and power. Realizing they've been witnessed, Connor tells Duncan to look after the young man. Duncan finds Richie and explains that he is an immortal, a rare person born with an energy called the Quickening that makes them ageless after experiencing the shock of a premature, violent death (their First Death). Only able to permanently die if beheaded, immortals can absorb the Quickening energy of another whom they kill. Some hunt others of their kind to increase their own power, a Game where the last survivor will have the collected power of all immortals who ever lived. "In the end, there can be only one." Believing Richie simply needs guidance and support so he won't return to his criminal ways, Duncan and Tessa hire him to work in their shop and he joins them on several adventures. For a time, they temporarily move to Paris together. While in Paris, MacLeod's friends are hunted by a group of people called Hunters, mortals who believe immortals are abominations who must be eliminated. MacLeod learns the Hunters are a rogue sub-group of a larger organization called the Watchers, mortals who have studied and recorded the lives of immortals for thousands of years. Returning to Seacouver, Richie and Duncan befriend Joe Dawson, a benevolent Watcher assigned to observe the Highlander. A group of Hunters later kidnap Tessa. MacLeod frees her and sends her home with Richie while he remains to look over their files. Outside, Richie and Tessa are both robbed and shot down by a mugger. Tessa dies as Richie awakes, fully healed, realizing what MacLeod knew the night they first met: he is also immortal. Following Tessa's death, Richie becomes more cynical about life. MacLeod has Richie sell the antique shop while he purchases DeSalvo's Martial Arts, keeping former owner Charlie DeSalvo on as manager and trainer. Charlie becomes a friend to Richie and MacLeod. He helps train the young man in martial arts and sword fighting, although he is unaware of the existence of immortals. While saving the life of an ambassador, Richie inadvertently causes the death of a terrorist who is the friend of an Irish immortal named Annie Devlin. Devlin demands to duel Richie and Duncan is not allowed to interfere due to the rules of the Game. Duncan argues with both that they don't need to kill each other, but both refuse to listen. Richie then disarms Devlin