Ignatius chuckled a bit at that. "You've jinxed us now," he said, shrugging his shoulders and holding his palms out. "Now we're going to get the craziest old bat in the world. Probably only talks in riddles that are also haikus. You just made this so much harder on us, Riss. Thanks a lot."
They continued walking for a few minutes, until Iris pointed something out. Ignatius squinted to see the large structure. "It's the sculptures," he guessed, though it was difficult for him to make out the details at such a distance. "It looks like a--Hey!" Before Ignatius could stop her, Iris was running ahead. He jogged to catch up to her, but Iris was increasing her speed. She was trying to race him. His suspicions were proven when she taunted him. Suddenly, Ignatius found the energy to press on. "Who are you calling a slowpoke?" he yelled, and he started going faster too. "I'll show you slow!"
Ignatius did catch up to his friend, though he could see that she was slowing down. Whether she was exhausted or trying to give him a chance to catch up, he couldn't tell. "No fair," he told her when he was right beside her. "You had a head start." He turned away and picked up speed again, racing for the large structure that had to be in Jandora. "But it doesn't matter," he called over his shoulder, "because I'm still going to win."
By the time they did hit the giant statue, Ignatius was exhausted. He was panting, and he needed a minute to catch his breath. Afterwards, he looked around at the new town.
Jandora was a lot prettier than their native Incolumis. The houses and shops were built with fine brick, and all the roofs were of neat terracotta lines. There were many statues about, in front of shops and beside benches, all of esteemed people or animals. Ignatius was caught by surprise at the simple beauty of the place. He then looked up at the great statue they'd seen in the distance. Its smooth marble surface looked brand new, as if it had been polished every single day since the day it was built, which, according to the plaque, was some fifty years ago. The statue depicted a woman atop a horse, her bow and quiver hanging proudly on her back. The plaque told of her pursuits in some battle, where she killed over two hundred men with her arrows. She was a national hero here, apparently, though Ignatius didn't care much for history. "The craftsmanship," he murmured. It was incredible.
But he realized that was not a good thing for them. If all this beauty in this town remained so intact, it meant that no fire had come anywhere close to this town. He wondered how much these people would be able to share about mages that had nothing to do with them.
Ignatius shook his head. He turned back to Iris. "We should get some food first," he suggested. The walk here had depleted his energy. "And... I think we have time to explore some of these statues. They're just so finely made. If only I could do something like this, then we wouldn't have to steal." He turned to her. "Why aren't you useful?" The laughter that followed told her he was kidding. Ignatius was sure the less useful of the two was himself, but it didn't hurt to joke.
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