vein as Wyrdes Grimoire. Basil could learn a few recipes from it.

Its okay, theyll spend ten minutes shit-talking each other and having flashbacks before fighting, Basil replied. The fight in question was one of the cartoons best, so he would afford it his full attention once it began. Ive got time to read.

Yo, Partner, that makes me think. Shellgirl chewed a cabbage leaf and swallowed it whole. I gave Orcdad and Orcmom the thunderbird feathers and ankylosaurus hide. They said they would have your new Berserker cloth ready by tomorrow.

Basil grinned ear to ear. Soon, he wouldnt have to fear the lightning ever again. He was even happier to notice a Trimurti chapter in his books summary. Plato had chosen well.

The Trimurti are a trinity of supreme deities central to Hindu religions, Basil read, embodying the universal cycle: Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. They are associated with the Tridevi, a trinity of goddess consorts. Each member of the Trimurti is said to periodically send avatars to Earth to preserve Dharma, or righteousness.

Each member of the Trimurti had their own section in the chapter, although Brahmas part was considerably smaller than the other two. Vishnu and Shiva had clearly eclipsed their partner in importance in India. Even his goddess-consort Saraswati enjoyed more pages dedicated to her.

So much for the creator of the universe, Basil thought. Vishnus part was a lot more extensively detailed and his chapter included drawings. The god was represented in the book as a blue-skinned, regal humanoid with four arms. His hands held a golden disc, a lotus, a mace, and a conch shell of all things. The last part reminded Basil of Kalki.

He flipped to the next page without thinking too much of it and froze in shock.

The book included another picture of Vishnu, one that Basil found eerily familiar. The god was depicted as playing flute on the back of a many-headed serpent, with a half-bird humanoid guarding him. The memory of Kalki playing to an audience of monsters flashed in Basils mind.

Do you truly think your animal strength is a match for my vitamin-powered psychic powers? Lord Quinoa taunted Sergeant Chick and Major Chicken. Salmon thought the same, and look where it led him.

Basil watched in horrified silence as the light of fires illuminated the horizon. Columns of smoke rose to the heavens above and obscured the stars. The wind carried warm ash all the way to the stream. The partys livestock screeched in fear in their coops and hutches.

Beautiful, Ghostie Pumpkin whispered. The rest of House Garden watched the scene with big, impressed eyes. Basil had to admit the sight was both beautiful and terrifying in equal measures. It appeared as if someone had lit candles as far as the eye could see.

Mister, are the trees evolving too? Rosemarine asked navely. Like me?

To Basils horror, her idea no longer sounded so mad. He had grown used to such weirdness by now.

Whats going on? Vasi and the rest of the party emerged from the house in confusion. The witch blinked at the sight of the burning horizon. My gods.

Should we evacuate, Partner? Shellgirl asked with a worried tone. Fire and I dont mix.

No need for that yet, Basil replied. They would pump water from the stream if the fire reached the house. With Rosemarines size and Shellgirls own ice attacks, they shouldnt fear anything.

Something felt wrong about this scenario. The Barthes were a marshland ecosystem, wet and moist, full of streams and ponds. A fire shouldnt spread so quickly, especially without a thunderstorm.

What an odd scent Plato smelled the wind. Yo, dog, do you notice it too?

Basil inhaled sharply and grit his teeth upon recognizing the detestable smell of white phosphorus.

This fire was artificial.

Bugsy, use your Tremorsense, Basil ordered. His halberd materialized in his hands. Do you notice anything?

I hear explosions in the distance, east and west, Bugsy replied, his antennae touching the ground. The centimagmas eyes widened in shock. Boss, I sense something in the earth too and a droning noise coming towards us!

I hear it too. Plato hissed and unsheathed his sword. Hornets!

The Apocalypse Force, Basil guessed with a frown. He knew he would regret letting one of their drones escape. A quick glance at the east side of the marshes confirmed the presence of fires in that direction as well. Are they trying to smoke us out of hiding?

Did they mistake France for Vietnam? Basil grunted. He didnt like the situation at all. The gearsmen had already wandered far too close to his home for his liking in the past. Everyone, prepare for battle.

Do you have a plan? Vasi asked him. We cant see them through the smoke.

Partner, my customers live on the other shore! Shellgirl pointed at the fires in the east. Theyre in danger too!

They can take care of themselves, Basil replied. Protecting their home was the teams priority, everyone else would wait. Well split into two groups and

A buzzing noise echoed across the marshes, interrupting him. Basil looked up at the western fires and realized his plans would die in the cradle.

A swarm of a hundred Megabugs flew out of the smoke rising from the horizon. The flames below reflected on their green exoskeletons and flapping wings. Most of the bugs were unarmed, but a few carried small spheres with fuses. Basil felt a terrible chill travel down his spine when he recognized the items in question. After all, he had designed a few of them himself.

White phosphorus bombs.

Shoot them down! Basil ordered his party. The swarm was flying straight in their direction. Shoot them down! Dont let them reach us!

Shellgirl opened fire first with her ice pearls. Bugsy assisted her with his firebreath, Kuikui with lightning bolts, Vasi snapped her fingers to cast a fireball spell, and Plato used his Wind Slash technique. House Gardens Demon Tomato assisted with tiny fireballs unlikely to do any damage.

The volley of projectiles shot down insects from the skies; some were killed instantly, their explosive payload bursting into fiery blasts. But most of the swarm gained ground on the party.

Mister, I cant charge! Rosemarine complained. A few shining particles appeared around her petals, but not enough to light them up. Not enough sunshine!

Argh, Rosemarines Perks had changed after her metamorphosis and Basil didnt have the time to check how they had been altered! He checked her status screen for the Seed Decoy upgrade in case he could exploit it.

Fireseed: 60 SP, [Life], [Fire], [Wood]. Rosemarine can spawn a Fire Seed level 2 Monster from her body. Fire Seeds are weak creatures who can self-detonate on impact to inflict [Fire] damage. Rosemarine cannot use Fireseed if she suffers from a Body Ailment.

If anything, Basil considered it a downgrade compared to her duplication power. Rosemarine, summon Fireseeds and throw them at

An explosion rocked the garden before he could finish his sentence.

The party gave their all, but most of the swarm managed to reach their position. The bugs flew above their heads and dropped their bombs. A white phosphorus blast sent Basil reeling backward. A flash of bright light blinded him for a few seconds and Rosemarines howl of pain echoed in his ears.

When Basil regained his eyesight, he wished he never did. For the scene unfolding before him was his worst nightmare made reality.

The house was on fire.

A bomb had blown up the roof to smithereens and set the upper floor on fire. Flames incinerated Vasis guest room and collapsed part of the facade the party had so lovingly crafted. The windows had shattered from the blast, their shards laying on the dry grass outside. White phosphorus dripped from the kitchens walls, ravaging stone and steel alike.

The sound of the framework collapsing paled before the screams of his livestock. One of the bombs had hit the rabbits hutch, blasting half of its inhabitants to bloody pieces and setting fire to the rest. A horned hare ran to the water stream in desperate agony as white phosphorus burned his fur and flesh. The blast had also broken the coop open, letting the panicked hens run away.

Rosemarine too received a few projectiles. Her leaf-scales protected her from the brunt of the flames, but a few spots of fiery slime burned all across her back. House Garden desperately tried to water the melting greenhouse with tools Basil had left behind, to no avail. Flames were already spreading to the partys crops and turning them to ash.

For a few seconds, Basil simply couldnt move. He was paralyzed, a prisoner of his own body. He could only watch as Old Man Rens last memento, the holy ground entrusted to his care, the place he had called his home, burned before his eyes.

Basils hands tightened so hard on his halberds shaft that he felt blood dripping from his fingers. He looked up at the treacherous bugs above his head. The swarm stared back at him, its members diving down from the skies to finish him off. The ground shook beneath Basils feet and yet he felt no fear.

A fire hotter than white phosphorus burned inside his heart.

A blaze of unyielding rage!