Arachnophobia – Part Three
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Last Time on Arachnophobia –
' As Hercules and Iolaus stepped towards the door, the guards moved in front of it and blocked the entrance.
'Great,' thought Hercules, 'Now what?'
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Enjoy! And thanks to those that are reading this!!
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"No entry," said the shorter guard.
Iolaus raised one eyebrow, "Why not?"
"Antores said that there are to be no visitors without an appointment," said the taller guard.
Iolaus stole a glance at Hercules.
"What are we gonna do now?" he muttered.
"I guess we get an appointment," the demigod replied, then to the guards, "How do we go about getting one?"
"You sign in here," the short guard explained, producing a sheet of parchment.
"Okay," said Hercules, signing his and Iolaus' names down, "Then what?"
"Then you wait for Antores to send one of us to get you," the tall guard said to them.
"That's it?" asked Iolaus, "You don't have a better system than that?"
Hercules cast a glance at his friend. He knew the smaller man hated waiting more than anything.
"Sir, I don't make the rules, I just enforce them."
Iolaus' hands were clenched into fists as he turns around. That's what was wrong with the world today: ineffective governments.
That thought burned into his mind as he stalked along the crowded, dusty streets. The hunter was so caught up in his brooding, he didn't notice Hercules' efforts to get his attention.
"IOLAUS!" the demigod nearly shouted in his ear, causing the man to jump.
"What?"
"I said, 'Let's go get a couple of rooms at the inn.'"
"Oh, yeah, good idea," came the blonde's reply.
"Well, come on then, it's in the other direction. We passed it about ten minutes ago."
Iolaus looked up at his friend. He wasn't surprised to see the concern in the demigod's eyes.
They turned around and started walking the other way. It seemed like children littered the streets. They ran across the allies and walkways like there was no tomorrow. Parents raced after them with empty threats of 'no supper before bed!'
The pair reached the inn/tavern in no time. They opened the door and went in.
"I'll get the rooms," said Hercules, "You go and order us some food."
As if on cue, Iolaus' stomach let off a loud empty gurgle, causing an elderly couple who were sitting nearby to look up in surprise. The hunter grinned at them sheepishly.
The duo stood just inside the door, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the dark interior. The sounds of a typical. Bar fight could be heard. Both Hercules and Iolaus could heard a hard punch land. The hunter made an 'Ooh- that's-gotta-hurt' look, causing his friend to chuckle.
Iolaus walked up to the counter and ordered two bowls of 'beef' stew and two mugs of ale. That way, when Hercules came back, there would at least be some halfway decent food waiting for him.
The food was set out in front of him almost as soon as he ordered it. Soon after, so was Hercules.
"Since the robbers arrived, there's more that enough rooms to go around," he said, spooning the thick soup into his mouth.
Iolaus mumbled something into his ale that Hercules didn't quite catch. The shorter man's eyes seemed troubled. With his brows furrowed, the man looked deep in thought.
"Iolaus?" Hercules touched his friend's shoulder lightly and the spell seemed to be broken. The deep blue eyes cleared and the hunter began to attack his food savagely.
"So, how many are we up against?" he asked, through a mouthful of stew.
The sudden change in Iolaus' mood caught Hercules by surprise, but he recovered quickly and answered. "Uh, I think it was thirty to forty."
"That's it?" Iolaus took a gulp of his ale and continued to shovel food into his mouth.
"Yeah, that's it," the son of Zeus chuckled, "Fifteen to twenty for each of us."
"So, when do we go after them?"
"I dunno. When they come?" Hercules offered.
"Hope it's soon" Iolaus stated, tossing his spoon into the now empty bowl. "It's bad enough that we have to wait for the magistrate."
Hercules nodded, sipping at his own ale.
"They do need a better system, I'll agree with you on that, but at least they have a system," said the demigod, "Remember Norcominius?" (I made that up, BTW!)
Norcominius. Iolaus' worst nightmare .The two had stood in line for well over five hours just to see the head of the town. When they did see him, his office, it was a mess. Scrolls and papers were strewn across the office. The town had no system whatsoever.
They stayed in that village for over two weeks, sorting everything out. Finally when everything was done, the duo was able to leave. The whole ordeal was Tartarus for the hyperactive hunter and he gladly welcomed the bandit attack on the way out. It was the best time he'd had in weeks.
"Actually, I was trying to forget that little trip," said Iolaus.
Hercules smiled when he remembered how bored Iolaus had been. When he wasn't helping the demigod with the organizing, the hunter was usually hanging around the tavern, hoping someone would try to pick a fight, or maybe trying to seduce a pretty barmaid.
"Yeah, that was one of our more boring trips."
"That's an understatement." Said Iolaus, getting up. I think I'm gonna turn in for the evening. G'night, Herc."
"Good night."
The demigod watched his friend climb the stairs and open the door to his own room.
Taking a long pull from his ale, he thought about Iolaus' abrupt mood change.
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NEXT CHAPTER: The Robbers
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TO BE CONTINUED...