Clearing The Tracks

Three days after the latest adventure in Beanstalk Village, two of which were spent at the hot springs, Leona was back on the road. She had received a request for help from the people of Clover Town. A goblin and a Vulcan had worked together to place a giant old tree on the railroad tracks, effectively blockading the tracks that served as the town's lifeline. They needed someone to deal with the troublemakers and remove the tree from the tracks to get rail traffic flowing again. The job did not sound too hard, but neither did collecting plant samples... the blonde did not need to get complacent.

Wearing an olive green t-shirt and khaki cargo pants with boots, Leona had her ever-present backpack and wore her Argent Gloves. She would need their strength-boosting ability today because she was going to do some heavy lifting. Or heavy pulling. Or heavy pushing. No matter what it took and how long it took, that tree was going to be moved.

Entering the town, Leona walked through it and looked for the way to the train station. There she would meet with the station controller, a man by the name of Albert who had sent out the job notice. He should have more information on the situation and suggestions on how to deal with the goblin and the Vulcan responsible for establishing the blockade. At least that was the hope. She would find out what she could and go from there.

Leona followed signs until she found the train station and entered the premises. She asked an idling railroad worker where Albert could be found and was guided to him by the worker, a young man with brown hair and brown eyes. His name was Tim and he was eager to help her because time spent not working was money he did not earn. Tim knocked on the door of the platform and the door was answered by an older man with graying brown hair and a thick brown mustache. He was wearing cleaner attire than Tim... he was most likely Albert.

"Hello there. And who might you be?" The older man asked. He was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt and brown pants with red suspenders. Thick black-rimmed glasses were on his face.

"I'm Leona. Leona Jarnefeldt of Silver Wolf. I'm here to take the job you advertised." Leona said while showing him her guild tattoo. He looked relieved. So did Tim.

[Word Count: 408] [Total Word Count: 408/3,000]

"I'm glad you're here, Leona. We've been shut down for a week now. We're starting to run out of work to do, the town's running out of supplies, and the workers are starting to get restless. To make matters worse, the corporate office in Capital Crocus's breathing down our necks. Our problems are piling up fast." Albert informed Leona of the situation facing the train station and the town. It sounded rough. Leona was here to help, but she needed more information first.

"It's all because of that goblin and Vulcan! They walked into town and demanded 100 pies and 100 tubs of sherbet ice cream. We refused, so they blocked the tracks with a giant tree turned on its side and made the same demand. It would have given them the wrong idea, but we shoulda just given them the food when they first knocked over that tree." Albert lamented. The blonde listened patiently. From what she gathered, the tracks were being held hostage until the food was delivered. It was a strange demand, but the perpetrators were animals, after all. It was possible that they favored human food because it was easier to get than their natural diet... whatever goblins and Vulcans ate.

"How do you want me to deal with the animals?" Leona asked Albert.

"I want you to teach them a lesson. Use force if you have to. But don't kill 'em! If you kill 'em, it'll only bring more trouble to Clover Town. They've got friends and lots of 'em... they'll probably try to rip up the tracks to get back at us, and we don't need that." Albert replied sternly. There Leona had it. She was to rough them up if needed but to avoid killing them. She could manage that. Now for the other important question.

"How do you want me to deal with the tree?" Leona asked the controller.

"Well, unless those fancy gloves of yours can lift or push thirty tons of wood, you'll just have to chop it down to size. But I'd suggest dealing with the animals first. Otherwise they'll just roll another one into place and we'll be right back where we started." Albert laid it out for her.

"OK. I'll deal with the animals first. But I'm gonna need something to bargain with." Leona said.

"Bargain? Bargain with THEM?" Albert asked. Tim blinked.

"Yeah. You said it yourself, Albert. If I kill them, the trouble will only be starting when their friends come here to get even. So the best idea is to try and work something out with them so that the peace lasts when I go. I won't be available to come here all the time, so we've gotta try." Leona politely but firmly insisted. Albert and Tim looked at each other, then looked at her. Her expression and her mind remained unchanged. It was a strange day when a fighter had to be a peacemaker, but she had to try. Killing the animals was forbidden and doing so would create more problems than it solved.

"OK, I'll see if I can't get in touch with some people and work something out. It's gonna take some doing, though." Albert conceded.

"Thanks." Leona said to him.

"You'd better get moving, Leona. Time is money." Albert said to her. Leona wordlessly left the office and started to walk down the tracks towards the tree obstructing the path. Her job was going to be a tough one. She would have to make peace with the animals and cut the tree down to chunks big enough for her to move. She had better get going... it was already afternoon when she had arrived.

[Word Count: 614] [Total Word Count: 1,022/3,000]

Leona walked down the tracks towards the log. She heard a voice call out to her. It was Tim. He was carrying a pair of axes.

"Wait! You're gonna need this!" Tim called out. Leona stopped in place and watched him approach. He handed her one of the axes and fell in beside her.

"I forgot about that. Since I can't push it aside just yet, I'm gonna need to chop it into pieces. Thanks." Leona thanked the young railroad worker.

"No problem. Mister Albert said that you need to deal with the animals first. You might be getting ahead of yourself." Tim cautioned her. He was right. She may be getting ahead of herself, but she might be able to use the situation to her advantage.

"You're right, but I just had an idea. If I start chopping the tree, they'll hear the noise and come looking. Then I won't have to find them because they'll come to me." Leona explained to Tim. His eyes lit up like he had caught onto what she was thinking.

"Oh, I get it now! You don't have to waste time chasing them if they come to you!" Tim exclaimed.

"Exactly." Leona said with a smile as she neared the tree. She stood in front of it and looked for a point she could begin chopping into it. About the middle looked good. She hefted her borrowed ax and began chopping. The sun was still in the sky, so there was plenty of daylight left.

Leona got to work. The goblin and Vulcan were bound to hear the noise sooner or later and come to investigate. She had to make enough progress to bring them to the bargaining table. However, she had to pace herself to have enough energy to fight if she needed to. The blonde kept going, lifting and swinging the ax and slowly knocking chips out of the tree.

-Four hours later-

Leona paused to look at her handiwork while Tim stepped in to keep the ball rolling. Since there was nothing else for him to do at the station, Tim volunteered to help her cut the tree and keep a watch for the animals. Leona looked towards the woods further on down the track. There were no signs of activity, not even a tree branch rustling. Leona had been through this before... a period of calm usually meant that a disturbance was not far behind.

"We're a quarter of the way through the tree, Leona." Tim informed her.

"Thanks." Leona replied. Even though she wore the Argent Gloves, her arms and hands were a bit sore from continuous chopping. She looked down the tracks again. Still nothing. Was her spur-of-the-moment plan a bust?

The sound of the metal ax blade meeting wood filled the air. Leona was going to hear the noise in her sleep, but it would be worth it if the job was completed and the town was saved. She had been through a lot worse to complete a job. The stables of Farmer Jed in Hosenka immediately came to mind. The smell of horse manure immediately came to her nose.

Leona was watching Tim work when she heard movement behind her. Did the animals manage to sneak up on her? No. The animals did not wear boots that clattered on the tracks. Leona turned around to spot more of the railroad workers; ten of them carried axes and four carried chainsaws and were led by a barrel-chested giant of a man.

"Heard you two needed a hand. Name's Henry. I'm the foreman of the railroad workers here." The giant said to Leona. He was a tall, burly man with short black hair who wore stained blue overalls and a white short-sleeved shirt with boots. The other workers were clad the in the same attire.

"Hey Boss!" Tim called out. Henry gave a small wave as the other men moved into position around the tree.

"Tim's my nephew. He's new to the job and a bit slow on the uptake, but he gives his all and doesn't quit until the job's done. He's a good guy." Henry told Leona.

"He's been by my side this whole time. He's helped me a lot already. He'd probably cut the whole tree by himself if he had to." Leona told Henry.

"He'd do it if he had to. Station Controller Albert told me that you were sent to deal with the animals. How's this figure into your plan?" Henry asked her.

"I'm thinking that if we begin taking down this barricade, the noise will make them come to us." Leona explained succinctly.

"Hmm. You could be right. Or they could just set up another one down the track." Henry dryly commented. Leona blushed. She did not even think about that!

"Eh, I get what you're doing. My men and I are tired of standing around anyway. If it's noise you want, we can give you some." Henry assured her. He turned his head towards the workers and began to speak.

"This little lady needs us to make some noise. You know what to do." Henry told them. Everyone put on hearing protection. The workers with axes all gave a thumbs-up and began chopping. The men with chainsaws put on their gloves, helmets, and safety goggles and revved their chainsaws. They then set to work on the tree.

"YA MIGHT NEED THESE." Henry said as he handed her a pair of noise-reducing headphones. Leona slipped them on. Henry handed Tim a pair and he obligingly put them on.

"THINK THAT'S ENOUGH NOISE?" Henry shouted his question over the commotion.

"YEAH!" Leona shouted her reply while giving a thumbs-up. The sound of chainsaws should be more than enough to bring the animals to investigate. If not, either they were deaf, asleep, or were already making a backup plan. She would find out soon enough.

[Word Count: 982] [Total Word Count: 2,004/3,000]

Leona watched Henry, Tim, and the men work on the tree. They were systematically cutting it into smaller pieces. Meanwhile, Leona kept a watch out for the goblin and Vulcan. She even looked behind her in case they were smart enough to try and sneak up behind her while there was noise to mask their approach. So far there was no sign of them.

What were they waiting for? If they wanted to make a deal, they would come here now while their barricade was still up. She hoped that Henry was not right and that they were setting up another one further down the track and out of their sight. Seconds later the sawing stopped. Leona turned around to find Henry standing behind her.

"We've cut the tree in half. We'll work on cutting it into smaller pieces." Henry told her. Leona nodded and had turned around when she heard the men shouting and running to safety as gunshots rang out.

"GET TO COVER! I'LL HANDLE THIS!" Leona shouted as she ran to help the workers get away. Henry threw down his axe and yanked a panicking worker into cover behind half of the log. The remaining men sprinted to take shelter behind buildings and other solid cover. Bullets whizzed by and slammed into the log but hit no one. Leona spotted two figures slowly walking towards them.

"I think it's them." Leona said to herself.

"HUH? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Tim shouted. Henry shook his head and pulled the headphones off of his nephew.

"I think it's them!" Leona repeated.

"Ohhh... sorry!" Tim shouted an apology.

Leona walked towards the two figures. She was going to solve this issue once and for all. She would prefer it not to end in violence, but she would do what she had to. As she got closer, she saw the goblin and Vulcan. The goblin was holding an old lever-action rifle.

"Are you humans deaf? We said 100 pies and 100 tubs of sherbet! Otherwise the blockade stands!" The goblin ranted.

"Your bargaining power's slipping away." Leona said to him.

"As if! We've got plenty of trees! We can bring down as many as we like! The trains won't get through unless we let them!" The goblin countered. Leona looked closer at the two. They looked to be beaten and cut, like something had attacked them.

"And we'll cut each and every one of them in half if we have to." Leona countered. The goblin and Vulcan paused and looked at each other. They communicated in some language Leona did not understand. The goblin then turned back to her.

"As funny as that would be to watch, I have a feeling you'd actually do it." The goblin commented.

"There's only two of us." The Vulcan chimed in. The goblin frowned. He had just lost his bargaining chip. Or had he? He closed his eyes and groaned... so he had lost it.

"Fine! If you wanna make a deal, let's make a deal! But first, get rid of that ax!" The goblin commanded. Leona wordlessly threw it aside with one hand. It clattered on the tracks.

"Now get rid of that gun." Leona insisted. The goblin threw it aside. Thankfully it did not fire.

"What do you want?" Leona asked the goblin.

"We want the 100 pies and the 100 tubs of sherbet!" He replied.

"The humans want the log removed." The Vulcan stated.

"Yes. That's all we want." Leona affirmed.

"No! Not until we get what we want!" The goblin shouted.

"What happens if we give it to you? What's to keep you from knocking over a tree each time you want food?" Leona asked him plainly. While she was willing to negotiate with the creatures, she had to make sure that the people of Clover Town were getting a fair deal too.

"She has a point." The Vulcan stated. The goblin groaned in frustration and held his head in one hand. Then he looked at Leona.

"I'll give it to you straight, human. We're hungry. We haven't had anything to eat in a week." The goblin admitted.

"Humans drove us out of our home." The Vulcan explained.

"What kind?" Leona asked.

"They are bandits." The Vulcan answered.

"What my friend said. We were chased out by a bandit gang. They beat us and cut us and stole our home!" The goblin said.

"Where are they now?" Leona asked. The goblin and Vulcan looked at her. Their faces showed disbelief.

"Where are they?" Leona repeated.

"In the woods. Look for tents. Look for a red flag." The Vulcan answered.

"I'll go look. If what you say is true, I'll handle it." Leona said.

"We're not lying to you, human. We'll show you the way." The goblin said. Tim and Henry walked up to her.

"What's going on?" Tim asked Leona.

"They say they've been chased out of their home in the woods by bandits." Leona answered.

"Sounds about right. There HAVE been bandit sightings on the town outskirts, but they run away before the town guard can do anything." Henry informed her.

"I'll go after them." Leona said to the men.

"I'll go too. I don't like them terrorizing my home." Henry said.

"Me too!" Tim chimed in.

"No, Tim. You get the town guard and tell them to get ready for a raid." Henry commanded.

"OK, Boss." Tim said dejectedly.

"Now, show us the way!" Leona said to the animals. The animals turned and obligingly led the pair into the woods. She hoped that they were not lying to her to lure her and Henry into an ambush.

[Word Count: 938] [Total Word Count: 2,942/3,000]

-In the woods just outside Clover Town-

Leona and Henry followed the goblin and the Vulcan through the woods to their former home. The quartet were careful not to make any noise lest they draw unwanted attention too early. They traveled until they came across a pair of corpses dressed in brown leather armor. They had been ripped neatly in half.

"Those are some of the bandits who drove us out!" The goblin remarked.

"There's no bite marks, so they weren't eaten. It's also too precise for wild animals." Henry commented ominously.

"What's behind it?" Leona asked as Henry took a knee and examined a paw print on the ground.

"Print's too big to be a normal bear. And they all lead that way." Henry hinted as he crouch-walked towards something. The tension was getting to Leona. She wanted to know what was going on. She wanted to know what was behind the attack on the bandits.

The Vulcan tugged on Leona's sleeve and pointed a hairy hand towards something. Leona looked in the indicated direction. A hastily erected wooden barricade stood in front of a fort reminiscent of the one she had sneaked into in Lycan Woods, but on a much smaller scale. The gate had also been smashed in. And on a wooden flagpole was a red flag, just like the goblin told her.

"We told you! We told you we weren't lying!" The goblin exclaimed. The Vulcan clamped a brown hand over his friend's mouth.

"Quiet. Danger is near." The Vulcan warned. Seconds later something was thrown from inside the walls. It land near Leona's feet and what she saw made her scream. It was the upper half of a human corpse!

"Who enters the domain of the Great Bear?" A loud, powerful male voice asked. A man with roughly the same proportions as Henry stepped out of the ruined fort clutching a human head that looked like it had been ripped off of its original body. The man had a thick, unkempt brown beard and long, shaggy brown hair. On the right side of his forehead was a deep scar in the middle of what looked to be an old puncture wound. He wore brown pants and a bearskin on his upper half.

"Tom? Tom, is that you? Do you remember me?" Henry asked.

"I have been blessed by the Great Bear. I am but one of his many servants. He has tasked me with cleansing the filth from these woods. I will not tolerate intruders into his domain!" He shouted. He clenched his teeth and tensed his muscles.

"Wait a minute. We don't need to fight. We can talk this over!" Leona pleaded.

"Tom, listen to her! Let's talk through this!" Henry pleaded.

"We just did. He has no interest in words. He demands that you be removed from these woods. I answer his call!" The man bellowed as his body glowed light brown and he raised his hands into the sky. He gave a loud yell as fur grew on his body and his feet and hands grew larger. After several more seconds he completely transformed into a brown bear, but one twice the size of normal ones.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you, Tom." Henry apologized softly as he prepared his ax. Leona drew her knife. The Vulcan picked up a discarded log. The goblin panicked.

"How do you know him?" Leona asked.

"Tom was a friend of mine. He was a master hunter and a woodsman able to live off the land. He saved my life from a gang of poachers when we were both forest rangers. We both moved here... I became a railroad worker but he remained a forest ranger. But after he took a head wound from a poisoned arrow three years ago, he was never the same." Henry begrudgingly explained.

The large bear charged them at a frightening speed. Henry dodged and chopped downward with his ax, hitting nothing but air. Leona barely jumped out of the way. The Vulcan stood his ground, then stepped to the side and swung the log like a bat. It shattered on the bear's right side, eliciting a roar of pain.

Leona aimed and used an Air Burst. All eight balls hit, but they did nothing. The bear ignored her and focused on the Vulcan, who was running for his life. Leona sprinted after them with Henry close behind.

The Vulcan deftly climbed a tree just ahead of the bear, who slammed into it with its body. After shaking off the impact, it reared up on its hind legs and began violently shaking the tree with its front paws. The tree wobbled and shook as the Vulcan hung on tenaciously.

"Do something! He's gonna kill my friend!" The goblin urged Leona. Weaker spells would not cut it. It was time to bring out the big stuff. Leona opened with a Crescent Cutter that hit the bear squarely on the back. It roared in pain and got down, then turned to her.

"RUN!" Henry urged her. Leona stood her ground as the bear roared, then charged her. She used a Gale Cannon spell that hit it in the right shoulder. The bear skipped a step but remained upright and stampeding in her direction. Leona panicked. She jumped to the side just in time... she felt its fur brush her open hand as she jumped out of the way.

The Vulcan charged in with another log and slammed it onto the bear's head as it skidded to a halt. It bellowed in pain and turned towards the Vulcan. Its head wobbled for a moment... that might be the key to defeating it!

"OVER HERE!" Leona shouted at the bear. It obligingly faced her as she powered up and fired a Gale Cannon spell straight at its face. The projectile hit it squarely in the face and it staggered back, swaying to one side and almost falling down. A few more hits should do it.

It charged again. Leona went for another side jump but waited too long. Its shoulder slammed into her and sent her flying backwards, landing just short of a tree. Had she hit it with her head, she would have most likely died. As it was, she was on her back, without her knife, and facing down an angry bear.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" The goblin shouted as it leaped onto the bear's face. It began pounding furiously with its tiny fists, repeatedly punching the bear in the eyes. The irate beast stood up on its hind legs and began swatting with its paws. The goblin quickly jumped off and scurried away on all fours. Leona had a chance to end the fight now.

"CATCH!" Henry shouted as he threw her the ax. Leona caught it with one hand. She took it into her hands as the bear stood up on its hind legs and prepared to kill its adversary once and for all. It roared at her. Leona shouted back and drew back the ax, then brought it down with as much force as she could muster.

She buried it in the bear's chest as its two paws plummeted at her. She barely dodged the paws but was pinned to the ground when it fell on her. Her legs were trapped under its chest because she was too slow in diving out of the way. To her horror, it was still alive!

[Word Count: 1241] [Total Word Count: 4,183/3,000]

Leona was trapped under the weight of a bear that was barely alive but had enough vitality left to try and take her with it. To make matters worse, the blonde was pinned on her stomach, so she could not turn around to keep it off of her. She could feel its breath against the back of her neck.

"HANG ON!" Henry shouted as he took up her knife. He raced over with surprising speed and began to stab the bear in the beck.

"GET OFF OF HER!" The goblin yelled before jumping onto its head and pulling on its ears.

"LEONA!" A familiar voice shouted. It was Tim and a dozen members of the town guard! Tim sprinted over with his ax firmly in hand.

"STAY BACK!" Henry shouted at his nephew, raising a bloody hand to stop the young man. Taking advantage of the distraction, the bear swiped with its paw and knocked Henry away, then shuffled to its feet until it was standing on all fours. Leona was freed, but her legs were so numb that she could not move them to get away.

"HELP!" Leona called out. It stared at the back of her head. It bared its teeth and leaned down to bite her neck, but the killing blow never came. At least not from the bear.

"DIE!" Tim bellowed as he brought down the ax into the bear's head, the gleaming blade finding a new home in the bear's skull. The bear paused in place, then toppled onto its side. The transformation then gave way, leaving a nearly naked man with gaping wounds lying on the soft forest floor.

Tim let go of the ax and seized Leona's hands. He dragged her to safety and helped her to her feet. Henry knelt over the body of his former friend. He closed the man's eyes and looked at them. He then returned Leona's knife to her.

"Tom's dead." Henry said tersely. The leader of the town guard, an older man in an immaculate blue uniform with a golden monocle over his left eye, walked over to them with a grim facial expression.

"Judging from what we saw, we can all agree that what happened was self-defense. He was a rogue mage who needed to be stopped." The leader informed Henry, Tim, and Leona.

"However, we'd still like to ask some questions." He told them. All three humans agreed. They wanted to get out of the forest.

-Clover Town, Town Guard Station-

"We don't believe you have any reason to lie about what happened in the forest. We examined the bandit corpses and the evidence appears to support Henry's story. We also examined the testimony of all the railroad workers, who witnessed that Leona Jarnefeldt and Henry went into the forest in an effort to negotiate the removal of the barricade blocking the railroad tracks. Therefore, we won't press charges against any of you." The leader notified them. The three were relieved. Silver Wolf's name would not be dragged through the mud thanks to suspicion of murder.

"As for the animals... since they helped fight the bear at great risk to themselves and their only crimes were minor mischief like stealing food, we can look the other way... this time. However, they MUST remove the barricade at once!" The officer decreed.

"It's already been done. The animals came out and moved it themselves. They also apologized to us and the town for what they did. Furthermore, they promised to never do it again." Station Controller Albert informed everyone. Leona was relieved. Aside from the unfortunate incident with Tom, the animals were not hurt and the barricade was gone.

"Then the matter's settled. We won't press charges against them either." The officer declared. Albert turned to Leona.

"I can't thank you enough, Leona. Everything's gonna be all right now that the tracks are open!" Albert declared.

"Don't forget about Henry and Tim. They helped out too." Leona corrected Albert.

"It was a team effort, huh Boss?" Tim asked Henry.

"It sure was." Henry replied softly. Leona walked over to him and put a hand on the man's broad shoulder. At least she tried to... she managed to reach only his bicep.

"I'm sorry about what happened to Tom." Leona consoled him.

"It's not your fault, Leona. I blame the cult who brainwashed him. They came to Tom when he was sick from the poison. He was on the edge of death and they healed him with some strange magic. Then they promised him a chance to protect the forests of Earthland for eternity if he joined them." Henry recounted. Leona's face went pale. Was the cult who had corrupted Tom the same one responsible for what had happened in Beanstalk Village?

"I hope he's at peace now." Henry said softly. Leona decided to let the matter drop. She had completed the mission thanks to help from Henry, Tim, and the animals. The quartet left the town guard station and went back to the train station.

-Clover Town Train Station, early evening-

The trains were rolling in. The lanterns had just been lit and the railroad workers were busy making up for lost time, but no one complained. The station had work again. The town was coming back to life. There would be food and clothing and all manner of goods flowing into the town's businesses.

"Thank you, Leona. Thanks for everything." Albert said to her. He then pressed a bag of Jewels into her hand.

"It's a small token of our appreciation. It's no exaggeration when I say you've saved our lives." Albert said.

"Thank you, Leona." Henry said to her.

"Thanks Leona!" Tim echoed.

"No problem. I hope you guys don't run into any more trouble." Leona expressed her hopes before turning around and leaving. Today had been a busy day, but it had all worked out in the end. She could not wait to get back to the guild hall and into the hot springs.

[Word Count: 1,000] [Total Word Count: 5,183/3,000]