Through the green tinted vision of the binoculars, Will spied the friar way down on the street below. He was talking to a homeless man, offering the man a sandwich which he accepted with thanks. Will passed the binoculars to Robin, who saw what Will had seen.
“Are you sure we need this guy, Robin? I heard he was a little... rogueish" Will said and Robin nodded, his face well hidden behind his ski mask under his emerald hood.
“So am I. The friar has made mistakes, but I believe he’s sought a path of redemption. If anyone can help us do this, it’s him. Plus, he’s well connected with the homeless. I don’t just want to be a thief, Will... I want to make the sheriff afraid. I want to cause a stir. Most of all, I want the wicked to fear me, and the good to know I’m out here," Robin replied and Will nodded.
“Let’s go!” Robin said, as he and Will made their way to the streets below.
Friar Tuck walked down an alley in the street, pulling out a flask of port and taking a sip. He let out a loud belch before taking another generous swig from the flask, allowing the strong warm liquid to fill his belly.
He glanced ahead in the alley, which was lit only by a single lamp. The friar looked upward, seeing large moths furiously flapping their wings around the street lamp, no doubt attracted to the light like he was to the drink. He was about to take another drink, when he saw a figure in front of him. He squinted his eyes, trying to focus on the silhouetted man that stepped out of the shadows, but a second man placed a hand on his shoulder from behind.
“Shit! Shit! I... I don’t have any money!” Tuck stammered as the hooded figure in green stepped out of the shadows.
“Friar Tuck! You just got recruited,” Robin said and the good friar closed his eyes.
“Robin Hood. I might have known," Tuck said. Robin reached for the medallion around the Friar’s neck, studying it.
“I saw you with the sheriff. What did he want?” Robin asked and Tuck pushed Robin’s hand away from his precious medallion.
“Money of course! I owe him a great deal of rent by Friday, which I can’t even pay! I’m broke, alright? We barely break even at the bar and rent keeps getting higher and higher! The bastard is raising rent faster than I can find arses to sit in the seats!” Tuck said angrily.
“What would it take to get him off your back?” Robin asked and Tuck laughed.
“A bloody army! The sheriff wants money, Robin. If he doesn’t get paid, he comes after me with those robot cops of his. You don’t just scare off a man like the sheriff! He’s ruthless! Unshakeable!” Tuck stressed, but Robin held a finger against the Friar’s lips.
“You work for me now. If I ask you to do something, don’t question it. Just do it. Agreed?” Robin asked and the friar nodded slowly, suddenly believing him.
“What are you going to do, Robin?” The friar asked and Robin tossed him a gold coin. The friar studied it, glancing back at Robin open mouthed. Gold coins were so rare in these parts, this single coin was more than enough to cover his rent for months.
“I’m going to build an army,” Robin said. The coin shined under the street lamp and it caught the Friar’s eye. He stared at it as if he was under its spell.
“What do you want me to d...” Tuck started, looking back to Robin but both he and his mysterious companion were not in sight. Robin's voice whispered from the darkness of the shadows.
“Spread the word. Robin Hood owns the streets now," the voice said, as if uttered by a ghost on the wind. The friar gulped, taking off running out of the alley. He had been right. The Robin Hood he once knew was gone, perhaps the man never even came back from the war. In any case, Tuck had a feeling that a storm was coming, and his troubles were coming to an end. The only question that remained was, what exactly did Robin mean when he said he was building an army? Time would surely tell.
Chapter four: rise of the emerald hero
Frank Marshall was rich. He stood by his eye catching CB7 Lamborghini jet car, which was green and had miniature jet engines where the four wheels would be if cars drove on this planet. The flying vehicle was gorgeous, an emerald marvel that got him all the attention any wealthy playboy would need to stroke his massive ego.
He was talking to two blonde women wearing leather bras and fishnet stockings, the girls feigning laughter as he told his ridiculous stories. Frank wore a suit fashioned with fine snake skin. His hair was blonde and slicked back and his voice sounded like he was born with a golden spoon in his mouth, his tone posh, know-it-all and eye-rolling.
“Yeah, I just bought like three hotels on the upper West side. Yeaaaah, I’m kind of a big deal. I’ve got a ship too! Yeeeeah it’s army grade. Toughest ship in the galaxy! You ladies might be lucky enough to ride on my joystick, but I’m not a joiner, you know? I just like to hit it and ride. Like a wandering love machine,” he said. The two women giggled, rolling their eyes as they no doubt thought wow, is he like... for real?
“Yeeeah, I’m like totally loaded though, so if you like... want anything, ladies I’m your daddy,” Frank said as the two women cuddled up to him, kissing him. Robin stepped out of the shadows, holding a
