Crossroads
Bucket got down from the ship and put on a small brown cloak. He was 2 miles away from the gate, but he could still see it in the distance. Luckily for him, this was a cargo entrance, which meant that there were mainly construction workers there rather than full guards. He dove into the small river in front of him, where ships would normally dock, and he found a small sewer line connected to the city. The cloak protected him from the scent. He obviously couldn't come out smelling like a dead raccoon in the middle of the city; that would just make him look suspicious.
He carefully slid through the bars and let himself be let down gently by the water. He ran through the small corridors. It was like a labyrinth. Navigating through this was intentionally difficult since escaping prisoners often used this route to try and escape, but it would be impossible unless you personally knew the way in and out, and even if you did, you'd likely not be super rational due to the adrenaline, not to mention that patrols were frequently dispatched here. But Bucket knew better. He knew their whereabouts, beatdown points, etc. He might've been sopping wet, smelly, but he knew what he was doing. Being stinky only helped him blend in better.
The number of times he nearly got caught was at least 10. Within minutes, however, he managed to get to the exit. He found a ladder and quickly climbed up the rusty rungs.
He peeped up to check if there were any soldiers nearby, but instead, there was a transport that was going right over his manhole. He got an idea. He discarded his sewer outfit and threw it into the water. He jumped onto the metal transport above him and just barely had enough time to close the manhole he came from. The transport wasn't fast, but at least he could escape while they passed an alley. He couldn't exactly explain that he came out of a sewer system while holding onto his sanity.
Soon, the opportunity he had been waiting for presented itself to him. An open alley. But not just any alley, an alley that had the symbol §, otherwise known as the Silent Sedition. In other words, his informant. He had a connection with the guild because during the war, he often provided information to them in exchange for protection and small change.
Today, he was going to provide them with the sewer routes since what he was asking for had a huge price. He had been trying to save it, but this quest seemed as good as any. Compared to what intel the Cookie Bandit had on the Leader, this was essentially chump change anyway.
He took out some cookie crumbs and rubbed them over the logo. The bricks slid down, and he entered the brick wall, revealing a small lounge. The receptionist recognized him and rang the bell. At once, the scene changed. There was a small ivory table in the middle of the floor, plated with gold. There was tea on both sides; a sweet and aromatic flavor, kind of like cinnamon, permeated the room.
The chairs were made of a gradient faded blue velvet, and a handsome man sat at the other side of the table. His hair was bright gold and was in a side part with a spit curl. He wore a mask that covered his eyes and a suit without a blazer. His pants and shoes were a patterned white. His legs were crossed, and his mouth was set in a smirk that flaunted his wealth almost as much as his clothes did.
"Welcome back, Customer! What's it gonna be today?" he said, in a soothing voice.
"I have a request for you, Garrett."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"I need information on the Leader. Any rumors, weaknesses, anything strange going on with him, etc."
"That's going to be expensive..."
"The sewer routes."
"What?"
"In return for this information, I'll give you Northway's sewer routes."
"What makes you think that we don't already have it?"
"The prison would either be empty or the sewer routes would be filled with rotting bodies."
"Heh. Alright then. That would be part of the cost. Anything else to offer up?"
"Here's some advice: the outposts may fall soon. Just keep that in mind."
"How can you back what you say?"
"What if I told you that I know who rigged the fortress to explode?"
For the first time, Bucket saw him truly surprised.
"... Fine. That is sufficient," he said, as he snapped his fingers. A man appeared to whom he commanded, "Get this man here anything we have on the Leader."
When he got back, Bucket received the whereabouts and locations of the Leader on a small tablet in his inn. One key part was that there was a constant stream of materials. But the strange part was where they were being sent to. There was a specific location where all of these materials were being sent. But the place... didn't even have a proper settlement. It was just a deserted island. Why would the Leader be moving there? Hmmm... it must have to do with the relocation of the Fortress. Knowing this location would be important since that might be where they'd have to attack the Leader next.
__________________________________________________________________
It had been a while since our last excursion. At least, we saw no backlash. As of now, we have enough resources to start working. I realized by this point that the Leader essentially had half of my powers already. What I needed was a way to somehow counteract this power. Sure, it would be a double-edged sword, but it was necessary. Speaking of double-edged swords, it'd be a good idea if I reforged Rice Cooker.
Michael also had his weapon from promotion: a sniper rifle. He got lucky and got a weapon that could transform into any weapon that he wanted. He was an incredible shooter. He was a master of long range, while I was a master of close range.
Elaine was like a jack of all trades, knowing that she needed to be skilled in all of these to achieve her goal. Her weapon was a light-bladed omni-weapon(a weapon that could change form). In other words, as she did her slash attack, a ray of light would attack the opponent in an arc, and when they were hit, it would act like a laser, cutting their body on impact.
But what ingredient could we use? I spoke of my thoughts out loud, and everyone had a pensive expression.
"The Builder and I can figure this out while you guys make new armor. Clearly, we need to prepare for what's ahead."
"That's a great idea," said the Builder, "I think it's best that you make the armor this time."
"Humph! Fine, I'll do it."
For a few weeks, Michael and I worked on designing and creating new armor for everyone. We also created another small ship. Michael, since he was a sniper, got light, but durable armor that was good for camouflage. He could wear it inside a jacket to hide it. Best of all, it could take most hits from normal people. While it would be suicide to face off against something like a half giant, he would be untouchable to normal soldiers. My armor was slightly bulkier.
I used more materials for mine, since it had to be durable. As someone who would be fighting in the front lines most of the time, I needed light armor. While it was still much heavier than what Michael wore, I doubt even Captain Titan could scratch it anymore. For Michael's boots, I added some extra functions. He could slow his fall by using cookie crumbs, and he could also hide a pistol. For his gauntlets, he could use stun, flash(for sending signals), and a taser, which was also good for disabling electronics.
My gauntlets were similar, but they were more focused on playing dirty tricks on the opponent, like a pepper spray container, and things like that. There's no bravado in dying on a battlefield. It only matters if you survive. He also requested specialized gloves for some reason, saying that his normal ones were too dirty.
Elaine requested something more versatile, so I made her a small white, gray, and black garb. It was stab-proof, while being quick to move in. Her gauntlets could deflect gunshots and had Michael's functions. A special feature was that she could wear it normally to increase offense and wear it inside out to increase defense. The only unfortunate part was that the defense made her a lot heavier. To combat this, I engraved a mobility enchantment. While I could only do simple stitches, she helped me complete the process by sewing all of the clothes with the help of the Builder.
"Do you want a helmet?" I asked.
"Nah, probably won't need one. The only time anyone is ever going to see my face is probably when we fight the Leader, and by that point, it wouldn't matter anyway. It's not like anyone except the Leader knew me that well anyway."
On their end, they discovered the very flower that we needed. To start, I had given them a description; I remembered grandpa telling me this a while ago when he was telling me of the dangers of this world. Specifically, those who are dangerous to our family. He didn't tell me the name nor show me a picture of the flower, but he did give me a description of it.
It was a thorny flower, a very unique-shaped one as well. Its color, the opposite of the Anastasia flower, and suitably so. Using just that information, they managed to track down the flower to the very bottom of the planet. It was in the mountain range known as the Jackfruit Mountain Range, specifically, on Sosop peak.
"Looks like we're almost ready to fight the Leader," said Elaine, "Once we fight him, we'll probably be able to catch him off guard. Anyway, Michael and I can handle the flower alone. What're you gonna do?"
"I'll probably hit all the other outposts."
"Alone?!" exclaimed Michael while grabbing my collar.
I shook him off, "Well yeah. I have to build my infamy. The people are scared, Michael. I need to show them that I am someone they can look to for hope. We've already built a connection with Lava Cake, but just because I saved their Leader, doesn't mean that they have to fight with me.
At most, I could probably seek refuge. I need to make a big enough impact to the point that people could actually think that we could win. Also... stealing cookies was kinda sorta... fun.
"Alright, so it's settled, you two can take the main ship to the mountain while I raid the base. Take Aisago with you, by the way. "
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"He needs experience. And plus, he won't compete with me for cookies, well, maybe I could give him a biscuit if he fights well."
Asiago, who was apparently there the entire time, woofed in agreement. While my friends got ready to leave, I started to put on my own gear. I sat in the cockpit of the ship. Asiago would be crucial at snuffing out any duds. He is a dog after all. I zoomed out of the garage. Snow and hail piled up on my windshield while I did my best to wipe it off.
I was going for the closest one first, the outposts near the border of Forgotten Forest. The border was one of those places where no party really had any control. The Piqs did live near there, yes, but they never bothered taking control of it because Lavacake hadn't deemed it necessary. It was almost like a mercenary town. I set my small aircraft in a small clearing beneath some trees. This was my first time going alone, so naturally, I was slightly worried. While I was confident in my abilities, I wasn't confident in the fact that nothing would go wrong.
I could see all kinds of people living here. Pirates, businessmen, workers, etc, and they all seemed to commune with nature while still being able to semi-modernize their technology. I could see people making houses in the giant trees and mushrooms that were in great abundance. I climbed up the trees and zoomed in using my helmet. I looked around. This was a well-guarded outpost. 4 entrances, 4 at each entrance.
This time, I needed not only speed but to be a superhuman in every aspect. But that didn't matter since a chocolate chip cookie could use every single cookie ability, just at a lesser power. I couldn't run as fast, but since I had literally every other power, it was worth it. I held my cookie up to the sun. Well... here goes nothing. Chomp!
The bittersweet taste of the chocolate chips melted on my tongue. The taste of vanilla, cocoa, and butter drifted through my mouth. The taste of this cookie would never leave my mouth, and with that taste came a surge of power. The hairs on my back stood up, giving me goosebumps. A chill went up my spine. I'm locked in. I would take them by surprise. Whoosh!
I zoomed toward a guard, but they just stood there and looked at me like they had given up, and I can't blame them either. The other guard scrambled, but it's like he forgot how to be a soldier. I slammed my fist into the other guards, and left a dent in their chest. They go flying into the distance. More soldiers showed up, but none of them were expecting the force of nature that was me. I pulled out Rice Cooker and slashed their arms before they could call for help. Another entrance down. I kept this up until all of the entrances were fine.
"Come in, Entrance 1, do you respond?"
I looked at the fallen soldier and pressed speak on his comm, "We hear you!"
"Is everything fine?"
"Yes sir, no irregularities here."
"Good."
I responded like that for the others, but I slightly altered the pitch of my voice to make it believable. These comms weren't exactly state-of-the-art, so you couldn't really tell anyway. I took a deep breath and positioned myself slightly at an angle. I punched the door, and it flew into some of the technicians who were quietly working at their desks. I felt a slight headache, and I instinctively knew that my powers were going to run out soon. But what was this head throb? Was it pounding? This dizziness? I knew I didn't have much time left.
I shot the emergency buttons and the technicians, as usual, but my body felt sluggish and like I was trying to walk through water. With great difficulty, I dragged a technician's hand over the control pad and opened the vault. Cookies come piling out, and I fall straight in. I put a single oatmeal cookie up to my mouth, and suddenly, I feel all better. While I still can't eat more than 5 cookies at once, even after eating them, at least the oatmeal cookie gets rid of all the side effects, as it's a healing cookie. When I eat a chocolate chip cookie, I get a restriction that allows me to only eat one before the side effects kick in. This was a good thing to know.
Thankfully, my powers had grown in this short amount of time. When I had tried to eat a chocolate chip cookie a few days earlier, I ended up passing out after using my powers. Even if it's small, it's worth it. A few hours later, I was back at the mansion, and boy, was I exhausted! What I pulled off just there was a feat that no other person could compare to at this moment. While it was just a small outpost, I had done it all on my own.
The problem was that I had to do this for so many other places. Sinigang Valley, which I could handle pretty quickly, but Crimson City was going to take a long time. Even Crispdrop Canyon wouldn't be easy. Still. I had plenty of time. I doubted my friends had even gone a quarter of the way to the Jackfruit Mountains yet. Even so, I was looking forward to the next few weeks. I uploaded a recording of my robbery onto Moonshine (A streaming platform) and waited. The goal was not to hide, but to undermine authority.
Bucket called in a bit later.
"Hey Veris!"
"Around strangers, call me Cookie Bandit," I said.
He gave me a quizzical look.
"It's just my alias. Don't worry about it."
He nodded and said, "I have some information regarding the Leader," he said, in a serious tone," All the manufacturing companies are held up providing the Leader with materials. I've already transmitted the list to you. They're apparently being sent to some sort of island. But to my knowledge, there's no such island. Even on our maps, there's nothing. But looking at their coordinates, it seems that there is. What they're doing over there can't be good. We should investigate."
"Good work. I knew I could trust you with this."
His cheeks turned red and he said," Thanks. I'll see if I can get anything else before I return."
"Thanks a lot. I don't think it's a great idea to go to those coordinates just yet, however, since I think whatever's there might still be too dangerous to handle. There are still the other captains remaining. There's at least 3 per fortress, and there are still two others: the Clementine Fortress and the Wintermelon Fortress."
"I understand. Thanks for the warning".
"Just stay safe"
"I will"
With that, we cut communications. I only hoped that we could connect the dots.