IRON GOD | 1: Peripeteia

[15] Xigon: Entirely Unproductive

            Days like this made Xigon feel like he and Qila were raising pigs. The young ones were like pigs, he thought, in all but appearance. Intelligent, determined, easy to love, but more than a little on the smelly side, and gods be damned, the moment anyone mentioned food, no one could prioritize anything else.

He had left Azvalath and Kolo to their own devices after recreating a bit of Kolo's missing history. When he returned to the rooftop, Lalek and Rizval were in a tussle and unsupervised. He sat down and let them wrestle it out before he asked any questions.

"Master Qila took Jai-Lag and went to her study," Lalek told him, after she and Rizval finally wore each other out.

"She said she didn't want to linger around you all day." Rizval looked at Xigon. When Lalek reached over and smacked them, they yelped. "What? It's true! That's what she said!"

"I really am sorry about earlier," said Xigon. He gestured for the two to sit by him. "No one should have had to witness that."

Rizval plopped down next to him. "I love watching you duel." They grinned. "You two should have a rematch. Fair and square, without Azvalath ruining it."

Xigon gave them a stern glare. "No."

Lalek popped the lid off her canteen and took a gulp of water. Then she squeezed her eyes shut. "Agh, cold!"

Rizval took a drink as well. "Wish it were tea. Then I could warm up and have my hardtack."

Lalek brightened. Her huge hand tugged at his sleeve. "Master, can we eat?"

Xigon adjusted his goggles. "Both of you need to work on endurance. It's been too long since we've had either of you on the ground."

"Come on! We haven't had any food yet today," Rizval pointed out. "You had us up and at it right at dawn."

Xigon sighed. He was hungry too now that he thought about it. "I'll tell you what." He looked up and saw the sun through the dense clouds. "Looks like it's about half an hour from noon. Put in another half hour of hand-to-hand practice and then come find me. I'll be talking to Qila." He looked up. "And remember, your bodies don't lie. I'll know if you were slacking off."

"But Master Qila said she didn't want to linger around you all day," Rizval reminded him.

"Well, she can put up with me for half an hour. It won't kill her." Xigon hauled himself up and leaned on his crutches. "Get to it. And remember, I'll know if you were slacking off."

In a move he would perhaps regret later, he left the two to their own devices and went downstairs.

He found Azvalath and Kolo in the receiving room. Kolo was dry heaving over the bluehole. Xigon locked eyes on her and used his power to settle her stomach. She turned around and noticed him. "Um...thanks."

"Don't mention it." Xigon turned around and kept going. He leaned more heavily into his crutches with each step. His back and legs hurt to the point that he could barely put weight on his feet. He clenched his teeth together and dragged himself to his study.

He caught himself on the wall and leaned against it. His breaths were strained with pain. He stayed there for a moment, then went over to his desk and opened a locked drawer. Xigon pulled out a vial of dark amber liquid and downed it in two swallows. He coughed. The pain medicine tasted terrible, like the dirt its ingredients had grown in, but he knew it would give him some relief.