The Iron Grip

Chapter 13

As Lillie climbed up the coils of the giant snake, it became clear that this was a huge sandaconda. Its gargantuan scales glowed red with a strange energy.

Lillie did not know how to deal with living tornados, but she knew that gently poking it in the eye with her sword should theoretically "defeat" it. Or at least theoretically.

One advantage of climbing the Sandaconda was that it gave Lillie the higher ground against the oncoming onslaught of slightly miffed cavalry men. With their heavy armour and large weapons, those that managed to begin scaling the beast would be lucky to survive the gyrating wind that threatened to throw them off.

After half an hour, Lillie emerged above the dust storm. Beneath her feet was the creatures head, and beneath that over twenty two meters of fall damage. Lillie was not worried about the fall though for it is not the fall that hurts, but rather it is the landing that does the damage.

The first knight stepped proudly into the open air, and faced Lillie. Cautiously, Lillie drew her sword. The knight responded by brandishing not one, but two heavily decorated axes. He never got a chance to attack, fir he was swept off his feet by the sword.

In his place came the second, and he had a long spear. Using the spear like a javelin, he sent it pelting through the air. It completely missed, leaving the poor knight defenceless. He ran towards Lillie like a rugby player, and his fate was decided by her trusty sword.

Lillie lifted her sword up in the air, and a red beam of light surrounded her. Next thing she knew, the Sandaconda was shrinking. Then the world blacked out.

"Where do you come from young girl?", the Royal Guard member asked.

"I don't know", Mallow muttered. "I think I am lost." Hopefully playing the fool would help her get far enough.

"Probably another orphan from the tent city incident", one of the guards muttered.

"Well kid", said another. "What do you say I take you to Aether city tomorrow and we can see where we go from there."

"O-okay", Mallow stammered.

By noon the next day, Mallow and the guard had arrived in Aether city. Mallow thanked him and began wandering in circles, searching for an exit to the city.

Here us a summary of the events that followed. Mallow was siezed by a slave dealer, and eventually she ended up in the care of Hobbs, who had made it his mission to save poor children from slavery and employ them as servants in the castle instead.

Lillie opened her eyes. She was in a cage. An all to familiar yet vague cage. Gogoat bleated loudly in the ajacent cage. This was the last place a large animal would want to be trapped.

Gogoats were made to roam the wild, not be stuck in a prison. A human prison. If we are being exact though, it is not just any prison. It is the dungeon beneath Aether castle. The outlaw dungeon.