Chapter 17 - Troll of Azork and the Wyvern of the Warlord King

Just when she thought her life couldn’t get any worse! Maggie helped support Tank as they slowly made their way through the forest. At least now he looked like he was taking things more seriously. She couldn’t believe he guilted her into a kiss and despite her hesitance to admit it to herself, it was a really good kiss too. Was there anything Tank wasn’t good at? For the moment, she really didn’t want to find out what he wasn’t good at since both their lives depended on him and his skills.

Maggie heard a strange noise then the tree branch next to her burst into splintered pieces. She cried out in surprise and Tank jerked off the sling and pulled her close to him with a groan of pain. He turned and shot at something from behind them. Maggie covered her ears from the loudness of the shots, but she could hear someone cry out. She looked up worried and saw one of Chase’s men stumbled to the ground.

“Come on, Maggie. They’re gaining on us,” Tank told her.

Maggie nodded mutely. She really doubted that this moment she could even form any words. She tried to help him remove his arm, but Maggie was surprised when he wouldn’t let her.

“Trying to get rid of me already,” he teased her.

Maggie shook her head and pointed to his still bleeding shoulder.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry,” he told her.

At this point, she knew better than to argue with him just as she knew his shoulder was far from okay.

They moved slowly and she wasn’t sure how he managed to appear always alert with his arm as it was. It was clear that it was causing him a great deal of pain. Every now and again Maggie could hear voices in the woods behind them and tried her best not to panic. Tank quickened their pace by a little and Maggie tried her best to help him along, but sometimes she felt as if sometimes she caused him more pain.

“We’re getting close to my car,” he told her in a gruff whisper.

She nodded in reply as they continued to hurry. Maggie didn’t think she’d ever be so happy to a car ever in her life but when she saw Tank’s car on the side of the road, she nearly jumped in pure bliss.

“You can drive?” Tank asked and she nodded once more. “Good. Get in.”

More shots rang out around them. Maggie shrieked as she got into the driver’s side while Tank shot back at the men still hidden by the trees. Maggie tried to start the car but honestly she was shaking so badly that she wasn’t able to put the key in the ignition.

“Here let me help you,” Tank said leaning over and took the key out of her hands. He moved over and put the key in the ignition. “It’s going to be okay Maggie, just drive and get us out of here,” he told her calmly as he reloaded his gun.

She nodded taking a deep breath then letting it out. “Where are we g-going?” Maggie stuttered as they drove down the street. Tank sighed looking exhausted and Maggie grew more worried. “I should t-take you to the hospital.”

“No,” Tank said harshly. “Chase can find us easily there,” he said with his voice rough with pain. “I’ve got an idea where to go,” he added.

Maggie sighed and drove. Her life had become a first person shooter and she couldn’t stand first person shooters. She always was pwned and dead within ten minutes and from the way things were going her luck hasn’t improved by much.

They had been driving for a while and Maggie’s nerves finally started to calm down when Tank started to give her instructions on where to stop. They were in some other town in front of a small little apartment complex that looked like it had seen better days. They stopped before a faded stained door and Maggie knocked on the door as Tank asked her too. A man with a dark scruffy appearance opened the door.

“Brian, is that you? Man you look like shit,” he said and Tank laughed then winced with pain. “Come inside, come inside. Can’t have you dying at my door now can we,” the man stated moving aside for them to come inside.

Maggie tried not to notice how the man gave her a hard look.

“Who’s the chick?” The man demanded after indicating to set Tank down on the couch.

“No one. She’s just some punk’s girl that got in the way and ended up being my little human shield. Later found out she’s a mute, couldn’t just toss her to the side, you know how I’m a sucker for the sob story,” Tank replied but was giving Maggie a pointed look that she knew he was telling her to go along.

“A mute huh?” the man said giving her another hard look that made her wish she was anywhere but here.

“Yeah a mute, now how about you patch me up or would you rather sit here and cluck around like a hen,” Tank shot back.

“Alright, alright don’t get your panties in a bunch,” he stated.

Tank grabbed Maggie’s hand and pulled her down towards him, forcing her to sit. “Keep up with the mute story…Penny,” Tank whispered to her. “Jack is as good as a man can get being an ex-con, but I wouldn’t trust him not to sell you to Chase if he had the chance,” he finished.

She nodded, not daring to speak even though Jack wasn’t in the room. After a few minutes the man, Jack, returned to the room with his arms full of stuff. He shooed Maggie with a wave of his hand and she got up quickly to avoid from his hand from touching her. Maggie looked away from them as Jack started to remove the bullet from his shoulder. She heard Tank groan and cry out a few times and she started to feel woozy from just imagining the gory scene in her mind.

Suddenly a hand clamped over her shoulder and spun her around. She would have cried out in surprise but her voice somehow got stuck in her throat and for once she was thankful.

“You alright there, girlie? Looking a little green?” Jack asked.

She nodded. She looked down at Tank, who had apparently passed out.

“Funny you don’t look like the type to be a punk’s girl,” he said giving her a hard look.

Maggie shrugged nervously refusing to meet his eyes while the whole time chanting silently ‘Tank wake up!’

“So what’s your name girlie?”

Maggie played her part as she shook her head side to side.

“Right you’re a mute,” he stated then made some strange movements with his hands.

He started to say something else when there was a knock at the door. “Blimey ain’t I mister popular today,” he complained as he walked over to the door.

Maggie shifted over closer to the unconscious Tank as she heard the man speaking with someone. She clasped her hands together tightly staring at them trying to dispel the feeling of dread inside her, she was in Tank’s world now. It was a more strange and confusing than a pug with some random noobs. Suddenly a man walked in with Jack, he looked familiar.

“Ah, Mss. Kent good to see you looking so well to see you under the circumstances,” he said.

Maggie remembered him to be the other man that Tank had come with when she was in the hospital. He was like his boss or something, she didn’t know since she honestly never paid that much attention.

“So you know the mute,” Jack asked and the man laughed.

“She’s no mute, a little hard to understand through the stuttering but not mute,” he told the other.

Maggie bit the insides of her cheeks getting an even more bad feeling.

“Well, that’s what Brian here said,” Jack said giving the other man a cold look and the other man looked at him irritated.

“He was obviously trying to protect her, seriously have you lost your touch that badly,” the man told Jack, who was now glaring at him hatefully. “Mss. Kent, I need you to come with me, your safety is our most important concern,” he said holding out his hand.

Like hell, Maggie thought, not only because of her dislike for touching people but there was something in his look that bothered her. Maggie shook her head side to side and moved till she was standing next to Tank.

“Don’t worry about Hunter, Jack here will make sure he’s fine besides Hancock isn’t after him, but after you,” the man explained.

“What’s Chase want with a girlie like this?” Jack asked and the man didn’t acknowledge him or his question at all.

“We don’t have time Maggie, come with me now,” the man barked causing her to jump in surprise, his face contorted with anger.

“She ain’t going anywhere until you answer my questions, Larson,” Jack snapped.

Maggie squeaked in surprise as the man, Larson, turned and hit the other man knocking him to the ground.

“Now come here damn it,” Larson snapped at her and she backed away shaking her head side to side.

“N-no, I d-don’t g-go anywhere without him,” she said indicating at the unconscious Tank at her side on the couch.

“Don’t be stupid you damn loser! We’re losing precious time,” he practically snarled and when she shook her head again, his lip curled giving him a wild look as he charged at her.

Maggie shrieked and dived to the side. She started to run away from him when he caught her by the ankle and knocked her to the ground. The wind was knocked out of her as her chest slammed into the hard floor.

“I’m not losing my millions because of an idiot woman like you,” he growled at her as he pulled her closer to him. “Now be a good girl and you may just die quickly,” He sneered at her.

“Leave m-me alone,” Maggie demanded though it came out more like a squeaky plea.

Larson laughed as he pulled her to her feet. “Hmm, let me think. Live a life of luxury or let a pathetic loser like you go on living that waste of life you live? I think I would rather have the life of luxury sweetheart,” He stated with a condescending tone.

Maggie tried to break free from him, but his grip was too tight on her.

“Don’t worry once I’m done with you I’ll come back for Hunter and take care of him too. Can’t have him running around and telling everyone now can I? I gave him his chance,” he sneered then shook his head. “What kind of man would choose a freak like you over sexy Latin women and his best friend for over fifteen years?”

She tried the same trick she had done on Chase, but Larson didn’t let her go as he cried out when she slammed her foot into his.

“Oh you’re going to pay for that,” he told her and started to drag her out of the living room towards the apartment door.

Suddenly there was a loud shot that broke a hole in the wall, causing Maggie to jump and squeak out of fear. Larson and Maggie turned to see Jack was standing there with a shotgun pointed right at Steve or she was really hoping it was at him.

“One thing I can’t stand is a dirty cop,” Jack said then spat blood on the floor next to him. “Hell, I’ve lied, cheated, and stolen till I’m blue in the face but I ain’t done anything as bad as this,” he said glaring at Larson.

“Let her go now,” Jack demanded.

The cop started to laugh. “So the con man is going to preach to me? Now that’s funny! Stay out of this if you know what’s good for you punk,” he shot back and start to drag Maggie out of the room.

Another shot rang out and Maggie shrieked as he let go of her. She fell down to her knees as Larson groaned. She turned to see him holding his side which was bleeding badly.

“Crazy little bastard! You’re going to regret this,” he snapped then limped out of the apartment.

Maggie sighed with relief. “I thought the troll of Azork was bad,” Maggie said still on her knees.

“Nah the Wyvern of the Warlock King is much worse,” Jack replied holding out a hand.

Maggie gawked at the older man before her. She opened and closed her mouth several times as she got up ignoring his hand. “H-how?” She said in awe.

Jack chuckled as he gave her a wink. “Name Zazurus ring a bell?”

Maggie squeaked as her eyes grew wide. It couldn’t be, she thought as she stared at the man before her. “You? It can’t be! Zazurus is the best gamer in the whole game! The word epic doesn’t even begin to describe his armor set! He’s number one in pvp for nearly a whole year straight!”

He gave her a toothy grin that oozed arrogance. “Don’t forget that The Darken Warriors is number one in the raiding charts too.”

Maggie swallowed loudly. It really was him!

“Who’s your avatar?” he asked.

“Mine? I don’t think you’ve heard of me, I’m Styrene,” she said a little bashful.

“Styrene? Ah yeah, that healer from The Crusaders? Of course I know of you. You’re not so bad for a healer that is,” he said with a smirk.

Maggie nearly squealed like a thirteen-year-old at a Bieber concert at that moment! Zazurus knew her too and didn’t think she was that bad! “Thanks,” she replied shyly.

“So what’s a healer of the sacred light of the God Rymoth doing here of all places?” Jack asked her.

She told him everything, the whole nasty business with Chase. He was Zazurus after all. No way they couldn’t trust him.

“That’s nasty, Chase is like the Troll of Azork and The Wyvern of the Warlord King combined,” Jack told her and she nodded in agreement.