After traveling so often and so long in the bellies of the metal beasts, Kayla of Florida and I sought out two strong horses for which we could ride comfortably around Europe. I knew they would cost us much drachmae, but I detested the thought of sitting next to another smelly giant on one of our future quests. I have been riding horses my entire life, but Kayla of Florida felt uneasy about the situation, given her inexperience with horses. I assured her that she had nothing to fear… but that was before I realized the Spartans had infiltrated Salamanca and brought their savage horses with them.
We traveled with GLaDOS and the other mercenaries to a small horse farm and were each provided a horse to ride. The farmers announced that we needed to ride the horses before we settled on which one to take back as our own. I paid little attention to their instructions and instead focused on helping Kayla of Florida. GLaDOS stayed behind at the farm to continue planning our next drachmae quest as I prepared to ride. Kayla of Florida exchanged an anxious glance with me as the mercenaries and I started trotting down a narrow path. I noticed her whisper a prayer to her giant-god along the way, but she should have been praying to Artemis, the goddess of wild animals. Perhaps this angered the gods and was the mistake that sent us into the ensuing whirlwind of chaos.
I decided to ride behind Kayla of Florida to ensure that her horse completed the trail with the rest of us. The farmer had warned us that her horse was inattentive and would need constant coaxing to continue down the trail. At that moment, I should have dismounted my horse and joined Kayla of Florida in her saddle. The farmer’s suspicious words sounded just like that of a Spartan, but before I could act, Kayla of Florida was thrown from her saddle and onto the rocky trail below. I heard the farmer cackle ahead of us and gallop away from the trail into the woods. Malákas! Obviously a Spartan, he had planned this all along!
Without hesitation, I ran to where Kayla of Florida had landed and carried her back to GLaDOS. We sat in the belly of another metal beast and traveled to the nearest doctor in Salamanca. Although her bones were intact and the diagnosis was positive, she had trouble walking for the rest of the day. We are very lucky that the Spartans were not more successful in their attack.
Kassandra's Odyssey 