Skylands Historia - Duality

Chapter 3 - The Plan to End All Plans (at least the plan to sink the skip)

Glumshanks had always been told that humans were bad news. From the moment he was hatched, it had been drilled into him. Mabu were spineless, chompies were a nuisance, and humans were deadly - even as few and far between as they were. But now, as he watched Kaos sorting himself out, he started to realize how odd of a concept that was. Of course, Glumshanks assumed not all humans were as miniscule as this one, but even so, Kaos just seemed like any other peaceful creature Skylands had to offer. Sure, he was pretty loud, and a tad intimidating, but he didn't seem all too strong, or all that destructive. Nothing like the images he had always imagined when his parents told him stories of humans. Glumshanks leaned back against the closest crate, his ears flattening against the sides of his head as the battering ram clanged against the hull once again.

"Okay, okay." Kaos waved his hands, grabbing Glumshanks' attention. "Fill me in on what in the outlands is even going on here."

"My brothers are trying to sink the shi-"

"Yes yes yes, I know that already!" Kaos hissed. "Why are they trying to?"

Glumshanks sighed, scuffing his foot against the ground lightly. "Well, so we can get a good grade."

"A good grade?"

Glumshanks nodded, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Yyyep. Thropp thought if we could sink a ship for demolition class we'd be able to bring back the cargo and get the highest grade in the class."

There was another clang, then an indignant roar from Thropp. "COME ON!! EVEN GLUMSHANKS COULD HAVE FINISHED THIS BY NOW!!"

Kaos winced, clapping his hands over his ears. "Ancients, he has absolutely no volume control."

"Imagine living with him." Glumshanks gave a dry chuckle, then sighed, looking to the ground. "So. Are you going to tell me what this plan of your's is, or...?"

He looked back over to Kaos, who was staring off to the side, his mind clearly elsewhere. After some hesitation, Glumshanks reached out, tapping on Kaos' shoulder. The tiny human jumped, his eyes wide.

"Plan?"

"Oh!" Kaos brushed himself off. "Yes, yes. The plan."

He gestured for Glumshanks to come closer. Glumshanks raised an eyebrow, but obliged anyway, kneeling down to Kaos' height. He was immediately caught off guard by Kaos swinging his arm around his shoulders, pulling him down even more.

"Alright." He whispered, grinning. "I'm going to need you to distract those lugs while I-"

"No. No way." Glumshanks shook his head, pulling away. "If I get in the way Thropp said he'd tie me to the end of the battering ram for 'extra support'."

His apathetic demeanor was all but gone, true fear shining through in the troll's grey eyes. Kaos frowned, putting his hand on Glumshanks' shoulder.

"Listen, Glumshunks."

"Glumshanks."

"At least I was close. You'll be fine, I promise. Before they even realize you're not simply there for idle chit chat, I'll already be done with my half of the whole ordeal. There's no way I'd let you become the paint color for that section of the hull."

"I didn't need that image in my mind, but thanks."

Kaos snickered, patting Glumshanks on the shoulder. "Come on, you trust me, don't you?"

Glumshanks hesitated. The two of them had literally just met. Would he really be putting his well being in the tiny hands of a human he knew nothing about? Glumshanks looked back over at his brothers, watching as they rammed the wall once more, Thropp shouting something about them being nothing more than 'spineless snot monsters'. He could see the section was starting to buckle, the copper colored plating cracking open at the point of impact, light starting to filter in. Yes, yes he was. Glumshanks looked back to Kaos, then held out his hand.