The Big Oof! Volume 2 Chapter 44: Lost and Found (Patreon)

Bennet was lying face up on top of a box with his head and all of his limbs dangling off the sides while Yana gleefully bounced up and down on his stomach.

“What’s taking them so long?” Yana said in an impatient tone while she continued to bounce on her makeshift trampoline.

A deadpan and bored expression covered Bennett’s voice as a groan escaped his mouth with each bounce . "Could you at least slow down a bit? I'm not as sturdy as your bog standard playground equipment," the engineer grumbled.

Glancing over to the ship where Rhea and her knights had disappeared into, Elijah let out a tired sigh. "Well Yana, searching a ship is usually pretty time consuming." He said stuffing his device back into his pocket. “Plus, it’s only been an hour, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes them a couple more," he continued, trying to alleviate Yana's impatience.

Azeline crossed her arms and leaned against a nearby crate, seemingly unbothered by the wait. "They're most likely just being thorough." She added to the conversation. “Inquisitor’s are known to be very… meticulous about things when they start searching for something.”

Yana huffed in irritation and came to stop. “They’re still taking too long! This is boring! I’m bored!” She yelled, stomping down on Bennett’s stomach, causing a loud groan and his limbs to jerk.

Elijah stretched his back out as he jumped off a particularly high box. “Please don’t kill my Engineer, I still need him.” He said while reaching into his pocket. “If you chill, I’ll give you some chocola-”

"Ahh!" Auri's shout interrupted Elijah mid-sentence. "I think they're back!" She pointed towards the group of armored figures, who appeared to be hauling a reluctant individual by the collar of their shirt.

The group collectively turned their attention to the approaching figures and watching as Rhea led her knights towards them. Rhea herself was running a rag up the length of her sword, cleaning off the blood and grime from her recent skirmish on the ship. The thug they were dragging along limped painfull with a distressed and disheveled appearance. One of the knights had a firm grip on his unkempt hair as his shifty eyes darted all over the place, searching for any possible escape route.

Noticing that the clanking of metal was close, Bennett threw his body up and looked forward to see the group of Knights were standing right infront of them. Blood was splattered across their armor, a testament that a confrontation took place.

“I’m assuming they didn’t initially consent to a search, did they?” The engineer asked dryly, taking note of the awkward angle their captive’s leg was in.

Rhea shook her head, a wry smile appearing on her lips. "No, they weren't particularly welcoming," she confirmed. "But we’ve managed to convince them otherwise." Rhea then looked back at the prisoner and frowned deeply. “Your insolence shall be punished, tenfold.”

The thug’s face contorted in pain as he clutched his broken leg. “I didn’t thinks yous to be Inquisitors me lady! I swear it!” He pleaded.

A metallic smack rang out as Rhea backhanded the poor man. “Do not lie to me, Cur!” she snarled. “You knew full well who you were attacking when we pulled out our sigils!”

Elijah couldn’t help wince and mouth an ‘ohh’ as the force of the blow was so powerful, it caused the thug’s hair to rip out of the other knight's grip. He wanted to feel sorry for the man, but his eyes shifted over to one of the knights that just so happened to step forward with a burlap sack in his hand.

“I must apologize, Sir Eli-Jah, Sir Ben-nett.” Rhea said, looking down and closing her eyes in regret. “But I was unable to find any of your magical tools stashed on the Hulk.” She hesitated for a moment before motioning the man with the sack to step forward. "However, we managed to spied an oddly shaped tool and an interesting sword that was curved and not too dissimilar in construction as your knife.”

Clanking of metal rang out as the knight opened the sack, causing Elijah’s eyes to go wide. “YOOOO!!!” He yelled out in excitement as he reached in and grabbed the two items. “BEN! They found my Kukri!!” Elijah gleefully pulled out the dark, all metal machete-like blade that had a design so unique, none of the locals had seen anything like it before. The blade itself was a gift he had received from the Terran Marine Corp as a token of appreciation for his part in joint operations from when he was in the army. It was an item that actually held sentimental value for him, as it reminded him of the numerous sleepless nights he had spent fighting in the jungle, or helping the Marines raid enemy vessels.

Holding the weapon up in the moonlight, everyone turned their eyes to the weapon’s distinct appearance. The kukri’s blade and hilt was one solid piece, made of a strong maraging alloy, providing unparalleled durability and balance when wielded. The blade of the kukri was a unique, inwardly curved design, optimized for chopping and slashing through various materials with ease. The tip of the blade, much sharper and pointed, allowed for effective stabbing and piercing, making it an ideal tool for close quarters combat. The back of the blade, generally flat or slightly angled, added to the weight for a more powerful chop, while its curved belly facilitated precise slicing movements making it ideal for survival and combat.

As Elijah held the Kukri, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, transporting him back to the days when his unit and a group of marines blew open an airlock, venting a few Lizards out into the void. A slight smile crept onto his face as he inspected the weapon, grateful to have it back in his possession.

"Man, I can't believe they found it," Elijah said, unable to hide his excitement. "This thing has gotten me through some shit back in the day! I cleaved a lizard’s head in half as if I was going through butter." He looked over at Bennett, who had a strange look on his face from that last bit of information.

A broad smile spread across Rhea’s face after seeing his reaction. "I'm glad we could reunite you with your treasured weapon," she said, her tone warm and genuine. "But don’t forget the other one." Rhea’s hand went into the sack and pulled out a sleek, all-metal tool that seemed both familiar and foreign at the same time.

Surprise now covered Bennett’s face as he grabbed the long and solid, all metal bar. One end featured a forked claw, used for prying open doors or windows, while the other end was equipped with a flat wedge and a sharp, hooked pick.

“Oh nice.” He said with a grin, examining the piece of equipment. "They had my Halligan bar."

Elijah wandered over and curiously inspected the Halligan bar. "Ohhh, nice dude." he remarked, seeing that it was also completely fine. “Fuck doors, I guess. Right?”

Bennett looked over at Elijah with a smirk. “It is the ultimate lock pick after all.”

Rhea’s brow furrowed at the exchange as she tilted her head. “"Is this another one of your 'magical' items?" she interjected, her tone a mix of curiosity and skepticism. “I thought it more of a weapon than a master key. How would this open doors?” The Knight Captain inquired.

"This usually works best with a sledge, but… Eh, I guess a demonstration is in order." Bennett said as he twisted the Halligan bar around so wedge was firmly set between two planks and turned towards Knights. “If this were a door, you’d have to orient the forks towards the locking mechanism and… Eli, if you will?”

A small smirk spread across his face as he stepped forward and threw all of his body weight into a forward kick, sending the wedge to sink deep in between the planks. Suddenly strange sand like residue started to pour out of the barrels side as Bennett looked over to the Knights and started his explanation. "This barrel is actually a lot stronger than most doors we've encountered here, as you can see with the iron band around it.” Bennett pointed at the wide strap of iron wrapped around the large barrel. “But as you can see, with enough force,  the Halligan bar is still able to create an opening.”

Then Bennett used his body weight and yanked hard off the bar, causing a cacophonous crack to echo out as the barrel's wooden planks gave way, ripping apart the iron band. Sand like material then started to gush out, forming a small mound on the ground.

“And then all you have to do is yank as hard as you can.” He said, pulling his bar out and letting it rest on his shoulder. “The door’s structure will fail and you now have entry to any door you want.” He said with a satisfied smile. “Works great on wood and metal doors, boxes, chests, you can use the spike to destroy cylinder locks… You can just about open anything with this baby.”

Rhea and her knights observed the display with a mixture of fascination and surprise. "Impressive!" Rhea and her knights started clapping bar the Knight that has re-secured his prisoner. “Most impressive! You must share with us how it works!" Rhea declared, her eyes filled with excitement and determination. "Such a versatile and powerful magical item will undoubtedly prove invaluable to the Inquisition! We’ve only been using axes this entire time."

Even Azeline, who had been relatively quiet throughout the demonstration, had also thought there was some kind of enchantment at play. The woman approached Bennett and started to closely inspect the strange tool.

“There’s not a speck of Mana in it, if you idiots think the thing’s enchanted.” Yana said in a bored tone as she yawned.

The Fairy was laying down on top of Elijah’s head, pulling at the man’s hair when Rhea and her knights looked over at her. The expression on the Knights' faces said they held a mixture of both surprise and a mild sprinkle of embarrassment.

A light shade of pink colored Rhea's cheeks as she remembered the meeting with Salvanius. “Ah yes,” she said, trying to regain her composure. "My apologies, I had forgotten the majority, if not all of their tools didn’t contain any magicks."

Yana rolled her eyes but didn't say anything further. Instead, she stretched out atop Elijah's head and stared up at the night sky. She was Seemingly content with letting the Knights continue their interactions with her servants.

“Yep, it’s just a piece of metal.” Bennett said with a simple shrug.

"So it appears," Rhea replied, still somewhat awestruck. "It's remarkable what can be achieved with a little ingenuity." She said walking closer to Bennett in order to inspect the inert tool. “Hmmm… It seems simple enough that even our blacksmiths would actually be able to forge these….” The Knight Captain mused thoughtfully, her eyes scanning the Halligan bar's every detail.

Enjoying the attention, Bennett slowly lifted the tool off his shoulder and presented it to Rhea and held it on the tips of his fingers as if it was a legendary weapon. “You might run into some reliability issues using regular iron, but it should do a good enough job,” he explained. “You may want to replace it frequently, though.”

Rhea bowed her head and gracefully accepted the tool from the engineer while Elijah stood in the back with an incredulous, but amused look on his face. "Thank you, Ben-nett. Your expertise will be invaluable to our smiths.” The Knight captain said, gripping the bar firmly. “We will make sure they use the highest quality materials."

Pumping some mana into her hand, Rhea continued to squeeze her hand to gauge just how strong this tool was. To her surprise, the Halligan bar didn’t even show any signs of it giving way to her squeeze. Looking at the Engineer, The Knight Captain saw his smug grin along with the nod of his head and mistook that motion for her to go all out.

With a determined look in her eyes, Rhea mustered all her strength, channeling a surge of mana into her hand as she attempted to bend or break the Halligan bar. Letting out a roar the woman did her best to bend the bar in half, but to everyone's astonishment, the Halligan bar withstood her attempt at bending it. As a matter of fact, even though the woman managed  to make a minute bend in the tool, she felt the tool slowly push her back in an attempt to bend back into its original position.

An odd look formed across Bennett’s face, not expecting her to try and bend the damned thing and felt his heart skip a beat. “W-Wait, what are you…” He muttered under his breath, his eyes wide as he watched Rhea's display of strength. The gathered knights stared in disbelief, having never seen their leader’s efforts so easily thwarted, even though it was a thick piece of metal.

When Rhea finally relaxed her hand, she let out a groan of pain as she shook her hands to alleviate the tension from her muscles. "That was… Are you sure this is not enchanted?" She asked, handing the bar back to Bennett.

The Engineer immediately took the tool and closely inspected every inch of the thing, searching for any signs of damage or deformation. Muttering a few curses, Bennett finally heaved a sigh of relief after finding his tool was completely unphased and let the tension dissipate in his shoulders.

“Yep, it’s just a slab of metal.” Elijah answered while Bennett continued to inspect his tool. “It’s a very specific and refined piece of metal, however.” He continued, looking off to the side in thought.

He wasn’t very familiar with Metallurgy, but he knew enough to understand that it was highly unlikely the locals were going to be able to replicate it any time soon. There was most likely several hundreds of years of trial, error and refinement that they needed to go through in order to make Maraging steel, let alone the alloy used here.

For a moment, Elijah’s thoughts turned to how they themselves would be able to source high quality steel for their own needs. Sure, Bennett had the education and they had a plethora of knowledge stored on both their devices and the datastores on their satellites, but Elijah knew it was far from being that simple. It would take an extreme amount of time, resources, infrastructure and cooperation from the locals in order to churn out a high enough quality of useful steel.

Elijah realized that despite their technological and education advantage, there was no way they were going to be able to do all of this alone. They were going to need to build relationships, gain their trust, educate and adapt to the limited amount of tools available on this planet. But most importantly, they were going to need to find some semblance of stability, and from the looks of things, that was highly unlikely for the foreseeable future. From his conversations with Bennett, there could be a case made for magic, but there was still so much unknown territory that they needed to tread very carefully.

There was no point in shoehorning it in and blowing themselves up.

“Baby steps…” Elijah closed his eyes and muttered to himself.

Rhea noticed Elijah’s thoughts trail off and gave a gentle smile. “I can tell you have a lot on your mind, especially after everything that’s happened, Sir Eli-jah” She said, stretching her own neck a little. “My knights and myself shall retire to the ship, you’re more than free to join us if you wish.”

Snapping out of his reverie, Elijah’s eyes snapped back up to Rhea. “Ah, right. I appreciate the offer, but I believe my crew are looking to find an inn or a tavern of some sort.” He responded, looking back at Bennett, Azeline and Auri. “I think they all just want to take a bath and sleep in a bed for the night.”

“Completely understandable! If it weren’t for my duties, I’d be tempted to join you.” Rhea said, turning to her people and waving for them to board their ship. “I shall have details of what we’ve learned from our prisoner if you meet us here on the morrow.”

Elijah nodded in appreciation. “That sounds like a plan, LadyRhea. We’ll be here first thing in the morning." He replied while picking up his rucksack. “Offer for you to join us is still on the table though.” Elijah winked at Rhea.

Even though Rhea’s cheeks flushed red again, she didn’t lose her composure and let out a small laugh. “You’re too much, Sir Eli-jah. Try not to break too many hearts, okay?” She replied, walking off to join the rest of her knights.

With a shrug, Elijah watched as Rhea rejoined her knights and boarded the ship. “Eh, I tried.” He said to no one in particular before turning to his crew "Alright Aze, lead us to some hot food, a warm bed and a bath." he said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Azeline narrowed her eyes for a moment as she turned her thoughts inward. She was somewhat recognizable with a lot of establishments due to her work with her old crew and that meant those places could potentially be frequented by less-than-friendly individuals that worked for Kjadnar. She needed to find a place that provided what they needed without drawing too much attention to themselves. "I know just the spot," she finally said, as she walked up to Elijah and grabbed his Medpack that he was holding.

“It’s a little ways from here and away from the dock, but it's worth the walk. Trust me," she added, her voice filled with confidence. “It’s a bit rough due to being frequented by mostly Freelancers and Taskers, but that means it’ll be easier to stay unnoticed.” Azeline said, throwing the Medpack over her shoulder.

A look of understanding formed on Elijah’s face as he looked at the rest of his crew. “Smart, most will probably think Bennett and I are just two large weirdo’s that’s looking for work.” He said, clapping his hands together. “And they wouldn’t be wrong too, we’re eventually going to need money and if things work how I think they work here… We’ll need to build a reputation.”

“Yep! The bastards that stole your stuff also work for my… former employer.” Azeline said, an awkward look on her face. "But Kjadnar’s thugs only linger around the docks, for obvious reasons."

Elijah let out a hum as he took in this information. “Same guys that backstabbed you in the forest?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Anger flashed across Azeline’s face as she nodded. "Kjadnar’s son to be exact. He’s the one that’s heading the smuggling of illicit goods this side of the mortal realm"

The two humans couldn’t help but look at the Blonde Elf girl in sympathy. They knew exactly how it felt to be backstabbed by your supposed boss and left to die for their own profit. And they knew that feeling of betrayal cut deep.

"Well, it seems we’re all pissed at the same guy, so I guess a little revenge is in order.." Bennett said in a deadpan voice. “I’m certain no one here will object to killing ‘em.”

Azeline's eyes softened as her gaze shifted between the two men. A small smile started to spread across the woman’s face as a feeling she hadn’t felt since leaving the North started to swell within her – a sense of camaraderie and belonging. It was faint and fragile, but it was still there.

“Then lead the way, my lady.” Elijah said as he bowed and gestured towards the dock’s exit in a graceful manner.