FicWad

Marko the merchant breathed a deep sigh of relief as Keogh, Aria, and Duke left his stand. He was eager to put that traumatic experience behind him and get on with his life. Busying himself with the upkeep of his goods for sale, he soon eased back into his daily routine. Marko was bent over cleaning up a mess when the men arrived; today was the day that the Hawk's men came to collect their payment. Standing up to greet the men, he was surprised to find he didn't recognize them. The man in front of him wore a black trenchcoat and fedora, and had a rather creepy scar over his right eye.

“What is this?” demanded Marko, “Where are the usual men?”

“Does it matter, Marko?” grinned the man in the fedora. “We need to talk,” he said, gesturing to one of the men with him. Before Marko could react, he felt a hot, searing pain in his back. The pain was excruciating; he wanted to scream, but found himself already going limp. The man who had stabbed him caught Marko as he began to collapse, and dragged him inside. Inside, the man proceeded to prop Marko's limp body up crudely in a chair and check his pulse. Finding no response, he stood up to face the man in the fedora.

“What a weak fool! Didn't even last five minutes...”

“Oh well...” shrugged the man in the fedora, “He was useless, anyway.”




Meanwhile, everything was at a complete standstill. Keogh, Aria, and Duke found themselves cornered in an alleyway, threatened by a band of street thugs, presumably the Falcon's. Out of the five thugs who cornered them, one stepped forward, carrying a large club.

“Lookee here, boys!” he boasted to his fellow thugs, “It's that redhead and his friends!”

“Hah! Didn't we break every bone in that pansy's body already?” one of them laughed back.

“Naw, we got chased off before we could finish the job!” another chimed in.

“And we're still reeeeal sore about that night!” yet another said.

“This seems like the perfect chance for revenge!” the last thug roared.

Keogh scratched his head in thought. “...Aaand who are you supposed to be again?”

“W-what?” roared the head of the thugs, “Why you insolent little twerp! I oughta...”

“Now hold on a second,” Keogh cut him off, “My memory's a little fuzzy. I remember getting hit in the head...from behind...after dark...” He shrugged. “Duke, you remember these fools?”

“Yeah, I remember them,” Duke grinned, feeding off of Keogh's calm attitude, “I remember chasing them away that night!”

“Hey! We just didn't want to get caught by the Owl!” the head thug yelled, quite intimidated.

“You there...” Keogh cut in again, pointing at the smallest of the thugs, who carried a short sword, “Ever use that sword before?”

“You dare mock me?!” the thug roared, insulted and enraged. Drawing his sword, he charged Keogh, roaring. Keogh dodged his first strike, catching him by his sword hand and promptly disarming him. “Didn't think so...” Keogh muttered.

“Look out!” Aria suddenly yelled. Out of the corner of his eye, Keogh saw the other four thugs collapse simultaneously. At that moment, a strange feeling swept over him. He could now feel the minuscule ebbs and flows of the stale air around him. His senses were unbelievably sharpened; he could sense the various faint scents of the city in the air, as well as hear the faintest movements, down to the dust blowing across the ground. His vision was clearer than ever, and his peripheral vision was drastically improved as well. This sudden rush of sensation brought him to his knees, head throbbing. “Keogh!” he heard Aria scream. He noticed a disturbance in the air around him; something was coming at him, and fast! Grabbing the arm of the thug he had disarmed, he pulled the thug's body in front of his own in time to intercept the knife blade whistling toward him. With that, the air went calm once more and his senses returned to normal, leaving Keogh feeling nauseous and weak.

Duke was the first to stir. “Aria, are you alright?”he asked, concerned. Aria had tackled him with surprising strength, but now lay there trying to catch her breath, sickly pale.

“I'll...be ok...” she stammered as Duke helped her gingerly to her feet. “What about...”

“Keogh!” finished Duke, as they both started toward where Keogh had fallen. After pulling the now dead thug off of him, he started coughing in pain. His still-bruised ribs ached and his head throbbed, plus his skin was also a pale, clammy white.

“What the hell just happened?” Keogh moaned as he was helped up.

“You dodged my first attack. Impressive,” a voice rang out behind them.

“Who are you?” snapped Duke. The blond-haired girl who stood before them smirked and drew the short, thin blade she carried at her side.

“Rest assured, my next attack will not miss,” she said, preparing to strike.

“Enough, Erica!” another voice called out. An older man came into view, wearing a black fedora and coat, with a scar over his right eye.

“But, sir!” she protested, reluctantly acknowledging his presence.

“Please forgive her arrogance,” he said, addressing Duke, Keogh, and Aria, “The fact that you survived her attack means you are worthy of my time. You know me as the Hawk.”

“You're...the Hawk...” Keogh said, slightly awed.

“Come, walk with me,” the Hawk said, turning to leave and motioning for them to follow, “We have much to discuss.”





With the afternoon sun blazing hot overhead, the Hawk led them to an empty warehouse near the edge of town. “We won't be disturbed here,” he said as the others followed him inside. “Now, I understand there is someone you are looking for?”

“Yes,” Aria spoke up, “His name is Gilbert Nelson, and he's my father!”

“I see...” said the Hawk, his face expressionless, “Tell me more.”

“He came here last week on business, and...we haven't seen him since...”

“Hmm...” he pondered, his face still blank. Suddenly his expression became stern. “I'm afraid I don't recognize that name. But, I do have a lot of men skilled at gathering information. I predict we could find him in a few days.”

“Then you'd...?!” Amy said, breathless.

“However...as kind a man I can be, I can't simply work for free!” he shrugged.

“What are you asking?” Keogh asked, eying him suspicious of his motives.

“Oh, my price is reasonable. A favor, if you please... “ he smiled. “You see, currently, in the town of Cath, there is talk of rebellion. Since a man came to power claiming to be the Duke of Cath, there has been a great deal of unrest. Although his identity was validated, few there truly believe it. All I ask is that you go and assist this rebellion.”

“Just why do you want to see this phony Duke killed?” Duke spoke up.

“Because, my friends,” sighed the Hawk, “I may lead a band of assassins, but I ultimately strive for peace throughout the land. My men may be killers, but we treat those who deserve to live well. We're nothing like those second-rate thugs who go around preying on the weak and defenseless! And I intend to prove it! When the time is right, we'll make our move, crush those pathetic punks, and bring peace and stability to this city!” He grinned. “Consider this a chance to...prove yourselves to me...”

The Hawk strode over to the door and opened it. “What do you say?”

After a deep sigh, Duke stood up and nodded to Keogh and Aria. “I suppose we have no other choice...” he relented.

“Very good!” grinned the Hawk, “Return to me with good news...and I'll have good news waiting for you!”