Chapter 10: Interlude; Doubts? Explode.

Laud Boum’s hand thrust up from the rubble. Then the rubble exploded, because when you were an explodahead, being buried alive was never a fear, since you could just explode your way out. Exploding was the solution most explodaheads had for everything.

War? Explode.

Peace? Explode.

Cooking? Explode.

Cleaning? Explode.

Bored? Explode.

Proving a point? Explode.

Like the saying about the hammer, when your head explodes… on second thoughts, that doesn’t exactly work.

Whatever about the suitability of explosions for all choices, in this situation it worked quite well. Laud Boum was free of the rubble. He had other problems, ones that blasphemetically would likely not be that solvable by explosions.

The first was that he needed a new instrument weapon.

The second was that the Fire Howler and her companions where nowhere to be seen.

The third was that he was having doubts.

Laud Boum sat down on a particularly large rock, one clearly suited to pondering with fist to chin. If one had a chin, or a fist, those of alternative limbs and headstates would likely still find it a good rock for thinking on.

The music that he had played, that the Fire Howler had played. It had been good, really good. Although you wouldn’t have caught Laud saying it, he felt it was something better than explosions.

Following on this his mission from the Firelord (who made great explosions) was to put an end to the Fire Howlers.

Laud didn’t really want to put an end to such great music. He thought of Wolfhiem. He had been one of those that helped destroy it, but it had been more general destruction he had done than targeted. He felt an unpleasant feeling, as he considered how much cool music must have been lost. He was thinking that the Firelord’s Explosions weren’t worth it.

It wasn’t even as if anyone got to see the Firelord’s fire much anyway now, stuffed away in the dark sooty armour he wore.

Laud was having serious doubts about this whole snuffing business. Now that he was thinking of it, he had a suspicion that the Firelord didn’t care about explosions or music.

The firelord didn’t have to do much to get explodaheads on his side, just promising to let them explode all they wanted was enough. Thinking back on it, Laud remembered that there was plenty of his kind that didn’t join up with the Firelord, and others that deserted after they joined.

He supposed that explosions that everyone enjoyed were better than ones that the exploder only did. He remembered rumours about a ‘Fireworks Clan’ of Explodaheads, who exploded for the joy of others, Laud wasn’t sure how that worked, but it sounded neat. Supposedly they were being hunted by the Firelord too. He hadn’t thought much of it.

That was the problem, Laud thought, you got caught up in the fun of exploding and forgot the little things and the big things, and next thing you know? Some plucky adventurer manages to smash your nigh indestructible body with a hammer. All because you fell in with the wrong crowd, well that and blowing up people’s homes.

So, sitting on the rock, Laud decided that unlike explosions the Firelord was not a good thing. He was disquieted, because this meant he was also not a good thing. Laud didn’t like that, he wanted to be bright and flashy like an explosion, not glowery and cranky like the Firelord.

He decided what he would do, but first he’d need an new instrument and he’d have to catch up to the fire howler, that and there was one other problem…

Laud was surrounded by some very angry red eyed tailless slugs and their battered machines.

<The others may have escaped, but we will have the secrets of moosikh!> A particularly large slug blustered.

If he wasn’t stuck grinning, Laud would have done so. This was a problem that could be solved with exploding, and the machines could be made into a new instrument. That, or the tailless slugs were bound to have some metals lying about.

Pulling his head off and throwing, Laud got to work exploding.