Chapter II - Moonlight Avenger

Paranoia filled Lanky Bill's mind, ever since he came to the GoldenRose pub, he felt as if someone held a dagger over his head. Arriving at the sparsely populated establishment, Bill held under his red cloak a curved blade, and in the other a parchment with a bill for services rendered printed nearly on it. Showing the owner of the pub the bill he visibly shook in his boots, as the patrons avoided their glances, they all received similar bills in the town of Gallowpines. Extortion payments to the Red Guild, a gang of foreigners who came to the valley, and gathered wealth and power through savage violence and sly blackmail.

Swallowing hard the pub owner had the money, but he was nervous to part with it, as it would put his business in debt, and the more debt it accumulated the easier it was for the guild to steal it from under him. So many businesses from the butcher to the miller had to give up their livelihoods to the murderous scum that plague the town, but their lord bedridden with illness, they lacked courage. Sighing heavily he put a large purse on the counter, and with a blackish-yellow smile the red cloaked man took it and stuffed it in his cloak.

"Give me a beer before I go." he then ordered, lifting his cloak enough to display his dagger with blood stains on its hilt. Nodding wordlessly, the owner poured Bill a large foamy beer, and despite his smug superiority felt as though eyes were upon him with ill-intent. Turning around quickly on his stool he gazed at the customers, none looked his way. All of them were customers to his guild's service, and none of them dared meet his icy eyes. That was except for the man in the dark end of the pub, that seemed to stretch a mile away from the counter.

Eyes glistened brightly in that corner of shadows, as if they belonged to a cat, but they were affixed to a still, figure obscured in the darkness. Dressed in a cloak that appeared as if it was rolled in fireplace soot and ash, the figure was definitely looking right at Bill. Pulling out his dagger everyone in the pub but Bill and the still figure got from their seats and moved away. Menacing the man in the corner, Bill sliced the air and motioned it across his neck, making his threat clear. Despite that, those cat-like eyes still stared into his own, and Bill felt as if a point of a blade was pressed against his skull.

Sheathing his dagger he pushed away his beer and left, and hurried down the vacant streets, as a blue moon shined through the clouds. Street lights were not lit since the moon was so bright it cast the darkness in bright swathes of bluish illumination. Scurrying down two streets away from the GoldenRose Bill still felt like his life was in peril. Then he heard it, in the quiet of the night, he heard a menacing sound that made his knees shake.

Clack, clack, click, clack, click. Sounding as though Lucifer himself was walking the streets, on his own hooved feet, Bill turned about to look down the street. Hoping to see nothing, instead he saw beyond the light of the moon, in the shadow of the town church, a pair of familiar eyes, glowing in the dark. The sound muted as Bill stared at those eyes, and unable to speak, pulled out his dagger again, and waved it threateningly. The gleam of the silver around the black blade, its tip twinkled like stars in the light of the moon.

Nothing happened, Bill was paralyzed in fear as he stared at those eyes, but he heard his heartbeat in the rhythm of execution drums. In his childhood he heard them when he witnessed his father being beheaded for murder, the steady ruythm that grew into a rapid thump, before going silent. Gasping audibly, Bill saw the pair of eyes was joined by another glow, one a blue shine, that of a long, razor sharp sword. Then again came that dreadful sound.

Clack, click, clack, click. Those eyes were getting closer, afraid he fled, dropping his dagger in a panic, running with all he had away from his sinister stalker. Turning the corner he felt a cold cut in the air, as if a blade was about to fall upon his head. Crying out, he screamed for help, pounding on the doors of shops and homes, begging for sanctuary.

"Lord help me, help! Killer, there is a killer after me, help me, I'm going to die." Those brave to help his fellow man came to the door, but saw who it was, and left him to his fate. Bill was no friend to Gallowpines, he was a bully, a cheat, and far worse. Not long after he came to town, he was charged with bringing a young woman to the woods, and only he returned. The law was helpless against the guild, and everyone held their tongue, and that night they withheld their help.

Screaming in a high pitched, wheeze, Bill called for the name of God, begging for salvation. Seeking one forgiving soul, of people he treated worse than dogs, and he killed dogs for fun. Fearful he continued to flee hearing his heart continue the executioners beat along with the click, clack coming after him, in desperation he hid in a dark alley. Finding it a dead end, and when he spun around he suddenly saw glowing cat eyes staring at him, and in his frenzy he lunged at them. Hands affixed to his would be killer, he attempted to strangle out all the life from his foe's body.

A hissing meow came from the thing he strangled, and it wasn't till his eye got scratched with sharp claws did he realize he was trying to strangle a cat. Letting go of the frightened feline it dashed away to the end of the alley, and he saw in the moonlight its black and white coat. Arching its back, the cat hissed at Bill before running off into the night, that was when he heard the damning sound stop. Catching his breath, he felt a wave of hysterical relief come over him, and he began to laugh.

"Silly Bill, oh silly, silly Bill." he said to himself, making himself believe his mind made up all that nonsense about a killer stalking him, that was till he heard a voice that made his blood turn dead cold.

"Silly Bill." Turning around he looked up towards the sound, and saw descending rapidly towards him a pair of glowing eyes, and a blue sword.

***

Come the morning the town was in a stir, as the early morning was plagued with women screaming in horror, and men becoming pale and silent. Children ran away from the sight, as it was gruesome, and evil to look upon. Hanging by dozens of blood soaked strings, was Lanky Bill, dead, his head nearly chopped off from his neck, only a fragment of his spine holding it in place. Everything around him was soaked with his blood, he was intentionally strung up in front of the town square from the town gallows.

A pair of bloodied footprints were seen coming and leaving the gorey display, seemingly vanishing after coming to a wall. Once the shock wore off, the town's people felt relief, and even more so were certain business owners. As during the night they awoke to discover purses and pouches containing their recent payment to Bill had been returned to them. Quickly the body of Bill was put into an inexpensive casket, and tossed into the bog outside of town, and everyone went on with their lives. Whatever weight they felt around their necks since the Red Guild came to town was lessened, and rumors started about that there was an avenging, nighttime angel protecting them from the wicked guild.

A rumor that soon reached the ears of the Red Guildhall, which was formerly the sheriff's office. Within that boarded up structure, adorned with occultist symbols, the members of the Red Guild began to wonder if the angel was real, and if more of their members would face the same fate.