Advent Of A Gunslinger

But all the sudden, from a nearby shop, a familiar voice with a particular accent called out to them.

“Je ne pense pas. I don’t zink so, my dear.”

“What the--?!” Axel immediately turned around with his guns drawn, “Who the hell--?! You?!”

“Och…” Fleche placed her hoof against her forehead. “I had a sneakin’ suspicion we were forgettin’ somehtin’.”

“Relax yourzelves,” Topaz trotted out to greet them, now wearing red, baggy Saddle Arabian robes to beat the heat of the desert. “I’m not here about Klugetown. At zis point, I can zee it’s far more trouble zan it’s worth.”

But Axel was unerring. He didn’t lower his weapons and continued to glare daggers at the brown unicorn mare. “Oh really now? Then what are ya here for?”

“To deliver a message from a certain kitty,” she levitated a note over to Axel. “Zis iz for you.”

Axel glared daggers at her for a moment, and carefully accepted the note in his claw. He then began to read it…

“...You took someone special from me. So I’m going to do the same to you. Meet me at the Minotaur’s Ranch in 48 hours or they all die.”

The gunslinger’s claws started to visibly shake and shudder as he read each word. Once he was finished with it, he let it go, and allowed it to blow away in the gust of ambient desert wind that blew from behind.

“Zat iz all,” Topaz replied as she turned and started walking off, but stopped in her tracks when Axel called out to her.

“What do ya want?” he hissed as he stared at the ground. “Why are ya’ll involved in this?!”

“Hmph. Me?” Topaz rolled her eyes. “Zis war has driven all of my monetary support down ze drain. I have nozing left zanks to you all. But at ze very least, I’ll get to see you at your lowest.” And the brown unicorn continued walking away without another word.

As much as he wanted to question her further, Axel knew it’d be a waste of time. The lack of clarity within the note sent a cold chill of fear up his spine--a fear that he didn’t want to last for much longer.

“Oh and by ze way,” Topaz called out from afar, “Your vache friend has already left, racing back zere right now. I’d get zere before her if I were you. You don’t want zings to turn out…badly.”

“Grrrgh…” Axel grit his teeth, and opened his mouth to say something…but the next time he blinked, the unicorn mare was gone--having disappeared completely.

Fleche had been watching in silence the entire time, doing her best to hold her tongue as to not cause any further complications. Once Topaz had left, she flew over to her brother and consoled him.

“...I’ve got ye,” she said, “Come on. Let’s get back there as soon as we can. Just need to wake up the others and--”

“No,” Axel spread his wings and took to the sky, “Ya’ll stay here and watch for any potential stragglers. I ain’t takin’ no for an answer. Just do it, sis.”

“But brother--!”

SHOOM!

Without another word, Axel took off, flying with enough speed to cause a small backdraft that Fleche had to shield her eyes from with her hoof. The next time she opened her eyes, she couldn’t even see him over the horizon anymore.

“...Brother…”

Meanwhile, at the Milk Manor…

“You…ya’ll gonna regret this…” Martha sputtered and coughed. She had been hogtied and was lying facedown upon the ground in front of the manor.”

And next to her, Clarabelle had also been restrained with double the amount of rope. “...Ghhhgh…damn you! Axel and his friends are gonna tear yer shit a new one, ya hear me?!”

And next to her, more minotaurs…all over. Every single brothel worker had been bound, many of which were gagged and lined up outside of the building. Who was the cause of all of this?

A certain large, black cat man.

“He took away someone special to me,” Alade explained, “Either he faces me personally, or I take away someone who was special to him. That being you.”

“Dagnabbit’ta hell in a--!” Martha screamed at the top of her frail lungs, “We ain’t had shit’ta do with none’a his business! You really gon’ threaten me, boy? Have you no respect for ya elders?!”

“Respect?” the tom scoffed with a flick of his tail and a chuckle, “No one here deserves my respect. You assisted a killa. Just like me--he and I are no different.”

“That ain’t true!” Clarabelle protested with bloodshot eyes as she grit her teeth--steam could even be seen coming out of her nostrils! “Axel, Vido, Kora, Rosie, Chang--all of ‘em--they fight’ta keep other people safe! You just bein’ selfish, ya pussy!”

SHING!

Suddenly, Alade unsheathed his claws and held them to Clarabelle’s throat--but the minotaur didn’t flinch and remained firm.

“A wise man once said, ‘Time heals all wounds.’ It did not un-slit his throat,” he hissed, “Don’t test me.”

Clarabelle stared up at him while huffing angered breaths multiple times per second, as if daring him to try and hurt her.

Martha noticed this and did her best to talk her down. “Hey now, Clara--relax yourself. He’ll be here soon, alright?”

The minotaur gal eventually slowed down from her seething, and simply placed her head against the earth.

“Hmph…” Alade stood upright, and stepped away. “It won’t be long now.”