The Monsters Chapter 2
By Serena Elisa
Fiona’s Villa - 600 A.D.
“You won’t have any problem, now.”
Fiona smiled gratefully.
The companions were comfortably sitting around a table, chatting while taking some tea with a wonderful cake. At last, someone who thanked them in a tangible way. Someone who had presented them with normal and tasteful food instead of some suspicious-looking broth.
Of course, Magus -alone in his corner- was scowling as usual, Ayla was crouched on the ground eating in a peculiar way, and Robo just stared at the cake. There was a friendly atmosphere nevertheless.
“Surely, the big monster has given us a hard time,” Marle continued, “A grotesque creature, like a giant skeleton...how ugly! It reminded me a bit of that other skeleton, that Zombor at Zenan Bridge. But this one was a lot more powerful. It kept us busy for...half an hour, right, Lucca?”
“Yes, perhaps more,” the young scientist replied, her mouth full.
“And I was badly injured! Robo saved me...but you know...we couldn’t have defeated it without our wonderful friend Glenn!”
Everybody agreed. Glenn lowered his head, suddenly embarrassed. It was true, just his water magic had been effective to weaken the strong defences of the monster, making it vulnerable to ordinary weapons. But he remembered perfectly well to have been reluctant to enter the desert caves and to have complained a lot against the sand...because his frog skin suffered in dry places.
Nobody had made any comment at that time, but he knew his friends had understood and he had felt deeply uncomfortable and ashamed for his cursed form.
“So, it was that...skeleton that caused earthquakes?” Fiona asked, and Glenn was really grateful to her for having changed issue.
“Yes, you can sow your seeds now,” Lucca assured.
Fiona stood up and went to pick up a small vase with a plant in it.
“I’m so happy! I will start working immediately...It’ll take some centuries, but a day in this place there will be a forest again!”
“Perhaps we can help!” Lucca said brightly.
“Oh, you’ve already done so much!”
“But Robo...Robo?!”
Robo was cracking some nuts.
“He’s helping me,” Crono explained meekly “I couldn’t manage...”
Lucca cleared her throat.
“Robo, you could...”
“yes!” Marle yelled with enthusiasm, jumping up “He can prepare the soil, irrigate and so on a lot faster than any human worker!”
“And we can leave him here and go to pick him up in the future!”
Robo had already left the table and was bowing to Fiona.
“I feel honoured to be useful in such a good cause.”
Crono glanced at Glenn.
“He’s talking a lot about honour, lately...perhaps he wants to became a knight”
Glenn laughed and suddenly felt happy again. He was with friends, nobody was going to ridicule him for his appearance. He took some cake and croaked merrily.
***
Ozzie’s Fort - 600 A.D.
Slash’s sword danced swiftly in the air, hitting and slicing the flying targets launched at him by two blue Imps. He hadn’t failed once.
“Faster! Faster!” he yelled.
The Imps tried to obey, but they were already moving at their maximum speed, sweating and moaning under their breath.
“Faster, you spineless wimps!”
The Imps stumbled into each other’s feet and both fell sprawling on the floor. Their master gave a terrifying howl and they quickly run for their lives, crawling and limping on knees and hands.
Slash attacked ferociously one of the training puppets, nearly destroying it with the first blow. Then he threw back his head with another cry, his sword raised in a defying stance.
Slowly he became aware of a soft giggling from a dark corner, and a sarcastic voice addressed him.
“So you won. Wow. Cool. Great. How manly.”
He turned with an abrupt but graceful movement and spoke harshly.
“What do you want, you bitch?”
Flea laughed openly, making himself visible at last. He was hovering in the air, a bit like Ozzie liked doing, but a lot more elegantly -at least he didn’t looked as if he was on the point of rolling away like a balloon.
“Nothing from you, you slimy pig,” he answered peacefully. In some way, he managed to sound really menacing using such a calm tone.
“Then go away and let me practice,” the Swordsman hissed.
The Magician was flying around Slash, forcing him to turn continually to face the other one. Slash too knew that spell, but after the exertions of his training he was too tired to use magic. And magic wasn’t his speciality. He didn’t trust it.
“Otherwise you’ll menace me with your oh so big sword, uh?” Flea chuckled, putting a hand over his mouth, like a flirting girl.
Slash sheathed his blade and took some deep breaths to calm down.
“You actually enjoy coming to tease me, don’t you?”
“Shouldn’t I? Oh...no, probably I should kill you. I should have done it thirty years ago. But I’m a person easy to get on with. I hate feeling angry for too long.”
Flea was still smiling sweetly.
“You’re just a harlot,” Slash spat out.
“That’s what you’ve been dreaming of, my dear friend...in your sick imagination.”
Slash’s patience snapped. His harsh voice echoed angry into the dungeon.
“I am sick?! You’re one to talk! You go around wearing a fake breast and everything and pretend to be surprised if someone takes a wrong idea on you!”
“Are you sure it’s fake?”
Flea touched gracefully the floor and stood before the Swordsman, always grinning.
“Typical of you, judging people from their clothes. But, see, it’s so simple...I don’t feel the urge of pumping my muscles and taking off my shirt in front of other males...or speaking roughly with bad words and dirty innuendoes...or shedding blood to demonstrate my strength. I leave this behaviour to those unsure about their manliness. I’m not.”
“Because you haven’t any,” Slash growled.
“Poor child, you know nothing about me. Forget it. Go on with playing with swords and little knives...” Flea sighed wearily. He turned away and moved toward the main door.
“...and going after young boys,” he added in a lower -but still audible- voice.
Slash reacted in a couple of seconds. He grabbed one of Flea’s arms, forcing him to turn again to face the point of his sword. Even then, with that blade against his throat, Flea continued to smile, an amused light in his brown eyes.
“This is not true,” Slash whispered “And remember that I could kill you with a slight movement of my hand”
“So could I...Don’t touch me,” the Magician warned gently.
Slash regained enough lucidity to notice Flea was pointing his fingers against his chest -not touching it- ready to use his fire magic, with that angelic smile on his lips. Slash had already experienced the effect of that power. Just once...once too much.
It wouldn’t have been so bad if only Flea hadn’t actually looked like a woman, a rather attractive one. Only examining his face at a very close distance, or seeing him without any make-up or feminine apparel -a thing nearly impossible to achieve, though- one could have suspected he wasn’t (a woman -but still attractive, in his own way).
Flea’s charge was unjust, though. Slash didn’t usually go after young boys. But...once, at the very beginning of Flea’s staying at the castle he had been tempted indeed...
“Oh, Slash,” the Magician was saying, with mocking gentleness “Have you ever thought about attempting to please me with some nice words, just for a change?”
Slash sneered.
“And would I have had a chance?”
“Not one. I’m different from you. But perhaps we might have been friends.”
Slash had lowered his weapon again.
“I don’t need your friendship,” he declared coldly.
“Neither I need yours. But maintaining good relationships with other people sometimes helps,” Flea murmured, playing with the tip of his long braid.
He was obviously exaggerating his normal womanish behaviour just to irritate the Swordsman further, feigning a seduction scene.
“What a side-show”, Slash thought, “and she is really good at it. Damn...he is. I’ll never learn!”
“But I have come with a reason,” Flea said at last, in a more even tone “His Fatness...I mean, Sir Ozzie...wants to speak to both of us. Together.”
Slash stared at him for several seconds. Then the Swordsman snarled.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Pardon? You don’t believe Ozzie’s calling...?”
Slash shook his head contemptuously.
“No! I don’t believe your...pretending!” he declared, gesturing accusingly with a gloved hand.
“My what?”
“I don’t believe anything you’ve said! No normal man would behave like you. I’m not even sure you’re really a male!”
“Your problem. If you’re saying this in the vain hope to trick me into taking off my clothes to show you...it won’t work. Now, I’m going before Ozzie gets angry...will you come or not?”
Slash didn’t answer. Flea shrugged and went to the door.