Celina: Eden

A Favor for King Lapis

"Hey everyone, stand up and make way for our guests."
The voice was very small but stern. Priscilla and the others walked past the rows of tall windows. Sitting in front of those windows were rows of chairs. In each chair sat a different person. They varied from young to old, from man and woman, to different colored robes. They would stand each time Priscilla and her friends passed.
Sunlight brightened this room a lot more than the last. A long, red carpet continued to lead the way up to the royal throne. The bronze throne seemed like new; a red cushion rested on the seat, the back of the chair had a Griffin design resting at the top. Two bronze matching wings on either side sat symmetrical, making a rectangular shape for the frame. Priscilla gasped when she noticed the King. He was very short. She was taller than he was. The closer they got, the shorter he was. The king was 4' 6" with short blonde hair concealed underneath a crown. The crown looked far too big for his head as it slightly tilted to the side. He wore a silk robe with touches of purple and gold. Underneath the robe, he wore an armor assortment: a chestplate, black leggings, and iron plated footwear. His blue eyes met with Priscilla's.
"Travelers I take it?" He asked.
Priscilla was silent. King Garris wasn't that small. She thought.
"Yes, yes, we are," Leon was the first to keep up.
He told him about their journey to Eden.
"Queen Selah is sick? Hmm. She's a one of a kind woman that Queen is heh heh heh." He tapped the tips of his fingers together.
Jessica turned up her nose.
"Ugh, that's my mother you little pig!"
"Oooh, that's right. You must be Princess Jessica of Kingdom Selah."
He stepped forward to take her hand. He leaned forward and kissed the back of her hand.
"It's a pleasure to meet such a pretty girl."
She quickly pulled he hand away from him.
"Please. Ugh, seriously."
A look of disgust filled her face.
Lapis happened to notice that Leon and Noel kept giving him long stares. He folded his arms.
"But, I am the King of Abraham, King Lapis! Do I amaze you all?"
"You're kind of...well...not what we expected." Noel said.
Rue bounced around, skipping in circles.
"This is pretty. Oooh, what's that, yeah?" She ran off to look at a small statue of a model horse in bronze.
"So, why do you want to see us?" Priscilla asked.
"Wow, you look beautiful too, but, ahh, aren't you too young?" He fixed the crown on his head, but it went lopsided again.
"Hey--hey, I'm not that young now," she folded her arms, "I'm actually--nevermind--but to stay on topic, why did you summon us?" She asked.
"Because we have a big problem. This is the biggest problem in the whole wide world!" He raised his hands to the sky.
"Ahem," the guard from the main gate cleared his throat, "young master, do you mean the Magic extractor? The one not gathering magic?"
Lapis looked to the guard.
"Yes Percival. The extractor isn't pulling in enough Life Stream energy."
Jessica narrowed her eyes. Noel looked over at her and noticed her confused expression.
"Extractor? What is that?" Noel asked.
"Nothing too serious really. See, we've been trying to use magic all along. I think we gotta read like...um...Percival, what are those things called again? You know, when you turn the pages and..." He imitated turning the pages of a book.
Percival lightly tapped the bottom of his spear on the marble floor.
"You mean a 'book' your majesty?" He answered.
"Yes yes. Those dull things with too much paper and a pile of words. One day those things'll be obsolete."
"What? You got to be joking! That's the only way I've learned nature and the ways of magic. Not your darn ex a tractor." Jessica replied.
She started to motion her hands with each word.
"Extractor. Ex--trac--tor. At least get it right." Lapis folded his arms.
"Jess?" Priscilla said, shocked at the princess' different approach.
"So, you're trying to just learn magic from some source? Not learn it on your own?"
"I mean, that's the gist of it. I want to learn more about magic, but only I don't have to read any boring 'books' to get there."
"You disrespectful brat! How--how dare you?! Magic cones from within...not from some stupid extra tract tactor."
"Extractor!"
"The magic comes from Lilyana, you little imbecile!"
"Lily who? Oh, that's that goddess that supposedly created all things."
"Now he's going too far." Noel said.
He didn't realize he'd began biting his fingernails in a nervous tick.
"Hey, I heard that Shepard boy!" Lapis pointed at Noel.
"I'm a priest boy, not a Shepard boy. Besides, it's rude to point you know?"
"I'll pay you all...if that is something you're willing to go through with."
Priscilla scratched her chin.
"We're not going. That is final." Jessica snapped.
"Wait, but a payment though." Leon said.
"I pay in a large abundance. You all will be paid accordingly." Lapis impatiently tapped his foot.
"We don't need your money." Jessica said.
"Um, why don't we let, Pris decide." Noel suggested.
"Her decide?" Jessica shot back at Noel.
"We'll do it." Priscilla answered.
Jessica sneered at Noel. He put his hands up in defense.
"If anything, we will help. Besides, payment sounds good." Priscilla said.
"Excellent. I will be preparing the location for you, just get there and back please. I want to make sure I collect as much magic as I can."
Jessica stared at him. Priscilla could see the anger seething in her eyes. She almost didn't want to do it, but she was still in different to the Goddess. She checked her coin pouch. Three gold coins left.
We don't need your money. Easy for a royal Princess to say. Priscilla thought to herself. She closed the near emptied leather pouch draped on her shoulder.
"Hey, where's Rue?" Noel asked, looking around for her.
She popped out into the open just as he mentioned her. She stumbled across the throne room. On her head rested a big, clunky metal helmet fit for a knight. Rue's arms outstretched, Priscilla removed the helmet from her head.
Rue stopped as she looked around.
"Oh, sorry everyone. I was checking out this thing. Kinda sorta nifty, yeah?"
"It's a helmet, kid." Lapis said flatly.
"A helmet...right, like what they're wearing, yeah?"
She pointed to Percival.
"Let's but waste time." Priscilla said.
***
Noel's wagon tugged along with the squealing and squeaking of wheels. Priscilla, Leon, Jessica, and Rue could fit in the back though it was somewhat crowded.
"We aren't going out our ways to do this, are we?" Rue broke through the silence.
"We're going to need money for this trip, plain and simple." Leon replied.
He was checking out his blade.
"You know, Leon is it? It's not all about the money."
He snickered.
"Says the spoiled Princess. Let me ask you Jess, you ever been a mercenary? Have you ever gone from place to place trying too fight for scraps?"
"That's not fair! Don't try to spin this on me. I--I know what I'm talking about."
"Says you. I don't think you've been outside those stone castle walls have you? Seen the things I've seen. Pris knows, right Priscilla?" Leon asked.
Priscilla looked over at Leon, trying not to pay attention to Rue stroking her cat-like tail. It felt too relaxing.
"Wh--wha? Y--yeah--sooo riiiight." Priscilla's dopey smile forced its way across her face.
"Such a cuuuute cutesy tail. So soft and furry. Mmm." Rue cooed.
Priscilla sat cross-legged, and Rue rubbed against her tail while in her sleep. The wagon bumped while they traverse forward. The musty smell from the coach hovered in the air.
"I still don't have to believe in any of your money over the Goddess. Leon, you have to be the most inconsiderate man ever." Jessica said.
Leon laughed.
"Why, because I don't vibe with the dead? That's all this is over, right?" Leon leaned forward, "the only dead I ever cared about was Priscilla's parents. I owe them my life if I could only ever give that up."
He slumped back, staring down at his blade again. Jessica didn't say much else. The only sounds came from a chorus of Rue cooing while rubbing Priscilla's tail, and Priscilla moaning in a daze of comfort, feeling her spine tingle.
"Hey, I think this is it!" Noel exclaimed.
Priscilla was the first to get a look. Everyone else piled up on her just to get a glance.
"I wanna see." Jessica said.
"Hey, I've never seen one of these machines before, yeah?" Rue replied.
Leon was lying on his back, putting his hands behind the back of his head. The wagon eventually came to a complete halt. They exited the coach once they were very close to the giant. A loud THUMP a BUMP a BUMP a THUMP sounded in a rhythmic pattern: THUMP a BUMP a BUMP a THUMP. What appeared to be a giant, metal arm, kept pumping up and down. Puffs of smoke escaped the metal shaft. The arm connected to what looked like a giant monster with windows for eyes. A long, skinny wooden pole connected from the bottom of the metallic body.
"What is that?!" Priscilla was the first to become surprised.
"I've never seen anything like it." Jessica said, "is it...is it a monster?"
She readied her magic from her hand.
"No. It's...it's a machine. I didn't think these actually existed. But, as I live and breathe now, I'm witnessing one." Leon gawked in amazement.
"Why is it doing that? Making that noise, yeah? Ain't it creepy guys?" Rue trembled.
"I'm not comfortable with walking up on something that big." Priscilla replied.
Rue quickly jumped on Priscilla's back.
"We're not going near that thing are we?!" Rue screamed.
"Gack! We have to--just don't choke me to death, Rue!" Priscilla gagged.
"She can't choke you to death, moron." Jessica gave her crass remark.
The closer they moved in, the tighter Priscilla felt Rue hugging her.
"Well, I don't see what the problem is." Noel said, his eyes locked on the giant machine.
"Well, its not like we've seen anything like this before." Leon said.
A thunderous CRACK erupted the sky. Everyone screamed out in a surprise. It had taken a while to realize what happened.
"Jess!" Priscilla screamed.
It was a gun. It had fired off at Jessica. Her eyes were covered with fear.