Author's Note: Okay, this thing was being stupid, so let's see if it will work now... On with the story, enjoy this chapter while it lasts!
Disclaimer: I won nothing except Lauriela and the monster. That's all.
Last Time –
'They demigod watched his friend climb the stairs and up enter his room.'
Iolaus grumbled as a ray of sunlight hit him square in the face. He jerked the blankets over his head and turned away from the window and obnoxiously bright sun.
"Of course the sun rises in the east," he muttered incoherently. "It just does that to spite you."
He burrowed deeper into the warm bed. Every so often, it was nice to sleep inside rather than outdoors, in the woods, on the ground.
Iolaus ran a hand over his bare shoulder, massaging an ache out of it. He was starting to think he had twisted it wrong when they fought that ragtag group of bandits.
The hunter tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use. Once he was awake, he normally stayed awake. So he just lay there in bed, not wanting to get up. Anyway, he knew Hercules would be bursting through the door. That thought alone made Iolaus groan.
Sure enough, as if on cue, the bedroom door burst open and he could he a booted pair of feet walk across the floor.
"Iolaus, wake up," he heard the demigod's voice order.
The little man grunted in protest and turned over onto his stomach, burying his face in the pillows.
"Iolaus, we were called to the magistrate's, now wake up!"
The blonde curled into a ball of blankets, muttering what sounded like, "It doesn't take us both to go," and he pulled the blankets around himself even tighter.
"We're gonna be late," warned Hercules, shaking his friend by the shoulder. He didn't see Iolaus wince, as he was shaking his sore shoulder. Hercules received no response at all.
His patience wearing thin with the usually energetic man, Hercules went to the edge of the bed, took hold of the corners of the blankets (Now, he had to use his divine strength for this one, everybody.) and yanked them violently from the mattress.
"Herc!" Iolaus whined, looking for the fabric with his eyes closed.
"Oh, come ON! Any other time, you're waking ME up!" Hercules responded.
"Yeah, that's 'cause I'm always awake first!" yawned the smaller man.
He sat up on the bed, looking around the room with sleepy eyes. Finally, when Iolaus' tired gaze fell on the demigod, Hercules instantly felt guilty for waking him up.
"Anyway, what were you goin' on about?" he asked.
As Hercules explained what was happening, Iolaus got out of bed and walked to the table that his vest, gauntlets, and boots were resting on.
"So does he thinks he knows when the robbers'll be back?" asked Iolaus. By 'he' the hunter meant the magistrate, but it was too early for him to remember trivial details such as names.
"The guy doesn't know. I talked to the barkeep and he said they've been coming about every other week or so," the demigod replied, watching the smaller man put on the old patched-up purple vest. Next, the blonde laced up his gauntlets and pull on his worn out boots.
"When was the last time they were seen?"
Iolaus stood up, running a hand through his unruly blonde tangles in a vain attempt to tame them. He performed a jaw-popping yawn that made Hercules wince at the sound before making his way to the bedroom door, picking up his sword as he went. As he passed the taller man, Iolaus' stomach growled loudly, making them both chuckle.
"We'd better get you something to eat first, then there won't be any distractions while we're talking to the magistrate," Hercules grinned.
Iolaus nodded in agreement, "That sounds like one of your better plans."
The demigod faked a hurt look.
"All my plans are good ones," he defended.
"Yeah, sure they are," the hunter rolled his eyes, holding back a laugh as he went down the stairs and into the bar area.
Hercules chortled good-naturedly as the duo took a couple of barstools. They each ordered a bowl of stew and a mug of ale. The two ate quietly, enjoying the before-morning-rush silence. (Did that make sense?)
"So anyway," Iolaus said, after a while, "What time's the magistrate want us?"
Hercules was about to reply when he was interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.
"Ah, you're going to see Norcominius?" the voice asked.
The two heros turned around simultaneously to see a middle aged man with thinning hair sitting at a table behind them.
"Yes, we are," Hercules replied, "Who are you, friend?"
"How rude of me. I am Freck, the village healer. Though lately there hasn't been much for me to do with the monster injecting venom into my patients without me even having anti-venom," the man said. "Am I correct that you are here to take care of our little bandit problem?"
The two nodded.
"What exactly IS the magistrate doing?" asked Iolaus.
Freck thought for a moment before speaking.
"He doesn't keep the taxes steady, he puts innocent people in prison for nothing. Most of the villagers can't pay for their land anymore. Because taxes are so high, the merchants have had to raise the prices of their goods, making the poorer families slowly starve to death," the man explained. "He is a greedy man who must be stopped."
"And we plan to stop him," reassured Hercules.
"Just like we're gonna stop the g-giant spider," Iolaus' ever-so-slight stammer went unnoticed by Freck, but the demigod caught it, loud and clear.
The healer look confused, "What giant spider?"
"There's no spider?" the blonde warrior asked, visibly relaxing.
Freck shook his head 'no'.
"The messenger boy told you of a spider? Ooh, I'll give that child a piece of my mind. He's been exaggerating things since he was knee high to a duck!"
The hunter and the demigod glanced at each other, both slightly amused.
"Then what are we fighting?" asked Hercules and Iolaus, together.
"To be honest..." said the man, hesitating, "No one is quite sure."
Both Hercules and Iolaus exchanged puzzled looks.
"Care to elaborate?" the hunter prompted.
"Well, many have gone to try and slay the creature, but few have returned. The venomous fangs had punctured those that made it back alive, and they were delirious from the toxins.
"The babbled on and on about yellow eyes and blood red horns. Midnight blue fur and black scales. 'eight feet tall' they said, 'dangerous as a spider'"
As the heroes digested this new information, the tavern door burst open and a large man streaked with blood stumbled in. He spotted Hercules sitting at the bar and staggered over to him, collapsing on Iolaus.
"Hercules... The robbers are... here. Help..." and he passed out, leaving Iolaus to support the man's full weight on his shoulders and left knee.
The demigod jumped to his feet and started for the door.
"Uh, Herc? A little help?" Iolaus grunted, giving his friend a pleading look.
Hercules doubled back and helped his friend out from under the mountain of flesh.
"Why can't it ever be a beautiful girl that collapses on me?" the hunter complained as they headed out the door.
The sun was still low in the morning sky, but it was a bright as it was at noon. The light silhouetted a group of men. A dust cloud was settling on the dirt road where they stood.
Slowly, as the heroes' eyes adjusted to the light, the shadows took the shape of rough, wild men.
The shrill scream of a woman rang out from the cloud. The sound of a sharp slap followed the woman's cry of pain. Neither of the warriors could see much. The dust cloud was settling amazingly and agonizingly slow.
They could see the group and the woman's shadow. The woman was sprawled out on the ground with a few men leering over her. One knelt down and planted a kiss firmly on her lips, making her struggle and let out muffled screams.
"We've waited here too long," said Iolaus.
The smaller man dashed forward before Hercules could react. So he just followed the blonde.
"Leave her alone!" the hunter shouted.
At once, the robbers left the woman and turned to glare at the man daring to challenge them.
"Well, well. Shorty here wants a fight, boys," the apparent leader laughed.
Iolaus' normally kind eyes turned to icy steel at the hated nickname, 'Shorty'.
"Oh, yeah. I want a fight. Just give me an excuse," the blonde challenged, his voice lowered dangerously.
Author's Note: Is anyone reading this? Is anyone enjoying this yet? Oh well. I'm having a helluva time writing this, so I don't care. :does a happy dance: Anyone who's reading this, please review!
NEXT CHAPTER: The Battle...
TO BE CONTINUED...