5
That night Knives held a banquet for the 8 remaining fighters; Legato, Dominique, Loose Ruth, Midvalley, Monev, Vash, and himself. Nick wasn't invited because he was still chained up.
Knives looked at Vash eat some doughnuts from the dessert tray. "You may think we have nothing in common but we do, we're both winners." He told Vash
Vash stopped.
"Yes but I feel no different from the day before." Vash said
"No, you feel like you have survived." Knives said
"I guess killing people excites you more than anyone." Vash replied.
"I don't hold these contests for fun, I do it so my enemies can face me, and so no one can come up and shoot me in the back." Knives said.
"Maybe one day your winning streak will end." Vash sneered.
"I'm not lucky, I'm the best." Knives said.
The next day it rained hard, canceling the time of fights. Nick held his head out to catch the raindrops falling.
Nick laughed a little; finally glad to get a drink.
He didn't notice Vash sitting on the chair nearby.
"Sorry about that. It's kinda hard to get a drink around here." Nick said.
Vash didn't answer; he didn't even look at him.
Nick thought it was time to explain his past.
"I was only a boy when I met Knives. He thought I was different from others, and I guess he wanted me to be just like him. We used to go on heists along the Caravan trades. At one heist we ran into a horde of feds, we got shot up so bad that we were the only two left alive. A priest hid us in his mission. Once we were healthy enough to leave Knives told me to shoot the preacher, I said no. He said either I kill him or we both die. So I shot the priest. Now it doesn't matter what I do I'm damned for eternity."
Vash just shook his head.
In Knives' mansion he talked to Loose Ruth.
"Why did you call me here?" Ruth asked.
"I came to ask you a question, and that is who paid you to come here?" Knives asked.
Ruth chuckled a bit.
"Mr. Knives I'm just an adventurer and I heard about this gunfight." He said.
"I thought Bolstalk was the hired gun but he was just a liar, you aren't." Knives said.
"Alright, I am actually a bounty hunter. I am Loose Ruth, and I am known to others as Constance Rifle. I've killed 17 outlaws, 3 bank robbers, and 1 corrupt sheriff. My employer will remain anonymous" He explained, showing the sheriff star he took.
"Do we have business today?" Ruth asked Knives.
"As soon as the rain stops I'm going to make an example of you." Knives said.
Ruth laughed again.
After the storm Knives walked out while Legato was telling a story about his run in with the Roderick slave traders.
"It was a brave thing of you to compete, now step down with no regrets." Knives said to Legato.
"I'll only step down when you step down." Legato snapped.
Knives turned to face him. "Don't ever cross me boy. You're nothing like me, and you never will be." He said.
"4 fights today, the winner will be the one left standing." The bartender said.
"Left alive..." Knives said, correcting him.
"The winner will be the man left alive. From now on we fight to the death." The bartender said.
"I didn't see that coming Knives, what a surprise." Nick said sarcastically.
"You have a problem with that?" Knives asked Ruth.
"I was planning to kill you anyway." Ruth said, grabbing his rifle.
The clock ticked down to the 12, the top of the hour.
It hit 12.
BANG
Ruth fell back with a hole in his stomach.
Knives put his big black gun in his holster.
"I'm wondering, you whiny people say you can't afford my taxes and yet you keep hiring professional gunmen to kill me. If you people have so much to hide I'm gonna take more from you. You clearly haven't got the idea. This is MY town!! If you live I allow it. I decide if you live or if you die."
Ruth tried to aim for Knives, who spun around and put a bullet right through his heart, lungs and head quickly.
"Let this be a lesson, I cannot be defeated. You will do as I say." Knives said, holstering his gun again and leaving.
Later in the day it was Legato vs. Dominique.
Both fired when the clock hit 12.
Legato fell to his knees, everyone thought he was hit but Dominique fell back with a bullet hole in her bad eye.
"Gotcha, I told you I am the best, and I am the next mayor of this town!!!" He shouted to Knives.
Everyone cheered Legato as they went in the saloon.
"Looks like it's gonna rain again, no more fights until we see what happens." The bartender said.
There was some commotion upstairs from the saloon. Later Milly ran downstairs and out the door.
Midvalley came down the stairs and went to the counter. Vash overheard how Milly was not willing to sleep with him.
Vash grabbed him and threw him to the floor.
"Get up, right now!!!!" Vash shouted.
Both of them started to fist fight until some guys pulled them apart.
"Outside, now!!!!!" Vash ordered.
"You got it bastard!!!" Midvalley shouted back.
Out on the street in the rain both began firing at each other.
Midvalley fired his saxophone's machinegun while Vash fired back with his silver pistol.
One shot nailed Midvalley in the stomach, and another in the shoulder.
Vash stood over his opponent holding the gun at his temple. Knives stood outside of his house watching.
"No, please, I don't wanna die. Please no, oh God, don't kill me. Knives help!!!" Midvalley pleaded.
"Finish him!!!!" Knives shouted to Vash.
Vash slowly put the hammer back up on his pistol and backed off.
"This fight is not over until one of you is dead, finish him." Knives ordered.
Back in the saloon Vash ordered a drink when Midvalley snuck up behind him from the door.
"Die Blonde man!!!" he shouted, not noticing that one of the muzzles on his sax was clogged with one of Vash's stray bullets.
"No, stop, don't!!!!" Vash shouted
It was too late, when Midvalley pulled the trigger the sax exploded, taking him along with it.
Knives walked over with an umbrella in hand.
The people looted Midvalley's body.
"So the Blonde man moves to the next round." Knives said.
Vash said nothing and walked off, feeling guilty he could not stop the man from dying.
The rain poured down all day that day like an ominous cloud hung over the town.
That night Knives held a banquet for the 8 remaining fighters; Legato, Dominique, Loose Ruth, Midvalley, Monev, Vash, and himself. Nick wasn't invited because he was still chained up.
Knives looked at Vash eat some doughnuts from the dessert tray. "You may think we have nothing in common but we do, we're both winners." He told Vash
Vash stopped.
"Yes but I feel no different from the day before." Vash said
"No, you feel like you have survived." Knives said
"I guess killing people excites you more than anyone." Vash replied.
"I don't hold these contests for fun, I do it so my enemies can face me, and so no one can come up and shoot me in the back." Knives said.
"Maybe one day your winning streak will end." Vash sneered.
"I'm not lucky, I'm the best." Knives said.
The next day it rained hard, canceling the time of fights. Nick held his head out to catch the raindrops falling.
Nick laughed a little; finally glad to get a drink.
He didn't notice Vash sitting on the chair nearby.
"Sorry about that. It's kinda hard to get a drink around here." Nick said.
Vash didn't answer; he didn't even look at him.
Nick thought it was time to explain his past.
"I was only a boy when I met Knives. He thought I was different from others, and I guess he wanted me to be just like him. We used to go on heists along the Caravan trades. At one heist we ran into a horde of feds, we got shot up so bad that we were the only two left alive. A priest hid us in his mission. Once we were healthy enough to leave Knives told me to shoot the preacher, I said no. He said either I kill him or we both die. So I shot the priest. Now it doesn't matter what I do I'm damned for eternity."
Vash just shook his head.
In Knives' mansion he talked to Loose Ruth.
"Why did you call me here?" Ruth asked.
"I came to ask you a question, and that is who paid you to come here?" Knives asked.
Ruth chuckled a bit.
"Mr. Knives I'm just an adventurer and I heard about this gunfight." He said.
"I thought Bolstalk was the hired gun but he was just a liar, you aren't." Knives said.
"Alright, I am actually a bounty hunter. I am Loose Ruth, and I am known to others as Constance Rifle. I've killed 17 outlaws, 3 bank robbers, and 1 corrupt sheriff. My employer will remain anonymous" He explained, showing the sheriff star he took.
"Do we have business today?" Ruth asked Knives.
"As soon as the rain stops I'm going to make an example of you." Knives said.
Ruth laughed again.
After the storm Knives walked out while Legato was telling a story about his run in with the Roderick slave traders.
"It was a brave thing of you to compete, now step down with no regrets." Knives said to Legato.
"I'll only step down when you step down." Legato snapped.
Knives turned to face him. "Don't ever cross me boy. You're nothing like me, and you never will be." He said.
"4 fights today, the winner will be the one left standing." The bartender said.
"Left alive..." Knives said, correcting him.
"The winner will be the man left alive. From now on we fight to the death." The bartender said.
"I didn't see that coming Knives, what a surprise." Nick said sarcastically.
"You have a problem with that?" Knives asked Ruth.
"I was planning to kill you anyway." Ruth said, grabbing his rifle.
The clock ticked down to the 12, the top of the hour.
It hit 12.
BANG
Ruth fell back with a hole in his stomach.
Knives put his big black gun in his holster.
"I'm wondering, you whiny people say you can't afford my taxes and yet you keep hiring professional gunmen to kill me. If you people have so much to hide I'm gonna take more from you. You clearly haven't got the idea. This is MY town!! If you live I allow it. I decide if you live or if you die."
Ruth tried to aim for Knives, who spun around and put a bullet right through his heart, lungs and head quickly.
"Let this be a lesson, I cannot be defeated. You will do as I say." Knives said, holstering his gun again and leaving.
Later in the day it was Legato vs. Dominique.
Both fired when the clock hit 12.
Legato fell to his knees, everyone thought he was hit but Dominique fell back with a bullet hole in her bad eye.
"Gotcha, I told you I am the best, and I am the next mayor of this town!!!" He shouted to Knives.
Everyone cheered Legato as they went in the saloon.
"Looks like it's gonna rain again, no more fights until we see what happens." The bartender said.
There was some commotion upstairs from the saloon. Later Milly ran downstairs and out the door.
Midvalley came down the stairs and went to the counter. Vash overheard how Milly was not willing to sleep with him.
Vash grabbed him and threw him to the floor.
"Get up, right now!!!!" Vash shouted.
Both of them started to fist fight until some guys pulled them apart.
"Outside, now!!!!!" Vash ordered.
"You got it bastard!!!" Midvalley shouted back.
Out on the street in the rain both began firing at each other.
Midvalley fired his saxophone's machinegun while Vash fired back with his silver pistol.
One shot nailed Midvalley in the stomach, and another in the shoulder.
Vash stood over his opponent holding the gun at his temple. Knives stood outside of his house watching.
"No, please, I don't wanna die. Please no, oh God, don't kill me. Knives help!!!" Midvalley pleaded.
"Finish him!!!!" Knives shouted to Vash.
Vash slowly put the hammer back up on his pistol and backed off.
"This fight is not over until one of you is dead, finish him." Knives ordered.
Back in the saloon Vash ordered a drink when Midvalley snuck up behind him from the door.
"Die Blonde man!!!" he shouted, not noticing that one of the muzzles on his sax was clogged with one of Vash's stray bullets.
"No, stop, don't!!!!" Vash shouted
It was too late, when Midvalley pulled the trigger the sax exploded, taking him along with it.
Knives walked over with an umbrella in hand.
The people looted Midvalley's body.
"So the Blonde man moves to the next round." Knives said.
Vash said nothing and walked off, feeling guilty he could not stop the man from dying.
The rain poured down all day that day like an ominous cloud hung over the town.
