Advent Of A Gunslinger

Meanwhile with Axel and co…

They made a quick stop in Ornithia to drop Stratus off safely. And right after, they made their way to one of the only few places Axel felt safe in the forsaken world.

Eventually, Vido’s airship would arrive over the minotaur’s village landscape and touch down near the entrance. Night had fallen, and everything was almost pitch-dark.

“Here we are, Fleece-wool,” Axel said as he walked down the ramp of the deck onto the ground below. “This here’s the only haven we’ve got for the moment. I’m a familiar ‘round these parts so they’ll be kind to ya.”

“Aye. I ken,” Fleche replied as she followed her brother closely, walking alongside him through the village of minotaurs. “Oh wow. This place be full of big heckin’ milky lassies, tell ye what. They’re rather strappin’ ain’t they?” She marveled at all of the minotaurs that were around, going about daily life in their little village. Though some were looking in their direction--or rather, at Axel specifically. “Oi, what’re they lookin’ at?”

“Let’s just say…I’ve been here before and made an impact on the locals,” Axel gave a rather cryptic reply for the moment, “They got themselves a bordello near the end of the place that I…ahem…gave my business to--”

Fleche suddenly leaned over, nudging the side of her head against Axel’s. “Oooh! My wee brother has already become a man, eh? I can’t wait to meet yer new ladyfriends!”

Axel scoffed and tilted his head away from her as he continued walking. “Uggh. Just…just don’t make a scene, alright? Ain’t nobody wanna be listenin’ to yer stories of cragadile wrasslin’.”

The green mare scoffed and tilted her head up. “Oi. You lot know damn well I that my tales of yore captivate the even the coldest hearts. Everypony loves a good chancer, don’t they, lads?” she turned her head back and looked at Vido and Kora for approval.

The abyssinian and griffon had been following the sibling duo and they responded…in a kind way.

“Erm--maybe?” Vido said.

“That’s most certainly a possibility,” Kora replied, “But quick question. What do you mean by ‘chancer’?”

The question got a small chuckle out of Fleche as she started prancing along. “Oh-ho, you lot don’t even know--”

“Aw dagnabbit--” Axel muttered while burying his face in his claw.

After a rather long, drawn-out explanation of what that term meant…they would finally arrive at Madame Martha’s Milk Manor.

“And that’s what bein’ a chancer is all about, yeh,” Fleche finished her explanation as they arrived at the front doors, “Any questions?”

“Yeah I--”

“Nope! None!” Kora quickly placed a paw over Vido’s beak to stop him from talking, “We understand completely.” She looked up at the griffon and shook her head rapidly with a desperate expression on her face, pleading for him not to ask anything else.

And Vido must have gotten the hint because he relented and didn’t press the issue further.

“Alright, now, listen up,” Axel turned to his sister to give her a warning, “This here palace is filled’ta brim with hard-workin’ heifers. Ya don’t need’ta start yammerin’ on witcha stories and tales of our childhood--unlessin’ they ask. Got it?”

Fleche gave a salute with one of her hooves and replied, “Aye. No problem, brother. I’m just surprised to see the ol’ minotaurs be so hospitable towards outsiders. Er…you sure they won’t mind?”

Axel nodded. “That I am. I know Madam Martha personally. If anyone’s gonna show southern hospitality, it’s her. You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

With that, Axel turned and knocked on the door of the manor with his claw before opening it and stepping inside…

Only to find that everything was dead silent. No minotaurs at the desk, on stage, or walking around at all.

“What in blue blazes…?” Axel almost reached for his pistols purely out of instinct, but stayed his claws for the moment. “The heck is everyone?”

“This is quite peculiar indeed,” Kora added as she took some time to observe the room. “All of the lights are still on…” She paused for a moment to sniff the air, and opened her mouth to catch any possible scents on her tongue. “Ah. I smell live beef. They’re still around…somewhere.”

Fleche was quick to point out the absurdity of the situation. “Oi, how do a buncha mountain-sized cow-lassies disappear at the drop of a feather? Sounds like the work of witches, I tell ya.”

“I don’t think witches exist around here,” Vido added, “And even if they did, I think these bovine ladies would snap one like a twig over their knees.”

“Pfft--the witches I’ve seen be much more deadly than ya think, Vido-dear.”

Axel cleared his throat and interrupted her. “Ahem. Don’t worry yerselves with that. We should--”

“Hang on, Lord Remington,” Kora jumped in with her nose wiggling once more. “I’m starting to pick up something else. Lots of apple and cinnamon…some blueberry…freshly made ice cream?”

“The hell?” Axel replied, “But the bakery in the lobby ain’t even open.”

Kora shook her head and pointed in the direction of the hallway. “It’s coming from what seems to be the backyard near the greenhouses. Shall we investigate?”

The gunslinger accepted this and began to walk forward. “Ain’t like we got much choice…”

So with that, the group headed out towards the backyard…only to find the farms and greenhouses with no sign of what caused the delicious smell. In fact, Kora even managed to lose the trace of the scent entirely!

“That’s odd. I wonder…”

That’s when…

A familiar voice from an elderly woman called out to them. “Remington? Is that you, boy?”