When Men Meet Monsters

Esca ~ 19 I Hate Heroic Endings

Lord Saun and Makialauta wrapped golden bands up their arms. The griffyns preened their wings into place and fastened white armor from their beak down their spines. Trolls sharpened their weapons and jostled with each other. In their own ways, each got ready for battle. I could still see the mountain in the distance, but the blue smoke had disappeared.. "Esca."

"Hm." I pulled my attention away. Vulius waved some armor at me.

"Why would I need this?" I took it from his hands and examined it. It was more like a thick, sturdy vest than armor. It twisted easily when I tried to tear it. Interesting.

"Do you want to be skewered?" He threw a helmet at me that looked human made. I caught it.

"The whole plan is for me to die anyway." I chucked it back at him. The helmet hit his shoulder and he fumbled to grab it. He refused to respond, so he turned his back to me and pretended to put the helmet away. The awkward tension was thankfully broken by Illa's sudden appearance.

"What do you think?" Ramsay drifted in behind her. Armor that looked like bark stretched across her torso and she had a small knife strapped to her leg. She might have looked scary, except for her giant smile.

"You look ready for battle," I affirmed.

"No, the child will not." I was clearly in the middle of an argument. Illa pouted at Ramsay, but he was as resolute as the stone trolls. She gave up and turned back to me.

"Are you wearing that?" She pointed to the aeonian armor I was still holding. "I heard the aeonians talking aobut it. It is the best, most magically infused armor they have invented right now, and it can stop the swing of a sword as well as arrows and, even faster objects thrown at you with magic, but it is still light and easy to move in, so... are you wearing it?" I made the mistake of looking at Vulius. He raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in anticipation. I rolled my eyes.

"I am not wearing the helmet." He laughed and relaxed a little. Once he had helped me into the armor, he got dressed in something similar and tightened a sword around his waist. I reached past him to grab a beautiful bow and its arrows.

"Do you actually know how to use that?" Vulius doubtfully asked.

"I do, actually." I swung the quiver over my shoulder. "My brother taught me." I flashed a smile.

"Show me." I pulled out an arrow. He grabbed my arm, shaking his head and smiling. "Not here." I followed him down a long hallway. We passed trolls who sent me nasty or suspicious glances, and sprites who either nodded or smiled. At the end, we came out onto a courtyard ringed with statues of different creatures. I walked to the edge of it and looked down into the canyon. The only things that held up this courtyard were two walkways. "Could you not-" Vulius stood behind me, trying to look down from a safe distance away.

"Chicken," I said and pulled out an arrow. I shot at it at the center of the only human statue. It hit and embedded itself in the eye. Vulius whistled.

"Were you aiming for the eyes?" Uhm...

"Yes, of course I was." He squinted suspiciously. "Well, what can you do, Prince Vulius?"

"Not a prince." I stuck out my tongue, and he returned the favor.

"That was a lucky shot." Ramsay and Illa had followed us out. Illa was apparently the only one who did not have a judgement.

"What about you?" I challenged Ramsay. "What are you going to do? Float menacingly?" He glared at me. Then he closed his eyes and put his fingertips together in front of him. What was he doing, meditating? Illa grinned and hopped up and down. Ramsay's forehead scrunched and pale smoke circled his hands. Oh, magic. I waited for a while and nothing happened. Vulius sat down in boredom, and I was about to sneak away, when the statue started to shake. The arms moved and it stepped off its pedestal. I stared as the statue walked stiffly toward us. It stopped only steps away and went still. That was impressive, but I was not going to let Ramsay know that.