“This is for my boys!” clamored the tall skeleton as he swung his broad weapon.
Keeping cautious of the large creature, Azim kept his distance, not attacking as immediately as he had against the others. He watched the bony figure carefully as he swung his strange weapon brazenly, never bothering to think about his next move. “My boys!” He kept chanting.
Eventually, the tall skeleton paused for a moment. He stood broodingly at the metal man in front of him, not saying a word. Azim assumed the bone man was trying to get a read on him. The android figured he should do the same. He took a good look at the enemy in front of him, focusing especially on the differences in his appearance from his smaller comrades.
The skeleton was larger, that was noticeable immediately. However, it had some other notable characteristics as well. For one, horns. Under the barrel lid hat, the skeleton had an iron band across his forehead, from which two animal-like horns protruded. One of the two was broken, though it had a sanded-down look as if it had been broken for a while now. The skeleton’s whole build was bigger, too. He had a large, slim head, wide shoulders, with bony arms that were much thicker than the rest of his comrades. His legs were larger as well, with one bare foot and one wrapped in a worn-out boot. It looked as though it was being held together with twine, which Azim made special note of.
Even the way the skeleton carried himself was different. While the others were somewhat animalistic, either hunched over or jumpy like they couldn’t contain themselves, the one before Azim stood tall and confident. While the robot was sure he could still take the skeleton without any issues, he acknowledged that the stance his opponent held gave him a sense of seriousness to be taken. And then there was his weapon.
Resting gently in the skeleton’s right hand was a strange club-like weapon, which held a long rectangular shape. Various jagged stones protruded from the sides of the weapon, while the wide front and back remained clean. The tip of the blunt weapon had two jagged points similar to those of the sides that formed a pincer-looking shape.
Azim was curious about the bizarre weapon. Lifting his left arm and pointing his palm toward the barreled skeleton, the metal man chanted, “Scrap Return.”
Nothing happened. The skeleton stared at the silver-coated stranger for a moment, before returning to look at the weapon in his hand. “What the— Did you just try to take this?” snapped the bone man, pulling his weapon back behind him. “You smash up all my boys, smash ‘em to pieces, and then you try to rob me of my stuff?! How dare you?!”
Azim paused for a moment. Was that an immoral thing to do? He had not intended for it to be so, after all, this skeleton had attacked him. Though it made him wonder, was he somehow in the wrong? According to the barrel-clothed creature in front of him, he supposedly was. “I apologize,” uttered the android. “I did not intend to offend you.”
“No, don’t apologize now, just come get your butt kicked!”
At the skeleton’s final threat, he charged forward with his jagged weapon, swinging it in a wide arc toward Azim’s face. The robot bent back on his metal pelvis, ducking the blunt blade as it swished past him. Keeping his momentum, the skeleton lurched his right shoulder forward, knocking into the metal man following his swing. Azim took a couple of steps back to ready himself. With another reeling arm, the tall skeleton was preparing to strike again. Azim had to be careful. He did not know how much stronger this foe was. From the way he talked, it sounded like he was in charge of the others. He was also twice their size. Who knew what else he was hiding? Azim knew he had to be on his guard.
As the bony enemy swung his weapon a second time, Azim leaned forward, ducking under the jagged edges and behind the skeleton’s line of sight. The robot noticed him winding back his skinless elbow to strike backward, but Azim was quicker.
With one clean left hook, Azim threw his steel fist into the back of the barrel shell, shattering it into pieces. The force of the blow threw the skeleton’s unshelled body forward, crumbling apart as well. Azim paused in his punching stance. That was it? All that intensity from the skeleton, all those threats, just to end it like that? How strange, thought the metal man.
The broken pieces of the skeleton lay about in front of him, the arms and legs scattered about the split-apart ribcage. Even the tall skeleton’s head had fallen off. Oddly enough, however, it looked as if it was still looking at him. The skull was sitting up slightly, its empty eye sockets staring back at Azim. Was… the skeleton… still alive?
“Hey!” yelled the skull, answering the robot’s curiosity. “You come back here, we ain’t done yet!”
Azim tilted his head to the left slightly. He was unsure what to make of the situation. It did not look like the skeleton could fight anymore, and yet he was asking for another round. How peculiar. The android’s algorithmic processors were interrupted by the voice of his companions. “Hey, buddy!” Leone shouted from back in the carriage. “Come on, hurry up! We gotta’ get going. You’ve done everything you need to do here, don’t worry about him!”
The android turned back to look at the disembodied head of the horned skeleton. He was still shouting various threats and comments toward the robot but clearly was not capable of doing anything more. Azim decided Leone was right and returned to the cart without putting any more worry into the skeleton across from him. Meeting up with his friends in the cart, Leone informed him that Riva and Iman had agreed on a place for their next stop along their journey. As the carriage rode off, Azim looked back to see the skeletons one last time.
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At around 4 pm, the adventurers arrived in the city of Garrison. While none of the travelers had heard of the city before, they were quickly introduced to much of its character. Billboards and signs were posted everywhere advertising various magic shops and restaurants. Dozens of people of all races were walking the streets cheerfully, waving to one another familiarly or trying to sell their goods on the street. The whole place felt... big.
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Within just a few minutes, the group had already been waved to or even approached by 6 different people. “Wowwee, these folks sure are friendly!” admired Iman.
“What is the reason for our stop here?” Azim inquired.
“What, you can’t just go with the flow?” Leone checked the robot jokingly. “Sometimes you just find yourself places.”
“I apologize, I did not—“
Leone laughed. “Buddy, buddy, I’m just kidding. I don’t actually know why we’re here either. I didn’t ask. Iman just really wanted to stop here for some reason.”
“Hey! I’ve been sleeping in the woods for months,” reminded the nør elf. “I barely even remember what civilization is like! I wanted to spend a day or two in a real city, get to experience the city-folk life.”
Riva assured her, “No need to explain yourself, hun’, we can do whatever you'd like, provided it doesn't deter us too long. I think you picked a good place to stop for a bit. There ought to be a few ways to get some money and food here. Just tell us where you want to go.”
“Thank you,” Iman replied, staring at Leone sarcastically as she spoke.
The group strolled for a bit in the carriage, noticing a surprising amount of people on the street inviting people to play games or similar activities for money. Leone was excited at the opportunities, but Riva told him she didn’t want to risk getting grifted. If they were going to get some money, they were going to have to go about it in a more legitimate way. When the woman turned to Azim to back her up, he, without intending to agree, stated that if there was a potential risk to themselves, it would be best to avoid it if possible. Riva took that to mean the robot had agreed and shot down the young man’s enthusiasm, who sat back down with a pout.
Iman asked if they could stop at a nearby restaurant for a bite to eat. She added that the group could think about their next move and how to make some money back while they fill their bellies, getting two things done at once. Really, the nør elf just wanted to eat, and hoped her suggestion was convincing enough to earn her some grub.
The gang agreed and continued down the street looking for an appealing place to stop. Eventually, they decided on Torello’s, a restaurant that advertised a specialty of extremely meaty, deluxe-sized sandwiches. Azim, of course, had no input in the decision-making but expressed no abstention either.
For just a specialty sandwich spot, the place was rather large. There were about 20 tables, a majority of which were already full. The seating wrapped around a center register that stretched to the back of the building, which hosted the sandwich-making kitchen. Walking through the front door, the adventurers had a full view of the U-shaped seating area as well as the register up ahead and a glimpse into the kitchen behind it. The walls had breathtaking paintings that stretched across long, horizontal canvases depicting a fierce warrior fending off giant beasts. Not only were the subjects of the paintings intense, but both the quality of the art and the effort put into each one were remarkable. Overall, the group shared a common thought. The place was impressive.
Leone led the walk to the counter up ahead, with Azim trailing behind. Roman was left to wait in the car, much to the moss-covered creature’s dismay. The girl at the counter was a perky half-giant with a somewhat slender build. She had short brown hair and tanned skin, along with piercings in each ear. Despite her size of just over 7 feet, she came off as incredibly gentile.
“Good afternoon, folks, welcome to Torello’s!” she chimed cheerfully. “What can I get you all today?”
The group was unsure what they wanted, Leone soon having to admit that this was their first time. He and Riva led the conversation, asking the tall woman what was popular and what she recommended. After a few minutes, the travelers got their order figured out, paid, and were sat at a nearby table by the half-giant. She told them that their food would be out shortly.
While they waited, the group looked around, admiring the restaurant. After about 7 or 8 minutes, their food came out on a tray of plates carried by the same half-giant woman. Riva thanked her graciously, offering her a gold coin as a “thank you”. While the group ate their sandwiches, Azim sat patiently, ignoring the plate in front of him. Iman asked him if he was going to eat, but Azim replied, “I do not need to eat, nor do I experience hunger.”
“Like… ever?” she asked, stunned.
“That is correct,” the android replied blankly.
Iman paused for a moment. The other two thought she was starting to realize something was different about the metal man. “That’s impressive!” she finally said. “Can’t even imagine what kinda magic you used to pull that off.”
Riva and Leone exchanged glances, stifling their giggles. Riva then spoke up, “It’s alright, we can give the sandwich to Roman. I’m sure he’s hungry, too.”
“You sure he don't eat, neither?” The young nør elf asked suspiciously.
“Well— You know I don’t actually know,” the woman confessed. “I guess we’ll find out when we get back to him.”
The travelers returned to their sandwiches, changing conversation topics and discussing what they would do after finishing up their meals. While they ate, they considered what there was to do while in the city, particularly how they might procure some money to keep them going on their quest. Riva wondered if anybody around the city might need help or if there were any odd jobs they could help out with for a day. Leone eagerly suggested looking for a fight club, and Riva was reminded of their experience in Appilus. As tense as it had been, she couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say “no” to the idea.
Responding to the young man’s enthusiasm, Iman came up with the idea to play music for the people. She considered that maybe if she were to play on the street, she could rustle up some coins from interested passersby. The group figured there were multiple potential avenues for making some money while in Garrison, and decided their best bet was to try several.
Leone then turned to Azim, asking, “Hey, buddy, what would think about getting you a sword? There were several in Lemaerk that seemed to suit you quite well, I think you might have some talent as a swordsman hidden in there.”
“I can not find any reasons as to why carrying one would be a direct imposition,” the android stated astutely. “If you believe it would be beneficial, then we can go about obtaining a sword for my use.”
“Of course, buddy, I think it would be awesome. Oh, and books! We need Spell Books! I’m always down to learn new stuff, but we definitely gotta’ find you some way to train your metalmancy. Dang, we really are gonna’ need some cash, we better get moving.”
With the young man’s confident declaration, the group finished up their sandwiches as fast as they could, Azim grabbing his to take to his mosstail, and headed back outside to earn some coin.