Chapter 45: Ye Olde Airline

“Oh god…” Utarou wretched as he spilled what little of his lunch remained in his stomach over the edge of the carrying basket the fine people of Dryholm had created for the mission.

“You should stop eating if you can’t keep it down!~” Penelope cackled from Rhiney’s back, pulling his reins as they soared through the skies of Aurora at great speed.

“Dragon just ahead!” Hope shouted as she scanned the cloudy skies with her piercing yellow eyes.

“ARGH! How many of them are around here?!” Penelope whined as she steered Rhiney hard left.

The pair had been traveling for a full day, setting off at dawn and now quickly approaching dusk, Utarou’s brilliant plan of heading directly over the mountains and across the Atamas Sea.

With much convincing from May and Barney, they got Rhiney to wear the harness the village had crafted and to hold the basket, which was really a modified wagon, with his talons. The saddle only had room for two people, so Penelope and Hope were, mostly, secured on Rhiney’s back.

While Pinklia and Utarou, the ones who could survive a fall should Rhiney end up dropping the basket, were dangling below with the few barrels worth of supplies they’d brought with them.

Primarily alcohol, Utarou had insisted they needed to bring their strongest ale to help negotiations.

“There there…” Pinklia sighed as she patted Utarou’s back as they swung hard left, Utarou barely hanging onto the edge as the puke dripped down his face.

As the basket swung, a barrel smashed onto the far edge of the basket, making a loud thud sound.

“Owie…” A familiar voice squeeked, causing Pinklia to tense, she quickly stretched to the barrel and opened it, the scrawny body of Barney Junior rolling out.

“Hello…” Junior mumbled as he splayed out on the basket floor.

“W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” Pinklia screamed as she let go of Utarou and grabbed Junior by the shoulders.

“I… Wanted… To… Go… With… Rhiney…!” Junior explained between shakes, Utarou slipping over the edge of the basket and falling below.

“OH CRAP! PENNY!” Pinklia shouted as she dropped Junior and tried to stretch and grab Utarou, failing as her arms split into another copy of herself which fell with Utarou down to the mountains below.

…

Utarou snapped up as his bones returned to their normal positions with a cartoonish crunch.

“Urgh, I forgot how much I hated flying… Remind me to invent the bullet train.” Utarou groaned as he looked around the rocky plains he’d crash landed on.

“Sure…” Pinklia moaned as she reformed herself, summoning the splattered mess she’d become back together. As her body became a more coherent shape, she clenched her forehead as a psychic migraine threatened to split her head apart again.

“He’s… seriously…? Urgh…” Pinklia groaned to herself as Utarou wandered around the wet rocky hill, looking for somewhere to set up camp.

“So those psychic abilities work from that far huh?” Utarou remarked, squinting to see the speck of Rhiney in the sky.

“Yeah, yeah he’s fine.” Pinklia said, turning and seemingly talking to no one. Utarou stared at the slime girl until she acknowledged him.

“Oh sorry, yes, it’s not exactly pleasant though.” Pinklia squinted, a sharp hiss permeating every piece of information her counterpart in the sky was unconsciously sending her, and vice versa.

“Bah, we’ll train it in time.” Utarou shrugged, communication, logistics and travel were the things that won wars and considering he had been forced into starting one with a kingdom whose loyal provinces entirely surrounded him, he’d need to invest heavily while he could.

“Hmm? Yeah… Urgh… Yeah yeah I’ll tell him, hold on! Junior stop!” Pinklia shouted suddenly, suddenly perking Utarou’s interest.

“Junior?” Utarou asked, he stared blankly as Pinklia synchronised with her other self, chastising someone in a familiar way.

Then it clicked.

“Oh crap, don’t tell me he snuck on.” Utarou exclaimed, he knew the retribution from May and Barney would be cataclysmic if something happened to the brat.

“Yes he did! And now we don’t have any fruit either!” Pinklia whined as she turned back to Utarou.

“No, I'm talking to Utarou… Yes I’m talking to both of you at once… URgh I hate this. PENELOPE THEY’RE JUST DOWN THERE!” Pinklia shouted.

“Alright calm down Utarou, Barney and May aren’t going to blame me for him disappearing, long as he gets home safe we’ll be fine… Maybe there’s an opportunity, he’ll be King one day, probably a decently large chunk of land if everything goes well… I haven’t seen the boy much in a few years… Yes, yes, time to show him Uncle Utarou…” Utarou schemed, rubbing his hands together.

“Yes he’s making that gross face, how did you know?” Pinklia said, looking down to her side.

“Crap I think I said that out loud.” Pinklia gasped, holding her mouth shut as Utarou turned around, frowning.

…

“THAT GO’DAMN BRAT!” May shouted as she stomped out of her house, Barney looking from atop a roof of one of the tall houses that made up Dryholm. With a sigh, Barney jumped down besides his wife.

“The lil’ bastard… If I weren’t so pissed I’d be proud!” Barney grumbled.

“Proud of huat exactly?” May hissed as she stared daggers at her husband. Barney could only laugh as he leaned back on a wall.

“Kid’s got gumption! He wanted somethin’ ‘n did it! We just gotta hope he ain’t gonna get killed cuz of it…” Barney sighed as he combed his fingers through his thinning hair.

“Next one better not be this much of a trouble maker…” May grumbled, deciding to put some faith in Hope being able to keep her boy safe.

“Least he’s got Utarou there.” Barney remarked. May gave her husband a strange look.

“What? Man’s a good distraction’ if nothin’ else.”

May thought for a moment before nodding in agreement.