Advent Of A Gunslinger

Meanwhile…

Once Gatto had finished up his business, he returned to his boss’s building to give his report. On the outside, it looked like just about any other piece of messy material within Klugetown.

On the inside, however…

The first panel of wood would lead down a flight of stairs to a basement. From there, he would have to input a code that granted him access to a room behind a locked door.

Gatto would remove his hat, then enter. All he could see was the back of his boss’s chair. “Hey now. So, uh...we got a bit of a problem.”

“Really?” the boss asked. The chair remained facing away from Gatto. “Then explain yourself.”

The tomcat would then explain what he had heard from his little informants. Everything about the hippogriff cowboy that suddenly appeared, and how he had already set Kora upon him.

“The idea, is that she’s gonna test out how strong he is,” he went on, “Then, we’ll be able to take him down and--”

The boss interrupted the subordinate. “And so ya left there without making sure he would be properly subdued. Eh, Gattille?”

Gatto’s tail stood up on end as he realized his mistake. His eyes darted left, and right as he tried to repair the conversational blunder. “Well, I uh--that is to say--I-I’m actually headed back there now! I-I just came to let you know before I headed back out. We can’t afford to have any loose ends, right?”

“No.” The boss replied sternly. “We can’t. Get back out there and make sure he’s eatin’ dirt. If that really is the Last Remington, then he’s gon’ be more valuable than any of us realize.”

“M-my thoughts exactly, boss!” Gatto nervously shot back, “You really know how to call a play on the range, eh?”

A scoff, then the boss would let off a huff of smoke from the seat. “Quit bein’ a yellowbellied ass-kisser. Do your job, understand?”

“Gyat-dammit. Now I gotta go back and do that? I got a life, ya know. Weapons to test, books to read.” Despite his inner disdain for such a task, Gatto would agree. “Understood, boss. I won’t come back until I have some confirmation and can bring him back here.”

“Excellent,” the boss replied, “Now go. And make sure you document everythin'.”

“Yeah, I’m on it,” he replied with a huff as he left.

The boss would retrieve a file from the desk next to the chair. Printed on it was a copy of the special Remington family insignia. An ‘R’ whose bottom lines converted into swirls across the curves of whatever weapons they were engraved into. “His weapons would always be made with special time and care. If we can get his final living relative on our side, we could be back on top and take over regions outside of just the desert. If only…”

Meanwhile, topside, at the edge of Klugetown…

Kora took Axel’s apprehension as a sign of weakness and decided to tease him over it.

“Awww! What’s this? The big bad gunslinger’s gone soft when he’s faced with a super strong, pussycat?”

Axel was less than impressed. This sort of tactic was used on him many times before. “Is she really goin’ there? But meh, what do I got to lose here? Ain’t nothin’s gonna stop me. Not them, and not this one here.”

“Alrighty then, ya asked for it, ya gettin’ it,” Axel retorted, and prepared to draw his weapons. “Just so ya know, I ain’t lookin’ to kill ya, so I’ll avoid strikin’ yer vitals.”

“Well that’s quite good,” Kora replied as she led him to one of the gym rooms, “I don’t intend to kill you either, Mr. Lone Ranger.”

He followed her into the room, and got into his readied stance. “After you.”

The very next time he blinked, she would literally disappear into thin air. To say that this she-cat was quick would be a massive understatement. The entire room fell silent to where all he could hear was the ambience of the air around his body.

SWISH!

A set of claws would swipe just behind his neck. Thankfully, Axel’s quick reflexes allowed him to dodge just in time, albeit barely. He could have sworn he felt the edges of her claws graze his head as he performed a backflip. The secret lay in the Abyssinian’s digitigrade legs--she didn’t rest on any sort of heel, and put all of her agility into her pawed toes. She could instantly go from a feral stance to an upright one in a fraction of a second.

To counter this--or rather, to at least be able to fight back--Axel spread his wings and took flight while low to the floor to perform hovering maneuvers. “Shoot. She’s faster than a jackrabbit on a hot summer’s pavement. Let’s see if she’s faster than a bullet.”

As the old saying went, ‘the hoof or claw was quicker than the eye.’ And Axel was going to put that to the test. He had plenty of ammo to spare, so firing off a shot or two wouldn’t be an issue.

He flipped out of his stance, and retrieved his left revolver to fire a shot off at the she-cat.

With a loud pwang!, the bullet would hit solid wood. In the split second that he picked up his weapon, she was able to calculate where the bullet would land and how to avoid it.

“Well now,” she purred whilst she crawled on all fours, “That’s not quite fairrrrr, is it?”

“Guess this’ll serve as good target practice,” Axel thought to himself, “If the rest of ‘em are half as fast as this, I’mma have a problem if I can’t keep up.”

Two more bullets would make holes in the floor. Kora elegantly evaded both with no trouble on her part. “Really?” she mocked him as she licked the back of her hand, “Thought ya’ll cowpokes were supposed to be fasterrrr than that.”

“Go on the defensive.” He reloaded, and holstered his six-shooter. “Yer move, then.”

Just like before, the next time he would blink, the Abyssinian would disappear into thin air. Axel would mentally prepare himself for what would happen next. His claws were open--each finger flexed with anticipation--not to grab his guns, though…

SHING!

This time, a set of feline claws would come at him from his left. He raised his left forearm at the exact moment she swung at his face so that her claws would sink into his leather. This left the she-cat disarmed just long enough for Axel to turn the tables.

He reached over with his other claw, and flipped her onto the floor--flat on her back. Kora would retaliate in an instant. She sprung off her toes, and leapt at him with a roundhouse kick followed by another set of claw swipes. In a blur of black, she started to move so fast that she was impossible to keep track of.

Or so she thought.

What she wasn’t prepared for, though, was his sheer resistance to her attacks. Sure, he had given up on blocking due to how quick she was. “Her specialty is death by a’thousand lashes. But let’s see if she can handle a’thousand all in one go.”

After the fifth time she swiped, Axel had managed to jot down her exact pattern. His eyes watched her like an unwavering hawk until…

“HM!”

He hovered a few inches off the ground to dodge her next attack. Within those same few milliseconds, he spun around, and kicked her in the back of the head--hard enough to send her into the nearby wall with a crash!

But it all happened so fast that, to the untrained eye, it would appear that the gunslinger had just spun himself out of a black tornado.

“SSSSS!” Kora hissed as soon as she made contact with the training dummies that were lined against the wall. “Argh...didn’t peg ya to be so quick on your feet, darlin’.”

“Yeah, that’s what they always tell me.” Axel removed his hat, and dusted himself off. “Anyhow, I believe I’ve earned myself the information ya promised?”

Indeed. Kora was unable to fight any further without risking damage to herself. The blow struck her fairly hard, so she conceded. “Alright, alright...hang on.” She stood upright. “There we are. Now, here’s something you may not be aware of. But...you’re already in Abyssinia.”

“...Well that kinda saves me some trouble I suppose.” Axel rubbed his temples with his claws. “Wait a second, I am? I heard rumors that Klugetown was located within Abyssinia, but I never knew fer sure.”

“As sure as milk from a cow on a hot day,” she replied as she straightened out her glasses, “You’re already where you need to be. Would you mind telling me what you’re looking for? There’s other regions such as Panthera--the capital, Litterbox Ridge, and Tabbytown to name a few.”

His trail had run cold. The revelation that the entire legislation of Abyssinina was before him was a rather stark one. Now he had to ask: Just how would he find who he was looking for? But could he really trust Kora? She seemed nice enough. Based on the way she fought, her intent seemed rather genuine. A careful, calculating individual.

“Should I explain it to her? What if she’s allied with ‘em? Then again, Ms. Mynx seemed mighty trustworthy for a stranger. Why would her sister not act similarly?”

The weight of his options was key here. Just how far would he go to avenge those he had lost?

“...I need to avenge my family. They were stripped from me in my youth,” he sneered with a cold stare, “The ones who did it are gonna pay.”

Kora’s ears drooped. “...I see. Forgive me, darlin’. Shouldn’t have wasted your time with that sparring session.”

“No need to apologize,” he replied, “I just need some info.”

“...I truly am sorry,” she thought to herself, “I can’t begin to comprehend how you feel right now. However, I’m not entirely certain that assisting you is the right call. With the way Gatto is…”

At last, Kora would come to a conclusion. “Alright. I think I know where you should go. There’s a saloon at the very edge of Klugetown. It’s where the seediest, and lowest of the low tend to gather like critters to a fish barrel. The ones who took your family from you are likely regulars there.”

“Gamblin’, eh? Never been much of a player. I prefer simpler games like horseshoes and rustlin’ cattle.” Axel stroked his chin. “Hm. That’s actually mighty logical. Those who can risk it all, are gonna go ahead and bet it all.” He then pulled out the map that Mynx had given him earlier. “Yer sis gave me this. Mind pointin’ out where the place is?”

Kora tapped her finger on the northeastern section of the map. “Right around here. It’s kinda hard to miss. The absolute stench of money will hit you like a stagecoach full of bricks.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Axel rolled up the map, and put it away within his vest. He tipped his hat to her. “Thanks fer the assistance, missy. I won’t forget this service.”

“You’d do well not to, misterrrrr,” she purred with a catty grin. “Now go on. Take back what you lost.”

Satisfied with this outcome, Axel would turn and leave the room--and eventually the building itself.

As soon as she heard the front door shut, Kora rolled her eyes and flicked her tail. “He’s gone. You can come out now.”