Stand Short and Proud

by Billy Wong

  "That is very impressive, I admit," the woman Beryl said. "Release him and we will be on our way then, Diamond Mouse." She didn't sound pleased, though.

  She backed off, still flustered over Patrick's slip of the tongue, and waited for Stefan to get up. He didn't, just writhing around some more now that her blade didn't restrict him from moving. The saw-sword wielder tipped his head at her. "I am grateful to you for sparing my cousin's life. I assure you we will keep our word."

  "I hope too that you'll think about giving peace with the monsters a chance, like I gave one to you. Since you know, we could easily take the lot of you prisoner if we wanted to." Still a stretch even six on three, given she didn't know how good her opponent's partners were compared to him, but she figured the bluff wasn't too outlandish. Stefan's hulking comrade came forward to help him up, and half carrying him the hunters retreated up the slope and out of sight.

  Meg inspected her shoulder, which stung and bled mildly but didn't seem too bad. "I guess this mission was a success... although somebody will need to have a talk with Joshua. I'm probably not the one to do it, not being mature enough." The boy looked away, holding his silence.

  "Not that I agree with what he tried to do," Christopher asked, "but might they not just come back for the cyclops after we leave?"

  Patrick shook his head. "I got the sense they were sincere. If nothing else, their pride would probably make them feel bad about having to go back on their word to a midget."

  "Dammit, stop that," Meg said. "I wonder if we'll even have to update Baxter on what happened, or if he's been spying on us this whole time and knows already. Lieutenant, you can come out now!"

  Baxter and the other veterans appeared from behind a mound they must've hidden behind. He gazed towards Joshua, but didn't say anything to him. She assumed their talk would be had in private. "Interesting way to handle it, doing all the work and not letting the boys get in on it."

  She laughed nervously. "I thought it might be too risky to let everyone fight seeing how seasoned those warriors looked. At least we all got a taste of what it feels like to face peril, and will hopefully be more prepared for it next time."

  "Fair enough. I'll go inform the cyclops the situation has been resolved, and hope it believes me enough to feel amiable." He disappeared inside.

  After a short time, Robbie said humorously, "Wow, Joshua is still rubbing his forearm. You sure are strong, Mouse. How do you do it?"

  "I'm well conditioned. But I really would prefer you forget about hearing that nickname..." They waited a while for Baxter to return, and she grew worried. "I wonder what's taking so long. Should we check?"

  "I don't know," Art said. "If all of us enter the cyclops' lair at once, it might get agitated."

  "All right, I'll go by myself." She walked forward, only to shortly find Patrick at her side. "Not afraid of the monster?" she asked with a smile.

  "If it proves hostile, we'll just beat it up as usual. In all seriousness, I don't want you to face the danger by yourself like that."

  They entered the cavern, finding it went deeper than expected. Before the light diminished so much they would have to light torches, though, they spotted what appeared to be the rear of it. Baxter stood facing the back wall, but of the cyclops they saw no sign. "What's going on?" Then Meg spotted the hole he gazed down at, surprisingly large given that it had escaped her notice initially in the dimness. "Is the cyclops down there?"

  The lieutenant bit his lip. "I would guess so, but... this hole is rather fresh, dust still drifting down from it. It's likely the floor just broke, and our giant friend fell down there."

  "That's an unexpected complication," Patrick said. "What will we do, are we going down there?"

  Meg replied, "Considering we came to protect the cyclops, even if it was originally from the hunters, I'd assume we should check to see that it's okay."

  "I wonder if it is okay. I can't see it or the bottom, the hole could be pretty deep."

  "Since we don't hear it, it's likely to be unconscious... or worse. Not being able to see the bottom might just be because it's dark, though. We should lower one of us down with a torch and see what we find."

  Due to her light weight, Meg ended up being the one selected to take the lead. Hanging from a rope held by the men, she descended into a larger chamber under the one the cyclops had made its home. The creature lay unmoving on its side dozens of feet below. "I see it!" she called.

  "Is it alive?" Baxter asked.

  "I can't tell yet. Wait, I think I can see it breathing... don't know how hurt it is, though. How will we get it back up if it survives?"

  "Lots of rope?" Patrick suggested. "You could also see if there's another way out."

  Nearing the bottom, she looked around. Her eyes widened as she saw something the likes of which she never had before. "Pat, gods, you have to see this!"

  "Have to see what?"

  What she regarded resembled a wide-bladed sword which tapered downward, only far larger than any that should have existed, its tip stuck into the rocky floor while its pommel almost brushed the ceiling. It probably stood ten times her height, and more than twice that of even the mammoth cyclops. "It looks like a giant sword... but I have no idea what could possibly wield it."

  "How giant is giant?"

  "At least fifty feet, and that's if there's not much more tip below the ground."

  "This sounds like something I should see too," Baxter said. "Wait there, I will get the others to hold the ropes for us."

  Meg stood waiting, then heard a shifting noise. She gazed from the sword back towards the cyclops, which started to move. "Uh, are you alright?"

  "Who are you talking to," Patrick asked, "what's going on?"

  "The cyclops looks like it's waking up..." It raised itself to all fours, coughing painfully. She wondered if it had hurt its ribs in the fall, and what other damage it'd sustained. At least it was alive, and didn't have such a bad head injury as to keep it unconscious. It glanced her way, then stood seeming to ignore her while it turned towards the sword-shaped object. "Maybe you shouldn't move yet," she said as it limped past, wishing she could make it understand.

  It almost fell as it reached the sword, put a hand out against the blade to hold itself upright. The sword hummed as it blazed with blue light, making Meg put a hand up to shield her eyes. What the hell? The cyclops moaned, with pain or confusion or both she couldn't tell. "What's going on down there?!" Patrick yelled in an anxious tone.

  "I don't know! It touched the sword, and now it's... reacting."

  "The sword or the cyclops?"

  "Both, I guess?"

  The glow faded from the blade, and it stopped humming. The cyclops sagged forward, leaning on it for support. Meg let out a sigh of relief. Then it growled. Its head swung around, fixing narrowed eyes on her, and it stomped forward.

  "Meg, what's happening now?"

  "I'm not sure." She backed up, reaching for her hilt. "I know this is supposed to be a friendly cyclops, but it doesn't seem too friendly now..." It broke into a run, booming footfalls resounding in her ears. "Oh, shit!"

  Closing in, the cyclops hammered a fist down. She jumped aside, but then it swung its arm sideways and swatted her hard. Meg flew back across the chamber, crashed against the far wall. Pain shot through her back. She fell out of the impression her body had made and flopped facedown. As she looked up dazedly, she saw it lift its crude axe off the floor. Touching the sword seemed to have maddened it. Damn, were Baxter and the others still not back? She had no idea what took so long. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she shoved herself to her feet.

  "I don't want to kill you," she murmured at the uncomprehending beast. "But if you don't stop, I might have no choice." It charged her, the axe whooshing at her from the side. She rolled under and came up with a stab into its knee. The cyclops groaned, tried to snatch her up with its empty hand and failed as she dove away. It hobbled after her, but took a cut up its wrist while she dodged its chop. It roared and went
berserk, swinging madly. She backpedaled not wanting to face its blows head on, but was forced to block one and knocked back. Her fingers stung from the impact as she skidded to a stop. Maybe she should be a little more offensive. She drew her sword back...

  "What are you doing?" Patrick asked, and she realized she had ended up right under the hole so he could see her.

  "Fighting, obviously."

  "But we aren't supposed to kill it."

  "I know that! But I'm getting hurt and beat up. I doubt you can pull me up fast enough with the rope, and if I don't fight back I might..." The cyclops struck at her and she leapt away again, out of Patrick's sight.

  "Can't you maybe stun it so you can escape?"

  She evaded more attacks, got in a poke to the bottom of its axe hand which had it shrinking back. "Stun it? I'd have trouble even reaching its head. Wait, do you have anything up there you could throw down at it?"

  "Um..." She imagined him looking around. "I see a big rock I might be able to move—not sure it wouldn't kill it, though."

  The cyclops advanced again. "Well if you don't try, I'll probably have to kill it for sure. So..."

  "Alright!" Meg danced around the creature while getting in more minor cuts. It landed a kick to her chest that hurled her grimacing to her side and might've cracked ribs. She was about to ask Patrick how much longer he would take when he shouted down, "Ready! Lure it below me!"

  Not the most confounding task with how aggressive it was being. Lurching upright, she retreated under and past the hole. As the cyclops followed, a stone almost as big as Patrick himself plummeted down onto its head. It pitched forward onto its belly like a puppet with its strings cut, out cold. She ran to the rope. "Now hurry and pull me up."

  A short time later, she emerged from the hole. Not a moment too soon, as the cyclops stirred and bellowed its impotent rage at her from below. "At least I got more than my share of workouts for today," she said, sitting down.

  Patrick stretched his arms and back. "Me too. That boulder wasn't easy to lift."

  After a minute, they saw Baxter and the others walking from the entrance towards them. "What the hell took so long?" Meg demanded.

  Art hung his head while the lieutenant said, "I was trying to convince a certain person to stand firm in the face of fear like a soldier often must. Wait, did something happen? You look hurt, and both of you are soaked with sweat."

  "The cyclops went berserk." She recounted all that had occurred, then finished with, "I don't suppose we'll be going back down there just yet."

  "No, of course not. The situation will have to be assessed, and preparation done first. What you describe sounds like nothing I've ever heard of, though... I'm uncertain we are equipped to handle it."

  By we, she wasn't sure if he meant the fort, the military or Plasbias as a whole. Some exotic magic—she assumed it was magic—like that which affected the cyclops seemed more like something Ostuh or Aerilea would have the capability to deal with. Though she hadn't been as scared as most would be against the giant, having braved mortal peril many times before, it concerned her to imagine the sword-like object's influence might not stay limited to here. If it should somehow drive more monsters mad...

  "So now what," she asked, "back to town?"

  Baxter gazed towards the hole from which the cyclops' sounds of anger still rose and sighed. "I suppose there is nothing else to do. At least we can report to them the creature is alive, if not necessarily well."

  They departed from the cave, mostly everybody looking relieved to go. On the way Baxter took Joshua aside at one point, no doubt to lecture him on the rashness of his behavior towards Stefan. Afterward, the lieutenant came to Meg and Patrick's side. "You two performed admirably back there."

  Meg felt quite sore, but put on a carefree grin. "Naturally. We're used to this kind of thing."

  "Still, I'm impressed you found a way out without taking the cyclops' life as you're used to."

  "Maybe we're becoming pacifists in our old age," Patrick said.

  She raised her brow. "I wouldn't go quite that far..."

  Baxter smiled. "I should probably give you a reward for your deeds today. I'm not sure what yet, though."

  "By the way, are you or anybody going to do something about those hunters?"

  "You mean as in imprison them? After your moving display, I think we'll give it some time and see if you did enough to convince them to change their ways."

  Back in Bergin, the recruits waited outside while he told the chief what happened. Though the plan had been for them to report the results of their mission themselves, Baxter figured he would be better off explaining the complications that had arisen. "You said there was an enormous sword under the cave?" Art asked Meg in a small voice. "What do you think it belonged to?"

  "I don't know if it actually was a sword, or just something that looked like one. It could just be some device or sculpture designed in a sword's image. But if it actually was used as a weapon... whatever wielded it would have to be bigger than any creature we've seen before."

  Robbie spoke. "It's said the Father of All Monsters, the monster god Saint General Julianna defeated some years ago, was the size of a mountain. While that's bigger than would be needed to wield the blade you saw, maybe it could belong to another, smaller god."

  She touched her chin. "That would help explain the mysterious power that came from it. Whether or not you're right, I hope it won't cause more trouble than it already has."

  "I should train more with you," Christopher said. "No doubt such a strong partner would help me improve."

  "You're pretty good yourself already. We can practice together when I have time, but I'd think others could use my tutelage more than you." He frowned as if dissatisfied, but didn't argue.

  Baxter exited the chief's house and informed them they were ready to head to base. Joshua remained silent as before, and Meg wondered if he had learned something or would continue to be a liability. When they got back to the fort, after Baxter briefed Taryn on their trip, Meg and Patrick were called into the captain's office.

  "I hear you acquitted yourselves well," the tall woman said, standing with arms crossed behind her desk. "You demonstrated praiseworthy fighting skills, as well as your ability to adapt under unforeseen circumstances." The corners of her mouth dipped. "However, did you forget your task was to be done as a team? How does it benefit your comrades to have them take a back seat while you shoulder everyone's duties yourselves?"

  Patrick replied in a sheepish tone, "I, ah, only participated in the second part which happened unexpectedly. When we initially confronted the hunters, Meg acted alone, challenging them to send a representative to duel her while keeping the rest of us out of the action."

  Meg elbowed him. "Pat! You're not helping."

  "And you think that's better?" Taryn asked. "Soldiers must rely on teamwork, not be glory-hogging heroes seeking only to bolster their own image."

  "That wasn't it." She tried to keep her voice as steady and convincing as possible. "I feared the others would be in too much danger battling against experienced foes, so I tried to minimize that."

  After a moment, Taryn said, "I'm inclined to believe you. Still, what you did goes against the idea of building a relationship of mutual dependence as you were meant to. I'll overlook it this time, since it does sound like your companions might have been in over their heads, but can I trust you to keep that in mind next time around?"

  She'd thought they had been placed in the group just in case their greater experience might be needed, but supposed she should've at least given them a chance to do more. "Yes, we'll certainly do so."

  When they returned to their usual table in the dining hall, they found that Dennis had drifted away probably to sit with others more interested in reminiscing about mundane country life with him. Meanwhile Joel, a skilled archer and wood carving enthusiast had joined Rich and Saul, along with a bright-eyed boy named Don who liked to sing and write songs. He especially favored patriotic ones, c
elebrating the rich history of Plasbias and glorious deeds of its heroes such as its famed Hawk King—which seemed somewhat underwhelming compared to the legends of other lands like Severil and Aerilea. Meg wondered if everyone's sleeping arrangements were still the same, or some had switched positions to be closer to new friends. She hoped nobody had tried to claim her and Patrick's spot while they were gone. Saul proposed to draw the story of their adventure away from the fort, and they happily accepted though she expected the art would be more amusing than impressive.

  A few days after their return, they learned a traveling salesman would soon visit with an assortment of wares ranging from clothing and tools to spices and rare liquors. Taryn informed the soldiers they were free to buy whatever they wished that they could afford, using what they had been paid so far or any funds they'd brought with them. On their way to meet him by the gate, Meg and Patrick were approached by Baxter. "I told the merchant to give a healthy discount to the heroes of the hour. I'll be covering the difference, so I hope I can trust you not to abuse my generosity by spending too extravagantly."

  "Thanks, Lieutenant!" Meg said. "And we aren't used to being big spenders anyway, so you don't have to worry about that."

  They went to the large wagon and poked around its crates of goods along with the rest of the soldiers, squeezing into the crowd. Patrick picked out a shiny new pot to replace their old and dented one, having been inspired by Baxter to take interest in improving his cooking skills. Meg would like to cook better too, but didn't feel the need to acquire more cookware when he already had for them to share. She browsed the consumables, but then figured she should save her money for something she could enjoy for longer. The meager selection of weapons didn't appeal to her, and she moved on to the garments. She inspected a number of articles, then a few in particular caught her eye.

  "Wow, Pat, those are nice! What do you think?"

  He followed her gaze, and before taking them in fully asked, "Shoes?"

  "Not just any shoes," she beamed, picking a pair up to show him the bottoms. "Check out this elevation!"

  Patrick stared dubiously. "Are you serious? With heels like that, you'd basically be standing on your tiptoes all the time. I'm not sure if you could even walk. Plus the sole on those is insanely thick too, so it'd be more like you're standing on tiptoes... with a brick under your toes."