《Spell Slinger: A Fistful Of Spiders》 Ch 1: Trouble In A Small town A delicate sun cast its rays onto a small town called Breakpoint An easy wind blew at two street thugs¡¯ backs as they approached a man resting against a bar. The man¡¯s eyes were closed and he snored loudly. He was sleeping from the night before. One of the thugs splashed him with a bucket of water. The frigid shock woke Dusk up. His body operated off of instinct, smoothly slipping the gun out of his chest holster and pointing it toward his attackers. His head shook off the water while absorbing his surroundings. His eyes landed on the two men in front of him. ¡°Mercy!¡± He said with a big grin, waking his throat up from the rest, ¡°It seems you dropped your bucket of water on me, fellas. No worries. Sorry about you wasting the water though.¡± ¡°We heard you¡¯re looking for Lyle,¡± The shorter man said. Dusk took his hat and whipped it against the ground, slicking the extra wetness off, ¡°Just give me a minute to get my bearings. You caught me at the bad end of a great night.¡± Dusk tried to stand up but the men put their hands on their own holsters. Dusk got the idea and stuck his gun up, then slowly placed it on the ground next to him, his other hand raised to appear less threatening. ¡°Can I get up?¡± Dusk asked. ¡°Only if it¡¯s to walk out of town,¡± Said the same man. Dusk clucked and got up carefully, under the watchful eye of Lyle¡¯s men. ¡°You know¡­ I don¡¯t intend to take Lyle dead. I¡¯ll send him in, collect the one thousand tin, and you boys can do whatever you want afterwards. I¡¯ll even share some of the winnings with you guys! Buy one of those big novelty drinks with a silly name at a bar that¡¯s too loud.¡± Dusk was brushing himself off. Taking his time. The taller thug to the short stocky man¡¯s right leaned in and yanked Dusk to his feet. Dusk¡¯s hands remained lifted as he was being led by gunpoint through the town streets. Dusk Hawthorne was a man of about six human feet or if you¡¯d like, four and a half Orcish feet, or if you¡¯d like still, fourteen halfling feet. He had stark blue eyes that he¡¯d stolen from his father. His lineage was half Engleberrian and Half Espinozan on his mother¡¯s side. He had a craggly scar that ran a river across his face that was interrupted part way through by his crooked smile. Had lived a city life, pampered, and away from Sojourn¡¯s ruthless frontier, Dusk could have made a pretty man. The men kept dragging him along. Dusk kept his hands up but still remembered to wave to the people he¡¯d met the night before. One was an old lady he¡¯d chatted to all of last night. ¡°I told you not to go asking for Lyle, didn¡¯t I, Dusk?¡± The lady said as Dusk was lead away. ¡°That you did, Marcy. That you did.¡± The taller man lifted Dusk¡¯s jacket, revealing the pearl handle of a second gun tucked into his hips. ¡°Another gun. You try to sneak this by us?¡± He asked. ¡°No sir!¡± Dusk said, ¡°Just not fitting to give that up is all. Happy to approach peacefully though.¡± ¡°What are you playing at?¡± The short one asked, ¡°Think you could pull a fast one?¡± The shorter man reached out and pulled the gun from Dusk¡¯s pants. The man¡¯s mouth went wide when gazing upon it. ¡°No fussin¡¯¡± Dusk said. ¡°Well, well,¡± The shorter one said, ¡°Look Durkis. Look at the heat this one¡¯s packing.¡± Durkis stared at the gun. Its pearl handle was laced with a gold filigree. The handle connected to a steel frame which housed a pink quartz chamber, each with a different number of ticks etched on the flat of the chamber. Durkis stared at it. His complete lack of reaction portraying his ignorance on the matter. ¡°It¡¯s pretty, Reck. Don¡¯t look like it could shoot one bullet without the chamber breaking off though. ¡°It¡¯s not meant for bullets like we got in our gun, Durkis,¡± Reck said, ¡°It¡¯s meant for a very special kind of bullet.¡± ¡°What did I say about fussin¡¯?¡± Dusk said. The two had stopped walking. The realization washed over Durkis¡¯ face like a tide. ¡°No¡­¡± This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°How¡¯d you get a thing like this?¡± Reck asked Dusk. ¡°How do you think one gets one of those?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you¡¯re¡­ nah,¡± Reck said, ¡°You¡¯re just some dip. The people who use these,¡± Reck stared down the barrel of the strange gun, pretending to shoot, making blasting noises as he did, ¡°They got the strength of three men. They can shoot a falling apple with a gun tied behind their back. They certainly wouldn¡¯t be piss drunk sleeping outside.¡± Dusk looked between the two. A shadow of something flying overhead providing the only shade as the sun climbed its way to high noon. ¡°Well, none due disrespect, partner, but you don¡¯t know shit about dick.¡± Dusk said through a smile. Reck stopped playing with the gun. He turned and glared at Dusk, ¡°What was that you say?¡± ¡°I said-¡± Dusk felt a heavy whack to the back of the head. Durkis had winged him with his own revolver. ¡°No more lip out of you. The only reason we don¡¯t strike you unconscious is you¡¯d be too hard to carry. Get moving. Reck, enough playing.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± Reck said, placing the gun in his pants pocket, ¡°Let¡¯s take him this way.¡± They dragged him left, and walked him to the outskirts of town. ¡°So this is where Lyle is?¡± Dusk asked as he saw the backside of the ¡°Welcome To Breakpoint¡± ¡°We¡¯re not taking you to Lyle.¡± Reck said, ¡°Just because a no good bounty hunter found themselves a hell of an expensive toy doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re not dangerous. You came in from your big city to try to take Lyle away. You¡¯re lucky we don¡¯t put a bullet in your head right now.¡± ¡°We won¡¯t!?¡± Durkis asked. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m with him. Why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Because, with every dead bounty hunter comes flies. We don¡¯t need you sticking around causing a stink.¡± Durkis reluctantly gave in and pushed Dusk out onto the other side of the town¡¯s welcoming archway. Dusk fell to the ground, landing on his hands. He turned around, still on the ground. ¡°I think a guy like Lyle, one count of murder. Two counts of highway robbery. I think he don¡¯t have much issue with killing bounties. So why not kill me? Unless¡­ You two don¡¯t think I¡¯m some dottering drunk. Reck, was it? Do you actually believe I could be a Spell Slinger?¡± Reck¡¯s eyes squinted a little further. He stared down Dusk. Dusk was giving him an unwavering smile back. The shadows from what must have been a buzzard circling up above occasionally tracing over his face. ¡°Well, are ya¡¯ or aren¡¯t ya?¡± Reck asked. ¡°You tell me first. Where is Lyle located?¡± Reck looked at Durkis, ¡°Maybe we do kill him right now.¡± Durkis, eager, stuck his gun up and pointed it directly at Dusk, ¡°Let me do it. He¡¯s bluffing.¡± ¡°Admit it. Are ya or aren¡¯t ya?¡± Reck demanded again. ¡°If I¡¯m just some no good bounty hunter, slay me. If you did kill a Spell Slinger though¡­ that''d be a hanging for everyone on your crew. Including your precious little Lyle Childers. Reck¡¯s forehead leaked with sweat. Durkis was ready to take him out but Reck was weighing the options. ¡°How come you didn¡¯t pay your bar tab?¡± Reck asked Dusk, ¡°Rack up one hundred tin in one night. Bought the whole place a few rounds. Ain¡¯t that part of your code? No outstanding debts?¡± ¡°I would have gotten to it eventually.¡± Dusk said, shrugging. Reck stood quietly. Thinking to himself. ¡°Tell you what,¡± Dusk said, ¡°Tell me your boss¡¯ location and you¡¯ll never see me again.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± Reck laughed, ¡°You want to know his location just to never be seen again? Now I know you must be telling the truth. You¡¯re such a shitty liar.¡± Dusk laughed along with Reck, ¡°I guess you¡¯re right. So you believe me then?¡± ¡°Reck, he¡¯s taking you for a fool. There¡¯s no way this guy¡¯s official,¡± Durkis said, then, to Dusk, ¡°Show us your badge!¡± ¡°Ain¡¯t got one.¡± Dusk said ¡°You ain¡¯t got a badge?¡± Durkis asked. ¡°Lost it in a poker game. I¡¯ll get it back.¡± Reck and Durkis both looked at each other and burst into utter hysteria. Reck wiped a tear from his eye, ¡°Now I know you¡¯ve been taking us for a ride. What kind of idiot would lose his badge?¡± Durkis shook his gun, ¡°Now let¡¯s take him out. He¡¯s a drunken fool. Still smells like the night before.¡± Dusk smelled himself. Sure enough he needed a bath after this. Reck said, ¡°Hold on!¡± He pulled out the Spellslinger and pointed it at Dusk, ¡°Allow me!¡± ¡°Third notch,¡± Dusk said, ¡°It¡¯s a flame spell. Should burn me right up. Serve me with rice.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± Reck said, notching the chamber with his finger until the groove with three ticks lined up with an etched arrow on the side of the frame. He pointed Dusk¡¯s gun about five inches away from Dusk¡¯s face. ¡°Any last words?¡± ¡°Goodbye, I guess?¡± Reck pulled the trigger. Chapter 2: Surviving the Storm Deep in the throws of the Eternal Ring, a metal schooner named Lucille staved off the attacks from an unforgiving storm. The schooner had suffered through the gauntlet before and the ship¡¯s hull was used to the battering. Parts of the ship let the storm seep in. Parts that worked brand new were now teetered and creaked. Still, the crew held onto the hope that they¡¯d make it through. The key passenger of the boat, Quinn Wixel, held her stomach as another wave sloshed the boat hither and thither. While the boat persevered, Quinn was barely hanging on. The storm outside was trying its darndest to bring the spunky metal schooner to join the other boats it had accrued at the bottom of the ocean. Quinn turned to her companion, about to say something, when another quick force majeure knocked Quinn off of her bed. When Quinn tried to get back on, the boat rocked back and she was thrown on the bed¡¯s other side. Quinn could not win. Captain Pelican was topside, shouting orders that were drowned out by the howling winds. Were the crew any less battle-hardened they would be flailing, but the ship¡¯s position held as everyone worked their station with practiced know-how. Captain Pelican shouted out ¡®Jibe Ho!¡¯ loud enough for the crew members close enough to hear it, who relayed the message to the crew farther out. The news spread rapidly. They all shouted the message as Captain Pelican swung the steering wheel starboard, causing the large mast to sweep through the deck. By that point, everyone knew to duck and only the tallest crew member, a human named Gozu, got bonked by the jib. ¡°Gozu¡¯s down!¡± Cried the man closest to him. Like a school of fish navigating a shark, working separately but as one, they spread the message until it reached Captain Pelican¡¯s ears. ¡°Gozu¡¯s Down!¡± Captain Pelican repeated, ¡°Swabbies, pull him away. Manigold, you¡¯re the new boatswain.¡± Pelican helmed the wheel while the men followed their orders. The captain¡¯s fear of this pass had long since given way to excitement. He took this role seriously and beamed that things were going well. It was his job to keep his men and the passengers aboard his boat safe. He peered through the endless barrage of water, wind, and salt to the tiny dapples of ray on the other side. They were almost out. He knew his crew would make it. He trusted them to survive. And Pelican trusted that as long as the passengers stayed in their room, they would be safe too. ¡°Uhm¡­ Captain Pelican!¡± A soft voice cried. Captain Pelican kept beaming, yelling at a crew member to double bucket duty. The soft cry came once again, ¡°Captain Pelican, sir!¡± Captain Pelican turned to see Quinn Wixel, the elf passenger he had sworn to protect, gripping tightly to a railing as the rain slapped her senseless. ¡°What the hell are you doing here, lass!?¡± Pelican shouted. Quinn Wixel had felt havoc in her quarters. Her normally bright face was pallid. Her usually impeccable braids looked more like a bird¡¯s nest than the scalp of a respectable elf, and the tip of her pointed ears had taken on a shade of green for the first time in Quinn¡¯s life. Quinn was experiencing something new, she was feeling nauseous. Her body was not used a good day on a ship, let alone a ship going through a particularly fierce trial. The thumping and bumping that the storm was putting her through disorientated her. It seemed her entire room was toppling, things falling off the walls onto her. Any chance she got to stabilize would be quickly received as a challenge by the storm as she would proceed to fall off the bed and slam against the wall. Her security, a stern vampire with gray skin and red eyes, Demeter, stayed still with his hands gripping the handles on the sides of the doors. His position was so secure it was as if there was a permanent gyroscope in his belly. ¡°How are you dealing with this so well??¡± Quinn asked him. Demeter stayed perfectly still while the chaos unfurled around him. ¡°Let me help you, Miss,¡± Demeter said as he released one arm and offered it to her. Quinn reached out and grabbed him. He was steady. Even touching him helped balance her. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to go out and talk to the captain! I¡¯ll ask him when he thinks we¡¯ll be out of this storm! Do you want anything while I''m out?¡± ¡°Miss, may I speak freely?¡± Demeter bargained with her. ¡°Of course!¡± ¡°That is a very dumb idea,¡± Demeter stated, trying to be polite. ¡°Well, maybe not that freely.¡± Quinn said, ¡°But if I stay cooped in this room I¡¯m going to¡­¡± Quinn did not finish her thought. She let go of his arm, bouncing on the bed and quickly grabbing the wastebasket Captain Pelican had given her. She, then, emptied what little she¡¯d had for lunch. ¡°I said¡­¡± Captain Pelican leaned over and got a hold on Quinn as she started slipping down the stairs, ¡°Why are you here!?¡± ¡°Just some fresh air!¡± Quinn said, swallowing her bile, ¡°When do you think the storm will end?¡± ¡°This storm never ends!¡± Pelican stated, ¡°We¡¯re in the Eternal Ring!¡± ¡°Sure feels like it!¡± Quinn commiserated. ¡°No, Lass,¡± Captain said, ¡°This storm doesn''t end. Hasn¡¯t since the gods spit this country up from the ocean. There¡¯s an endless ring of storms around Sojourn. It¡¯s a nasty little gauntlet but we¡¯re almost through.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± Quinn had not realized they were in the Eternal Ring. She¡¯d read about it when it became clear she would have to leave her cozy library and for a life-threatening boat ride to the New World. From what she¡¯d read. It seemed like everything in the New World wanted to kill her, even the journey. While she had intellectually prepared for it, a day long trek of storms had not been easy. In a small way, it was a relief. Her one month journey was almost over, Quinn was excited to get off this boat as quickly as possible, deliver the package she was meant to deliver as quickly as possible, and return to the boat for another one month journey home. As quickly as possible. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°The Eternal Ring,¡± Quinn whispered to herself. Her fingers hurt from gripping the railing so tightly. Even still, the fresh air was a tonic to her stomach. ¡°Aye,¡± Captain said, ¡°So, if that¡¯s all your questions, I think you¡¯d best be getting back inside.¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Quinn screamed. Quinn dreaded going back in that tiny cabin,bouncing around between the walls and throwing up more of her lunch. Thus far, in her fateful two minutes outside she was not fairing that much better. But the fresh air gave her stomach a rest. ¡°So, how are you?¡± Quinn screamed over the winds at Captain Pelian. Pelican gave her a look before seeing an oncoming wave. ¡°Get down¡± he screamed at Quinn, needing to act fast. He turned the wheel once again, delivering the boat directly at the wave as best he could to brave the tide. The wave collided with the right bow of the ship, causing the ship to point upwards. The wave hailed onto the deck in buckets and the water punched Quinn like big fists. She dropped down the stairs further onto the deck. ¡°Okay, well¡­ good talk!¡± Quinn turned to crawl back below deck not attempting to stand and eager to get back. The nausea she had been experiencing was a delightful substitute for potentially going overboard. ¡°Rogue wave!¡± A crewmember cried out. ¡°I¡¯m turning into it! Jibe Ho!¡± Captain Pelican warned, causing them to turn port and once again have the mast blast through the deck, narrowly missing the top of Quinn¡¯s head who felt grateful she had decided to crawl. The ship could not finish its rotation in time. The rogue wave collided with the side of the deck, taking the brunt of an explosive force. ¡°Brace yourselves!!¡± Pelican commanded A surge of water swept Quinn off her hands and feet. It filled her mouth and nostrils with shivering ocean water and rudely dumped her off the teetering side of the schooner. Quinn heard ¡°Woman overboard,¡± before she even realized they were referring to her. ¡°That couldn¡¯t be me, could it?¡± Quinn asked as she fell toward the water, ¡°Although I¡¯m the only woman on the ship.¡± Her brain finally picked up on the imminent danger she was in. As her body fell toward the murky depths, she searched her mind for what she had read about the dangers of the deep. Quinn recalled a passage from a book she read titled ¡®Ship Etiquette,¡¯ which she had only read the first few pages of. Quinn had started reading it right before she received the letter from Professor Hobblepot. To her best recollection, she tried to remember the passage about falling off a boat. ¡°When falling off the deck, try not to¡­¡± (Ship Etiquette, John Dorsey, Pg. 256) Quinn wished more than anything she had finished reading that part. She yelled for help and as suddenly as she fell, help had arrived. Demeter had grabbed on to her hand. His other hand was holding on to a rope. In no time at all, he¡¯d grabbed on to a rope and jumped over, snatching Quinn from the air. ¡°You¡¯re worth every penny, Demeter!¡± Quinn said, ¡°I know, Miss.¡± Demeter said. Captain Pelican¡¯s voice trembled with urgency, ¡°Someone to pull them in!¡± Demeter¡¯s calm demeanor was unbreakable. As if Quinn weighed nothing at all he hoisted her and himself back up the rope, climbing up the wall of the ship. ¡°This one¡¯s the last one! Everyone brace yourselves!¡± Demeter got back on the ship with Quinn, he pulled her in tight so she didn¡¯t get hit by the waves again. The water splashed on to them, but they didn¡¯t notice while in each other¡¯s embrace. Quinn looked into Demeter¡¯s eyes, a piercing blood red color that somehow still conveyed warmth. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you protected for this journey, Miss,¡± Quinn held her head in his chest, thankful he was here, ¡°I know you will, Demeter.¡± ¡°I need to get back inside, Miss, we¡¯re almost out of the storm and the sun will hit me.. I don¡¯t have my umbrella.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Demeter tinkered the knob to the cabins but it wouldn¡¯t open. He shook it again. Still nothing. ¡°Is this locked?¡± He shouted to the captain. ¡°No!!¡± The captain shouted back, ¡°You just have to jiggle it!¡± ¡°What did he say?¡± Demeter asked, ¡°You just have to jiggle it,¡± Quinn said, ¡°I am jiggling it.¡± ¡°We tried jiggling it!¡± Quinn shouted back at the captain. ¡°Gets wonky in cold air!¡± the Captain shouted back, ¡°REEEALLY jiggle it!¡± ¡°I¡¯m really jiggling it,¡± Demeter hissed under his breath. Just then, the ship burst through the shroud of the Eternal Ring. The deck became awash with sunlight and when it interacted with Demeter, his gray skin caught on fire. ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAH!¡± Demeter cried out. ¡°Oh my!¡± Quinn shouted, ¡°Get inside, Demeter! Jiggle the handle, Demeter!¡± ¡°III AAAM JIGGLING IT!!!¡± Demeter screamed while shimmying the handle. ¡°Jiggle it harder!¡± Captain Pelican called to them. Demeter jostled the handle, screaming in agony the entire time. He shook it so hard that his vampiric strength broke the handle. He stared at it, burning still, screaming for shade. Quinn stared at it too, screaming as well as she watched her security crumble to ash in front of her. Quin bore the sight of her former would-be security in ashes. She could only whisper ¡®Demeter,¡¯ one last time. ¡°Ahh, well,¡± Captain Pelican mused, mostly to himself, ¡°You always lose one or two.¡± The sun shined on the ship as the crewmates hustled, brooming the remaining water and pile of ash off the deck, tying the sails in place. Quinn stepped in a daze to the bow. Taking in the sight. Sojourn. The New World. Known for its unforgiving brutality, which Quinn had only just met. Chapter 3: We Confront The Big Guy Click ¡°What the hell?¡± Reck looked at the gun he was holding. He pointed it back at Dusk¡¯s face and tried clicking a few more times. Then he moved the chamber one more notch down and pulled again. Click. Click Reck opened the chamber and saw that it was fully loaded with six glass vials. He closed it again and tried another chamber. ¡°Let me try,¡± Durkis said, holstering his own gun and prying the spellslinger out of Reck¡¯s hand. He pointed the gun directly at Dusk. Click, click, click. ¡°You guys feel a westerly wind?¡± Dusk asked. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this stupid gun?¡± ¡°Gotta be as strong as three men I guess,¡± Dusk looked up at the sky, where the flying creature had been circling, ¡°Zephyr! Right!¡± ¡°What?¡± Reck asked. Just then, a red blur dove from its position in the sky. It collided with Reck, the man on the right and tossed him backward as the knee-high creature gripped onto his face and began scratching mercilessly. Durkis turned to look at what had just attacked Reck, giving Dusk an opening. Dusk approached Durkis, grabbing Durkis¡¯ hand and tearing the gun away from him. When Durkis took notice, Dusk slammed his foot down on Durkis¡¯ thigh, causing him to lose balance. Durkis¡¯s tall body tumbled to the ground. Dusk turned the gun he¡¯d just gotten right at Durkis and pulled the trigger. A stream of flame came out of the gun, throwing fire onto Durkis¡¯ body as he tried to get up. Durkis hollered in pain as the flames consumed him. The melting flesh far overtaking the strong alcohol scent coming off of Dusk. ¡°Zephyr, baby. On my shoulder.¡± As quickly as the red blur flew onto Reck¡¯s face, she scurried off of him and climbed up Dusk¡¯s leg. Her opposable thumbs gripping onto Dusk¡¯s pant legs and resting safely on his shoulder as he pointed the gun onto Reck¡¯s body. Reck too started crying out as the flames took over him. Zephyr gurgled and made little raccoon noises as her striped red tail wrapped around Dusk¡¯s neck. Dusk safely finished off Durkis and Reck. The fire from the gun dribbled to a stop. The two thugs lay on the ground, their corpses still burning. Dusk crouched down and lifted Reck¡¯s duster to nab his other gun, a normal one. Pure copper that only ever spit lead. Reck¡¯s singed hand grabbed Dusk by the collar. ¡°Help¡­¡± Dusk looked shocked that Reck was still alive, ¡°Tell me where Lyle is. I got a bullet that will help the pain. Quick!¡± Reck¡¯s whole body shook. He could not move his neck as it was too singed. He pointed with his finger north by north west, ¡°A cabin next to a swamp. Just outside of town. Gator skin on the door.¡± Dusk sighed and pried Reck¡¯s grip from his arm. ¡°Please¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, kin. I don¡¯t have a spell bullet that can help. I promise I woulda used it if I did. I do have a bullet that will take the pain away though,¡± Dusk and Zephyr on Dusk¡¯s shoulder both looked down at Reck. He pointed his copper gun directly at Reck¡¯s forehead. The bullet pierced Reck directly in the skull, killing him instantly and putting him out of his misery. Durkis looked good and dead but Dusk did the same thing to him. Zephyr nibbled at Dusk¡¯s ear as he walked back into town. ¡°I know it, I know it,¡± Dusk said, scratching her cheek ¡°I¡¯m lousy at keeping promises.¡± Dusk walked the main road on his way out of town, but he had a problem. His head was too clear. He¡¯d stop by the local watering hole and quench this injustice. The bodies of his victims simmered behind him. Townspeople took notice. He walked by, smiling and waving as before, this time they muttered amongst themselves. Dusk walked into the same tavern he had visited last night. The Spitoon. A tiny tavern booked between the post office and a tailor. He opened the door, the bell jingling as he walked in and was met with much of the same faces he had seen last night. Dusk gave a smile and a tip of his cap. They looked over to him. He sat down at the booth. The bartender was cleaning some glassware, his back turned to Dusk. ¡°Steve?¡± Dusk cried out to the bartender ¡°Steven!¡± The bartender did not turn around. ¡°Stevie!¡± Dusk whispered at him. Still, the bartender would not turn around. Dusk leaned over the bar, crossing somebody else¡¯s table space and tugged at the bartender¡¯s shirt. Steve turned around, ¡°Dusk. Good to.. How are you?¡± ¡°Parched, Stevie!¡± Dusk said, ¡°Would appreciate a whiskey double on the rocks. I¡¯ve got to find my way to Lyle after this.¡± Dusk rested back in his seat. Steve washed the glass until it was completely clean. Nervously rubbing it until it fell out of his hands and onto the ground where it shattered. ¡°Whoops!¡± Dusk said, ¡°Party foul. Happy to help clean that up. You got a broom somewhere?¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay, Dusk. Stay right there.¡± Steve said, ¡°I-I got it.¡± Steve put the rag he was cleaning with on the bar and rushed to the back. Dusk looked around and noticed that the bar wasn¡¯t its usual lively place but in fact there was a hushed whisper surrounding him. He glanced around and saw people giving little whispers and looks his direction. Only to turn away when he tried to make eye contact with them. Dusk scratched his peach fuzz, wondering. He stood up, ¡°Everything all right with everyone? Seems to me the tone¡¯s changed. Something I¡¯ve said?¡± He looked around. No one stepping up to speak. The bartender came out with the broom and dustpan. Steve broomed the glass into the dustpan and the crackling noise echoed, permeating the silence. ¡°Oh hell,¡± Dusk said, taking his hat off, ¡°I¡¯m not great at people. What could I have done? I know I act the fool when I drink-¡± Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Marcy said, ¡°We¡¯d think it best if you went on your way.¡± ¡°Marcy,¡± Dusk said, ¡°Something I said?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us you were a Spell Slinger. Them are a lot different than bounties.¡± Dusk nodded his head, ¡°I see. I put you all a bit on edge, don¡¯t I? You¡¯ve heard the scary stories of the men who teach law to the lawless.¡± ¡°It puts us all a bit on edge,¡± Marcy said, ¡°The gossip that got to us says you burned those two men to a crisp after they were going to let you go. Knowing someone could do that and get away with it¡­ makes us nervous.¡± Dusk sighed. He had lost the people. Dusk looked around at all of the people he thought had become his friends. He turned and his whiskey shot had been poured for him. He reached out and the bartender flinched. These people see me as a murderer, Dusk thought. He nodded his head, placed his hat back on and grabbed the drink. His hat covered his eyes as he leaned back to finish the rest of the whiskey. When he put the glass down on the counter upside down, he had a big smile on his face. ¡°Sorry I made you all feel so uncomfortable! Never meant to hide anything by you. Just was trying to make an honest living. But I¡¯ll handle Lyle and leave you all alone.¡± ¡°So..¡± Marcy started, ¡°You¡¯ll still finish off Lyle?¡± Dusk dug into his pocket looking for change. ¡°Course! Once I get the bastard and get me paid, I¡¯ll come back and square up with you. I promise,¡± Dusk reassured Steve, nodding his head reassuringly. ¡°No trouble, Dusk,¡± Steve said, ¡°You just finish off Lyle and we¡¯ll call it even.¡± That was it. Dusk had to prove himself. Killing off Lyle wouldn¡¯t just give him the money he needed, it would make the townsfolk feel more comfortable. ¡°He¡¯s surly with ya?¡± Dusk said. Bartender laughed nervously, ¡°Well, he¡¯s a lousy tipper. Never pays for his drinks,¡± ¡°He¡¯s a bully. He terrorizes anyone in the neighborhood when he stops into town.¡° Marcy said, ¡°You¡¯ll get him?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get him,¡± Dusk stopped searching his pockets. He definitely had no money, ¡°Sure as anything I¡¯ll get him. Then I¡¯ll buy us all drinks again! Another bar tab, how about that?¡± Marcy let out a little smile. Dusk turned and saw the bartender was nodding nervously as well. Someone from the crowd yelled out, ¡°Get¡¯em, Dusk!¡± The crowd broke out into hoots and cheers for Dusk to finally slay Lyle. Dusk spun his gun around and headed out. Dusk walked along the patch way out to the soggy swamp at the edge of town. He had Zephyr on his shoulder as usual. He stopped by a large oak tree and let Zephyr off. The winged raccoon looked at Dusk, patiently awaiting his order. ¡°Climb up. Perch out. If you see me come out swinging, come in to help. Savvy?¡± Zephyr let out a sound that implied she understood and scurried up the trunk of the tree. Dusk approached the swamp. He saw the house with the gator skin stuck to the door. It was a swamp cabin high on stilts to stay off the rising water. Dusk crossed the bridge connected to the river. He looked down at the water. There were logs and there were gators that looked suspiciously like logs. Alligators driftedon passive alert down the river. Some staying perfectly steady, like dangerous statues. Dusk approached the door, ¡°Lyle?¡± Dusk called out, ¡°The name¡¯s Dusk. I¡¯m here for-¡± A chalky voice bellowed through the door, ¡°I know why you¡¯re here. Murderer,¡± ¡°Okay. I¡¯m coming in,¡± Dusk placed his hand on his chest holster and slowly opened the door. He peeked inside. Sure enough there were hree thugs as well as Lyle in the middle. Dusk couldn¡¯t miss him. While the rest of the folk in the cabin were human, Lyle was clearing 6¡¯5¡±. His gray-green scales bristling in the torch light. His back was turned to Dusk¡¯s. Dusk scanned the premises, his hand still on the gun, ¡°Lyle ¡®Crocodile¡¯ Childers. Hey, fellas. Looks like quite the party.¡± ¡°Just tell me they¡¯re okay.¡± Lyle said, still not facing Dusk. Dusk saw that all of the gangsters had a somber face cast by torchlight. ¡°How¡¯d you find out,¡± Dusk asked. Lyle¡¯s clawed hand scraped the wooden desk he was standing in front of, ¡°One of the women saw. The women told my men and my men told me. You handled Durkis and Reck. I understand it was self-defense, but tell me they¡¯re okay.¡± ¡°Uhhhh,¡± Dusk let out a soft groan, ¡°Well, that¡¯s the unfortunate thing. I can¡¯t say they¡¯re okay. I can say they¡¯re not okay pretty safely. But a more accurate statement would be this: They¡¯re dead.¡± One of the men let out a gasp, trying to hold it all in. Lyle scraped his claws against the desk, the sharp sound grading on Dusk¡¯s ears. ¡°You killed two of my best and my brightest. All over one thousand measly tin.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯d like to think it was self-defense. Like you said,¡± Dusk said. ¡°It was self defense to burn them to a crisp? Or that was just¡­ business.¡± ¡°Both I guess. I¡¯m sorry but were those men really your best and brightest?¡¯ ¡°You hear that, boys?¡± Lyle turned, his long gator-like snout turning with him as he finally locked eyes with Dusk. ¡°He wants to kill our boys and mock them too.¡± ¡°No!¡± Dusk said, ¡°It¡¯s not that. Not that at all! I just mean¡­ well, I¡¯m not sure what I meant.¡± ¡°Tell me something, boy! When you joined the force, did you think you¡¯d be gunning down innocents?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say they were innocents.¡± ¡°But theoretically¡­¡± ¡°I think we¡¯re getting off topic,¡± Dusk said. What does any of that have to do with bringing you in.¡± ¡°He¡¯s talking about bringing you in, boss,¡± One of the men said, ¡°Kills your blood brothers and then brings you in.¡± ¡°You three were¡­¡± Dusk took a look at Lyle¡¯s crocodilian appearance, ¡°... related?¡± Lyle scoffed, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean? Ain¡¯t you ever had someone close as kin?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not important,¡± Dusk said, ¡°Look, I don¡¯t mean to ruin the pity party but I¡¯m here to take in the leader of the crocodile gang.¡± Lyle looked at Dusk, offended, ¡°If you think I plan to live a life of crime after how badly it went for my two brothers. Men I, frankly, considered father figures, then you¡¯re all turned around. There ain¡¯t no place for me in this life, friend. I¡¯m turning myself in tomorrow.¡± ¡°I¡­ Okay, well maybe you could let me come with you to collect the bounty.¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll let the widows of Durkis and Reck drop me off. It¡¯s the least we can do for them. Don''t¡¯ you think? Considering everything we¡¯ve put them through? The crocodile¡¯s wet eyes matured to full blown tears. His leaky eyes dripping all over the cabinet. His men were the same, the whole lot were crying their eyes out over their fallen friends. They had their head in their hands and they were sneezing into their sleeves. Dusk was reeling. It seemed that he was not going to get his money. Dusk could not argue that the money would be better spent in the hands of the widows of his victims. ¡°It¡¯ll definitely go to the wives then?¡± Dusk asked, keeping his hand on his pistol, trying to put on a voice that meant business. ¡°Look at these tears!¡± Lyle said, grabbing at his own face. The salty droplets taking a long trek off the crocodile¡¯s snout and falling off, ¡°You telling me I¡¯d lie? Standing here like this, baring my soul?!¡± Dusk looked at all of them. They really did look like a sorry lot. Dusk sighed, ¡°Okay. Turn yourself in tomorrow. Make sure Mrs. Durkis and Mrs. Reck are there. I guess¡­ my work here is done. Have a good day.¡± ¡°Bless you, friend,¡± The crocodile said, ¡°now i''m crying tears of happiness,¡± His eyes welling with a new batch of fresh tears. Dusk said, ¡°I best be going,¡± ¡°Maybe you¡¯d like to stay here? Cry more with us?¡± ¡°No¡­ no I think I¡¯ll be on my way to find some criminals who aren¡¯t so immediately reformed¡­¡± ¡°Good day to you, then. Have a great life! Maybe when I¡¯ve done my time, We can all go out for lunch! You, me, and Mrs. Durkis, and Mrs Reck!¡± Dusk nodded and said, ¡°That sounds nice enough, I guess,¡± Then he walked out, not really clear how they would plan a lunch if they didn¡¯t exchange any info. He stepped outside, closing the door behind him. He stared out into the swamp, gazing at the alligators. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± Dusk pulled the flier he¡¯d gotten from his contact in a nearby city. It was rolled up pretty tightly when he took it. He¡¯d heard a little about Lyle Childers but figured the flier could tell him more. Dusk fully unfurled the flier and saw Lyle¡¯s full alias. Lyle ¡°Crocodile Tears¡± Childers. Reward: 1 Thousand Tin. Dead or Alive Dusk turned around and kicked the crocodile pelt on the door. The door fell off its rusted hinges and revealed an empty cabin with an open window, where the scaly crocodile tail of Lyle Childers slipped out in an escape attempt. Chapter 4: Docking in Arc Harbor The Lucilla docked at port. Quin finally crawled out of the hole she had made for herself in the last leg of the journey. Her eyes strained as the sun shined like she¡¯d never noticed. Captain Pelican called the men to safely dock the boat. Quinn waited with her bags as the planks were laid on the dock. She could not wait to touch actual land. One of the crew tried to help her with her bag, a thin black rectangular chest with a handle on it. ¡°No thank you!¡± She said as she pulled away from the man¡¯s helpful grasp. Quinn placed the case to her chest. She was a petite elf and was carrying satchels full of clothes, the narrow case, and a backpack full of books about the New World. When she pulled away from the man she started to tip over on the planks. The crewman steadied her. She thanked him for the help, assuring him that she was fine. The crewmate made himself busy elsewhere. Waiting at the bottom of the dock were a walkway of sellers, demanding her attention in every direction, vendors trying to sell charred lizards, blue dyes from a dragon¡¯s ink sac, maps with the words ¡®Arc Harbor¡¯ mispelled. She was accosted on all sides from stimulus, new smells and people and sounds. It gave her a headache. Her elven senses not yet adjusted to the barrage of clamor. She tried to be polite and say ¡®No, thank you,¡¯ to those who offered her something but they would not back off. Was she not being clear enough? It seemed the crowd was only getting rowdier. Suddenly, an arm pierced through the crowd and pulled her away from them. ¡°Back! Back off!¡± The man cried. He was a tall man, with the brown eyes and a rounded human face. Poking out of his rancher¡¯s hat was short brown hair. His skin was bronzed from a lifetime of the new world¡¯s brutal sun. His booming voice was causing the street vendors to take heed. ¡°I said git!'''' The man took out his gun, waving it around. The street vendors dispersed more annoyed than panicked ¡°Hi,¡± Said the tall stranger. ¡°Hello,¡± Quinn said, looking up at him, trying not to fall back as the backpack was heavy. ¡°I was sent here to help,¡± He explained, as he dragged her farther from the boardwalk. It helped Quinn that she did not have to focus on the bright new environment and could instead focus on the back of the helpful stranger¡¯s head as he pulled her away, occasionally punctuated by his boyish smile. ¡°Hobblepot?¡± She asked, ¡°He sent you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± He told her, ¡°My name¡¯s Krave. If you¡¯re the girl I¡¯m meant to pick up than you must be¡­¡± Krave paused, allowing Quinn to fill the silence, ¡°Quinn Wixel! At your service. I¡¯m so glad Hobby sent someone. My security suffered an unfortunate accident on the way to the New World.¡± ¡°I am burdened to hear that, missy,¡± Krave said, placing his hand over his heart, ¡°I hear the travels are rough on folks,¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never taken the trip? You¡¯re from here? ¡°I¡¯m from right here! Arc Harbor, I was finishing off another security detail and your friend wanted a job done right so he called me. Can I take that big ol¡¯ case off your hand?¡± Quinn reflexed to his outreaching hand by gripping it closer to her body. She shook her head no and Krave raised his arms in submission. ¡°Anything I can take off your hands? The sachel? The backpack? The cloak looks awful hot on a day like today.¡± Quinn thought but decided to hand Krave the satchel, she also took the cloak off. ¡°SAAAAY¡­¡± Krave stared at amazement, ¡°You got them ears!¡± He pointed right at Quinn¡¯s elven ears, grabbing them and wiggling. ¡°You¡¯re¡­ an alf!¡± Krave stated, pulling her. ¡°I¡¯m an elf.¡± Quinn corrected him. ¡°An ELF¡± Krave pronounced the whole three leaders in his mouth while continuing to walk. ¡°You¡¯ve never met an elf before?¡± Quinn asked. ¡°No, ma¡¯am. Your kind seems rare around these parts.¡± Quinn stated, ¡°We only have immortality when we are in our motherland, Vanya. As long as we¡¯re outside of the grove that marks the border, we¡¯re vulnerable.¡± ¡°Well, you must have a big reason for being outside of Vanya,¡± Quinn tried not to, but she quickly glanced at the case she was holding then glanced up at Krave to see if he noticed or not. She could not tell. Now that they had strayed from the mad crowd, Krave turned to Quinn and asked, ¡°So where are we going, anyway?¡± ¡°We.. we¡¯re going to Dr. Hobblepot¡¯s house, aren¡¯t we?¡± Krave looked at her and said, ¡°Right, right. But where is it?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure he did but the noggin is raging from a night out. Did he give you an address?¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s the tree on North Billy Street. I could swear I have it written down.¡± Quinn began digging with her free hand in her backpack. She fished out a crumpled envelope. ¡°Crossstreets Billy St and Kidd Ave. He lives atop a halfling bakery in a thick Oak tree.¡± ¡°Ahh, the tree. Right,¡± Krave said, ¡°he¡¯d mentioned the tree. Alright, let¡¯s get moving then.¡± Krave and Quinn walked for a ways as the sun beat down upon them. The bookbag grew heavier and heavier. Eventually, Krave had upgraded his responsibility from one satchel to the bookbag, and he had the cloak tucked in his arm. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. After several miles, Quinn inquired, ¡°How much longer do we have?¡± Krave looked around, staring at the street names, his head swiveling to different street signs trying to grasp his bearings. ¡°Uhh, it¡¯ll be¡­ not long now.¡± ¡°But how long, Krave,¡± QUinn asked, trying not to seem rude.¡± ¡°Not very. Wait here one moment,¡± Krave stopped in front of a cobbler, ¡°I have to talk to the person inside.¡± And with that, Krave left Quinn alone on the street, holding all her belongings again. She finally began to take a look around at the environment. Quinn had never seen this many species of people all at once.. There were animal men selling jewelry on the street and strange animals trapped in cages being sold by strangers looking at humans. She clocked a man staring straight at her. Sitting cross-legged on the floor. He did not take his eyes off of Quinn no matter how much she began to squirm. To avert her gaze, QuUinn looked inside and saw Krave dramatically swinging his arms as he had an animated conversation with the dwarf cobbler. The dwarf was equally galvanized, swinging his arms with every word he said and eventually pointing out the door. Krave rejoined Quinn outside. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m ready to go.¡± ¡°Mr. Krave,¡± Qiinn whispered, ¡°That man over there is staring right at me,¡± Krave looked at the direction of Quinn¡¯s head tilt. WIthout giving it a proper thought, Krave pulled the gun out and fired a bullet between the man¡¯s legs. The man stood up in shock and exasperated, trying to examine his body for any injuries. ¡°Don¡¯t go lookin¡¯ at people, ya hear?¡± Krave said, before grabbing a shocked Quinn¡¯s arm and dragging her behind him. ¡°Mr Krave, I think that was a bit of an overreaction. You didn¡¯t need to shoot him!¡± ¡°Well first of all!¡± Krave started, ¡°Call me Krave. No one¡¯s called me Mr. Krave since my parole officer. Kidding. Kidding.¡± Krave waved away Quinn¡¯s concerned face, ¡°Second of all, You¡¯re from your home city of Vanya, that¡¯s all well and good but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s a little goodie two shoes over there,¡± ¡°It is¡­ difficult to say,¡± Quinn said, ¡°The parts that are secluded are considered paradise on the mortal plains. People want for not. No child goes hungry¡­¡± ¡°See there¡¯s your problem! A kid¡¯s favorite meal here is two buns with nothing between them. Children go hungry here. Children still get eaten. Sojourn ain¡¯t Vanya¡± And it would be better for your sanity if you just put your faith in me. ¡°So¡­ ¡° Quinn started, ¡° So you just shoot everyone you disagree with?¡± ¡°Now, I wouldn¡¯t say I disagreed with that fella back there. Alfs are strange creatures. Never leaving your lair¡­¡± ¡°Vanya is not a lair,¡± Quinn said, growing exasperated. ¡°Well, my point is that I can¡¯t protect you against every starer on the block! Especially when you¡¯re a little thing, lugging around a big old bookcase!¡± ¡°Please keep your voice down.¡± After the terse conversation. She eventually urged him to move on. Quinn was breathing heavily, watching beads of sweat roll down her forehead and plop to the floor. Quinn started to realize that she hated it here. ¡°Please, Krave,¡± She pleaded, ¡°How much longer?¡± ¡°Almost! I can tell we¡¯re close. I can tell by that statue,¡± ¡°How far from that statue, Mr. Krave?¡± ¡°Give me sec and I¡¯ll be able to tell¡± Krave walked across the bustling carriages to the square that held the statue. It was a knight riding a dragon. Quinn watched as Krave placed his hands around the wing and hoisted his leg. ¡°Mr. Krave!¡± QUinn started to run after him but remembered her things. She stayed anchored as she was too tired to lug the luggage around. ¡°Mr. Krave what are you doing?¡± She yelled. ¡°Just trying to get a better view!¡± Krave had worked his way onto the dragon and was now trying to push himself up the torso of the man by using the stone dragon¡¯s neck for balance. Once he had precipitously climbed onto the man¡¯s shoulders, he scanned the area, twisting his body from one way to the other for the best view. Quinn stared in wonder as she saw his eyes light up and he scurried down and across the street. ¡°It¡¯s just a couple more blocks away. I¡¯ll get us there in no time¡± He reached for the satchel and pulled them up. He tried to move along but Quinn did not budge. ¡°You don¡¯t know where he lives, do you?¡± ¡°Uh, well, I¡¯m new to the area. I got a little turned around but we¡¯re right as rain, now. Come on! If you¡¯re comfortable, I¡¯ll even hold your suitcase for you,¡± Krave tentatively reached for the suitcase again but Quinn reflexively held it to her body. Krave picked up the satchels and gestured for her to follow. ¡°You don''t¡¯ know the area but my friend hired you because you were the best and you¡¯ve lived here your whole life.¡± ¡°Well, I''m the best in a completely different part of town.¡± ¡°How much did he pay you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ That¡¯s the thing¡­ He said you¡¯d pay me.¡± Who did? Your friend. Quinn squinted her eyes, ¡°What¡¯s his name?¡± ¡°Cobblepot.¡± Krave said. ¡°Hobblepot.¡± Quinn corrected him. ¡°Sorry, I had to cough. I meant Hobblepop.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I said.¡± Quinn rolled her eyes. Quinn faced her palm up, whispering elvish into it. A purple flame to appear in her hand, dancing, completely controlled by Quinn¡¯s whisperings. ¡°I urge you, Mr. Krave, if that is your real name, to place my things down and back away.¡± Krave put the satchel and backpack down slowly. He lifted his hands. ¡°Now, if you could point me in the direction of my friend¡¯s tree then I would be greatly appreciative.¡± Krave pointed at the direction behind Quinn, while still sticking up the crystal, she tossed the satchel over her shoulder. Then, with her hand still holding the flame, she grabbed the bookbag. It was too heavy for her. ¡°If you could be so kind as to place my bookbag on my neck.¡± Krave slowly lowered his hands and picked up the heavy bag. He placed it over her neck and then gave it a little push. The tremendous weight of a bag overpacked with twenty books pulled her by the neck down to the ground. She collapsed with a thud, her books spilling out of the bag. Krave reached over and with expert fingers unhooked her coin purse. ¡°Desist, ruffian!¡± screamed Quinn, desperately trying to regain her composure. ¡°Don¡¯t trust anyone in this town, kid,¡± Krave told her before turning and running. Quinn propped herself up and threw the ball of fire in her hand. It landed squarely on Krave¡¯s back causing him to stumble. ¡°AHHH¡± Krave yelled as the capricious blast stunned him. He kept running as the fire burnt up a whole in his shirt and as Quinn was left to collect herself on the dirty street. Ch 5: He Shot My Shooting Shoulder! ¡°Oh, you sons a bitches were lying to me!¡± Dusk yelled laughing as he ran to the back of the room. Dusk jumped through the open window landing on the soft mud of the swamp¡¯s low tide. He looked around for the crew and noticed they were all on a boat, paddling away. Dusk took out his copper and shot lead at them three times. The crew ducked after the gunshots rang out. The first bullet hit one of the humans square in the shoulder. He let out a stifled cry and fell to the boat¡¯s sole. The second landed on the metal casing protecting the stern of the boat. Bounced right off. The other sailed over the heads as they dipped their heads. Dusk ran along the side of the river, but the mud made running harder. It was more like plodding. He was losing momentum and he was getting closer to encountering a patch of gators bathing in the sun. He pointed his copper at the squad but they had let the boat sail down the river as they took cover, being unmanned and still gaining the distance. ¡°Son of a¡­¡± Dusk stopped running. He opened the pink quartz chamber on his magic gun and let the glass vials fall into his palm. Five bullets came out. No other spell bullets in his pouch. He examined all of them. One had a dark hand etched onto them. The other had a fire. Two had a snowflake. The last one had a tongue. Dusk looked at the boat getting smaller. Sure, he could hit it with the firebolt, some of those guys would crisp instantly. Would it be enough to pierce the Subek¡¯s scaly hide? Lyle had some thick hide. Thicker than bullets. He was also coldblooded. It probably would,¡± Dusk thought to himself, But I¡¯d need to be right on top of him. He looked at the other two. The tongue¡­. It would be too dangerous with the alligators around him. The dark hand¡­ that one was tough to figure out. He shuffled them all back inside his chamber, taking note of the tick marks next to their position on the chamber, then clicked his gun to the fourth notch, the one with the snowflake. ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± Dusk said as he pointed the gun at the water and shot his gun. A spray of ice poured out of the barrel, glazing the river and causing the top side to freeze. Dusk took a step back, then ran toward the river, continuously pointing his gun at the water and holding his finger on the trigger. Damn!¡± Dusk said, as he leapt from his position, the mud pulled him just enough to stagger his leap, landing on his knees on the ice bridge he was creating. He didn¡¯t let the gun fall as it keptt pouring out the freeze spell. He stood up, wiggling around on the slick ice, and got his bearings enough to run toward the crew on their boat. ¡°That¡¯s right you sons of bitches,¡± Dusk whispered under his breath, ¡°I¡¯ll get you yet.¡± The croc was the first to notice he was coming. They had been peeking their heads, giggling as they thought they¡¯d escaped. The croc peered over the stern as they sailed down the river and noticed Dusk running on water creating the pathway of ice in front of him. ¡°Well I''ll be a son of a bitch!¡± The crocodile said, ¡°Spell Slingers really do got magic guns! Shoot him. Make sure he¡¯s dead, too.¡± ¡°If we can just get him in the river, the gators will get him!¡± ¡°Do whatever it takes,¡± Lyle said, ¡°I¡¯m the strongest. I¡¯ll take over the paddling.¡± Dusk whistled at them. They all looked back to see him waving his arms, taunting them as he approached. Lyle grabbed the paddles and started rowing down the river. The men grabbed their pistols, all except the man who was shot in the shoulder. Lyle stared at him, ¡°We need your hand,¡± ¡°He shot me in my shooting shoulder!¡± the downed man said. Lyle shed a tear, wiping it away, ¡°I know you¡¯ve been shot. And that pains me, but can¡¯t you see it in you to shoot at him? Just for me?¡± The man sighed upon seeing his boss vulnerable. The croc who gave him away at his wedding, eyes dry, had shed a tear. Knowing that this must be important to him, the man grabbed his gun with his other hand, leaned against the boat and pointed the gun the best he could. Another on his crew crouched down and whispered, ¡°You know he¡¯s just giving you crocodile tears,¡± The crewman whispered. The shot man looked at the crewman and said, ¡°No. I can tell these are real. He¡¯d never do that to us,¡± He pointed his gun with his right hand, shaking, he looked down his barrel to see Dusk running toward them. The man clicked the trigger, the bullet missed Dusk by an inch. Dusk felt the whiz of a stray bullet go past him. The other two able bodied men pointed their weapons. Before they could shoot, Dusk slid to a stop and shifted the snowbeam, causing the ice to stack and create a barrier. He ducked behind it as the bullets broke through the stack. He looked through the bullet hole at the boat getting smaller, pointed his copper out of the side of the wall and shot. Dusk watched as the man to the far right grabbed his chest and fell off the boat. Dusk switched to his second freezing spell, took a step back and jumped over the small icestack. In the small gap that had been created before the new icebridge, an alligator leapt up and took a snap at Dusk. Dusk pulled his feet in, the chomps missing him as he pointed the spell at the river and shot. He landed on his belly on the new ice bridge, sliding as the river¡¯s descent started to increase. He¡¯d begun to gain on them. Dusk took out his copper and plugged the man with the shoulder wound. Lyle watched as the dead body of his crew rested on the sole, taking up space on the shi. Lyle, paused his paddling and grabbed the corpse to toss over the edge of the boat. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡®Why¡¯d you do a thing like that!¡± Another crew said, ¡°We coulda buried the body! Given it a proper funeral! I¡¯m wondering if you even care about us at all the way you¡¯re tossing us like meat!¡± When the man turned back and looked at Lyle, his boss of many years and leader of the crocodile tear gang, he saw a well of emotion in the ol¡¯ croc¡¯s face. Tears streamed down his beak. ¡°You think I wanted this?¡± Lyle said, ¡°You think I didn¡¯t want that body buried? Who do you think is going to be having that conversation with Diane? No, I don¡¯t see you as pieces of meat. I see you as kin. That¡¯s why I threw him overboard. You¡¯re the only one left. I can¡¯t let another one of my kin die at the hands of that madman. The man looked at Lyle crying. He knew in his heart that Lyle had been lying to his crew, but could tell that Lyle was being truthful now. ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry. Let¡¯s take this sucker dow-¡± The last man alive got a bullet right in the back. He fell to the floor of the dinghy as the croc kept paddling. ¡°I¡¯m- I¡¯m okay.¡± the man said, ¡°I¡¯ll be okay. I just¡­ need us to boat to safety.¡± Dusk reloaded his gun and started shooting again, still sledding on his belly. This time, the croc had no cover. Lyle took his monstrous strength and pulled the shot man up, using him to block Dusk¡¯s bullets. ¡°What the hell are you doing, Lyle!¡± the human shield screamed, I said I¡¯ll be okay!¡± The croc looked right at his last man, tears streaming down his cheeks, ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this, but there¡¯s no way you¡¯re going to make it if I get shot. I need to use you as a human shield.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± The man said, still held up by the croc¡¯s arms ,¡±I don¡¯t believe you one lick! You¡¯re just using me!¡± More tears raced down the croc¡¯s snout, ¡°How could you say that!¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry,¡± The man said. The raging rapids smashed the ice bridge behind Dusk. Dusk didn¡¯t have an opening to shoot the croc. Dusk put his two fingers in his mouth and whistled loud enough for Zephyr to hear. Zephyr dove down and swiped at the croc who got scratched at by Dusk¡¯s flying racoon. ¡°Hey!¡± The croc said as he tried to block the attack. Zephyr pulled her skin flaps and caught a gust upward, catching more air and teeing up another dive. She circled a bit and dive bombed again. ¡°Oh, no!¡± The croc said, ¡°Not this time!¡± He dropped his last man ¡°Oh fuck! Lyle, why¡¯d you drop me?!¡± Lyle stood up on his boat, grabbed his last man by the foot and swung him up in the air, taking a swipe at Zephyr, who had to quickly tited her legs and feet, causing her membranous wings to pull her to the left. ¡°LYLE!¡± The man said, ¡°WHAT THE FUCK!¡± That was the moment Dusk needed, he landed a few bullets into Lyle¡¯s chest. Lyle staggered backward, almost falling off his boat. But he managed to grab onto his man¡¯s leg and pull himself back up. Lyle rested the man on the dinghy bench as he prepared for another Zephyr divebomb. He gave the man one last look, tears and snot fully colliding on his face, causing a torrent of sadness, ¡°I wish it didn¡¯t come to this,¡± ¡°No, Lyle please, LYLE!¡± The croc twisted his body, grabbed the man¡¯s now twisted leg and cranked the man¡¯s body so that it flung across the water, skipping along the river and being launched at Dusk. The man collided with dusk sent the Spell Slinger flying back on the ice bridge. Dusk¡¯s gun pointed upward, shooting snowflakes into the air. The stagger caused Dusk¡¯s hat to fly off his head where it landed on the water and an alligator reached up and pulled it to the murky depths. The man looked at Dusk, ¡°You gotta help me. He¡¯s craz-whoa!¡± Dusk pushed the man off of him into the raging rapids where the alligators chomped away at him. ¡°AAAAHH!¡± Dusk stood up, his gun still letting out the freeze spell, and repeated the same move. He penguin-slid toward the croc, taking his copper and shooting behind him to add any bit of thrust he could. As Lyle kept swiping at Zephyr dive bombing him, Dusk contracted his belly, launching himself off of the ground and into the boat. The vessel rocked so hard it caused Lyle to grab at the edge, desperate for balance. Dusk pointed his copper at the crocodile and unloaded. Click. Click. Click. It was out. He grabbed his spell slinger, notched the chamber to the firebolt spell and pointed it directly at Lyle, ¡°I wanted to take you in alive, but I don''t have chains that could hold you.¡± Lyle looked at Dusk, tears beginning to stream down his cheek, ¡°If only you knew how I became this way,¡± ¡°That''s enough out of you!¡± Dusk said, pistol whipping Lyle. he pointed his firebolt spell directly at the croc, Zephyr landed on Dusk¡¯s shoulder. A pain struck Dusk¡¯s head. Who¡¯s this? ¡°I.. uhm,¡± Dusk said, ¡°Do you have any alcohol on this raft?¡± ¡°What?¡± Lyle asked. ¡°To clear my head I just-,¡± Who¡¯s this? Dusk grabbed his head. Zephyr pulled at a lock of Dusk¡¯s hair while Dusk rubbed his temple. Lyle swiped at Dusk¡¯s legs with his tail. Dusk went down, his hurting head colliding on the boat bench. ¡°Can¡¯t lock the croc, baby!¡± Lyle leapt off the boat and swam into river, swimming upstream while Dusk bobbled along the raging rapids which had begun their crescendo into a waterfall. Ch. 6 AImless Ambling Quinn walked through the strange city aimlessly. She had tried to find the big tree as directed but the strange land was an affront on her keen senses. She had wanted to ask someone for directions but after her last interaction, she was rightfully weary of strangers. Quinn looked for an elf, but could not find any. They were rare to travel outside of their grove. The feelings of being alone sat like bad lunch in her belly. Eventually, she approached a cabbie, standing in front of his horse and carriage crying at the locations and prices, ¡°Uhm, excuse me, sir,¡± she ventured. ¡°Why hello, little lady. Where might I be able to deliver you today?¡± The cabbie said brightly. ¡°I need to get to a tree in Little Town to meet my acquaintance. I can not pay you but I assure you if you take me the rest of the way, he can supply you with the funds needed.¡± The man took a breath and dropped his hat down. He looked at the scared little elf, ¡°Do you know what happens if you get in my cab?¡± He asked. ¡°Uhm, I get a ride to my desired destination?¡± ¡°Sure. But then what? I get there and your friend refuses to pay. Or what if I¡¯m the villain? I get there and I don¡¯t let you out until you give me the price I want.¡± ¡°But,¡± Quinn¡¯s voice was trembling. ¡°That¡¯s how most cabbies are going to think anyway. I can¡¯t trust you and you can¡¯t trust me. That¡¯s why I suggest you do the walk on foot. I¡¯ve got work to do in this corner for people who can actually pay and Little Town¡¯s a ways away. Get it?¡± ¡°If you could provide any assistance at all¡­¡± ¡°I did. I gave you some sound advice. Little Town¡¯s that a way,¡± He made a thumb, he pointed his thumb behind him and to the right, ¡°It¡¯s about two hours walk and those shoes don¡¯t look up to the challenge. Good day, ma¡¯am.¡± Before Quinn could say anything else, the cabbie walked his horses to a group of what looked to be tourists. He called them and mentioned that it would be a few tin a head and he¡¯d be happy to get them where they wanted to go. Quinn had tears in her eyes as she walked toward the direction of Little Town. She walked through a crowded marketplace of food. Foods from every country and town and distinct offerings she could not get back home. Quinn was very hungry. Elves normally didn¡¯t need very much but she reached down and felt a pang in her stomach for the first time in her life. Her sharp nose was able to point out distinct smells and her keen intellect was able to place what country or city they were from. But eventually, her hunger reached her head. The smells went from warm and inviting to mocking. And their differences began to taste cacophonous in Quinn¡¯s nose. The busy streets and cooking smells and all the talking¡­ It gave Quinn a debilitating headache. Quinn ran away. She had closed her eyes just to concentrate and ran until she was tired. Quinn hadn¡¯t been tired in her life. Elves didn¡¯t get tired or hungry or lost. She was all three. Quinn opened her eyes. She was at a park. Tucked between two garment buildings was a strip of green where children were running and playing. There were trees planted. Old World trees. Quinn clutched her black thin suitcase tightly and rested her back against the old tree, feeling a little like herself. She dropped down to her knees and started whimpering. The tears poured out of her, rolling onto her black jacket. A soft voice called out to her, ¡°Hey, little darling. Everything okay?¡± Quinn looked up. The man¡¯s face was blocked by the sun peeking behind him. She covered the sun with her hand as best she could and stared up at the man. He was bald and wearing black clothes with a white shirt collar under it. He was smiling down at her. ¡°Everything is fine,¡± Quinn wiped the tear from eyes, attempting to steady herself, ¡°I¡¯m just a little overwhelmed. This is the first time I''ve been away from home.¡± This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I understand,¡± The man said, ¡°With that accent, it seems you¡¯re a far way. Do you mind if I sit next to you?¡± Quinn was weary, but the man offered her a handkerchief for her tears. She accepted it, blotting her tears with the handkerchief monogrammed ¡®GJ¡¯ and agreed to let him sit down next to her. ¡°What are you in town for?¡± The man asked. ¡°Visiting a friend,¡± She said. ¡°Okay, that sounds fun. What are you both fitting to do?¡± Quinn gripped her black case closer to her chest and didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Alright. I understand. Top secret. Well, can I help you find this friend? Where is he or she?¡± She looked at the man, his gentle smile meeting her gaze. ¡°He¡¯s in Little Town.¡± ¡°Halfling. I understand. Little Town¡¯s still a little bit away, but we can get you there no problem. Do you have any money for a cab?¡± Quinn shook her head, the tears starting to come back. The man rubbed his chin. ¡°Hmmm. Seems like a far way but I¡¯d be willing to help.¡± Quin looked at him, tears blotting her cheeks, ¡°You would? ¡°Well, sure!¡± The man said, ¡°I bet all you¡¯d like you to do is go home. Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± She nodded her head again. He reached into his pocket and grabbed a big square of leather. He pulled some tin bills from there, licking his finger and counting them, ¡°That should be enough for a cab to little town.¡± Then he started counting more bills. Many more bills and added them to the stack for the cabfare. ¡°That should be enough for the trip home.¡± Quinn stared at the wad of cash being offered, not taking it. ¡°Go on. It¡¯s what you need, right? Sojourn¡¯s a scary place for elves. Y¡¯all are all the way out here, away from Vanya. You¡¯re vulnerable. I¡¯d hate to see you get hurt.¡± When he mentioned she was an elf, she reached out to touch her ears instinctively, realizing that they painted a big ¡®RUBE¡¯ sign across her forehead. Quinn reached out to grab the money and he retracted his hand, ¡°Just leave the case.¡± Quinn¡¯s eyes went wide. She looked at the man, he was still giving her a passive smile but his body language had shifted. There was a menace behind the grin. He waited there, ¡°I¡¯m not going to chase you if you don¡¯t run.¡± Quinn got up and ran the other way, through the park. The man sighed as he got up, brushing the grass off his pants. Quinn looked back at him but collided with an even larger man. Much hairier. She fell to the ground. ¡°We¡¯re trying to be as gentle as possible, ma¡¯am,¡± The bald man said, ¡°Don¡¯t make us get mean.¡± The hairy man was standing in front of her and the bald man was coming up from behind her. She looked at a spot behind the huge man, his frame covering most of the view. She closed her eyes and recited an incantation, then she shifted her feet in just the right way and, poof, she was behind him. About two feet short of the spot she was aiming for. The huge man had the length to immediately lean out and make a swipe at her. She dropped down, narrowly avoiding him and ran into oncoming traffic. The drivers on the carriages ¡®woahed¡¯ their horses as she kept running. She could hear the bald man say ¡°Magic in Sojourn. I¡¯ll be,¡± As she ran away. Once she crossed the street, she turned a right corner into an alley. The goons followed her in. She tried to break their line of sight by turning left only to encounter a brick wall a few heads higher than her. Quinn looked back, nervously. Knowing the men would corner her soon. Quinn turned her focus to top of the wall and imagined her feet there. This was often how teleportation magic worked. She would look at a spot and imagine a part of her body there. The chanting would help facilitate that and¡­ if successful, the rest of the body would follow. Quinn chanted the incantation again, moving her feet in such a way that caused a slight glow under her. She transported, but not high enough. Quinn clipped her shin along the brick wall and toppled back to the ground. Quinn let out a howl in pain as she stared up at the wall. What happened? Why didn¡¯t it work? Quinn thought. Same as before, she teleported just shy of where she needed to. Quinn felt the shadows of the two men cast on her laying body. She picked up the case and got herself up, limping due to the gash on her shin. ¡°Don¡¯t make this harder than it has to be,¡± The bald man said. ¡°And me? I advocate that you do make it harder. On a count of it¡¯s a lot more fun,¡± Said the hairy man. They approached her, cautiously. She looked back up at the fence and down at her bleeding foot. It was too dangerous to make the teleportation spell. She was not likely to do the proper foot movement and could barely concentrate from the pain. They lumbered toward her, until they were sure they¡¯d blocked her exit and lurched, both attacking her at once. Ch. 7: That Boy Aint Right ¡°Dusk, you dumb motherfucker,¡± The little girl shouted, ¡°How the hell do you think that disguise is going to work?¡± Dusk Hawthorne, a man who killed a cave troll single handedly, was cowering in fear of this little girl. He stood there, wrapped in a sarapa, disguised with bushels of horse hair glued to his eyebrows and upper lip. He sported an extra large brimmed hat to avoid detection, doing his best to appear inconspicuous to the townspeople. ¡°It¡¯s pretty good I thought,¡± Said Dusk, ¡°If no one¡¯s looking directly at me, they can¡¯t tell it¡¯s me.¡± The little girl spat on the ground, ¡°You dumb motherfucker, everyone¡¯s going to be staring at the guy who glued horsehair to his eyebrows.¡± ¡°Oh, come on, Sunny,¡± Dusk pleaded, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure you could tell it¡¯s horsehair. I cut it down so it¡¯s not so long.¡± They both stood in front of each other, resting on the slats of fence while a group of longhorns minded their business. Dusk had made his long way over from the last town. Dusk had promised to finish off the threat of Lyle but instead, some boys had died. Two women had been made widows. Dusk had looked everywhere but the crocodile was nowhere to be found. Unable to face the townsfolk after his promise, he high-tailed it out of the town and headed to Gulch where he could replenish his stock. ¡°What about Zephyr? Ain¡¯t everyone going to recognize her?¡± Zephyr clung onto Dusk¡¯s shoulders but was given a hairband with bunny ears springing off the top. ¡°Zephyr? This is my bunny, Lola!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re even making it out without bullets shooting at your back,¡± Sunny mumbled before kicking the dirt. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Sunny. Did you bring them?¡± Dusk asked. ¡°Did you really do all those things they said you did?¡± Sunny asked with the bravery and uncouthness of a child, ¡°Did you really hurt those people?¡± Dusk smiled a bright smile through the horse hair mustache, baring friendly teeth that attempted to sway Sunny that she had nothing to worry about. ¡°Don¡¯t believe what they say about me, Sunny.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t believe what Daddy says about you?¡± Sunny prodded. ¡°Nope. Or Ma. Or what any of the townsfolk say. Unless they say good things, then believe them double.¡± Dusk suggested. ¡°You didn¡¯t mangle two people at Hope¡¯s Crossing?¡± Sunny asked again. ¡°Not me!¡± Dusk insisted while making an X motion over his chest, ¡°Cross my heart, hope to die,¡± His eyes pleaded but grin mesmerized, ¡°Don¡¯t you believe me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re strong enough to do that to two orcs. Maybe two people but not orcs.¡± Sunny reasoned. Dusk laughed, flexing his muscles, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll get the whole thing cleared up with the marshals. But until then, I need to make some money, and for that¡­¡± He showed his palm, waiting for Sunny to do her part. Sunny stared at him, still sizing him up. Seeing if his brother was the kind of man who could do what they claimed he could. ¡°How are you even going to get a job? You¡¯re wanted.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not wanted. They don¡¯t know for sure it¡¯s me. This town just thinks it¡¯s me for some reason. I¡¯ll get a job somewhere else. I¡¯ll go to the city. Get the biggest job they have.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know if I should give it to you.¡± Dusk¡¯s head dropped down. Why did she insist on this every time? ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll be ba-ack¡± Dusk said, almost in a sing-songy way. ¡°Now you won¡¯t!¡± Sunny said, stomping her foot, ¡°You¡¯re too dumb! You¡¯ll get lost! Or die! Or get caught!¡± Sunny got up from the fence and stared at Dusk, a look of fire in her eye. ¡°Don¡¯t tell people I¡¯m dumb, Sunny!¡± Dusk said, ¡°You¡¯re more respected than I am, They¡¯ll believe you if you say I¡¯m dumb!¡± Sunny took the velvet bag she had brought for Dusk and chucked it at his head. He caught it before it made contact with his temple. ¡°Ah! Sunny! What the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?! These things could have exploded! You could have killed me!¡± Sunny felt an angry heat on her cheeks and nose, ¡°I hoped they did break! You¡¯re going to get yourself killed anyway!¡± Dusk peered into the bag to make sure they were filled with what he needed. Inside was a small treasure trove of glass vials filled with different energies. One had a mini-thunderstorm inside, the other, a fiery tornado. Some had rich swirls of purples and blues. All pulsated and shifted with different energies. They were marked with a small icon etched into the side. Dusk hungrily counted them as Sunny watched in anger. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Thanks, Sunny. I promise, this is the last time. I¡¯ll be back soon. Be good for both of us.¡± Dusk said, and attempted to hug Sunny, who pushed him away. ¡°I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s got to be like this, Sunny,¡± Dusk apologized. Dusk turned and walked down the road, loading his gun with a bullet. ¡°It doesn''t have to be this way!¡± Sunny said, tears forming in her eyes. She saw her brother get smaller and smaller in the distance. She terrified that if she did not cry out, he would disappear. ¡°YOU DUMB MOTHERFUCKER, DUSK!¡± Sunny said, tears welling in her eyes. Sunny became angry at Dusk, she was angry at herself for being angry at Dusk but she was angrier at Dusk for making her angry at him. She was angry at the world for taking Dusk away but she couldn¡¯t call the world a dumb motherfucker, it wouldn¡¯t listen, so she dedicated her taunts to him. Her tears fell down, covering themselves in the top layer of the dry dirt, unable to sink into the tightly packed earth. ¡°You dumb dumby.¡± She uttered, defeated and with that, he¡¯d turned the corner and was gone. Dusk picked up the pace. Sunny had a right to be mad at him, but did she have to be so loud? He was, as she couldn¡¯t stop pointing out, a wanted man in this town. Dusk made his way to the main road out. Zephyr clung to his shoulder. He''d have to walk the next town over and use his last bit of money to buy a stagecoach to get to the city. From there he could do a huge job and make lots of money, then everyone would like him again, and he¡¯d get to drink and party to his heart¡¯s content. That was the gist of the plan, anyway. Dusk dropped the brim of his hat to cover himself as he passed by kids playing hopscotch. He respected the chalk squares, navigating the perils of the hopscotch field with ease. One leg, one leg, both legs, and finish with one leg. He took out his coins and began counting them. It wasn¡¯t enough for a stage coach here, but maybe if he took the two days to walk to the next town he would talk someone down to taking him to Plymouth Harbor. If he went light on the food for the next week, he could make this last enough to get a big job and that would put him on track. After that, it¡¯d be another big job, then another big job. After that he might take a small job just to catch his breath. Actually, better make it another big job. Why slow momentum? Dusk saw Lewis in his usual spot. Hunched in front of the bar with a mug held out for spare coins. Dusk¡¯s heart darkened. Lewis went to grade school with him. Now he was here begging for money with none to use on a drink. It killed Dusk to see Lewis like this. He recounted his coins. Okay, he would get to the next town by walking, and really talk someone way down, or hey, maybe it¡¯s four big jobs before a rest. Dusk took a coin and dropped it in Lewis¡¯ cup. He could hear the plopping sound of a coin landing in liquid. ¡°What the fuck, Dusk! I was drinking that!¡± Lewis gurgled sleepily. ¡°Whoops!¡± Dusk said as he stepped over Lewis¡¯ leg, ¡°I¡¯m not Dusk by the way, I¡¯ve never met him!¡± Dusk assured. Okay, this was going pretty poorly. People began noticing Dusk through the horse hair mustache. Eventually a big guy with a big gun in his holster approached Dusk. Dusk looked to the left and began walking that way. ¡°Dusk!¡± The big guy said, ¡°We just want to talk!¡± The man, quickened his pace to meet Dusk. At that point, Dusk looked around and saw more big guys with guns joining him, from different directions. Dusk stopped walking and started trotting. The men decided to elevate the trot to a jog which left Dusk no choice but to sprint. So, as this escalation continued, Dusk was now sprinting and the people who were following had gotten on their horse and their horse was now sprinting. This was not going to help with Dusk¡¯s plan to get four to five big jobs and then relax. Dusk took out his spell slinger. ¡°Woah!¡± Said the main big guy, ¡°Let¡¯s take it easy!¡¯ ¡°You take it easy, Dicky!¡± Dusk shouted back ¡°I¡¯ve got big plans with this gun and no one''s getting in the way!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just take you to the sheriff¡¯s office and talk about this.¡± Dicky spoke assertively. Dusk¡¯s sprint stopped. He was surrounded by people on all sides and horses were circling him. He had packed the right bullet for this. He pointed his gun at the people, trying to halt their approach ¡°Don¡¯t make me use this! It¡¯s expensive!¡± Dusk hollered. ¡°Dusk! Hold yourself to the law, buddy. It¡¯s what any self-respecting Spell Slinger would do.¡± Dusk said this slowly, deliberately, like he was talking to a child. ¡°Well, that¡¯s where you got me all wrong! I gave up any self-respect I might have had years ago!¡± Dusk exclaimed proudly. ¡°Don¡¯t make me, Dusk.¡± Dicky pleaded one last time. Dicky pointed his gun at Dusk¡¯s leg, hoping to wing him. ¡°Just enough to get you to jail.¡± Things looked bad. His heart pounded in the way that it did when he was in a tight corner, the back of his neck raised on edge. There was a solemn stony voice deep in his gut that he could hear in his brain. Eat them. ¡°No thank you,¡± Dusk said aloud. ¡°Dusk,¡± Dicky tried to affect a calm voice, ¡°Nothing bad¡¯s going to happen.¡± We need you to come with us and get it all sorted. Good fucking meat. Dusk dropped his spellslinger, knowing his choices were limited. ¡°Good,¡± Dicky said, ¡°Now I¡¯m going to walk slowly and take the gun away. No more slipping around, ya hear, Dusk?¡± Dusk could not hear. The voice inside his head purred maliciously, Dusk was starting to lose sight. All he could hear was that cold hypnotic voice urging him to lose control. As Dicky drew his hand closer to Dusk all that would ring in Dusk¡¯s ears was the voice that told him Bite it off. Dusk picked the gun up, pointed it at his own head, the steel of the barrel feeling like a small prick. ¡°I¡¯ll do it!¡± Everyone stuck their hands up. ¡°Easy,¡± Dicky said, ¡°Easy. Let¡¯s not do anything we¡¯re going to regret.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m going to regret this,¡± Dusk said. He pulled the trigger, the blast of magic rushed out the vial and hit him square in the skull.