"So, what's our next step?" Abraham asked, as he grunted with satisfaction and pushed his plate away.
Jason looked at Lydia, who spoke up, "Our best bet is to try to locate the leader of the resistance, and then we'll see where we go from there."
"That's an excellent plan!" The sarcastic note in Ab's voice was not lost on Lydia.
She glared at him,"I have more details, I was giving you the outline of the plan."
He laughed and raised his hands up defensively, "Hey, don't bite my head off!"
Jason interjected,"Anyway. How do you even find the leader?"
"I've heard that he established a headquarters up north. But those are mostly rumors, and only a few know where he actually bases his attacks from."
"Sounds like this leader has abit in common with the Skull." Abraham remarked, glancing at Jason.
"He relies alot on secrecy, if you didn't notice that this Alepp is in shackles." She said, looking hard at Abraham.
"Enough guys! We will only accomplish this if we stand together. Enough with the nagging! But how do we get from Ecler? It is swarming with the pirates and their allies."
"It's easy enough if you know the way! We can leave when it's dark." Lydia answered, not looking Jason fully in the eye.
"But didn't they see us enter this house?" Abraham pointed out. "They should've sacked and burnt this place to the ground."
"That's exactly it, they should've already burnt this house. But since they didn't see you enter it, they think you might've disappeared. They are quite superstitious." She replied.
Abraham smiled,"Sorry if I got on your nerves earlier! I just have had a long couple of days."
Lydia returned the smile.
"If you two are done, we have a lot of stuff to get done before we leave Ecler and head north!"
***************************
Lydia slipped out of the door and shut and locked it behind her. Jason and Abraham waited in the shadows next to the door, and watched as Lydia tucked the key back into her bag and tiptoed next to them. Jason and Ab had spent the entire morning cleaning their swords, and collecting supplies for their journey, while Lydia was out scavenging for provisions.
Sterling adjusted his pack on his shoulders as Lydia ghosted down the side-street that they had raced along on their flight from the pirates. As they walked down the street, he tried to remember which way they had come, but it was a jumbled rope in his mind, but since Lydia seemed to know where to go he trusted her to get them beyond the walls of Ecler and those pursuing them.
Left and right they wove throw the dark streets. Dodging past troops of dirty, yet determined, looking men, everything seemed to be going well, that was before they heard the howls. After a succession of howls and barks, the company knew it wasn't just the neighborhood dogs.
"Hurry, we need to get beyond the walls before we encounter them with those things!" Lydia whispered loudly to them.
"What are those "things"?" Ab questioned suspiciously.
With a tremendous crash, a huge figure landed in the middle of their path from on top of a house. Raising it's head, Jason, Abraham, Lydia, and Frodo could see it clearly in the light of the moon. It stood over seven feet tall with a snout like a wolf, ears like an elephant, and it stood on it's haunches like a man. But instead of arms, it had wings like a Pterodactyl. And it's hair fell from it's back in greasy lanks. It crouched low and slunk along the ground as it approached the four companions, who were frozen in fear, it had one purpose and it was made clear in the glow of it's bright red eyes.
"It's called a Drolf." Lydia breathed.
"I don't care what it is, we gotta get out of here." Jason said as he drew his sword, and motioned for Ab to do likewise.
Right at that moment a crowd of men thudded down the long narrow street, who started to shout excitedly at the sight of Jason and his friends. "We don't have much time! Quick, Ab, you take the rear and make sure none of them get past you! Frodo and I will dispatch the Drolf. Lydia, are you handy with a bow and arrow?" Jason barked out orders quickly.
"Not really, I don't have many areas to practice in the city do I?" Lydia quipped.
"Never mind, just be ready to run at anytime. Does this creature have any weak spots?" He questioned. While they prepared for the assaults, their enemies were drawing closer and closer.
"No, not that I know of."
"Well, there's always a first." Jason said as he re-gripped his sword handle. "You good, Ab?"
Johnson nodded and gulped, a steely glint in his eyes.
"Alright, here goes nothing." Jason and Frodo rushed the demon from hell. The Drolf leapt toward them, as Frodo split to the right, and Jason ran to the left of the creature. The only way was past the animal, and it filled the alley-way easily. The Drolf let out an eerie howl as it snapped it's jaw, and raised it's wings out over the building. Jason faltered for a split-second, the wing span of that creature had to be thirty feet, yet the animal didn't fly up or away. That's when he noticed that the wings were clipped, he grinned and jumped and slashed at it's foot which was only six feet away. Lightening fast, the Drolf leapt into the air as Sterling's sword slid through air.
"That doesn't stop it from jumping." Jason murmured to himself.
As the creature landed in between the four companions, Jason heard the sound of metal on metal, as Ab shouted,"Hurry up, mate. There's to many of them."
Regaining the Drolf's attention, Jason saw Frodo on the top of a house on the left hand side of the street as the animal stalked toward him. When the demon was directly under Frodo, Jason leapt at the demon just as Frodo fell from the roof onto the it's back. The Drolf howled with pain as Frodo sank his teeth and claws into it's skin, Jason raced in and stab his sword up into the soft underbelly of the Drolf. With a sickening gurgle and screech, the demon fell to the ground with a loud thud with Frodo on top of it.
After making sure the Drolf was dead, Jason heaved it to the side and pulled the sword out from underneath, his arm dripping with blood, and looked up to see Abraham holding back a tide of men. Thankfully, the alleyway was narrow, but at anytime, the flood would come rushing in.
"Ab! Take Lydia and Frodo, I'll hold up the rear!" Jason bellowed as he rushed to help his friend.
Just then they heard another thud, and even more screeches. "Never mind! Just run." Jason yelled over the din.
Leading the way, Lydia raced along the outlying houses of the city, the wall came into view. Jason and Ab, had cut down nine or ten men, making wary of trying to surprise them, and thus earning them a bit of a respite. "It's just up ahead!" Lydia said.
"Good.. because.. this.. fighting thing.. while running.. at the same time.. is quite.. the workout.." Abraham said between breathes.
"Save your breath, Ab." Jason smiled.
Finally they mounted the wall, as Abraham got the rope out of his backpack, Jason, Frodo, and Lydia looked back. What they saw, shocked them. Hundreds of torches were heading their way, and even more of those dreaded Drolfs, the foremost of the pack was only five hundred yards away.
"Hurry, Ab. We only have a few minutes!" Lydia whispered.
After unraveling it, Abraham tied the rope around the battlement and pulled on it to make sure that it was secure. "I'll go first to make sure that it's good. Then Lydia can come down next. Then Frodo. Is that alright, Jason?"
"Yup. Just dandy. Now go." Jason whispered.
Jason watched as the sounds and lights creeped closer. Abraham descended and all was good, Jason then lowered Lydia, and Frodo was tied and sent down. With only Jason remaining, he gave one last look at the torches and glow of Ecler, and swung down the walls to join his companions. Then the four of them raced northward.
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