《Arcane Shot [Progression Fantasy]》


 Chapter 1 - The Spellslinger

    The man with the orange scarf stood atop the cliff, staring towards the convoy of cars that drove along the old desert road. He counted five of them, three at the front and two more as brown silhouettes obscured by the billowing dust that streamed out from the frontmost cars.


    The second in the lineup was the one he sought; a pickup truck with heavy armour plating to guard the man who relaxed in the passenger seat, no doubt uncaringly puffing a cigarette with his seat reclined back and a smile on his face, but he wouldn¡¯t be smiling for much longer.


    With a satisfied smile of his own, the man on the cliff checked that his rope was securely tightened around the jagged rock he had fixed it to. He held it firmly in one hand as he walked to the edge of the cliff and slid down effortlessly while the rumbling of the cars grew ever louder.


    The man¡¯s blonde hair blew in the breeze and the tail of his scarf flew over his shoulder as he slid. He landed with a thud on a small outcropping above the road with the far side of the rocky pass beneath facing him. He moved his hand to his side and pulled out a gun from his holster.


    It was an exquisite piece. Gold from top to bottom save for the varnished wooden grip and the blue indecipherable inscriptions along both sides of the barrel. The trigger was designed and calibrated to perfection; never too sensitive and never too stiff. It was both sturdy yet lightweight. Even the cylinder was a work of art, glowing as sapphire blue as the man¡¯s eyes whenever it took a shot, but few got to see it do that. Those who did, rarely lived to tell the tale.


    Many found the weapon garish, but to the man, it was beautiful. ¡°What in the world are you carrying that ugly thing around for, Arc,¡± they would say, receiving only a smile and a shrug in return. But those who knew what it was capable of didn¡¯t say a word.


    Arc the Hawk, bounty hunter extraordinaire, took out a single red bullet with a rune inscribed into it. These bullets were his favourite to use and he could not wait for the cars to pull up close enough for him to fire a single shot. He hated wasting these special cartridges, so hard were they to come by, but the occasion merited it.


    As Arc felt the rumbling in the air, he knew that he was only seconds away from enacting his plan. He flicked the cylinder open and carefully placed the bullet inside before clicking it back in place. He kept low and stared down the road as the cars grew larger, keeping their trails of dust flowing behind them.


    Arc took a slow, deep breath and held it as he pointed his gun towards the bonnet of the first car. He didn¡¯t dare blink in case he missed a sudden jolt from the car and his cartridge was wasted. That would be a tragedy of unmatched proportions.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± he said under his breath as the car came within a hundred yards of him.


    Arc followed the bonnet, looking between the front sight of his gun, and counted to three as the cars sped closer and closer. It was the moment of truth. The second his target passed underneath his outcropping, he pressed his finger on the trigger and fired his shot, but it was not a mere bullet that exploded from the muzzle; it was something much more powerful.


    The cylinder glowed that beautiful sky blue that Arc loved so much as the bullet casing was cast aside. Into the pass, emerged a flashing white orb of arcane power that burst towards its target, curving along with the movement of the car and speeding towards the bonnet.


    Upon seeing what was chasing him overhead, the driver screamed ¡°What the¡ª" before the sphere whizzed overhead and struck the bonnet precisely where Arc had intended. Before the driver could as much as veer to the side, the vehicle exploded and blew him and his passenger to smithereens and sent the burning remains of the vehicle spinning through the air.


    The rest of the drivers spun their steering wheels like madmen, trying to avoid the flames. Three of the cars crashed into the cliff faces and the final car flipped on its side, having turned too sharply, before colliding with the broken remains of the blown-up car.


    There were a few seconds of stunned silence that Arc used to drop to the ground.


    ¡°To arms, men!¡± cried an enraged voice from the armoured car. This was the voice of the man that Arc sought; the voice of Colt the Scourge.


    Arc remained low, pressed against the tiny pebbles that dug into his chin. He knew that it was only a matter of time before they deciphered the mystery of why one of their cars had suddenly blown up. At least one of the men would have seen his spell flying overhead, homing in on its target.


    As the men leapt from their cars, grabbing their pistols and swords, they called out furiously to each other to confirm who in their group had survived the crash. Colt himself stood atop his own car, not fearfully seeking cover like the rest of his men. No, he was anything but a coward. He spun his revolver around in his hand and let out a loud whistle.


    ¡°Come out, come out,¡± called the bandit chief. ¡°It¡¯s my head you want, isn¡¯t it? Probably best you don¡¯t put a bullet in it in case my beautiful mug ends up unrecognisable, eh?¡±


    Arc said nothing as he retrieved an old grenade from his jacket pocket and pulled the pin, praying silently that it would work as intended. Not wanting to overshoot the crash site, he forcefully rolled it across the bumpy stone and let it fall into the pass beneath. The panicked cries of the men made him smile.


    He had them out of their cars and ready to blast a few holes in him, but he needed them confused and aimless, even if it was only temporarily. As a few of them pointlessly shot at the navy canister, Arc peered over the edge to mark their positions a second before the grenade exploded and let loose a wave of black smoke that filled the valley, reaching twenty feet high and to just below where Arc was waiting.


    He had switched his golden spellcaster for a regular old silvery revolver and shot six rounds down into the smoke, hearing four pained cries as he did so. Four out of six wasn¡¯t bad, especially not when seven men had climbed out of the cars. That left Colt and two lackeys remaining. He had been in fights with far worse odds.


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    Arc retrieved six copper-coloured rounds from his jacket pocket and hurriedly loaded them into his revolver before taking aim in the rough direction of one of the bandits, but holding fire in fear of missing his target and wasting more ammo than he needed to.


    At last, the smoke cleared and Arc moved his gun an inch to the left, now pointing right at one of the remaining goons of Colt the Scourge, but the bounty hunter¡¯s eyes widened in horror as he caught a glimpse of his main mark. Colt was pointing a copper-coloured rod at Arc and giving him a wide grin as he gently tapped the trigger of his own spellcaster.


    Arc ducked low as the same spell he had cast¡ªArcane Shot¡ªsoared towards him. It tried to curve to his position, but he was too low and it clipped the edge of the cliff before petering out, its magical energy expending upon contact. As the rock outcropping crumbled, Arc tried to drag himself to safety only to find himself falling twenty feet into the valley and landing on the hard ground with a heavy thud.


    He groaned as he stretched out before climbing onto his feet, glad he had opted for the lower outcropping over the much higher-up cliff edge. He held his gun in one hand and clutched his back with his other, staring towards the quivering image of Colt and his two men, all of whom were pointing their guns at him.


    Colt swished his spellcaster through the air like a baton and started whistling a merry tune that echoed throughout the pass, all the while the smoke from the burning wreckage of one of his cars floated up behind him.


    ¡°Another spellslinger, eh?¡± asked Colt as Arc shot at him and missed, too disoriented to aim accurately. ¡°A powerful gentleman like you shouldn¡¯t be chasing bounties, my friend. What with a weapon like yours, you should be conquering these forsaken lands and ruling them as the god that you are.¡±


    Arc said nothing, feeling nothing but disgust for the man speaking to him.


    Colt continued. ¡°I¡¯ve got an opening in my crew if you feel like signing up. Several openings, in fact, thanks to your marksmanship. We can do your formal interview here and now, but I¡¯m liking your odds already.¡±


    Arc clenched his eyes shut and opened them again, trying to push through the pain and refocus, but it was no use. His vision was still blurry and he knew that he had to buy time until his eyes caught up to his brain.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting piece you got there, Colt,¡± Arc called out. ¡°You don¡¯t see many spellcasters shaped like wands.¡±


    ¡°A custom piece,¡± said the bandit, flicking the barrel up to his mouth and blowing away imaginary smoke. ¡°Quite slick if I do say so myself. Remodelled it from an older gun model not too dissimilar to yours. What are you rocking, Mister¡­¡±


    ¡°Arc,¡± the bounty hunter replied, pulling out his own spellcaster with his free hand and holding it up high. He rotated it in his hand so that Colt could get a clear view of it. ¡°I call it the Golden Hawk.¡±


    The bandit leader whistled enthusiastically. ¡°Fancy old instrument that one is,¡± he said. ¡°Definitely one of the nicer gun models I¡¯ve seen. Real shiny too, you must have polished it recently. I¡¯ve got a nickname for mine too, just so happens. The Conductor. I¡¯ll let you work out how I came up with it.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± came the impatient voice of one of Colt¡¯s goons. ¡°Just say the word and I¡¯ll blow this rotten scumbag¡¯s head clean off.¡±


    Colt held up a finger without looking at his man. ¡°Do not interrupt my conversation, Howie. This fella may be of use to us. Having another spellslinger on the squad is worth ten sharpshooters and twenty swordsmen. We need to think about the long-term goals, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°He killed our guys!¡±


    ¡°I am very much aware of that. And think how many more he could kill for us,¡± said Colt, now turning to look at his lackey. ¡°Think of how many towns would be at our mercy with such power. We can become richer than our wildest¡ªagh!¡±


    Colt clutched his bloody ear as a shot rang through the air. Arc the Hawk stood with his revolver pointed straight ahead. His vision was not perfect, but he had felt ready enough to take the shot. Clearly, he was wrong, but now he had to act quickly.


    As the bandit leader finally ducked behind one of his vehicles and loaded his spellcaster with another round, Arc ran to the side and fired another bullet at Howie, piercing him in the neck as the other remaining goon dove behind the overturned vehicle, using the still smoking wreckage to hide.


    Howie fell onto the road, clutching his throat as he gasped for breath in an expanding pool of his own blood. He looked to his boss who didn¡¯t have enough mercy in him to even bother to put his own subordinate out of his misery. All Colt understood was power and the dying Howie had none of it, while Arc had plenty of it. It was such a shame that his fellow spellcaster had so resoundingly rejected his generous offer.


    ¡°Pretty stupid of you to do that,¡± called Colt. ¡°We could have been greater business partners, Arc.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more of a freelancer, Colt,¡± replied the bounty hunter as he moved into cover behind one of the crashed vehicles.


    ¡°A real shame. Now, I¡¯m going to have to toss your ravaged corpse onto this fire of your own making. How¡¯s that for irony?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Arc, hurriedly stowing his revolver and drawing his spellcaster.


    He had hoped he wouldn¡¯t need another one of his precious arcane rounds, but needs must. After all, what good would they be if he was indeed thrown into the fire. Colt would doubtlessly take his rounds, so valuable they were, and that was unacceptable Arc grabbed another Arcane Shot cartridge from his pocket and loaded it into his spellcaster.


    Praying that there would be enough of Colt left to be recognisable, Arc stuck his head around the corner and pointed his gun towards the bandit leader¡¯s position. As he pressed on the trigger, he saw Colt himself rise up from his cover with his own spellcaster. The two spellslingers shot simultaneously, the spells collided and an explosion rang out.


    All Arc could see was white and all he could feel was an intense wave of heat as he writhed on the ground.


    ¡°Colt!¡± called the final lackey pleadingly. ¡°Boss? Talk to me, boss. You alright?¡±


    It was the last thing he heard before Arc the Hawk lost consciousness and the white light rapidly faded to black.


    *


    Arc groaned as he felt something blunt poking him in the ribcage. He was in agony, but he was alive. As he finished his groan, he started coughing and spluttering, feeling even greater pain than before all throughout his body. He had always wondered what would happen if two Arcane Shots collided and he hoped to never witness it again. That was if he was still able to see.


    The bounty hunter blinked furiously and, slowly, the sky above revealed itself to him. There was a lone cloud drifting across the sky and he had never been so pleased to see a cloud. He had his sight, but did he have his arms and legs. He wiggled his fingers and toes and the intense pain confirmed that he was intact.


    ¡°He¡¯s alive!¡± cried a young feminine voice. ¡°Jack, come here!¡±


    Arc couldn¡¯t keep his eyes open as the pain grew in him once again and his head started to fog, but he could hear pattering footsteps running towards him before a young man spoke.


    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± said the lad. ¡°I could have sworn he wasn¡¯t breathing.¡±


    ¡°What do we do with him?¡± asked the girl, her voice trembling. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave him here on the road to die, can we? What if there are coyotes nearby¡­or worse?¡±


    ¡°We do exactly what we came here to do, Julie,¡± said Jack. ¡°Check his pockets, see if he¡¯s got anything worth taking and let¡¯s get the hell out of here before he tries to kill us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel good about this, Jack. Do we have to?¡±


    ¡°We need to survive one way or another and if this guy has something we can sell, then it¡¯s his fault for getting caught in that explosion.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie with a sigh. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right.¡±


    As a hand reached inside his jacket pocket, Arc wanted to reach out and stop the looters. He wanted to slap some sense into them and tell them to cease their thieving ways. He wanted to, but he could not. Before he could even move an inch, he slipped back into the dark painless bliss of unconsciousness.

 Chapter 2 - Bindings

    Arc felt his head roll to the side and he jolted awake. He was aching all over and parts of his skin felt as though they were burned raw, but all things considered, he had had worse injuries, at least far as he could tell without a chance to look over himself. A hearty meal and a good night¡¯s sleep and he would be right as rain.


    Even before opening his eyes, he could tell that he was tied up as the frayed rope binding his wrists together rubbed against his wrists. And that was without mentioning the jagged rock that was pressing into his spine; it was more unpleasant than the ropes. Someone had saved him, but for what purpose, he couldn¡¯t say.


    The bounty hunter¡¯s eyes adjusted to the low light and he realised that he was in a cave. The rock he was tied to should have been a clue, but the deserts of Nuvaria were filled with rocks so he cut himself some slack.


    Arc was facing the back wall of the cave and a stream of light was upon his back, creating a shadow on the wall, yet all he could see was his elbows and knees jutting out. It was not a simple rock he was tied to and could wriggle himself free from, but to a pillar of stone that stretched from the rough ground to the stalactite-covered ceiling.


    His neck felt stiff and he tilted his head to the side, cracking it to relieve himself. He felt a little looser already and swallowed before clearing his throat, trying to rid himself of the dryness. To say he felt as golden as his gun would have been an exaggeration, but he felt considerably better than he did thirty seconds prior.


    ¡°Jack, I think he¡¯s awake,¡± whispered a soft voice from somewhere behind him.


    Arc¡¯s eyes darted to a shadow on the ground that extended to the wall. He had previously presumed it to be a stalagmite, but it was clear now that it was the girl he had heard after briefly awakening in the pass. He couldn¡¯t remember her name. Jane? No, that wasn¡¯t it. Jenny? No, still not right. Even if it didn¡¯t come to mind, he could simply ask her.


    It suddenly dawned on him that either Colt the Scourge was dead or he had managed to escape with his life, but that left Arc without a bounty to claim no matter which outcome was reality. Two Arcane Shots wasted and with only scrapes, burns and bruises to show for it. Not his finest moment, but also far from his worst.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go around there,¡± muttered the girl.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do the talking,¡± came Jack¡¯s voice.


    Arc heard a pair of footsteps approaching. The young man was wearing worn leather boots; Arc was more than familiar with the dull thuds they made against the stone. Was the boy well-travelled or simply poor? He would have to get a read on the situation quickly to try and talk himself out of his current predicament.


    Jack stepped in front of Arc, keeping ten feet back just in case the bounty hunter lunged for him. Tied up or not, Arc presented a threat. It was a sensible move and Arc would have done the same, had he been in the young man¡¯s position. The young man was someone with his head screwed on the right way so, with any luck, he could be reasoned with.


    Even though his voice was barely pubescent, Arc was surprised to see just how young Jack looked. He must have been no older than thirteen years of age, but he had a dirty face that had obviously seen plenty of hardship. Under the dirt, Arc could see Jack had lightly tanned skin as many local to the area did.


    Jack¡¯s shaggy brown hair was pushed away from his emerald eyes and he could certainly have done with washing that too. He wore a tan t-shirt with a blue jacket over the top that was in sorely need of a needle and thread. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing the boy¡¯s skinny arms.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said Arc, after waiting for Jack to speak for nearly thirty seconds.


    ¡°Hello,¡± said Jack, staring at the bound man intensely.


    ¡°My name is Arc the Hawk. I take it that you¡¯re Jack?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Was the boy too nervous to say anything further or was he trying to read Arc the same way that Arc was trying to read him? Arc didn¡¯t want to push it, so he stayed silent and waited for Jack to speak again.


    ¡°So,¡± said Jack after a minute, ¡°what should I do with you?¡±


    ¡°What should you do with me?¡± asked Arc, not breaking eye contact with his captor. ¡°Well, letting me go would be appreciated, of course, but I suspect it isn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t that simple.¡±


    ¡°Understandable, considering where you found me. Ask me whatever questions you need me to. No matter how difficult, I¡¯ll answer then truthfully and you can make whatever judgements you need. If you decide you want to leave me here, go for it.¡±


    Jack nodded slowly and his expression softened the tiniest fraction as though the guilt of holding a man captive had lifted off his shoulders upon being told it was fine to leave him tied to a column in a cave in the middle of nowhere.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Well, Arc the Hawk¡­have you ever killed a man?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± replied Arc truthfully. ¡°Presuming it¡¯s the same day that I first lost consciousness, I killed a few men today. Bandits, in fact. I couldn¡¯t give you an exact count, I¡¯m afraid, because I don¡¯t know how many survived my ambush. I would say that seven is a reasonable estimate.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who blew up those cars?¡±


    ¡°Most of them, yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a bounty hunter,¡± said Arc. ¡°The man I was hunting is a fella named Colt the Scourge. Real nasty piece of work he is. He¡¯s tied up in all sorts of atrocities from murders to raids on towns and that naturally leads to him making more than his fair share of enemies in the area. There¡¯s a hefty chunk of silver set aside for whoever brings proof of his demise to the client.¡±


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    ¡°Colt the Scourge?¡± asked Jack, furrowing his brow and biting his lower lip. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the name, so I suppose that¡¯s plausible, but who¡¯s to say that you aren¡¯t Colt the Scourge and the bounty hunter was one of the dead bodies lying on the road.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair question,¡± said Arc before smiling. ¡°You¡¯ve been through my pockets, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack said nothing.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not angry about it. There¡¯s a folded piece of paper in there that might interest you. It¡¯s Colt¡¯s bounty notice.¡±


    Jack leaned to the side and gave a nod to the unseen girl who lurked closer to the mouth of the cave. There came a rummaging through Arc¡¯s small pile of possessions and then came the distinct rustling swish sound of paper being unfolded.


    ¡°Yes,¡± came the girl¡¯s voice. ¡°There¡¯s a picture of Colt the Scourge on this and it isn¡¯t him.¡±


    ¡°Julie,¡± muttered Arc and Jack looked alarmed. ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I woke up briefly when you two were planning to mug me near the wreckage. I heard you say each other¡¯s names, but I couldn¡¯t remember the girl¡¯s. It was Julie. Are you brother and sister?¡±


    Jack kneeled before Arc and looked him dead in the eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll ask the questions, Arc.¡±


    ¡°Be my guest,¡± said the bounty hunter.


    ¡°If we were to let you go, what would you do next?¡±


    ¡°Well, I would hope that you would return my possessions and I could move along to the next town over. If we¡¯re roughly where I think we are, that would be Pembroke, which suits me just fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid we can¡¯t return your possessions no matter how much I would love to believe everything you¡¯re telling me is true,¡± said Jack, shaking his head. ¡°We have no guarantee that you won¡¯t just shoot us when you leave.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± said Arc before contemplating for a moment. Again, it was a reasonable statement even if it was irksome. ¡°At the very least, would you return my spellcaster? It¡¯s the gold gun with the blue markings. I don¡¯t care about any of the ammunition, but the gun itself is precious to me.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I must insist that you give it back to me, Jack.¡±


    ¡°And I already told you I won¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Jack, please,¡± said Julie sympathetically. ¡°How¡¯s he supposed to trust us if we leave him with nothing?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± grumbled Jack, ¡°but just the gun. No ammo and nothing else.¡±


    It would have to do. Golden Hawk was his only possession that he truly cared about. He could wander the desert completely naked and wouldn¡¯t feel too bad about it if he had that gun. It wouldn¡¯t be ideal if some ugly monstrosity reared its head from a hole in the ground and tried to eat him, but he would find a way to survive. He always did.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Arc, but his voice was growing hoarse from all the talking and his words were barely audible.


    He heard Julie¡¯s footsteps approaching and Jack held up his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± he warned her, but she ignored him.


    A red-headed girl walked before Arc, holding a dented canteen. She smiled at him sweetly and her bright green eyes¡ªthe same green eyes that Jack had¡ªtwinkled from the evening light that shone into the cave. She couldn¡¯t have been much older than Jack, but she certainly wouldn¡¯t have been younger. They were siblings, there was no doubt about that, Arc could see the similarities between their faces. Were they twins? They must have been.


    Once Julie unscrewed the lid of the canteen, held it to Arc¡¯s mouth and tipped it up. He gulped down two mouthfuls of water to quench his thirst before giving her a nod to signal that that was enough. If he took all of his sister¡¯s water, that wouldn¡¯t ease Jack¡¯s reservations about him.


    Julie took the canteen away and twisted the lid back into place before Jack grabbed the back of her faded purple garb and pulled her back from the stranger. She almost dropped the canteen as she quickstepped to remain upright.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Arc, his voice much more capable now. ¡°I can tell that you¡¯re kind.¡±


    ¡°I think we should let him go,¡± whispered Julie, but not as quietly as she intended. ¡°We don¡¯t want to kill him or leave him for dead, right? It¡¯s why we brought him here in the first place.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± sighed Jack, shaking his head despondently. ¡°I know¡­¡±


    ¡°His story about the bounty checks out and you¡¯ve heard Colt¡¯s name before, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± said Jack. He glanced over at Arc who tried his best to hide his frustration over the situation.


    ¡°Can we untie him now?¡±


    Jack¡¯s expression was that of anguish and the confidence that he had tried displaying earlier was slipping away as he was faced with the agonising choice of his next course of action.


    Had it been his own safety at risk, he wouldn¡¯t have cared half as much, but he couldn¡¯t let anything harm his sister. If there was even a small chance that her life was on the line, he couldn¡¯t let Arc go free. Yet still, he felt the inclination to do just that.


    Jack turned to Arc, trying to put on a brave face once again, but failing miserably. ¡°Why should we trust you?¡± he asked. ¡°Make your best case.¡±


    ¡°My best case?¡± asked Arc with a faint chuckle.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny. Why should we trust you and let you go free?¡±


    Arc brought his arms around from behind the pillar with the small strand of rope used to bind them clutched firmly in his left hand. He rested his arms on his knees and his smile widened.


    ¡°Because I already freed myself two minutes ago and didn¡¯t attack you.¡±


    Jack and Julie both leapt back with horrified expressions, but Arc stayed perfectly still.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± began Jack, raising a finger and pointing at Arc. ¡°H-how did¡­how did you?¡±


    ¡°It was a good knot,¡± said Arc with a smile, ¡°but the rope was already frayed and all it took was a few subtle movements against the sharp rock that you tied me to before it loosened enough for me to slip my wrists free.¡±


    Jack stared silently with his mouth agape. It moved ever so slightly, but no words escaped.


    ¡°So, what do you say?¡± asked Arc. ¡°Have I proven I can be trusted yet?¡±


    Julie took a tepid step towards the bounty hunter. ¡°You were already free when I gave you water?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Arc, giving her a firm nod. ¡°And it would be very easy for me to overpower the pair of you, even with that knife your brother is concealing behind his back.¡±


    Jack held up his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t have a knife. You¡¯ve clearly made a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is so.¡±


    ¡°Turn around,¡± said Arc with a smirk.


    There was three seconds of silence before Jack spoke again. ¡°No,¡± he said, annoyed to have been rumbled.


    ¡°A word from the experienced, Jack. If you¡¯re concealing a weapon, don¡¯t keep fiddling with it. It¡¯s a dead giveaway.¡±


    Jack grimaced.


    ¡°Here¡¯s the deal, kids. I¡¯m going to take all of my stuff and walk away. I won¡¯t touch whatever food, water, weapons or whatever else you may have. Everything you already had remains yours; I¡¯m not interested in it. I¡¯m a wasteland wanderer, not some freak who kills children to get his kicks. I just want to move around Nuvaria without any hassle and find my next mark, alright?¡±


    ¡°And what if we¡ª¡±


    Jack¡¯s words were broken by a high-pitched squealing from somewhere outside. And that somewhere, wherever it may have been, was nearby.


    Arc leapt to his feet, rounded the column and rushed over to the mouth of the cave. He stared out into the desert while leaning against the stone wall. He could see the faint outline of a hunched creature with sallow skin disappearing across the badlands and towards a swarm of black dots that moved along the horizon.


    ¡°Goblins,¡± spat Arc as the twins rushed up beside him, their young hearts filled with fear.


    ¡°Did they see us?¡± squeaked Julie as the colour faded from Jack¡¯s face.


    ¡°That one was a scout,¡± said Arc. ¡°He knows we¡¯re here and is reporting back to the rest of his tribe. Even if we were to run, they¡¯re quick little beasts and would be on us like a disease before long.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± whispered Jack, unable to speak any louder.


    Arc reached out his hand without looking back. ¡°Give me my weapons and all three of us might make it out of this alive.¡±

 Chapter 3 - Screeching Goblins

    Jack tossed Arc his spellcaster along with the three spell bullets he had taken from the bounty hunter¡¯s jacket. Julie, meanwhile, passed Arc his knife, his revolver and his thirteen remaining revolver cartridges. All the while, Arc kept his eyes on the growing dots in the distance that were slowly morphing into the shape of goblins.


    ¡°The vermin of the wasteland,¡± he muttered quietly before speaking louder. ¡°You two ever had to deal with goblins before?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Jack, clutching his own knife with a trembling hand. ¡°We¡¯re usually pretty good at moving along undetected.¡±


    ¡°Are we far from the car pileup?¡±


    ¡°No more than a mile away.¡±


    ¡°Then they were probably drawn this way by the smoke in the sky,¡± said Arc sombrely. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, you two, but them being here is my fault.¡±


    Arc had encountered goblins may times in his life and not a single one of the encounters had been pleasant. He loathed goblins. An invasive species that were historically a pest and have since become a plague; not that Arc had been alive in the times when they were merely pests. Goblins were savage little beasts that would cower in fear if alone, only to bite you in the neck the second you turn around. In larger groups, they were relentless and had devastated entire towns.


    ¡°What should we do, Mr Hawk?¡± asked Julie, clutching at the spellslinger¡¯s jacket sleeve so tightly that her knuckles were as white as her face.


    ¡°I want both of you to stay in the cave and out of sight, you hear?¡± said Arc. ¡°Keep yourselves behind the column you tied me to and don¡¯t say a single word. Not even if they¡¯re picking the flesh from my bones and gnashing away at it with their rotten teeth, understood?¡±


    The twins nodded and then made a dash for the back of the cave, trying their best to both stay behind the column. They clung to each other, listening to the stampeding footsteps that were starting to pick up in volume. Julie kept her eyes tightly shut while Jack watched the bounty hunter¡¯s shadow on the cave¡¯s back wall.


    Arc took a deep breath as the goblins grew closer and closer and they began screeching a battle cry. He took a dozen paces out of the cave and loaded his bullets into his revolver, while readying his spellcaster with three more Arcane Shot cartridges. A real shame that he may need to use these on lowly goblins, but it was his best chance at getting the two youngsters out of this mess. After all, they chose not to mug him and were going to release him. Thieves or not, they weren¡¯t heartless monsters.


    The goblins were now close enough that Arc could make out their faces and he counted twenty-two of them. They were hideous, wrinkled little creatures standing at no more than four feet tall. They wore skirts made from hide with some of them wearing lop-sided vests that certainly weren¡¯t fashioned by capable human hands. Around their necks, wrists and waists they were adornments of tooth and bone that would rattle with the slightest movement. Stealthy, goblins were not.


    Presuming he missed zero shots and it took a single shot to kill each of his foes, he was still shy six bullets. Hopefully, if he said a prayer, the goblins would get spooked once Arc laid waste to most of their attacking force and turn tail and run. Perhaps a single shot would do the trick if he was lucky.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Arc, raising his spellcaster to make his first shot an almost-guaranteed hit. ¡°it¡¯s showtime.¡±


    He pressed his finger on the trigger of the golden gun and the cylinder glowed blue as it unleashed the first Arcane Shot. As basic as the spell was, it was incredibly effective and homed in on its target. The magical orb of white energy soared through the air, whizzing over the dry bushes and dusty ground, before colliding with a screeching goblin¡¯s head and caving it in with a gruesome squelch.


    The headless goblin fell backwards into one of his comrades, tripping him up, while the rest of the goblins shook their sharp spears and thick clubs angrily. The death of one of their own only served to anger them, not scare them, but Arc thought that would be the case; first blood had been drawn and their forces were still strong.


    Arc threw his spellcaster into the air and flicked his revolver into his right hand, catching the spellcaster with his left. He raised the revolver up, looking down the sights and tapping the trigger once, twice, thrice and then four times, taking out four goblins; a great streak. His fifth shot was a near-miss and he winced as it grazed a pointed green ear. His sixth shot had him back on form and his round pierced a goblin¡¯s eye, shooting out the back of its head along with a spray of blood droplets, and ending its miserable life. His six kills now left the goblin horde with sixteen goblins that refused to cease their screeching.


    ¡°No fear yet?¡± Arc pondered aloud as he put his spellcaster under his arm and loaded six more cartridges into his revolver. ¡°Well, let¡¯s see how long that lasts.¡±


    As Arc raised his gun, he spied a spear flying through the air and quickly pivoted, mere seconds before it landed right where he had been standing. The only cover nearby was the cave and there was no way he was stepping inside unless he was forced to; not with Jack and Julie hiding there.


    Six bangs later and four more goblins were dead. Normally, enemies drawing closer would make them much easier to pick off, but the flung spears left Arc shooting and dodging simultaneously. Things could have gone better, that much was certain, but every dead goblin meant that Jack and Julie stood a greater chance of surviving the attack.


    Arc loaded his final revolver round with more than half of the horde still standing. He held his gun out and shot a rather toothy goblin in the throat, toppling the ugly menace instantly. And with that, Arc shoved his revolver into its holster and snatched his spellcaster back with his right hand. A shame to use his last two Arcane Shots, but needs must.


    ¡°Here goes,¡± he muttered, unleashing two successive bursts of magical energy.


    Before the spent cartridges even hit the ground, two more goblins had fallen and Arc had holstered his gun, replacing it with his knife. He held it close and kept his shoulders in, readying himself to thrust as the goblins closed the gap and the yards between the predators and the prey grew fewer by the second.


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    ¡°Come on!¡± Arc called out, lunging forward and stabbing a goblin in the chest as it swung his club at him.


    The sudden strike threw the goblin¡¯s trajectory off, but the club still struck Arc on the leg. Had he been at full strength, this wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem, but weakened as he was, he buckled and fell to the ground, only just managing to wrench his knife free as the goblin also collapsed. Unlike the human, however, it had no chance of getting back up and lay disgracefully on the ground.


    Arc let out a howl of pain as a goblin swung his club in an arc through the air, bashing him across the knee. Overconfident as the goblin was, it lingered a second too long while smiling at its supposed success. The opening gave Arc the chance to grab its club with his free hand, pulling both it and its wielder towards him and skewering the no-longer-grinning goblin through the eye before tossing it aside and scrambling back to his feet as pairs of gnarled fingers grabbed at his jacket.


    Even now that there were only seven of them remaining¡ªjust shy of a third of their starting forces¡ªthe goblins did not turn and run. As stupid as these beasts were, they were just intelligent enough to grasp that Arc had run out of bullets and their superior numbers was all they needed. Seven goblins against a lone human with a piddly dagger was plenty and Arc knew it too.


    They started circling Arc, who quickly made peace with the fact that the best he could do was take out another handful before he was a goner. A pitiful way to go, dying to goblins, but at least he could say that he killed most of his attackers before perishing. Hopefully, the goblins would be too demoralised to venture into the cave and retreat back to whatever filthy hole they crawled out from.


    ¡°Come and get me, you bastards,¡± cried Jack from the mouth of the cave.


    The young man sprinted past the goblins and, in the distraction, Arc ended the life of yet another of his green foes. The remaining goblins split their numbers with three of them chasing after Jack, while the others stayed with Arc. Now these were numbers the spellslinger could work with.


    The goblins pummelled Arc with their clubs, but he landed a swift slash across one of their stomach¡¯s, spilling the small brute¡¯s guts across the dirt where it combined with the thin layer of sand. A forceful knock to the head later and Arc joined the goblin on the ground, trying to cover himself from further strikes.


    As the two goblins beat him bloody, one of them was suddenly shoved aside by a small figure. As the goblin toppled over, the last goblin turned on Julie. She tried to run, but it wrapped its fingers around her arm, breaking the skin with its long dirty nails, and pulled her in close, opening its mouth to sink its teeth into her.


    Its saliva was swinging from its tongue at it threw its heard forward while Julie shut her eyes tightly, believing she would be dead momentarily. The disgusting beast did not get the chance to close its jaw as the tendon at the back of his knee was severed by a sharp blade, bringing it down.


    Julie wrenched herself free of the goblin and helped Arc back to his feet as the goblin she had shoved moments ago leapt at him. Arc howled in fury as he brought his knife above his head and thrust his arm forward, catching the goblin in the neck as it fell towards him.


    The goblin let out a pained gasp that elicited no sympathy from the humans. Its raised arm shook as it tried to move, but its strength was failing. It released its club and collapsed on top of its struggling friend, still alive but not for much longer.


    Arc raised his boot and stomped on the crippled goblin¡¯s head, crushing its skull upon the dry soil of the badlands, leaving only the goblins chasing Jack still alive. Arc turned his gaze to the last of his enemies and saw that the young man had an impressive lead, but the goblins were rapidly gaining on him.


    Before he could make a move, he felt Julie¡¯s hand upon his arm. ¡°Here,¡± she said pulling his arm backwards and shoving five cartridges into his hand.


    With no time to question her about where she found these, Arc loaded three of the four Arcane Shot bullets into his spellcaster before clicking the cylinder back into place. He raised the Golden Hawk high and took aim at a goblin chasing Jack. He fired, sending out one of his spells before aiming at his second target. He shot again, aimed once more and then squeezed the trigger for the final time.


    As Jack looked over his shoulder, he saw the goblins dropping one by one, now all headless with bursts of blood and fragments of bone radiating from their open neck holes. The young man dropped to his knees and rolled over, staring into the orange sky above while panting heavily. He hadn¡¯t expected to survive the encounter and left the cave hoping to at least help Arc enough that his sister stood a fighting chance. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat up as Arc and Julie drew close.


    ¡°Spare rounds, eh?¡± asked Arc, holding up the remaining two cartridges; one red and one white, both of which he had identified by the runes they bore.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie, looking guilty. ¡°We probably should have told you about those earlier, but we weren¡¯t thinking clearly when we heard the goblins coming.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± asked Jack, looking at Arc¡¯s bloody face. One eye was closed and the other was already swollen near the brow even after such a short time.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡± grunted Arc, ¡°but I¡¯ve also been worse. I¡¯ll survive and so will you.¡±


    He turned and surveyed the horizon, wondering if reinforcements were out there somewhere, skulking in a pit or burrowed within a hill. For all he knew, there were more goblins lurking at a full-blown camp just out of sight. He could not risk staying here much longer, especially so depleted of usable ammo was he. A single offensive spell would not cut it.


    ¡°Alright, you two,¡± said Arc. ¡°Gather your things and we¡¯ll see what the goblins left behind. There¡¯s probably nothing useful, but I¡¯m sure you can take one of their spears, Julie. You¡¯ll need something for the road.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with us?¡± asked Julie in shock.


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Arc. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you two out here fending for yourself, can I? I¡¯ll take you both as far as the next town but, if we come across any other miserable creatures, I doubt we¡¯ll make it there. Worth a shot though, eh?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Julie sincerely before looking to her brother and giving him a concerned look. ¡°You should hand it over, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Hand what over?¡± asked Arc slowly.


    ¡°There may be something else,¡± said Jack, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handful of bullets that would have been perfectly usable in Arc¡¯s revolver.


    The spellslinger was incredulous, especially considering the twins had ample opportunity hand over all of the bullets they¡¯d hoarded before the goblins were in range. Forgetting the spell cartridges was one thing, but the revolver rounds?


    ¡°We need to have a conversation, Jack,¡± said Arc sternly, staring at the young man through his one open eye. Even with his poor vision, he could see that Jack was tense. ¡°But that can wait until we¡¯re far enough away from here that we can¡¯t be sniffed out, let¡¯s get moving. I do have one important thing to ask you before we make any moves.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± replied Jack tepidly.


    ¡°Do you have any other weapons or ammunition that I should know about?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s everything,¡± worried that Arc would punch him.


    ¡°Julie? I¡¯m more inclined to believe you.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve given you everything now.¡±


    The twins rushed into the cave and grabbed their bags, slinging them over their shoulders and tightening the straps. While Arc kept watch, the two retrieved everything they had stolen from him, from his foot to his water, and returned it.


    As the sun grazed the horizon, the three walked across the badlands, seeking the nearest road. Arc dared not return to the scene of the wreckage, fearing that if Colt had survived, he would be back for vengeance or at the very least he would be searching for a body that he could use for target practice.


    No, it was best to get a move on. Pembroke wasn¡¯t far and it was in neutral territory, not because it wasn¡¯t desirable, but because the local bandit groups had fought over it so often that they deemed it not worth losing more of their forces. And that was as safe as could be expected in the harsh wasteland of this fallen world.

 Chapter 4 - Who Are You?

    Arc surveyed the landscape as the last of the light faded. All seemed quiet and there were no fresh tracks on the roads, so the small alcove in the cliff would be the best that he, Jack and Julie could do for the night. He limped over to it, silently beckoning the twins to follow and they did as he asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll rest here until we can travel by daylight again,¡± he said.


    ¡°No arguments here,¡± said Jack, walking over to the alcove, but Arc held out his arm to stop him.


    ¡°Not too hasty, lad. We¡¯ve got some prep work to do before we settle down for the night. Do you normally sleep out in the open when you¡¯re not in a settlement?¡±


    ¡°We try and find a cliff that we can climb to, but sometimes we just camp out under the stars.¡±


    ¡°Do you spend much time outside of the towns and villages?¡± asked Arc.


    Julie shook her head. ¡°Not if we can help it. We tend to move along every couple of months. We ran into you when we were on the move again.¡±


    ¡°The move to where?¡±


    ¡°We hadn¡¯t decided yet,¡± said Jack.


    Julie hastily added. ¡°Only because we didn¡¯t know where else there was within easy walking distance.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± said Arc.


    The bounty hunter pulled a tattered brown sheet out from his pack along with four rusty iron pegs and a hammer so well-used that it had dents and almost the entirety of the surface was covered in scratches, prompting raised eyebrows from Jack and Julie.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to murder us, are you?¡± asked Jack quietly.


    Arc let out a dry laugh. ¡°You think I would have gone to so much trouble saving you, almost dying in the process, only to murder you with pegs and a hammer?¡±


    The twins looked to each other and Julie couldn¡¯t help but laugh as Jack¡¯s brow furrowed and his mouth pulled to one side.


    ¡°No¡­no, I do not,¡± the young man muttered. ¡°Sorry for even suggesting it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t stress over it,¡± said Arc. ¡°Now, give me a hand with this thing.¡±


    Arc got the twins to hold the top of the sheet to the stone and he hammered two pegs into the top of it, pinning it into the cliff face. He then hammered two more pegs through the bottom of the sheet, fixing it to the ground with just enough slack that it was easy to slip behind while hiding them from anything that would follow their path.


    ¡°It won¡¯t protect us from anything with a good nose, but it¡¯ll keep us out of sight.¡±


    The three ducked behind the sheet and into the alcove. There was just enough room for each of them to spread out and have somewhere to lay their heads. As they each took off their packs, they took a swug of water from their canteens before nestling themselves on the hard ground.


    Arc sat much more slowly, grunting as he slumped down, still very sore after being caught in both an explosion and taking a severe beating from the horde of goblins. He continually repeated to himself that a good night¡¯s sleep was all he needed to be back to normal and he believed that more every time he whispered it under his breath.


    The walk from the cave the twins had dragged him to was exhausting, not least of all because of his injuries, but because he had been on the road for days already. He had heard from a reliable source that Colt the Scourge would be making his way towards Pembroke and, separated from the bulk of his forces, he was a much easier target. Arc had been right but, unfortunately, he had failed to glean beforehand that Colt was also a spellslinger.


    ¡°Now,¡± he said after propping up his pack and leaning against it to lessen the roughness of the wall on his bruises, ¡°that conversation I mentioned an hour ago, Jack.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Jack with a heavy sigh. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have held back the revolver ammo or the spell cartridges.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care that you held them back at first,¡± said Arc, ¡°that was understandable when you knew nothing about me, but the fact that neither of you said anything when it was clear that I was going to stand and fight¡­that¡¯s disappointing.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sorry,¡± said Julie as Jack nodded along.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I wanted to hear,¡± said Arc, leaning forward and holding out a hand for Jack to shake.


    The young man was baffled, but he accepted the handshake. Arc then turned to Julie and offered his hand to her and she too shook it.


    ¡°Now, we¡¯re all good,¡± he said.


    ¡°That easy?¡± asked Jack, expecting a catch.


    ¡°You came through in the end,¡± replied Arc. ¡°You risked your own life for me. You had no guarantee that I would be able to save you, yet you took that chance. That¡¯s a level of honour I can respect. I wouldn¡¯t call that easy at all.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, Mr Hawk,¡± said Julie, looking uneasy. ¡°We still know nothing about you. Yet here we are travelling with you.¡±


    ¡°Mr Hawk isn¡¯t necessary,¡± said the spellslinger. ¡°You can just call me Arc. So, you want to know more about me? Ask away. I¡¯ll answer what I deem a fair and appropriate question.¡±


    Jack and Julie exchanged glances, not sure where to even start. After a tense silence, Julie piped up.


    ¡°Is Arc the Hawk your real name?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Arc is a shortened version of my real name and Hawk is a nickname I earned from some old friends for my shooting accuracy.¡±


    ¡°And how old are you?¡±


    ¡°Twenty-three. How about you?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re thirteen.¡±


    ¡°I thought so,¡± said Arc, nodding. ¡°I was tempted to guess twelve, but thirteen made more sense in my gut.¡±


    Julie pursed her lips as she contemplated her next question. ¡°What do you hate more than anything in the world?¡±


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    ¡°Vampires,¡± said Arc, making Julie laugh, but when she saw the look in his eyes, she fell silent.


    ¡°Vampires?¡± asked Jack. ¡°Care to elaborate on that?¡±


    Arc tightened his scarf. ¡°No,¡± he said bluntly. ¡°Now, I¡¯ve got a question for you two.¡±


    ¡°Shoot,¡± said Jack.


    Arc made two guns with his fingers and pretended to fire, making Julie giggle but Jack didn¡¯t react. ¡°Not funny?¡± asked Arc. ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your question?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°What did you see when you found me?¡±


    ¡°Dead bodies and burning cars, I¡¯m presuming that that was the way you left it.¡±


    ¡°How many dead bodies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. We didn¡¯t stay there long enough to check.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°We panicked when the cars exploded glass all over the road. After that, we dragged you away before things could get any worse. We didn¡¯t even get the chance to take much.¡±


    ¡°How many cars did you see in total? Blown up or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Four.¡±


    Arc looked at the ground and smiled. ¡°That slippery son of a bitch,¡± he said in amusement while shaking his head slowly. ¡°You found Colt¡¯s cartridges, but was there a spellcaster lying around? It would have looked like a long rod with a small handle and a trigger; very different from my model.¡±


    ¡°No, nothing like that,¡± said Julie. ¡°What colour was it?¡±


    ¡°Copper.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°Doesn¡¯t ring a bell, sorry. I only found the cartridges and they were beneath one of the cars along with a small box of revolver rounds; the same ones we gave you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s good enough for me,¡± said Arc. ¡°If you have any more questions, go wild.¡±


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± Julie asked, cocking her head to the side.


    Jack nudged Julie and shook his head. ¡°You¡¯re not asking the important questions, sis,¡± he said before turning to Arc. ¡°You were hunting a man named Colt the Scourge, right? Stands to reason that you¡¯re a bounty hunter by trade and you certainly have the skills for it considering how many people and goblins you killed today. Do you hunt solely for money?¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡± asked Arc. ¡°What are my limits of which bounties I¡¯ll accept?¡±


    ¡°Something like that, yes.¡±


    Arc scratched his blonde stubble and then reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out Colt¡¯s bounty notice. He cleared his throat and then spun the notice around for Jack and Julie to see, but it was almost impossible to make anything out in the low light.


    ¡°The man who posted this bounty is called Rodney Millar. He has a daughter named Carolyn Millar, or I should say that he had a daughter named Carolyn Millar. Now, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve worked out where Colt comes into this, but I assure you that the time between Colt and his men taking Carolyn and her final moments were not pleasant for her. What happened to her is something I wouldn¡¯t wish on my worst enemy, and I¡¯ve had a few worst enemies in my time.


    ¡°Colt has had bounties on his head before, but he tends to make sure that those who placed them are dead and unable to pay up. That¡¯s just the way he operates. It¡¯s smart on his part, no denying that, but it shows you that he is a man who has no qualms about cold-blooded murder to save his own skin.


    ¡°To answer your question, Jack, I don¡¯t take bounties just for the sake of it, at least not unless I¡¯m days away from starvation. I take bounties that removes a small patch of rot from this rotting corpse of a world because I can¡¯t stand the fact that we¡¯re in a constant state of decay with no sign of things getting any better.¡±


    Jack and Julie sat in silence, avoiding eye contact with Arc, who watched the pair of them intently. After two minutes of silence, he took another swig of water from his canteen. After removing his jacket and folded it into a rectangle. He took a deep breath and held it as he shifted himself into a lying position and then finally exhaled.


    ¡°That was unpleasant,¡± he said as he shifted his jacket underneath his head to use as a pillow while moving the trail of his orange scarf over his eyes to shut out the pale moonlight coming in from the gaps in the sheet.


    ¡°Is there anything we can do for your injuries?¡± asked Julie, sounding genuinely concerned for the stranger.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m good,¡± said Arc as he stifled a yawn. ¡°Goodnight, you two. Don¡¯t stay up too late because we¡¯ve got a lot of walking to do tomorrow. If you go outside, make sure you¡¯re not seen and do not tear my sheet. It¡¯s kept me concealed in crevices like this for almost a year and I¡¯ve grown to like it. I don¡¯t much fancy buying a new one.¡±


    Seconds later, Arc was lightly snoring, leaving Jack and Julie dumbstruck at the speed at which he could fall asleep. The twins stared at the bounty hunter for a moment before Jack climbed to his feet, grabbed Julie¡¯s hand and pulled her underneath the sheet to go outside with him. As Arc had asked, the twins were careful not to tear his precious sheet as they stepped into the night.


    ¡°So, what do you make of him?¡± asked Jack, asking the question he¡¯d been wanting to ask since the cave.


    ¡°I like him,¡± said Julie. ¡°And I believe him.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°About everything he¡¯s told us. Even that weird comment about vampires seemed sincere.¡±


    Jack nodded as he looked to the stars dotting the sky above. ¡°I believe him too, but I think we¡¯ll be far better off once we¡¯re in Pembroke and away from everything trying to kill us out here. Maybe we can find something to do there and actually thrive.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t get caught stealing again,¡± pleaded Julie. ¡°We can¡¯t get thrown out of another town. We¡¯re running out of places that¡¯ll take us and the road between them is longer each time.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± sighed Jack, looking despondent. ¡°You¡¯re right, but if it means keeping us fed then I may just have to take that risk again. I¡¯m telling you this to be honest, alright? It¡¯s not something I want to do, but I promised dad I¡¯d keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Can we not ask Arc if we can help him out? Maybe we can earn some money that way?¡±


    Jack was so taken aback that he snorted. ¡°You¡¯re not serious, are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course, I am.¡±


    ¡°Honest as his intentions may be, the man is dangerous to be around. Need I remind you, Jule, that we found him surrounded by the bodies of men he killed? Bad men or not, he sought them out and almost died. And not only that, he caused so much destruction to those cars that the smoke drew in a pack of goblins. The last thing I want is for us to get caught in the crossfire and up with our brains splattered across the soil.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an unpleasant image that I don¡¯t want to think about,¡± said Julie with a frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, and the last thing I want is for that unpleasant image to become reality.¡±


    ¡°I know he¡¯s dangerous, but¡­he kept us alive against the odds. If we hadn¡¯t been holding out on him, he might have been able to kill all of the goblins before they reached him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not denying the man¡¯s talent, Jule. But being able to look after yourself is not the same as being able to look after yourself and others.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right¡­¡±


    ¡°I am right.¡±


    Julie folded her arms and looked back towards the sheet a few feet behind her. ¡°Can we sleep now? It¡¯s been a long day.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Jack, pulling back the sheet slightly to let her go inside. With a last look across the land, the young man followed.


    Neither of the siblings fell asleep at the speed of Arc, but they were out cold in minutes.


    *


    ¡°Keep it moving, kids,¡± said Arc as he marched along the side of the road. ¡°We can take a pitstop soon to fill up our water. It¡¯s only a couple of hours until we reach Purdue and can take a real rest.¡±


    ¡°Purdue?¡± asked Jack. ¡°I thought we were going to Pembroke?¡±


    ¡°Pembroke is still days away. Purdue is just a place we can take a breather while earning some coin.¡±


    ¡°And we can¡¯t stay there instead of going all the way to Pembroke?¡±


    ¡°Purdue is an abandoned town,¡± said Arc. ¡°You might find a few coyotes or racoons to keep you company, but you¡¯ll not find any people. At least not any living ones.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? It¡¯s a literal ghost town?¡±


    Arc stopped and cocked his head to the side. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s a succinct way of putting it.¡±


    Julie ran up in front of him. ¡°You¡¯re taking us somewhere plagued by ghosts?¡±


    ¡°Plagued seems a bit excessive. There are plenty of haunted places across the land that are far worse than Purdue. Even young¡¯uns like you pair ought to know that.¡±


    Jack shook his head furiously. ¡°That may or may not be the case¡ª"


    ¡°It is the case,¡± said Arc.


    ¡°¡ªbut that doesn¡¯t mean we should go waltzing into haunted ground. What if the ghosts don¡¯t like us and decide to attack us? What can we do against beings that we can¡¯t even touch, but can certainly touch us?¡±


    Julie¡¯s expression was one of utter terror. ¡°Or worse, what if we run away and they follow us out of town, never letting us have a moment¡¯s peace for the rest of our lives.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry that little head of yours,¡± said Arc, patting her on the crown. ¡°The ghosts only come out at night, Julie, and we¡¯ll be long gone by then. Even if we run a little off schedule, the ghosts won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    The twins looked at each other, unable to believe what they were hearing.


    ¡°Enlighten us, wise one,¡± said Jack, scoffing pre-emptively. ¡°Why will the ghosts not be a problem for us?¡±


    ¡°Because we¡¯re going to make sure that they never awaken again,¡± said Arc nonchalantly as he continued to march.

 Chapter 5 - The Ghost Town

    ¡°How are we supposed to lay ghosts to rest?¡± asked Jack, beginning to believe that Arc was insane. ¡°Do you think you¡¯re some sort of medium as well as a sharpshooter?¡±


    The spellslinger laughed. ¡°Do you think I would bring us to Purdue if I didn¡¯t know what I was doing?¡± asked Arc.


    Jack rolled his eyes while Arc continued to smile. ¡°No, but it might help us stay alive if we knew what your plan was.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell us the full story, please?¡± asked Julie, worried more about her brother losing his temper than she was about going into a haunted town.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Arc with a shrug. ¡°It¡¯s another bounty I picked up a while ago, but it was low on the priority list. It¡¯s pretty simple, honestly. Go into Purdue and smash the spirit idol that binds the souls of the lost townsfolk to the town. Once that¡¯s in pieces, scoop up the remains and hand it over to the client to cash it in. Like I said, it¡¯s simple.¡±


    ¡°And this is all part of your plan to remove the rot from the Nuvarian wasteland, is it?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Why are you so cynical at such a young age, boy?¡± asked Arc, scratching his chin. ¡°I do some good and get paid for it. A man¡¯s gotta eat somehow, right? And clients very rarely pay expenses, so all my ammo is paid for by what I¡¯ve got left from the previous job. If you¡¯re looking for a career that¡¯ll make you rich, being a bounty hunter ain¡¯t it.¡±


    Jack and Julie looked at each other.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Jack, having calmed down. ¡°Tell us what to do and we¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°Just stick close to me and do whatever I tell you to do whenever I tell you to do it. There¡¯s nothing else to it. I had planned this little excursion as a solo endeavour after killing Colt, but I¡¯m neither solo nor is Colt dead.¡±


    Jack gave Julie a look that reminded her of the conversation they had the previous night. Julie avoided eye contact, not wanting to admit that Jack was right. Being around Arc would be dangerous and they would have to part ways in Pembroke for their own safety. She hated when he was right, but it happened often enough that she was used to it.


    The trio continued walking along the side of the road. Every now and then as the dust billowed in the wind, the grey of the worn asphalt became clearer and Julie spotted a line marking the centre of the road that separated one lane from another. Cars these days didn¡¯t care how they travelled on the roads as all of the old rules had fallen by the wayside.


    The few who could drive tended to use the centre markings as a guideline to drive on top of rather than a division between forward moving and oncoming traffic, largely because most roads didn¡¯t see cars for months on end with only the main roads seeing more than a handful in any given week. Living mounts were the favoured method of transport over mechanical ones, simply because it was easier to feed a horse than to fuel a car.


    It was late afternoon by the time Arc, Jack and Julie spotted Purdue for the first time. Arc stood atop a hill and scanned the rundown town of broken brick buildings that were interspersed with ones of dry splintered wood. All seemed to be quiet and there was still another hour of sunlight before there would be head or tail of any phantoms.


    ¡°As I said, stick close,¡± Arc reminded the children, who moved closer to him.


    The three walked down the hill and along road that passed through the centre of the small town. Arc poked his head around the corner of the nearest doorway, which had no door to even open. He squinted inside, looking into the dark corners where the light streaming through the broken roof and upper floor didn¡¯t reach.


    ¡°No, too unimportant,¡± said Arc, shaking his head.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Jack. ¡°Couldn¡¯t this idol be anywhere?¡±


    ¡°It could, but it won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°And why not?¡±


    ¡°In my experience, important artifacts are either buried a few feet under your boots, forgotten to time, or they¡¯re kept somewhere of significance; a town hall, an old museum, and so on and so forth. There¡¯s no way in hell I¡¯m digging my way through town in an hour, so we¡¯ll prioritise a few key buildings. I would bet the silver in my pouch that the idol is somewhere prominent.¡±


    ¡°How many jobs involving ghosts have you taken?¡±


    Arc didn¡¯t answer, avoiding eye contact and walking towards the town centre while ignoring the other nearby buildings.


    Jack had a sinking feeling in his chest. ¡°None?¡±


    Arc smiled. ¡°Two, but I¡¯ve read enough about these sorts of things to know that¡¯s how it usually goes for others. If I¡¯m honest, most of my lived experience is with humans and monsters.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe this,¡± said Jack, shaking his head in frustration while clutching his hair. ¡°All this time I thought you were some sort of expert!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see you take out twenty-two goblins on the warpath and live to tell the tale, wise guy. My skills are transferable, and there¡¯s nothing complicated about finding a spirit idol. Once we find it, I shoot it like I do every other thing that causes trouble and it doesn¡¯t live to tell the tale.¡±


    ¡°Except for Colt, right?¡±


    ¡°Stop fighting and let¡¯s keep looking,¡± Julie said, pulling her brother back and, looking towards the sun. ¡°The quicker we find the idol, the sooner we can get out of here.¡±


    ¡°The quicker we find it, the sooner we don¡¯t need to get out of here and can rest up as intended,¡± said Arc with a grin. ¡°If you want to split up and check out all of the minor crevices of no significance, then by my guest. But I assure you, you¡¯ll be wasting your time.¡±


    Jack and Julie didn¡¯t dare leave and Arc nodded knowing that they were too scared of being alone if night were to fall. He walked away and beckoned them over his shoulder, leading them towards a building with a wooden signboard that had fallen from its mounted position above the entrance and was now blocking the door.


    ¡°Purdue General,¡± Arc read aloud. ¡°I have no doubt it¡¯s been looted to hell and back, but maybe there¡¯s something useful in here. Lesson number one about scavenging, kids; scavengers always look over valuables, whether intentionally or not. I¡¯ve found a few gems hidden at the back of shelves or in locked safes that nobody put any effort into opening.¡±


    Arc leapt over the sign effortlessly and then pushed his way through the rubble that had piled up behind it, while Jack and Julie helped each other into the building. Being much shorter than their new companion, they found entry trickier than the six-foot-tall Arc.


    ¡°Aha!¡± called the bounty hunter after rummaging around behind the counter for a while.


    He sat up and held out a couple of shotgun shells and a single revolver bullet. The twins couldn¡¯t understand why he looked so pleased when his spoils were a single usable bullet and something utterly useless to him.


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    ¡°Before you say anything,¡± said the man, ¡°remember that we¡¯re going to Pembroke and they have merchants there. I¡¯ll introduce you to my buddy Jamison when we get there. These shotgun shells may not be useful in the here and now, but getting a few silvers for them or using them for barter to get something I need is something I can¡¯t emphasise the importance of enough.¡±


    Jack was about to retort, but Arc cut him off.


    ¡°How did you two get by before meeting me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We bought what we needed,¡± said Jack.


    ¡°Or stole it,¡± added Julie guiltily.


    ¡°I thought by now that you two would have understood the importance of trade,¡± said Arc, standing up and pocketing the ammunition. ¡°Forgive me if this is a sore subject, but have you two been alone for long?¡±


    ¡°Only a year,¡± said Jack quietly while Julie¡¯s lip quivered for a moment. Even though she held it together, her eyes had begun watering.


    ¡°I see. You don¡¯t need to tell me what happened. After all, I¡¯m still a stranger, but hopefully before we reach Pembroke, I can teach you a thing or two. It¡¯s an old mantra, but just remember that one man¡¯s junk is another man¡¯s treasure. Somebody wants these shotgun shells and will happily accept them in exchange for something else, whether that¡¯s money or another item of value.¡±


    ¡°Well, I knew that already,¡± said Jack.


    ¡°Yet you looked confused as to why I decided to keep them. There¡¯s no need to be ashamed of not knowing some of the basic rules of survival, especially if you¡¯re as young as you two and haven¡¯t ever roamed the land scavenging.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Arc,¡± said Julie, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good, kid,¡± he said, making his way back over to the doorway. ¡°Alright, time¡¯s a¡¯wasting. It¡¯s safe to say there¡¯s no idol here.¡±


    Each building they passed, Arc either dismissed entirely or ran a curious eye over before moving along. Jack and Julie asked him why he didn¡¯t bother searching a few of the buildings that looked like they had once been shops.


    ¡°Shops aren¡¯t important buildings,¡± he told them. ¡°They¡¯re good for scavenging, but who keeps a magical totem in a shop that isn¡¯t intended for dedicated mages? If Purdue has a museum, that would be somewhere worth checking, but most of these buildings aren¡¯t worth our time.¡±


    The trio walked to the centre of the town where an old iron fence sat in a square. Within the square, they would once have been lush grass and vibrant flowers, but they had all died out a couple of decades before the three had even been born. Nestled at the crossroads of four broken paths of paving stones was a podium. Atop it, stood a large stone statue of a finely dressed man with a beard, holding a book and looking towards the town hall. His expression was one of pride as he gazed upon the fine building before him.


    ¡°Last man left in town,¡± chuckled Arc before following the gaze to the town hall. ¡°And I bet you, he¡¯s telling us where we can find the spirit idol.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Scoff when I¡¯m wrong, but not before,¡± said Arc, holding up a hand to silence Jack.


    ¡°When?¡± asked Julie and Jack sniggered.


    ¡°If, I¡¯m wrong,¡± mumbled Arc through gritted teeth. ¡°I meant if I¡¯m wrong.¡±


    He strolled towards the limestone building that had more damaged bricks than not and walked up the stairs, unintentionally flicking sand behind him with every step and forcing Jack and Julie to cover their faces after the first faceful of sand. The spellslinger looked up towards the balcony that hung from the third floor, wondering how nice the view from up there would have once been. No doubt, the entire town was visible and perhaps even beyond the once-green hills to the south.


    With a sigh for the memory of a past he had never known, Arc marched on through the double doors that had remained standing. While there were few doors that hadn¡¯t been ripped from the hinges in Purdue, the thick oak that had been used for the town hall was in good condition. So good in fact that even the varnish still had a sheen to it, having been repeatedly buffed by the sandstorms that tended to occur in these parts.


    The town hall itself had been completely ransacked with barely a wooden chair left standing. The chairs that were standing were often missing a leg or back support. There were dark squares and rectangles on the walls where paintings had once been hung and the paintings that were left were all hideous or so badly stained that they were unrecognisable.


    Arc wrinkled his nose at the smell of musky decay and walked up to the front desk. He leaned over to see what sat behind it, not sure what he was hoping to find there. There wasn¡¯t as much as a single paper, logbook. It crossed his mind that the record keeping was largely computerised, and most of the electronics could have been stripped for parts.


    With a shrug to the twins, he made his way from room to room, continuing the search. The trio made their way between meeting rooms, offices and even bathrooms¡ªwhich were particularly foul-smelling¡ªacross the floor and came up empty.


    ¡°What exactly are we looking for?¡± asked Julie after half an hour of searching. They had now reached the second floor of the building and were systematically working their way through the rooms up here.


    ¡°Small stone statue,¡± said Arc.


    ¡°I know, but what does it look like?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a small stone statue and that¡¯s the best I¡¯ve got for you. Don¡¯t know if it¡¯s a man, woman, beast or any random object.¡±


    Arc could feel Jack rolling his eyes through the back of his head. ¡°Look, boy,¡± said Arc sternly, spinning around and pushing his index finger into the young man¡¯s sternum. ¡°This is a job I¡¯m doing to keep myself afloat and it isn¡¯t exactly in my wheelhouse. If you¡¯ve got a problem with it, you and your sister can go wait for me outside of town. I¡¯ve been nothing but nice to you and the disrespect is starting to grate on me. You want to wander the wastes alone? Go for it. Good luck to you.¡±


    Jack stood staring at Arc. He wanted to be staring coldly at him, but the shame started washing over him and he broke eye contact.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± said the young man. ¡°I¡¯ve not been fair to you, Arc.¡±


    ¡°Damn straight. We¡¯re all trying to survive here and it¡¯s easier done if we can not rain on each other¡¯s parades all day long.¡±


    As Arc resumed his search, Julie gave Jack a thump on the arm. ¡°You can¡¯t control that mouth of yours, can you?¡± she whispered to him angrily.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my mouth, it was my eyes,¡± grumbled Jack.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it was. Stop it! We¡¯ve got someone looking out for us for a change and I¡¯m not going to let you ruin it because you need to find fault with everything.¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I can¡¯t help it, Jule.¡±


    ¡°You had better start helping it or I¡¯ll never let you hear the end of it.¡±


    The search continued in silence save for the footsteps on the wooden floorboards and the occasional grinding of furniture being pushed aside. Each room that turned up empty made Arc feel all the more confident that the idol was somewhere deeper in the building.


    ¡°I demand souls,¡± said Arc after sneaking up behind Jack when the young man was looking through an old cabinet.


    Jack yelped and jumped so high that he hit his head on the cabinet shelf. He pulled himself free, his heart beating thrice as fast as it normally did, and he started massaging his crown.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re even, Jackie Boy,¡± said Arc, chortling as he clapped Jack on the back.


    Jack knew better than to retort or make any sour faces, so he got back to rummaging for the idol without a word.


    As the trio crossed the hall, Julie¡¯s foot broke through one of the old floorboards. Arc caught her as she fell and pulled her back up. She squatted low and looked at the large scrapes across her shin.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Arc asked.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said as she pulled out a couple of large splinters.


    Treading more slowly and carefully now, the trio headed into the room, which was as dishevelled as the others. One thing, however, caught Jack¡¯s eye. There was a large cloth map hung on the wall showing the local area and Purdue was dead centre.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t pass any of these places on the road here,¡± said Jack, pointing at different villages and towns.


    ¡°Not everywhere survived the Arcanaclysm,¡± said Arc, walking up beside the young man. ¡°See those forests? All gone. That¡¯s not to mention the factories, temples, and many others.¡±


    ¡°Lake Mari,¡± said Jack, drawing a line with his finger from Purdue to a large blue-tinted section. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s dried up now?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Arc as his chest heaved up. ¡°A real tragedy, right? If you¡¯ve ever heard people talk of the Lumen Basin, that¡¯s what they¡¯re talking about. You get strange abyssal beings showing up there every now and then. I don¡¯t know if they live in some deep pit in the basin or they¡¯re coming through some sort of portal, but people avoid it like the plague.¡±


    ¡°And for good reason.¡±


    ¡°At least we got to keep Lake Pandora on the mountain up there or we¡¯d have precious few rivers running through the area. Imagine trying to survive in lovely old Nuvaria when the only water you get is from the rain¡ª"


    A sudden shriek broke out from another room behind them and the twins froze in horror as Arc spun around, pulling out his spellcaster and loading an Arcane Shot into it. The voice had a horrible echoing tone to it that tore right through your eardrums and seared into your brain, leaving you feeling cold from skin to bone.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± said Arc, glancing at the window.


    Orange light was still filtering through and there should have been nearly half an hour before the sunset. Yet he knew rightly that the chilling wail came from one of the ghosts of Purdue.


    ¡°How could they be awake during daylight?¡± whispered Julie, clinging to Jack¡¯s arm.


    Jack looked around the room and realised the critical error that Arc had made. ¡°Because the daylight is fading faster in here than it is outside.¡±


    Arc felt a lump in his throat as he swallowed. He had unwittingly led the children into grave danger after constantly assuring them that everything would be fine. As big of a mistake as he had made, he told himself that he would get them out of this mess one way or another.

 Chapter 6 - A Rude Awakening

    ¡°What do we do?¡± asked Julie in a hushed voice, breaking the tense silence that hung in the air.


    The trio had kept quiet for a whole minute, waiting for whatever ghost they had heard to float through the wall or ascend from the floor below. Yet, since the shriek, they had heard and seen nothing except for each other.


    ¡°We get the hell out of this town,¡± said Arc, keeping his pitch low and soft. ¡°Idol be damned. The plan was to take care of things before the spirits woke up. I don¡¯t want you two getting hurt. Can¡¯t say I fancy meeting these ghosts much myself.¡±


    ¡°No need to tell me twice,¡± said Jack, looking out the window. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°We make for the stairs and the pair of you keep close. You see something, you say something. I¡¯ve got a single Arcane Shot and it can hurt a ghost, but they¡¯re immune to weapons unless they choose to go corporeal.¡±


    ¡°A single shot?¡± asked Julie. ¡°What about the¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is this really the time to ask about the other cartridge?¡± snapped Arc, leading the way from the room and back into the hallway.


    He ran down the hall with the twins staying within two feet of him the whole way. Upon reaching the stairs, Arc¡¯s face contorted into an expression of utter horror as he a trio of spectral figures floating up and towards the trio.


    Each of the ghosts were translucent with an eerie bluish-green tint to them. Their forms emanated a wispy vapour that streaked out behind them before fading into nothing. The first figure was of an old man whose mouth was agape as he reached out towards Arc with his spectral fingers. The other figures, a middle-aged man and an adolescent woman, raised their own arms as they floated towards Jack and Julie.


    Arc glanced to his left and to his right, looking for somewhere else to run, only for more ghosts to emerge from the rooms on either side of the group. The encroaching horde of ghosts were of men, women and children, all of whom had no doubt once lived in this town before being condemned to forever roam it in the darkness. It seemed as though the awakening of a single ghost had stirred the rest of them and they knew they could have an early dinner this evening.


    ¡°Upstairs!¡± barked Arc, hurriedly pivoting and giving the twins a shove.


    They sprinted for the staircase at the far end of the corridor, only to find ghosts ascending from the floor. All three ignored the rising ghosts who reached out with their hands, grasping at the living humans desperately trying to escape them.


    Jack and Julie took the stairs two at a time and Arc took them three at a time while the undead continued their pursuit. Arc took an educated guess that the ghosts wanted the three to join them in being bound to the town, but the method of the kill was something he had no desire to discover, least of all which be inflicted upon the younger ones.


    The trio emerged onto the third floor and, as the swarming ghosts started to fill the corridor around them, Arc stashed his gun. He grabbed the two teenagers and threw them over his shoulders, deftly stepping between the lunging phantoms and charging straight for the door at the far end of the hallway. He knew it would be painful and he had yet to fully recover from his goblin-induced injuries, but he knew he had no choice. He tucked his head low and rammed it into the door, breaking through it.


    He continued his run and skipped over what would have been the mayor¡¯s desk and kicked the glass balcony doors, shattering them into thousands of tiny fragments. He skidded to a halt, almost topping over the stone railing, but managed to remain upright with the twins over his shoulders.


    With a sigh of relief, he set them back onto solid ground and turned to look at the town hall. He could see the phantoms slowly retreating downstairs, knowing that they could not reach their prey who were now safely in the daylight.


    ¡°That was too close,¡± said Jack, flopping onto the ground and running his hands through his brown hair.


    ¡°You saved us again!¡± decried Julie, joining her brother on the floor.


    Arc was clutching his pained head and cursing under his breath. ¡°Only after getting you into this mess,¡± he said as his piercing blue eyes remained fixed on the now-empty corridor. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have treated this job as if it were still a solo run. I should have left you somewhere safe and then came here myself, only bringing you into Purdue once I was certain there would be no spirits to worry about.¡±


    Julie slouched over as Jack patted her on the back. She was on the verge of tears, but held them in knowing that crying wouldn¡¯t make the situation any better for anyone.


    ¡°Why do they want us dead?¡± she moaned, throwing her head up.


    ¡°Why do goblins want to eat people and why do bandits want to pillage people?¡± asked Arc. ¡°It¡¯s just in their nature. Fighting against one¡¯s nature is no easy task and lonely spirits who have a grudge against the living world are probably the ones you can rely on to rebel the least.¡±


    ¡°How do we get down from here?¡± asked Jack, standing up and looking over the balcony and onto the stairs that led into the town below. ¡°I reckon that¡¯s a forty-foot drop.¡±


    ¡°I used my rope trying to get the jump on Colt the other day,¡± sighed Arc. ¡°It would have been nice if you two plundered that too, but I suppose we¡¯ll have to think of something. My legs are so battered and bruised that I think they¡¯d snap if I dared jump.¡±


    Jack squinted back into the room. ¡°The spirits are gone; couldn¡¯t we just make a run for it?¡±


    ¡°The spirits are out of sight, but they¡¯re certainly not gone. Now that they¡¯re aware we¡¯re here, they¡¯ll be lurking quietly until they see a way of reaching us. They know that time is on their side, not ours and the sun will set eventually.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be much longer,¡± said Julie, looking towards the sun that was already moving beneath the western horizon.


    ¡°What we need to do is destroy that idol from the balcony,¡± said Arc.


    ¡°You make it sound easy,¡± said Jack. ¡°We couldn¡¯t even find it when we were going through every room in this building. It mightn¡¯t even be in this building.¡±


    ¡°If it was going to be anywhere, it would surely be here,¡± muttered the spellslinger.


    Arc walked towards the doorway and peered into the mayoral office. He looked from desk to cabinet to table and took in every little detail that he could, but none of them yielded as much as a hint that would help him find the stone idol. Had he known for certain it was in the room, he could have taken a few targeted shots that might have blown it apart.


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    ¡°Can I ask you about the other spell cartridge now?¡± Julie asked Arc, looking to the Golden Hawk.


    Arc answered without looking away from the room, desperately raking through every inch of it with his eyes over and over in search of the idol. He knew the odds of it being there were virtually zero, but his backup plan to escape wasn¡¯t especially desirable.


    ¡°There are eight schools of magic, Julie,¡± he said, ¡°and each cartridge is colour-coded to the school. Red is for evocation spells, like Arcane Shot. If it ain¡¯t a red bullet, then it ain¡¯t dealing much damage. The white ones are from the protection school and can help protect you in various ways, much like the name suggests. The wizards of old had many tricks up their sleeves, you know?¡±


    ¡°And what does the white cartridge you have do when you shoot it?¡±


    Arc grinned while still watching the room. ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait and see now, won¡¯t you?¡±


    Jack suddenly rushed into the room and wrenched open the cabinet doors and the all of the drawers before scurrying back to the balcony. As he sidestepped the desk, a ghostly hand reached from under the floor to grab his legs, but he was too quick for it.


    ¡°You¡¯re a madman, Jack,¡± chuckled Arc. ¡°But I respect that.¡±


    ¡°No idols,¡± said the young man, nervously looking into the room for spirits, but the hand he had narrowly avoided had vanished again. ¡°It looks like we¡¯re out of options. We¡¯ll need to head downstairs to escape.¡±


    Arc nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll need to head downstairs, but we¡¯re not going to go down the stairs.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to know, but tell me more,¡± sighed Jack, sensing more danger on the horizon.


    ¡°These floorboards are old and brittle. Julie managed to break one with just an unlucky step. All it takes is enough force to break a big enough hole in the floor and we can drop down to the second floor, right? Drop down one more and we¡¯re back on the ground. And don¡¯t forget that we¡¯re more or less directly above the entrance. See for yourself.¡±


    Julie leaned over the balcony and saw the steps leading into the town hall. As she leaned back up, the statue in the square of the old man with the book caught her attention. She remembered how he had been facing the entrance.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Jack said nervously.


    Arc continued. ¡°If we can break through the floorboards, we can hop our way down and bypass the long back and forth along three corridors. It¡¯s our best shot.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there anything less dangerous that we can do?¡± asked Julie. ¡°Maybe run down one corridor, taking the stairs and then trying our luck jumping from a second-floor window?¡±


    ¡°That is an option,¡± said Arc, ¡°but we¡¯re still braving the ghosts to do that.¡±


    ¡°Whatever we¡¯re doing, we need to decide quickly,¡± said Jack as the sun slipped lower and lower. ¡°We haven¡¯t got much longer. Getting out of the building is one thing, but if we can¡¯t get out of town before sunset then we¡¯re in a whole heap of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Very true,¡± said Arc. ¡°I¡¯ll just make the decision for us, alright? Alright.¡±


    Arc grabbed his hammer from his pack and slammed forcefully it into one of the floorboards by the balcony door, breaking the wood with ease. He grabbed the nearest half of the broken plank and pried it up, revealing the rotten ceiling from the second-floor underneath. He thrust the half-plank into the ceiling and the plaster caved instantly, leaving a small hole that revealed the floor beneath.


    ¡°And we¡¯re meant to be able to do this quickly?¡± asked Jack. ¡°I can¡¯t see how this will work.¡±


    ¡°This was just me testing the waters,¡± said Arc coolly, daring to take a few quick steps into the room.


    He ducked under the mayor¡¯s desk and pushed up from a squatting position, taking the heavy load on his back. He felt his cuts and scrapes tearing as he strained himself before flinging it over his shoulder and letting it crash into the ground. Arc fell onto the ground and was pulled back onto the balcony by Jack and Julie as the desk crashed through the floor, taking the ceiling with it and then smashing through the second floor right after. When the cloud of dust had settled, all three could see the ground floor visible below.


    ¡°See?¡± grunted Arc, clutching his side.


    ¡°Should you see a doctor when we get to Pembroke?¡± asked Julie, feeling a small surge of hope that she may live to see another day.


    ¡°That would be wise,¡± said Arc. ¡°But for now, we drop and pray we don¡¯t break something on the way down. Jack, I want you to go first and I¡¯ll follow with Julie. If any of the ghosts come for you, I¡¯ll take my one shot and give you a chance to escape.¡±


    ¡°And what about you and Julie?¡± asked the young man, not wanting to leave his sister behind.


    ¡°I¡¯ll scoop her up and throw her out the door while the ghosts do whatever they want to me. I¡¯ll put her life before my own, I promise you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Jack, leaning into the mayor¡¯s office and trying to work out the best angle of approach. He knew that if ever there was a time to trust the bounty hunter, it was now. ¡°I¡¯m going to jump over to the left and then shoot for the right. Once I¡¯m down, I¡¯ll make a break for the door.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said Arc with a confident smile. ¡°Let¡¯s get cracking, eh? We¡¯ve got maybe minutes before we lose the last of our light.¡±


    Jack rushed into the mayor¡¯s office and lowered himself into the hole, swinging himself over to the left and landing on the second floor. As Arc and Julie followed, Jack dropped down to the first and the horrifying shriek of dozens of ghosts echoed out as they emerged from the walls.


    ¡°Go, go, go!¡± Arc called, desperate for Jack to move out of the landing zone.


    Arc held Julie tightly as he threw himself down, landing on the floor awkwardly and rolling over, dropping his spellcaster and watching despairingly as it flew across the ground and towards four ghosts that encroached upon him. He pushed Julie onto her feet and scrambled over to his gun, reaching out an arm and curling his fingers around the barrel.


    The spellslinger forced himself to his feet and spun his gun around as a ghost reached for Julie, opening its mouth as if to try and suck her soul from her body.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t!¡± Arc cried, pulling the trigger and launching an Arcane Shot.


    The orb of magical light struck the ghost on the side and it wailed in fear as its body dissolved into a flash of vapour before vanishing from sight. Arc dove out of the way of six pairs of lurching hands and sprinted outside, following Julie through the doorway and into the last remnants of daylight.


    ¡°We did it,¡± sighed Jack, hugging his sister tightly. ¡°You¡¯re alright?¡±


    ¡°Thanks to Arc,¡± said Julie, grabbing the spellslinger¡¯s free hand and shaking it vigorously. ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you.¡±


    ¡°As much as I love being showered with praise, let¡¯s save that for later,¡± he replied. ¡°Run!¡±


    Arc, Jack and Julie sped down the stairs and towards the town centre, aiming for the street at the opposite side of the statue. They bounded over the iron fence surrounding the square and then vaulted over the railings at the far side, before storming straight down the road. Before they got far, the last remnants of light vanished as the sun disappeared behind the hills and spectral forms faded into existence, materialising in the shape of humans.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± gasped Julie.


    ¡°This way!¡± called Arc, turning and running back to the square, hoping that one of the other roads out would be clear.


    Much to his dismay, ghosts were appearing on every road, passing through the walls of the shops and houses, even starting to float their way down the steps of the town hall. There was no easy way out and Arc was out of all offensive cartridges that could aid their escape. As he turned towards the square once more, desperately seeking a way to safety, a sudden realisation burst into his mind.


    ¡°Could it be?¡± he said, looking towards the statue and pulling out his revolver.


    He took careful aim at the statue¡¯s leg and fired all six rounds, blowing chunks out of the stone. He hopped back over the iron fence and climbed onto the plinth, shoving the statue with all his might, but it did not budge. As Jack and Julie ran to him with the ghosts reaching out to them, he hurriedly shoved three more rounds into the cylinder and leapt back to the ground.


    He shot each of them into the statue¡¯s other leg and then whipped out his hammer, striking the bearded man¡¯s legs until the last man of Purdue rigidly fell from his resting place and fell onto the concrete slabs below, breaking into a dozen chunks. From his broken book, rose a bluish-green mist that disappeared into nothingness.


    There was an eruption of screams from the ghosts as they were all whisked from existence and faded into vapour before trickling out of sight, never to stir again.


    ¡°The idol?¡± asked Jack, rubbing his eyes and clutching his head. ¡°The statue was the idol the entire time?¡±


    ¡°I always heard they were small things,¡± shrugged Arc as he walked over to the stone book and picked it up. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s that. I¡¯ll take this piece and that¡¯ll have to do for proof of the job being done. At least it¡¯s safe to stay here now that the ghosts are no more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not happening,¡± cried Jack and Julie in unison.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Arc. ¡°It just seems like a real shame to let all these buildings go to waste. We¡¯ll go find another miserable cave for the night. You must both enjoy sleeping on the ground.¡±

 Fragment 1 - Take the Shot

    The man with the grey hair and thick beard sat on the ground with his legs folded. His back was straight and his chest was bare as the harsh desert sun beat down upon him. He was completely unmoving and had his hands clasped together as he watched the two young men standing thirty-feet away engaging in conversation.


    There was no question what they were discussing as they clutched their guns, but he wished they would get a move on. If they didn¡¯t act soon, he would have to force their hands. He didn¡¯t know who would have the stones to make the first move, but he had the sneaking suspicion that it would be Arc, so foolhardy was he.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be the one who kills Master Dusk,¡± protested Arc, clutching his iron-grey spellslinger in his right hand. ¡°I don¡¯t care how much he wants us to shoot him, I¡¯m not doing it, Valen.¡±


    ¡°And you want me to do it?¡± decried Valen, his arm bent upwards and resting his spellslinger on his shoulder. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for me, you¡¯d still be sniffing into holes for foxes to eat. You owe me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the one who walks back to base and tells the rest of the guys I just murdered the man who taught us everything.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be murder,¡± said Valen, smirking. ¡°He chose this, did he not?¡±


    ¡°Boys!¡± roared Dusk. ¡°Would the pair of you stop being whiny children and shoot me. The time to discuss was ten minutes ago. If you talk, talk and then talk some more then we¡¯re simply wasting time. Do you like wasting time, Arc? How about you, Valen?¡±


    ¡°No, Master Dusk,¡± said both of the young men, snapping to alert and turning to look at the burly old man who remained fixed in his position.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± sighed Valen, giving Arc a shove on the shoulder. ¡°You¡¯d miss anyway.¡±


    In stark contrast to his friend, Valen was a young man with hair as black as night that ran just past his shoulders, but he bore similarly blue eyes to Arc. Many had often asked if they were related when they saw the two standing side by side, and they would always say they were not. Family, they may not be, but they were certainly brothers.


    ¡°Good,¡± muttered Dusk before speaking so subtly and lowly that neither of the two young men even noticed his lips moving.


    Valen breathed in deeply as he held out his spellcaster and stared down the barrel, looking straight at his master¡¯s head. He was already feeling the familiar heat of the desert, but he could have sworn that someone had turned the sun up a couple of degrees at that very moment. The young man¡¯s finger trembled as he placed it to the trigger.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said before doing absolutely nothing.


    ¡°Alright?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°Don¡¯t rush me!¡± snapped Valen, looking over his shoulder.


    Arc walked over to him and nudged his friend aside. ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± he said, holding up his own spellslinger. ¡°I owe you after all.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Valen, turning around and kicking sand as he breathed a sigh of relief.


    Arc held his gun firmly and had to force his eyes open. Dusk was staring straight at his young apprentice and giving nothing away. Was the old man afraid? Relieved? It was impossible to say, for his expression was calm and neutral.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± muttered Valen.


    Arc squeezed the trigger and an Arcane Shot burst from the muzzle and soared straight towards the old man. The two young men felt their hearts jump into their throats as they watched the man that they respected so greatly facing imminent death.


    As the sphere of arcane power whizzed towards Dusk, a sudden eruption of energy erupted from the master. It formed a circular shield in front of him, distorting everything behind it as though it was a bubble. The Arcane Shot collided with the protective barrier and zapped out of existence, taking the shield with it and leaving Master Dusk unharmed.


    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± whispered Arc in relief as the old man climbed to his feet.


    Valen¡¯s gun thudded onto the sand as his mouth hung open upon seeing what his master had done. ¡°M-master Dusk¡­how?¡± he stammered.


    ¡°You think that I¡¯ve shown you all my tricks, boys?¡± asked the old man as he approached his two students with a smug grin upon his wrinkled face. ¡°Not every spell is cast from a spellcaster, you know?¡±


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Arc and Valen looked at each other and then back to Dusk.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mage?¡± asked Arc in a state of utter disbelief. ¡°All this time and you never told us?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Dusk. ¡°Out of all of my students, I trust you two the most. I thought it was time that I revealed my true nature to you.¡±


    ¡°We thought you were insane when you asked us to shoot you,¡± said Valen, sweeping his hair back and wiping the sweat from his brow. ¡°I was trying to come up with a way to explain this to the others.¡±


    ¡°And you still were prepared to shoot me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I thought so before buckling.¡±


    ¡°You were prepared Arc?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to,¡± replied Arc, ¡°but this morning you told us to trust you no matter what happened today. Even still, I was terrified you didn¡¯t have some sort of truck up your sleeve.¡±


    ¡°Why all the secrecy, Master?¡± asked Valen.


    ¡°I was seventeen years old, about your ages, when the Arcanaclysm took place,¡± said Dusk, putting a hand on a shoulder of each of his favourite students. ¡°I was barely out of my training when the dust settled and all manner of magic-users were hunted down as vengeance for the old world. There was confusion, chaos and all manner of hell unleashed. Anything you can imagine¡­it was worse than that.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea,¡± said Valen. ¡°You hear all these things throughout your life about the worst years after the apocalypse, but to have lived it through it? You¡¯re right, Master, I can¡¯t imagine. How did you survive when they were killing mages?¡±


    Dusk shook his head sombrely. ¡°I did what I was supposed to and hid my abilities well. I dedicated my life to bringing magic back in the most subtle of ways. Ways not tied directly to the caster; ways that were more expendable. Magic was feared and for reasons both good and bad, but I knew from early on that it was magic that would let us forge a new world from these ruins for humanity to thrive and prosper in.¡±


    ¡°And this is where spellcaster guns come in,¡± remarked Arc.


    ¡°Exactly. This determination of mine led me to researching a forgotten technique from a few centuries ago in some of the last remaining texts; the art of spellslinging.¡±


    Arc pulled a red cartridge from his pocket and held it up to Master Dusk. ¡°These cartridges you gave us¡­you created them, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°As I said, the concept of magic guns and bullets is not mine, but this particular cartridge is one of my creation,¡± said Dusk proudly. ¡°Any wizard with an ounce of wit, which is most of us, can do it if we know where to begin. I know you¡¯ve grown quite fond of this particular spell, Arc. Would you like to see something special?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master Dusk,¡± said Arc breathlessly, in awe of just how powerful his spellslinging teacher was.


    The old man walked over to the dry husk of a tree that stood upon the wiry grass on the hill. He held his hands together and began to chant an incantation aloud. What he was saying, neither Arc or Valen could tell, so incomprehensible were the words of their master.


    From the old man¡¯s hands, erupted an Arcane Sphere identical to one that a spellslinger could shoot from a gun. It streaked through the air, sending the sand whooshing aside, and struck the tree precisely where Master Dusk had aimed. The tree was torn in two and the top half broke into a dozen pieces before it hit the sand and slid down the far side of the hill, leaving only the stump intact.


    Valen looked to his gun and then to Arc. ¡°He can do that with mere words and we need these hunks of metal,¡± he said breathlessly while Arc continued to stare in disbelief at what he had seen.


    ¡°You can wipe those ridiculous expressions off your face, boys,¡± said Dusk with a chuckle. ¡°Now that you know what I can do, we will be training differently. When I train you personally, it will no longer be spellslinger versus spellslinger, it will be spellslinger versus wizard.¡±


    ¡°Can you do it again?¡± asked Arc, eager to see the stump uprooted.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Arc,¡± said Dusk. ¡°I don¡¯t remember the incantation.¡±


    Valen started laughing, but Dusk raised an eyebrow an eyebrow at him and he fell silent.


    ¡°When a wizard uses a spell, it takes a piece of his memory with it. Specifically, the memory of the spell itself. With enough power, you can withstand the erasure and cast the same spell multiple times, but eventually, you will forget and have to learn the spell all over again. And this is where a spell cartridge is an advantage for you boys.¡±


    ¡°We can just keep going,¡± said Arc, understanding what his master had meant. ¡°As long as there¡¯s a cartridge in the gun, the spell does what it¡¯s meant to and doesn¡¯t affect us.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± said Dusk, turning to look at the stump. ¡°When the others are ready, I¡¯ll show my abilities to them. For now, you two are sworn to secrecy. Is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Master Dusk,¡± said Arc and Valen together.


    ¡°Shall we head back home, gentlemen?¡± asked Dusk, not waiting for an answer before he strode across the sand.


    Valen spun his spellcaster in his hand. ¡°Master Dusk makes this thing look obsolete, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± said Arc, tapping his own gun. ¡°Not everyone cares for spellslinging, but nobody hunts us down. Wizards are still in hiding even today, right? This keeps us safe.¡±


    ¡°When all the wizards eventually die out, my friend, what are you going to do for new cartridges? Hell, what are you going to do if Master Dusk kicks the bucket?¡±


    Arc contemplated this for a second and realised that Valen had a point, but he also knew that his master was smart enough to have some sort of contingency in place in the event of his demise. Surely, the art of creating spell cartridges would live on in others and so too would the mages themselves. All it would take is someone with the right aptitude to be taught by the right teacher.


    ¡°Come on, chum,¡± said Valen, holstering his gun and slapping Arc on the back. ¡°I bet Evie¡¯s waiting for you with a hopeless smile on her face.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± said Arc with a chuckle, elbowing his friend in the ribs.


    ¡°Ah, you bastard,¡± laughed Valen. ¡°I bet you¡¯re itching to tell her all about the master¡¯s powers, aren¡¯t you? Get yourself some points there, eh?¡±


    ¡°Master Dusk said we¡¯re sworn to secrecy and that means that I won¡¯t tell a single soul, bud.¡±


    ¡°Good man,¡± said Valen. He started to run after the master who was quickly fading into the distance.


    With a last look at the tree stump on the hill, Arc hurried to catch up with Valen and Master Dusk.

 Chapter 7 - Left Behind

    Arc sat at the edge of the river, enjoying the shade of one of the few leafy green trees in the area. It was a rare treat to see such a thing and he had never been fortunate enough to come across this particular spot so it was a sight most welcome when he, Jack and Julie rounded the jagged point of the rockface and happened upon it.


    ¡°Can we get moving?¡± asked Jack, looking around. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel safe here.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so paranoid,¡± said Arc, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Sometimes you have to enjoy a quiet moment when you find it rather than worrying about what could go wrong. Not every single corner of the world is waiting to kill you, Jack.¡±


    Julie was half-asleep in the shade with her bare feet dangling in the river. It helped ease the aches and blisters she had got from so much walking over the past few days.


    Jack had warned her not to put her feet in the water case a sahaugin took a bite out of them, but she took no notice. Her brother repeatedly scolded her for being reckless but Arc cut him off, assuring him that there were no sahaugins in the area. The spellslinger didn¡¯t know that for sure, of course, but he said it convincingly enough that the young man took his word for it.


    ¡°So, are we just going to stay here all day?¡± asked Jack after refilling his canteen in the river.


    ¡°It¡¯s been fifteen minutes, boy. Can you not relax for just a moment.¡±


    ¡°No. All sorts of things could go wrong out here. What if¡ª"


    ¡°Shut it,¡± said Arc, closing his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to take a nap?¡± asked an incredulous Jack.


    ¡°You¡¯re on watch, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one of us with a weapon worth a damn!¡±


    ¡°Look, it¡¯s fine if you¡¯re not going to rest, but I sure as hell am. I need my beauty sleep to get rid of this ugly swollen eye and restore my natural radiant complexion that¡¯s been ruined by the cuts and bruises. Some of which I got from trying to keep your backside safe from goblins.¡±


    Rather than argue, Jack stayed quiet. Seconds later, Arc began snoring. The young man found it incredible that every time Arc wanted to sleep, he could do so on command. It was a talent that Jack was envious of as he often stayed awake worrying about things. Some of his countless worries were valid, but there were many that came from his ever-increasing paranoia about the world.


    Deciding that he would do something productive, he walked over to the cliff and scanned it up and down. There was an outcropping about twenty feet up that would have given him a better view of what lay past the river than sitting by the river would. And from that height, he could still watch over the two snoozers.


    Jack grabbed the most prominent rocks he could find and then placed his feet into small notches. He took a deep breath and then hoisted himself up. He put up his left arm and dug his fingers into a thin ledge and brought his right arm up to grip it too. He continued climbing, both in large bounds and small shimmies until he reached the outcropping.


    He threw himself onto the lay back, giving himself a moment to rest his tired muscles. Small as the young man was, he was strong, but being on the road and having only some rations to eat, he was feeling the strain


    Arc had been kind enough to share some of his food with the twins and Jack was grateful for that, especially as Julie always insisted on letting him have more food no matter how much he would protest. Without their parents, they would always try to parent each other rather than let each other simply be brother and sister.


    Jack sat up and slid to the edge of the small cliff and let his legs fall down. A rare smile crept across his face as the breeze gently brushed his hair across his forehead. Down below, he could see Arc and Julie snoozing away in the shade. He couldn¡¯t help but feel jealous that Julie had someone else to look up to that wasn¡¯t him yet, as much as he would audibly doubt Arc, he was glad that the bounty hunter was with them too. It was nice to have someone around that gave a damn, even if he would only give a damn as far as Pembroke.


    The young man looked across the dry land before him and let the calm fall upon him. There hadn¡¯t been any trouble since the ghosts of Purdue the previous evening and that was most welcome. He laughed to himself, realising that he was appreciative for a mere sixteen hours of peace.


    He continued to look over the land and his gaze became fixed upon an oddly shaped rock that was half buried in sand over to the left. Every time he tried to look away, he was drawn back to it. There was something about it that wasn¡¯t quite right but he tried to stamp down that curiosity in case he broke that the trouble-free streak.


    After a while, he couldn¡¯t hold back his curiosity anymore and climbed back down to Arc and Julie. He walked over to his sister and gave her a nudge so that he wouldn¡¯t be leaving her and Arc helpless.


    ¡°Hey, Jule,¡± he said, but she didn¡¯t stir. He bent down and started lightly slapping her cheeks until her face scrunched up.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°Knock it off,¡± she moaned, splashing water about as she kicked her feet in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m trying to sleep!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go check on something for a couple of minutes,¡± said Jack, putting his fingers on her eyelids and prying them open. ¡°Don¡¯t go back to sleep until I¡¯m back, alright?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± said Julie, swatting him away.


    Before she had come around enough to even think of asking where he was going, Jack had wandered off across the dry soil and into the small patch of land where the sand picked up. He could see the top of the strange rock nearby and continued to head straight for it while constantly looking around, fearing that some unscrupulous creature was hunting him.


    As the rock grew closer, he realised that he had been mistaken. Although it had no shortage of sand and stone around its base, the object was made of metal. What was most curious about it was that it was painted the colour of the stone as though to camouflage it in the terrain.


    ¡°A vehicle?¡± muttered Jack, noticing the six large wheels wrapped up in a wide segmented chain of metal that was fixed with many rubber pads, most of which were worn and torn.


    The base of the machine was rectangular with broken lights on the front, or at least Jack presumed it to be the front, for the top section looked as though it could turn. Emerging from the top section was a large metal pipe that reminded Jack of a gun, but he had never seen a gun as large as this before.


    ¡°What in the world?¡± he asked aloud with a raised eyebrow.


    Jack climbed onto the base of the vehicle and leaned onto the top section. There was a rounded hole within it just large enough for someone to fit inside. Dare he? No, it would be stupid to climb inside. At the same time, what harm would it do?


    He glanced over to the tree in the distance and saw no commotion. Assured that Arc and Julie were fine, he climbed on top of the machine and slid into the hole, only to find himself sitting on sand that had blown its way inside.


    Looking around, he was astounded by the complexity of the controls. There were switches, levers and dials everywhere. He¡¯d seen the inside of cars before and they were astounding enough. How could anyone drive this crazy contraption? Although, considering how thick its armour plating was, not a soul would dare take you on in this thing. He could ride across the badlands, crushing goblins underneath the treads and the screeching menaces couldn¡¯t do a damn thing to stop him.


    ¡°I bet that is a gun,¡± whispered Jack, looking out the tiny window and seeing the large pipe outside that was pointed towards the far cliff.


    Jack pressed on a few buttons and laughed as he imagined blowing goblins to smithereens. As he continued to press the buttons, the tank suddenly jolted awake and started rumbling. Jack whacked his head on the metal ceiling and he looked back and forth to all of the buttons in a panic, wondering how he had stirred this behemoth of a machine.


    ¡°How can you still be working?¡± asked Jack, desperately trying to find the button he had pressed. ¡°Where are you? Where are you?¡±


    Deciding that a large red button was the one, he slammed his fist on it and immediately knew he had made a huge mistake. A huge bullet erupted from the tank, forcefully jolting the heavy machine, and stormed at lightning speed towards the cliff, striking it and emitting a thundering explosion that smashed the cliff face to pieces.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± said Jack, his eyes widened and his heart racing. ¡°Oh no, oh no, oh no. What should I do? Give me a sign.¡±


    He scurried out of the tank and threw himself to the ground, falling flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted towards the tree by the river, only to find Arc and Julie already running towards him with terrified looks on their faces.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± roared Arc as he made a beeline for Jack.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± cried Jack, feeling incredibly stupid. ¡°I¡¯m sorry!¡±


    ¡°You could have gotten yourself hurt, you imbecile!¡± said Arc, checking to make sure Jack hadn¡¯t injured himself.


    Jack erratically pointed behind him. ¡°Big machine,¡± he said, not knowing how else to describe the vehicle he had found. ¡°Big gun.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t believe the words coming out of his mouth. He sounded like a toddler, but fully formed sentences just weren¡¯t coming out. Never had he felt so incompetent and useless.


    Arc ran over to where he was pointing with the twins following him. Julie shot her brother a look of daggers when they arrived at what Jack had once thought to be an unusual rock. She had no idea what the machine was, but she would have had the sense to not touch it.


    ¡°A tank?¡± asked Arc, putting his hand on the rumbling machine. ¡°Who in the entirety of Nuvaria would leave a tank behind?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was a tank,¡± insisted Jack. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what a tank is!¡±


    ¡°Well, you do now,¡± said Arc, still furious as he turned to a petrified Jack. ¡°What if its gun had been pointed at me or your sister?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to believe me, but I turned it on by accident and was trying to turn it off,¡± said Jack quietly, looking down at his shaking hands.


    ¡°And did you accidentally climb into it?¡± asked Arc. ¡°You could have come to me and asked me what it was rather than sneaking off like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sneak off, I told¡ª¡±


    ¡°Not to derail this much-deserved telling off, but look at that,¡± interject Julie, pointing to where the shell had struck the cliff.


    ¡°At wha¡­¡± Arc trailed off as he followed Julie¡¯s finger to the stone.


    ¡°Should we run before the sound attracts all manner of beasts?¡± asked Jack, not daring to look at what had left Arc lost for words.


    ¡°No,¡± said the spellslinger, taking out his revolver. ¡°I want to see where this leads.¡±


    Trying to stifle his guilt at the trouble he had caused, Jack turned to look at the cliff he had destroyed and his jaw hit the floor once again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡­¡± he muttered as Arc and Julie started walking towards the glowing green tunnel that Jack had accidentally unveiled.


    As the trio drew closer to the tunnel, the glowing did not subside. Arc half-wondered if it was a trick of the light at first, but it became clearer the further he walked that the glow was no trick. There were hundreds of emeralds embedded in the cave Jack had opened up. Some emeralds were the size of a rounded silver coin in Arc¡¯s wallet and some were as large as his head.


    The three hopped onto a rock in the centre of the river and then threw themselves onto the bank at the far side to reach the cave entrance.


    ¡°We should turn back, shouldn¡¯t we?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Yes, we should,¡± said Arc, staring into the cave.


    ¡°But we¡¯re not going to, are we?¡±


    ¡°You two can go and wait by the tree and I¡¯ll take a look around.¡±


    Jack shook his head profusely. ¡°I¡¯m not waiting for goblins, orcs, demons or whatever other ugly creature to show up. You know how loud that explosion was. Dangerous as this might be, we¡¯re sticking with you. It couldn¡¯t be much worse than the ghosts from yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Arc, stepping up and onto the small ledge and heading into the cave as the twins followed closely behind him.

 Chapter 8 - The Emerald Master

    Arc gazed around the opening of the cave as he walked, marvelling at the hundreds of glistening emeralds that caught the streams of sunlight. They were objects of beauty, but he felt something otherworldly radiating from them as though they had great untapped power dwelling within their shimmering cores.


    ¡°How could these possibly be here naturally?¡± Julie wondered aloud.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they are,¡± said Arc, tearing his gaze from the emeralds and looking deeper into the cave. ¡°That bullet didn¡¯t create the cave, it uncovered it. That tank was pointed this way on purpose¡­but why was no shot ever taken?¡±


    ¡°Do we want to find out?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Of all times to not be curious, it¡¯s now?¡± asked Arc. ¡°Considering you were the one playing in a tank, that ship has failed my friend.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m cautious because of the tank, Arc,¡± said Jack, the frustration in his voice evident. ¡°It was much more dangerous than I¡¯d even imagined and now we¡¯re walking into¡­well, I don¡¯t know what we¡¯re walking into.¡±


    ¡°And a little bit of exploration is how we find out,¡± said Arc, pulling out his revolver and marching ahead.


    The gems of the tunnel continued to twinkle their brilliant green as the trio walked along. Julie was especially captivated and leaned in close to gaze deep into their cores before running to catch back up to Arc, all the while Jack wouldn¡¯t leave her side, fearful that something would go wrong. The young man didn¡¯t know what it was that would go wrong, but he knew it would be something. Something always went wrong.


    ¡°There¡¯s light up ahead,¡± Arc said quietly over his shoulder.


    True enough, from around a bend came a flickering green light upon the stone floor of the tunnel. It danced around as though excited to have guests in its humble home, hidden far away from what remained of civilisation.


    ¡°Green light,¡± said Jack, throwing up his arms. ¡°Green light is never good.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Do I really need to explain that? Normal light is white, yellow¡­or orange! You don¡¯t see green light and for good reason.¡±


    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± muttered Arc, upon rounding the bend. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open as he trailed off.


    Before him lay a large bridge of dusty sandstone that stretched out over a dark chasm leading into the abyssal nothing. As the bricks of the bridge crossed the chasm, they slowly turned into a small set of steps of no more than a dozen before going flat again at the doorway of a temple built into the wall of the cavern.


    The front of the temple bore pillars either side of the door and two further pillars where the front face of the temple ended and turned back into the wall. Nestled between the pairs of pillars were four alcoves, two upper and two lower, that held braziers containing uncountable amounts of small emeralds that were casting the green light throughout the chamber.


    Unlike the emeralds that used the sunlight from outside to shine, these emeralds were glowing from within. Whatever magic flowed through them, Arc couldn¡¯t guess, but he hoped that it was merely some sort of light-emitting spell rather than anything more sinister.


    ¡°Jackie Boy, what have you stumbled upon?¡± asked the spellslinger starting to laugh quietly.


    ¡°I¡­don¡¯t know¡­¡± said Jack, his eyes taken in by the mysterious temple before him.


    ¡°Are you curious yet?¡± Julie asked him breathlessly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted.


    Julie moved to step forward onto the bridge, but Arc held up a hand to stop her.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to do this, we go cautiously,¡± he said, passing her his guns.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Making sure that I don¡¯t get you two caught up in something too dangerous again.¡±


    ¡°Too dangerous?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°A little danger is fine.¡±


    Arc placed one foot on the bridge and tapped it around in front of himself before. Once satisfied, he took another step and let his weight fall upon the bridge. He did a small hop and was assured that the bridge was stable.


    The spellslinger walked to the edge of the bridge and looked over the waist-high wall that would protect only the smallest of people from falling over in the event of an accident. He gazed into the black below and let out a high-pitched whistle that echoed throughout the cavern.


    ¡°Anything?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said Arc, taking a couple of steps back. ¡°Let¡¯s keep to the middle of the bridge.¡±


    He held out his hand and the twins walked up to him. Julie handed him his guns back and he stashed his spellcaster in its holster but kept his revolver in-hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ll lead the way,¡± said Arc. ¡°Any word of trouble, the pair of you turn tale and run. You grab your kit from under the tree and forget about me, alright?¡±


    Julie made to protest, but Jack spoke first. ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re the boss, after all.¡±


    ¡°Glad that¡¯s clear.¡±


    Arc let the way along the bridge, looking all around the cavern in case any dark creatures were hiding in the crevices in the ceiling or lurking just out of sight at the edge of the pit. For all he knew, there was a nasty troll holding onto the underside of the bridge.


    Upon slowly ascending the steps, Arc peered into the dark doorway. Up close, it wasn¡¯t as lightless as he first thought. From somewhere inside, came more green light that was shining faintly within, but not enough to light the way clearly. Arc took a small leap and landed in the lower left alcove where the brazier of glowing emeralds lay. He grabbed a small handful of them and shook them lightly, letting them clink in the palm of his hand.


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    ¡°This¡¯ll do,¡± he murmured, shoving a few handfuls of them in his pocket and then taking another fistful.


    He leapt back over to the steps and passed a couple of the illuminating gems to each of the children before walking through the doorway. Before going far, he looked over at them.


    ¡°Keep close,¡± he warned them.


    Arc led the way through the musty corridor with his left hand held high and open to light the way as best as he could. There were chambers littered throughout the temple, but he couldn¡¯t see into them well and opted to continue down the straight corridor, thinking he would start with the room furthest away and explore his way back to the start.


    He crept towards the green light that grew brighter with every step. He knew now that it was another emerald, but this one appeared larger than the rest. Yet, it was not only the size that was different. The light that this one emitted was sparser, as though being blocked by a large obstacle, yet nothing stood in front of it.


    Upon reaching the door to the large chamber where the emerald stood, Arc had to hold back a gasp while the twins both yelped. There was nothing blocking the emerald from the outside, rather, there was something inside; something shaped remarkably like a human.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± said Arc, sweeping his hand around in an arc and scattering crystals around the room to brighten it.


    He walked up to the large emerald that stood taller than he did. It must have been at least eight feet tall and appeared as solid as any other. There was no doubt that the figure inside was a human; a man, in fact.


    He was tall and broad with a thick beard and long hair that ran to his shoulders and was kept out of his eyes by a purple headband. He wore a white tunic and baggy grey trousers along with a pair of lightweight shoes that Arc couldn¡¯t discern as to whether they were green or yellow. What stood out most about the man was the amulet he wore around his neck that bore another crystal¡ªno doubt an emerald¡ªthat was surrounded by swirling silver rings.


    The spellslinger carefully circled the crystal, looking for a way that this man could have climbed inside. He started to chuckled as he made his third lap of the man and started shaking his head.


    ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°This is one of the most bizarre things I¡¯ve seen, and I¡¯ve seen some weird stuff, Jack.¡±


    ¡°How long do you think he¡¯s been trapped in there?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Arc, ceasing his circling and standing to face the man. ¡°I don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s trapped. Perhaps, he¡¯s put himself in some sort of stasis. Look at his face.¡±


    Jack and Julie walked closer and examined the man¡¯s expression. He looked calm, almost resolute. He didn¡¯t bear the look of someone who had been trapped here against his will.


    ¡°Can you break him out?¡± asked Jack, lightly tapping his fist on Arc¡¯s holstered spellcaster.


    ¡°Firstly, never touch that,¡± Arc scolded him. ¡°Secondly, why would I want to? With this guy locked up here, anything we find is ours for the taking.¡±


    There was a sudden flash of the intensely bright light from the crystal and the trio scurried backwards as it began to audibly crack. Arc kept his revolver pointed at the crystal while shielding his eyes from the blinding emerald light.


    As the remnants of the crystal encasing the man clinked to the ground and then faded away, a voice spoke out. ¡°You would steal from me, would you?¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± muttered Arc before raising his voice and lowering his gun. ¡°That was an error in judgement on my part, I¡¯m afraid.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± came the man¡¯s gruff voice as the light faded and he became clearly visible to the three.


    ¡°That is so.¡±


    ¡°Might I ask you, regretful thief, why it is that you¡¯re trespassing in my temple?¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Arc,¡± said the spellslinger, holstering his revolver and holding up his hands. ¡°There¡¯ll be no need for hostilities, this is all a simple misunderstanding.¡±


    ¡°This temple should not be known to anyone on the outside. And it certainly shouldn¡¯t be accessible by walking through the non-existent door.¡±


    ¡°Well, there was a bit of a mishap with a tank. You see¡ª¡±


    ¡°That tank?¡± barked the man. ¡°That blasted tank should no longer be operational. What year is it?¡±


    ¡°45-AA,¡± answered Arc.


    ¡°Curses! I¡¯ve only been sealed for three years and you go and wake me, you bum.¡±


    ¡°Bum?¡± asked Arc in bemusement. ¡°What¡¯s your name, Mister Emerald?¡±


    ¡°Minator,¡± said the man, scratching his chin and frowning.


    ¡°Minotaur?¡± asked Jack, taken aback.


    ¡°Do you see any horns, you little runt? Minator, not minotaur. Do not compare me to those beasts.¡±


    ¡°Please excuse him,¡± said Arc, walking forward and holding out his hand. ¡°I feel like we got off on the wrong foot and I don¡¯t want any bad blood.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that because I¡¯m awake,¡± said Minator with a sneer. ¡°You were perfectly happy to rob me while I slept. Weren¡¯t you, Arc?¡±


    ¡°Guilty,¡± said Arc, rubbing the back of his neck. ¡°Truth be told, I wasn¡¯t even sure if you were alive.¡±


    ¡°Looting then, eh?¡±


    Arc held up his hands. ¡°Alright, alright. I¡¯m sorry. Not sure what else I can say, Minator. You come across a ruin buried in the desert and you hope you might find something worth a damn inside that can pay for your next meal. There¡¯ll be no looting, thieving or robbing, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± grunted Minator, holding out his hand.


    A relieved Arc accepted the handshake and the twins dared to approach.


    ¡°What were you doing in inside that crystal?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°I thought that was obvious by now,¡± said Minator. ¡°I was sleeping.¡±


    ¡°I realised that, but¡­why?¡±


    ¡°Is the world still the ravaged hellhole that it was after the Arcanaclysm?¡±


    ¡°More or less,¡± shrugged Arc.


    ¡°There¡¯s your answer,¡± said Minator. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for the world to fix itself. It may take a century, it may take a millennium, but I don¡¯t much fancy wandering the wastelands looking for things to steal for my next meal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all bad,¡± said Arc. ¡°Hell, the three of us weren¡¯t alive in the old world. The world as it is today is all we know so we might as well make it a better place in the time that we have.¡±


    Minator scoffed. ¡°Your futures were stolen from you by the disaster. The fact that it doesn¡¯t bother you bothers me and I would appreciate it if you would let me return to my sleep.¡±


    ¡°Are you a mage?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Hardly,¡± said Minator, tapping the emerald pendant on his neck, ¡°but this gives me two very specific powers that keep me safe while the world rebuilds itself.¡±


    ¡°Emerald armour and¡­?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, young man?¡±


    ¡°Jack.¡±


    ¡°Throw those emeralds in your hand on the ground, Jack. In fact, all of you throw your emeralds onto the floor.¡±


    Jack and Julie did as they were asked while Arc took the three handfuls of the tiny glowing gemstones from his pocket and them turned his pocket inside out to remove the ones he missed. Minator gestured for them to step back and they did so.


    The man from the emerald clasped his hands together and breathed in deeply before holding them out. The second he did that, the emeralds all across the floor rose up and shot towards him before swirling around in a circle by his feet. One by one and quicker than the trio¡¯s eyes could keep up with, the emeralds fused together seamlessly.


    They formed a small humanoid creature, no more than four inches tall. It walked towards Arc and then turned its head up to look at him with its eyeless face as the spellslinger stared at the creature in shock.


    ¡°This is one of my minions,¡± said Minator, picking up the miniature golem. ¡°And I can make as many of these creatures as I want using the emeralds in this cavern. In fact, I can make them as big as I want too. Follow me.¡±


    Minator led the way back through the corridor and Arc, Jack and Julie silently followed him. The four walked down the steps and stood upon the bridge, turning to face the braziers. Minator tossed his emerald golem onto the ground in front of him and it climbed to its feet, standing patiently by.


    As before, the man clasped his hands together and then held out his hands. All of the glowing emeralds from the braziers arose and flew towards the golem, joining with it one by one. Within seconds, it had grown from the size of a finger to a nine-foot-tall hulking brute who could have snapped any of the four humans with its emerald hands.


    ¡°It would have been a bad idea to steal from me, Arc,¡± said Minator coldly. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 9 - Minerals and Machines

    ¡°Lost for words?¡± asked Minator with a sneer as Arc continued staring at the large golem standing on the bridge before him.


    ¡°We should probably leave,¡± said the spellslinger, his hand slowly moving towards his revolver.


    ¡°That was not a threat,¡± scoffed Minator, silently ordering his golem to step aside. ¡°You¡¯re welcome to come inside for a short while before I resume my stasis.¡±


    ¡°What about the cliff outside?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°It can be repaired by my golems,¡± said Minator, waving his hand dismissively as he walked back towards the temple. ¡°If you want to leave, leave. If you don¡¯t, come inside.¡±


    Arc looked to the twins who were uncertain. With a shrug, he followed Minator, intrigued by the strange man who was so determined to wait out the ruined world until it was less harsh.


    Minator walked down the corridor and into a side chamber. With the snap of his fingers, he illuminated a couple of emeralds sitting on a stone table. He sat himself down on a stool and gestured towards three others.


    ¡°I thought you only had two powers,¡± said Arc, nodding towards the emerald pendant hung around Minator¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Snap your fingers,¡± said the man.


    Arc did as he was told and the lights faded into nothing. He snapped them again and the light returned. Unable to resist, Julie did the same after him while Jack sat there frowning, unamused by the magical gemstones.


    ¡°You were alive before the Arcanaclysm?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Minator solemnly. ¡°I¡¯ve been in and out of stasis over the years. Physically in my mid-thirties, but I¡¯ve been alive for twice as long. I couldn¡¯t tell you my physical exact age because you start to lose track after a while, but I was in my late twenties when the world collapsed.¡±


    ¡°What was it like?¡± asked Arc, having heard tales from a few people he had met during his life. Each tale brought a new illumination of the old world and its fall to him.


    ¡°I missed the entire thing,¡± said Minator. ¡°I woke up one day, only to see the world I was in was not the one I¡¯d left behind.¡±


    ¡°That must have been awful,¡± said Julie, holding her hands to her mouth.


    ¡°It was,¡± sighed Minator. ¡°Very few of the people I knew survived and even fewer of the ones I loved survived. I tried to make the best of things, but this barren world is not worth living in, so I chose to wait until it was something better.¡±


    ¡°Why not make it better?¡± asked Jack haughtily.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± asked Minator crossly.


    ¡°We all have to live with the hand fate dealt us. We don¡¯t get the luxury of sleeping in an emerald cocoon until the lands is lush and green again. I think you¡¯re a waste of space.¡±


    ¡°Jack!¡± shouted Julie, embarrassed by her brother¡¯s words.


    ¡°Well,¡± said Arc, leaning on his knees. ¡°I¡¯m with Jack on this one, I¡¯m afraid. Every monster I kill, every person I help¡­that¡¯s progress to a better world. Could I find a quiet little outpost away from all trouble and live peacefully for the rest of my days? Probably, but I don¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± asked Minator. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you have hope that things will have improved in any measurable way before you die.¡±


    Arc grinned and stood up. ¡°I do have that hope. All of our actions ripple through time and our good deeds can outpace the bad ones if you spur them on enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a pile of¡ª¡±


    Minator stopped dead upon hearing a cacophony of screeches echoing down the corridor. Arc, Jack and Julie¡¯s hearts jumped into their mouths, having heard screeches just like these mere days ago. It was the horrifyingly familiar screeches of goblins.


    The four ran to the bridge where the emerald golem stood waiting and the screeching only grew louder, but it was now joined by the thudding footsteps of a dozen charging goblins.


    ¡°Kill them all,¡± ordered Minator to his golem as he ran back across the bridge to hide within his temple.


    Content to let the golem deal with the ugly little beasts, Arc, Jack and Julie followed. Before they had cleared the bridge, a spear whizzed past the trio and struck Minator in the back, piercing through his stomach. He fell flat on his face and the twins continued to run, but Arc spun around and pulled his revolver out.


    The golem grabbed goblin after goblin and hurled them into the abyss while Arc picked off three of the goblins with well-placed shots before running over to Minator who was trying to climb to his feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m not¡­going to¡­¡± groaned the emerald master as Arc helped him up.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, bud,¡± said the spellslinger as he spied Jack and Julie peeking out from the dark doorway ahead. ¡°You just need to¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yeee!¡± screeched a goblin as it leapt on Arc and sank its claws into his shoulders. He released Minator who stumbled over to the wall and held onto it for dear life.


    ¡°Arc!¡± cried Jack and Julie, rushing to his aid, but he had already flung the goblin over his shoulder and onto the bridge.


    He didn¡¯t want to waste a round and pinned it down while slamming the butt of his gun into its jaw over and over again, breaking it with a sickening crack as the goblin tried to escape. With his foe dazed, he stood up and grabbed its arm, pulling it up and swinging it through the air. He released the goblin and it flew over the wall and fell into the chasm below.


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    ¡°I¡­¡± grunted Minator as he leaned on the edge of the bridge. ¡°Hope¡­you¡¯re right, Arc.¡±


    The last of his strength faded and he fell over the wall, plummeting into the abyss, following the many goblins into the unseen depths below.


    ¡°Minator!¡± cried Arc, looking into the darkness below, but the emerald master¡¯s body was already gone.


    ¡°What do we¡ª¡±


    Juile¡¯s words were cut off by the emerald golem taking strides towards her. As it reached up and swung an arm downwards, Arc tackled her out of the way before the golem left a small crater of broken bricks in the bridge.


    ¡°Run!¡± Arc called, scrambling to his feet and pulling Julie up with him.


    Jack didn¡¯t need to be told twice and sprinted straight around the corner with them, following the tunnel towards the light of the outdoors. The emerald golem thundered after them, its docility gone with its master¡¯s death, leaving it an unrestrained brute who was taking its Minator¡¯s last command too literally; it was trying to kill them all.


    The trio burst back into the light, leaping onto the rock to cross the river before landing on the sand-dusted and dried-out soil. Arc dared to glanced over his shoulder and saw the emerald golem cross the river in a single leap, landing feet behind the trio. He shot at it with his revolver and the bullet plinked off it, leaving only a minor dent.


    ¡°What do we do?¡± cried Jack as Arc spied the exact tool he needed nestled between rocks in the distance.


    ¡°Use the tank, I¡¯ll be the bait,¡± said Arc, stopping and turning to face the golem as the twins sprinted away.


    The golem raised its hefty green arms and thrust them down at the man who leapt aside, his blonde hair blowing from the draft created by the thump of the golem¡¯s fists on the earth.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so slow,¡± said Arc with a smirk as the golem stared at him with its featureless face before making for him once more.


    ¡°Come on!¡± Jack cried to Julie who was lagging behind him.


    ¡°Just keep going!¡± she told him as her brother charged straight towards the still-rumbling tank he had never wanted to see again.


    Knowing that it was Arc¡¯s only hope of survival, Jack pushed himself hard and ran furiously towards the hunk of metal. When he drew close enough, he jumped and landed on top of it before swinging himself back inside, finding himself surrounded by the many buttons. He slammed his fist on the button he n


    ¡°Which one was it,¡± he muttered, looking around in a panic for the controls he needed to blast the golem into a thousand pieces.


    As Jack settled on the button he was semi-confident was the correct one, he looked out the narrow window and saw that the golem was a few yards too far to the left and only getting further away as Arc desperately dodged the massive emerald beast¡¯s heavy stomping.


    Jack slipped his head out of the hull and called out to his sister. ¡°Julie! Make Arc move to the right!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she wailed.


    ¡°To the right! To the right!¡±


    Jack slipped back in and watched as Julie fearlessly closer to the emerald golem that had thumped Arc across the side, sending him flying further to the left. Wishing he knew how to turn the beast of a machine, Jack looked from control to control, but a glance upwards and he saw Julie pointing to the right and Arc scrambling across the sand to do as she had told him. In pursuit of its prey, the golem followed behind.


    ¡°Please,¡± whispered Jack as he took waited for the golem to get in position.


    It held its arms high in the air as Arc lay flat on the ground, covering his face, and Jack pressed the button he presumed the correct one. The tank let out an explosive bang as a shell flew across the desert, faster than anyone¡¯s eyes could keep up with.


    Jack knew his aim was true within a second as, before his eyes, the emerald golem¡¯s upper half was turned to fine crystalline dust. The shell flew straight through the tunnel opening and struck the back wall, sending a wave of smoke billowing out while the golem¡¯s legs crumbled into dozens of smaller chunks that thudded upon the ground.


    The young man breathed a sigh of relief and slammed his head against the wall before he started laughing. He climbed out of the tank and hopped back onto the ground, following Julie over to meet Arc, who was sitting upright and juggling a pair of emeralds with a stupid smile on his face.


    ¡°Catch!¡± he called to Julie, tossing one to her, but she sidestepped it and it rolled across the sand. ¡°No? Nothing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling especially jovial right now,¡± she said, drawing close to him.


    As Julie helped Arc back onto his feet, Jack flopped onto the ground and put his hands over his eyes. ¡°Can¡¯t we have a day without trouble?¡± he asked.


    ¡°If I get five days without trouble, I¡¯m doing well,¡± said Arc, ¡°but I¡¯d happily take two days at this point.¡±


    ¡°What do we do about Minator?¡± asked Julie shakily.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do anymore,¡± said Arc, talking out of one side of his mouth. ¡°Poor fella fell into that bottomless pit. A real shame, cowardly as he was about the state of the world, I don¡¯t think he was a bad fella.¡±


    ¡°We never did get to hear the full story about life before the Arcanaclysm. All of the older people I¡¯ve spoken to either refused to talk about it, saying it was too painful, or they were too young when it happened to remember it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s best not to dwell on the past too much,¡± said Arc, putting a hand on her shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll just end up getting depressed. And when you get depressed, you fall into despair, which can end far worse. We keep on moving along, seeing where the road takes us and finding out what we can do to help others.¡±


    ¡°For you, at least,¡± said Jack. ¡°Our road ends in Pembroke, and I can¡¯t wait for it.¡±


    Arc smirked. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you didn¡¯t have fun blowing up that golem.¡±


    ¡°I would have rather not seen it in the first place, but¡­yes, it was fun. That said, you¡¯ll never see me climbing into a tank again, even with a hundred assurances that it¡¯s broken.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you feel guilty?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°About what?¡± asked Jack, pushing himself up on his elbows.


    ¡°Minator!¡± she shouted. ¡°If it hadn¡¯t been for you playing around, his hideout wouldn¡¯t have been exposed and the goblins wouldn¡¯t have heard the noise to know to come looking.¡±


    Jack frowned. ¡°Now I do,¡± he said quietly. ¡°Damn¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t dwell on it, Jack,¡± said Arc, walking over and pulling the young lad to his feet. ¡°Stupid as it may have been, you didn¡¯t know. Dozens of things could have led us down a different path.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± asked Jack, looking over his shoulder at the tank.


    ¡°If we¡¯d kept on moving rather than stopping to rest, if I hadn¡¯t suggested going into the temple, if Minator hadn¡¯t come outside to hear the goblins. And that¡¯s just a couple off the top of my head. Just learn and move along.¡±


    ¡°Can we say a prayer for him?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°That, we can do,¡± said Arc brightly, leading the way back into the temple.


    ¡°Are you going to take any of the emeralds?¡±


    ¡°No. Out of respect for him, I¡¯ll leave everything as it was when he died. It¡¯s different taking things from bandits or ruined towns, where we knew nobody¡¯s faces. It doesn¡¯t feel right taking the emeralds, having known who the owner was.¡±


    Julie sighed. ¡°Things will be better when we get to Pembroke, won¡¯t they?¡± she asked, not sounding convinced.


    ¡°Better than being attacked by goblins, ghosts and golems?¡± asked Arc. ¡°Yes, you won¡¯t have to worry about those too much in Pembroke. Don¡¯t get me wrong, nowhere is perfect, but you¡¯ll be able to handle yourselves in a town like that. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s get back on the road once we¡¯ve said a few words for Minator,¡± said Jack. ¡°All I want right now is to be somewhere safe.¡±


    ¡°And I promise, I¡¯ll get you there,¡± said Arc, looking towards the tree under which he had been sleeping no more than an hour before.


    He led the way over to it with a disgruntled Jack and a relieved Julie following him. He fully intended to make good on his promise, but he had been a trouble magnet lately. The second that thought crossed his mind, he knew that trouble had been following him for much longer that lately.

 Chapter 10 - Somewhere Safe

    ¡°Almost there,¡± said Arc, calling back to Jack and Julie who were dragging their feet along the asphalt road leading towards Pembroke. The twins were exhausted and failing to hide it, while Arc was exhausted and hiding it behind a big smile.


    The trio had been walking for two days solid and all had been quiet since the emerald golem turned on them. They were all grateful for the peace, but the constant danger had broken the monotony of cautiously moving along the roads.


    ¡°Beautiful, little hole in the desert, isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Arc, rounding the bend past a hill. Jack and Julie looked at each other and ran to catch up with him.


    The town of Pembroke stretched out before the three of them, looking an equal mixture of dishevelled and inviting. The buildings were mostly repurposed brick houses and shops from the world before the fall, but a couple of wooden towers had been erected near the main roads in and out of the town to serve as guard outposts.


    Arc new rightly that these were largely decorative as the constant desire from the local bandit groups to claim Pembroke as their own kept things surprisingly peaceful. The biggest trouble the town tended to see was rival bandits killing each other and it then being swept under the rug because the factions didn¡¯t want all-out war.


    The streets of the town were quiet around the edges of town, save for the occasional straggler making his way deeper in, but other people were a welcome site, especially to Jack and Julie. All this time on the road was starting to make them feel like the world had been wiped out all over again with Arc and Minator being the only living people they had seen in a week, and Arc was the only one of those two still alive.


    Arc was used to this sort of thing, but travelling across the wasteland was something the two younger ones only did when Jack got them kicked out of a settlement which, admittedly. This journey, however, had been the longest one the twins had ever had across the wasteland.


    ¡°Go now and be free,¡± said Arc the Hawk, stopping and holding his hand out while making fluttering motions with his fingers. ¡°You¡¯re no longer in danger.¡±


    ¡°And just like that, we¡¯re kicked to the kerb?¡± asked Jack with a sideways smirk.


    ¡°Yes, now beat it,¡± said Arc before chuckling. ¡°If you feel like tagging along while I cash in my bounties and sell these shotgun shells weighing me down, be my guest.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to a visit a medic?¡± asked Julie, cocking her head to the side.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve over the worst of my injuries,¡± said Arc, massaging the faded bruises on his face. ¡°No point paying for something I don¡¯t need.¡±


    ¡°Hard times, eh?¡± said Jack. ¡°How much would that spellcaster gun of yours be worth?¡±


    ¡°More than I would get for selling the pair of you,¡± said Arc as he started walking again. ¡°Not that I would do such a thing. I¡¯d sell everything I own all the way down to my boots, but my spellcaster and my scarf will still be on me.¡±


    ¡°Why do you never the scarf off?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°I like it,¡± shrugged Arc, but the twins knew there was more to it than that.


    ¡°Where¡¯d you get it?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Got it from a friend.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s all there is to it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a scarf, Jackie Boy,¡± starting to walk again. ¡°Let it go. Are you pair coming or not?¡±


    ¡°No better way to get the lay of the land than to follow a wise sage like yourself,¡± said Jack, following Arc.


    Julie beamed brightly as she walked along after her travelling companions, excited for that prospects a new town could bring for her and her brother. Perhaps they could get jobs somewhere, even if it was cleaning up somebody else¡¯s filth. Anything to earn some silver and afford a living without having to cross the wasteland sounded like a good deal.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here before, right?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Arc, tapping his pack. ¡°It¡¯s how I found out about Colt the Scourge and the idol of Purdue.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to say to that Millar man?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I haven¡¯t completed the bounty, so I won¡¯t seek him out until it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Hang on, hang on,¡± said Jack, running in front of Arc and forcing him to a halt. ¡°Even after what happened, you¡¯re going after Colt again?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I mention that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I seem to recall¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you mentioned it, then you weren¡¯t very clear,¡± shouted Jack. ¡°You almost got yourself killed last time and my sister and I won¡¯t be there to drag you away if it happens again. Maybe you would have woken up anyway, but maybe not before one of the cars blew you to smithereens or Colt returned with backup and strung your corpse along behind his cars until you were a battered pulp of a man who wouldn¡¯t be able to string a sentence together.¡±


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    ¡°The man is evil and he has to go,¡± said Arc sternly. ¡°Knowing that he¡¯s a spellslinger only makes him that much more dangerous in my mind. He. Has. To. Go.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± said Julie, attracting the stunned gaze of her brother. ¡°I think it¡¯s the right thing to do. And it¡¯s better that Arc gets the money and uses it to kill a few more bad guys rather than some thug who will use it to wage more bandit wars.¡±


    Arc smiled at her. ¡°See? You get it, Julie.¡±


    ¡°I get it too,¡± said Jack, holding up his hands. ¡°I know you well enough now to know that your intentions are pure and you¡¯re a skilled man, I just think it¡¯s too risky when you failed once already.¡±


    ¡°I took out a bunch of his men, four of his vehicles and learned some valuable information. Now, I wouldn¡¯t call it a success, but it was far from a failure, Jack. Sometimes you just have to take the hard-learned lessons and come back wiser.¡±


    ¡°And better armed,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°Again, Julie, you get it,¡± said Arc proudly before tapping his pack. ¡°Now let¡¯s go turn in this head and get ourselves something to eat, alright? My treat.¡±


    Jack wasn¡¯t pleased at being dismissed, but he knew that Arc wouldn¡¯t listen to him, so he stayed silent and followed along once more.


    *


    ¡°Feels good,¡± said Arc, jingling the pouch on his belt containing his newly acquired silver and a couple of small gold pieces.


    He had been paid a small bonus for passing the stone idol of Purdue over as the client, a gentleman named Dorian Duke, had been waiting for three years for someone to successfully find the idol. He told the trio of the many failed attempts by other bounty hunters and mercenaries, only half of whom had made it back to Pembroke and had refused to ever set foot in the ghost town again.


    ¡°The money may feel nice, but I¡¯m hungry,¡± said Jack as his stomach growled.


    ¡°Well, this money is going to get you your breakfast. I was a little light on funds before this, as you know doubt no from your rummaging through my stuff while I was unconscious.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to keep dragging up the past?¡± asked Jack nonchalantly.


    ¡°Exactly, dear brother,¡± said Julie with a grin. ¡°Let¡¯s put all that behind us.¡±


    ¡°It already is,¡± chuckled Arc, ¡°but it still happened.¡±


    ¡°Where to then, navigator?¡±


    ¡°Right this way, Julie,¡± said Arc, walking ahead and beckoning the twins along.


    The three walked along the street and passed a series of glass windows at the corner building. Upon glancing in the windows, Jack and Julie could see people chatting away as they ate and drank. Arc led them to the corner and through the door, above which sat a sign that read Tina¡¯s Diner.


    The smell of fried food immediately hit the trio¡¯s nostrils the second they stepped inside, making them all salivate. It had been far too long since they had a proper meal, having had to settle for rations on the road as well as a coyote that Arc had shot, gutted and cooked for them the previous evening. The tables in the diner were scuffed and there wasn¡¯t a single leather seat without a tear, but the beautiful scent of the food took away all care they may have had for the condition of the upholstery.


    A middle-aged woman with curly brown hair and a large mole on her left cheek gave Arc a nod as though she recognised him. ¡°What¡¯ll it be, blondie?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Afternoon, Tina,¡± said Arc pleasantly. ¡°We haven¡¯t eaten a thing all day, so it¡¯ll be the full breakfast works for each of us, a coffee for me and two milks for these little knuckleheads.¡±


    ¡°Milks?¡± asked Jack, but Julie looked happy enough with the order.


    Arc stuck his his head between theirs. ¡°You two are too young for caffeine.¡±


    ¡°Coming right up,¡± said Tina before walking over to the window where the bald chef could be seen working away at a grill with his spatula.


    The three walked past the weird assortment of customers, many of whom were visibly armed with guns, swords, knives and clubs. There was even a scarred gentleman wearing a cowboy hat with a spear slung over his back that looked like it had been sharpened that very morning.


    ¡°They have cows in town?¡± asked Jack, sliding into the nearest free booth.


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Arc, taking the seat opposite Jack while Julie slipped in beside her brother. ¡°Too much of a liability to have half of Pembroke defending the food supply if there¡¯s a monster attack. There are a couple of ranches a couple of miles from town and they supply both Pembroke and the nearest bandits with produce. The bandits help guard the livestock in exchange for food and let the ranchers sell their excess. It¡¯s a fairly decent arrangement, even if private security would be preferable to having bandits skulking around your land.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± said Jack.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think that bandits could actually be useful for something.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good monster fodder too,¡± chuckled Arc. ¡°But make no mistake, they¡¯re guarding the food out of self-interest, not because they want to ensure the ranchers can supply the town.¡±


    A waitress walked over and set down two glasses of milk and a cup of tea for Arc. The twins immediately glugged down their drinks while Arc took a sip of his tea. His eyes widened briefly and he tried to hide the fact that he had burned his tongue.


    ¡°Did you burn your tongue?¡± asked Jack, slamming his empty glass down on the table.


    ¡°No,¡± replied the bounty hunter calmly before setting the scalding tea back down. ¡°So, how do you two like your new home?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡± said Julie, cocking her head to the side. ¡°It¡¯s a town, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°How eloquent of you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say, Arc. We¡¯ve lived in so many different places recently that I don¡¯t want to get too comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Then I hope this place can become your new permanent home. You pair are much too young to have to deal with all the crap that comes with adulthood, but you¡¯ve been thrust into it. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re pointed in the right direction and check in on you both from time to time. Things will be alright.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Jack quietly. ¡°I know I can be a pain, but you got us here safely. Who knows how long we¡¯d have been wandering around trying to find somewhere to stay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d probably have starved if we hadn¡¯t met you,¡± added Julie.


    ¡°Well, you won¡¯t starve today,¡± said Arc, tipping his head towards the approaching waitress.


    She was carrying three plates loaded with pancakes, sausages, eggs and bacon. Jack and Julie¡¯s mouths fell open as though they had never seen that much food in their lives. They had already gotten used to the smell of the diner and hadn¡¯t given it much thought in the last minute or two, but having the food in their faces made their mouths water all over again.


    ¡°Tuck in,¡± said Arc, picking up a rasher of bacon and taking a crispy bite. ¡°Our meals on the road have been a little light, so let¡¯s indulge ourselves this morning, but don¡¯t get used to it.¡±


    ¡°This looks better than the coyote,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°That¡¯s very hurtful,¡± said Arc with a grin. ¡°I spent ages skinning and cooking that little critter.¡±


    The twins thanked him through mouthfuls of sweet, buttery pancakes while Arc waved a hand dismissively before laughing.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll grab a couple of rooms at the motel after this, relax for the evening and I¡¯ll take you to meet my buddy, Jamison, tomorrow. If you¡¯re looking to defend yourself in Pembroke, then he¡¯s the man to talk to.¡±

 Chapter 11 - Guns and Bullets

    ¡°Well, well,¡± said the balding shopkeeper with the handlebar moustache. He leaned on his counter with both hands, smiling cockily as three figures walked through his doorway. ¡°If it ain¡¯t the fabled, Arc the Hawk, still alive after his brush with death.¡±


    Jack and Julie stood behind Arc and looked around the shop, taking in everything from the empty canteens piled in a crate in the corner to a dozen backpacks hanging on the wall, fixing especially on the locked-up arsenal of weapons kept behind the counter. Everything that a bounty hunter like Arc needed was in this shop, but the one thing they didn¡¯t see was spellcaster bullets.


    ¡°Word travels fast, Jamison,¡± said Arc, approaching and shaking the man¡¯s hand firmly. ¡°I take it Colt¡¯s men have been running their mouths?¡±


    ¡°They said their big boss killed you, but I see they were a little presumptive,¡± said Jamison with a hearty guffaw before taking notice of the two shorter ones behind Arc. ¡°Who¡¯re the children? They¡¯re much too old to be yours, Arc.¡±


    ¡°The boy¡¯s called Jack and the girl¡¯s called Julie,¡± said Arc, gesturing to each as he spoke their names. ¡°We¡¯ve been looking out for each other on the road and they¡¯ll be sticking around town after I¡¯ve gone on my merry way.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± said Jamison, looking to the twins, ¡°let me welcome you both to Pembroke. Decent enough little place, all things considered. If you¡¯ve got the money to eat, you¡¯ll eat well, which is more than can be said for most towns across Nuvaria.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the welcome,¡± said Julie sweetly and Jack hurriedly repeated after her. ¡°You aren¡¯t hiring, are you?¡± she added.


    ¡°Hiring?¡± asked Jamison with a raised eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯re looking for work? Well, I hadn¡¯t thought much about it, but I can always put out some feelers and see if there¡¯s anything going.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll work hard,¡± said Arc, giving the twins a subtle wink. ¡°You can give my name as assurance of that, Jamison.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been straight with me, bud, so I¡¯ll take that as gospel,¡± said Jamison with a curt nod. ¡°I presume you¡¯re here on business and it isn¡¯t just a social call.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Arc, pulling out his spellcaster, flicking out the barrel and spinning it around. ¡°I¡¯m in need of some more rounds if you¡¯ve got any left.¡±


    Jamison walked over to the door and latched it before turning back to Arc. ¡°Alright, come with me. I¡¯ve got a few and you can take you pick if you¡¯ve got the coin for it.¡±


    The trio followed Jamison behind the counter and into a back room where he kept all sorts of tools and weaponry that couldn¡¯t be seen from the shop floor. He had everything from rocket launchers to a bionic arm. Julie wasn¡¯t sure if the arm was meant to be worn like a long glove or if it was a cybernetic limb to replace a lost one, but it intrigued her greatly.


    Sitting in the corner was a large greenish-grey shell that looked as though it would have fit neatly in the barrel of a tank that made Jack wrinkle his nose. He felt another pang of guilt about what had happened to Minator because of his carelessness, but he tried to focus on what Arc had said about all of the circumstances leading up to finding the tank in the first place. It didn¡¯t help much, but just enough until he was distracted by Jamison reaching underneath a desk and pulling out a battered leather suitcase.


    He blew the dust off of it and entered the lock combination before flicking the lid open and revealing the contents. Inside, there were two rolled-up pieces of parchment along with ten spellcaster rounds in various colours¡ªred, white, and purple¡ªwith six of the seven red cartridges being identical.


    Arc picked one up and looked at the rune inscribed on the side. ¡°My favourite,¡± he said, signalling to the twins that this one was an Arcane Shot. ¡°I¡¯ll take all six of those plus that other red one in there.¡±


    ¡°Pricey, no? If you didn¡¯t kill Colt then you don¡¯t have his bounty money.¡±


    Arc held up a small pouch and jingled it. ¡°I took a little detour on the way back. It was very much worth my while.¡±


    ¡°Heh,¡± grunted Jamison with a smirk. ¡°Fair enough, my friend. It¡¯ll be sixty ounces of silver per Arcane Shot cartridge with the Fireball cartridge at two hundred ounces, but I¡¯ll do the whole lot for four hundred and fifty seeing as I know you¡¯ll be back for the others before too long.¡±


    ¡°Four hundred and fifty is the discount?¡± exclaimed Arc. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°Well, it seems as though a certain bandit has been buying up what my supplier had in stock so prices are on the rise. Maybe Colt the Scourge knows you¡¯re coming back for him.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± grumbled Arc, opening his pouch and dumping eight small gold coins on the table along with fifty ounces of silver. ¡°But you¡¯ll throw in two dozen revolver rounds too and relieve me of a few of shotgun shells I scavenged.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± said Jamison, collecting the gold and the shotgun shells Arc placed beside them.


    The spellslinger lifted the seven red bullets and put them in his jacket pocket, zipping it up so they wouldn¡¯t fall out. He felt as though he had been robbed, but he knew that Jamison wouldn¡¯t overcharge him unless the supply of spell cartridges was tightening. It just meant that Arc would have to resist the urge to use his Arcane Shots unless it was absolutely necessary.


    The four returned to the shop floor and Jamison handed Arc the revolver rounds he promised before unlatching the door. He bid them farewell and told Jack and Julie to check in with him in a couple of days to see if he had found them any work. After thanking him, the siblings followed Arc outside.


    ¡°Four hundred and fifty ounces of silver,¡± said Arc, still sore about how much he had to spend. ¡°Well, that leaves less for the pair of you.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Jack.


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    Arc held out a hand containing sixteen pieces of silver ¡°I¡¯d give you more, but it¡¯s all I can afford now that my wallet has been nuked. It¡¯ll be enough to keep a roof over your heads and buy some food until you¡¯ve got some sort of income.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t take your silver,¡± said Julie, shaking her head and her hands. ¡°You earned it. If anything, we just got in the way in Purdue.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and take it,¡± said Arc, grabbing her hand, putting the coins in it and closing her fist. ¡°I¡¯ll not see you two starving, alright?¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said Jack, holding out his hand for Arc to shake. ¡°I mean it.¡±


    ¡°I know you do,¡± said Arc, shaking the young man¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯ll check in on you tomorrow, alright? I¡¯m going to go and speak to a few contacts I have and see if they can sniff out where Colt¡¯s hanging his hat right now.¡±


    ¡°You know where we¡¯ll be,¡± said Jack.


    ¡°Take it east, kids.¡±


    And with that, Arc the Hawk walked along the street and away from Jack and Julie, both of whom were at a loss on how to fill their time while waiting for Jamison to get back to them. Arc knew they¡¯d have the sense to realise they needed to take their own initiative before the day was over, so he wasn¡¯t particularly worried about them. For now, he had to find the man in the bowler hat that he knew could point him where he needed to go.


    Arc headed into a small side street and squeezed past a rust-eaten dumpster that hadn¡¯t been picked up in decades. Not wanting anything to go to waste, it had been repurposed as a bed for one of the local urchins whose bedroll was sitting at the bottom. So filthy was the torn cover that nobody would have thought twice about stealing it.


    Not far past the dumpster sat a red door that had long since lost its sheen and left many a glimpse of steel visible beneath its chipped paint. Arc gave it a knock and a small hatch opened up, revealing a pair of brown eyes behind it.


    ¡°Afternoon, Jeremy,¡± said Arc pleasantly. ¡°I¡¯m looking for Kenny, is he in?¡±


    ¡°Thought you were dead,¡± mumbled Jeremy through the door.


    ¡°A premature notion spread around by a few not-so-intelligent individuals. I¡¯m alive and kicking.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡±


    Jeremy slid the hatched closed and then unlocked the door, pulling it open to reveal a set of wooden stairs leading into a basement. The burly Jeremy stood blocking the way and held up a finger of warning.


    ¡°There¡¯s any punching this time, I¡¯ve got permission to intervene, Arc,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping this will be a civil conversation,¡± said Arc, patting the guard on the shoulder. ¡°But, just in case, I¡¯d appreciate it if you found yourself just out of earshot.¡±


    The spellslinger reached into his coin pouch and passed five silver pieces that he¡¯d rather not part with over to the burly man, who accepted them and took in a deep breath.


    ¡°My ears are feeling a bit congested,¡± he said, stepping aside. ¡°Must be coming down with a cold.¡±


    ¡°Better to take it easy then,¡± said Arc, walking down into the basement.


    The air was thick, having almost no ventilation, but the owner liked the stifling heat. His kind were used to making burrows underground and, if he wanted to keep his business going, he had to make do with what most would consider an unpleasant basement. It suited him just fine.


    Arc walked up to another door¡ªthis one wooden¡ªand rapped his knuckled against it. ¡°Oh, Kenny!¡± he called in a singsong voice.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± muttered a squeaky voice from behind the door before speaking up. ¡°The door is open, Hawk!¡±


    Arc flung the door open and sauntered into Kenny¡¯s office with a big smile on his face. It was a dreary little chamber of concrete with a rickety wooden desk and a few crates that were used in place of drawers and filing cabinets. Hung on the wall was a map of Nuvaria with at least fifty pins stuck in it, all colour-coded in ways that Arc didn¡¯t understand, but he didn¡¯t care enough to ask about.


    The man he sought, Kenneth Wormwood, sat on a stool with his tiny arms folded and his legs dangling over the edge of the stool, unable to touch the ground. He was balding with his tufty red hair sticking out to the side and his neat goatee curling into a hook at the bottom. The look on his face was one of forced contentedness as he loathed when Arc showed up on his doorstep.


    ¡°How is my favourite gnome?¡± asked Arc, folding his arms.


    Kenny grimaced. ¡°I heard that you¡ª¡±


    ¡°Yes, that I was dead. Many people are saying this, but I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°Of course, you do,¡± said Kenny, rolling his eyes. ¡°Colt has a mouth on him and is known for being presumptuous.¡±


    Arc raised his eyebrows. ¡°Colt, eh? Seeing as you brought him up¡ª¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Kenny bluntly.


    ¡°Can you just point¡ª¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°My jaw has barely healed since your last visit, Arc. You think I¡¯d help you after you beat information out of me?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have tried to poison my drink and then stab me in the leg,¡± shrugged Arc. ¡°I¡¯d rather you just talked, but you forced my hand, Kenny.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you knew about the poison? I thought it was strange for you to turn down a whiskey. I suppose we¡¯re even then.¡±


    ¡°Even?¡± asked Arc with a guttural laugh. ¡°Not even close, pipsqueak. You made two attempts to kill me and got away with a bloody nose and a few bruises. You owe me information about Colt and I¡¯ll settle for nothing less.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to tell you? Which of his hideouts he¡¯s holed up in?¡±


    ¡°That would be a start.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t know where he is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the truth, Arc,¡± said Kenny, hopping off his stool and walking over to the map on the wall.


    Standing upright, the information broker was barely three feet tall. He pulled out a collapsable pointer from his pocket and extended it, raising it up to point at various spots on the map.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll see here, there are seven facilities to the north that Colt has ownership of. Each of those has, on average, twenty of his lackeys manning it. Colt himself passed through Pembroke to get medical treatment before vanishing; as he¡¯s known to do.¡±


    ¡°Seven facilities, eh?¡± asked Arc, drawing a circle with his finger around each of the points Kenny had pointed to before stopping at the westernmost one. ¡°This one looks to be a little removed from the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simply an outpost,¡± said Kenny, collapsing his pointed and shoving it back in his pocket. ¡°It¡¯s to keep Darcy¡¯s men away from Colt¡¯s territory.¡±


    ¡°What does it look like?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen it, but old photographs suggest that it was once a broadcasting station.¡±


    ¡°Broadcasting station?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡±


    ¡°Is it functional? Can the men radio back to Colt if they wanted to?¡±


    ¡°How in the hells would I know that, Arc?¡± snapped Kenny. ¡°You think I¡¯m best buddies with these freaks? That we trade housing tips over a hog roast in the evenings?¡±


    ¡°Well, perhaps you can tell me how many men I should be expecting,¡± said Arc, trying not to laugh as Kenny grew so red in the face that he almost matched his hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s a small place, so I would wager no more than a dozen. I can¡¯t be certain.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said Arc, turning towards the door. ¡°Look at that, Kenny, we had a pleasant conversation and I didn¡¯t have to throw any fists today. Our friendship is healing.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± said Kenny through gritted teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t go getting yourself blown up anymore Arc. That would be a real¡­shame.¡±


    ¡°And deprive you of another jolly visit? I wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡±


    Arc departed from the office and walked back up the stairs. He was tempted to ask for his five silver back from Jeremy, but he thought keeping in good stead with Kenny¡¯s bodyguard would serve him well in the future should the gnome cause him grief. Instead, he simply bid Jeremy farewell and headed back into the streets of Pembroke.


    If he couldn¡¯t find out where Colt was, he would be sure to cause the bandit as much misery as he could in the hope of drawing him out. Now armed with more revolver rounds and a healthier supply of spell cartridges, Arc was certain that he could either convince one of Colt¡¯s men to give up his location. Failing that, he had the exact thing he needed to make a scene big enough to draw Colt¡¯s attention.


    Arc looked at the holstered Golden Hawk and started laughing quietly to himself at the thought of putting his plan into motion. That plan, involved a new spell cartridge he had been looking forward to using from the moment he laid eyes on it.

 Chapter 12 - What Now?

    Jack and Julie watched as Arc disappeared down the street, already feeling at a loss without him watching out for them. They only known him not much longer than a week and now they found themselves without purpose in Pembroke.


    ¡°What do we do now, Jack?¡± asked Julie, breaking the sad silence.


    ¡°Get the lay of the land?¡± replied her brother.


    ¡°That¡¯ll have to do,¡± said Julie meekly, still watching the spot where Arc had vanished from sight.


    ¡°Cheer up,¡± said Jack, putting his arm around his sister¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve got a whole town brimming with potential before us. Once Jamison finds us work, we¡¯ll be laughing about everything that¡¯s happened since we left Fallbrook.¡±


    Julie poked Jack in the chest sharply. ¡°You are not to cause trouble this time, do you hear me? No stealing no matter how desperate we get.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Jack, wanting to say much more but keeping silent.


    He had neglected to tell Julie the full details of why they had been kicked out of Fallbrook and he knew it would crush her if he ever repeated the words he had heard spoken about her. He had attempted to steal a gun for her protection, but got caught in the process. That tale was one of those things better left untold and the pair could build their lives anew here in Pembroke without Julie realising how much danger she had been in back in Fallbrook.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Julie asked, looking down the street.


    ¡°Go for it,¡± replied Jack.


    The two walked along the street, letting their eyes run from building to building while their brains worked out what each of them were for. As best as they could tell, most of them were houses, but at least a dozen of them were shops. The lack of signs outside didn¡¯t give it away, but the stalls and goods often did.


    ¡°Fresh melon?¡± asked a man, twirling one around in his hands. ¡°Only place you¡¯ll be able to get melon for fifty miles, guaranteed.¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°You two looked parched,¡± said a man with a missing eye. ¡°Got a lovely bottle of moonshine with your name on it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re thirteen,¡± said Jack, shooing him away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think moonshine would quench thirst,¡± remarked Julie.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he cared much about that,¡± said Jack, looking over his shoulder. ¡°Maybe we ought to spend the money Arc gave us on a gun. Just in case somebody tries something underhanded and we need to fight.¡±


    ¡°And what are we going to eat?¡±


    ¡°The bodies of our enemies,¡± said Jack with a devious smile.


    ¡°Nasty!¡± cried Julie, thumping him on the arm as he chortled away.


    ¡°I was joking, Jule. About the cannibalism, at least. Having a gun would be a good idea, no?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how to use guns.¡±


    ¡°Not true. Dad showed me once before, but¡­well, I¡¯m a bit rusty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, what¡¯s that,¡± said Julie walking over to a shop that had salted meats in a window display. ¡°These would keep, wouldn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but how are we supposed to cook them?¡±


    ¡°With fire, of course,¡± came a boy¡¯s voice from behind them.


    They turned to see a young man with black hair and a white smile beaming at them. He walked over to the window and leaned against it, holding out his hand to Julie.


    ¡°Name¡¯s Quentin,¡± he said. ¡°And you?¡±


    Julie was taken aback by his forwardness. ¡°Julie,¡± she said, slowly shaking his hand.


    ¡°And what about your boyfriend?¡± asked Quentin, nodding to Jack without taking his eyes off of Julie.


    ¡°Boyfriend?¡± asked Jack, the disgust in his voice palpable. ¡°I¡¯m her brother.¡±


    ¡°And his name¡¯s Jack,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°Ah, twins? You clearly got the good looks in the family, Julie.¡±


    ¡°Tell us what you want or beat it,¡± said Jack scornfully. ¡°We¡¯re busy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you react to someone introducing himself?¡± asked Quentin with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Not got great manners, do you, Jack?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s sorry,¡± said Julie, scowling at her brother, who rolled his eyes. ¡°What he meant to ask was how come you¡¯re introducing yourself to us?¡±


    ¡°Just being friendly,¡± shrugged Quentin. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen either of your faces before and thought I¡¯d say hello. Simple as that.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± mumbled Julie, blushing. ¡°Hello, Quentin.¡±


    ¡°Hello, Julie,¡± said Quentin with a wink.


    ¡°Yes, very good,¡± said Jack. ¡°Hello. Now let¡¯s move along, Jule. We¡¯ve got¡­stuff to do.¡±


    ¡°Where are you heading?¡± asked Quentin. ¡°Perhaps I can show you the way.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anywhere to be,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°How about we take a look around a few of the stalls in the town square? There¡¯s always a good spread out on Saturdays.¡±


    ¡°We can go with him, right, Jack?¡±


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    ¡°Sure,¡± said Jack through gritted teeth.


    He didn¡¯t like the look of this Quentin fellow. He had a handsome face and a slick approach that no doubt drew attracted the girls, but there was something about his beady eyes that didn¡¯t reminded Jack of a trickster. He would have to keep a close eye on him.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Quentin asked, holding out a hand.


    ¡°There¡¯ll be none of that,¡± said Jack, pulling Julie¡¯s hand back as she moved to take Quentin¡¯s.


    ¡°What is you probl¡ª¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s alright,¡± said Quentin. ¡°Can¡¯t fault a brother for being protective. I would be the same with my sister, if I had one. We¡¯re all good, right Jack?¡±


    ¡°All good,¡± said Jack coldly.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Quentin, leading the way along the street.


    He guided the twins a few streets away, deflecting the peddlers effortlessly. In no time at all, the trio rounded a corner and were in the town square. It reminded Jack and Julie of Purdue, except for a much smaller town hall, no statue and it was smaller. Jack wondered if it truly was smaller or it just felt that way because there was barely space to move between the stands, stalls and nearly two hundred people roaming around.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± said Julie breathlessly. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Arc didn¡¯t show us this before he left.¡±


    ¡°He probably wanted us to start looking for a job rather than spending the little money he left us with,¡± remarked Jack.


    ¡°Arc? Arc the Hawk?¡± asked Quentin. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was a friend of yours.¡±


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°Nah, but he¡¯s a legend around here. Strolls into town every now and again, picks up a bag of silver and gold for killing a scumbag or monster and goes on his way again. He¡¯s not someone you want to make an enemy of. Word is that he killed a lich a few years back.¡±


    ¡°A lich?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± said Quentin, raising his eyebrows. ¡°Some sort of skeleton wizard. I heard they were notorious back before the Arcanaclysm, but there aren¡¯t many of them left. Maybe they¡¯re waiting until the world is populous enough again to have skeletons to raise from the dead to serve them.¡±


    ¡°Eugh,¡± said Julie, wrinkling her nose. ¡°I¡¯d rather not think about that.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± said Quentin, walking into the crowd.


    As Julie followed him, all Jack could think about was how he didn¡¯t realise how lucky they¡¯d been to find Arc out by the car wreck. If it had been anybody else, they wouldn¡¯t have bothered helping get him and his sister to somewhere safe. They certainly wouldn¡¯t have been charitable enough to leave them with some money to keep them fed. He wished he¡¯d taken the time to ask Arc a few more questions about his life and maybe even learned a few tricks from him.


    Jack looked over his shoulder, hoping to see the spellslinger leaning against the wall behind him. Maybe he¡¯d ask the twins to come along on one of his adventures. Jack was self-aware enough to know that he would have questioned Arc endlessly about the dangers, but it wouldn¡¯t have taken much to push him into agreeing to come. With a sigh, he walked into the crowd to look for Julie and Quentin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how it got there!¡± cried Julie with a trembling voice. ¡°I swear!¡±


    ¡°Liar!¡± called a gruff voice.


    Jack was suddenly knocked aside by a sprinting Quentin.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said with a look of panic as he continued his flight.


    Jack had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach and pushed his way through the crowd to where Julie was still protesting her innocence about whatever it was that had happened. He found her standing by a fruit stall while a bald man with a stringy beard held her by the arm.


    ¡°Julie, are you alright?¡± asked Jack, trying to pull her free from the man¡¯s grip, but he was too weak. ¡°Let go of her!¡±


    ¡°You a rotten thief too?¡± asked the man, holding up an apple in his other hand. ¡°This was on my stall moments ago. Somehow, it disappeared and this girl had a round lump in her pocket.¡±


    ¡°Quentin,¡± spat Jack. ¡°Wait here.¡±


    ¡°Jack!¡± called Julie as her brother rushed off through the crowd.


    The young man ran as hard as he could, heading the direction he had seen Quentin fleeing, but there was no sign of him in the crowd. He must have headed back into the quieter streets to create some distance, the rotten vulture. Jack pushed his way free and sprinted back the way Quentin had led him and Julie until he saw the older boy scurrying into an alleyway. He said nothing as he chased Quentin, not wanting him to know that he was being followed.


    Jack rounded the corner and saw Quentin slow to  a walk, but Jack kept up his pace and raised his arm back. He threw a punch at the back of Quentin¡¯s head, sending the young man flying forward.


    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± muttered Quentin, standing up and turning around, only for Jack¡¯s other fist to smack him across the cheek.


    ¡°Thought you¡¯d use my sister as a mule, did you?¡± asked Jack, grabbing Quentin by the shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach. ¡°Two new folks in town won¡¯t be missed if they¡¯re caught and kicked out the day they arrive, is that right?¡±


    Quentin shoved Jack away and then followed up with a kick to Jack¡¯s leg, bringing him to his knees. As Quentin raised his foot to kick again, Jack grabbed him and threw him back, knocking him back onto the ground. Jack immediately dove on top of him and started punching him as many times as he could and as hard as he could. He may not have been as big as Quentin, but he had been in enough scraps to know how to handle himself.


    ¡°Get off!¡± yelled Quentin, grabbing a loose brick from the ground.


    As he moved to swing it against Jack¡¯s head, Jack bit Quentin¡¯s arm, making him drop the brick. He threw another hard punch at Quentin¡¯s face. With a crack and a splattering of blood, Quentin¡¯s nose broke and he screeched in pain.


    Jack stood up and backed away. ¡°You¡¯re going to make this right,¡± he said.


    ¡°Make me,¡± said Quentin sitting up and spitting blood onto the floor.


    ¡°Suit yourself,¡± said Jack, grabbing Quentin by the legs and dragging him along.


    He kicked and struggled, but he was too tired and battered to put up much of a fight. Before the pair had even left the alleyway, he swore he would confess.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± said Jack, grabbing Quentin by the back of his jacket and marching him along. ¡°And before we parts ways, you¡¯re going to apologise to Julie and swear you¡¯ll stay away from the both of us. Understood?¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± grunted Quentin, spitting another mouthful of blood out.


    ¡°I hope I¡¯ve made it clear to you that nobody so much as looks at my sister in a way I don¡¯t like and gets away with it.¡±


    Ignoring the staring faces in the crowd, Jack pushed Quentin on through and towards the stall owner, who was now talking more calmly to Julie.


    ¡°The second you said his name,¡± said the stall owner, ¡°I knew what had happened. This isn¡¯t the first time he¡¯s pulled a stunt like this. Ain¡¯t that right, Quentin?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Brendan,¡± said Quentin. He started tonguing his teeth to see if any of them were broken. He could have sworn a couple felt looser than they had ten minutes ago.


    ¡°What happened?¡± asked Julie, her face turning white as she looked Quentin up and down.


    ¡°He¡¯s got something to say,¡± said Jack, shoving Quentin forward.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m very sorry,¡± said Quentin, avoiding eye contact with her. ¡°It was wrong of me to take advantage of newcomers.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°It was wrong of me to¡­to steal. Neither of you will ever hear from me again. If we cross paths in the street, I¡¯ll¡­I¡¯ll just keep moving.¡±


    ¡°Roughed you up good, didn¡¯t he?¡± chuckled Brendan. ¡°Got what you deserved though, boy. I have to say.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Julie,¡± said Jack, turning to leave.


    ¡°Sorry again, Brendan,¡± said Julie sincerely.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, lassie,¡± said Brendan before turning to Quentin. ¡°You on the other hand¡­¡±


    Jack and Julie didn¡¯t hear the rest of the conversation as they walked back through the crowd and onto the street leading them away from the town square.


    ¡°What did you do to him?¡± asked Julie breathlessly.


    ¡°What needed to be done,¡± said Jack.


    ¡°I was able to talk things through with Brendan calmly.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. He needed to be taught a lesson.¡±


    ¡°Maybe¡­¡±


    ¡°Jule,¡± said Jack, looking her in the eyes. ¡°I need you to trust me, alright? I knew there was something off about Quentin from the start. If you can¡¯t trust me, then what am I doing here?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie, apologetically. ¡°Yes, you were right. I need to trust you.¡±


    Julie wasn¡¯t sure what else to say. On the one hand, she was grateful that Jack was looking out for her. On the other hand, if he had beaten someone to a pulp on their second day in Pembroke, how long would it be before he got himself into more trouble?


    Jack, however, wasn¡¯t concerned. He kept on walking with a defiant look of assurance on his face, backed up by his belief that he had done the right thing. Julie was all that remained of his family and he would be damned if anybody put a single toe out of line when he was watching over her.

 Fragment 2 - Unclaimed

    Arc lay against the wall as his four crewmates groaned, having been knocked down by the lich, Shutan the Ruined. They had expected this battle to go much smoother, but the lich had proven to be tremendously alert even after decades of slumber in his now-open sarcophagus.


    The heat was stifling in the underground chamber and Arc had one bullet left to his name. He feared it wouldn¡¯t be enough, but he had to try something. Shutan must have memorised as many spells as Arc and his crew had spell cartridges, finding ways to counter their efforts at every turn.


    The lich raised his skeletal hands, his long robes of purple and gold flowing behind him, and its red eyes fixed on Arc as he raised his arm. The spellslinger pressed the trigger and an intense bolt of lightning materialised from his gun, flashing and crackling as it struck the lich, interrupting his spell and blowing the terrifying undead lord into a thousand tiny fragments of bone that rained down throughout the stone room.


    ¡°Thank Anateer,¡± sighed Arc, dropping his gun and letting his head fall back against the stone.


    ¡°Is he dead?¡± asked Valen, forcing himself up onto his elbows. His clothes had been half-burned away, but his body armour underneath had kept most of his body safe from the searing flames of the lich.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± said Jono, standing up and stumbling over to Shutan¡¯s sarcophagus.


    The wiry man leaned against the edge of the sarcophagus as he shakily reached inside and pulled out a gold amulet housing a collection of emeralds that formed a skull-shaped pattern. He threw it over to Marcus, the burliest of the group.


    ¡°Crush that for us, would you?¡± he asked, sliding back onto the ground.


    Marcus grumbled and groaned as he brought himself onto his knees. He moved the amulet onto the ground in front of him and grabbed a hammer tied to his belt. He raised it high and slammed it down, shattering most of the crystals and releasing a wispy white vapour. Not content, Marcus raised his hammer again and continually beat the phylactery until he was assured that not a single trace of Shutan the Ruined¡¯s soul remained bound to the mortal world.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± he said, lying back down on the ground and rolling onto his back. ¡°Let me sleep for a few years, will ya?¡±


    ¡°What if there are more of his minions lurking in the rooms we missed?¡± asked Evie, climbing to her feet and sweeping her wavy red hair over her shoulder.


    ¡°Just let them kill us,¡± said Valen, waving a hand through the air. ¡°I¡¯ve lost the will to fight.¡±


    Arc stood up too and walked over to Valen, reaching a hand out to his best friend. ¡°Up and at ¡®em, fearless leader,¡± he said.


    ¡°I hope that isn¡¯t sarcasm, chum,¡± said Valen, taking Arc¡¯s hand and letting his friend pull him onto his feet.


    ¡°You got us here alive, didn¡¯t you?¡± said Arc, slapping Valen on the shoulder and making him wince in pain.


    ¡°Firstly, don¡¯t do that again,¡± said Valen with a grimace that slowly turned into a smile. ¡°Secondly, I did, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d put that more down to Master Dusk¡¯s spell bullets,¡± said Jono, grabbing onto the edge of the sarcophagus and forcing himself to join three of his standing friends.


    ¡°Come on, Marcus,¡± said Arc, walking over to the leather-clad brute with the shaved head. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to sleep under the stars?¡±


    ¡°Ever the diplomat, Arc,¡± said Marcus, not bothering to take Arc¡¯s outstretched hand. Rather, he stood up on his own and dusted himself off. ¡°Not too much worse for the wear, are we?¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± said Jono, looking at the acid burn on his right arm.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky it was just a splash,¡± said Valen, looking down at the state of himself. ¡°Am I supposed to spend a week walking home half-naked? That won¡¯t do at all, I¡¯ll be laughed at if we happen upon travellers or merchants on the road.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got plenty of clothes back home, my friend,¡± said Arc while trying to hold back laughter.


    ¡°I¡¯m lucky he didn¡¯t burn my hair to cinders,¡± said Valen, sweeping his black hair back.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fancy trying the shaved head look?¡± asked Evie, kinking her head in Marcus¡¯s direction.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°Some can pull it off, others can¡¯t,¡± said Valen before making a finger gun at Marcus. ¡°Works for you though, bud. The ladies love it, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Reckon I could pull it off?¡± Arc asked Evie, who gave him a side-smile.


    ¡°Lovely Evangeline would be better shaving her head than you, golden boy,¡± said Valen before clasping his hands together. ¡°What¡¯s more important than the sorry state we¡¯ve been left in is that we made it through the battle and now the spoils of wars are ours.¡±


    ¡°The lockbox,¡± said Jono springing to the most alert he had been since before the battle with the lich.


    He looked around, pushing his floppy brown hair away from his face and spied the ornate black metal chest, no larger than a cubic foot in size, sitting in an alcove in the corner, perfectly preserved by whatever enchantment was placed upon it and with its twistedly ornate key in the keyhole. And Jono was certain that it was enchanted, it would be foolish for Shutan to leave something as valuable as the chest unprotected.


    ¡°What have we got in here then?¡± asked Valen, hurrying over to it.


    ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± called Jono, but it was too late; he heard the click of the lock. The wiry young man dove for cover behind the sarcophagus.


    ¡°What are you doing, Jono?¡± asked Marcus with a hearty guffaw. ¡°Get back out here, you buffoon.¡±


    ¡°Never open a lich¡¯s chest without checking for traps!¡± cried Jono, breathing a sigh of a relief as he stood up.


    ¡°Whoops,¡± shrugged Valen, turning around with the opened chest in his hands. ¡°It looks like we have indeed got the spoils lady and gentlemen.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± sighed Evie, smiling and putting her hands on her hips. ¡°I would hate to think all this effort and all of these spell cartridges were lost for nothing.¡±


    ¡°And these injuries,¡± added Arc, walking past Evie and over to Valen.


    ¡°I thought that was a given,¡± giggled Evie, following Arc to the corner of the room. ¡°So, what sort of spells can Master Dusk add to his spellbook this time?¡±


    Valen shoved the box into Arc¡¯s arms and started unfurling the scrolls one by one and examining each of them in turn.


    ¡°It would be nice if it was written in a language I could understand,¡± said Valen with a frown. ¡°I need the master to each me a few different scripts.¡±


    ¡°That one¡¯s Vampiric Drain,¡± said Jono, looking over Valen¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡± asked Marcus, grabbing Jono¡¯s head and digging his knuckles into it.


    ¡°Stop that,¡± said Jono, elbowing Marcus in the ribs. ¡°Master Dusk showed me a few necromancy spells to be on the look out for. He said to be extra careful around those who handle necromancy spells, the same way we¡¯re careful not to use black spell cartridges.¡±


    ¡°An undead necromancer keeping a few necromantic scrolls around, eh?¡± chuckled Arc, making Valen laugh.


    ¡°Are we going to take the bunch?¡± asked Evie, putting a finger to her chin.


    ¡°Might as well,¡± said Valen. ¡°We¡¯ll let Master Dusk decide what he wants to do with them. I¡¯m sure there are more than a few of these that he¡¯s already transcribed to his spellbook.¡±


    ¡°And the ones he already has can be turned into cartridges without having to rely on him memorising,¡± added Jono, nodding with a furrowed brow. ¡°Sounds like a good plan.¡±


    Valen closed the box, took it back from Arc and put it under his arm. ¡°Not a bad haul today, team. Let¡¯s savour it until we get home because I¡¯ve no doubt the master will send us out on another scavenging mission after a single day of rest.¡±


    ¡°Not like we¡¯ve got much else to do,¡± said Marcus.


    ¡°It would be nice to do something with our spellcasters beyond finding more spells for him,¡± said Valen.


    Arc shook his head. ¡°Nah, you¡¯ve got it all wrong, Vale. Think about how many skeletons sent back to the grave making our way three floors deep in this musty old crypt. We put a lich out of his misery too, making the world just a tiny bit safer.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t forget the goblins, kobolds and gnolls we killed coming through the mountains,¡± added Evie with a wink to Arc.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± said Valen with a roll of his eyes. ¡°We¡¯re regular old saints, aren¡¯t we? Come on, let¡¯s get ourselves back to the surface so I can breathe some fresh air again.¡±


    Valen walked towards the doorway leading back into the dark corridor they had entered through. Jono and Marcus followed, dragging their heels, so exhausted they were. Arc and Evie remained behind, looking around the room just in case they had missed anything that may have been worth something.


    ¡°Do you think Valen¡¯s right and I could pull off a shaved head?¡± asked Evie from behind the sarcophagus. She stood up and ran her hands through her thick hair.


    ¡°You would look beautiful with or without it,¡± said Arc, receiving a raised eyebrow in response. ¡°No, don¡¯t shave it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± grinned Evie, her smile and blue eyes twinkling even in the dim light cast by the flickering torches. ¡°I¡¯d prefer you not shave yours either, hun.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it. I can¡¯t be the golden boy without a golden head to top it off, can I?¡±


    ¡°Very true,¡± said Evie, hopping on top of the sarcophagus and scanning the room from up high. ¡°I think we¡¯re in the clear.¡±


    She smiled sneakily at Arc and then leapt from the sarcophagus, but he could sense something like this coming. He braced himself and caught her in his arms.


    ¡°My hero,¡± said Evie exaggeratedly, throwing her arms around his neck.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget who turned the lich into bone dust,¡± said Arc proudly.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± said Evie, pulling Arc¡¯s head down and kissing him deeply for a few seconds. ¡°Shall we catch up?¡±


    ¡°Sure. The last thing we want is to get ambushed when we¡¯re separated from the others.¡±


    ¡°And without spell cartridges,¡± said Evie, swinging her long legs back onto the ground. ¡°An old revolver and a hunting knife won¡¯t really cut it against skeletons.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can stock up on the way back.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we have time to stop off at a town or will the others want to keep on walking until we get back to base.¡±


    ¡°I doubt Valen will pass up a chance to find some wine and I bet Marcus has images of bacon flashing before his eyes right now.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± said Evie, linking arms with Arc. ¡°Come on, golden boy.¡±


    Arc and Evie walked back into the corridors to try and catch up with the others. While Evie was relaxed now, Arc kept one hand on his spellcaster, knowing that their safety was never guaranteed.

 Chapter 13 - The Spiders Web

    Arc pressed the trigger three times, emptying the cylinder, and putting three revolver rounds straight through backs of the throats of the three kobolds who thought they could escape him. They collapsed in succession, thudding a song their coyote-hide clad bodies hit the cracked soil.


    A small wisp of smoke streamed from the tip of Arc¡¯s gun before vanishing into the air. The spellslinger cautiously edged towards each of the dozen kobolds lying dead around him and gave them a kick. Not a single one of the scaly little reptile-men let out as much as a groan, assuring Arc that they were all dead.


    He''d been on the road for two days, making his way through the wasteland to one of Colt¡¯s outposts. He would have much preferred the road, especially as it was free of kobold caves that he would stumble across, but he wanted his arrival to be a nice surprise for the bandits.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see,¡± muttered Arc, rifling through his pouch for revolver ammo. He loaded six bullets into his gun, leaving another fifteen for an emergency. ¡°Not a great stock.¡±


    The previous day, he had been unfortunate enough to come across a lone gnoll when it was snagging an armadillo. It was clad in iron armour and it took three bullets to put the beast down. Today, it was the dozen kobolds that had wasted eighteen bullets. The worst of his injuries were but minor scrapes, so he assured himself that twenty-one bullets would be enough to deal with Colt¡¯s men. Frankly, he was hoping a single bullet would do all he needed.


    Arc took a swig of water from his canteen and then looked around to ensure that he was alone before loosening his orange scarf. He let out a sigh of relief as he felt a cool breeze graze his neck. Slowly, he raised two fingers and gently massaged two small, circular scars on the right of his neck, just above his clavicle. It was not painful, yet he winced and then immediately tightened his scarf once more.


    Taking a deep breath, he proceeded along the wiry grass, regularly checking his surroundings for more kobolds on the horizon or a slithering snake winding its way towards him. All was quiet as he ascended the hill, trying to see if the road was close by. The second his eyes were level with the peak, he dropped onto his chest and lay flat on the slope with the grass poking him in the arms and legs. He was here.


    Arc wriggled his way forwards and peeked over the hill at the long antenna he had seen. His eyes followed it downwards to a broken metal dish, beside which stood a man with a pair of binoculars around his neck and a rifle in his hands. The building itself was small, as Kenny had said it would be, with at least one door nestled within the faded red bricks.


    ¡°Two hundred and fifty?¡± Arc asked himself, trying to work out how far away the building was. ¡°Three hundred maximum?¡±


    He needed to get closer without the guard seeing him and there was no way his Arcane Shot could reach him from this distance. He knew this could very well be the case so he pulled out his spellcaster and clicked the cylinder back one notch before stashing it in his waistband and covering it with his t-shirt.


    ¡°I hope this gentleman isn¡¯t trigger happy,¡± the spellslinger said under his breath.


    Arc stood up and held his hands high in the sky while walking slowly down the hill and towards the broadcasting station. It didn¡¯t take long before the guard turned towards him and raised his rifle.


    ¡°Afternoon!¡± called Arc, flicking one of his hands as a wave. ¡°My name¡¯s John Welling and I¡¯ve come from Pembroke.¡±


    ¡°Pembroke?¡± asked the guard, keeping his rifle up as Arc approached. ¡°Who sent you and why are you here?¡±


    Arc stopped walked forward. ¡°Kenneth Wormwood. He asked me to deliver some intel to you about Darcy the Jackal.¡±


    ¡°Wormwood? The gnome?¡± asked the man, his curiosity piqued. ¡°What¡¯s he got to say about Darcy that he didn¡¯t send word directly to the boss?¡±


    ¡°Said he didn¡¯t know how to find Colt and that this outpost might be one of the places to best broadcast the message, seeing as it¡¯s a broadcasting station and all that.¡±


    ¡°You armed?¡± asked the guard.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Arc, nodding down to his waist. ¡°Got a revolver on me, about fifteen rounds left after a couple of scuffles on the way here and a hunting knife.¡±


    ¡°Drop them on the floor, John. Slowly.¡±


    Arc did as he was told and carefully retrieved his revolver and all of the rounds, dropping them onto the ground. As the bullets rolled on down the hill and he hoped he could find them later, he flicked his knife into the ground, where it wedged in the soil.


    ¡°Anything else?¡± asked the guard.


    Arc threw his bag onto the ground, took off his jacket and then turned around, deliberately not turning out the pockets to reveal a lone Arcane Shot cartridge. He then threw his jacket beside his revolver and took off each of his boots in turn, shaking them to show that there was nothing concealed inside before putting them back on. He prayed that the guard wouldn¡¯t ask him to lift his t-shirt or the spellcaster would be discovered and he¡¯d have to run in quickly to get in range.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± said the guard, relieving Arc.


    He kept his eyes on Arc as he walked towards the edge of the roof. He leaned down and tapped on the window beneath him before standing back up. The window opened seconds later.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    ¡°There a problem, Cryer?¡± came a voice.


    ¡°Got a messenger from Pembroke,¡± said Cryer. ¡°Says his name is John and has a message about Darcy. Take him in to speak to Benson.¡±


    ¡°He armed?¡±


    ¡°Nah, he¡¯s clean. He tossed his weapons and jacket aside. Even showed me his boots. If he¡¯s able to strangle us all to death before we put a hole in his head then I¡¯d say he¡¯s earned the territory.¡±


    In his mind, Arc was thanking Cryer for selling things so well. It would be a shame to kill the na?ve bandit later but all of Colt¡¯s men were guilty of atrocities; it was part of the initiation process. Not a single man would be leaving this station alive save for Arc himself.


    ¡°Head up to the door,¡± said Cryer.


    The bounty hunter did as he was told and walked along. He glanced up at Cryer a couple of times as he approached, hoping he would look away for a second. Luckily, he returned to his watch when Arc came within a dozen yards of the door. He quickly grabbed his spellcaster and threw it onto the ground a few feet to the side of the door. As he raised his hand to knock, there was a click and the door opened before him.


    ¡°Message from Pembroke, eh?¡± asked the man who answered.


    He was a tall man with a shaved head wearing green military slacks and a red beret on his head. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, but the half-smile on his face told Arc that this fellow was a cocky bastard.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Arc with a nod. ¡°Are you Benson?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± said Benson. ¡°Going to need to search you before I let you inside, envoy.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± said Arc, holding up his hands once again.


    Benson patted him down, checking inside Arc all over. He left no stone unturned, even checking underneath Arc¡¯s scarf, much to the spellslinger¡¯s chagrin, but he didn¡¯t mention the two scars that Arc hated so much. As he was being checked, Arc kept his eyes away from the golden gun that lay mere feet away and prayed that Benson was too focused on the search of person to bother caring about the surroundings.


    Once he was satisfied, Benson turned around and walked inside, taking no notice of the spellcaster. He beckoned Arc to follow him. Arc walked on, taking a small lunge to the side and scooping up his spellcaster before shoving it under behind his back and under his t-shirt, relieved that his bold plan was paying off.


    Inside, there were another four bandits playing cards at a round table in the corner and another two drinking shots of gin as they talked about something that was making them guffaw to each other. When they saw Benson walking past with Arc, they all focused their eyes on the stranger in their midst.


    ¡°Problem, fellas?¡± asked Benson, making the men return to their cards and drinking. ¡°Sorry if that made you uncomfortable, John. We¡¯re not used to having guests, at least not willing ones.¡±


    Scum. That was all that Arc could think right now, but he had to play it cool.


    Benson led Arc down a small hallway, past a couple of doors, and into an office at the far end. He sat behind a desk and gestured for Arc to take the seat facing him. The bounty hunter obliged and sat rigidly so as not to let his gun fall out from his trousers.


    ¡°So, John,¡± said Benson, clasping his hands together and giving another cocky half-smile. ¡°What¡¯s this message of yours that brings you all the way from Pembroke on foot? Must be real important.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Arc. ¡°Kenneth Wormwood has intel¡ª¡±


    ¡°Kenny the gnome?¡± asked Benson, letting out a cackle. ¡°That smarmy little bugger is providing us with intel now, is he?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the details of any arrangement he has with your boss. He simply paid me to deliver the message.¡±


    ¡°Naturally, naturally,¡± said Benson, leaning back in his chair and putting his feet on the table. ¡°Get talking, blondie.¡±


    ¡°He said that Darcy¡¯s looking to claim this outpost to encroach on Colt¡¯s territory.¡±


    Benson chortled and then clicked his tongue. ¡°Darcy doesn¡¯t have the manpower to spare if he wants to take this place.¡±


    ¡°Kenny says he doesn¡¯t need the manpower. He was able to scavenge an old tank that¡¯s still operational.¡±


    Benson took his feet off the desk and stood up, but said nothing.


    ¡°His men found it a few days south of here on a patrol and they were able to haul it back to one of the Jackals¡¯ bases. It could move and shoot, but the armour was pretty beat up so they reinforced it and now it¡¯s powerful enough to blow most of Pembroke to smithereens in half an hour.¡±


    ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± spat Benson. ¡°Makes sense why the gnome sent you here now, John. The last thing he would want is that tyrant running the show in Pembroke.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t say, but that would make sense,¡± said Arc, nodding along.


    Benson shook his head and muttered a few words under his breath. ¡°A tank, eh? Damn, it would be very sweet if we could claim that for ourselves. How did Kenny come across this intel?¡±


    ¡°He keeps it close to his chest,¡± said Arc. He looked over his shoulder and lowering his voice. ¡°But I reckon he wants to cut some sort of deal with your boss for a few special privileges when Colt inevitably takes over Pembroke.¡±


    ¡°That blasted gnome has always got another motive,¡± sneered Benson and taking off his sunglasses, revealing one blue and one grey eye. ¡°Scummy little creatures they are. Can¡¯t trust them as far as I can throw them but, that said, he¡¯s done us a good turn here. Just need to let the boss know¡­¡±


    This is what Arc had been waiting for. He needed to play it cool and make the offer when Benson was most susceptible.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± said Benson, looking at the grimy window behind him. ¡°Or, this could be the opportunity I¡¯ve been looking for.¡±


    Or? Arc didn¡¯t like the sound of that and he liked the look in Benson¡¯s eyes even less. ¡°I¡¯m happy to relay the message to Colt for you, Benson,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright, that works,¡± said the bandit with a shrug and then heading for the door. ¡°Follow me.¡±


    Arc felt a wave of relief as he stood up, adjusted the Golden Hawk underneath his t-shirt and followed Benson. Back into the hall. Rather than heading back into the room where many of his men were enjoying some downtime, he opened up the first door on the left and walked on in with Arc following closely.


    The second Arc stepped inside, he felt the press of cold metal on his left temple. The room Benson had led him had iron bars going from left to right, halfway into the room, with a single open door. The three windows were all barred from the inside and there was no way of escape.


    ¡°Sorry about this, John,¡± said Benson, putting his hand on Arc¡¯s back and marching him into the cell. ¡°Can¡¯t have you alerting the boss when you¡¯ve told me about the very thing that could let me take his throne, can I?¡±


    ¡°Benson,¡± said Arc as the bandit leader closed the door while keeping his eyes and pistol pointed at Arc. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where Colt is.¡±


    ¡°That makes two of us, doesn¡¯t it?¡± said Colt with a sly grin. ¡°He¡¯s gone quiet since he left Pembroke last week. Me and the boys have been left high and dry and I don¡¯t take too kindly to that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll not say a word,¡± said Arc, fighting the urge to go for his spellcaster too early. Talking his way out of this would give him the best chance of survival.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t trust you on that, John. Like I said, I¡¯m sorry about this.¡±


    Benson took a key out of his trouser pocket and turned it in the cell door¡¯s lock. With a final cocky smile at Arc, he walked backwards out of the room, leaving Arc alone in the cell.

 Chapter 14 - Burn it Down

    Arc hurried over to the cell windows and tugged on the bars, hoping at least one of them would be loose enough for him to wrench it off. If he could free one of them, he could thread it through the others and give himself better leverage to pull the rest of the bars out. To his dismay, they were as sturdy as they looked.


    ¡°Damn,¡± said Arc angrily, wiping his hand across his face.


    He looked around and knew that he could break his way free with an Arcane Shot, but that would immediately alert the bandits to his attempted escape. They would be easily sniped out in the open but, in the confines of the tight rooms and corridor, he would probably take a few bullets before wiping out his enemies. Perhaps if a bandit came to check up on him, he could talk his way to freedom, but he wasn¡¯t overly optimistic about that prospect. No, he would have to be more cunning than that.


    ¡°Looks like there¡¯s nothing else for it,¡± said Arc, looking to the barred door.


    He sat himself against the wall furthest from the door, making sure his spellcaster was still concealed. It was his only real lifeline in here and, if he got desperate, he would use it, but not a second before. Had Cryer not been watching him so diligently as he approached the door, he wouldn¡¯t have been in this mess. His plan would have been exacted before setting foot inside.


    The minutes rolled by and Arc hummed a couple of tunes to keep himself entertained. After an hour, the most he had heard from any of the bandits was the occasional chuckle booming out, but nobody even walked down the corridor. Would he be getting fed or would they just execute him so they didn¡¯t waste resources? No, if Benson wanted him dead, he¡¯d already be dead.


    The single hour turned into two and then into three, and only then did footsteps approach the door. Cryer walked into the room, his rifle in his hands as it had been on the roof. His left eye twitched as he stopped three feet from Arc¡¯s gate. He didn¡¯t say a word as he watched the spellslinger continue to sit.


    ¡°Have you got a bucket?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°A bucket?¡± replied Cryer.


    ¡°Well, I presume I won¡¯t be let out to piss and I¡¯d rather not sit in my own filth. If the bucket sits in the corner and doesn¡¯t get thrown out, that¡¯s fine. I just don¡¯t want to be swimming in it.¡±


    ¡°Hang on,¡± said Cryer, walking back out of the room.


    He returned thirty seconds later with an empty beer bottle that would be good for two usages before it was full.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do nicely,¡± said Arc. ¡°Would you mind rolling it in here?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t move a muscle,¡± said Cryer, approaching the bars cautiously and leaning down.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it.¡±


    Cryer put his arm inside the bars and rolled the bottle over to Arc, who stopped it with his foot. If he was to break out, he would have to make sure the bandits lowered their guard. That meant playing the obedient prisoner for as long as it took for them to open the door.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you come in here in the first place?¡± Arc asked Cryer as he picked up the bottle and set it upright on the floor.


    ¡°To make sure you were still here,¡± replied Cryer.


    ¡°What, did Benson think I¡¯d escaped?¡±


    ¡°He said it was worth checking just in case. You may say that you¡¯re an envoy, but we could have let someone dangerous into our midst.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous? Nah, only to monsters. I¡¯d prefer not to be locked up, of course, but I¡¯ll do as I¡¯m told until he decides to let me go back to Pembroke. If it takes a week, it takes a week. Kenny will be paying me either way. You can relay that back to Benson.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± said Cryer, turning to leave. ¡°If you¡¯re ever looking to sign up, I¡¯m sure something could be arranged.¡±


    Arc shook his head. ¡°I appreciate the offer, Cryer, but John Welling likes the simple life of taking things one job at a time.¡±


    ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    With that, Cryer departed, closing the door behind him. Arc was alone with his thoughts once more. He thought about what Jack and Julie might be doing back in Pembroke. No doubt, Jack had said something stupid and got himself in trouble with someone. Julie was probably trying to keep him in check, and failing miserably.


    As obstinate as Jack could be, he had a fondness for the young man. He reminded Arc of himself ten years ago before he was taught how to handle himself in the wasteland. So many things had chanced for him since he was a boy, but he was glad to be alive and knew that today was not his day to die. And when that day did come, it would not be in this cell.


    Unable to hold it in any longer, Arc stood up and grabbed the bottle. He relieved himself and set it in the far corner before returning to his seat against the wall, feeling much better. Now all he needed was some food and a drink of water before turning in. The sun was setting and he had a roof over his head, so it would hopefully be a restful night.


    *


    Arc lay flat on the floor of his cell, feeling miserable. He hadn¡¯t had as much as a drip of water or a crumb of food since he was locked up five days ago. He spent every waking moment wondering if he would have been better risking being shot by Cryer in order to take out every single one of the bandits. He ran many different scenarios over in his head, but that was the one that stuck out to him the most.


    He had thought he was being clever coming inside to try and get the bandits to lower their guard, but he knew now just how na?ve he had been. They were ruthless monsters, every last one of them. If he didn¡¯t think that due to his imprisonment, the female prisoner that had been brought in two days ago assured him of that. He hadn¡¯t heard from her since she was dragged away screaming, but a gunshot in the early hours of the morning told him that he would never hear from her again.


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    Arc bolted upright as the door opened and Benson walked in.


    ¡°You hungry, John?¡± asked Benson, flicking his sunglasses atop his head.


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Arc, but he wasn¡¯t going to beg.


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully resilient, aren¡¯t you? Something tells me you¡¯ve got without food and water before.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my first time being taken prisoner,¡± said Arc coldly. ¡°And I¡¯m sure it won¡¯t be my last. Although I¡¯m starting to wonder if Kenny¡¯s paying me enough to do his dirty work.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still sticking to that story, eh?¡±


    Arc felt his stomach drop. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You ought to have taken off that orange scarf of yours, Arc the Hawk,¡± said Benson with a smirk. ¡°You think I didn¡¯t know who you were the second you walked through that door? You really thought I¡¯d betray Colt the Scourge for a chance to take over when I¡¯ve got things so good?¡±


    Arc held back his temper, but he was furious. He had been kept captive for almost a week and the entire time he had thought the bandits would lower their guard, but they were just toying with him. No doubt Benson had already sent word to Colt about the his prisoner.


    ¡°Ah,¡± said Arc, letting out a dry laugh. ¡°I was marked for death the second I stepped inside this building. Is that right?¡±


    ¡°Yea, ¡®fraid so,¡± sighed Benson while nodding his head. ¡°I must admit, I had a few doubts, but when we found a spell cartridge in your jacket, that confirmed who you were. A real shame, but that¡¯s the way it goes.¡±


    ¡°It is a shame,¡± said Arc, standing up and walked over to the bars. ¡°Although, it¡¯s probably for the best. I don¡¯t think you¡¯d have been well suited to taking over Colt¡¯s position.¡±


    Benson¡¯s smirk faded. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You may have caught my scarf, but there¡¯s something you failed to consider.¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ª¡±


    Arc reached through the bars and grabbed Benson by the collar, pulling him in with one hand while whipping out his spellcaster with the other. He put the weapon to the side of the bandit¡¯s head and pulled the trigger, splattering the bars, the walls and himself with blood as Benson¡¯s head exploded from the point-blank Arcane Shot.


    The spellslinger put his spellcaster between his neck and shoulder, wedging it tightly as he used his now-free hand to rummage through Benson¡¯s many pockets. He could hear footsteps rushing down the corridor as he reached for the key, but he found something even more useful than that.


    As the door flung open and a pair of bandits rushed in, Arc fired four shots¡ªtwo at each of his foes¡ªfrom Benson¡¯s gun, making them drop to the floor. He felt no remorse for the wicked gang members as their lifeless bodies collapsed; he heard through the walls just what sort of monsters they were.


    Taking the key, he unlocked the door and threw it open. As more footsteps rushed towards the room, Arc grabbed Benson¡¯s body and held it in front of him as a shield while keeping the bandit¡¯s body held out in front of him as a shield.


    ¡°What the¡ª¡± cried a bandit before taking a bullet to the neck.


    He stumbled backwards, crashing into his comrades.


    ¡°Gavin?¡± asked one of the men in horror before walking into the room with his gun raised, followed by five others.


    ¡°Good evening, gentlemen,¡± said Arc, peeking out from behind Benson¡¯s open, blood-dripping neck hole. ¡°Would you be so kind as to go fetch my equipment?¡±


    Knowing the response would be a resolute declination, Arc shot again. As the bandit fell, he knew he was out of bullets and didn¡¯t have the time to reload as Cryer leapt over the corpses of his fallen friends.


    Arc hurriedly dropped Benson¡¯s gun and pulled out his spellcaster. ¡°You neglected to take this from me when you imprisoned me,¡± he said, holding out the Golden Hawk. ¡°Now, five of you are dead. I would say that¡¯s nearly half your forces gone, Cryer. I¡¯m a reasonable man and will leave if you bring me my equipment and tell me where Colt is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where Colt is!¡± roared Cryer, pointing his rifle at Arc¡¯s forehead.


    ¡°No need to get angry,¡± said Arc calmly. ¡°You can still get out of this alive if you bring me my stuff.¡±


    Cryer¡¯s cheek was twitching and he grinded his teeth, holding back what he wanted to say. He didn¡¯t know what spell cartridge Arc had loaded into his gun; a single wrong move could spell the death of everyone in the building.


    ¡°What¡¯s it going to be?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°Morgan, bring him his possessions,¡± said Cryer heavily.


    Arc and Cryer silently watched each other, both of their fingers resting on the triggers of their guns. Both men would have loved nothing more than to shoot each other, but they knew that was in neither of their best interests at the moment.


    When Morgan had brought Arc¡¯s possessions, he set them on the floor by the door, making Arc laugh.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid?¡± asked the spellslinger. ¡°Set them in the corner and then all of you get out.¡±


    Morgan did as told and then Cryer took a couple of careful steps backwards before closing the door behind him.


    Arc ran to the corner, put on his jacket, belt and bag. He quickly checked to make sure that his revolver, knife and ammo were all still there¡ªthey were¡ªbefore picking up Benson¡¯s body once again. He held the bandit up with one hand and kept the Golden Hawk in the other.


    He marched over to the door and then lifted a foot, kicking it open. All was quiet and he didn¡¯t like that. He threw Benson¡¯s body into the corridor and it was immediately hit with a barrage of bullets.


    ¡°That was a mistake,¡± called Arc, picking up another body for a shield.


    ¡°Hold you fire!¡± ordered Cryer.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I¡¯m in a forgiving mood,¡± said Arc, stepping out into the corridor with his new corpse shield. ¡°Everyone stay where I can see you.¡±


    Arc moved forwards and the bandits backed away, none of them daring to raise their guns again. They walked backwards into the main room as Arc walked towards them. Once there, he pivoted and walked backwards to the front door of the outpost without taking his eyes off the seven men that wanted him dead more than anything other than their own survival.


    ¡°Farewell, gents,¡± said Arc, dropping the body in the doorway, stopping the door from falling closed.


    He stepped back into the outdoors, relieved to breathe fresh air once again, but he wouldn¡¯t let himself be complacent until he was well out of sight of his enemies. No, these bandits were a conniving bunch, it was in their nature.


    As Arc continued walking backwards, keeping his eyes fixed on the men waiting in the main room, he saw one of the ones sitting on the sidelines twitching. A second later, the bandit was on his feet and shot Arc in the chest, but the bullet plinked onto the ground after striking him.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± said Arc coldly. He tapped the trigger of the Golden Hawk and the runes on the gun glowed blue as it unleashed the spell within.


    A huge fireball erupted from the muzzle, leaving a roaring trail of flames as it streaked towards the doorway. The bandits all yelled and dove for cover, but it was for nought. The fireball flew into the centre of the room and exploded, taking the outpost and all of its occupants with it.


    Bricks rained down upon the desert and smoke billowed into the sky, flying free from the now-open roof. Arc stood silently by, keeping his spellcaster held out. If there was a single soul left alive inside, they wouldn¡¯t be for much longer as the flickering flames burned their flesh.


    Arc watched for a minute before daring to approach. He stepped over a low wall that had been much taller not so long ago, and into the main room where the flames were now dying down. He tried counting the bodies, but they were in too many pieces and too badly burned to be counted accurately.


    ¡°Good enough,¡± said Arc, satisfied that his enemies were dead. ¡°You¡¯re next, Colt.¡±


    Arc walked back into the desert, throwing the trail of his blood-stained scarf over his shoulder. His first order of business upon returning to Pembroke was to get his treasured scarf washed. The second order was to make sure that the twins hadn¡¯t gotten themselves into as much trouble as he had gotten himself into.

 Chapter 15 - The Client

    ¡°Looks like you two are living large,¡± said Arc, walking into Tina¡¯s Diner. ¡°This is one of the pricier places in town to grab something to eat.¡±


    ¡°But they have bigger portions,¡± said Jack, shoving an entire pancake into his mouth.


    ¡°They do,¡± said Arc as Julie swallowed what she had been chewing and then leapt to her feet.


    ¡°You¡¯re back!¡± she squealed, drawing the attention of everyone in the diner. ¡°Sorry, Tina.¡±


    Tina rolled her eyes and got back to work.


    ¡°Back indeed and not much worse for the wear,¡± said Arc, sitting himself down.


    Jack started sniffing. ¡°Is that¡­soap?¡±


    Arc looked at his clean scarf and smelled it. ¡°Yes, cactus blossom,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t pick the scent.¡±


    ¡°Why did you wash your scarf?¡±


    ¡°Because it was dirty.¡±


    ¡°I know that, but¡­why?¡±


    ¡°I had a small run in with a few of Colt¡¯s boys, was taken prisoner for five days and then escaped.¡±


    ¡°Prisoner?¡± asked Julie, dropping her fork and putting her hand over her mouth. ¡°Tell us everything!¡±


    ¡°Later,¡± said Arc, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see the pair of you haven¡¯t skipped town already. How have you been?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± shrugged Jack. ¡°Jamison paid us a couple of silvers yesterday for delivering some equipment to buyers around town. We thought we¡¯d celebrate with a hearty breakfast.¡±


    Julie beamed. ¡°And he said to stop by again tomorrow because he may need a few more things delivered.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said Arc with a smile. ¡°That¡¯s very good. I¡¯m glad you two seem to be settling in so well. Like I said, Pembroke is one of the better places to nest in Nuvaria.¡±


    Jack finished his last piece of bacon. ¡°Alright, tell us everything. We thought you¡¯d be back in a couple of days, but you¡¯ve been gone for over a week.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pay a visit to Rodney Millar, the man who¡¯s paying me to take out Colt. There are a few updates I think he should hear about and I don¡¯t much fancy repeating myself too many times. If you¡¯ve got nothing better to do, why don¡¯t you come along?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie enthusiastically.


    ¡°I was hoping to let my breakfast settle,¡± muttered Jack.


    ¡°Nothing settles a stomach like a post-meal walk,¡± said Arc, leaning over and ruffling Jack¡¯s hair. The young man was not amused. ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jack said, standing up.


    ¡°Not waiting for me to eat?¡±


    ¡°But you just said¡­¡±


    Jack sat down and muttered under his breath as Julie giggled and Arc flashed him a sneaky grin.


    *


    The trio walked up to Rodney Millar¡¯s house. It was one of the nicer houses in Pembroke, standing at three storeys tall and with some semblance of a garden outside, but there was an unsettling air about the place that wasn¡¯t eased by the two guards keeping watch outside the front gate.


    ¡°Here to see Mr Millar,¡± said Arc. ¡°About¡ª¡±


    ¡°About Colt,¡± nodded one of the guards. ¡°Yeah, I know who you are, Arc. Go on in, the boss is sitting by the pond.¡±


    Jack leaned over to Julie. ¡°I was hoping to see inside.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± she sighed.


    Arc led the twins past the guards, through the gate and around the garden. There was no shortage of wiry grass and even a few blooming flowers sitting in flowerbeds. Arc had always wondered where Millar had gotten the fertile soil that let his plants thrive, but considering his visits were in relation to the man¡¯s dead daughter, he decided it would be inappropriate to ask.


    He walked around the side of the house and Millar came into view. He was a stocky man with greying hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He wore grey dress trousers and a white shirt with a red tie, having taken inspiration from the businessmen from before the Arcanaclysm. Now that Arc thought about it, Millar would have been alive before that, but probably only a toddler.


    As the guards had said, Millar was sitting by a small pond where a handful of silvery fish were swimming around aimlessly. The man was transfixed by the creatures who had not a care in the world, perhaps because he longed to have no burdens of his own.


    ¡°And what brings you back into my midst, Arc the Hawk?¡± asked Millar without looking up. ¡°I know that Colt is still alive because a few of his men were in town just yesterday.¡±


    Jack and Julie exchanged worried glances.


    ¡°I¡¯m working on that,¡± replied Arc. ¡°I have no doubt you know about my failure to kill him in the pass a couple of weeks ago, but it did leave him short a few cars and ten men.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± said Millar, looking up with a faint smile. ¡°A little bit of frustration and misery for him before he dies.¡±


    ¡°And three days ago I blew one of his outposts to smithereens and killed another twelve of his men, including one of his generals.¡±


    ¡°Hammington? Hawthorne? Benson? Who was it?¡±


    ¡°Benson.¡±


    ¡°Ah, I see. Did Kenny give you the location?¡±


    ¡°He did.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Millar, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets. ¡°Tell me everything.¡±


    Arc relayed his tale from his meeting with Kenny to the moment he walked away from the burning ashes of the outpost. He kept the information about the young woman the bandits had brought in on the light side, not wanting to expose the twins to such atrocities, but Millar knew Colt and his men¡¯s methods well enough to take the hint.


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    ¡°That one will hurt,¡± said Millar, looking back to the fish. ¡°Benson is one of his most cutthroat men. It¡¯s exactly why he¡¯s kept on the edge of Colt¡¯s territory. If any of Darcy the Jackal¡¯s men show up, he¡¯s the perfect person to ensure their torture and disfigurement before being sent back as a warning. You¡¯re lucky to be alive.¡±


    ¡°I suspect he thought it was funny watching my starve while awaiting his boss¡¯s arrival. I¡¯m just glad I could rip that chance away from him¡­along with his head.¡±


    Julie winced at the thought, but Jack was in awe. He knew Arc was tough, having seen it for himself a few times over, but to have survived such a dire situation was miraculous.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you snuck your gun in,¡± said Millar.


    ¡°Yeah, I wasn¡¯t sure if that tactic would work,¡± replied Arc with a laugh while scratching the back of his head. ¡°I thought Benson would have seen it for sure, but it must have been those stupid sunglasses of his.¡±


    ¡°I would say that it was arrogance.¡±


    ¡°He had no shortage of that.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that I can do for you? I know that you didn¡¯t come here to simply give me an update.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering if you¡¯d been able to source me any more supplies?¡±


    ¡°Ah, the contingency that we discussed¡­¡±


    Millar reached into his pocket and pulled out a small handheld radio. He pressed a button on the side. ¡°Darius, bring the red one out.¡±


    ¡°Just the one?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°Just the one,¡± said Millar. ¡°Colt has been giving the suppliers some grief.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Jamison had said as much. Another reason to see to it that he doesn¡¯t make it past next week.¡±


    ¡°As if there needed to be another reason.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± said Arc.


    Julie stepped forward, bowed her head and clasped her hands by her waist. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for your loss, Mr Millar.¡±


    Millar didn¡¯t know how to react for a moment. His lip quivered, but he held himself together. ¡°Thank you, child,¡± he said. ¡°I can tell that my Caroline would have liked you. She was only a few years older than you, you know. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Julie,¡± replied Julie, looking up.


    ¡°And my name¡¯s Jack,¡± said Jack. ¡°We¡¯ll do whatever we can to help Arc. I promise.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, but it would be best if young ones like yourselves didn¡¯t involve yourself with such dangers. Frankly, I¡¯m not sure why Arc brought you both here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re my intrepid assistants,¡± said Arc. ¡°But don¡¯t worry about them, I wouldn¡¯t bring them into whatever one of Colt¡¯s bases he¡¯s hiding at.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good.¡±


    A man walked around the corner holding a small red cartridge emblazoned with a rune on its side between his left index finger and thumb. He was wearing similar armour to the guards out the front and had a shotgun slung over his back. He approached Millar and gave him a salute with his right hand.


    ¡°Thank you, Darius,¡± said Millar, gesturing towards Arc.


    Darius pivoted rigidly to face Arc and ceased his salute. He handed over the spell cartridge that Arc knew immediately to be another Arcane Shot, bringing his total back up to five. As much as he would have liked a few spares or even other spells at his beck and call, he was happy with his five red bullets and lone white bullet for the time being. For everything else, he had his revolver.


    ¡°Cheers,¡± said Arc, giving Darius a nod. The guard then swiftly departed and Arc turned back to Millar. ¡°Thank you for finding one for me, Mr Millar. Even without worrying about supply lines, it¡¯s getting harder to find larger batches of cartridges.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that¡¯s because there are fewer men left who can make them,¡± said Millar.


    ¡°Who makes them?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Wizards,¡± said Arc, making the young man laugh, but he cut it short when Julie gave him a nudge.


    ¡°I assure you, young man,¡± said Millar, ¡°that wizards still exist, but most of them have the sense to keep their heads down. Although, I have hope that times will change as my generation dies off and people forget the world that once was and are forced to accept the world that is.¡±


    ¡°One day,¡± sighed Arc. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you in peace, Mr Millar.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Arc the Hawk,¡± said Millar. ¡°And stay safe, children.¡±


    The trio departed, leaving Millar to stare back at the fish in his pond. Once they had passed through the gate and were free of the house, Jack asked a question that was burning in his mind.


    ¡°Can people who make regular bullets not replicate spell cartridges if they have one to base it off?¡±


    ¡°I know of a few people who tried,¡± said Arc, scrunching up his face. ¡°But they¡¯re either dead or have lost a limb. Nah, once a spell is contained within a bullet, it¡¯s in there for good and nobody is going to be able to open a cartridge without triggering it. It¡¯s just the way it works.¡±


    ¡°And why can¡¯t the wizards who are left mass produce them?¡±


    ¡°Because of the way magic works. If a wizard has a scroll, he can cast that spell by simply reading it and the paper burns up before him. If he copies it to his spellbook, he can use it freely, but there¡¯s a slight hitch that stops these mages from unleashing endless spells.¡±


    ¡°Their memories?¡± asked Julie.


    Arc raised an eyebrow. ¡°How¡¯d you know that?¡±


    ¡°I read about it in a book I found last year.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re full of surprises, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Julie smiled and her walk turned into a giddy skip.


    ¡°You¡¯ve met wizards before, haven¡¯t you?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Arc.


    ¡°Is it true that you took down a lich?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would even know what a lich was,¡± said Arc, taken aback. ¡°But yeah, it¡¯s true. That was a few years ago. How¡¯d you hear about that?¡±


    ¡°People around here know more about your past than we do,¡± said Jack.


    Arc pondered this for a moment. ¡°Yeah, I suppose that¡¯s true. But does it matter when you know me and not my deeds?¡±


    Jack bit his lower lip as he thought. ¡°I suppose it doesn¡¯t, but you¡¯re still an enigma to me.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I know much about your past either, but I know the pair of you are good kids. You¡¯ve got a bit of an attitude, Jacky Boy, but I know it¡¯s because you want to protect Julie.¡±


    ¡°He beat another kid bloody last week,¡± said Julie quietly.


    ¡°Did he deserve it?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°Yes,¡± admitted Julie.


    ¡°Had the other kid learned his lesson?¡±


    Arc put his hand on Jack¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Then you did a good thing, my friend. And don¡¯t let that snitch of a sister tell you otherwise.¡±


    Jack laughed heartily while Julie scowled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a snitch¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they all say,¡± said Arc. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get to Jamison¡¯s. Maybe he¡¯s heard something from his suppliers about where Colt is holed up.¡±


    Arc, Jack and a still-seething Julie continued along, making their way back towards the street where Jamison operated from. As they walked, they heard a distinct rumbling of a car somewhere a few streets away, but it sounded like it was coming closer.


    The three turned their heads as the smoky rumbling grew louder. Arc¡¯s jaw dropped as two pickup trucks drove up the street and parked outside the local watering hole, Desert¡¯s Lament, and four men jumped out. They glanced around and one of them locked eyes with Arc for a split second.


    ¡°Cover!¡± called Arc as he dove on top of the twins to shield them from a slew of gunfire.


    Arc and Julie crawled behind a low wall while Jack rolled behind a crate outside of Jamison¡¯s shop.


    ¡°Colt¡¯s men?¡± asked Julie, her voice trembling.


    ¡°That dopey son of a bitch who shot at us was the only other survivor of the wreckage,¡± said Arc, loading up his revolver. ¡°I never got his name, but I remember his ugly mug.¡±


    Arc leaned around the corner and fired three rapid shots at Colt¡¯s men. He threw himself back as a rain of bullets struck the wall and whizzed over it, smashing a food vendor¡¯s windows.


    ¡°Missed ¡®em all,¡± said Arc with a sigh, switching his revolver for his spellcaster. ¡°Seems like a waste¡­¡±


    He leaned around once more and fired two shots at the men. The cylinder glowed blue and clicked as it the bullets sped down the barrel, erupting as arcane energy and discarding their binding cases. The Arcane Shots sped towards their targets, striking them in the chests and collapsing their ribcages. As their broken bones pierced their hearts and lungs, the two men dropped and died a quick, but agonising death.


    Arc leaned around once more, but he only saw one man remaining. Where had the other gone? He switched back to his revolver, hoping to save as many of his spell cartridges as he could. To use them against lackeys rather than the head honcho pained him. They would be a last resort.


    Suddenly, the ignition started on the cars and Arc sprung over the wall, taking careful aim at the backmost driver and, with a squeeze of his trigger, splattered the bandit¡¯s brains across the windshield as the other¡ªthe man who recognised him¡ª sped off at full throttle.


    ¡°Things could have gone worse,¡± said Arc out the side of his mouth. ¡°You alright, Julie?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said the young girl, peeking out from behind the wall. She was trembling as the adrenaline flowed through her, but she did indeed seem to be okay.


    ¡°How about you, Jack?¡± Arc called over to the crate.


    There was no answer.


    ¡°Jack?¡± Arc called again, rushing over. He froze in horror upon seeing no sign of the young man.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Julie, hurrying over to join Arc. She clasped her hands to her mouth when she saw her brother was not there. ¡°Where is he?¡± she cried out.


    ¡°There¡¯s no blood,¡± said Arc, looking around. ¡°He must have slipped away to somewhere safer when the¡ª¡±


    Arc slowly turned his head to look at Julie. The look on his face pushed her fear to another level entirely.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± she said quietly.


    Arc sprinted to the pickup truck, threw Colt¡¯s dead lackey to the ground and jumped inside. He wiped the bloodied windshield with his sleeve, leaving an even more obfuscating red smear. The reason he had only seen one man earlier was because the other was busy grabbing Jack and throwing him in the back of his truck. The young man was bait to lure Arc to Colt.

 Chapter 16 - The Rat That Got Away

    Arc shifted the rumbling car into first gear and screeched off, following the man who took Jack. He shifted up through the gears as he steered his way through Pembroke, honking the horn to make the townsfolk clear the way. With the amount of blood smeared on the windshield, if they didn¡¯t get out of the way then Arc was going to mow them down.


    ¡°Move!¡± he yelled at the top of his lungs, swerving out of the way as an old lady narrowly avoided becoming roadkill.


    ¡°He took Jack?¡± screamed Julie from the cargo bed as she clung to the sides to avoid being thrown from the vehicle during the sharp turn.


    ¡°What in the¡ª¡± called Arc, briefly looking over his shoulder. ¡°Get out of here, you aren¡¯t coming with me!¡±


    ¡°No way, he¡¯s my brother!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap and we¡¯re driving straight into it! I want to get him out good and quick.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care!¡±


    Arc didn¡¯t have time to argue with her. He could see the pickup truck through the alleyways and knew that he was gaining on it. It was driving quickly, but not with the same breakneck ferocity that Arc was driving with. That meant that the bandit wasn¡¯t yet aware that he was being followed.


    The spellslinger burst into the town square, driving straight through the crowd who immediately scattered, fearing that a raging madman decided to go on a rampage. All the while, Arc strained to see where he was going, but he was confident that he had managed to avoid running over anyone. However, the same could not be said for the stalls and Arc clipped the corners of two of them, collapsing them as he pursued his target.


    Emerging from the town square, the spellslinger slammed on the brakes, turning a corner before speeding up and accelerated along the road out of town with the pickup truck he was chasing coming into view as the last of the houses disappeared behind him. He knew that with only one man in the vehicle, all he needed was a well-aimed Arcane Shot and the driver was a goner, leaving him free to grab Jack. Once he got him and his sister to safety, he would patrol this road until he found where Colt was hiding. The bandit leader was going to pay. Any actions taken by his men, he was responsible for.


    ¡°Julie, now is not the time!¡± called Arc as Julie crawled along the cargo bed and then slung herself through the open back window to sit in the passenger seat.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she said, leaning forward and placing her hands on the dashboard as she watched the vehicle ahead.


    ¡°Keep yourself low and out of sight.¡±


    ¡°Why would he take Jack?¡± Julie asked, ducking down so that she could only just about see out of the windshield. Luckily for her, there was only a smattering of blood on this side and her vision was unobscured.


    ¡°To get my attention. I suspect word¡¯s got out that I¡¯m still alive and blew up one of Colt¡¯s outposts. His opinion of me must have soured with all of the explosions and assassinations.¡±


    ¡°But why Jack?¡±


    ¡°No doubt the rat saw that you two were with me when I tackled you to the ground. That cretinous minion thought it would be a smart move to kidnap your brother? Well, he¡¯s about to find out that that was the stupidest thing he could have done and it will cost him dearly. I¡¯ll make sure that he pays the fine, don¡¯t you worry about that.¡±


    Arc was gaining on his prey, who still hadn¡¯t realised that he was being followed, but that wouldn¡¯t last for much longer. The spellslinger would make sure that the last thing Jack¡¯s kidnapper saw was an Arcane Shot soaring towards his face, right before it made his head explode into a rain of brain, blood and bone, leaving his corpse as food for the ravenous coyotes and vultures.


    The bounty hunter¡¯s tyres ripped the sand and dust from the road, turning it into a cloud that coned out behind the truck. All the while, the engine roared louder and louder, finally alerting the bandit who glanced over his shoulder in panic.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming for you, you rat,¡± said Arc, as the driver also sped up.


    ¡°He¡¯s getting away!¡± cried Julie.


    ¡°Take the wheel,¡± said Arc, keeping his foot on the accelerator and grabbing his spellcaster.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to drive,¡± said Julie, grasping the side of the wheel in two hands as Arc leaned out the side window and took aim at the bandit.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to,¡± said Arc, trying to aim. ¡°Just make sure we don¡¯t crash.¡±


    The bandit was proving slippery and driving erratically to make things as difficult as possible. He knew that Arc wouldn¡¯t risk shooting the car and blowing it up as he had to delightedly done the last time they had met. He wouldn¡¯t risk hurting the boy knocked out in the back.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    As Arc was about to press on the trigger, his own car swerved and he clutched the door to stop himself from falling out. ¡°Careful!¡± he yelled at Julie.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she wailed, trying to see through the bloody smear. ¡°Do you see Jack?¡±


    ¡°I see him alright,¡± said Arc, spying Jack¡¯s blue jacket and floppy brown hair in the back of the truck. ¡°Damn!¡±


    Arc ducked inside as bullets whizzed past, clinking off the side of the truck. The bandit was shooting at them, but at the cost of speed. His car slowed down and he veered off the road, giving Arc and Julie the chance to close the distance.


    ¡°Almost there,¡± said Arc, leaning out of the window and aiming his spellcaster once again.


    The bandit started pulling away and Arc slammed his foot on the pedal, desperate to close the gap a few yards more, but it was no use. His vehicle started to slow down as the bandit tore on down the road, making his escape. It wasn¡¯t long before he was much too far out of range for the Arcane Shot to seek its mark and Arc and Julie had slowed to a halt.


    ¡°What¡­what happened?¡± asked Julie, looking at her trembling hands that were still clutching the steering wheel.


    ¡°We¡¯re out of fuel,¡± said Arc, smashing his fist against the dashboard where a red arrow pointed to the letter E. ¡°How in the hell were they supposed to get back to base with so little diesel left? Ridiculous!¡±


    Arc leaned turned around and looked in the cargo bed, hoping he¡¯d find a canister or tank of some sort that he could use to refuel, but the only thing that caught his eye was a bullet hole in the side. His eyes widened and he would have sworn his heart had briefly stopped pumping blood around his body.


    The bounty hunter threw open the door and jumped onto the ground with a thud before pivoting to look at the side of the car. He dropped his spellcaster, which clinked onto the dirt, and fell to his knees in despair.


    ¡°The bandit only just hit the car, there¡¯s no way it would be empty¡­already¡­¡±


    Arc gasped in horror. It wasn¡¯t the bandits¡¯ fault that there was no fuel left; it was his. He fell back onto the road and stared at the sky. He couldn¡¯t believe how close he was to rescuing Jack only for the bandit to get away because of Arc¡¯s own mistake.


    ¡°I hit the fuel tank,¡± he said under his breath, putting a hand to his forehead. ¡°When I shot at the men with my revolver, I hit the damn fuel tank!¡±


    Julie climbed over her seat and into the cargo bed before vaulting over the side to land beside Arc. She looked at the holes in the side of the vehicle and followed a wet trail with her eyes that led back towards Pembroke.


    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m so sorry,¡± muttered Arc, looking to Julie who was welling up. ¡°I don¡¯t know what else to say, Julie, but¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Tears started to roll down Julie¡¯s eyes as she mouthed words so quietly that Arc couldn¡¯t hear.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, not wanting to make light of the horrible situation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± she said, still softly, but audibly.


    Arc climbed to his feet and grabbed onto the edge of the car, letting his head slump and hit the dented metal. He stood up again and thumped the car before throwing the trail of his scarf over his shoulder, picking up his golden gun and looking down the road.


    ¡°It¡¯s not over,¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± asked Julie weakly.


    ¡°Colt wants me to find him,¡± said the bounty hunter. ¡°And that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do.¡±


    Julie grabbed onto the back of Arc¡¯s brown leather jacket. ¡°I¡¯m coming too,¡± she said breathlessly.


    ¡°No,¡± said Arc sternly. ¡°You head back to town. It shouldn¡¯t take you long to get there and you can wait with Jamison. I¡¯m sure he won¡¯t mind if you explain the situation to him.¡±


    Julie grabbed Arc¡¯s wrist as he tried to pull away. ¡°I said, I¡¯m coming too!¡± she shouted.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Jack is my brother and, as much of a pain as he can be, he¡¯s all that I¡¯ve got left. I want¡­no, I need to make sure that he¡¯s safe. He would do the same for me and you know it. He wouldn¡¯t take no for an answer, would he?¡±


    ¡°Julie¡­¡±


    ¡°Arc,¡± she said, her green eyes piercing through him. ¡°If you die trying to rescue him, then he¡¯s dead too. And I won¡¯t ever find his body to give him a proper burial. I¡¯m coming and doing whatever I can to help rescue you.¡±


    Arc took a deep breath and looked to the sun resting in the blue sky above before lowering his gaze back down. He couldn¡¯t believe he was even considering it. After the mess in Purdue, he had vowed to himself to try and steer Jack and Julie as far away from danger as he could. Sadly, the danger had come to him, as it often did.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said, reluctantly relenting, ¡°but there are conditions.¡±


    Julie nodded. ¡°Just tell me what they are,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°You do exactly as I say whenever I say it. There can be no room for fear, doubt or hesitation.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to be walking in and causing mass death. If we don¡¯t, then we¡¯re the ones dead.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not just saying that, right? You¡¯re sure you can you handle that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie defiantly, clutching a hand to her chest. ¡°I can handle that.¡±


    Arc looked around, making sure that the loud cars and the gunshots hadn¡¯t attracted any animals or monsters. He walked to the far side of the pickup truck and checked the surroundings carefully before walking back over to Julie.


    ¡°There¡¯s one thing we need for you and we may need to head back into town to get it,¡± muttered Arc, scratching his growing blonde stubble.


    He was keenly aware that he needed to shave and had planned to do it before lunchtime, but that would have to wait.


    ¡°What do we need?¡± asked Julie with trepidation.


    ¡°We need¡­hmm,¡± said Arc, raising an eyebrow and looking towards the pickup truck. He had an inkling and he squinted as he stared through the driver¡¯s side window.


    ¡°Please, just tell me,¡± sighed Julie despondently. ¡°You have this bad habit of not finishing a thought before acting on it, Arc. This really isn¡¯t the time for that.¡±


    Arc walked around to the passenger side of the car, threw open the door and opened the glove compartment.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± he said.


    A faint smile crept across his face as he lifted out a 9mm handgun and a spare magazine, filled to capacity with ammunition. This was exactly what he had been hoping for and there were more bullets than he expected. He snatched up both the gun and the magazine and walked back around the car, tossing them to Julie.


    ¡°A gun?¡± she asked as she caught them.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± said Arc. ¡°Have you ever used one before?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she replied, holding the gun and magazine out while running her eyes over the weapon in her left hand.


    ¡°Well, no time like the present. You¡¯re a smart girl and a quick learner, so I need you to pay attention.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± said Julie, not moving her fingers in case she accidentally shot the weapon. Her fingers weren¡¯t touching the trigger, yet she was still worried.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fine,¡± said Arc, sensing her anxiousness.


    ¡°Yes, I will,¡± said Julie, sounding more confident than she felt.


    ¡°Lesson one,¡± said Arc, pointing to the weapon. ¡°Safety.¡±

 Chapter 17 - Quite the Arm

    The empty bottle with its thin outer layer of dirt sat upon the crooked wooden fence post, barely balanced and a weak breeze away from toppling over. The sun¡¯s rays shone down upon it, slowly heating it up as the last of the day¡¯s unburst clouds rolled away into the distance.


    Bang.


    The glass shattered and its fragments sprinkled the dirt as a small whiff of smoke faded above a 9mm pistol held by a young girl. She grinned with excitement as her hand trembled, looking to the blonde haired, blue-eyed man who stood beside her looking very proud.


    ¡°I did it,¡± she gasped before raising her voice. ¡°I did it, Arc!¡±


    ¡°And on your third shot too,¡± said the Hawk. ¡°Not half bad, Julie. I wouldn¡¯t start signing up for a sunset duel just yet, but give it a few more weeks.¡±


    ¡°A duel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s when¡­never mind.¡±


    Arc looked up the road, making sure that the tracks the duo had been following hadn¡¯t been covered by a new layer of dust that could mask them.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said to Julie. ¡°Let¡¯s keep moving before the trail goes cold and we have to trek all the way back to Pembroke to find out where Colt is.¡±


    ¡°And then we¡¯d have to walk all the way back out here,¡± said Julie wearily.


    ¡°Precisely. If we get this right now, then we don¡¯t need to go through all that hassle to find your brother. Now put the safety on your gun and stick it in your belt so you can draw it quickly should the need arise. The last thing we want is to get mauled by a pack of roving goblins before we find Jack.¡±


    Julie did as she was taught, flicking the gun¡¯s safety lever so that she couldn¡¯t shoot herself in the foot as she walked. She put the belt between her purple t-shirt and the belt she had tied fastened around it and her waist.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± said Arc. ¡°I¡¯d say after you, but I¡¯ll lead the way so I¡¯m the meat shield keeping you safe from any of Colt¡¯s men that venture this way.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they will?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Nah, not unless we dilly dally for so long that they think I¡¯m not coming for him.¡±


    Arc and Julie set off alongside the road, keeping closer to the rocks littering the wasteland than to the asphalt itself. Should they hear the faintest of rumblings, the pair were diving for cover and would worry about what it was that was coming down the road after the fact.


    The road seemed endless as they walked along, but the tracks continued along it and they were assured that they were still moving in the right direction. All the same, Julie couldn¡¯t help but fear that Jack was already dead. All Colt needed was for Arc to think Jack was alive; he didn¡¯t need to be alive. Arc shot down those thoughts each time she spoke them aloud, saying that Colt was a gloated and he¡¯d want to dangle Jack in front of him before killing the young man.


    ¡°Out of all of Colt¡¯s minions, Jolly Roger is going to pay the most,¡± said Arc, having silenced Julie¡¯s doubts for the fifth.


    ¡°We¡¯re settled on the name then?¡± she asked, having suggested a dozen different ones, each of them more spiteful than the last. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound harsh enough to me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it wrong, Julie,¡± said Arc, shaking his head. ¡°You don¡¯t want to give him a basic or cool nickname. You want it to sound just goofy enough that it evokes a laugh the first few times you hear it. Our enemies must feel mocked, not emboldened. Something like Chuckles would work too, while some of your foul-mouthed suggestions would maybe get a wince at best.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think I was capable of those words,¡± admitted Julie.


    ¡°Nor I.¡±


    ¡°I think Jack influences me more than I realise sometimes. Not that that¡¯s always a bad¡ª¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Arc, holding up his hand and then pointing over the hills in the distance. ¡°See that?¡±


    ¡°Black clouds?¡± asked Julie before squinting and realising that the spreading darkness was drifting upwards, not along. ¡°Smoke?¡±


    ¡°Smoke,¡± confirmed Arc, pulling out his revolver and marching ahead. ¡°Let¡¯s pray that it isn¡¯t the burning remains of the truck your brother was in.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe we should pray that it is and he¡¯s safe.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll happily take that one.¡±


    The arid badlands they walked along had little else except for stones and sharp grass that grew in occasional clumps where the soil retained just enough moisture to let it survive. Rain was a luxury in this part of the world, falling typically two or three times a month, and a town that wasn¡¯t built near a river was one that wasn¡¯t going to last for very long.


    Humans had gotten used to storing large quantities of water in tanks and barrels on the streets or the roofs of their houses, collecting every last drop they could gather when the opportunity arose, for they had no idea when the next rainfall would come. It had been decades since anyone had given it a second thought; it was simply part of life now.


    Arc and Julie pressed ahead and kept just far enough away from the road that they felt safe, but as they walked, it became clear that the road was drifting off to the right, while the smoke was coming from somewhere to the left. Whatever lay on the other side of the hills may not have been the car, but they had to check to be sure.


    The duo crept up the sloping ground, keeping low as they moved. They managed to keep mostly quiet save for when Julie slipped on a few loose stones. Luckily, Arc was quick off the mark and grabbed her arm before she slid down and scraped the skin from her legs. After a hushed thank you from the young girl, he pulled her back up and the two proceeded more carefully until they reached the apex.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    What was causing the smoke was not that shocking; a large bonfire of wood, but what was sitting on its fat backside beside the fire left Julie stunned and Arc smirking.


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± he said, giving Julie a wink. ¡°Perfect target practice for you.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Julie asked, scared of the creature that was scratching its bulbous stomach.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a hill giant before?¡±


    ¡°I heard they existed, but I never thought I would see one in person.¡±


    The hill giant was a fat, ugly lump of a creature that had more hair on its chest and back than it did on its head. It had vacant eyes that stared through its bonfire and a slacked jaw that you could have crammed a car tyre into if you were forceful enough. Its arms and legs were a mixture of muscle and fat with countless cuts, bruises and scars. This giant had seen plenty of battles and had survived to tell the tale.


    Perhaps it had seen one recently as, on the dirt beside it, lay two human skeletons that had their bones picked clean of flesh. There were black marks on the bones of one skeleton, indicating whoever it once was had died in the fire or the giant had overcooked this portion of his succulent meal.


    ¡°That¡­that couldn¡¯t be Jack and Jolly Roger, could it?¡± asked Julie weakly.


    ¡°Nah,¡± said Arc. ¡°It would struggle to catch up to a car and one of the skeletons is too big to be your brother. It¡¯s not them.¡±


    Julie was reassured by this, but she still felt uneasy. ¡°We can¡¯t fight this thing. What should we do?¡± she asked, shifting her head lower, fearing that the giant would spot two more tasty morsels watching it.


    ¡°Fight it?¡± asked Arc. ¡°Nah, we shoot it. It¡¯s one thing practicing on targets that don¡¯t move, another entirely to practice against one that¡¯s moving. And not only that, but if you¡¯re going to kill a human, evil as the human may be, it¡¯ll help you if you kill a creature that feeds on your own species without a second thought. It''s sad to say, but you need to be desensitised.¡±


    The giant raised up an arm, startling Julie, but he scratched his arm pit, gave his fingers a sniff and then lowered his arm again. Julie scrunched up her face, finding the creature repulsive, but Arc found the simplicity of the beast¡¯s mind strangely charming. Another look at the skeletons beside it rid him of that thought quickly.


    ¡°Alright, take out your gun and make sure you take the safety off,¡± said Arc, drawing his own revolver just in case things took a turn for the worse. ¡°You¡¯ve got two options, Julie. Aim for the head and hope you can take him out good and quick, or aim for the leg and cripple him so he can¡¯t chase you easily.¡±


    ¡°Why would I not aim for the head first?¡±


    ¡°Because if you miss, he¡¯s going to come charging in faster than a pack of coyotes, young lady. Are you confident in your accuracy after only minutes of target practice?¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you tell me what to do?¡±


    ¡°If we get ourselves into a scrap with Colt, Jolly Roger and the rest of the unruly crew, I can¡¯t give you step by step instructions while trying to lay waste to our enemies. I¡¯m not that good, and I can¡¯t see out of your eyes. I need you to be able to make your own calls in the thick of it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Julie, taking a deep breath and creeping up slightly higher. She kept low and held her pistol in both hands while staring down the sight. ¡°Here it goes.¡±


    ¡°No talking,¡± said Arc. ¡°Keep quiet and let yourself focus.¡±


    Julie lined up her target and aimed carefully, trying very hard to steady her shaking hands. As vile as the creature was, she felt pity for it as she readied herself to assassinate it. When she was ready, she gently squeezed the trigger and a lone bullet erupted from her gun as the shot rang out across the badlands. Less than a second later, the giant let out a quaking roar as it clutched what was left of its nose.


    ¡°Oh shit,¡± said Arc with a chuckle, aiming at the giant who had sprung up and around, looking towards him and Julie. ¡°Do something!¡±


    Julie stood up as the giant reached into the fire and grabbed one of his burning tree stumps. He cocked his arm back as the blood streamed down his face and launched the flaming wood at the hill. Arc slid down, grabbing Julie by the leg and pulling her back onto the ground as the log whizzed overhead with the fire streaming along behind it. It smashed into the ground at the bottom of the hill and broke into hundreds of ashy pieces.


    ¡°Quite the arm on him,¡± said Arc, enjoying himself. Stupid foes were his favourite foes.


    He grabbed Julie with one hand and pulled her back to the top of the hill, keeping his revolver at the ready. The giant ran forward with thundering footsteps and Julie aimed for his left knee, squeezing the trigger again. She was shaking so much that she missed its knee and the giant took the bullet in the stomach. It barely phased the hulking brute as he continued his heavy bounding towards the little creatures he wanted to tear asunder.


    ¡°What do I do?¡± squealed Julie.


    ¡°Shoot!¡± called Arc, not yet prepared to step in. She needed the pressure to prepare her for what may be coming next.


    Julie fired three more rounds, missing once and striking the giant in the thigh twice, yet he still kept on coming. The hill shook as he stormed up it. Arc turned around and slid down the loose stones, speeding his way to the bottom and leaving Julie by herself. In a panic, she launched herself after him as the giant¡¯s head peeked out to watch its dessert sliding away.


    Arc pulled Julie to her feet and she turned around right as the giant stood atop the hill. She pointed her gun at him and emptied the rest of her magazine, managing to get three good shots into the brute¡¯s skull. It froze and wobbled unsteadily as it fought to cling to life.


    The hill giant¡¯s face looked dopier than ever before as its eyes drooped to a close. He let out a weak groan before slumping over and tumbling down the hill. He rolled and spun, picking up speed as Arc and Julie ran to the side to avoid being flattened. The giant slowed upon reaching the flat land and came to a halt, his half-closed, dead eyes now staring at the sky and his face covered in dust that had stuck to the mess of blood from his eviscerated nose.


    ¡°Not bad, not bad,¡± said Arc, nodding proudly and patting Julie on the shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ll make a marksman out of you yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­¡± stammered Julie as she stared at the dead giant, her entire body shaking vigorously. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s¡­ha-happening¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the adrenaline,¡± said Arc. ¡°There¡¯s nothing like a first kill to get the body firing on all cylinders. It won¡¯t be so bad the next time. The time after that, you¡¯ll find it easier still. After a while, you¡¯ll be so used to it that you¡¯ll not even think about it.¡±


    Julie stood silently trembling while Arc walked up to the giant and looked at the beast¡¯s ugly face. He poked him with the tip of his revolver, checking to make sure that he was definitely dead and not just knocked out. It wouldn¡¯t be unheard of for giants that appeared dead to simply be unconscious, so sturdy were the species. Assured that the last vestiges of life had left its body, Arc walked over to Julie and pointed at her gun.


    ¡°That thing¡¯s empty,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve only got one more magazine, so we¡¯re not going to take any more shots unless it¡¯s a necessity, alright?¡±


    ¡°Y-y-yes,¡± said Julie, trying to put the safety back on, but she couldn¡¯t keep steady enough to do it.


    Arc took the gun from her hand and did it for her before twirling it around on his finger and handing it back over. Julie looked at him, wanting to say thank you, but found herself unable to get the words out coherently.


    ¡°It¡¯s all good, Julie,¡± said Arc. ¡°You now know that you¡¯ve got it in you, right?¡±


    ¡°R-r-right.¡±


    ¡°Wait until Jack hears about this. He¡¯s going to not believe you for thirsty seconds, then he¡¯ll sing your praises in a high-pitched voice and, finally, he¡¯ll start muttering under his breath about how cool you are. He¡¯ll think that you don¡¯t hear him, but you will.¡±


    ¡°He¡­he does do that¡­doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± said Arc with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m his hero, even if he won¡¯t admit it aloud. It¡¯s nice to be appreciated, you know? Anyway, let¡¯s get a move on and find that brother of yours before that mouth of his riles up Colt¡¯s crew so much that they shoot him before we get there.¡±


    Arc paused as Julie looked up at him with narrowed eyes and a twitching mouth.


    ¡°That was a joke,¡± he said before jerking his head to the side and wincing. ¡°Alright, it wasn¡¯t funny. You¡¯re right.¡±

 Chapter 18 - The Stone Garden

    Arc and Julie looked at the road, their eyes following the tyre tracks from the sand-strewn asphalt to the cracked ground. The tracks led up to a stone tunnel that made its way into the side of the cliff, leaving the road firmly behind it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± agreed Arc. ¡°But if we¡¯re to find Jacky Boy, this is the way we go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    Drawing both his revolver and his spellcaster, Arc marched on ahead and Julie followed closely behind. The bounty hunter was keenly aware that going through the tunnel could as easily have been a trap as it could have been the way towards Colt¡¯s base, but he knew there was no choice but to keep on walking.


    The duo entered the dark tunnel that grew dimmer with each passing step that put the sunlight further behind them. It had been hot outside, but it was sweltering in here with no ventilation to speak of. This only exacerbated the foul smell wafting down the tunnel; the smell of a garlicky rotten fish.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to be sick,¡± said Julie weakly. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± said Arc, but he had an inkling. ¡°It could be a lizard.¡±


    ¡°A lizard?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, scaly fellas with sharp teeth and claws.¡±


    ¡°I know what a lizard is.¡±


    ¡°Then why¡¯d you ask?¡±


    ¡°I just¡­oh, stop it.¡±


    Arc chuckled and Julie gave him a small punch in the back. In a serious situation like this, his jokes were not appreciated, but it had achieved the desired effect of taking her mind off her brother¡¯s kidnapping for a brief moment. Sadly, the hollow feeling inside her returned shortly afterwards.


    The further they walked, the stronger the foul smell became. Arc was more convinced than ever it was some sort of lizard, but he could only guess as to the type. He didn¡¯t think it would be kobolds as they tended to smell more like damp rags. It wasn¡¯t a drake because there were no dragons for them to guard in these parts and that was presuming that dragons hadn¡¯t gone extinct, as had long been theorised.


    There was now utter darkness and Arc had to run the side of his hand along the wall to stop himself from tripping over. Had the car still be usable, driving through with the headlights on would have been a breeze. Without a doubt, he and Julie would have been at the other side by now.


    Julie grabbed onto the back of Arc¡¯s jacket. ¡°Would you believe I thought a peaceful life was possible just this morning?¡±


    ¡°No such thing, Julie,¡± said Arc. ¡°Especially not if you want to do some good in this world.¡±


    ¡°I was happy just making enough money to live and never setting foot outside of Pembroke again.¡±


    ¡°Trouble would have come one day,¡± said Arc. ¡°I had just hoped that it would have been years down the line for you, when you and your brother were prepared for it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. You do know that, right?¡±


    Arc smiled a smile that couldn¡¯t be seen. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ll pay you back when we can?¡±


    ¡°Pay me back?¡±


    ¡°For looking out for us all the time.¡±


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯m not looking for payback.¡±


    Julie tugged on his jacket. ¡°We¡¯re going to pay you back and you¡¯re going to accept it, one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Live and prepare yourselves for the next bad day,¡± said Arc. ¡°That is payment. Money, goods, favours¡­I don¡¯t need that from either of you.¡±


    Julie was about to speak again, but Arc suddenly stopped moving. He ran his hand over the wall that was now metal rather than stone. It couldn¡¯t have been a door, could it? He felt around and located a metal bar running along the middle and over to another door right beside the first.


    ¡°Give me a hand, would you?¡± Arc asked Julie, taking her wrist and placing it on the left handle while he took the right.


    The two gave the handles a shove and they compressed before opening up and flooding their eyes with light. The pair were blinded by the sun that shone down into the small clearing they had discovered. After their eyes adjusted, they both recoiled in horror and Arc raised both of his guns. A split second from firing, the spellslinger breathed a sigh of relief.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°It¡¯s dead,¡± he said.


    ¡°I almost fainted,¡± said Julie, leaning against the wall.


    What sat before them was a large reptilian corpse that had been staring at the door, no doubt having died waiting to be released. Its scaly skin lay on the ground, surrounding the creature, having slid from its body as the flesh beneath rotted away. All that was left was a brownish skeleton beast with no eyes.


    Behind the skeleton stood two dozen stone statues. A few remained perfectly intact, but most of them had been bashed to pieces or were partially crumbled away. Most of the remaining statues were of men, but one was of a woman and the other was of a young child, not much older than Julie.


    ¡°Statues?¡± she asked, standing up straight and walking into the clearing that was surrounded by cliffs.


    ¡°Statues,¡± said Arc grimly. He didn¡¯t have the heart to tell her how these statues had gotten here.


    Julie walked over to one of the broken statues and picked up its head in her hands. It was of a woman whose face was fixed into a scream. It was both chilling and mesmerising to Julie, who ran her fingers over the statue¡¯s features.


    ¡°It¡¯s so lifelike,¡± she said.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± said Arc, looking over his shoulder. ¡°We should probably get moving while we¡¯ve still got daylight. At least with this door open, we can see further ahead.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t curious about these statues?¡±


    ¡°Their origin is a riveting tale, no doubt. Unfortunately, not one we have time to worry about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m missing something, aren¡¯t I?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that subtle, am I?¡± mused Arc, walking over to one of the statues of the men. He put his hand on its shoulder and then looked to Julie. ¡°These statues were not always statues, in the same way that the big lizard over there was not always a skeleton. They were alive not so long ago.¡±


    Julie gasped and dropped the statue¡¯s head. It broke an ear on the ground and Julie¡¯s hands trembled as she reached to pick it up, but she drew her hands back up and took a few steps towards Arc.


    ¡°That big guy over there?¡± said the spellslinger. ¡°Is a basilisk. What he¡¯s doing locked up in here and what this clearing is doing here are questions I can¡¯t answer. What I can say for sure is that these unfortunate souls looked into his eyes and were turned to stone instantly.¡±


    ¡°It killed them?¡± asked Julie, looking around. Even with the sun beating down, chills spread throughout her body.


    ¡°Once upon a time, there was a way to restore people who had been petrified back to life. The clerics of old could cast divine spells to restore them to their original forms, but there are as many clerics left as there are mages. Even divine magic was largely stamped out after the Arcanaclysm.¡±


    ¡°And what about the broken statues?¡±


    ¡°The broken statues would be restored with their broken parts still broken. I reckon that headless lady you dropped would have been dead even before you broke her ear, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Julie walked over to the basilisk¡¯s skeleton. ¡°These things just¡­exist? They walk around, turning people to stone for no reason? All with a glance¡­¡±


    ¡°For millennia, yes. From what I remember, they were hunted to near extinction and they retreated to the underground to hide.¡±


    ¡°You were right,¡± said Julie. ¡°Let¡¯s leave immediately.


    ¡°Fine by me,¡± said Arc, taking a few steps towards the door. Before stepping through it, he heard the pitter patter of many feet scurrying along the stone. ¡°Close your eyes!¡±


    Julie did as she was told and then placed her hands over them for good measure. She didn¡¯t dare reach for her gun to shoot at the unseen foe, fearing that she would hit Arc rather than her target.


    Arc himself squatted by the edge of the door, waiting for the creatures to come into the room with both his revolver and spellcaster at the ready. The sound of the rushing footsteps grew heavier, but they were dull thuds rather than stomps. What was coming was not an adult basilisk.


    Small lizards bounded into the clearing, their petrifying eyes fixed on the shaking Julie. With several bangs, the three young basilisks stopped moving. Arc closed his eyes and walked over to where he knew each of them to be. He raised his foot high and then crushed each of them in turn beneath his boot.


    Their reptilian bodies made sickening cracks and squelches as he broke them. The last of the three even let out a croaking screech, having been unfortunate enough to remain alive before Arc squashed it. For good measure, he stomped on that one a couple more times to ensure its death.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright,¡± said Arc, but Julie didn¡¯t uncover her eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± she asked.


    Arc walked over to the tunnel and looked up and down. He stood silently for a minute, listening for anything scrambling towards him, but there was only silence. He walked back over to Julie and took her wrists, lowering them.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright,¡± he said resolutely.


    Julie opened her eyes and blinked a couple of times. ¡°Okay,¡± she said squeakily.


    Arc dragged his feet along the ground, trying to clean the blue blood, but it did little. He would need to give them a good scrub back in Pembroke whenever he, Jack and Julie made their way back from Colt¡¯s hideout.


    ¡°Come on,¡± said Arc, leading the way out of the stone garden, but keeping both of his guns handy.


    The two walked along the tunnel in silence, neither feeling much like talking just in case there was something else lurking in the shadows. Every so often, Julie would close her eyes and take the back of Arc¡¯s jacket before getting the courage to look again a minute later.


    It wasn¡¯t long before light appeared in the distance, signalling that the end of the tunnel was close. Julie was relieved, but Arc was perhaps even more relieved, even if he refused to show it. He had feared showing up to rescue Jack with Julie already dead, but to have her turned into a statue by a basilisk seemed somehow worse.


    ¡°More!¡± cried Julie, seeing a few reptilian figures on the ground.


    ¡°They¡¯re already dead,¡± said Arc, not deterred.


    The two walked up to the five dead basilisks. They were all similar in size to the three that Arc had killed, and all five had been crushed by something heavy that left a bloody blue trail in its wake.


    ¡°Tyre tracks,¡± said Arc brightly. ¡°Look at that, we¡¯re still going the right way.¡±


    ¡°We were in a tunnel with only one way to go,¡± said Julie.


    ¡°That we were, Julie,¡± said Arc, walking out into the open.


    Julie couldn¡¯t help but laugh. As wild of an emotional rollercoaster as she had been on the last few hours, there was something comforting about Arc¡¯s apparent joviality. She often had thoughts about what made him so optimistic in a world as cruel as this, but she never liked to pry too much into his past.


    She hurried to catch up with Arc as he headed over to a new road where the last remnants of the basilisk blood told the duo the way forward. Julie was filled with renewed determination to find her brother and rescue him from Colt¡¯s clutches.

 Chapter 19 - On the Outside

    Night had fallen as Arc and Julie followed the road, maintaining their distance from it as they had done before finding the basilisk-infested tunnel. The tracks left behind were slowly starting to be recovered by the sweeping sand, but Arc was still certain that they were going the right way to find where Jolly Roger had taken Jack and he was confident that where Jack was, Colt would be too.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been walking all day,¡± sighed Julie, starting to give up hope of reaching Colt¡¯s hideout before morning. ¡°Why would Colt have a base so far away, it doesn¡¯t make any sense!¡±


    ¡°We could have driven here in under an hour if I hadn¡¯t destroyed the damn fuel tank,¡± said Arc.


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have needed to come this far if you hadn¡¯t done that.¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Arc let out a dry laugh. ¡°In any case, remember what I said about Pembroke being neutral territory? There¡¯s a reason that Colt doesn¡¯t have his headquarters too close to the town. He would piss off the rest of the bandit groups that want it. He¡¯s a cunning fella, no doubt, and the last thing he wants is all-out war between him and his rivals.¡±


    ¡°What about the outpost?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°That was for reassurance that his territory remained in his own hands, not because he was trying to expand. At least, not yet. I¡¯m sure he¡¯d love nothing more than to expand, but his men have a habit of dying when a handsome spellslinger rocks up with a golden gun.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re awfully full of yourself sometimes, aren¡¯t you?¡± asked Julie with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°At least seven women have said as much to me and only one was a relative.¡±


    ¡°And yet you don¡¯t have a girlfriend.¡±


    Arc¡¯s face told Julie that she had hit upon a sore spot, but he covered it up with a smile.


    Desperate to relieve the awkward silence, Julie veered back on-topic. ¡°Do you think Jolly Roger open firing on us in the town will get him and his men a ban from Pembroke?¡±


    ¡°Enforced by who?¡± asked Arc with a shrug. ¡°The guards will turn a blind eye, especially seeing as nobody was killed except for Colt¡¯s own men. I reckon the other bandits will see that as a win. Maybe not so much of a win that they¡¯ll seek me out and shower me with gold for all my troubles, but maybe they¡¯ll hesitate if I ever run afoul of them.¡±


    ¡°Even sounds overly optimistic,¡± remarked Julie.


    ¡°You know me, Jule,¡± said Arc. ¡°I¡¯m ever the optimist.¡±


    Julie stopped walking and took a deep breath. It was her turn to have a sore spot pressed upon.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± Arc asked turning to her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to make a big deal of it, but can you not call me Jule?¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­only Jack calls me that.¡±


    ¡°As I said, fine by me,¡± said Arc, away and walking once again.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± said Julie quietly.


    Something poking out from one of the looming cliffs ahead caught Arc¡¯s eye. There was a faint twinkle in the night as though a sliver of shining moonlight had caught what it ought not to have for a moment before it was gone.


    ¡°What do we have here?¡± he muttered, running up ahead, following the upwards slope and ignoring the road that passed between two cliffs.


    Julie ran after him, hoping that they finally had finally found something more than a decreasingly visible set of tyre tracks to follow. Her morale was slow and she needed something to pull her out of the vat of pessimism she¡¯d been lowered into as the day had faded into night.


    ¡°Keep low,¡± Arc whispered while beckoning her forward. ¡°It looks like we¡¯ve finally hit the jackpot, little lady.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°That, Julie, is a factory.¡±


    The large structure was made from concrete and panels of metal that had long-since lost their paint, giving way to ever-encroaching rust. There were odd assortments of pipes, small and large, connecting one section of the factory to another and two large chimneys that hadn¡¯t felt a tinge of smoke in countless years, but continued reaching into the sky in the hope of purpose. At the far side of the building were large rounded tanks that had long ladders reaching to their tops and railings around the roof to keep the walkways safe for whoever made the climb up.


    Standing watch on one of these walkways and a further walkway on the flat of the factory roof were men with guns, while two more patrolled back and forth along the perimeter of the chain fence. Every so often, they¡¯d stop and look around before continuing their slow steps. Resting on the asphalt within the confines of the fence, just outside the main factory building were four pickup trucks, one of which was more haphazardly parked than the others.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    ¡°Well, Julie,¡± said Arc with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ve found them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure these are Colt¡¯s men?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Does that vehicle look familiar?¡± asked Arc subtly pointing to the haphazardly parked truck.


    Julie gasped and then placed her hands over her mouth, worried that she had been too loud. ¡°Yes. That¡¯s the one, isn¡¯t it? Jolly Rodger¡¯s car!¡±


    ¡°Bingo.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡±


    ¡°Four men on patrol outside, and no doubt another couple dozen inside,¡± said Arc, taking out his guns. ¡°Three Arcane Shots left to use, but the bright lights would attract too much attention, even if I was able to somehow get in range of all four of Colt¡¯s vigilant lackeys. I¡¯ve got maybe twenty-five or twenty-six revolver rounds left while you¡¯ve got, what, thirteen rounds in your magazine?¡±


    Arc contemplated for a moment, furrowing his brow as he tried to crunch numbers based on his estimations of how many men would be in the building. Julie watched the cogs turning in Arc¡¯s brain as the spellslinger¡¯s eyes flicked back and forth across the factory.


    ¡°We¡¯ll manage,¡± he said after a short while. ¡°It would be nice to have a few more spell cartridges, but finding that gun in the glove compartment was a real gift. It means I don¡¯t need to piss myself worrying about you going in unprotected.¡±


    ¡°I take it that means I¡¯m allowed to come in?¡±


    ¡°If I told you that you couldn¡¯t, would you listen to me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Julie. ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    ¡°To start with,¡± said Arc, moving slowly along the cliff while keeping far back from the edge. ¡°I want to get the lay of the land. Our best bet is to introduce the guards to one of my good friends, Mr Sharp Knife. The less ammo wastage for the early kills, the better. It means I can afford a few misses, which I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll have. As good of a shot as I am, I can¡¯t land them all.¡±


    Arc and Julie crept along the cliff, dropping to the ground and freezing any time it looked like a guard¡¯s head was turned in their direction. To their relief, they always passed on by moments later and gave no second thoughts to the small shadows that could just as easily have been rocks, if they had even noticed them at all.


    Upon reaching as far as the cliff would take them, Arc had seen enough. There was a sizable hole in the fence right by the gate that he and Julie could slip through without making much noise. The factory windows were too grimy to see through and even the broken ones opened only into more darkness.


    Along the cliff, Arc had found a small chasm that he could slip down to reach the fence without walking along the main road. It would be an awkward climb and a painful fall, but he was confident that he could make it and help Julie down at the same time.


    He and Julie crawled back to it and waited until the ground guards were waiting by the gate before slipping down, wedging themselves between the two rock faces. Arc had a much easier time of this and he had to shimmy his way down while holding one arm to the underside of Julie¡¯s leg to relieve some of her weight. As slender as she was, she was not as strong as her brother and struggled to support herself.


    Once they were safely at the bottom, the two dusted themselves off and pressed themselves against the rocks, trying to blend in as much as possible. With the guards being much closer now, reality started to sink in for Julie and she was filled with dreadful anxiety at the thought of having to kill a human, but Arc assured her that he would do as much of the killing as possible and her role was to watch his back while prioritising her own safety.


    They waited as the guards continued their routine, taking care to count if the timings were consistent. They weren¡¯t, but that only made things easier as having all of the guards facing or moving away from them was exactly what Arc wanted.


    ¡°One of the guards is slipping around the side,¡± said Arc, before looking to the guards on the roof. ¡°Those two aren¡¯t facing us. Now¡¯s our chance.¡±


    He hurried over to the fence and moved quietly alongside it with Julie keeping close to him. Arc unsheathed his knife as they drew upon to the guard who was too busy scratching his nose to notice his pursuer until it was too late.


    Arc placed a hand over the guard¡¯s mouth and stabbed him in the neck before he could let out more than a low groan. The bounty hunter dragged his victim over to some rocks and dropped the bandit¡¯s body, which lay limp on the ground. Arc gathered a handful of sand and scattered it on the blood at the gate as he headed for the hole in the fence, disguising his successful assassination as much as possible.


    He helped Julie through the hole before climbing through himself and looked to the perimeter guard who was still moving away from them. With no time to check their surroundings further, they rushed over to the poorly parked pickup truck and crawled underneath it.


    The pair breathed a sigh of relief, glad to have gotten this far without issue. He felt a jolt as Julie tugged on his sleeve and he looked up, wondering what was wrong.


    ¡°Arc,¡± whispered the young girl.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he mouthed to her.


    ¡°The passenger side window is open,¡± said Julie before pointing to the gun tucker in her belt.


    Arc smiled at her and nodded, pleased that she was so observant. Once he was certain there was nobody watching him, he slipped out from under the car and reached inside the window. He opened the glovebox and felt around. His fingertips brushed along a cold bar of metal and he wrapped them around it, pulling out the magazine and then crawling back under the pickup truck.


    ¡°Good job,¡± he whispered to Julie, passing her the magazine, receiving a smile in return.


    The two strained their eyes through the darkness as clouds covered the moon, making everything under it even more difficult to discern. Worried that it wouldn¡¯t be long before the patrolling guard realised his buddy was dead a few yards away, Arc gave Julie the signal and they crawled low, making their way underneath each of the cars in turn. Every chance he got, Arc tried the doors of the cars, only to find them locked. He decided it wasn¡¯t worth smashing the windows and drawing attention for weapons and ammo that might not be there.


    Once they were free from underneath the final car, Arc and Julie quickstepped over to a low wall that lay by a small set of concrete stairs. At the top of the stairs, lay a door; their ticket inside Colt¡¯s base.


    ¡°The coast looks to be clear,¡± said Arc, looking around. ¡°Agreed?¡±


    Julie surveyed the area as best as she could before giving Arc a nod. ¡°Agreed,¡± she mouthed.


    The spellslinger creeped out from behind the wall and up the stairs while watching over Julie as she did the same. ¡°Inside,¡± he said.


    Arc pulled out his revolver, opened the door and walked inside with Julie following him. He closed the door behind him, glad that the first step of the mission was out of the way. He was fearful that Julie would get hurt during the infiltration, but he had to push that feeling aside. Their chances of success together were much greater than if he was alone.


    As she had said, if he told her to wait outside, she would have refused and came along anyway, so desperate was she to find her brother. No, they were best to stick together and far beyond the point of no return.


    That left Arc with two tasks before the night was through. He had to find Jack and reunite him with Julie, and he had to make sure that Colt the Scourge was dead, along with as many of his bandits as possible.

 Chapter 20 - Move and Kill

    The dark corridor stretched out before Arc and Julie as they raised their guns. Even though they saw nothing, the two kept their weapons aloft fearing that one of Colt¡¯s men would round the far corner at any second. After thirty seconds of holding their breath, they dared to exhale and Arc gave Julie a nod.


    He led the way along the constricting oblong of concrete and metal, taking careful steps to avoid rustling his clothes. Julie clung close to him, checking over her shoulder constantly, determined to play her role well. If Arc got shot in the back on her watch, she would never have been able to forgive herself.


    At the end of the corridor, Arc hugged the wall and counted down from three before peeking around. Glad to see that all was quiet and the moonlight was being let in through a smashed window above, he walked into the small stairwell and placed a firm foot on the first step. Before taking another step, he listened carefully, just in case he heard the breathing of bandits waiting in ambush. If he heard as much as a single rasp, he was throwing Julie back into the corridor to keep her from harm.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he whispered as lowly as he could manage. ¡°I think we¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°Where to?¡± mouthed Julie, not trusting herself to emit any noise.


    ¡°Next floor up,¡± replied Arc. ¡°If we start from the top and work our way down, that only makes an escape more difficult. We would have bandits in our way every step we take. We¡¯re going to clear out Colt¡¯s men as they come, but I suspect the second we start shooting is the second the whole factory goes on high alert. I¡¯ll try and avoid that for as long as possible, but I reckon it''s inevitable.¡±


    Julie gave him a nod and the two started their trepidatious ascent. Upon reaching a steel door leading, Arc gave its bar handle a light push and found that it was open. He kept the barrel of his gun pointing through the gap as he pressed his shoulder against the metal, leaning hard until it was wide open. He held up a hand and beckoned Julie through before closed it. He then stepped in front of her to shield her from any surprise attacks.


    The pair began moving cautiously along with Julie continuing to look over her shoulder every couple of steps. With every room they passed, they took a glance inside and found them to be mostly abandoned. Occasionally, there would be a bedroll or two and a few backpacks, indicating that these rooms were where Colt¡¯s men would hole themselves up for the night before venturing out during the day.


    Suddenly, Arc held up a hand and froze his movement, leading Julie to do the same. He cupped his hand to his ear, listening intently. Exactly as he thought. There were voices coming from somewhere up ahead. They were faint, but they appeared to be laughing and joking based on the sound. Well, they were about to find out that their jokes weren¡¯t so funny after all.


    The two edged along the corridor, listening for where the chatter and laughter was coming from. It must have been at least around the next corner and in one of the rooms for it to be as stifled as it was. Arc¡¯s ears continued to prick up with each small boom in volume. So focused was he that he didn¡¯t notice the shadow lurking in one of the rooms he passed.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± called a weaselly voice from the room.


    As the man reached for his gun, Arc burst inside and tackled the bandit to the ground, knocking his gun aside. Julie raised hers to shoot, but Arc knew this would be a mistake.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fire,¡± he told her as he thrust his head down and broke the man¡¯s nose.


    ¡°Augh,¡± grunted the man, his eyes rolling as he clenched his jaw to deal with the pain.


    ¡°Goodnight,¡± said Arc, raising his revolver and cracking the man across the side of the head with it.


    The man let out a pained yelp before Arc struck him again. Each time the man refused to die, Arc beat him. He beat him until his head was a bloody mess and he started twitching. Knowing that the man would not be able to make any sudden moves, Arc drew his knife and plunged it into the man¡¯s eye socket, first piercing his eyeball and then forcing it into the man¡¯s brain, killing him.


    Julie stood at the back of the room shaking as she continued to point her gun at the man. ¡°Is he¡­is he¡­¡± she began, but couldn¡¯t say anything else.


    ¡°Assuredly,¡± said Arc quietly, wiping his knife on the man¡¯s shirt and stashing it back in the small sheath on his belt. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡­I¡­think so.¡±


    The spellslinger walked over to the trembling girl and placed his hands on her shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to see that, Julie, but it had to be done. If you want to hide in here until I¡¯m finished, that¡¯s fine. I understand that none of this is easy for you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± said Julie, shaking her head defiantly. ¡°I¡­I have to come, Arc. I have to.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± said Arc, ¡°but we¡¯ll try and avoid any more mistakes. I was concerning myself with the voices so much that I lost my vigilance. A mistake like that can be fatal, as it almost was. If that dope hadn¡¯t spoken out in shock, he could have shot both of us before we had a chance to react.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The two departed from the room and resumed their original strategy of checking through each doorway before moving along. In one of the rooms close to where the voices were coming from was a sleeping man.


    Arc crept into the room while Julie waited just inside by the door. As the bounty hunter closed in on the man, she fought to keep her eyes open, but couldn¡¯t help but shut them. When she heard the faint plop of the knife being plunged into the man¡¯s throat, she wished she had been able to keep her eyes open. With only the sound to focus on, it ran through her viscerally and sent a chill up her spine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget,¡± Arc said to her as he walked from the room, ¡°he would do much worse to you and already has done to many others. You don¡¯t get to be on a crew like this without being bound together by the heinous crimes against nature you commit. These men are the lowest of the low.¡±


    Arc and Julie slinked around the corner and tiptoed up to a room with a shut door where a small sliver of light crept through the crack. This was the one. Arc placed his eye to the light and saw a group of seven men drinking from pewter cups and laughing away as they munched down some crispy pork they¡¯d cooked on an old iron stove at the back. The food smelled delicious, but Arc wasn¡¯t here for a meal, although perhaps he would come back for it once this factory was bandit-free.


    ¡°Seven men, six bullets in the cylinder,¡± he said to Julie, who nodded to indicate she understood. ¡°You ready for this?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice,¡± she replied.


    With a glance up and down the corridor to ensure nobody else was nearby, he shoved the door open and fired all six of his shots, hitting each one of his targets and dropping four of them instantly. Three men cried out as they leapt to their feet, two of them with bullet holes in their shoulders and one with a missing ear. Eight bangs later, and they all dropped to the floor as Julie stared down the sights of her pistol.


    ¡°Inside,¡± Arc said, checking to make sure that they hadn¡¯t stirred anybody nearby from their slumber or bathroom break.


    Julie stood still, unable to move her feet.


    ¡°A little slow off the mark, but you did good kid,¡± Arc said to her, hurrying into the room and pulling her with him before closing the door. ¡°You ain¡¯t got time to think about it, alright? We see what weapons these chumps have on them and we keep on moving, you hear?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie breathlessly, her eyes wide with horror.


    She had taken a human life; she couldn¡¯t believe it. And not just one, she had taken three lives. It was for Jack, she told herself. It was for her brother. Every man dead was one less man between her and reuniting with her beloved twin. No, these were not men. These cruel creatures were beasts and no better than goblins or giants.


    They may have drunk cold beers, laughed and enjoyed a helping of pork like a normal person, but that was just a mask. What lay beneath the surface, hidden in their souls, was abject wickedness that could not be redeemed. Once a bandit, always a bandit, and they deserved to pay the ultimate price.


    Arc finished rifling through men¡¯s possessions and shoved all of their guns into his bag, taking a handful of revolver rounds for himself and two half-filled magazines for Julie. He tossed them to her and they whizzed past her, hitting the door as she stood perfectly still.


    ¡°Clear your head,¡± he said to her. ¡°You can stress about death later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said Julie snapping back to life. She turned around turning around and picked up the magazines from the floor.


    She placed them in her pouch and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead with the end of her baggy purple t-shirt. As she adjusted her clothing, she noticed something in the corner of the room. There was a metal box attached to the wall with a metal rod sticking out from it that ran up to the ceiling and out of sight. On the box was a small circle of mesh with dozens of tiny holes and positioned below the circle was a red button.


    ¡°Arc, what¡¯s that?¡± Julie asked.


    Before Arc could answer her, the intercom crackled, making the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.


    ¡°Well, well, well,¡± came the smooth voice of Colt. ¡°If it ain¡¯t my old friend, Arc the Hawk. You¡¯ve caused me an awful lot of trouble over the last couple of weeks, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Arc walked over and pressed on the large red button. ¡°Colt, you son of a bitch, where¡¯s Jack?¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, that young friend of yours who came to visit. He¡¯s been asking about you and I told him that you¡¯d be along soon. Glad you¡¯re not going to disappoint him.¡±


    ¡°Let him go.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, pal.¡±


    ¡°If you bring Jack to me right now, I¡¯ll let you walk away with your life.¡±


    ¡°Hoo wee!¡± cackled Colt upon Arc releasing the button. ¡°You really think you¡¯re in the position of power here, don¡¯t you? Sorry, Hawky, but I¡¯m the one with all of the aces and all you¡¯ve got is a pair of twos. Ain¡¯t that right, young Jack? Go ahead, sonny, you tell him.¡±


    Arc heard a thump from the other side and a grunt from Jack. ¡°Pair of twos¡­¡± muttered the young man and Julie clutched her forehead, trying desperately not to cry.


    ¡°Let him go, Colt,¡± said Arc. ¡°Or the last thing you¡¯ll see is a rain of fire upon your entire operation. You¡¯ve seen what I¡¯m capable of by now. I won¡¯t let a single one of your men walk out of this factory alive and I¡¯ll make sure I save you for last, you hapless oaf.¡±


    ¡°No need for petty name calling, my friend. If you want to see your pint-sized friend, you and that little girl had better meet me on the roof good and soon. Clock is ticking for Master Jack, Arc, and I¡¯m not a patient man.¡±


    The intercom crackled again and let out a small tone of static before falling dead silent. Arc wiped the sweat from his brow and shook his head before letting out a dry laugh. It wasn¡¯t a laugh of amusement, more a laugh of knowing how stupid he was about to be.


    The bounty hunter looked to Julie, who was biting her lower lip. ¡°Well,¡± Arc said to her, ¡°looks like this is where I go it alone.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± cried Julie, running over to Arc and hitting him on the chest. ¡°You can¡¯t bring me all this way, let me hear my brother on some¡­some radio and then kick me aside because Colt says the clock is ticking. We can stand up to him together.¡±


    ¡°Julie,¡± said Arc, taking her by the shoulders and pushing her back so she couldn¡¯t keep thumping him. ¡°Listen to me, alright? Yes, I¡¯m going to the roof alone, but there¡¯s something else I want you to do for me.¡±


    The young woman calmed down. She was heaving up and down as she drew in breath and then exhaled, but she nodded so that Arc knew she was ready to listen.


    ¡°When we were scouting the factory out by the cliff, I was trying to absorb every detail. Now, I¡¯ve got a theory and, if it¡¯s correct, we may be able to get out of here alive.¡±


    ¡°Jack too?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Jack too.¡±


    Julie nodded and wiped the tears from her eyes. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for overreacting,¡± she said. ¡°Tell me what you want me to do and I¡¯ll do it. No questions asked.¡±


    Arc smiled comfortingly. ¡°Attagirl,¡± he said. ¡°Now listen closely.¡±

 Chapter 21 - Showdown at the Factory

    Arc marched up the stairwell, his boots clinking and clanking with every step he took on his way to the rooftop. He had his revolver in one hand, loaded with six rounds, and his scarf tied tightly around his neck, just shy of choking him. He had bid farewell to Julie moments ago, very much aware that it may be the last time he saw the girl.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get Jack out alive,¡± was one of the last things he said to her before their separation.


    The bounty hunter fully intended to do just that, even if it cost him his life, but he also had no intention of dying. Colt was clever and capable, but his weakness was his cockiness. He had heard such things before, but the meeting between the two a fortnight ago had proven that.


    Arc paused outside the door to the roof and took a deep breath while his free hand hovered over the door.


    ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± he muttered, pushing the door open and stepping out into the wispy moonlight that was broken by the dark clouds drifting across the sky.


    Arc¡¯s eyes darted across the rooftop. He knew what it looked like, having taken it all in during his brief reconnaissance session no more than an hour ago. Tied to a railing was a badly beaten Jack, who could barely see out of his two blackened eyes. He had a wad of cloth stuffed in his mouth and he was trying to shout to Arc, no doubt warning him about some cunning trap that Colt had planned for him.


    Beside Jack, holding a large shotgun was the bandit Arc and Julie had nicknamed Jolly Roger and he wasn¡¯t looking too jolly, no doubt due to the pair who had killed a bunch of his fellow bandits not so long ago. Perhaps some of them had been close friends, but Arc wasn¡¯t fazed by the man¡¯s angry sneer. After all, Roger had five other friends hanging out on the rooftop with him, so it was quite the party. The rest of the bandits didn¡¯t look too pleased either, save for the big boss himself.


    Standing at the far side of the roof, holding his copper spellcaster rod to his shoulder, was the smirking bandit leader; Colt the Scourge. He already looked like he was having the time of his life, but that seemed to be his default state. Threatening lives and life-threatening situations were his bread and butter, but throw in some vengeance and he was as giddy as could be. If Arc had enough wealth to loot, Colt might have just spontaneously combusted then and there.


    ¡°We going to chat first before you try and kill me?¡± asked Arc before Colt had the chance to speak.


    ¡°Of course!¡± called the bandit leader, his voice brimming with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Arc, flicking his gun out and shooting Roger in the gut.


    He grabbed his stomach with one hand and his expression had turned from fury to one of despair as he staggered backwards. As the other bandits brought their fingers to their triggers, Jolly Roger dropped his shotgun on the ground with a clunk and tripped over the railing before tumbling from the roof and falling to his death.


    ¡°Just a little payback for kidnapping the young lad,¡± said Arc, holding his gun up and pointing it to the sky. ¡°I don¡¯t take kindly to my friends being kidnapped and beaten. I¡¯m sure you understand, Colt.¡±


    The bandit leader cackled wildly. ¡°You are quite the character, Arc the Hawk,¡± he said once he calmed down. ¡°I¡¯ll let that one slide, my friend, but any more of those and I¡¯ll be forced to gun you down mercilessly. I¡¯m sure you understand, Arc.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± said Arc, giving a curt nod.


    ¡°So, where¡¯s the girl?¡± asked Colt, exaggeratedly looking around. ¡°I believe I requested her presence too, did I not?¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And I sent her on her way because I¡¯d prefer she kept her life even if Jack and I lose ours. Might as well have at least one survivor from our little posse. After all, you had all the aces.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± said Colt with a shrug. ¡°And what about that fancy little piece of yours, that spellcaster I was eyeing up the other day?¡±


    ¡°With the girl, just in case any of your minions give her any trouble. That way, she doesn¡¯t need to rely on accuracy.¡±


    Colt raised an eyebrow. ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if I don¡¯t believe you, Arc.¡±


    Arc set his revolver on the ground, took off his jacket and kicked off his boots before turning around on the spot. He then put them all back on and picked up his revolver, all the while Colt¡¯s men looked on in disbelief. Arc wasn¡¯t sure if it was because they thought he was incredibly bold or if it was because they didn¡¯t know why he hadn¡¯t been blasted off the roof by now.


    ¡°That¡¯s a real shame,¡± said Colt, pointing his gun out at Arc. ¡°I was hoping we¡¯d have a real duel, my friend. Spellslinger to spellslinger. Our last one was cut short on account of that spell collision blowing up another one of my beautiful trucks.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s what happened, is it?¡± asked Arc. ¡°My memory is a bit foggy.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Pair of us got knocked out good and clean, so my buddy Jimmy tossed me into the passenger seat and we sped off. He got a real telling off when I woke up because he didn¡¯t bother killing you and taking your weapon, but I let it slide. It was a highly pressurised situation and the poor sod just wanted to get me to safety; can¡¯t fault that. He made things right in the end by finding young Jack. At least he did some good before you killed him.¡±


    ¡°He had it coming,¡± said Arc coldly.


    ¡°You¡¯re a heartless bastard, ain¡¯t you?¡± asked Colt with another guffaw. ¡°Only thing you¡¯re worried about in this life is those two kids. They¡¯re not yours, you¡¯re much too young. Shame you didn¡¯t bring the girl, we could use a plaything around here.¡±


    Arc had to fight the urge to run across the roof and strangle the bandit. ¡°So, Colt,¡± said. ¡°What way¡¯s this going to go then?¡±


    ¡°Seeing as you didn¡¯t bother bringing any aces to the table, I¡¯m going to have to find another way to make some fun. I reckon I¡¯ll start by blowing your arms off and then my buddies here can use you as a punching bag for a while. There¡¯s nice hook down below that we can stick inside your throat and then dangle you over the factory floor for a few days until you stink up the place so bad that we dump you in an unmarked grave somewhere. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d like that at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, Arc,¡± said Colt, closing one eye as he pointed his spellcaster at the bounty hunter. ¡°I¡¯m afraid, you don¡¯t got a choice.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± said Arc, holding up his right hand. ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    A gunshot rang out and Colt dropped his weapon, startling his men who all turned to him. Arc dove for his gun on the ground and unleashed five shots, hitting each of his targets and killing two of them instantly. The last two bandits standing turned on him and raised their weapons only to be shot in the side from a broken roof window underneath.


    Colt the Scourge seized his weapon with his good arm right as Arc the Hawk reached over his shoulder and pulled his spellcaster out from under his scarf. The two aimed their weapons at each other and fired an Arcane Shot. The two magical spheres flew across the roof, colliding and emitting a wave of energy that knocked Arc and Colt to the ground.


    The two spellslingers shot two more Arcane Shots, each of them colliding and bursting into shockwaves. Arc climbed to his feet and charged for Colt, out of Arcane Shots. He held his spellcaster out and, as the bandit leader arose and pulled the trigger, Arc pulled his own trigger.


    His cylinder glowed its familiar blue once again as the white cartridge within unleashed its spell. An ethereal circular shield formed in front of the gun, reaching from Arc¡¯s head to the ground. It moved along with him as he ran, staying fixed in place until Colt¡¯s Arcane Shot struck it and forced it to dissipate.


    Now close enough to his mark, Arc dropkicked Colt in the chest and sent the wicked man flying over the railings. For the first time since Arc had known him, he had a look of fear on his face as he bumped into the glass windows. He slid down and desperately tried to find something to grip onto, but it was no use. He slid right over the edge and fell fifty feet through the air. He landed on the ground with a thick thud and a harrowing crack that echoed in the night, while a burst of dust spread out from underneath his bloody and broken body.


    Arc looked around the rooftop, making sure that he and Jack were alone, before rushing over to his young friend and cutting him free of his bindings with his knife. Jack tried to speak, forgetting that he was tagged, and only emitted an incoherent mumbling. Arc grabbed the cloth and pulled it from his friend¡¯s mouth, tossing it aside and giving the boy a moment to breathe before saying anything.


    ¡°You alright, bud?¡± he asked him as Jack massaged his sore wrists where the rope had cut into them.


    ¡°Much better now,¡± sighed the young man before looking around. ¡°Where¡¯s Julie? Is she okay?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine. Who do you think shot Colt and killed two of his men?¡±


    ¡°Julie did that?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s become quite the shot in the last¡­what, twelve hours?¡± remarked Arc.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it¡­¡± muttered Jack, his eyes wide. ¡°You¡¯re serious?¡±


    ¡°You alright down there, Julie?¡± Arc called to the window beneath the metal walkway where she had shot from.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said, sounding uneasy.


    ¡°See?¡± Arc said to Jack with a grin.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­I don¡¯t know what to say.¡± The young man started laughing incredulously before sweeping his hair back and breathing out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°Please get down here before more of them show up,¡± Julie pleaded.


    ¡°Well, you heard her,¡± said Arc, giving Jack a shrug. ¡°You alright to walk, Jacky Boy, or do you need a piggyback?¡±


    ¡°I can walk,¡± said Jack before holding out his hand to Arc. ¡°Thank you¡­again.¡±


    ¡°No thanks necessary,¡± said Arc, accepting the handshake. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been with me in the first place, Jolly Roger wouldn¡¯t have kidnapped you for bait.¡±


    ¡°Jolly Roger?¡±


    ¡°Ah, what did Colt call him? Jimmy?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember. Colt talks a lot.¡±


    Arc nodded. ¡°The man doesn¡¯t know when to shut up, does he? Well, perhaps I should say he didn¡¯t know when to shut up. If he¡¯d just shot me the second I stepped onto the roof, he¡¯d still be alive and I¡¯d be dead instead.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look a gift horse in the mouth.¡±


    ¡°No arguments here.¡±


    Arc walked from bandit to bandit, lifting their guns, ammunition and whatever coins they had on them. He stashed them all in his bag to sort through later, intending to give some to Jack and Julie a parting gift whenever they made it back to Pembroke. Seeing as Arc had wasted all of his spell cartridges, at least he¡¯d now be able to afford some new ones. No doubt with Colt¡¯s disruption of the supply chains, the bandit leader would have some on his body down below.


    ¡°What was that spell you used?¡± asked Jack, looking to the golden gun holstered by Arc¡¯s side.


    ¡°They call it Minor Shield,¡± said Arc, tapping his spellcaster. ¡°Very useful spell and the first spell I ever witnessed being used by a mage. Remember how I told you about the different schools? Well, that white cartridge you found for me lets me bring up a protective barrier that can protect me for a short while or until its shattered. All it took was one of Colt¡¯s Arcane Shots to break it, but it bought me the time I needed.¡±


    ¡°Why not use that one first?¡± asked Jack. ¡°Could have saved yourself some cartridges.¡±


    ¡°Did I look like I had time to load things on the spot?¡± asked Arc. ¡°I thought there was a chance I¡¯d need to use those Arcane Shots on his men if they took my revolver away. But Colt proved to be more arrogant and sloppier than I first presumed. Again, I¡¯m glad of that, but still.¡±


    ¡°So, the lesson here is to shoot before your enemy gets the chance to shoot you?¡±


    ¡°Seems obvious, you¡¯d think?¡± chuckled Arc, taking out one of the handguns. ¡°You know how to shoot, Jack?¡±


    ¡°Barely,¡± he said, taking the gun. ¡°My dad showed me when I was younger, but I didn¡¯t get much chance to practice.¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± called Julie squeakily from below. ¡°I don¡¯t like being down here by myself.¡±


    ¡°Coming now,¡± said Arc, patting Jack on the back and making him wince. ¡°Sorry,¡± he added apologetically as the young man nursed his wounds.

 Chapter 22 - Purge the Remnants

    ¡°It was dangerous for you to leave her all alone down there,¡± said Jack as Arc helped him down a flight of stairs.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to give me attitude even after risking my life to save you?¡± asked an incredulous Arc.


    Jack paused and thought for a moment. ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°Sometimes I have a big mouth and need to think before I say things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said that?¡±


    ¡°Not in those words.¡±


    ¡°Well, they¡¯re good words, you knucklehead. Take them to heart.¡±


    Jack laughed, but winced from the pain as his abdomen contracted and clutched onto the rails to stop himself from keeling over. ¡°That¡¯s my payback coming in right on schedule.¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± whispered Arc, pulling Jack back from the railing he was using for support.


    ¡°What?¡± mouthed Jack, but he heard it too. A door down below opened and Arc could hear two sets of footsteps hurriedly ascending the stairs.


    The bounty hunter kept low and peeked through the railings to see if he could catch a glimpse of his foes. With a smile, Arc took aim with his revolver at the second-floor walkway and waited. As soon as the first bandit stepped in-line with his iron sights, he squeezed the trigger and splattered the ne¡¯er-do-well¡¯s brains on the floor.


    The other bandit dove out of the way and Arc leaned back, knowing that his enemy would be aiming in his direction. All he needed to get the upper hand was a little distraction. He took two of the guns he¡¯d grabbed from Colt¡¯s men on the roof and slid one of them along the step and off the edge.


    As it fell, there were six successive bangs and a loud grunt of frustration from the bandit. Arc took the next gun and slid it out too, letting it fall and be shot at eight times.


    ¡°Fourteen shots,¡± he muttered, hoping the man was using the same guns as the ones he had just slid into the abyss.


    Arc quickly and quietly moved down three steps and leaned out. He emptied his cylinder as the bandit fired the last bullet in his magazine, only to hit the spot where Arc had been dropping guns from and send a small chunk of concrete spiralling in the air before hitting the wall.


    Three of Arc¡¯s bullets struck the bandit¡ªone in the shoulder and two in the chest¡ªand he fell into the wall before sliding along it and tumbling down the stairs. Arc listened closely and waited, but no movement from the man came. He didn¡¯t even make as much as a moan of pain.


    ¡°Dead,¡± said Arc, looking over his shoulder to Jack.


    The young man was as white as a ghost. ¡°Good,¡± he said.


    Arc walked back up to Jack and put his arm out, giving the lad something to lean on. The bounty hunter helped his young friend down to the floor where Julie was impatiently awaiting them and opened the rusted iron door carefully, not wanting to startle her.


    He held up a hand signalling for Julie to not move as he and Jack stepped through the doorway and onto the grated walkway above the factory floor. Arc held Jack back, knowing that he wanted to run to his sister, but he had to make sure that they were alone.


    He looked across the huge room and surveyed the machinery down below, running a keen eye through the nooks and crannies to ensure that no more bandits were lurking in wait. Even the torn apart crates and boxes could have been hiding spots if the bandits had made enough effort to conceal themselves. After a minute or so, he was satisfied that the area was as clear as he had left it before he and Julie had parted ways.


    Upon being released, Jack limped over to his sister who hurriedly stowed away her gun and ran to embrace her twin brother. The two hugged each other tightly and, although Arc couldn¡¯t see Jack¡¯s face, he knew the young man was in immense pain; to his credit, he hid it well.


    ¡°Brings a tear to my eye,¡± said Arc, walking up to the two of them and ruffling their hairs.


    ¡°Mine too,¡± said Julie, pulling away from her brother¡ªmuch to his relief¡ªand wiping her eyes with her purple t-shirt.


    Arc wanted to tell her that he said that in jest, but decided not to spoil the moment. ¡°You¡¯re a crack shot,¡± he said instead, looking up to the broken glass overhead where he could see the roof walkway. ¡°I thought for sure you¡¯d leave one of them standing and I¡¯d take a bullet or two. And I don¡¯t mean that in a disparaging way, I could have missed just as easily. You¡¯ve got a knack for this.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good thing?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°If she wants to be able to defend herself, yes,¡± said Arc. ¡°If she wants to join up with one of the other bandit gangs, no.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say I fancy that,¡± said Julie, furrowing her brow and making Arc laugh.


    ¡°Now that Colt the Splatter is dead,¡± he said, ¡°what say we round up the last of his minions and see what goodies are hidden around this place? I¡¯d love to buy myself a few new trinkets and give you pair some money to keep yourselves afloat for a while.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± said Julie, throwing her arms around the spellslinger¡¯s waist. ¡°Thank you for saving him, Arc.¡±


    ¡°My pleasure, Julie,¡± he replied, patting her on the shoulder. ¡°Now before we all start weeping like weasels, let¡¯s finish the job.¡±


    Arc led the way through the factory while the two armed teenagers watched the rear and helped him check any side rooms for lurkers. They kept a slow pace to ensure they were quiet, but also to let the pained Jack keep up with them without injuring himself further.


    On the third floor, they encountered a sleeping bandit who had stuffed tissues into his ears to block out any noise. Arc thought it was a shame to wake the man who had managed to miss all of the action, but he had an important message that needed spread.


    ¡°Wakey wakey,¡± he said, tapping the bandit on the chest with his revolver.


    The man jolted awake, looking around wildly before realising that Arc was pointing a gun at him. The bounty hunter seized him by the t-shirt and hauled him out into the corridor. He took him to the stairwell and held him to the edge of the railing. Jack grabbed the tissues from the man¡¯s ears as Arc smiled at the pleading man, who was begging not to be killed.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Be quiet,¡± said Arc and the man did as he was told. ¡°Your boss is dead, as are most of your crewmates. I¡¯m going to give you one chance to make it out of here alive. I¡¯m not even going to tell you what I want you to do before asking for agreement. If you¡¯re in, nod your head. If you¡¯re not, then we¡¯ll see if you can survive your skull smacking solid concrete after a thirty-foot drop.¡±


    The man nodded furiously while saying nothing.


    ¡°Good. My name is Arc the Hawk; you¡¯ve no doubt heard of me by now. You are to go and spread the word to the rest of Colt¡¯s men holed up in other bases, hideouts, outposts and beyond that they¡¯ll be getting no more payments for any work they do. I would also advise each and every one of them, including yourself, to give up the life of banditry because it won¡¯t be long before I show up on their doorsteps and wipe them out. Any who choose to take a more virtuous path and strive for redemption will receive no such visit. Have I made myself clear?¡±


    The man nodded again.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Arc, pulling the bandit back from the edge and shoving him towards the stairs. ¡°Now get to work.¡±


    ¡°But¡­but my weapons!¡±


    ¡°Grab a car and hope there¡¯s a spare in the glovebox because you¡¯re not coming back inside. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Thomas.¡±


    ¡°Thomas, I hope I don¡¯t see you again.¡±


    The man nodded and scurried down the stairs. When he reached the bodies of the two men Arc had shot from above, he howled, before picking up the pace. Arc, Jack and Julie waited and listened to hear if the metal door leading outside slammed. It wasn¡¯t long before they heard it echoing down the corridor and ascending to their ears. Shortly after, there came the distinct sound of a car engine rumbling before it screeched off into the night.


    ¡°Are you really coming for each and every one of them?¡± asked Jack.


    Arc shook his head. ¡°Nah, that¡¯s just to scare the pants off them. Unless, of course, they make it to the bigtime and end up with their own bounties. Hopefully my warning will make them cease their wicked ways, renouncing them for a life of farming. Sometimes all you need is the fear of the bogeyman to set you on the straight and narrow.¡±


    ¡°You think many will renounce banditry?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± sighed Arc, ¡°but I¡¯ve done just about everything I can to give them a chance. With Colt dead, they¡¯re a disorganised mess, but there¡¯s a strong likelihood that they¡¯ll join up with a rival gang, claiming that they never liked Colt anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it before, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Sadly, yes, but it¡¯s beyond my reach and resources to take out every single one of them before that happens. The best I can do is spread a message and hope they take it onboard.¡±


    Jack put his hands on the back of his head. ¡°And to think I gave you so much grief on the way to Pembroke,¡± he said solemnly.


    ¡°We¡¯re all good, my friend,¡± said Arc, going to pat the young man on the back before remembering how bruised Jack was.


    The trio continued to search the factory, rummaging through every pack, drawer and cabinet they could find. By the end of it all, they had managed to gather thirty-one ounces of gold, two hundred and twelve ounces of silver, not to mention the wealth of guns and ammo¡ªboth usable and sellable¡ªstashed away. The one thing they didn¡¯t find was the one thing Arc truly sought as the spoils of this rescue mission; further spell cartridges. But Arc wasn¡¯t without hope and suspected he knew where some may be.


    Before heading outside, he found the main office where a microphone sat hooked up to a bunch of wires. He was confident that there was nobody left in the building, yet he thought it was worth sending out a wide message in case anyone had been moving around at the same time he had been going from room to room and they just so happened to miss him.


    ¡°Gentlemen,¡± he said, pressing the button, ¡°Colt is dead and you will be too if you don¡¯t leave. I¡¯m armed and dangerous with more spells loaded into my caster than you¡¯ve seen your boss use in all the time you¡¯ve known him. You know who I am and you know what I¡¯m capable of. No more warnings.¡±


    With that, he, Jack and Julie headed back through the corridor, down the staircase and out into the night which was slowly fading into morning. They walked around the factory, stepping over the dead body of Jolly Roger¡ªor Jimmy, as was his real name¡ªand to the back of the building where Colt¡¯s pale, broken body lay in a pool of its own blood.


    His hands hung limply while his arms were twisted into awkward, unnatural angles. Even his jet-black hair had lost its sheen and rested lifelessly on the concrete in the growing light of the early morning. The bandit¡¯s face was fixed in an expression of terror that Arc prayed continued on into death as his spirit burned in whatever hell awaited him. He resisted the urge to kick the corpse, deeming Colt not worth the wasted energy, and picked up the man¡¯s copper spellslinger.


    ¡°A single Arcane Shot,¡± said Arc, taking a cartridge from the chamber and slotting it into his own gun.


    He kneeled down and rifled through Colt¡¯s jacket, finding another three cartridges that made Arc¡¯s face light up.


    ¡°Jackpot,¡± he said, throwing them into the air, catching them one by one and holding them in an open palm.


    Jack and Julie looked into Arc¡¯s hand and saw another Arcane Shot, the squiggly rune now familiar to them, along with a green cartridge and a blue cartridge.


    ¡°What do the colours mean?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Well, my dear,¡± said Arc, grinning widely. ¡°The green one is an enchantment and the blue one is an alteration. Enchantments can do all sorts of wonderful things to a foe, from charming them to confounding them, but this one will put a target right to sleep.


    ¡°And the blue?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°Getting to it, Mister Impatient,¡± snapped Arc. ¡°Alteration spells can manipulate reality to a degree. There¡¯s one that can open a locked door, which frankly I think is a waste of money when a good hammer tends to do the trick. There¡¯s even one that you can shoot yourself with and turn your skin to stone.¡±


    ¡°Like the basilisks do?¡± asked Julie, looking alarmed.


    ¡°Nah, you retain all of your movement and it wears off over time. Think of it as body armour that makes you as tough as a golem.¡±


    ¡°What about this one?¡± asked Jack, pointing at the blue one in Arc¡¯s palm.


    ¡°Jack!¡± scolded Julie. ¡°Will you let him speak?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°This one, my pint-sized friend, will create ropes that bind your mark, bringing them down to the ground and making them easy pickings. A very useful one if you feel like interrogating someone.¡±


    ¡°I had no idea spells cartridges were so versatile,¡± said Jack, looking impressed.


    ¡°We¡¯re just scratching the surface, Jackie Boy,¡± said Arc, stashing the cartridges away and then twirling Colt¡¯s spellcaster around like a baton. ¡°Is it any wonder that magic is so feared across not only Nuvaria, but all across Maestria?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s going to soften anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°Only once I¡¯ve purged the world of evil using these handy little trinkets,¡± said Arc with a wink.


    ¡°That¡¯s a tall order.¡±


    ¡°And a notion I don¡¯t take lightly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I believe that fully.¡±


    Julie walked over and squatted beside Colt¡¯s body. ¡°What should we do with him?¡± she asked. ¡°Seems strange to just leave him here.¡±


    ¡°Any stranger than leaving the rest of them?¡± asked Jack with a frown.


    Arc shook his head and scoffed before turning around and starting to walk away. ¡°Let the rat have a final purpose as food for the vultures, coyotes, wolves, or whatever creature sniffs out his rotting remains over the next few days.¡±


    ¡°Farewell, Colt,¡± said Jack, holding up a hand in a mocking goodbye before spitting on the bandit leader¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°Was that necessary?¡± asked Julie, scowling at her brother before following Arc.


    ¡°No, but it makes me feel better about getting my ass kicked over and over by him and his cronies.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight, you two,¡± called Arc as he headed straight for one of the pickup trucks. ¡°This should be a happy occasion. We all survived, you two are reunited and we¡¯ve just made some serious coin while ridding the land of some prime cuts of scum.¡±


    ¡°Hoorah!¡± cheered Jack, throwing a fist to the sky.


    ¡°Yay¡­¡± said Julie, less enthusiastically while running her hand over the gun sticking out of her belt.


    Now that the dust had settled, she had to process the fact that she had killed several people over the last couple of hours. Necessary to rescue her brother as it may have been, she didn¡¯t feel good about it. At the same time, she didn¡¯t want to burden Arc and Jack with her feelings on the matter.


    Arc looked over to her and gave her a small nod that she returned. That one small action made it clear to her that he knew what was going through her mind and that she could talk to him about it if she wanted to, but she decided to save it until they all had a chance to rest back in Pembroke.


    The trio hopped into the car with Arc sitting in the driver¡¯s seat and the twins cramming themselves into the passenger seat. Julie insisted on taking the window side, wanting to feel the breeze on her face while she watched the world awaken upon the rising of the sun.


    ¡°Ready?¡± asked Arc, turning the key and starting up the engine.


    ¡°Ready,¡± said the twins.


    ¡°To Pembroke, we go.¡±

 Chapter 23 - At the Diner

    ¡°Good morning, Jamison,¡± said Arc, walking into the store with Jack and Julie in tow. The broken glass from the previous day¡¯s shootout had been swept up and the window boarded, but the shopkeeper didn¡¯t look overly pleased to see Arc back.


    ¡°You know how difficult it is to get new windows these days, Arc?¡±


    ¡°I do indeed,¡± said Arc, jingling a pair of keys in front of Jamison. ¡°I can repay you with a used pickup truck that has a half-full tank of diesel and whose owner is probably having his eyeballs plucked from his skull by hungry birds as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Son of a¡­¡± muttered Jamison, snatching the keys. ¡°You took out Colt? You utter madman.¡±


    ¡°How much for the rest of those spell cartridges?¡± Arc asked slyly. ¡°I¡¯ve got some money burning a hole in my pocket and I¡¯d like to get rid of some of it before I hit the road.¡±


    Jamison chuckled as he walked over to the door and latched it before heading into the back room where he kept his best gear.


    ¡°You gave him the car?¡± whispered Jack incredulously.


    ¡°Jamison is my main source of cartridges and I need to keep him sweet if that¡¯s to continue,¡± said Arc. ¡°And besides, I don¡¯t have the money to keep that thing repaired and fuelled. Cartridges are more important.¡±


    The three followed Jamison into the back room where he had already flipped open the suitcase containing the remaining cartridges. ¡°One white, one purple,¡± said Jamison, sliding the case along the table.


    ¡°Minor Shield, I recognise,¡± said Arc, picking up the white round. ¡°What¡¯s the illusion spell?¡±


    ¡°Haze.¡±


    ¡°Ah, of course,¡± said Arc, looking closely at the rune while Jack and Julie exchanged a confused glance. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll absolutely be taking both.¡±


    ¡°That was one of the old man¡¯s favourites, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Arc, giving Jamison a stern look.


    Jack and Julie looked to each other that said they were best not asking what that had meant.


    ¡°Anything else you¡¯re in the market for while you¡¯re here?¡± asked Jamison, scratching his beard and eager to move along from the awkward moment.


    ¡°Yes, rope,¡± said Arc before tapping his bag. ¡°And I need to offload a few things I looted from Colt¡¯s base. A few guns, some ammo, and the like. And would you mind giving the guns these twins have a once over to make sure they¡¯re in good working order?¡±


    ¡°What about your body armour, is that still in good shape?¡±


    ¡°Perfect condition,¡± said Arc, lifting his t-shirt and revealing a thin layer of black armour the neither of the twins even knew he had. ¡°I got shot once at one of Colt¡¯s outposts, but it didn¡¯t leave a mark.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I told you,¡± said Jamison with a proud smile, ¡°best armour on the market.¡±


    ¡°Save for the enchanted ones.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Arc. I¡¯d hardly call those widely available.¡±


    ¡°Fair,¡± said Arc with a shrug. ¡°In fact, give me two more small ones for these two. If I¡¯m not here to watch their backs and more chaos breaks out in town then it¡¯ll be nice to know they won¡¯t die from a punctured lung.¡±


    ¡°This has been my best morning in two months,¡± chuckled Jamison as Arc reached for his coin pouch. ¡°I may have to close up early today to celebrate.¡±


    *


    ¡°How did you two bozos not know about the body armour?¡± asked Arc incredulously. ¡°You were planning to mug me and didn¡¯t think to check? Did you at least look inside my boots for backup weapons?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± admitted Julie. ¡°Did you have any in your boots?¡±


    ¡°No, but you should still have checked. You pair are hopeless crooks, so I¡¯m glad you¡¯re turning over a new leaf in this town.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the body armour,¡± said Jack, twisting around and stretching through the pain. ¡°It feels flexible.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good stuff,¡± said Arc, rapping his knuckles on his. ¡°How do you think I¡¯ve taken such a beating and still been able to walk around? If you were wearing that, Colt wouldn¡¯t have done half the damage he did. Granted, he would have had the sense to check you if you were wearing armour.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we get it,¡± said Jack. ¡°Stop rubbing it in.¡±


    ¡°Just pulling your leg, lad,¡± said Arc. ¡°Truth be told, I¡¯m glad his lackey, Benson, was more arrogant than Colt and didn¡¯t check me for armour. Not that it would have mattered much considering he had me behind bars and could have shot me in the head if he felt like it.¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    ¡°That¡¯s a pleasant thought after a glorious victory against Colt the Scourge.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of, we¡¯ll need to pay Mr Millar a visit, but I won¡¯t want to risk waking him. ¡°Shall we get some breakfast first? After that, you two can tag along and then we¡¯ll all get some much-needed rest. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll move along again.¡±


    ¡°To where?¡± asked Julie sadly.


    ¡°Wherever the wind takes me,¡± said Arc, waving his arms like snakes before laughing. ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll see what¡¯s on the bounty board and accept whatever takes my fancy. If there¡¯s nothing, I¡¯ll move along to the next town and see what¡¯s going there. Don¡¯t worry, I promise I¡¯ll check on you both again.¡±


    ¡°Do they sell spell cartridges in¡­wherever the next town is?¡± asked Jack.


    ¡°I would say one in every dozen towns sell spell cartridges,¡± said Arc, cocking his head to the side and running his hand through his blonde hair. ¡°I¡¯m not joking around when I say that these things are rare, and the supply is dwindling. There are precious few wizards left in the world that can make them. With each passing generation, magic dies out that little bit more and these little gems become more desired by those who own spellcasters.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of,¡± said Julie. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you sell Colt¡¯s spellcaster? You didn¡¯t even mention it to Jamison and I could tell he wanted to ask.¡±


    ¡°It may come in handy one day,¡± shrugged Arc. ¡°I can¡¯t replace mine easily, so if it ever breaks or I lose it then I have a backup. It¡¯s an ugly and awkward piece though, so I¡¯d prefer to stick with my own. Why he customised it in such a stupid way is beyond me.¡±


    ¡°Yours is bright gold,¡± said Jack. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit garish?¡±


    ¡°Garish?¡± asked Arc with his eyes wide. ¡°The nerve of you, Jacky Boy. Garish¡­never have I been so insulted in my life. Gold is a classic colour that looks good on everything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever, Golden Boy.¡±


    Arc winced at the utterance of that name, but neither Jack or Julie noticed. ¡°Come on,¡± he said. ¡°I could eat everything left in the diner.¡±


    He moved ahead, leading the two teens to Tina¡¯s Diner. It was close enough to Jamison¡¯s shop that he didn¡¯t bother waiting for the still-limping Jack to catch up, taking the young man¡¯s late arrival as a chance to put the orders in while he hobbled down the street.


    ¡°Coming right up, Arc,¡± said Tina as she slumped over to the kitchen.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got our pick of booths today, kids,¡± said Arc, looking at the largely empty diner. ¡°Where do you fancy?¡±


    ¡°Back corner,¡± said Julie, walking over first.


    ¡°Need a hand, Jack?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°Nah, I¡¯ll push through,¡± he replied.


    The three took their seats with Arc sitting opposite the twins and stretching his arms across the tatty leather. He was relieved to finally see Colt dead and eager to find out what awaited him on whatever his next job was.


    ¡°Go,¡± said Jack, nudging Julie and looking pointedly at Arc.


    ¡°You!¡± she said.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± asked Arc.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± said Julie, looking for Jack to complete her sentence for her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it,¡± he said to his sister. ¡°It was your idea, you ask him.¡±


    Arc¡¯s eyes narrowed. ¡°Ask me what?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± repeated Julie, this time looking at Arc.


    ¡°Spit it out, Julie,¡± said Arc impatiently. ¡°No need to be shy with me after all the craziness we¡¯ve been through in the past¡­erm, how long have we known each other now¡­two weeks?¡±


    ¡°We were thinking,¡± she began before Jack shot her a foul look. ¡°I was thinking that maybe it would be best if we came along with you and helped you hunt your bounties?¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± asked Arc with a raised eyebrow.


    ¡°Really,¡± repeated Julie firmly.


    ¡°With everything that it entails?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Arc laughed and looked out the window. He would be lying if he said he hadn¡¯t expected this to be asked of him¡ªit wasn¡¯t the first time¡ªbut he didn¡¯t want to put the two young ones in danger. Although, he also knew that they were smart enough to make their own decisions and that he would enjoy having company on the road again. He¡¯d grown fond of the pair of them, even with Jack being as irksome as he was. He jumped back and forth in his mind a few times, trying to convince himself it was both a good idea and ludicrous at the same time.


    He looked back over to the twins as Tina set their drinks on the table. ¡°Julie wants to come with me through the treacherous wilderness and be there when I¡¯m getting shot at by marks or their minions are swinging swords at me. What about you, Jack?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever Julie wants to do,¡± said Jack. ¡°But if helping you out ensures that we can get enough food, water and money to survive then I¡¯ll serve you without question. Well, maybe some questioning, but I¡¯ll still do what you tell me to.¡±


    ¡°Even after our narrow escape from Purdue, you¡¯d still be willing to follow me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the twins said in unison.


    ¡°Even after we were shot at outside Jamison¡¯s shop?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Even after¡ª¡±


    ¡°We get it!¡± snapped Jack. ¡°The answer is yes to whatever you say next.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Arc, picking up his cup and blowing on his tea. He wanted to take a sip to give himself more time to think, but he didn¡¯t want to burn his tongue like he did the previous week.


    Julie cocked her head to the side. ¡°Does that mean you¡¯ll take us or you understand Jack¡¯s point?¡±


    ¡°The latter,¡± said Arc. ¡°If I were to say yes to bringing you along, you understand the burden that would place upon me? I would be your guardian and have to put your lives before my own. That¡¯s how it works when you¡¯re looking after children.¡±


    ¡°Not if you train us up,¡± said Jack. ¡°Julie¡¯s already shown you what she can do and now it¡¯s my turn.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, I have full confidence in you,¡± said Arc. ¡°After you ran out to distract the goblins, you showed remarkable courage. And the fact you didn¡¯t just keel over and die after Colt and his boys beat you to a pulp, that¡¯s fortitude.¡±


    ¡°So why are you so hesitant?¡±


    ¡°The pair of you don¡¯t fathom the kind of responsibility this requires. I¡¯m working to feed three mouths, not one. I¡¯m watching all of our backs, not just my own.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why you train us along the way. We can pull our own weight.¡±


    Arc closed his eyes and sighed. It would not be the first time he¡¯d been out in the wastelands of Nuvaria and lost travelling companions. And not only had former companions lost their lives, but he had been forced to walk away from others. Then again, Jack and Julie had nobody else looking out for them and even remaining in a relatively safe town like Pembroke was no guarantee that they wouldn¡¯t run into trouble.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said reluctantly and the twins¡¯ faces lit up with glee. ¡°We¡¯ll be a merry little trio of bounty hunters, but I¡¯m keeping the bulk of the coin, alright? Seeing as I¡¯ll be funding our whole operation and doing most of the work.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± said the twins together.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect us to call you dad,¡± said Jack snarkily.


    ¡°Shut up, you little worm,¡± said Arc, giving him a light slap across the side of the head. ¡°You were born when I was ten years old. I¡¯m not as old as you like to pretend.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait,¡± said Julie, clapping her hands.


    ¡°Remember those three words when we¡¯re all tied to fenceposts and being used for target practice.¡±


    ¡°Your dissuasion isn¡¯t going to work on me.¡±


    ¡°Alright, alright,¡± said Arc, praying he wouldn¡¯t regret agreeing to this. ¡°We¡¯ll stick with my original plan for today and then all three of us will take off in the morning.¡±

 Chapter 24 - The Hunting Party

    Arc watched and waited with his spellcaster drawn, ready to unleash a barrage of Arcane Shots at his foes who haplessly wandered along below. Oh, they were in for quite the surprise. Jack and Julie were squatting on a lower ledge of the chasm, each holding their guns at the ready as the men with hyena heads walked along with halberds in their hands and dead coyotes slung over their shoulders. Little did they know, they had already eaten their last meal.


    ¡°Almost in range,¡± Arc said under his breath, hoping that Jack and Julie could do as they were ordered. He squinted at the cackle of gnolls and spotted a long bar of metal on the back of one of the hairier members of the pack. ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    He had never seen a gnoll with a gun before and a hunting rifle was more than he had bargained for, but there was always a first time for everything. As long as Jack and Julie took that hairy bastard out first then he wouldn¡¯t pose a threat.


    Was he expecting too much from them? Maybe so, especially considering that Jack wasn¡¯t a great shot compared to his sister as target practice the previous evening had demonstrated. To be fair to the young man, Julie had the opportunity to practice on the way to Colt¡¯s base and during the skirmish on the factory roof. In any case, if the twins passed this test, then Arc would be assured that they were capable of being on the road with him while not being too great a liability.


    The spellslinger watched with bated breath as Julie turned her head to the armed gnoll and nudged Jack, startling him. He immediately squeezed the trigger and shot the opposite canyon wall, bringing the gnolls swiftly to high alert. The hyena men dropped the bloody spoils of their hunt onto the ground and looked up to face the predators on the ledge.


    ¡°Shit,¡± said Arc, massaging his temples with his index finger and thumb. He drew his revolver with his free hand in case he needed a quicker shot than his spellslinger could provide.


    The gnoll rifleman retrieved his weapon and took aim at Jack, who was shooting like a maniac into the pack. It wasn¡¯t a wholly ineffective strategy as he wasn¡¯t missing many of his shots, but he also wasn¡¯t hitting vital areas or the most important target of all. It wasn¡¯t long before his magazine was empty and the gnoll was on the verge of pressing the trigger.


    There came a bang followed by a more thundering bang as the gnoll¡¯s arm slumped before letting loose his shot.


    Arc lowered his revolver arm as he watched Julie fire her second shot at the armed beastman, pleased that she had covered her brother before he needed to step in. The bullet landed in the ferocious gnoll¡¯s forehead, taking him down and sending his hunting rifle spinning across the dirt.


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl,¡± said Arc quietly. ¡°Let loose the fury of hell on these abominations.¡±


    Julie emptied her magazine while Jack shakily reloaded. The adrenaline was pumping through him and his fine motor skills had sharply declined. When it was Julie¡¯s turn to reload, Jack felled the last of the dozen hunters using twice as many rounds as he needed to, leaving a red-stained pile of gnolls and coyotes in the middle of what was once a road many decades ago. The twins breathed a sigh of relief as Jack removed his magazine and refilled it with loose rounds he had stashed in his pack.


    Arc looked up and down the chasm floor from his perch to ensure the coast was clear. He watched for the slightest twitch from the bodies below, half expecting there to be a single gnoll clinging to its last vestiges of life. Once he was certain there were no hairy reinforcements nearby and no survivors, he stashed his revolver in its holster and slid down the rope he had previously fixed to a rock. He landed with a thud behind the two teenagers who jumped, thinking they¡¯d been beset upon again.


    ¡°Easy there,¡± said Arc, spinning his spellcaster on his finger and then holstering it, leading the twins to do the same with their guns. ¡°Good job on the successful kills, you two.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we did it,¡± said Jack, lying down and wiping away his sweat with the sleeve of his jacket.


    ¡°What¡¯s the verdict?¡± Julie asked Arc hopefully.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ll start with you, Julie,¡± he replied. ¡°You were a little slow off the mark, but you caught that one of your targets was armed and took out the arm before he pierced a hole in your brother¡¯s skull. I was a split second from pulling the trigger myself, but you came through in time. Overall, your accuracy was good but there were a couple of misses in there. Ultimately, they were inconsequential and you definitely passed the test.¡±


    ¡°And me?¡± asked Jack, sitting up nervously.


    ¡°Sloppy,¡± said Arc and Jack¡¯s face immediately fell. ¡°Firstly, you leapt out of your skin and shot the far wall, you loon. That was a big mistake because you alerted every single one of your enemies. In a scenario where they were all armed, you and Julie would both be dead. When it came to shooting the gnolls themselves, you were firing with no precision. You shot into the crowd and hoped for the best which is not the way of a good marksman.¡±


    ¡°I killed my targets!¡±


    ¡°And if you only had one target? Think of a standoff scenario where you have to aim at one opponent while he aims back at you. Or worse, what if he was aiming at Julie who was sitting on the sidelines? Could you live with yourself if you shot inaccurately thrice and missed each shot, letting your enemy kill her? A single precise shot could save her.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Jack said nothing and tucked his head between his knees. He audibly sighed before looking up and blowing upwards, flicking his hair away from his eyes. He looked like he wanted to say something and Arc decided to prod him on it.


    ¡°No comments? No backchat? I¡¯m all ears if you want to launch a tirade.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± said Jack. ¡°I told you before I¡¯m trying to tone down the backchat. You¡¯re right and there¡¯s nothing else to say about it. I¡¯ll strive to improve next time.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± said Arc, impressed that the young man was trying hard to learn a few lessons. He held out his hands and helped the twins to their feet. ¡°Now comes the second round of the test.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a second round?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°There is if you want the full benefit of this training,¡± said Arc. ¡°I kept this part a surprise so you didn¡¯t have a full day to stress about it.¡±


    ¡°Alright, hit us with it,¡± said Jack, slapping his knee. ¡°Is there another hunting party out there somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Where do you suppose the hunting party was going?¡± asked Arc, tapping the side of his head. ¡°Think it through, Jacky Boy.¡±


    ¡°Back to a camp?¡±


    ¡°Back to a camp.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re going to wipe out the camp?¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it, my wild-shooting apprentice,¡± chuckled Arc. ¡°The gnolls have themselves a stronghold along the western road. If we follow the cliffs, we¡¯ll reach it before too long. I¡¯m not sure how many of them to expect, but taking out the twelve below will have thinned their manpower somewhat and one less firearm in their arsenal will only serve to benefit us.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll have more guns at the stronghold?¡± asked Julie.


    ¡°Good question, my precise apprentice,¡± said Arc proudly while Jack scowled at getting the worst of the two apprentice titles. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect any of these ugly mutts to have guns so we go in under the assumption that they do. And for that reason, I¡¯ll be helping out as much as I can so that things go smoothly. Once we¡¯re done here, we loot what we can and then move on to our bounty.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the bounty?¡±


    ¡°No, this is training for you and an opportunity to do some Nuvarian wasteland cleanup. We¡¯ll be heading up to Cliff Town a few days to the north, right on the border between Nuvaria and Auriga. Remember that shifty guy I was talking to back in Pembroke?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± said Julie, biting the inside of her cheek. ¡°I didn¡¯t much like the look of him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the guy who¡¯s giving paying us to go to Cliff Town and do a little job for him. I¡¯ll explain more about that after we wrap up this little detour so you can focus on the task at hand.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s stop wasting time,¡± said Jack, determined to prove he could do more than shoot randomly into a crowd.


    Arc, followed by the twins, climbed back up his rope, untied it and stashed it back into his pack before following along the edge of the cliff. He kept a keen eye on the path at the bottom to make sure there were no unexpected divergences and any time there were, he found a way to slip down to a lower level of the jutting cliff that would let him keep as close to the road as possible without losing the advantage of the high ground.


    Eventually, the path forward was halted by a rapid river. The road had once crossed over this, indicated by the uneven broken edges. A rickety rope bridge now hung over the river, providing a means of crossing. The workmanship of the bridge was so shoddy that Arc was confident it was the gnolls themselves who had built it, but what was of greater concern than bad carpentry skills was a brick tower built into the cliffs at the other side of the river. It crept out from the jagged stone with a single barely visible gnoll standing on watch with a clear view of the bridge below. There was no easy way to approach the obscured stronghold without being seen.


    ¡°We¡¯re pulling out, right?¡± asked Jack as Arc fetched his rope again.


    ¡°Why would we?¡± asked the bounty hunter.


    ¡°Because we¡¯re sitting ducks if we move across that bridge.¡±


    ¡°Jacky Boy, Jacky Boy, Jacky Boy,¡± sighed Arc. ¡°Have you not seen the tall odds we¡¯ve been stacked against before? Have a little faith. We¡¯re only sitting ducks if we¡¯re seen.¡±


    ¡°And why wouldn¡¯t we be seen? Do you think that joker is sleeping up there? I¡¯m pretty sure he just scratched his nose.¡±


    Arc reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a purple spell capsule. ¡°Allow me to introduce you to my good friend, Mr Haze. You want to approach unseen? He¡¯ll see to that for you. We won¡¯t be invisible, but we¡¯ll be a distorted blur and, from the distance he¡¯s watching, he¡¯ll think it¡¯s a trick of the light; a mirage. Gnolls are idiots, Jack, I assure you. I¡¯ve had the displeasure of a conversation with one.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Jack, wanting to keep his vow to question Arc¡¯s decisions less. ¡°Tell us what the plan is and we¡¯ll do it.¡±


    Arc grinned. ¡°I shoot the spell, we sprint across the bridge before the effect fades away, and then we keep close to the rockface as we enter the stronghold. Simple, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± agreed Julie.


    ¡°Right,¡± said Jack more reluctantly.


    Arc secured the rope to another rock and climbed down onto the path below, ensuring that he was blocked by the cliff the entire way down. Once he had the rope held firmly at the bottom, he signalled for Jack and Julie to make their descent. Now safely on the ground, the trio moved towards a cluster of jutting stones and kept behind them in case any gnolls wandered along the path from the stronghold.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said Arc, loading the Haze bullet into his spellcaster. ¡°You both ready for this?¡±


    ¡°Ready,¡± the twins said.


    ¡°Beautiful,¡± said Arc, taking careful aim at the centre of the bridge.


    Once he lined up the shot, he pulled the trigger. The spellcaster cylinder rotated while glowing blue and launched a thin wisp of pale light towards the bridge. It stopped dead in mid-air before spreading into a distorted cloud with a fifteen-foot radius that caused the bridge to become a shifting blur. It did not look like smoke or fog, more like water sloshing silently around.


    Without hesitation, the trio ran from their hiding place and into the haze. The bridge rocked back and forth as they moved and the three were unable to see their footing clearly. Arc, being the most dextrous of the group, grabbed the twins by the hands and guided them to the other side. Once they were clear of the bridge, they pressed themselves against the cliff and watched as the haze vanished, leaving the bridge exactly as it was before.


    ¡°That imbecile up there will think it¡¯s just his eyes playing tricks on him,¡± said Arc confidently before cocking his head to the side. ¡°In theory, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only saying that it¡¯s a theory now?¡± asked Jack in a hushed voice, unable to contain himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m ninety percent certain we¡¯re in the clear. Maybe even ninety-five.¡±


    ¡°Ninety-five is good,¡± muttered Julie while nodding. ¡°I can live with ninety-five.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± said Arc as he drew four spell cartridges¡ªtwo red, one blue and one green¡ªfrom his pocket and loaded them into his spellcaster.


    Once he had finished, he tossed his golden gun into his left hand and drew his revolver with his right. At the same time, the twins grabbed their own guns from their belts and double-checked that they had full magazines and bullets in the chamber.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go slaughter some hyenas,¡± said Arc with a devilish grin.