Thank You for Axing

"Yes," Astra replied, taking a dagger from her belt. "The trick is not to waste time trying to cut through them - that's clearly impossible - but to pry them free where they've been attached to the wall. That's the method that we always use in Aqualaria."

Five minutes later, Astra had a bent and blunted dagger, and the chains were still firmly fastened to the wall. She threw the dagger to the floor of the tunnel in disgust.

"Are you going to try with your sword now?" Fred asked.

Astra gave him a withering look. "And ruin that too? Certainly not. I suppose I could try the one which I found and was going to give to you, though. It's too big to be much good for anything else."

Fred was inclined to agree, and raised no objection, but Frank butted in on his behalf. "You can't do that!" he said. "Guy's got to have a weapon."

"No, it's quite all right," Fred said hurriedly. If it was a choice between being chained to the wall, or being free but with no weapon, he knew which he would prefer.

"No, Frank's quite right," Astra conceded. "You've got to have a weapon. These caves are far too dangerous to travel through unarmed."

"It's not all that safe being chained to the wall," Fred pointed out. "And if I was with you and Frank, I dare say I'd be safe enough."

"These chains are too much for a dagger, and perhaps even for a sword," Frank said. "A war axe, on the other hand... Stand back, 'Red'."

Astra scowled, but decided to let it pass.

Without more ado, Frank took a mighty swing at one of the chains.

1. The axe went through it like a knife through butter.
2. The axe failed to go through it, like a knife through concrete. "Ow!" said Frank, nursing his jarred arm.

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