Chapter CCCXLIV: Morality 1.3 ~Multehx

At about the break of dawn, Scilas and company strolled into town. They continued walking, making their way to a rather large statue of someone important near the eastern side of it. The assassin yawned, taking a seat on the stone circle rim surrounding the statue's base. The mercenary joined him shortly after, leaning against the large metal block that served as the setting for this monument. Ratch and Redaz walked over, taking a seat alongside the other two. They were only there a minute, but it didn't take the humans long to fall asleep from their strenuous activity for such amounts of time.

The sole robot in their midst couldn't help but smirk, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back himself. He didn't seem to mind as the time passed slowly, but something began to register to his audio censors. It was a slow, rhythmic clanging. As he listened and watched, the noise drew closer still. Eventually, a silhouette appeared on the road they had come down. The robot rose, recognizing who it was, and hurried over.

He stopped a few feet from a pretty badly dinged and beaten looking knight in armor, holding a massive double-sided axe in his hand. "Kenzo," he asked, "What happened to ya?"

The knight shrugged his shoulders, rubbing the back of his helmet with a free hand. "Well, I sorta got trounced..."

Ratch nodded. "I can see that, but by who?"

"Well, you see, there was this winged warrioress-"

Blinking increduously, Ratch stopped Kenzo. "Wait...warrioress? You mean...a girl did this to you?"

Kenzo simply nodded, sending Ratch into a convulsion of hearty laughter. Thankfully this didn't awaken the others.

"GWAHAHAHAHA!! The tough-guy knight got thrashed by a GIRL!! MAN, you are rather soft!"

Kenzo shook his head, muttering, "Must be running on an outdated personality, still's quite chauvinistic..."

Politely waiting for his friend to stop his uproarious laughter fit, tapping a boot patiently. Ratch wiped the fluid from his eyes, giving a brief chortle. "So, who was this tough girl anyways?"

Kenzo smiled nervously. "’At's the thing, she's the multicolored lady that was with us and-"

"Wait...multicolored lady...you mean the blue-haired, winged Lizard??"

Kenzo swallowed, knowing this would definitely set him off. "Uh...yeah, that's the one..."

Sure enough, steam shot from the joints of Ratch's face. "WHAT?!" He clenched his pronged hands, growling. "How DARE one of them attack such a fine person! Tell me, did you give her one? I know the agent doesn't like us fightin’ girls, but this one sounds like she deserved it. So?"

Kenzo smiled and rubbed his head again. "Uh...not exactly. She sorta did this, I ran, and then she and this old one cornered me and threatened me never to do it again."

Ratch fumed, glaring at nothing at all. "Stupid little...BAH! I STILL say us robots are the most grand of beings in existence! You and the agent are included in this. And I've recently began accepting humans other than the two professionals who travel with us, but still...grrr...I don't like those lizards. SERIOUSLY I do not!" He muttered some more, then abruptly stopped, glancing at the knight. "Say...what did you do, anyways?"

"Eh...I'll tell ya as we look for a blacksmith, I need some fixing," the knight sighed, starting off down another road.

* * *

Kenzo sat on a bench, holding his helmet in his hands. Ratch leaned against the back wall, smirking. The blacksmith of the shop was busily heating a bit of metal, pounding it with his hammer, and repeating this.

"Hmm, so, that's the story then?" the robot asked.

Kenzo nodded his head as best as he could. "Yeah. I sorta blundered into that one."

Ratch snickered. "Well, if that's the cause, than I can understand some tensions." He shrugged casually. "I can let this one slide I guess." He tightened both fists, narrowing his eyes. "But they better not push it. I still hold my beliefs about 'em."

Kenzo shrugged his shoulders. "Ever think that a majority of those views are based on the fact that they were fighting you because you were bad at the time?"

"Pfeh, excuses, excuses. Look, I know there's something about em I think is fishy."

Sighing again, the knight didn't bother to try again. He glanced over to where the smithy was working on repairing his bevor. Looks like he's rapping up that. Then just the head to go. As soon as we're done here, I think I'll go do some background checks on these two newcomers...and that masked girl, when I think about it. Haven't seen her lately...