The spider droids seemed confused for a moment as Tuck and Gilbert reached the rooftop, looking downward but the metal beasts were undeterred, climbing towards them up the side of the skyscraper.
Thinking fast, Gilbert removed a sticky bomb from his belt and activated it, throwing it over the side where it attached to the closest crawling spider droid. The creature roared out of its metallic mandibles, firing red lasers from its eyes and Gilbert and Tuck ran from the edge of the rooftop as the crawling creature exploded, its metal carcass on fire as it dropped off the side of the building, landing on the street below on its back.
Gilbert looked at Tuck, motioning him to follow as the two of them ran along the rooftop.
The other two spider droids effortlessly climbed up the side of the building, shattering glass windows and breaking bricks, sending rubble falling to the streets below. Their great metal legs whirred and clanged on the side of the building as they both climbed to the rooftop, taking off after Tuck and Gilbert, who were running for their lives.
Gilbert spun around, firing two arrows at once at one of the spider droids, which exploded as the arrows pierced its metallic hide. The other creature moved faster, crawling closer and closer towards Gilbert as he stopped and reached for another arrow – but his quiver was empty. Gilbert cursed under his breath as the massive creature swiped him up with a metal leg.
“Tuck!! RUN!” Gilbert screamed as Tuck froze, watching as the metal spider stuffed Gilbert into its gaping void of a mouth – its teeth whirring and spinning around like a saw as Gilbert was eaten by the metal creature, his body reduced to a spray of red. Tuck nearly threw up in shock.
“Oh God! Oh God!” he screamed, turning and running as fast as he could. He reached the edge of the building and realised as he looked over the edge that there was nowhere left to go.
Tuck stood there – frozen and pale as the giant metal machine crawled towards him, taking its time. Suddenly, there was a brilliant burst of laser fire as The Alanna flew down towards the rooftop, blasting massive laser holes in the gargantuan metal beast.
Tuck sighed with relief as the spider creature collapsed on the rooftop, exploding to pieces. Tuck leapt off the rooftop onto the ship, climbing in through the top hatch with John’s help.
“That was a close one, friar,” John said, ushering his friend into the opening of the hatch before following him into the ship and sealing the hatch behind them.
Inside, Tuck fell into a seat in the lounge area of the ship, sinking into the red leather and letting his head fall into his hands.
“Gilbert and Reynold?” John asked, passing Tuck a canteen of whiskey. Tuck accepted the drink, shaking his head and drinking from the canteen.
“Both dead!” Tuck replied and John nodded slowly.
“Then they died heroes," John replied and Tuck looked at him for a long moment, sighing and shaking his head. He took another long drink from the canteen.
Chapter seventeen: The beast of Nottingham
Robin crept along the corridor, nearly jumping out of his skin as a slender man ran out of a room full of treasures. It was Nigel and he was attempting to leave with some of the King’s treasure. Robin grabbed him, pushing him against the wall as Nigel began to weep.
“Don’t kill me! Please! I am nobody! I was the King’s adviser! That’s all!” Nigel begged and Robin tightened his grip around the man’s neck.
“SHUT UP! TELL ME WHERE HE IS!” Robin hollered from beneath the ski mask under his hood. Nigel stammered, pointing down the corridor.
“H-he's c-coming! You have to stop h-him! He’s mad!” Nigel pleaded as Robin removed a gold necklace from around the cowards neck.
“You take this treasure, and you dump it all outside the castle! This belongs to the people of Sherwood now! You understand? You give this to the homeless or I promise you... I’ll come for you next,” Robin said with sincerity. Nigel nodded his head, running back into the treasure room to collect more things.
Robin returned his attention to the corridor ahead, listening as loud footsteps echoed up the hall ahead, marching towards him.
It was just one man, but with footsteps like that there was only one guess who it could be. The sheriff finally appeared at the end of the castle corridor drinking from a gold chalice, which he promptly tossed into a wall as he saw Robin Hood.
“LOXLEY!” The sheriff exclaimed and Robin threw back his hood and peeled off his ski mask.
“It’s over sheriff! I’m taking this city back for the people. Your days of corruption and bringing suffering to this city are over. Stand down, or be destroyed" Robin said, aiming his bow at the massive beast of a man.
“Loxley is a name I shall never forget. I worked there you know for a long time. Collecting debts, dealing drugs... you know... small things. One day, a man came in to see me. Pathetic really. He said he needed some money, so I leant it to him. Broke my heart. My heart bleeds for the poor and the weak, Robin... it really does. All I ask is for debts to be repaid, and most people in this city do eventually. But on the planet Loxley, that man... boy he was such a loser. I went to collect his debt and he didn’t have it. I gave him ten seconds to run... and I shot him dead in the street like a dog. I was a younger man then. Do you know, I think his name was Hood
