Disclaimer: See the Prologue

A/N: While on the subject of fan-characters, I should point out that only Spectre is fan-made. Love Wilcox is a character from Killer7. Now that you know…enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 9 – First Ever Customer

The police soon arrived at the Skate Park, where they had expected to find the perpetrators to be still here. But they were long gone, but still they drew their guns and got out of the squad cars. One of the officers scratched his head.

"Are you sure this is the place?" he asked a female officer.

"This is where the gunshots were heard," she replied, "But look…"

What formally was a Huntsclan killing field was instead an empty kid's skate park. The bodies were missing, the blood and bullet casing were cleaned up, and there was no apparent destruction of the environment.

"What the hell went on here?"

----------

Once back at the store, Jake sat in a chair with a blanket wrapped around him, still feeling like he was spinning around in his head. His friends were crowded around, each relieved to see him still alive and breathing.

Lao and Fu were also present, where the old man wasn't exactly happy to see Rose, and made it known by his frowning towards her, which she promptly ignored.

"That was a close call," Con said, breaking the silence, "Huntsclan and Smilies on the same day. What are the odds of that?"

Jake nodded, "Yeah."

He then looked over at Rose who had a bandaged arm, where his eyes softened, as did Rose's. She downcast her eyes and exhaled softly.

"Jake, I…" she begun, "I…I don't know what to say."

"You should be fortunate that I have not informed the Dragon Council of your appearance, Huntsgirl," Lao pointed out, "Only because we see you as a potential ally, Huntsgirl."

Rose frowned, "Please don't call me that. I'm not part of the Huntclan any more."

Lao then turned to Con.

"And who are you, young one?" Lao asked, remembering not being properly introduced to this strange kid, before he thought, 'Is this who Iwazaru mentioned I've know before? Who is he?'

Con smiled, "Con Smith. Sound Hunter, Speed Star."

'Smith!' Rose exclaimed in her mind, 'The same last name as Garcian. I wonder…?'

Lao looked at him questioningly, "Smith?" He then thought, 'That voice...'

Con nodded, "Yeah. I'll assume you've already met Dan."

"The Hellion," Lao said, "We have met him. He saved Jake before from those…those…"

Lao then exhaled painfully, not believing that those 'Heaven Smile' would ever think of attacking the magical community, not after how they were wiped out almost thirty years before. Lao had been instrumental towards their destruction.

"Smilies?" Con asked, "Yep. They're thinkin' of taking over the city unless we do something."

"Yeah," Jake said, then smiled, "But I think we showed them today."

Con nodded then declared, "Look, I gotta go."

Jake was surprised, "Huh?"

The punk got up and walked towards the door, where he then turned around towards the eyes that were watching him closely.

"I'll catch you guys later," Con said, "I'll tell Dan you said 'hi.'"

"Thanks," Jake replied, then smiled, "And tell him we'll offer him a job in Smiley and Huntsclan Extermination!"

Rose flinched slightly at those words, where Jake instantly shut his trap. Con then looked at Rose's direction, who was slightly startled upon seeing him face her. He bit his lip slightly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry for cappin' your arm," he said, "Didn't know you were with Jake."

Rose sighed, "That's ok. It happens."

Con then smiled, then boomed out which startled everyone as he gave the Devil's hand sign, "LA-TER! PEACE!"

He then walked through the door and out of the shop, leaving Jake, Trixie, Spud, Rose, Lao and Fu dumbfounded beyond belief. Fu scratched his head.

"Now what was that all about?" Fu queried, "This is starting to get weird."

"I'll say," Spud said, "First there's those smiling walking time-bombs; then two guys named Smith who just happened to be a pair of chrome-packing, Huntsclan-hating, Smile-killing tough-guys and now…"

Spud then suddenly thought about what he was saying. What would number three be?

"Er…what's number 3?" Jake asked.

Lao's mouth was left agape after Con's appearance and quick disappearance, where he thought he just saw someone he thought he lost nearly a lifetime ago.

'Luke.'

----------

Con sighed as he leaned outside the door of the shop, where he lifted his bandanna up slightly so he can wipe the sweat from his forehead. His blind eyes were closed tightly, where he then pulled the bandanna back over them.

"Whoa, what a ride," he said to himself.

Suddenly, Iwazaru appeared before him, where Con wasn't startled upon seeing him, and didn't seem all that surprised to see him. He just smiled softly.

"Hey, Iwazaru," he greeted, "How's it hangin'?"

"Master," the ghost begun, "We're in a tight spot."

"Heh, tell me about it," Con replied smirkingly, "Smilies and Hunties on the same day? That's what I like to call 'extended play'."

"Cute," Iwazaru remarked, "Anyway, it has arrived."

Con ears perked up at that as he turned his head to face the bondage-gear-wearing ghost.

"Say wha…?

"The Blood Dragon's holy sword has arrived in the Big Apple," Iwazaru explained, "And there is no doubt that both the Huntsclan and the Dark One will attempt to possess it to fit their maniacal ends. Oh…"

Iwazaru began to sound dramatic, which would always annoy Con.

"…will it ever end?"

If he could have, Con would have rolled his eyes, "Relax, ghosty. Jeez…I'll take care of it."

Iwazaru shook his head, "No, this is a job for your main man, the Thief."

"The Thief?" Con exclaimed, "You mean…? Aw, man!"

----------

Back in the shop, Rose swallowed softly as she broke the silence, "There is these two other guys named Smith."

All eyes turned to her.

"What was that, girl?" Trixie asked.

Rose explained, "There was this man named Garcian Smith. He saved me from a Huntsclan attack the other night. And there was this pale guy that…that…that…"

She shuddered, thinking about last night. Jake eyes softened, seeing her stutter and look like she was terrified.

"…butchered a whole gathering of Huntsclan that was about to capture a blessing of Unicorn, along with a white-coloured dragon."

'Love,' Jake thought.

"They could be part of this," Rose said, "Also, a couple of these…things attacked me today."

"Smiles?" Jake asked, alarmed, "They attacked you?"

Rose nodded.

Lao then asked, "Could you describe these two individuals you just spoke about?"

"Yes," Rose replied, "Garcian's black, wears a white suit and carries a briefcase. The other guy, I don't know his name, he appeared to be albino who wore glasses and is only dressed in pants."

"Hey, shouldn't you be telling the council about all this?" Spud asked, speaking up for the first time, "What if those Smilies decide to take over the city?"

Suddenly a pixie messenger appeared out of nowhere, which startled the group except Lao and Fu. Jake rolled his eyes.

'I hate it when they do that!' Jake thought irritated.

"Special delivery for Lao Shi," the pixie said, handing the old man the message.

Lao nodded in thanks, where as the pixie disappeared he opened the message, where Councillor Andam's head appeared.

Master Lao Shi, Andam begun, You are summoned to Dracos and before the World Dragon Council immediately. We look forward to seeing you.

The message, as abrupt as it was, suddenly finished.

"That was fast," Spud pointed out.

Lao sighed and headed towards the door.

"Where you going, Gramps?" Jake asked.

"The Council summons me," Lao replied, "I trust you will watch over the shop while I'm gone?"

Fu smiled, "Relax. By the time you get back, the cash register will still be empty."

Lao then looked over at Rose, then at Jake, "And I hope you know what you're doing, young dragon."

Jake crossed his eyebrows, "O…kay."

With that Lao left the store, leaving Jake to scratch his head in confusion, where he turned to Thorn, a questioned look on her face.

"I don't think your grandpa trusts me, Jake," Rose said sadly, before getting up, "I think I should go."

Alarmed, Jake sat up…

"No wait."

…and held her by the shoulders, which really caught Rose off guard.

"You don't have to go anywhere," Jake said quickly, before slowing down, "You're welcome to stay here."

She shook her head, "What if the Huntsmaster finds me here? You'll all be in danger."

"No doubt about that," Trixie whispered over to Spud and Fu.

Jake frowned, "He'll have to go through me if he's thinking of taking us all down."

He then smiled, which somehow made Rose start to feel at ease. She sat back down, courtesy of Jake with his hands still on her shoulders.

"Trust me," Jake finished.

Rose looked at him blankly for a moment, before she too smiled, "Thanks Jake."

"Hey kid…?"

Jake let go of Rose and turned to Fu, who crossed his arms and sat up on his two legs.

"Who was that guy with the headphones that came in with ya'?" he asked, "Con Smith, right?"

"Yeah?"

"What's his story? He's got the same surname as Dan."

Jake smirked, "You really want me to tell you?"

"Lay it on, kid."

Jake told Fu everything that had happened today. When Jake, Trixie and Spud met Con at school and made friends with him, how he almost ripped off Brad's arm (which really impressed Rose) and up to the Skate Park.

"Dude, he was like a pint-sized Tony Hawk," Spud interrupted enthusiastically with a smile, "He's a top dude, alright!'

"Got that right," Trixie added, equally enthusiastic.

Jake glared and said exasperated, "You mind, yo?"

He then continued on with how the smiling mutant zombie suicide bombers affectionately known as Smilies attacked and how Con eradicated them all with his dual automatic pistols, really setting a new meaning to the words 'kids with guns.'

"Yeah, that is sad," Fu agreed.

Then Jake explained how the Huntsclan showed up and Con didn't break a sweat as he proceeded to dispatch them all as well. And by then Fu was rolling on the floor in laughter, which really surprised Jake.

"Er…Fu?"

"HA HA HA! THAT'S FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!" Fu laughed; tears of laughter streaming from his eyes, "THE HUNTSMAN GOT HIS BUTT WHIPPED BY A BLIND KID? HA HA HA! THAT'S GOLD, JAKEY BOY!"

Jake couldn't help but smile as well, "Yeah. That is funny."

He then noticed that Rose was sharing the same thoughts, because the punk had beat up her own brother, so he quickly wiped away his smile and cleared his throat.

"Then Rose appeared and stopped Con from wasting Spectre," Jake explained, "Man, you really gave him the boot, eh?"

Rose narrowed her eyes, "I love my brother, you guys. Even though he's an overambitious, arrogant jerk, he's still family."

She then stood up again.

"Just like my uncle."

"Hey, that's understandable," Fu said rather sarcastically, "Even though he's trying to kill you now?"

Jake glared at him, which made him shut his face.

"You know," Jake said, turning once again to Rose, "You could crash over at my place if you want."

Rose's eyes widened, surprised that Jake would say that. She shook her head, "I don't want to be a bother."

She then went glum.

'Or a danger for that matter.'

Jake smiled, "No bother. We've got that spare room and I don't think mom and dad's gonna rent it out anytime soon."

Trixie had a look of shock on her face; "You're kidding us, Jakey?"

Spud, however, just smiled and thought, 'Go for it, Jake, my man.'

Rose looked at Jake blankly for a few seconds, before she smiled softly, her eyes tearing a bit, "Thank you, Jake. I'd love to."

Jake smiled big, got up and held her by the hands in comfort, "Okay! That's what I'm…"

Suddenly Spud, Trixie, Rose and Fu all saw someone standing in the doorway behind Jake, where he quickly noticed them looking offscreen behind them.

"Hey, what's up you guys?" he asked.

He then heard a throat clear and he spun around, letting go of Rose's hands, startled at whom he was just seeing standing there, leaning against the doorway with one arm and a rather sly smile upon his face, and with his burning brown eyes.

He spoke in a South American accent, "I assume this store is in business?"

"Huh?" Jake said, "Oh…er…"

The man in question appeared to be an Hispanic, where he was dressed in black shirt over a white one and blue jeans. He had rather weird hair parting upward and a short beard. He appeared to have tattoos running up both his arms.

"Yo, who are you?" Trixie asked.

The Latino looked over at her oddly, "Que? I was seeing if this joint was open. Isn't this Canal Street Electronics?"

"Yeah," Jake said, unsure.

The Latino smiled, "Well then. Mind if I have a browse?"

'Holy crud, a real customer,' Fu thought, 'If only the old man was here, this would have blown his mind.'

Jake nodded, "Go for it."

"Salud."

The Latino smiled and walked in, where he begun to look over what the store had to offer, his hand bristling his chin and he rubbed his back in thought. Jake looked over at Rose, Trixie and Spud, where he nudged his head towards the back of the room.

They sat up from their seats, where they stepped out back, leaving Fu by himself with the shop's first ever customer, where he fought the irresistible temptation of opening his mouth and wisecracking towards the Latino.

The Latino looked over at Fu, with a mean look on his face.

"No offence, pug ugly," the Latino said, "But whoever own this doors should check the calender and see that it's 2006, not 1982. I mean…"

He picked up a vintage calculator.

"…these are all pieces of crap."

With that, Fu growled slightly in a canine matter, where the Latino put his hands up slightly, eyes wide in surprise.

"Heeeyyyyy, I'm just saying," the Latino smirked, "You're such a smart dog, aren't ya?"

The Latino squatted and started to pull faces, while patting Fu's forehead.

"Yes you are, you're a smart little mutt."

Fu mentally rolled his eyes, 'Oh brother, jerk alert!'

His eyes then widened when caught a glimpse of the Latino's right hand. It had the Mark of the Huntsclan on it. He begun to panic, this was evident in him shaking uncontrollably, which the Latino noticed and stepped back.

'Ah…jeez,' he thought, panicked, 'Huntsclan alert!'

----------

Meanwhile out back…

"So, it's agreed, right?" Jake said, "You're staying over at my place."

Rose nodded, "Until I can convince my uncle that I'm not a traitor. And if I can get back into the clan, I'll…"

She looked deeply into Jake's eyes, where she then decided to do what was right. For the sake of everybody and everything she held dear.

"…I'll keep you updated on what's going on with the Huntsclan?"

"You mean like a Double-Agent?" Spud asked.

"Yeah?"

"That'll be cool," Jake agreed, smiling, "We'll get the drop on those punks when and where they least suspect…"

Suddenly they heard Fu begin bark loudly, which really made Jake jump. They all suddenly rushed back into the store where they could see the Latino run out the store, with the cash register open and Fu barking.

He then turned to Jake, and dropped the canine act, "They're you are, kid! That Huntsclan thug just cleaned out the register!"

"WHAT?" Jake cried, "HUNTSCLAN?! BUT…"

"What was in there?" Rose asked.

"It was G's life savings," Fu replied, "GET HIM OR LAO'S GONNA FLIP!"

Jake and Rose nodded and they ran out of the store into the alleyway, where they expected to see the Latino/Thief not far away; but instead he had vanished completely.

"Hey, where he'd go?" Jake cried.

"I didn't think he disappear like that!" Rose added, "Even if he was Huntsclan."

Jake sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "Gramps is gonna be so ticked when he finds out his shop's first ever customer is it's first ever shoplifter."

Unknown to them, the Latino looked down upon them from the roof of the shop, where he smiled upon seeing them step inside. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of bills, almost $10,000. He then rusted through them.

"The old lizard's getting careless nowadays," the Latino thought, "Easy money."

Suddenly, he heard a laugh echo down below. He cringed…

"Uh-oh."

…as did Jake and Rose, whose eyes widened upon hearing that.

"Did you hear that?" Rose said.

Jake nodded, where he frowned, "Inside…NOW!"

----------

Meanwhile miles below the surface on the Isle of Dracos, Councillor Kulde nervously paced around the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back as he tried to sort out what was going through his head, most of it all bad.

'The God Hand has returned?' the Norwegian Dragon thought, 'That is impossible? The God Killer made sure of his demise.'

He then felt sweat run down the side of his head as his thoughts were then directed towards 'Heaven Smile.'

'Those vile creatures,' he then thought, 'They could bring about the Magical Community's downfall. As if the Dark Dragon and the Huntsclan weren't bad enough.'

"Councillor Kulde?"

He turned around to see Love, in her human form, standing before her. He smiled lightly and asked, "What is it, young dragon?"

"I come to ask a favour," Love replied, "It involves my late master."

Kulde raised his eyebrows, "Oh?"

Love cleared her through before saying, "If you're going to charge Dragon Long with facing these 'Heaven Smile', I wish to be partnered with him. I want to fight them as well...to regain my master's lost honour."

"I don't plan on handing this burden over to the American Dragon…yet," Kulde unexpectedly explained, "Rather, I have something else I think you'd two could consider accomplishing together."

"What is that?" Love asked.

Suddenly Lao made himself known as he stepped out into the courtyard, joining Andam and Love, where the girl dragon smiled upon seeing him.

"Master Lao Shi," she greeted him, "You've arrived on time."

Lao returned the smile, "It is good to see you again as well, young one."

His smile then faltered when he turned to Andam, whose face mirrored Lao seriousness.

"You summoned me, Councillor?"

Andam nodded, "Yes. We have a dire situation."

Lao sighed, "If it is about the Heaven Smile and the God Hand, I already know. The God Killer's servant informed me."

Surprised that this 'God Killer' already contacted Lao, he still said nevertheless, "No, it is of something even more important."

Lao eyes widened, "What is it?"

Andam looked at Lao straight in the eye, "It is the Blood Dragon."

For a second, Lao's heart skipped a couple of beats at hearing that name. That name alongside the Dark Dragon that would strike fear into any Magical being's heart. The infamous 'Number 0' of the 13 Threats to the Magical Community.

"Y…yes?" he replied, "The Blood Dragon, what about him? Has he resurfaced once again?"

Andam shook his head, "No he hasn't. But a personal effect of his has arrived in New York and we wish to requisition it before…"

He then frowned.

"…either the Huntsclan or the Dark Dragon's minions have the chance to find it."

'Blood Dragon?' Love thought, confused, 'What about the Heaven Smile? What about them?'

So what do you think of the story so far? Reviews and feedback are most welcome and they keep the story going. So please don't hesitate to comment and tell me what you think…or the Blood Dragon will come for you…(chuckles)

- GamerJay