sizeran Dilemma chapter 5

Sizeran Dilemma Chapter 5

Alicila opened her eyes as she felt someone tap her on her leg. “Huh?”

She looked down to see a young man staring up at her. “What do you want? I think I dozed off for a bit.” She sat back up. “Is Nora ready for me to see her?”

“Who?” He scratched at his grey hair. “Oh, Nora?”

The man shook his head. “Oh, sorry. I don’t know where she is at. I just wanted to ask you a question.”

Alicila sighed. “Oh. Sure I guess.”

“Do you think you can help me with a little problem of mine?” He tapped his index fingers together. “I am one of the cattle farmers here in Terrondale, and well, umm, I don’t want to have to admit this to the others, but I did something that we are not supposed to.”

He gulped and ran his pale hands through his hair. “Oh, if Rensin finds out, he is going to kill me.”

“Finds what out?” She bent over and gently touched his shoulders. “Hey, calm down.”

He took a deep breath. “I let my herd graze too close to the wild blueberry flower fields. I didn’t think anything of it until they all started to turn blue.” He slammed his hands on his leather vest.

“They all now look like giant blue cow balls. And the damn things are still trying to graze and just making things worse. I don’t have the strength to move them.”

“I ugh. . .”

He grabbed her torn pant leg. “I will pay you anything you want. Name your price. I don’t’ have much, though. Do you mind if I make the payment over time?”

Alicila held up her hands. “Hey, slow down there.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t even know if I can help.”

“Can’t you grow to whatever size you want?” He extended his hands high above him. “Just become as big as you need to and move them to my place. I will take care of the rest.”

She put her right hand on his head. “Look, what is your name.”

“Umm, Ventor.”

“Ok, Ventor, look, you are just coming on a bit strong here.”

She sighed. “Look, I am very, very sorry that this has happened to you.”

“I know. It is an utter travesty. But, something has to be done.”

Alicila sighed. “Ok, you have said that already.” She made her way to her feet. “Look, I don’t know how much I can help you through.”

Ventor laughed. “But you are a Sizeran. You can change in size a will. Come on, if anyone can help and keep things discrete, it is you.” He grabbed her ankle and tried to pull her. “Now come on.”

Alicila shook her head. “I cant’ really change in size.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Well, maybe, but not right now.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, you can. I have seen your people do so in the past when I was a wee young lad.”

She raised her voice. “I said I can’t.” Alicila took a deep breath. “Such things are not possible ok. I don’t know how I even got to this insane height, to begin with.” She threw up her arms. “I am so big it is a nightmare. Just go find someone else, ok.”

“Hey, look here. I came here looking for help, and I came to you. I don’t know what is going on with you right now, but you shouldn’t be taking that out on my poor, poor cattle. They are just so scared and blue.”

She blinked her eyes. “What?”

He snorted. “Look, you can feel bad all you want. But I need help here and now. You can do something about it, and I can’t go anywhere else without getting in more trouble.

So are you going to help me?”

She sighed. “Sure.”

“Perfect.” He pulled on her leg. “Now come on.

Hurry before they swell even more.

Last thing we need is those blasted bovines to become so big that not even you could roll them.”

Alicila shook her head. “Roll them?”

“Of course. It is what you do with blueberry cows.”

“Blueberry cows?” She followed Ventor. “What in the world is that?”

“It is something that Nora started to increase our production of our chemicals here. We have some of our cattle digest the blueberry flowers upon the northern ridge, and then we slaughter them after they have swelled up with all of the juices and such. Then we have much, much more of the product for our experiments and weapons.”

“Why would you make blueberry-themed weapons.

It sounds insane.”

“You can blame Rensin for that one.” Ventor laughed. “About a year ago, he came to town saying we needed to make weapons for the Lulvix Alliance for a deal he had struck with them.  It was his way of keeping our town safe from them.”

Alicila shook her head. “Wait, why would you need to keep your town safe from them?”

“The Lulvix Alliance has been trying to take over Velstoria but have only been able to expand their empire out across the continent of Livian.”

“Aren’t we on Livian?”

“Yes, on the very edge. He jumped over a small gap. “If you keep heading to the north, you would find the Telonic Sea. But anyways, the agreement was made to keep Lulvix from coming into the town and destroying us outright like his alliance did to so many other towns down south.”

“Why would they do that?”

He pushed his way through some brush which Alicia easily knocked aside with her legs. “Because they want a society which they can control. One where humans and their close allies are running the show.”

He pointed up at Alicila. “They consider you to be an outlaw just because you are a Sizeran. Some of the other races are in the same boat.”

“That is awful.”

He sighed. “Ya. Most everyone is treated like a second-class citizen. Only humans, Xanthor, Eldiwn, Crestfallen, and Norn, are treated as equals.”

“I don’t think I have heard of any of those besides humans.” Alicia shook her head. “I even thought I was just human until a few days ago.”

“There are quite a few Xantor working at our sister town of Cresthaven. Don’t confuse them with just regular dwarves. They tend to look more like their human cousins.” He pulled at his chin. “They usually don’t have beards, and they live for hundreds of years.”

“Wow.”

Ventor came to a sudden stop. “Well, we are here.”

Alicila gasped as she saw one of the strangest sights in her light. Before her, she could see seven mooing cows, half her size and all in giant round blue spherical shapes. One was even tilted over and still eating from the grass. Ventor ran over to it and slammed on the side of it. “No bad, Ressel. You don’t need to get even juicer.”

Alicila shook her head. “This is insane.” She walked over to the first mooing berry cow. “I never thought I would live to see such a thing.”

“Well, this is an everyday occurrence around here.”

He pushed on Ressel. “Now, can you help me roll them to my shack? I have a juicing machine there. We can get these babies back to normal in no time, and no one will be the wiser.”

Alicila walked over and put her hands on the first cow.

“Umm, sure, I guess.” Blue juice clung to her fingers. “This stuff isn’t going to do anything to me, is it?”

Ventor looked up at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Like if it is as powerful as you say, won’t it cause some kind of reaction to me as I roll them to your house just by getting it on my skin.”

“Don’t worry. As long as you wash it off within five minutes of exposure, you will be fine. I think for someone your size, that won’t be an issue with a river nearby.”

“Wait, what?” She wiped her hands on her clothes. “You have got to be kidding me.”

“Hey, the river is right there.” He pointed behind him. “What do you really have to worry about?”

She sighed. “Fine. Let’s get these things back to your place.” She rolled the cattle down the grass as she hummed to herself. “This isn’t something I ever thought I would have to do in my life.”

In the distance, she could see a small grey shack. “Is that your place?”

Ventor ran on ahead. “Yep. Just roll Ressel on up to the door there. I can pull the equipment on out after we get the others here.”

Alicila did as she was told and moved the giant blue cow up to the edge of his barn. “Ok, there.” She wiped her forehead. “Now what?”

“Now we go and get the others. I will then juice them. Simple as that.”

She sighed. “Right. Simple.”

She walked over to the river and washed her hands. “This is going to take a while, isn’t it?”

“Well, I thought you were trying to waste some time?”

She shrugged. “I am.” She stood back up and shook her hands, large droplets of water hitting Ventor on the head.

“I just wish I had a way to check on Nora.”

“Hey, don’t worry, we will head over there as soon as you are done here. Ok.”

She cracked a smile. “Right.”

“And thank you again for helping me.”

“Of course.” She walked back out towards the pasture. “It is the right thing to do.” She turned her head as she walked closer towards the giant blue cows. “Even if the right thing is hard.” Alicila spent the next hour rolling the rest of the massive blue cattle towards the small house, only taking breaks to wash her hands.

Once she was finished, she fell down next to a giant oak tree and sighed. “Finally.”

Ventor walked up to her and tapped her thigh.

“Thank you.”

She looked up at the darkening sky. “I don’t think I can walk back to town. Moving those damn blue cows took too much out of me.”

“Well, it isn’t too much of a rush. We can head back to Terrondale in the morning.”

“Sounds good to me.” Alicila closed her eyes. “Thank you, Ventor.”

“For what? You are the one who helped me.”

She rolled over onto her side. “You and the others didn’t just turn me away.” He blinked his eyes. “I had been chased out of the last town at crossbow point.

Thank you for not being scared of my size.”

“I umm. . .” He scratched at his head. “Well, sure. I don’t see why anyone would be.” He patted her on her leg. “Well, have a good one.”