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Benjamin Sharp. Firefly. Certified ‘Little Shit’. Mech Maker. Stakeouter.
That last one was new, but Benny didn’t mind adding a new title to his reservoir. The facility he was staking out was the shell of an old merchant front along one of the biggest rivers in the area, the Ikkoria. The building itself was often referred to as the “Ikea” because of this, but Benny wasn’t entirely sure how they got “Ikea” from “Ikkoria”. If anything, “Ikkor” would make more sense. Eh, maybe it was a waterfly name, there were plenty of them around these parts.
“Well Billy, I hope you enjoyed your meatballs.” He muttered, wings fluttering behind him as he prepared to go collect one of his armours. He paused before he left though when bright lights flashed in his peripheri.
“What the-”
A glow of guards appeared from the sky, carrying what looked like some kind of ant in their grip. Benny’s eyes widened in surprise. There weren’t any colonies nearby, so if this gal had gotten on the wrong side of the foundation, she must’ve come from pretty far.
“Let me go! You have no right to do this! I swear if a single one of you lays a finger on Charlie, imma find a way to blow up this whole area!” She snapped, legs kicking uselessly in the air.
“Damn, this gal’s got spunk.” Benny whistled in appreciation as, upon landing, the ant immediately tried to throw off her captors once more. With a snark, the guards lifted her above the ground again, rendering her strength pretty much useless. Benny shook his head slightly to refocus. Sure, the kid was intriguing, but Billy came first. He had to get him out, then maybe he could learn what the kid’s deal was.
As he was about to leave, his attention was dragged back again when another figure appeared carrying a prisoner. This time, Benny’s attention was immediately on the captive. It appeared to be humanoid, but was covered in some kind of fungus… it was still yelling though, did it still have sentience? The ant and the… other ant? Were yelling to each other, and after listening in for another few moments, Benny made his decision. His curiosity got the better of him, and he spread his wings facing the facility.
With a few beats he was shooting toward the group. They barely had time to respond as he tackled into Egress and grabbed the little creature from her arms. She snarled, but Benny was fast, and had the benefit of surprise. His wings beat even faster to make up for the new weight, and within a few seconds, he was flying off into the horizon, laughing as the guards struggled to keep up. The metal supports on his back hummed with his movement, quieting only once he landed.
With the wind no longer in his face, he could get a better look at the kid- and he could see now that they were a kid. He didn’t know much about ants, but he figured most adults weren’t this small. Still, the fungi was the thing that made him the most intrigued.
Upon landing, the kid had scurried away from him, and Benny’s heart tugged slightly. Sure, he was used to people being wary around him, but the look in the kid’s eyes… it was like they expected him to kill them or something. They stammered out something about being grateful for Benny helping them, but it was lost in the rush of Benny’s own mind, ideas sparking and simmering.
“Alright kid, you need to calm down. How ‘bout we start with introductions, ey? Then we can think about helping each other, alright? ‘Cause you got a buddy being held by the foundation, and I, too, happen to have a buddy being held by the foundation. So let’s just calm down and take this nice and chill, right?”
The kid, Charlie, followed Benny’s breathing and finally introduced themself. They apologised for panicking, which Benny had to avoid rolling his eyes at.
“Kid, if I got this right- you were kidnapped by some strangers, then grabbed by another stranger for unknown reasons. Of ‘course you panic, it’d be weirder if you were calm, alright?”
It was hard to tell with the growth that spread across their cheeks and covered one eye, but Benny was pretty sure the little ant was blushing. They kept stumbling over their own fast-paced words, but at least didn’t seem on the verge of a panic attack.
“Alright, here’s the plan, ‘kay?” Charlie’s gaze snapped up to lock onto Benny, and if he were another man, he’d probably be startled by the sudden shift in energy. But he was Benny frickin’ Sharp, and he wouldn’t be the sharpest guy around if he was able to be startled so easily.
“Alright, so…”
- - - - - - -
Charlie hugged onto Benny’s back as the firefly flew, his wings a blur as Charlie watched the scenery pass. They trusted Benny, honestly. It was just… well, Charlie hadn’t exactly had the best history with people. Still, the spears strapped to his back were sturdy and well made, impressive for a firefly. Not that Charlie would say that, afterall, Kayla was brilliant at fighting and she wasn’t even a guard, so it was really unfair to judge based on appearance.
Anyway. He’d lost his coat when they’d been grabbed, but thankfully Benny had been willing to lend him one. That stopped the spores from drifting from Charlie, which they were grateful for. They did miss their coat though…
The two landed just outside the facility. Charlie snuck along beside Benny. He was used to being more stealthy… but of course, Benny didn’t work that way. The man ran through the facility laughing like a maniac as he avoided the guards. Charlie scurried after him, dropping low to the ground to keep up. They were far more used to being on Kayla’s back, but Benny needed his back free to fly to the best of his ability. So, Charlie just covered for him.
Of course, that only worked so well, and the lead of the guards, Abigail Appaquash according to Benny, got close enough to cut him with something that left the cuts burning. Charlie knocked her down and grabbed the pike, only to yelp as the sharp tool cut their hand with the same burning sensation.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow…” He whispered.
“Charlie!” Benny grabbed a dropped staff and smacked a few guards away. “C’mon kid, you can’t be getting distracted!”
He grabbed Charlie’s non-injured hand and pulled the boy back up. The duo ran past cell after cell, Charlie struggling to keep up, let alone fight. Had they been poisoned? Were they going to die? Could he die? Could he infect Kayla? Oh no oh no oh no-
“Charlie!” The yell pulled them from their thoughts and Charlie smacked Benny’s hand away on instinct. Thankfully, the man didn’t seem upset and just looked into Charlie’s face.
“Look, kid, I know you’re scared. But we gotta get our friends and get out of here before we can worry about these scratches, okay?” The gash in Benny’s shoulder was slowly dripping blood onto the floor. Charlie watched the crimson liquid fall with wide eyes.
“Hey.” He looked back up to meet glowing green eyes. “We’re going to be okay. We just gotta focus, ‘kay? Now, ain'tcha happy to see your friend?”
Charlie turned and saw Kayla in one of the adjacent stalls, trying to break thick bars down. Quickly, they grabbed the saw Benny had brought and began cutting away one of the stakes.
“Charlie!” Kayla scooped him up into her arms. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
“I- I’m okay!” Charlie smiled brightly, immediately put at ease to be back with his friend. Hurriedly, he scrambled onto Kayla’s back, repositioning the spears to an easier to reach spot.
“Alright, let’s get out of here!” Kayla called.
“Woah, not so fast, kid! We still gotta get my cousin Billy!”
With a confused expression, Kayla followed the chaotic crafter deeper into the mass of stalls until they found his cousin. Once their group was finally complete, they finally turned back to find the exit. All the while, Billy and Benny were bantering about the toxin- which turned out be called “vigorshide”- joking about whether Benny would survive. Charlie was uncomfortable but tried to focus, as Benny had instructed. Surprisingly, he wasn’t feeling any different than before, except for the slight sting from the cut.
Benny couldn’t say the same, however. Once they were out range from the abandoned marketplace, he collapsed against a nearby rock. He held his hand to his chest with a tight expression. Immediately, Charlie slipped from Kayla’s back and ran to the older man.
“Benny? Are you okay? What can I do?”
“I’m- eurgh… I’m alright, kid. Just gotta…” His eyes were fluttering. “How… How are you…” He mumbled.
“Wait. Wait! You’re a firefly!”
“Yeah…?”
“And fireflies can’t be infected by the spores!”
“Charlie, what are you getting at?” Kayla asked quietly, her faced pinched in concern. Before Charlie could reply, however, Benny was on the ground, gasping for air.
“No time! Sorry in advance!” Charlie pulled at one of the shrooms forever growing on their skin and shoved it into Benny’s mouth. With a choked gasp, it disappeared, and they sat with bated breath. The man started shaking, then fell still.
“Is he…?” Kayla whispered.
“He’s breathing.” Billy confirmed. “We gotta wait now. C’mon, we have a shelter near here. We can wait for him to wake there.”
Kayla glanced to Charlie. The boy smiled at her, took her hand, then followed Billy as he carried his cousin. With a soft sigh, Kayla squeezed Charlie’s hand and let herself be pulled.
- - - - - - -
“You didn’t know if it would work?!?!?!”
“It was an educated guess!”
“An educated guess that could have killed me!”
“Well, you were going to die anyway!”
“Not necessarily!”
“Alright you two! Stop fighting like children. Charlie gets a pass there but Mr Sharp Charlie saved you. You could at least be grateful!”
“...fine. Thanks kid. You did good.”
“No problem!”