| Chapter 26- Equipment |
“You have the Pakari? This is wonderful
news! I shall send a message to Vakama immediately!” said Whenua.
“You should now travel to Le-Koro. The highway to the south is now
complete- I recommend taking that route. Good luck! May your path
lead you to victory!”
“Thank you Turaga. We are in need of supplies though, with two new
members relatively unequipped…” said Kaiwera.
“Ah yes. Follow me.”
They followed the short Turaga out of his hut and across the
village. There he walked into a hut with a sign of a picture of a
money bag on the front.
Inside there was a counter, with a Onu-Koronan, apparently asleep,
sitting behind it. As they came in his emerald eyes snapped open and
he sat bolt upright.
“!… Hello there, may I… oh hello Turaga. What do you wish today?”
“I am looking for two swords and supplies for these travellers. They
are on an important quest and require only the best.”
“Right… how much have they got?”
“Tehutti…”
“Alright… Free items are they? Come over here people. Which of you
need the swords?”
“Erm… I have a sword,” said Kohuke.
“You do? Well go get it, we’ll check it over. Right, you, Po-Koronan,
on the scales!”
“What? I’m here for a sword not a weight check.”
“Enough of the lip. On it.”
Kikia huffily jumped onto the scales, which only just supported him.
They all watched as the needle went round the dial and hit the
stopper at the other side. And then bent against it.
“Right… as I thought. Here’s your sword.” Tehutti rummaged into a
pile of swords wrapped in a brown cloth and brought out a sword with
a copper handle and wavy hilt. The butt of the sword was a small
hammer. The handle had one rather dull orange gem set in it.
“Is this some kind of joke?” asked Kikia, taking the sword
ungratefully. He looked at it, beaten and worn, with notches in the
blade, and then at the other Chosens’, which sparkled even in the
dull light.
“Maybe you should have taken more care of it the first time…“ said
Kaiwera and then realised what he was saying and trailed off. He
didn’t want the others to know their destiny yet…
“What? I’ve never seen this sword before,” Kikia said, giving
Kaiwera a puzzled expression.
“No… of course you haven’t. You should be grateful. Tehutti is
giving this to you for free,” said Kaiwera.
“I mean, it’s not worth anything!”
“I said free Kikia.”
Then the word settled into Kikia’s bartering brain and his face lit
up a little.
“Ehwhat? As in the free that means ‘provided without charge and for
nothing in return’?”
“Yes…”
“Oh. Thank you.” And Kikia had a sword.
At that moment Kohuke returned with his. It was of a dark metal,
some kind of iron. It was… square. There weren’t any rounded edges
on it. The blade was curious. It was short, the shortest of all the
Chosen’s, and on one side it had notches, like the battlements of a
castle. They were cut intricately into the blade, each one sharp on
its three side.
“It’s a good sword. Weird, but good,” said Tehutti, taking it and
feeling the balance and weight. “Where did you get it? This didn’t
come from me.”
“I won it in the Digging Championships ages ago, it was the first
prize!”
“Great. I don’t seem to remember that one… Right then. Now… armour,”
said Whenua.
“Oh Whenua…” started Tehutti, but was met by the Turaga’s gaze.
“Fine…,” sighed Tehutti, “What are you looking for? Breastplates?
Chainmail? Take your pick, it’s in that box over there.”
Kikia went over and tried to pick up the wooden crate, couldn’t,
struggled to lift it, still couldn’t, and then pulled it off the
shelf. Kohuke came over and easily picked the crate off of a
slightly squashed Kikia.
“Thanks…”
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