Excursion 2: Hospital Blues

Black Hawk arrives at an old house, just at the outskirts of the city. He meets a man wearing a white coat that's slightly shorter than himself. "Doc, this is the kid I was telling you about, can I leave him to you?"

"Yeah sure buddy, I'll take care of him, and who's that on your shoulder?"

"He's the one who did that," as he points to the missing hand of Fyky.

"Ahh shit, that's brutal. I'll leave him to you then. See you in a few hours."

"Sure Doc. By the way," Black Hawk reaches into the pocket of his coat, rustling it, eventually removing a small plastic sandwich bag, containing a hand, "here's his hand, hope you can reattach it hahaha," and he tosses the hand to Doc."

"…Sure," he says, gripping the bag's corner with two fingers. Gross he thought to himself, "I'm never gonna get used to this sight," he says as he gags naseously.

Black Hawk descends down a set of stairs into the house's basement. He tosses Jasper onto a chair and ties him up with rope. He then walks over to the back corner of the room, where a popcorn machine is situated, and begins cooking.

*** On the second floor of the house ***

Fyky is resting atop linen sheets on the bed. He's been asleep for two hours. He drifts off dreaming about all the people he's wronged.

Jasper Long was a senior in another school, a town away from his hometown. Fyky as a delinquent sought to beat down stronger and stronger opponents from other towns, satiating his appetite for fighting. He met Jasper at a milkshake bar in the center of town, and called his mom unsavory insults.

"Oi, dipshit! What'd you say about my mom!" And the two ended up just outside in the front of the diner.

Jasper threw a hook at Fyky, but he dodged, arcing his back backward, but then he quickly stood upright, like an oscillating spring, and threw a jaw-spinning straight right at his face. The impact caused Jasper to step back a few steps, wiping spit leaking from his mouth with the back of his fist, after spitting blood on the side walk.

"Is that all you got? Is this the Mad Jasper I keep hearing about? C'mon, I thought this would be a challenge!" Taunted Fyky as he began circling the slightly disoriented Jasper.

"Why you!" The taunt taught Jasper two things, one was that he gets too easily enraged, making his moves predictable as he stopped consciously shortening his wind ups; two, he needed to stay calm, and with his amped up adrenaline from such a forceful punch, he needed to quickly adjust his mental mindscape and trigger his fighting instincts.

Jasper, with these two revelations, stood upright, knees slightly bent, his face no longer red, and bloodlust lingering in his dilated pupils. He taunted back, "nah buddy, you ain't even come close to seeing Mad Jasper! Come at me and I'll show you."

"Finally, some action!" Said Fyky, as he began running up to Jasper, setting up a drop kick aimed at Jasper's chest. But Jasper predicted this, dodging to the left, and gripping his enemy's ankles.

He swung him using the momentum from the kick, right into a dumbster, denting it.

"You're done loser! How does it feel to be so weak," he said to his foe, who was coughing and out of breath from the impact.

Now, Fyky had learnt the joy of pain. His instincts changed his senses. His blood smelt sweet, his pain was more a massage, and without any damage to his mental state, Fyky erected himself and smashed Jasper right on the crotch.

The shock reverberated through his body, causing his knees to shake and his hands to tingle, as he dropped to the ground.

Fyky kicked him. And kicked him. And kicked him. He wouldn't stop. Once he saw Jasper's face covered in blood, he walked away, a bored expression lingered on his face.

"I expected too much from a madman huh." And Fyky walks off.

He wakes up from his sleep after his recollection and asks Doc, "will I get my hand back?" With tears in his eyes.

Doc says, "not with the current state of medicine."

"Then are there other ways? I know you guys aren't normal, I saw those cuts and that blade, you guys are something else, something unnatural." Fyky asked.

"These unnatural ways you cite come with massive stipulations." Explained Doc, "I can grant you your hand back, or a hand back, can't be choosy right now, but to get this capability back, you must walk our path… and it's not an easy one to walk."

"Will I ever feel like this again?"

"Maybe, who knows, you might be beaten again and again along this path, but I guarantee you strength you've never known before." Doc explained.

Fyky sat on the bed, contemplative. This was the first proper loss he'd ever known. He wasn't really sad, but he was shocked, and the first thing on his mind was never feeling defeat again, no matter the cost.

"Doc, I accept, I want that power!" Said Fyky in utter excitement.

"Very well kid, I'll reattach your hand using something called a gift. It is a thing you can obtain which grants you a set of abilities. This particular gift is called the Devil's Sutures, and it embodies a pretty neat power. Then, your hand, who's blood was completely drained by the kid's knife, will be revitalized through a second gift, called the Palm of Crackling Flame. Once I give you these gifts, you will be forced to become one of us, a hunter in our organization. Are you ready?" Explained Doc.

"Yes, give it to me!" Yelled Fyky. He went from intensely sad, to excitement, with a jittery smile at the opportunity to fight once again.

*** In the house's basement ***

Jasper has awoken.

"Hello kid, why'd you go after that kid huh? Cut and drained his hand of all the blood. Do you know the headache you're gonna cause me?" Said Black Hawk.

"I don't care! As long as he loses it all, then I'm happy," said Jasper.

"Yeah, we'll your antics are a little bit screwed up right now," said Black Hawk, "you see, I have one of the best doctors in the country, with one of the strongest brawlers in this city, and I'm willing to give him the same thing you have, a gift. So I recommend you start telling me about your little group, and where they are, otherwise, I'm going to send down my new friend to help me beat that info out of you."

"Do your worst scum, I won't be here for long ass wipe," said Jasper.

Suddenly, the basement windows started cracking. Black Hawk turned his head towards the window. "That's my cue!" Exclaimed Jasper excitedly, as he summoned his knife towards his hand, and cut the hopes holding him.

"Wha—" Black Hawk is then frozen in place.

…To be continued.