Michel and his mob chased the assaulters through the streets. Ignoring the yipping tourists, they cornered the assailants between two buildings and a random boulder that blocked their exit. Pressed against the rock, the runners tried to climb its smooth surface. The assassin sauntered up to them with his firearm trained on their backs.
"Excuse me," called the assassin. The runners stopped and tossed fearful glances in Michel's direction. Yet, something about their body language confused the assassin. They seemed too loose and their worried frowns too plastic. "I was minding my own business when you two came along. Now, I know that an angel's height can intimidate people, but I assure you that I'm no thunderbird."
The runners didn't say a word; their eyes started searching the roofs above. Michel's own keen eyes followed their stares. Elusive bumps ducked out of sight. Lowering his firearm, the assassin knelt in front of the toad. His size provided a better meat shield than that of the shorter goblin.
"Listen. I forgive everything if it's just a poor attempt at robbery," said Michel calmly. Yanking out a piece of pale blue fabric from his empty pocket, the assassin offered a pleasant smile. "I've got nothing to take." His treacherous lips fell into a frown as fear vanished from the duo. The smirking frog grabbed his ally and leapt to the top of a rock. Pounding hammers echoed overhead.
Standing, Michel peered up at a group of people throwing netting between the two buildings. A second team nailed spikes into the roofs to hold it in place. Jubilant, merciless laughter rumbled through the mob behind Michel. Almost in a wave they removed hidden knives, clubs, and brass knuckles from their clothing.
Fickle moods were one thing, but Michel knew when he had been set up. He readied his revolver when a geyser of sand erupted in front of him. Sprays of gold and red filled the immediate air. Stumbling back, Michel shielded his scratched face with a hand. The mob surrounded him. A thin, invisible line contained their gleeful maliciousness.
"Would someone please tell me what day it is?" asked the assassin. "I swear to the divine I ordered my thugs yesterday, not today."
"They're professionals who can see good business staring them down," proclaimed a voice.
On the left roof, a tall being stepped into view. The head of a red raptor sat on top of a humanoid body. Feathery arms bare to the elements were crossed. One of his clawed fingers tapped a silver bracelet hanging off his wrist. Blue paint covered his chest, but everything below was covered by feathers and a red kilt. Sharp talons dug into the roof edge for balance.
"Mr. Andal." The smiling Michel gave a curt bow to Andal. "Talk about surprises. Burning buildings are usually perfect pyres." Andal clacked his beak and a ball of sand smacked the assassin's cheek. Bruised skin only strengthened the assassin's malevolent grin.
"You took my kill, Aod."
Aod? So Andal still hadn't figured out Michel's real name. That was a good thing, but the Fasna - Andal's species - bird brain lacked creativity. Kneeling, Michel scooped up a pile of sand while keeping his gun on the mob in front of him. Fine sand waterfalled from his fingers as the assassin waited for the crunch of battle.
"Come on, Andal," said the assassin. He shook his head in shame. "Twenty years of the hunt and this how you plan on taking me down? A pack of buffoons and idiots. Sloppy work."
"True, but at least I didn't allow the whole of Barrol to know I had been captured."
Stiffening, Michel dropped the remaining sand. "Even Lady Luck can have an unlucky day." Cocked hammers started to fill the air. It looked as if the people on the roofs grew tired of the babble. Michel's calm, cool smile caused a few thugs to stumble back. "Brute force? Simple, effective, but costly."
"I can afford it," declared Andal. He yanked a wanted poster from his pocket. "You just killed the harbor master of all of Barrol. The islands are getting tired of your work. They are offering over ten thousand gold pieces for your corpse. More than enough for everyone here for years."
"Only ten thousand?" The assassin started to study the sole of his shoe. The weathered rubber would need to be replaced soon. "I must be slacking off." Still, being captured again sounded better than instant death. "Okay then. Just put the cuffs on and we can..." He yanked his arms away from a teasing knife.
"Didn't you hear me?" asked Andal humorously. "Your corpse is worth ten thousand."
On cue, the mob lunged at the assassin. Alarmed assaulters huffed as the assassin plopped a wing forward. He stomped on one dwarf's head while Michel shot his revolver at a knife. Sparks flew as the blade recoiled back. His flaring wings knocked several people away. His propelled knee crashed into a merman and sent him flying into the mob.
Before Michel knew it, the crowd gave way to open land. Shrieking bullets rained down upon him. In methodical fashion Michel returned fire. Three rapid headshots and blood splattering their allies convinced the gunners to fall back. They soon returned, but Michel's continuous skilled shots slowed them down.
All the while Andal held his ground, his eyes scanning the sand in front of the angel. A snap of his beak summoned mini sandstorms. Slivers of flesh were stripped from Michel's hands and face. Embedded sand grains wormed their way into exposed skin. The assassin's only advantage was his thick clothing.
As Michel reached the exit a pair of assaulters stepped into his path. One blasted a ray of light from his hands forward while the other snapped a finger bathed the air with fire. Crackling flames force Michel to lurch upward. His wings hit the net while he downed the two magicians by shooting them in the knees. Stiffened feathers drew Michel's attention for all of two seconds. Once he hit the ground, bullets nipping at his heels, Michel darted out of the alley, yet the mob refused to be beaten so easily. Their combined roar drowned out any other sound. Michel quickly checked his firearm's action to see one bullet left. Damn it. If he stayed any longer he would die. It was time to fall back upon his wings.
Michel pushed his wings open and they stiffened into wood. "What?" cried the stunned angel. He tried moving them, but they stayed frozen. The divine. Damn him. That net had a spell placed on it. Praises and curses for Andal came to mind, but a twirling knife skimming his cheek reminded him of the current danger.
"Where are the police when you need them?" shouted Michel. Helpful knives answered him, so he ran straight for the port. He gave any tourists he passed a quick explanation of his problem. "Killers incoming!" One glance at the mob convinced the bystanders to ditch their immediate plans. Many of them rushed into the buildings or into sides streets to avoid the barking guns.
Michel needed to lose the mob, so he ran into a food stall with a cloth roof. Waiting until the last minute, the assassin swung his stiffened wings and knocked the pole over. The cloth collapsed on the front row of the mob.
Sudden blindness frightened the mob into assaulting whatever happened to be closest. Cuts appeared on the wrong people and the mob dissolved into an internal fight. Curses and screams grew with the tearing of cloth. Michel gave them a mean grin before rushing for the ship.
Turning a corner, Michel ran his stomach straight into an outstretched arm. The wind bellowed out of his mouth. Curses armed his tongue for an attack, but stopped upon seeing an annoyed Sainh.
"Michel, where have you been?" demanded the reptile. She flicked her tongue at the assassin. "Ozresbet said that you ditched him at the bank." Words formed in Michel's mind but got disconnected from his tongue when a sand dune slammed into his back. Sidestepping the stumbled angel, Sainh glared at Andal marching their way. His sharp gaze drilled into Michel's back.
The fasna paused when Sainh stepped between him and Michel.
"Move," ordered Andal. His glare grew more amused when the reptile snorted.
"You're chasing the angel?" demanded Sainh. She pulled a trio of pebbles from her pocket and started levitating them.
Taking a step forward, Andal pulled the 'wanted' poster out of his pocket. "He's got a thousand gold pieces on his head."
"That's nice," droned Sainh. Michel staggered to his feet while reloading his gun. Foggy questions formed in his mind about the reptile. He knew almost nothing about her beyond the fact that she was following a crazy woman.
"Care to help me?" Andal said with a wicked smirk.
Sainh pressed her hands against Andal's chest as her eyes squinted in amusement. "No."
The fasna was launched into the air. Somersaulting, he skipped for a hundred feet or so before he crushed into a wall. The stunned assassin stared at the reptile. Based on the pebbles, he had assumed that she controlled earth.
"Neat trick," said the assassin. "Care to tell me how to do it?"
"Gravity is a powerful force," said Sainh. Her lips pulled into a snarl as Andal stood with sands whirling around his feet. A flick of Sainh's finger fired a pebble. Hardened sand sprung up into a wall, but the pebble punched right through and cracked bones. The assassin smiled as Andal ducked behind a building with a bleeding gash in his right breast. "Now, Michel. Do me a favor and take a seat on that bench. Move an inch and I will throw you at the ship."
"But my wings aren't working," noted the angel.
Sainh's half-closed eyelids questioned Michel's challenge. "Vipa will be mad if you come home hurt. Now sit." Fighting an angry gravity user with stiff wings sounded like a terrible idea, so Michel did as he was told. It also gave him time to tend to his wounds. Sainh's remaining pebbles fell into her hands. Clamped fingers held them in place as she thrust her hand to the side. She grabbed hold of a wagon and pulled it in front of her just in time to block a sand wave.
Pushing the wagon away, the reptile applauded Andal for getting on the roof. "Happen to know where the police are?"
"At their stations, enjoying their break," stated Andal. Rubbing his bloody chest, the fasna used the bricks of the building for cover. Bullets of sands formed around him and fired in barrages at the reptile. Her irked snorts fired off a gravity blast, deflecting the shots. "If they sit quietly they might just get a healthy bonus."
"This sounds too set up," said Sainh.
"What can I say?" Landing several yards in front of Sainh, Andal whipped a revolver out of his pocket. The gun gave a loud bang as it went off, but Sainh just lifted a finger. Gravity seized the bullet, orbited it around her, and shot it back at Andal. Metal rang as the gun flew out of Andal's hand. Shaking his hand, Andal scrambled backward with grim frown. "I'm well prepared. I had friends herding those reshes when you dropped explosives on them."
"And you're trying to kill Michel for that?" asked the reptile.
"Nope." Michel applauded the reptile's amazing skills. Pulling bullets out of the air generally happened in action flicks. "In a way, you can call us former partners. He's an assassin who hunts other assassins." A smile snuck onto his face at the amusing memories. "We've been playing cat and mouse for decades now."
"Sounds like fun." Sainh opened her palms and the rocks floated up in a circle. "Let's leave it here." The two pebbles launched forward. A sand wall blasted up and this time caught the pebbles.
"Enough!" exclaimed the bounty hunter.
Sand whisked away from under buildings, benches, and feet. The bench sagged under the assassin. Hopping to his feet, he tried to get his wings working again. Stiff feathers refused to move an inch. Curses filled his mind as a small mountain of sand formed in front of them.
Sighing, Sainh grabbed hold of Michel's arm. "Hang on." As the dune fell upon them Sainh fired a blast into it. Scattered sand clogged the air. Holding his ground, Andal used his second eyelids to protect his eyes from gritty grains. A hand covered his mouth to keep the dusty air out of his lungs. Several minutes passed before the storm settled. The empty street offered him silent condemnation. The bounty hunter searched the ground for tracks, but the brief sand storm covered everything up. Huffing, the bounty hunter looked to the shore and the sea beyond. If they were heading for water, then his luck would fail him. Friendly reports had alerted him to the waterbender on the Truffle. He would lose a three-way fight. With a shake of his head he walked away, adding new elements to his scheme.
Within one of the huts, Sainh poked her head out of the door. A sigh of relief escaped her. Michel, leaning beside her, aimed his gun at Andal's back. Tempting thoughts begged him to end his stalker's life.
Then a loud shriek startled them. "What are you doing in my house?" Sainh turned around in time to be smacked upside the head with a ladle. A spry woman, held a wooden ladle above her head. Michel tried to rescue his ally only to have his gun smacked out of his hand. "Hey!" he cried, before the ladle pounded him. The duo tried to explain their situation, but her weapon kept bashing the words deeper into their skulls. Using her arm as a shield, Sainh towed the assassin with her. He tried to help, but the bashing ladle left him a bit dazed.
"Okay!" cried the reptile. "We get it. Stop attacking and we'll leave." Based on the stern gaze her words meant little. The initial surprise of strangers barraging in must have worn away as the strikes from the weapon decreased. With a quick, "Sorry," the reptile bolted out the door.
A wordless agreement between Michel and Sainh formed as they returned to the ship. They would never speak of that spry woman. Though Michel wanted to ask more about the reptile's abilities; her silent demeanor itched his curiosity into action. Yet when he tried to speak she just gave him the evil eye and he shut up.
At the pier the duo spotted Ozresbet sitting on a crate sucking blood from a tuna. He was ignorant of the duo until they stood right next to him.
The captain thrust a finger at the assassin's throat as if to puncture it. "I knew I shouldn't have left you alone!"
"People attacked me!" Michel shoved the finger away from his neck. "I fell into a trap and needed to get away. I take it you sent Sainh out to find me?"
"The town isn't that big," stated Sainh. Crossing her arms, the reptile shot Michel with a soul-piercing glare. His steeled nerves flinched under the boring accusation. This reptile somehow proved more troublesome than the captain. "Will Andal be a problem in the future?" questioned Sainh.
"He doesn't swear or curse," stated the assassin "nor promise. He'll do it. Sooner or later he'll come for my head again. Until then let me worry about our suicidal mission. Where is our huntress?"
"Here!" shouted a voice. Michel glanced to the right of the pier. Floating in place, the huntress wore a pair of goggles with a hammer in one hand. "Tell us everything you know about Tragun."
"Is the ship ready to sail? And is my cash at hand?" asked Michel. That earned nods from the huntress and captain. "Get us to sea. Then we can talk."