Originally, Alex had thought hospitals were her least favourite place in the world. That was, until she had set foot in a Healer’s chamber. There were no curtains to separate the patients and give them privacy—in fact, privacy was practically non-existent. The bedridden students would relieve themselves in a chamber pot without so much as batting an eyelid. And no air circulation meant the room was dank with the smell of warm sweat, blood, and worst of all—excreted body fluids.
Alex was sprawled out in an uncomfortable wooden chair to the right of him, Zudane’ slumped in a chair to his left. Dark circles were underneath Zudane’s eyes from lack of sleep, her usually tight braids loose and frizzy. Alex wondered if that’s how exhausted she looked as well.
He was squirming in sheer agony again, his fingers feebly gripping the woollen sheet beneath him as his body convulsed with the waves of pain.
“It’s OK, Winstell,” Alex whispered, wiping away a strand of curly hair that was stuck to his forehead, “just hang in there, buddy.”
Thick bandaging covered him from head to toe, splints of wood tied to his right forearm and left leg to align his broken bones as they healed. Zudane’ had told Alex the Healers had removed a fist-sized organ from Winstell’s lower ribcage—she was in the middle of training when that had happened. The organ must have been his spleen. Alex assumed Daedrox ruptured it when his serpent constricted around Winstell.
As she watched Winstell shake uncontrollably, Alex wondered if this was how Link felt when he was by her bedside, watching over her in the real world: powerless. Winstell turned his head to face Alex, his almond eyes looking straight at hers, but he was so delirious with pain he didn’t seem to recognize her.
“Failure,” Winstell mumbled under his breath. “I’m useless.”
A Healer with a crooked nose and matted silvery hair approached Winstell. She was carrying a clay bowl of mushy green liquid in both hands. He turned his head away reluctantly from the sight of the bowl, like a child being forced to eat his vegetables.
They had been giving him the elixir three times a day to speed up the recovery of his broken bones. Luckily Alex wasn’t the one inured, because if the stomach-turning smell was anywhere near as bad as the taste, she would dry heave as soon as the concoction touched her lips. The liquid looked like a bowl of thick, spoiled milk someone had poured a bottle of green dye into and smelt like Link’s basketball jersey after an intense game—Link was always gagging the family out on the car ride home from the basketball arena.
Winstell tried to swipe the bowl away with his good hand, but the Healer was too quick for him, pulling it out of his reach.
“Now, now, Winstell,” she croaked, “stop with that foolishness.”
Alex restrained him by the wrist as she pressed the bowl to his lips. Winstell finally relented, parting his teeth to take a few gulps then scrunching his face in disgust.
“Thataboy,” the Healer said with a hearty smile. “Now, you rest up.”
“I have no choice, do I?” Winstell groaned.
Even though he would now be entering a stupor, Winstell still had his wits about him. He was exactly right. The green gloppy elixir worked like an anaesthetic, blunting the pain almost entirely, but at the same time, it would be mending his bones quicker than any doctor could’ve dreamed.
It was fascinating for Alex watching the Healers go about their business. Obviously, they didn’t have the theoretical know-how nurses and doctors had back in the real world, but they made up for it by having a deep understanding of the human anatomy only the Eternal Source could grant them. As their hands hovered over their patient's bodies, they were practically walking CT scans, x-rays, MRI machines, and heart rate monitors. All a hospital’s machinery, gadgets and gizmos combined into one.
“Sorry, Father,” Winstell grumbled, “I know I should have . . . I’m sorry.” The elixir was notorious for bringing about unfiltered thoughts.
As Alex watched Winstell’s eyelids closing reluctantly, her mind dwelt back to the gruesome match. It was as if Daedrox was possessed. No sooner had the gong sounded, Daedrox had performed an elaborate Chain, beckoning a serpent compiled of mud, stones and reeds to arise from the swamp they were fighting in.
Winstell had futilely tried to cast a Ward as he backtracked. The serpent, as thick as sewer pipes, slithered its way across the arena, coiling around him and then tightening its body with one sickening crunch. If it wasn’t for Winstell’s Ward shielding the brunt of the impact, Alex knew he wouldn’t have survived.
But the thing that infuriated her the most was Daedrox didn’t stop. He knew he had Winstell beat, but he showed no mercy, refusing to call off his serpent. Daedrox had stood there stoutly, one arm outstretched with his fist clenched, a devious smile covering his face, willing his serpent to inflict more pain. Daedrox was every bit as maniacal as Xavier.
Like monster like creator, she thought.
The adjudicator had intervened then, hitting Daedrox with a weak Spiritwielding Spell to break his concentration. The serpent had lost its form then, a mass of reeds, stones, and mud falling into the swamp with a splash. Winstell had teetered, and then had fallen face first into the marsh, unconscious.
As Alex watched on, she was so fuelled by rage she was tempted to jump from the tier and into the arena. But seeing as the tiers were two hundred feet high and the landing would more than certainly kill her, she avoided the temptation.
Besides, she would be versing the colossus in the next round. She just needed to be patient. It was funny: From the day she had laid eyes on Daedrox when he had walked into Baylor’s Belly, he had evoked a fear like no other in her. His whole demeanour had frightened her. His placid face, short-kept mohawk. Those fiery, amber eyes of his that felt like he had Superman’s heat ray ability when he met your gaze.
But now when Alex thought of him, all that had vanished. Her fear had been clouded by anger, and she was driven like never before. Driven to crush him, squash him like he did to Winstell. Inflict so much pain on him he wouldn’t be able to eat solid food for months.
All throughout elementary, middle and high school, Alex had suffered at the hands of bullies. Due to her pale skin, for as long as she could remember her nickname had always been “the ghost.” Whenever she’d try talk to a student, most would pretend like they couldn’t hear or see her. Some would spin around and ask, “Did you feel that? Is someone there?” Some days she felt like there was no escape from the torment. Like her mere existence was an inconvenience to the world. Those days were always the worst.
But now she had the power to fight back. A chance to avenge Winstell. And she knew she couldn’t let that opportunity go to waste. Especially seeing as she was part responsible for his condition.
She and Zudane’ had tried to tell him he stood a chance. They had helped Winstell through his training, taught him how to expand his Wards and bolstered his defensive Earthwielding techniques. They had even taught him a few basic offensive Spells to try and catch Daedrox off guard. They were responsible for giving Winstell false hope.
He should have done a Lioden and yielded as soon as the match had commenced, she thought.
“You all right?” Zudane’ asked.
Alex hadn’t even realized her fingers had gone white gripping the armrests of her chair. She couldn’t help it. Whenever she thought of Daedrox, she was filled with a bubbling anger like no other.
“I’m fine,” she lied. “I just . . . I don’t know; I just wish I had told him to yield.”
“You and I both,” Zudane’ said as she held Winstell’s hand, tracing circles in his palm with her thumb. “He was doing so well with his training, I just . . . .” She exhaled, her remorseful eyes finding Alex’s. “He wasn’t ready. We should have known that.”
Link and Phen entered the chamber in a ruckus then, earning scorching looks from most of the Healers. They both approached the foot of Winstell’s bed. Link had been devising up strategies to defeat Daedrox as soon as round four’s fixture had been announced, which meant he had barely had time to see Winstell. Besides, they were never close friends. Link was always trying to distance himself from the other students. Never wanting to get too involved with people who were just “characters in a book”—as he so eloquently put it.
But as for Phen, he didn’t have an excuse for not seeing Winstell. Was he too afraid to witness him in this state? Alex figured some people reacted differently in dire situations. Her mom was a complete clinger. When Alex had her appendix removed, her mom had taken a full month off work to care for her daughter. Maybe Phen was just scared and was trying to distance himself from the situation? Still, Alex found it odd.
Phen and Winstell had practically merged into Siamese twins those past few months. They were in all of each other's basic classes, spent most their Sundays together, and played The Burning Plains until their fingers had calluses from moving the wooden pieces. It should have bothered Alex more that they were spending a lot of time with each other, especially considering Winstell was her first friend at the academy. But Alex had always been a good sharer, and the truth was, she and Zudane’ were starting to become close friends also.
Alex had been moved into Zudane’s Advanced Swordplay class a month before the tournament started, which meant they spent a lot more time with one another. But Alex suspected it was their intense Sunday training sessions that was bringing them closer together—when she wasn’t spending them with Lioden.
Zudane’ challenged Alex in ways no master mage could, teaching her Spells way beyond her skill level, shouting at her like a boot camp instructor when she felt like giving up. And Alex liked to the think she did the same for Zudane’—except the yelling part. Her voice couldn’t go higher than a whisper without straining her vocal chords.
Link rested a hand on Alex’s shoulder as he glanced at Winstell painfully. Phen, on the other hand, couldn’t even look at his close friend. He was twiddling his thumbs, his grey eyes trained on the ceiling as if he thought if Winstell were out of sight, then he’d be out of mind.
“Mereen is ready,” Link whispered.
Alex nodded slowly and stood up, leaning over and wiping a sheen of sweat from Winstell's forehead with the sleeve of her tunic.
“Are you coming?” she asked Zudane’.
Zudane’ was still absentmindedly tracing figures in Winstell’s palm with her thumb. She raised her head and smiled sympathetically at the three of them.
“I think I’m going to stay here a while, if that’s all right with you lot?”
“Of course it’s all right,” Alex answered.
Link and Phen were already walking towards the door.
“Fellow grasshopper,” Zudane’ said as Alex was about to walk away. “I want you to pulverize Daedrox. Make him wish he never set foot at Baylor’s.” She looked up at her then, her eyes hopeful and expectant. “Can you do that for me?”
“I was already planning on it,” Alex said with a wry smile.
But as she followed Link and Phen through the door and up a staircase that led to the arena’s outer perimeter, Alex couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by the expectations of her fellow students. Everyone wanted her to take out the red-haired Bigfoot. Partly because he was a, if not the, favourite to win the tournament, but mostly because they didn’t want to be the next victim of his strangling serpent.
The pressure was so crippling Alex was even beginning to question herself. Sure, she wanted to pin a picture of Daedrox’s face to a dartboard and hurl away. But did she have a genuine chance of defeating him? He hadn’t made it this far through the tournament by sheer luck. He had hospitalized every one of his opponents, and he was Xavier’s serpent, for crying out loud!
On the other hand, Alex’s first opponent, Lioden, had yielded in the first match, and her second- and third-round opponents’ fighting styles were as predictable as the ending of a Rocky movie— Link had made her watch the whole series.
Daedrox was no pushover. He was the biggest kid in the schoolyard, towering over his fellow students as if he had taken their growth spurts instead of their lunch money. Alex had seen him spar a few times in her Advanced Swordplay classes. He had terrible footwork, stances, and was as slow as a giant. But he had a long reach, and when he landed a blow on his opponent, the whole class knew about it; the entire chamber would usually echo with a sickening crack, and the student he was sparring would need medical attention.
As Alex ghosted Link and Phen through the arena’s underground corridors, she couldn’t help but think the students had put their faith in the wrong person.
****
The sun’s rays filtered through the open windows in Nenwir’s swordplay chamber, streaking the grey-stoned floor in a fiery crimson glow. Alex was covered feet to shoulders in her snow-white armour. Her head was occupied by an oversized, uncomfortable, open-fronted helm that kept jiggling whenever she moved.
Mereen, the half-giant, was standing in front of her, wearing a full suit of silver plate armour she had worn the day she and Link had met. A gigantic, polished wooden sword that looked more like a tree trunk was gripped in both her hands. She was crouched low in a combat stance, waiting for Alex to make the first move.
The half-giant was almost a spitting image of Daedrox in the arena, except she made him look like her little brother, and unlike him, Mereen had her left arm covered in armour. For some reason, Daedrox had been wearing a suit of armour into battle with the left sleeve missing, exposing his bare arm. None of them had the slightest clue as to why yet.
Although this wasn’t a round in the Golden Gauntlet, Alex still had a small crowd watching on. Link, Lioden, and Phenetrest were standing to her left, analysing the battle. To the right of Alex was a wall of blunted weapons and wooden practice swords.
During the tournament, most students were restricted to training in the sectors as no classes were being held. But Lioden had gotten them access into Nenwir’s chamber, away from the prying eyes of the students, masters and gambling agent’s spies. The five of them were formulating a plan to take down Daedrox. And they needed as much secrecy as they could get.
They had been trying to replicate the battle against the assassin as best they could. Link figured even though Mereen was more than a head taller than Daedrox, she would still share the same cumbersome movements he had and possess his tremendous power—he was right about that. Alex had been a split second late with one of her counterattacks, and Mereen had caught her with a vicious backhanded swing that took her feet from underneath her. Alex had practically performed a side flip in mid-air before she had hit the stone with a thud. After Mereen had apologized and asked if Alex was OK over a million times, they had finally resumed their duel.
Alex felt it was nice of Mereen to have helped them out, especially considering she had just finished a gruelling twelve-hour shift guarding the entrance of Baylor’s. Her help wouldn’t go unrewarded, though. Alex and Link had ventured into the inner city the day before and had bought a dozen of her favourite pumpkin cakes. And on top of that, if all went to plan, Mereen would get to witness Alex kicking Daedrox’s butt. Apparently, Mereen had a personal vendetta against him. Daedrox was always calling her a “freak” and “mixed breed” whenever he came in or out of Baylor’s main entrance. Hearing that made Alex want to crush Xavier’s character even more.
Alex feinted an attack from the left, then again from the right. The half-giant retaliated with a telegraphed side strike. Alex rolled effortlessly underneath the wooden sword, rose to her feet like a gymnast, then jabbed her own sword into Mereen’s belly. But as Alex retreated, Mereen had swung wildly again, nipping her on the shoulder and causing her to fall flat on her back.
Alex thumped the stone floor with a clenched fist. Mereen’s reach was too long. By the time Alex got inside and did any damage, there was no way she could get out of range without being damaged herself.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Mereen exclaimed. “I was too caught up in the moment.” She knelt on one knee by Alex’s side, a mountain of gleaming silver.
“It’s OK,” Alex said, brushing herself off as she got to her feet. “It was my fault. I need to be faster. Time my attacks better.”
Alex rotated her right shoulder clockwise, hoping it was still attached to its socket. She tried to act tough, but the pain was searing through her arm like wildfire.
Lioden was by her side, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “Damage report?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Alex said. “Hey, do you think you could teach me how to Teleport in, I don’t know, less than a week?”
“Sure,” Lioden said with a crooked smile, “and after that, I’ll teach you how to seize minds, just like Kilaydis.”
“Oh, how very thoughtful of you,” she said, pretending to look surprised.
Alex glanced over at her brother. He had his arms folded, giving her and Lioden his protective-older-brother disapproving eyes.
“Move your feet,” Link shouted. “You’re too stagnant. Moving targets are harder to hit!”
“Oh, really? You don’t say?” Alex yelled back. “In case you haven’t noticed, Brainiac, this tactic isn’t going to work. My strikes aren’t going to do Daedrox any damage. They’ll be li-li-like mosquito bites to an elephant.”
Something she said must have ticked Link off because he began storming towards her. “That’s because you’re not supposed to be inflicting any damage on the elephant.”
She and Lioden frowned at one another, then at Link.
“Why not?” Lioden asked harshly. “Clad yourself in my armour. If he were to have done this to your sister, surely you would want to exact your revenge as much as I?” He stopped suddenly, almost as if he was embarrassed by his outburst. “Winstell and I might not always see eye to eye,” Lioden continued faintly, “but he is still my brother, Deonis.”
Link didn’t even pay Lioden any notice; his eyes had never left Alex’s. “Because you’re going to win by—”
“A vote,” Phen finished as he marched over. “Brilliant idea, might I say, Deonis.” He patted Link on the shoulder admirably. “If the sand timer runs out, The Nine will judge the victor by each of them voting. Your brother doesn’t want you to inflict pain on Daedrox; he wants you to control the match, and be the more active combatant. By landing more blows on your opponent, outclassing them and making them look clumsy, your victory should be secured.”
Link smirked at Phen, satisfied someone was on the same wavelength as him for once.
Alex scowled at them both. “Grow a backbone why don’t you! This guy just crushed Winstell—your best friend, Phen—into a million pieces and you think I’m going to stand around and jab him with a blunted sword until the timer runs out?”
Link clenched his teeth and then exhaled forcefully through his nose.
“Don’t huff and puff at me,” she snapped. “If you think I’m going to hold back on this guy after what he did to Win—”
“This guy is an assassin,” Link said, his eyes blazing. “He is no pushover. He has been trained to kill, and kill quickly. If you go in there, hot headed . . . .” Link paused and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter how you beat him, just as long as you beat him. Just listen to me. Please.”
“No,” she said. “No, I refuse to go easy on him.”
“Alex,” Link said calmly, the use of her real name immediately catching her attention. “We need to get as far in the tournament as we can. This isn’t up for debate.”
“Well, the last I checked, you weren’t the one fighting him,” she shot back.
“You need to let go of your emotions, Taytora,” Phen cut in boldly. “I want revenge on Daedrox as much as you do, but I also don’t want to see you turn out like Winstell.” Phen glanced at her, his stormy eyes filled with affection. “None of us do.”
Alex looked over at Lioden, hoping he’d chime in and give her some backup, but judging by his distant eyes, it looked as if Link and Phen’s argument was winning him over. She pulled him to the side, hoping with Phen and Link out of earshot he’d give her his honest opinion on their strategy.
“They are right, I’m afraid,” Lioden whispered. “Your safety is paramount. It was hard enough for me to watch Winstell . . . .” He stopped and rubbed his misty eyes as if he was reliving the memory again. “As much as I want Daedrox to suffer, I just don’t want to see that happen to you. I couldn’t bear to.”
Alex bit her lip angrily as she glared over at Link and Phen.
“Fine, winning by a vote it is,” she called out. Damn majorities.
“Good, because I think I can add onto Deonis’ plan,” Phen said as he approached Nenwir's rack of weapons, fumbling as he plucked a quarterstaff from it. He tried to twirl the long stick around his fingers, but the weapon ended up cracking his jaw and clunking to the ground.
They all burst into laughter. Even Mereen was trying to politely stifle her giggles. Phen was more awkward than Alex was in the real world.
Stevie Wonder would have better hand-eye coordination than him, Alex thought.
“And what’s your plan, Phen?” Lioden asked. “For Taytora to make a fool of herself causing Daedrox to squirm on the ground in laughter, leaving him vulnerable?”
Surprisingly, Link was the only one who chuckled at Lioden’s joke. He tried to pass the laughing off as a cough, but Alex had heard him loud and clear.
“Rather amusing, Lioden,” Phen said as he massaged his jaw painfully. “But last I checked the fixture, you had been eliminated in the first round. I am in the fourth.” He practically bobbed his head like a bobble toy as he gloated.
“What is the expression?” Lioden asked, rubbing his chin and pretending to look thoughtful. “That Isliah can only smile down on you for so long before Hailsi begins to frown?”
“The Deities have no hold on me,” Phen said, a sassy hand on his hips. “I make my own luck.”
It still amazed Alex how Phen had made it so far in the tournament. Lioden was right; Isliah was smiling down on him. His first-round opponent had lost his footing and concussed his head against a rock, and as if that wasn’t lucky enough, his second-round opponent had failed to execute the Chain of a Fire Spell correctly and ended up charring half his face. His third-round opponent was more of a challenge, though. Phen had to utilize the Ward training Zudane’ had taught him and the swordplay knowledge Link had passed on. He ended up getting over the line by a majority vote from The Nine.
But Lioden was right. Hailsi was about to frown down on Phen. Because in the fourth round he was up against his close friend, Zudane’. She had made it through her three rounds without using a single Spell, besting her opponents solely with her insane sword skills. Zudane' and Daedrox were paying an equal two gold pieces to win. Phen was now paying seventy-seven.
As Phen and Lioden exchanged witty banter like a volley of arrows, Alex thought back to how Phen had beaten her and Winstell in every single game of The Burning Plains, as much as she hated to admit it. The Puppetmaster—or so he coined the title—was a genius at analysing his opponents and exploiting their weaknesses. So if he had devised a plan, Alex knew it would be stupid of her to not hear him out.
“What’s your plan, Phen?” she spoke over the top of them as they continued to bicker. “I’m all ears.”
“All ears?” Lioden repeated. “How can you be all ears?”
“Another Orban expression, I gather,” Phen said, shaking his head. “Don’t try to make any sense out of it, Lioden. Their sayings could baffle even the brightest of scholars. Taytora once asked me to ‘spill the beans’. And there were no such beans in the Great Hall that day to spill.”
And just like that the two of them had gone from arguing with each other to ganging up on her.
“Speak,” Alex said, rubbing her forehead frustratingly.
Phen scooped up the quarterstaff from the ground, stepped forwards, and then thrust his arm in Alex’s direction. Even though he was five yards away, the tip of the weapon had almost reached her. “Forget the sword, I say, and adopt the spear.”
“Ingenious,” Mereen whispered. She then turned to Alex, her moss-coloured eyes filled with awe. “The scrawny boy is onto something. The Perulians have used the spear and shield for centuries. Although untested, their army lines are said to be as impervious as Iralda’s city walls. The spear will provide extra reach while simultaneously keeping you out of harm’s way.”
“Ah, so you have read General Ocra’s book on advanced warfare, I gather?” Phen said. His father was a scribe; so like Alex, he had read his fair share of books.
Mereen shook her head stiffly. “Can’t read. My mother fought in the wars. Taught me everything about the different Kingdoms and their tactics in warfare.”
“Well, your mother was quite an admirable lady,” Phen turned to Alex. “Mereen’s right. I want you to become a Perulian, Taytora.”
Alex had to admit; Phen didn’t just think outside the box, he thought outside of every geometric shape possible.
“Fine. Spear it is,” she said reluctantly.
Even Link seemed surprised by Phen’s plan. His face didn’t give anything away, of course; it was like a carved statue. But Alex knew when her brother didn’t object to an idea, it usually meant he approved of it.
“Ever used one?” Phen asked, glancing down at the quarterstaff in his hands.
“No,” Alex answered truthfully.
“Well, you’re about to learn,” Phen answered. He threw the quarterstaff in the air, intending to pass it to her, but the weapon soared over Alex’s head and clanked dully behind her. Phen cleared his throat awkwardly. “Uh, I should learn as well.”
****
If Alex thought the show up was big when she had versed Lioden, that crowd was like a Little League game crowd compared to this. The gold cloaks had been doubled, and as she peered up, there wasn’t a single seat empty in the three tiers. Horns and drums were booming from above, giving her the feeling she was at a marching band competition instead of a gladiatorial one-on-one tournament.
As Alex stood across from the long-nosed adjudicator, bouncing on her heels, her body felt numb, like she wasn’t in this place and time. Like she was in a third-person perspective, watching someone else about to face off against the armoured gorilla that was Daedrox.
Alex had originally thought she’d be so terrified the Mages would have to force her out onto the Arena. But for some reason, as she waited for Daedrox to emerge from his gates, she was unnaturally calm. That was what was scaring her the most.
Stupid body. Why aren’t you shaking? Do you not understand the severity of the situation we are in?
As the horns sounded and the drums thumped dauntingly from above, Alex soaked in her surroundings. This arena was like nothing she had seen before in the previous matches. It was like the architects had summoned their inner Picasso and had gone all abstract.
She was standing in a giant sand pit. A thick trail of fist-sized rocks formed a massive swirl throughout the arena like the lines of a snail shell. In between the gaps of the stones were pillars as tall as Foragoon himself. Her chest heaved. The architects had practically handed Daedrox the victory when they had designed this arena.
Everywhere she looked she saw chunks of earth he could manipulate. There wasn’t a drop of water in sight. If she wanted it, she’d have to draw it from the moisture in the air. At least she could manipulate the wind, though. The best thing about Windwielding was there was never a shortage of air around.
Alex twirled the blunted spear above her head and then behind her back, trying to loosen up her nerves as she waited. These past few weeks the wooden weapon had become like another limb. Some nights she’d even shamefully fallen asleep with it, almost as if it were a teddy. But no amount of spear-twirling could undo the knots in her stomach. How could she relax when she knew she was versing Xavier’s serpent? This assassin had been tailor-made by Xavier to take out the Gauntlet single-handedly. Was she kidding herself to think she’d be anything more than a stepping stone for this brute?
She didn’t have to look up to know Daedrox had entered the arena. The whole crowd had flared up, their deafening roars giving her goose bumps from head to toe. At least one thing was for certain: Daedrox wouldn’t be forfeiting, which meant she wouldn’t have to deal with any hostile crowds.
Daedrox strutted into the arena, the tip of his blunted greatsword leaving a line in the sand as he dragged it. Alex had to be weary of that weapon. The blade was dull, yes, but it was heavy steel, and the force behind Daedrox’s swings could crack bones.
The closer the assassin approached Alex, the more the crowd seemed to go into a frenzy. Daedrox was wearing a suit of gilded plate armour, once again, with the left sleeve missing. The armour had intricate, weaved carvings from head to toe, and the helm was fashioned into the shape of a hissing cobra’s head. Where the serpent’s ey