Friday 23 December 2016

Enchanted Weapon

EXT. BEACH OF WALTROP - EARLY MORNING

Foibos and Grigoris, a man in a red coat, discuss an enchanted weapon.

Foiibos & Grigoris


GRIGORIS
I was sent from Sparta to be your mentor, to enable you to fight the creatures that live in the forest of this island.

FOIBOS
I’m glad you are here, Grigoris.

GRIGORIS
Considering your feeble physical statue and your general lack of training, I give you this sword. It is blessed by Ares, the god of war.

FOIBOS
Thank you.

GRIGORIS
It’s a powerful weapon and it comes with great responsibility, but you need to know that its powers will not work all the time.

FOIBOS
What do you mean?

GRIGORIS
Let’s cut time into centuries, centuries into decades, decades into years, years into months and months into weeks.

FOIBOS
Yes?

GRIGORIS
Let’s say the week has seven days and you go to war six days and rest one day. You need to know that your weapon will only work once a week, but you don’t know which day this will be.

FOIBOS
I don’t understand. Seven days? What are you talking about?

GRIGORIS
 I'm just talking about probabilities, Foibos. You need to know something else. Since it would be unfair to your opponent if you have the sword of Ares and he doesn’t, we will line up all of your men before battle and count them. Every 24th man will stay in the camp. 

FOIBOS
What? That’s not fair. I need all my men. Why would you give me such a weapon? And why do we need to be fair to Orcs?

GRIGORIS
We are Greeks and we will act like Greeks.

FOIBOS
That sucks.

GRIGORIS
Yes. I know.

(The miniatures on the picture were painted by Steve Dean and Andrew Taylor and as a commission.)