Ricky TooHigh's Arc

Chapter 5 of 9

Hunter came back from the back room wearing the green plate. It fit him like it had been forged for his shoulders. He set the helm on the table and sat down across from his grandfather. Casius pushed a mug toward him. Duran shifted the hound off his boots and leaned in. The taproom quieted. A few travelers by the door turned to listen. "Tell it," Ricky said. "All of it. I need to know what the armor cost." Hunter turned the mug in his hands. "The south mouth was where you said. We put the torches low. Casius went first." "Went first and stepped on a bone," Casius said. He wiped foam from his split lip. "Cracked like a dry branch. Troll came out of the dark before we cleared the tunnel." "It was faster than a stone thing should be," Duran said. He held up his bandaged hand. "Swung a fist the size of a shield. Took Casius off his feet in one blow." "I got up," Casius said. "You got up slow." Hunter nodded. "I put my shield between it and Casius. The fist came down and split the boss. My arm went numb to the shoulder." He set the mug down and rolled his sleeve. A dark bruise ran from wrist to elbow. Ricky looked at it and said nothing. "The dog saved you," Duran said. "Went for the back of its knee. Bought us a breath." "Bought me a swing," Casius said. "I took the axe to its hip. Chipped stone. Didn't cut." "Hammer worked better," Duran said. "Iron on stone. I broke its jaw on the third strike. That's when it turned on me." Hunter picked it up. "It had Duran against the wall. The dog was on its back, biting nothing. I got behind it and drove my sword up under the ribs. Found something soft in there. It went down on top of Duran." "Took the three of us to lift it off," Casius said. "Dog helped." "Dog watched," Duran said. Ricky did not laugh. He was looking at the bruise on Hunter's arm and the singed fur on the hound. "And the armor." "On the rack, like you said," Hunter told him. "We didn't touch the chests." Ricky set both hands flat on the table. "You nearly died for it." "We didn't," Hunter said. "You will next time, if the mage is faster than the troll." Ricky stood. His knees creaked. "Bed. All of you. We drill at dawn with the plate on. Every strap, every joint. I want you moving in it before he crosses the last hill." Casius drained his mug. Duran whistled the hound up. Hunter gathered the helm under his arm and followed his grandfather toward the stairs. Outside, hooves struck the road and did not slow.