
From: Mark Stroud

Hawk finished off his drink and placed the bottle back behind the 
bar.  He left a few water crystals setting on the bar in payment 
and walked out into the wastelands.  Still thinking about the 
Female Assassin, he headed toward the nearest hole-down which would 
take him to the lower levels of the wastelands.
 
He was half way to the hole-down, when he came across a level 2 
recruit.  He had never met this recruit and decided to stop and 
talk to him.  The new recruit was preoccupied and was unaware of 
Hawk's presence.  Hawk coughed to get the recruit's attention.  The 
recruit quickly spun around, swinging his steal chain in the 
process. Hawk already expected what the recruit would do, side 
stepped the chain, catching the recruit by the wrist, he gave a 
quick downward then upward jerk.  The recruit flipped and landed 
hard on his back, knocking the wind from him, his chain laying 
inches from his grasp.  Stunned and frightened, the recruit looked 
up at Hawk and then to his chain.
 
HK> "Go ahead son, pick it up," Hawk said calmly. 
 
The recruit unsure of what to do looked blankly at Hawk.
 
HK> "Well, I see that you are not as dumb as I thought." 
NR> "Who in the %#$%^$%@, are you? 
HK> "Judging from your position, it doesn't seem that you have the 
HK>  right to ask questions." Hawk said, with a big grin of his face. 
NR>  "So I guess you are going to kill me then." 
HK>  "Hahaha!!!  Maybe I will, maybe I won't, it just depends on you."
 
The recruit, still lying on his back, nervously moved his hand 
closer to his steal chain.  Hawk tilted his Herculean so it would 
become visible from underneath his cloak, muzzle pointing dead 
center on the recruit's chest. The recruit's hand clasped around 
the chain and was about to chance it, when he noticed the Herculean 
and realized he had no chance at all.
 
HK>  "You just might live." Hawk looked on approvingly.  
 
Hawk turned his back on the recruit and walked towards the 
hole-down.  The recruit suddenly realized that he was going to 
live.  Happily, he picked himself off the ground and picked up his 
steal chain.  He wondered who this strange man was and why he 
didn't kill him?  The recruit thought, "He was obviously, a man 
that knew how to take care of himself.  And that long range weapon 
he had pointed at my chest, certainly looked like it could do some 
serious damage."
 
BOOM!!!!!
 
What the....  the recruit turned and looked in the direction of the 
stranger. Suddenly a boot landed in front of him, startled the 
recruit jumped back and looked down at the boot, it was covered 
with blood and part of a leg was sticking out of the boot. "What 
the *(&(^%^%$!"  The recruit looked, again in the direction of the 
stranger who was by now about 50 yards distant and walking away 
from him.  Impulsively the recruit yelled at the stranger.
 
NR>  "HEY! WAIT!"
 
The Saga continues....
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