On the Trail...

Chapter 4: An Enchanting Eye

Now, if you're of a mind to, I'd like to ask you to imagine an owl, red-feathered, and spying the town beneath it with large yellow orbs. It circled the skies above Mr. Crane's office, and the fighting pit just outside of it.

The sudden roar of gunfire, inevitably, caught the attention of the feathered spectator. The magnificent predator darted down to perch atop a nearby building. Mere seconds later, the owl watched, with an understanding unlike most birds of its type, as the Man-in-Black dashed out of the building. The Bull trudged along behind.

Unsurprisingly, after a slight delay, words echoed from the office. Words commanding others to follow the fleeing pair.

The raptor observed a multitude of people respond to the command, sprinting after the two. Most brandished melee weapons such as clubs, hammers, and crowbars. Some carried ranged weapons such as slingshots, hand-crossbows, and bolas; and if you're not for knowing what a bola is, just imagine two metal balls connected by a thin wire, that one could whirl above their heads before throwing to trip up or bludgeon those they were of a mind to catch.

With a hoot, the owl lifted up into the air, higher and higher, until it was no more than a mere black speck in the sky above to any with an inkling to look upwards from the ground. With its keen eyes, it could watch as the pair rushed through the maze that was the Seaside Slums. Every now and then, the owl would lose sight of them as the Man-in-Black would lead the dwarf brawler through thin alleyways, or sometimes even a few abandoned buildings.

But the owl was high enough in the sky to always see where the two would emerge, and it would continue its observations. Now, Bill the Bull knew the layout of the land better than Jack, even though Jack was the more clever, see. As such, there were a few times the owl would witness the dwarf leading the man to specific hiding spots. The two would hide, in waiting, until a troupe of chasers would sprint past, and then they'd emerge to continue their vanishing act.

At one point, the owl witnessed a quintet of gangsters stumble into Jack and Bill, having looped about to intercept. There was an intense bout as the brawler and inquisitor rushed into the five gangsters with what seemed to be in desperate abandon. But I've mentioned enough times already, I'd reckon, that barely anything Jack did wasn't on purpose. All in all, the fray lasted nearly forty seconds before the skilled pair, Bill and Jack, continued their frantic fleeing, five bodies now moaning and groaning in the alleyway behind them.

At another point, a pair of Crane's employees found Bill and Jack hiding beneath a pile of dirty laundry, but Bill leaped out of his hiding spot in a frenzy, punching and kicking and biting at the pair until they fled in terror. Atop the dwarf's head, for a while, were someone else's undergarments. Bill didn't recognize this fact until they had discovered another hiding spot, and Jack couldn't suppress his smile, any more.

I'd reckon the dwarf cursed and rudely gestured to Mr. Willows when that disturbing tidbit of information was relayed!

More time went on, with only a couple more encounters with Crane's Gang, before the pair escaped the Seaside Slums to enter into the more, let's say, refined districts of the town. They were haggard, and worn, by the time the chase ended, but both continued their trek though Runner's Rest towards a specific tavern I've mentioned before. And that strangely interested and perceptive owl continued its flight overhead, all the while.

***

"Four pints of yer finest," said Bill the Bull to the bartender of the Frothed Tankard Tavern. The man behind the bar nodded, appraised the burnt-out, dog-tired, and done-in pair with suspecting eyes. He started pouring the four drinks when he recognized Jack Willows. He knew enough about the Man-in-Black to know not to question the man, if you get my meaning. As I mentioned earlier, most folks of Runner's Rest knew of the inquisitor, and knew he took jobs most would deem too unsavory, frightening, or mysterious.