The Master of Sorrow
Author's Note: You may not fully comprehend the main elements of this story unless you read The Path of
Consequence or DarkwingPsycho’s The Sins of the Father. They are both good reads so I don’t think it will
be a waste of your time.
You can't hurt me this time,
I'm prepared for anything
You won't get that close now
I'm protected from your lies
Knowing what you will bring me
Knowing that I want no more
When the snow was falling
I could see your footprints
Right outside my window
You were watching all night long
Standing there in the shadows
Whispering my name in your spell
Won’t fall again
I won't be fooled
This time my heart is strong
You are standing right before
The master of sorrow
Won’t feel again
Suffer no more
This time my heart is cold
You are standing right before
The master of sorrow
Feels like yesterday now
I can see it all so clear
You were closer whispering
It’s you and me that count right now
I thought that the voice I was hearing
Was so completely sincere
Years have passed since that day
My mourning has come to an end
I know you're still out there
Regretting the choices that you made
I won’t follow you this time
I’ll give you the pain that was mine
Won’t fall again
I won't be fooled
This time my heart is strong
You are standing right before
The master of sorrow
Won’t feel again
Suffer no more
This time my heart is cold
You are standing right before
The master of sorrow
~"Master of Sorrow," Allen Lande
Chapter One
The city streets of Saint Canard were quiet. Only a few stragglers were out, the honest ones making their way home at this time of night on a Tuesday. It seemed that the citizens would sleep well this evening.
SCREEEEEEEEEEECH!!!!
The sound of burning rubber against the pavement pierced the air which sent stray cats diving into trashcans. Seconds later, a devilishly detailed motorcycle painted in red, yellow, and black raced around the corner. And then another motorcycle followed in suit, this one donned in darker colors of the city’s vigilante.
“Come back here, you maniacal miscreant!!” Darkwing yelled forward at his nemesis as the wing violently whipped his feathers.
Negaduck rolled his eyes as he did just the opposite and stepped on the gas. “Does that idiot actually think I’m ever going to listen to him??” he groaned to himself.
The villain began to pull further away from the Ratcatcher. But Darkwing only smiled knowingly. “Have it your way, Negaduck! We’ll do this the hard way…” he growled eagerly.
Darkwing pushed a button the dash of the Ratcatcher. From the top of the motorcycles top fender, a grappling launcher appeared, and was aimed right for Negaduck’s Troublemaker. The grappling hook shot forward through the air, trailing a steel-link chain. The hook decisively hit its mark and latched onto the back bumper of Negaduck’s bike.
Negaduck glanced over his shoulder in surprise. “Hey!!” He scowled evilly back at his double. “Have it your way, Duck!”
Now Negaduck floored the gas to the Troublemaker, and the bike sped forward at an intense speed. Darkwing’s eyes went wide as he squeaked, “Uh oh….”
The Troublemaker pulled the Ratcatcher and its passenger relentlessly through the city streets, barreling around sharp corners and hitting every open pothole around the way. Negaduck laughed wickedly, listening to the shouts and grunts coming from his enemy. “Had enough, Dumbwing??”
Darkwing shook his head clear and gave the villain a determined glare. “Ha! I have not yet begun to drive, Negaduck!”
With those words, Darkwing slammed on the brakes, bringing the Ratcatcher to a stop and the Troublemaker to an abrupt one.
“Huh?!?” Negaduck exclaimed. His bike was jerked backward, and unfortunately for him, he went airborne and sailed through the air. “YAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” He disappeared into a dark side-street alley and there was a loud crash as he landed into a pile of trashcans.
Darkwing stopped in front of the alley and dusted his sleeves in a casual yet cocky manner. “Yep, yep yep yep. Nothing like foiling a Public Enemy before bedtime.” He hopped off of the Ratcatcher and drew his trust gas gun from his cape. Creeping alongside the brick wall of the building toward the alley, he kept his hearing sharp and listened for any movement. He heard nothing, and jumped into the mouth of the alley with his gas gun drawn.
“Alright, Negaduck!” he shouted into the dark alley, keeping his eyes peeled for any movement. “Show your treacherous tail so I can haul it off to the State Pen! YIPES!!!”
Darkwing ducked just as the lid to a garbage can sailed at him. He stood up with a smug grin. “Ha! Missed!”
CLANG!!!
The second lid hit Darkwing square in the face, his bill indenting the tin. The hero staggered from the force of the impact and struggled to pull his face free. Meanwhile, Negaduck was climbing up the fire escape ladder that scaled the building to make his escape.
“Not tonight, Darkwing! I have other plans!” Negaduck sneered down at his double and let out a wicked laugh that reverberated off of the walls and echoed through the night sky.
“Hey! Get me outta here!” Darkwing shouted in a muffled voice as he continued to tug at the trashcan lid. Finally, he managed to pull himself free, but when he looked around he saw that Negaduck had fled and was nowhere in sight.
“Eheh, call it a head start, Negaduck!” Darkwing called with a sheepish laugh. “I’ll find you soon enough, you hellbound hooligan!”
Flashing red and blue lights began to light up the alley. Darkwing turned to see police cars come to a stop near the Ratcatcher. He took a minute to brush the wrinkles out of his cape and adjust his fedora. If he was lucky, a news van would show up as well. With his head held high, he strolled out of the alley to face the police officers who were filing out of their cars.
“Never fear, officers! I, Darkwing Duck, have everything under control!”
A lieutenant eyed him skeptically. “Oh really? Where’s Negaduck?”
Darkwing instantly deflated and tugged at his turtleneck. “Well, eheh, I don’t have him in cuffs, per say…BUT I assure you he will not be terrorizing the city again tonight!”
The police officers raised brows at one another, some even rolled his eyes.
Darkwing’s humiliating moment was saved when a black sedan pulled up to the scene. Everyone turned to see the newcomer, and knowing immediately who was inside the car, the officers pulled back respectfully.
The driver’s side door opened, and out stepped a tall, black suited mallard. Easily in his early fifties, his face portrayed years of expertise and knowledge. His green eyes were just as sharp as his mind, and he held himself in a way that his presence demanded him respect. The fact that he bore a physical resemblance to Drake Mallard was no coincidence.
“Alright, gentlemen. What have we got here?” his deep, growly voice demanded. Then his eyes fell upon the purple clad mallard. “Ah, Darkwing Duck.”
“Agent Mallard,” Darkwing greeted in an up-beat tone. Agent Jake Mallard of SHUSH was the only agent Darkwing Duck was able to cooperate and work with respectfully.
“Did you manage to apprehend him?”
“No. That malevolent masked mallard managed to slip away,” Darkwing informed him disappointedly.
Jake exhaled with a heave of his shoulders. “Well, in the grand scheme of things we were successful. Although Negaduck shut off all power to the Saint Canard Memorial Hospital, you were able to put him on the run before he was able to destroy the back-up generators. A job well done, Darkwing. Director Hooter will be pleased along with me.”
Darkwing puffed up his chest proudly. He reveled in any praise, especially from Jake Mallard who he had come to admire over the past year. “Don’t mention it, Agent Mallard. It’s all in a day’s work for Darkwing Duck!”
Jake kept an even expression, but on the inside he was rolling his eyes.
Meanwhile, a pair of masked eyes watched the scene from atop a neighboring building where he was safely shrouded in the shadows. Negaduck scowled hatefully as he watched Jake give Darkwing Duck a congratulatory pat on the back and lead him away from the crowd of officers, no doubt to discuss the night’s events. The sight made his blood boil inside.
“Where’s a puppy to kick when I need one?” Negaduck growled loudly to himself. He scoffed as he watched Jake and Darkwing continue to converse. “That’s it, Dimwit. Continue to kiss that fraud’s ass. It’ll make it an easier shot for me when I take the BOTH of you out…”
With a dramatic flourish of his black cape, Negaduck turned and disappeared into the darkness.
A stoic figure stood on a hill just outside of Saint Canard near the Audubon Bay Bridge, overlooking the city whose lights twinkled in the night sky. It had been fifteen years since he had laid eyes on this city he had once called home. Everything he had at one time had been in this city. His whole life, his whole world. But no longer. He knew he would not find his past in Saint Canard. He was there to seek his revenge.
His coal black eyes were shadowed by his strong brow, taking in the familiarities and the differenced of Saint Canard. His left hand gripped the top of his cane, a "gift" from the man who attempted to end his life fifteen years ago. But not even a bum leg was going to stop him from carrying out his revenge against the one who destroyed him. Nothing would.
First, he needed to seek out another mallard. His cold, dead eyes shifted in the direction of the city’s notorious "Bad Part of Town".