Worries and Fears as Darkness Nears

After their run in with the armored Hyades Xemmoni and the powerful Darcarre, The Baron, Jack and Phillip knew they might be fighting for their lives at any minute and despite their lingering wounds, they needed to act. Also of chief priority was the ultimatum The Baron had given them. All Stalwarts were required to leave Boston by sundown or be exterminated.

 

As they drove to their first stop, in the old pickup, Phillip was the first to break the somber mood. “I figured we’d drop by Felix because he will be the easiest to find and it never hurts to have a healer on board.” 

The silence dragged until Jack said, “I’m still not sure what the game plan is and shouldn’t we figure it out before we see this guy?”

“What do you mean?”

Jack sighed. “Are we going to tell them we should all be fleeing, pile everyone into the back of a big van, and split town and then just leave Boston for whatever foul purposes these servants of Vile have planned? Remember with this Dark Alliance growing, it could be something bad. These guys aren’t just draining bums anymore; they’re trying to overrun the whole Multi-verse.”

“So you’re saying you want to stay and stop them, I take it.” Then lower he added, “You’re more like a Yiggite that you might realize, buddy.”

“If that means I don’t want to let them use Boston as some sort of hub for an evil enterprise then I’ll take that as a complement.”

A minute later they were pulling up in front of Felix’s office. A giant eye stared at them from a dust covered windowpane. “He’s an optometrist?” Jack asked.

“Yeah, I guess. Everyone’s good at something.”

It took some time to get a message through the receptionist and Jack felt oddly normal sitting in the waiting room for ten minutes until the current client was finished with her appointment. Phillip leafed through magazines like they weren’t going to be hunted in a few hours and it annoyed Jack when he brought up the most recent celebrity pregnancies.

When at last Felix would see them, he looked more like a computer geek than a warrior. Thin wire frame glasses sat on a thinner face, perched over an even thinner body. Jack must have had a least a foot in height on the man and Felix didn’t even bother shaking their hands before he indicated two low chairs for them to sit upon. 

 

After sitting himself, Felix said, “So what is it, Brownhurst? You coming here isn’t exactly helping my low profile.” The doctor sat quietly while Phillip filled him in on the threats that had been made against them. When the man of Dionysus had finished, the doctor leaned back in his chair and said, “This is all very interesting, but I’m sure it doesn’t affect me in my position. Although it pains me to do so, I have kept the Xemmoni at bay by healing them at times and this has kept me off their hit list. I see no reason to change things now.”

Jack spoke up. “You can’t be serious. They say they’re going to hunt us all down and you don’t care. Even if what you say is true and they spare you, what about the rest of us?”

“If you are worried for your safely you still have time to leave. I see no reason to either uproot myself or engage in some violent conflict where I imagine we’d find ourselves outnumbered ten to one at best. Unlike the followers of the war god Yig, we of Hermes are healers, we embrace neutrality and I see no reason to change my whole life because you two stirred up a hornet’s nest, now if you well excuse me, I have patients to see. Good day.”

Jack tried to argue, but Phillip placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “Best that we don’t alienate a healer. One way or another we might need him later and if they try to axe him, he might yet be forced to join with us.” They did manage to at least get the doctor to completely heal them before they left.

Steaming as he power-walked outside, Jack looked toward the sun as it began to dip to the west.

Phillip spoke again. “We maybe have four hours left, be had better get moving. Lanna will be just starting her shift, we should probably check in on her next.”

“Where does she work?”

“Lanna is a stripper.”

“Perfect.”

“Oh believe me, she is.”

Jack just groaned as he followed Phillip to the truck. Neither of them spotted the glowing red eyes that followed their movements. If they had, they would have seen the hooded figure withdraw a cell phone and speak a few quick phrases before getting into a primer colored van and following the pickup out into the busy streets of Boston.

To be continued next Monday

Find out how Jack’s Adventures Started Here!