Advent Of A Gunslinger

The Cattle Herder

True indeed. Despite her size, she was actually among the oldest of the bovid ladies that lived there. Upon closer inspection, one could see the natural, aging wrinkles that would adorn one’s face as they got older. She also had a solid resting bitc--well, an annoyed face that showcased her status as someone who has endured a load of conflict and wanted to be able to have a quiet life.

Unfortunately for her, things were the exact opposite of quiet right about now.

“...Oh, I didn’t realize. Sorry, ma’am.” Axel would’ve tipped his hat, but it was back in the room of the bordello along with the rest of his gear. “You’re Ms. Martha, yeah?”

Her voice was rather raspy and slightly deep--befitting a mature, older woman’s vocal chords. “That’s my name. Don’t wear it out, boy.” She closed up the door once more, and returned to what she had been doing before Axel appeared. She started to walk towards a hidden cellar door that led underground to a private room. “Since you’re here, I guess I could use yer help, youngster.”

“With what?” he asked, “I think I managed to--”

SLAM!

A loud set of crashes would rattle the locked door behind them along with a spread of roars and huffs. The three bovine ladies had not been permanently saved from the curse they were inflicted with, and were already actively charging at the door to bust it down.

“Woah!” Axel spun around, and aimed his gun at the door.

“Save yer bullets, fly-boy,” Martha groaned as she stood on the steps of the cellar, “Ain’t gon’ work on ‘em. We need’ta find ol’ reliable.”

Axel knew better than to disrespect his elders, so he would do his best to remain on her good side, and holstered his weapon. “Whatcha lookin’ fer?” he turned to her and asked.

“My tranquo-whatchamacallit--a device I have handy in case of emergencies like this. Them cow gals out there are about screwed in the head right about now ‘cuzza some damn new-fangled magic or what have ye.” Martha walked forward with an annoyed huff, and led him through the dimly lit cellar. “But mah damn eyes are so busted that I can barely see the broadside of my keister down here.”

“Guess that makes sense. With her aging body, her senses probably aren’t what they used to be.” With that in mind, Axel already had an idea as to what she wanted from him. “So ya want me’ta find your...device for ya. Is that right?”

“Sure as the sky is blue,” she replied.

He noticed that the cellar was lit with a single, dim bulb. “...Why ain’tcha changed the light?”

“Can’t do it ‘cuz I can barely see with the light off,” she explained, “And if it’s on, it gets hotter than a vat of fish grease and I can’t very well touch it. I usually get one’a the girls to change it. But I can’t exactly do that right now, boy.”

Ultimately a fair assessment, which was why Axel didn’t debate the issue further. However, he felt bad knowing that she couldn’t see very well in such a cramped area. “I might go ahead and change it for ya when I get a chance,” he offered.

The elder faun chuckled out of disbelief. “Well now--that’s a new one.”

“What is?” he asked.

“Someone offerin’ me somethin’ basic. But anyway--we’re lookin’ fer a charm made outta feathers, metal, ‘n wrapped around a looped stick. Ever heard of a dreamcatcher?”

Axel’s ears twitched at the thought. “I have actually...made a few with my brothers when they were still around.”

Martha looked down at the six-shooters that were in his holsters. Once she had a good glance, she instantly recalled who they were manufactured by. “Ah...you’re one’a Remington’s boys, ain’tcha?”

“Eh?” The gunslinger was a bit apprehensive to answer so quickly. So he responded to that question with a question. “What makes ya bring that up?”

She pointed at the guns on his person. “Only one weapon this side’a the planet got that ‘R’ insignia on it, kiddo. Plus, I’ve bought some’a his stuff before. What was his name again?” she tapped the side of her head. “En….En-somethin’.”

“...Enfield Remington,” Axel hovered above the floor so he could get a better look for the dreamcatcher she had referred to. “Guess you really do know him.”

“Hm...somewhat. But we ain’t got time for idle chitter-chatter, kid. We gotta deal with them three cheesed-off cows up top.”

After a bit more searching, Axel finally found the item she had described. It was on a dusty shelf behind several boxes. “Ah. Here it is--choo!” He grasped it within his claw, and sneezed from the excess amount of dust. “Uch...this place is in need of a cleanin’.”

“I’ll get to it when my back quits killin’ me from the inside out,” she snapped as she took the feathery ring, “Thanks fer yer help, boy. But I can take it from here.”

Axel was hesitant to call it a day right there. This little older taur-lady was capable of doing something like that on her own? He wasn’t going to let her risk her life in such a way. “Hang on now,” he interjected as he flew up to her, “You ain’t just gon’ go out and work that thing by yourself are ya?”

“Is he serious?” “Boy.” Martha stared at him with a flat expression, unable to comprehend what he had just said. “I don’t need you in anymore danger. Yer pa would flog me on an open spit if he was still around and I let ya fight my battles for me.”

While that may have been true, Axel was persistent in the pursuit of assisting her. “That ain’t my intent. I’m simply gonna distract ‘em while you go ahead and cleanse ‘em with the dreamcatcher.”

In the time he had taken to come up with a plan, Martha had lit up a cigarette, and huffed out some smoke. “Hmph...not bad. Guess you’re smarter than you look for a fledgeling.” With the trinket in hand, she held the cigarette within the left side of her mouth between her lips in a nonchalant manner. “Alright, boy. Let’s see whatcha got.”

“Oh I’ll show ya alright…” Eager to prove himself, Axel flew out of the cellar and into the office. By then, the door had been weakened from the constant crashing of the minotaurs against it. It was at its limits, and they would be at the mercy of the corrupted bovines soon enough. “Dammit...I ain’t got no movement.”

Martha however, didn’t seem to be visibly threatened at all. “Hang onto yer britches, boy. They’re gonna back up for a hefty ol’ charge in a second’er so. When they do, fly yerself on out and grab their attention.”

Axel heeded her words, and waited…

Sure enough, the elder faun was correct. After all the crashing, there would be a brief period of silence which indicated that the three gals outside were about to prepare a much more powerful charge--one that was theoretically strong enough to break into the room…

And he immediately took advantage of it.

Just like before when he entered the greenhouse itself, he delivered a hefty kick to the office door and focused his sights on the three minotaurs that had backed up to the far end of the room and prepared to charge--just as Martha said.

With how sharp his eagle-eyes were, everything around him could be considered moving in slow motion. First, he fired off all six shots from his right revolver towards the ground near their hooves, which instinctively caused them to dodge with unsettling ease despite their size.

Thankfully, Axel wasn’t trying to harm them anyway. Next, he would perform a little trick. Instead of taking time to reload, he threw his gun straight up, and into the air with the expended cylinder exposed. At the same time, he would fire his left pistol at their hooved feet to keep them distracted.

Like clockwork, the minotaurs spent more time evading his bullets than trying to attack. Their attention was fully fixated upon him now.

And once his right gun came back down, he already had a cylinder cap of six bullets in his right hand ready to reload. In a swift, almost magical motion, he stuffed the new set of bullets within the cylinder, wrapped his index claw around the trigger guard, and spun it around until the pistol’s grip was perfectly in his palm, ready to fire once more. He would then do the exact same thing with the gun in his left hand.

All the while, Martha had snuck around behind them all. Once Axel had fired off about two full cylinders worth of bullets, she got to work and started a small chant in a foreign language. “E hāʻawi mai i ka mana a i ʻole ʻeha i koʻu huhū...E hāʻawi mai i ka mana a i ʻole ʻeha i koʻu huhū….E hāʻawi mai i ka mana a i ʻole ʻeha i koʻu huhū!” After the third time, she held up the dreamcatcher, and it started to glow red, absorbing the corrupted magic from the minotaurs with red, demonic strands flying into the feathery wreath…

“GAH Rrrggh...ugh…!” The three minotaurs grunted and groaned from the intensity. This spell must have weighed heavily upon their bodies…

This was doubly true for Martha, whose less-than-durable older body trembled from the sheer power of the magic that flowed into the dreamcatcher. Her legs quivered, and the cobblestone beneath her hooves started to crack. Her arms also started to shake, threatening to drop the trinket entirely and break the connection--which would in turn, undo the magic siphon.

Martha clenched her teeth, and sweat started to pour from her forehead down her body. “Gah...dammit...c’mon ya old bitch...don’t let ‘em die like this...” She tried to re-inforce herself with her thoughts, but it proved futile…

Axel took note of this, and immediately took off towards her. “Ma’am! Hang on!”

“N-no!” she sputtered a raspy squall, “Getchyer ass back, boy! It’ll kill ya!”

That didn’t stop the gunslinger. He was determined to keep her alive. Even if it killed him...