CHAPTER 48: 48: DON’T DIE

The large bird flew off toward Draco Town, while Drake and his cohort headed toward Storm Town with the three men. They had to go slow at first, letting the three men catch their breath enough to be able to run again. It was apparent that they had run all the way to them to ask for help.

Renn followed, still eyeing the men as if she didn’t trust them.

"I kinda wish Protector could fly us there," Chad muttered. It was loud enough for the three men to hear.

"Protector has his own duty. He won’t leave the bridge unprotected," Drake stated calmly.

The men glanced at each other in confusion, wondering what the heirs were speaking of. ’It couldn’t be the beast at the ravine, could it?’ they thought.

Drake and his cohort followed the men through the forest, passing through a massive clearing. They had been following the men for hours. The sky was already darkening, the twin suns making their way into the horizon.

The man with the arm protector suddenly froze. His eyes turned a milky white, his pupil barely seen through the milky haze. "The town of Draco is clear at the moment, but they appear to be preparing for something."

"That would suggest that they are being attacked as well," Mike growled. "How the heck are we supposed to protect both towns?"

"We can’t," Drake stated evenly. "We’re too far. We would never get there in time. We need to continue to Storm Town and deal with them there. Hopefully, my father is watching and will go to help them." Drake turned to the birdman, his eyes narrowed. "Send your bird to Chadwick, I want to know if they are being attacked also."

The man only nodded, then closed his eyes, presumably directing his bird to go to the next town.

They continued through the large clearing. In the distance, tall walls could be seen, complete with turrets and tall brick guard towers. It looked like a medieval city from afar. A large gray castle could be seen looming over the city.

"You have that kind of fortification, and you can’t protect your city from monsters?" Mike asked in disbelief. There was a subtle sarcasm in his tone. "Draco Town doesn’t even have walls, and they protect the town from those monsters pretty well."

The men’s faces paled, "We fight beasts, but the monsters aren’t beasts."

"We know... We already know the monsters are gargoyles. We fought them before, so we are fully aware of their capabilities. So, tell me, why can’t you protect the city from them when Draco Town can?" Drake asked, his voice firm. Then, as if it were an afterthought, he asked, "So, tell me... Is this a trap?"

"No," The man said simply. His face was still pale. All three of the men’s faces were pale.

{A lie has been detected}

Drake laughed. "Really?" he asked sarcastically. He had received the warning of being lied to. He didn’t really care; they were even closer to the mountain than before, so it wasn’t that much out of their way. "Tell me, why are we going to Storm Town? Don’t lie to me again. I already know this is a trap. I just want to know why."

Hearing Drake’s words, Mike and Chad stiffened. Renn growled, green saliva dripping from her large fangs.

The men’s faces paled further. They had been caught.

Drake came to a stop, not going any further toward the medieval city. Mike and Chad stopped also, Renn went straight to Drake, her eyes not wavering from the three men. Low growls came from deep in her throat.

The men stood silent, not willing to speak. Their eyes kept turning to the large beast, which was growling at them with hunger in its glowing green eyes.

"If you’re not going to speak, we will be on our way," Drake stated pleasantly. He smiled widely. "It’s just one last town we have to protect when our ascension quest is complete." He shrugged, then looked out at the large fortified castle, then back at the pale men and smirked.

Drake was acting like he didn’t care. It was all an act. He knew he would be responsible for the entire dimension, Storm Town included. He just wanted the men to fess up and tell him what was really taking place.

The leader spoke again in a shaky voice. He was trying desperately to keep his composure. All three men were looking at Drake in horror. Without the dimension masters’ protection, the town would be as good as destroyed.

"Th...the monster king..." the leader started, but Drake cut him off.

"Gargoyles. The monsters are called gargoyles," Drake cut in, still smiling.

The man swallowed before continuing. "The gargoyle king has our town hostage. He won’t leave us in peace unless we bring you and your cohort there."

Drake studied the man, waiting for his system to tell him if it was a lie. It never spoke up. What the man had just said was the truth. He turned to his cohort. "Prepare for battle." Then he turned to the bird man," Call your bird back. We may need her help."

They continued walking toward Storm Town, but much more slowly. They wanted to give the bird time to get back. She would be a good pair of eyes during a battle.

"How many gargoyles are there?" Drake asked the leader of the group from Storm Town. He wanted to get a good idea of what they were walking into.

The man scratched his head in thought. "I think there’s about two hundred," he said, fear blooming in his eyes. That was a lot to fight.

Drake waited for his system to respond, but it remained silent. Again, the man was speaking the truth. Drake turned to his friends. "He speaks the truth. Make sure you have everything you need ready." Then he paused for a second, scanning his cohort, including Renn. "Don’t die, and I want you to kill any gargoyles you see."

Drake looked up at the darkening sky, then closed his green eyes, as if in prayer. He had suddenly stopped walking, not notifying the others of his intentions, causing them to stop as well.

Chad wanted to ask why he had stopped, but chose not to. He didn’t want to interrupt his friend.

Drake opened his eyes and looked behind them, scanning the area with his glowing green eyes. There were no beasts other than Renn. When he looked at the compound in front of them, he saw glowing white and grey dots. Those were humans and gargoyles. This he knew.

The white dots were all herded inside a large room in the castle, the grey ones surrounding them. There were no sentries on the walls. Drake smiled. He glanced up into the sky using his sight, then turned to the men. "How good is their hearing and their smell?" he asked.

"As far as we know, it’s just like ours," the leader stated. Drake looked at the others for confirmation. One by one, they spoke. "It’s the same." "Nothing special. They are strong, though.

Drake waited for his system to respond, but it said nothing. There were no lies from the men.

"Good to know, but we need to act as if their senses are superior. I have a plan, so let’s not let them know we’re here.... not just yet."

***

Drake’s father watched the screen, his green eyes flashing in anger. The gargoyle king was attempting to trap his son and his friends. When the man from Storm Town stated the number of gargoyles in the city, all three men watching had paled.

Mike’s father’s fists clenched. "Isn’t this a time when we can intervein?" he asked, his jaw clenched so tight, it was close to shattering.

Chad’s father was staring at the screen. He couldn’t say anything. Fear for his own son spread through his bones. He looked at the dimension master, fear, and horror in his eyes. There was pleading as well...pleading for the dimension master to intervene.

The dimension master stood up stiffly, pulling out his storage book. He quickly took out a box. When he opened it, it was a softball-sized crystal that shone faintly with an emerald-green hue.

"Place one finger on the crystal ball. Have in your mind what we are asking. We’re asking for permission to intervene in this situation. Focus on the situation clearly in your mind." Drake’s father stated, then placed his pointer finger on the glowing crystal.

Chad’s and Mike’s fathers did the same. They waited. At first, nothing happened, then suddenly, the glowing ball grew brighter, the green fading, and then began to flash a bright red. They were forbidden to intervene.

Mike’s father gritted his teeth in anger. "Clearly, the gargoyle king is trying to kill them. I don’t understand why we can’t help. The rules state that if someone is trying to kill the heirs to stop their quest, while they’re trying to complete it, we can help."

The dimension master shook his head. His hands balled into tight fists; his eyes narrowed in anger. "I think it’s the gargoyle king’s intention that prevents us from intervening. If he’s just trying to kill them to kill them, then it’s not something we can help. The ability to intervene is only if he is trying to stop the quest from being completed. If that’s not part of the goal, then there is nothing we can do."

Chad’s father sat heavily in his chair, worry on his beautiful face; fear for his son in his bright blue eyes.