Elflord vol. 2 #5 Warp, Feb 1998, b&w.
1 Elflord vol. 2 #5 cover "Got those old need to get outta here right now blues"
Hawk is at the bottom of a huge hole with many dead elves. The humans mock the elfies having built a city over the ruins of another. Hawk goes through the mazes of tunnels beneath the Forbidden City, some human soldiers fire rifles at him. Hawk falls down a long shaft into water, yelling, a sound which the soldier with the one who fired at Hawk, does not wish to hear again. Kritzler tells Blaylock to give his bragging a rest. A fat old man, a human called Old Stinner, with a rat—dog (?) named Squinkie finds Hawk and helps him. He wears glasses and has a moustache. Windblade is shirtless and his wrists are bound by shackles to a brick wall. Lady Bai Mao comes down. Windblade wondered when she would come down to torture him. He doesn't care. He was told Emperor Po Yi has been killed and worse...Hawk is dead, at least Windy thinks he saw Hawk die. She tells him they need to work together to end the war of the Middle Kingdom. She also tells him the leader of the humans has found her heart. Stinner fell in the water which pays him back for bringing him things he needs. He lives near an underground river. He doesn't want to keep a wild bird cooped up. He has something of a boat...a legend. Mandarin visits Windblade who is in a tower adjoining the Jade Palace. Windy is wearing all black. Mandarin wonders if Windblade's hissy fit will cause him to stamp his foot and tells him he is pretty when he is mad. Windy wants to stamp his foot into the Mandarin's groin. McTutt gives the Mandarin the middle finger as the fat one leaves. They gave Windy back his stuff and McTutt. Windy contacts Greylone who tells him if Hawk was dead, Windy would have felt him die. He tells Windy to play along with the vipers he is with now. Stinner tells Hawk as they paddle in his small round canoe (?) that his eyes are very good. They are in the City of the Dead. He mentions the name of his dog as Squinkuss. He was with a group of missionaries when the humans first made contact with the elves. He tells Hawk there were ships that went in the sky, under the water, flapjacks. He wanted to find treasure and came down here. He wants Hawk to get back to all that important killin' and murderin' that's waitin' for him. Hawk thanks him and will consider all he told him, even though he hardly understood half. Stinner feels maybe this was all a dream. He may fart and find himself home with the missus tellin' him no more cabbage. He is not sure how long has passed. Thanking him again first, Hawk swims up. Hawk finds he is on the coast and Hui is there waiting for him. He used magic to find out where Hawk would be. Falcon and Purebreeze were talking about going to the Crater Desert to enlist the Cat People. Warriors left on boats. The humans will have to get across the desert to reach the fertile lands to the north. Hawk tells Hui that his brother CONDOR still rules Greenhaven——that would be the first city an army would meet after going through Skytorn Mountains. The pair of them will look for a boat.