Advent Of A Gunslinger

Meanwhile on that very same morning in Klugetown’s Saloon…

Tony approached his gold dragon boss with a letter.

Rongu looked up from what he had been reading, and took a look at the letter. “What’s this?”

“My week’s notice,” Tony remarked, “I’ve decided I wanna get a head’s up on my retirement. So I’m leaving the business in ya’lls hands.”

“...Are you sure you want to do that?” the dragon asked, “You’d be leaving behind a lot of good memories here. Ones that--”

The minotaur put his hands on the manager’s desk, and repeated himself with a quiet, yet deep boom. “I’m done, I said.”

As soon as he loomed over the desk, the dragon found himself cringing against his seat in fear.

Tony noticed this, and eased up a little. “Ahem. What I mean is, I’ve found that this life most fulfillin’, but I wanna pursue other things now. Hope ya understand.”

Various thoughts raced through the dragon’s head as he tried to piece together the reasoning behind Tony’s leave. “I don’t understand. Just what could’ve prompted this out of nowhere? There has to be a larger reason behind it….or am I just going crazy and overthinking things?”

“...Is that alright?” the minotaur asked, which interrupted the dragon’s train of thought. “Sir?”

Rongu snapped back into reality. “Huh? Oh, yes. Not a problem for me. We appreciate all you’ve done for us, Mr. Giovanni.”

Satisfied, Tony would turn to leave. “Thank ya.” Once he left the building, he exhaled deeply. “The faster I get away from this nonsense, the better.”

Meanwhile, back in the boss’s office…

Mio appeared a few seconds later. “What was that about? Did Tony just--”

The dragon showed the tomcat the letter of leave notice. “He’s flaking on us. Do you think it has anything to do with the scene from yesterday?”

“But that’s impossible,” Mio straightened his glasses as he looked the letter over, “There’s no way he could have been there to witness it. I couldn’t smell an ounce of bull beef in any direction.”

“Whatever the case, this doesn’t feel like a coincidence. Tail him. Make sure he isn’t aware of our operations and doesn’t blabber about it to some goody-goody bounty hunter.”

“...RRR?!” The tom hissed, and grit his teeth. “Say what?! Why do I have to do anything like that? Interrogation isn’t my strongest suit.”

The dragon shook his head. “...This isn’t a matter of ‘interrogation,” he said with finger-quotes, “It’s...negotiation.” He put his arms down on the desk, and looked down at his paperwork. “Just try and strike up a friendly chat with him. And if things don’t go as planned, well. I’m sure you’ll know what to do.”

Mio folded his arms, and shifted his gaze upwards and to the right with an annoyed frown. “I know I’m just about sick of dealing with your order of operations. You know I’m not good with trying to convince others of what they should or shouldn’t think…” He then shoved his hands in his pockets. “Fine. But if things go south, it’s your deck on the line. Not mine.”

“Trust me, Mio--I wouldn’t set you up for something that you weren’t capable of. We just need to make sure all of our loose ends are properly tied up before we advance any further. Our...servants are going to be put to work soon. The less resistance we have, the better.”

The tom let out a quiet purr of defiance, and left the room. “Whatever you say, boss…”

The dragon sat back in his seat with a smug expression. “...Besides, you’re the one who needs me more than I need you.”

Meanwhile, on the airship in the middle of the Bone Dry Desert…

Axel had gone to the kitchen to find the young minotaur woman and speak with her. While he wasn’t going to admit it, he was very curious as to whether or not this bovine lady was the daughter of Tony.

Sure enough, she was there and preparing food for the next meal of the day.

“...’Scuse me,” Axel called out to her, “But I was wonderin’ if I could ask ya a question.”

“Hm?” Roseanne had just finished chopping up some vegetables, and took a break. “What’s up, pardner?”

“...Is it...is there a chance you know a minotaur named Tony Giovanni?” he asked.

“Oh yeah! That’s my pa alright!” she replied with a wide smile, “Do ya’ll know him?”

“Just me,” Axel replied, “Been to the place where he works. Got a lotta great dishes. Even for some that include fish. Hell, even went fishin’ with him. He’s a nice man. Seems his cookery skill has rubbed off on ya.”

Rose squealed with joy as she went to a nearby cabinet. “Awwww. Thanks, pardner! Glad to hear someone thinks mah pa’s food is great. He can be quite demandin’ sometimes, but Ah manage.”

That’s when Axel realized something. “...Wait a sec, now. He said to me yer name was Stella. But you call yerself Rosie?”

The minotaur girl stopped dead in her tracks. “Er, well--yeah. Mah full name is Estelle Roseanne Giovanni. Pa likes’ta call me Stella, but I don’t very well cotton’ta that nickname. Too childish for a woman mah age.” She then resumed with what she was doing. Rose had grabbed a few empty glass bottles and set them on the counter.

“Completely fair.” Axel nodded, and decided to go along with what made the taurette feel most comfortable. “Understood. My name is Axel Remington. I’m sure yer cap’n has told ya ‘bout me.”

What happened next would cause Axel to stare in amazement.

Roseanne would casually lift her bikini top, allowing her enormous breasts to fall free and jiggle. Her nipples were erect and swollen and dripping passively with milk. She then started to squeeze the contents of each breast into the bottles. All while she casually continued the conversation between herself and the hippogriff. “Oh, yeah-yuh! She filled me in on ya last night, pard. Yer really cool with yer guns. Reckon we could share ourselves some shootin’ tips!”

“...” Axel was stunned into silence, and tried his best to look away as he stumbled over his words. “R-right. W-well that’s--”

Rose turned to face him. Still as casual as ever with her breasts on full display. “What’s the matter, sugar?”

His pupils shrank as he found himself in a frenzied panic. “I--uh--what’re you--your…you don’t have udders?”

The taurette let out a small giggle. “Nah-uh! We ain’t like them regular cows you see on farms, pardner. We minotaur women generate it from our breasts like other species.”

“O-okay, but...you’re fine with just exposing them like that? I barely even know you!”

Rose let out an exasperated groan. “Ugggh...seriously?” This wasn’t the first time she had heard such a rhetoric. After all, toplessness and nudity was common among loads of other species. To her, it was odd that clothing was considered mandatory for certain bodies. “What in tarnation is the big freakin’ deal? It’s a natural part’a our bodies. No different than a horn or hoof!”

“Well, yes--that is true but--”

She then sighed, and folded her arms which only pushed her chest up even more. “...But Ah guess pa was right in some ways. Folks’re so quick’ta judge ya by how ya look or dress before they get to know ya. It’s one’a the reasons why Ah upped and left Klugetown when Ah did. Wasn’t safe there for a busty heifer like mahself.”

“...So that’s what the older gent meant when he said all that. He knows that his daughter is attractive and enticin’ to the wrong folks. She knew it too, so she got the heck outta dodge before things got worse.” Axel focused his attention back onto her, and did his best to make eye contact. “...Listen. I ain’t gon’ judge ya fer havin’ large, erm...bosoms. Yer general demeanor and how ya treat others matters more. And from what I tasted in them pancakes...ya got a good head on yer shoulders, missy. I’m sure the cap’n and the others love whatcha make.”

Her state of annoyance soon dissipated and she found herself smiling again. “...Thanks fer yer kind words, Ax. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Alrighty…” To be frank, what he was most interested in was the milk itself and how it worked. He stared at those bottles filled with fresh, white milk. “So...this don’t need to be pasteurized or nothin’? Drinkable right outta the...er...tap?”

“That’s right. It’s another big difference between minotaurs and regular cows,” she explained, “No need for the cleanin’ process. It’s perfectly tasty! Go on, try a sip!” Rose then poured a bit of the milk from one of the bottles and into a glass for him to taste.

Axel reached forward, albeit with a bit of hesitation. Then he brought the glass to his lips, and downed it…

His eyes went wide when he realized the taste was scarily familiar. “Wait a cotton-pickin’ minute. This here’s the same milk I just had at breakfast!”

Rose held her hands behind her back in an overtly innocent fashion. “Mm? Was it now? Surprise!”

“...” Axel went back and finished the rest of it. It was hard for him to admit just how impressed he was. Minotaur women could generate milk that was ready to drink without pasteurization? No wonder they all got so big and strong! “...That’s pretty damn good, I ain’t gon’ lie.”

“Why thank ya, pard! It’s always a pleasure’ta meet someone who appreciates mah family’s secrets!” Rose put an arm around his neck, and pulled him in for a hug.

“NGH!” Axel was strained a little bit from the sheer strength of the hug. Then he looked up and realized her breasts were still completely exposed--and he was right beneath them. “...Erm--too, tight, missy!”

“Ah! Mah bad, Ax!” she let him go, and tilted her head with a concerned look. “...Are ya alright?”

He had to take a deep breath, but was able to relax. “...Yeah. I’m fine. Just fine.”

Rose smiled as she retrieved her multi-colored top and put it back on. “Good, cuz ya know that lil’ mission the cap’n wants you to go on? It’s somethin’ we’re both gonna tackle together.”

“...Wait a minute, she can fight?”