The
three Stalwarts moved into a back to back formation as the nine Xemmoni
that surrounded them drew in closer. Cleo addressed Phillip, “It always
was a ball of fun every time we got together.”
Alley of Doom
“I like to show a girl a good time,” he tried to joke but his words sounded tense and strained.
Jack stayed focused. “How do you want to work this? I’d just assume try my hand at that Hyades bastard again.”
“Be my guest,” Cleo said, “I’ll take the Darcarre.”
“Oh great,” Phillip groaned. “That means I have to take on all six Caradon!”
“We’ll
back you up as soon as we can,” Jack shouted and then rushed toward the
armored Hyades. The attack began with two tossed throwing knives. The
Xemmoni batted one aside with his oversized machete and the second
tinged harmlessly off its armored shoulder.
“Not
the greatest start I’ve ever had,” he said, under his breath, as he
raced toward the villain. The Hyades prepared for the charge, but Jack
wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. At the last moment, he veered to
the man’s left. A swing just missed his ear and he dodged through.
Jack’s
weaponless hands locked onto the thing’s left arm and he tried to swing
it off balance, but he might as well be trying to push-start a semi.
The Hyades didn’t budge. Instead he grabbed Jack’s wrist and heaved him
forward. Jack tumbled ass over elbow as he hit the icy pavement. The
Xemmoni moved in to take advantage of the situation.
As
Jack struggled to his hands and knees, his hands found themselves
slipping through a small patch of snow, but this gave him an idea. He
waited until the Xemmoni was almost upon him. During his wait, he heard
the shouts and cries as his allies took on a far superior number behind
him and he knew he needed to aid him as quickly as he could. But this
Hyades had already beaten him once and that was when Jack was at full
power, not drained of his both physical and mystical strength as he
currently was.
At
the last moment, Jack dove to his left. The machete made a dull clang
as it hit the pavement behind him. Moving quickly, Jack regained his
footing and rushed behind the Xemmoni. Snow filled his hands and he
slammed the snow into the eye holes in the man’s helmet.
It
swung at him wide and missed, but its free hand already clawed at the
snow that obscured its vision. Jack used this time to snatch away one of
the machetes the Xemmoni had built into its leg armor. The fiend
hesitated as it cleared more of the snow away.
Jack
picked his target, saw a weakness around the Hyades neck, and then
swung. He gave out a woop as the villain was decapitated. Before the
head had landed, Jack had already rushed toward his allies.
Jack Primus with a Blade
Cleo
fought the two Darcarre using twin short swords. She held her own and
would have probably triumphed, but they didn’t have the time to find
out. Jack decapitated his second Xemmoni as he ran past, but didn’t slow
his pace as he rushed toward Phillip. Phillip had dropped two of the
Caradon, but the remaining four looked like they were about to drop him.
The
hurled machete took one of the Caradon in the back and it fell with a
groan. He kicked another in the face and it stumbled back as Jack drew
the sledge hammer off his back. Then it was go time. He didn’t remember
how many swings it took, but before long Cleo had joined the two panting
and bleeding men as they wavered over the mangled bodies of their foes.
“Search them for keys,” Phillip said as he leaned against the van with one hand. “We need to get our asses out of here.”
“I
think they’re still in the ignition, dumb ass,” Cleo said with a smirk.
Turning toward Jack she added, “Nice fighting by the way.”
“What
him,” Phillip complained. “I took on six by myself. That guy with the
blue jacket isn’t dead. I saved one for questioning.”
“Good,
because we need to bail. We’re all spent and just this side of death’s
door,” Jack said. “I guess in the end the Xemmoni won, because we will
have to leave Boston before sundown.”
“It’s
okay,” Phillip said. “We need to recoup. I have some allies in Concord
that can put us up and at least let us recharge before we fight the
leaders of these droogs.”
“Sounds good,” Jack began, but then his words caught in his throat. “Where… did that Hyades go?”
As
one they all looked back the way they had come and besides a pool of
blood deep enough to drown a rat, no sign of the armored Hyades
remained.
Jack Primus
To be continued next Monday
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