Author's Note: All properties are the rights of their respective owners, Dynamite, etc.

It's been a while, hasn't it? I haven't forgotten about this little project, and hopefully I can update it more consistently in future.

Wolfking0811: The current arc is inspired by a film, but one of the next two arcs will be heavily inspired by one from the comics. I say one of the next two because I have the rough ideas for them, but haven't decided the order yet. Beyond that? I definitely want to take elements and things from the comics, because they're what make Sonja, well, Sonja. This first arc is more of an introduction to Walker but that focus will shift.

Now is where things start to happen, and so one of the very fast paced tracks off Painkiller by Judas Priest seemed a fitting title.

Once Upon A Time in Hyboria

Chapter 6: A Touch of Evil

With her head throbbing and muscles aching, Sonja forced her eyes open to find herself in an unfamiliar room. Her mind instantly going on full alert, the Hyrkanian sat up in bed, the sudden motion causing an unexpected spike of pain to rush through her, eliciting an audible groan as she tried to take in her surroundings. The room was almost certainly one at an inn, with there being a chest and wardrobe along the wall. Between those items was a window, though the curtains were drawn so that Sonja could not discern the hour. Swinging her legs off the bed and rubbing her eyes in an effort to rid herself of the mix of drowsiness and hangover that clouded her mind, the Swordswoman only realized she was not alone when she heard a voice speak to her.

"Rise and shine Calamity Dame," drawled a mirthful Walker leaning back in a chair, running some sort of brush along a part of one of his strange weapons, the remainder of which sat disassembled on the table. Putting down the piece he was working on, he picked up a plate, steam wafting from the food on it, and placed it on the corner of the table closest to her. "I went ahead and grabbed you some grub, sinkers and crackleberries. Not too bad," he commented as he picked up another piece of his revolver and gave it the same treatment.

Sonja, caught off guard by his presence, panicked, and her mind went to the worst possible scenario. Pulling her dagger from her belt, the Hyrkanain pressed the tip of the blade against Walker's neck, "What is the meaning of this? I did not take you to be the type of man to take advantage of a woman in this way, but I should not be surprised that you would lower yourself to such acts."

In response, the Bounty Hunter merely looked up from his work and shook his head slowly. "I assure you I didn't do nothing except drag your sorry ass to that there bed and put you in it." The words were delivered with a calm certainty, but there was an edge to them that suggested he did not appreciate her accusation. Setting down his brush, the Bounty Hunter then used his hand to calmly push Sonja's dagger away from his throat in an almost polite manner. "After that I sorted things out with the owner and slept down over there," he pointed to where his coat sat on the floor, bundled into a makeshift pillow.

"I may be a killer, but I am not that kind of man," rebuked Walker, "My father taught me to treat womenfolk with respect. It's one of the few decent things my father taught me," he muttered under his breath. "And besides," added the Bounty Hunter with a small grin, "If I had done anything, you'd be feeling it right now."

Sonja fought the reflex to roll her eyes at the remark, but that did not stop her from considering all he had said. As the events of the previous night returned to her, Sonja noted the soreness she was experiencing was confined to her arms and stomach, where she could see the bruises from the blows she had taken during the barfight that she was starting to remember . Between the fact that she was still wearing her armor and the fact that there wasn't any soreness in her more intimate areas, Sonja was relieved that it seemed that her fears were unfounded.

With a measure of relief and regret, the redheaded warrior sheathed her blade and sat down across the table from Walker, helping herself to the plate of eggs and biscuits he had offered. She still had one question, however. "Then what are you doing in my room?" asked Sonja in a confused tone.

Tombstone chuckled at her words as he set the piece he was working on down. "Not your room Sonja, my room," he said, tapping his chest before picking up a long tube-like piece and running his brush down the inside of it. "It was the only one available and I did pay for it after all."

"Oh," replied Sonja lamely, suddenly finding the food much more interesting than the man across from her.

"There are other things I need to talk to you about Sonja," began Walker. When the redhead looked up, she saw that the Bounty Hunter was starting to reassemble his handgun as he spoke. "The big one being the uh, compensation, the owner of this establishment expects after the damages you caused last night."

Sonja stopped chewing, seeing the look that Joshua was giving her. Swallowing, she asked a question to which a part of her would rather not have known the answer. "What damages?"

"You broke a third of the man's tables Calamity Dame," deadpanned Walker. Sonja winced at that while the Gunslinger continued, "Now, you don't have the gold on you to pay him back, do you?"

The Swordswoman shook her head, she had enough to take care of herself, not handle an expense such as this.

"Well then, it's your lucky day," informed Walker with a drawl. "While I was out on the town last night, I found a way for you to get the gold you'd need, and have a nice chunk o' change left over. Plus, a share for me, of course."

"Doing what?" inquired the Hyrkanian, "This 'bounty hunting' that is your profession?" guessed Sonja with a clear hint of disdain in her voice.

"Nope," replied Tombstone as he began inserting 'cartridges' into his pistol. "You see, I found out that some rather unsavory sorts have a stash of gold in this here town. And you and me Sonja," said Walker as he snapped his revolver shut, "We're going to take it."

Watching the wagon with the chest of gold leave Lokaar's brothel and head out of town to the north, Walker took a drag of his cigarette. He could tell that Sonja had reservations about him. The way she had acted when she woke up proved as much, and of course he had his own reservations about her after what Lokaar and his men had said. But she was a Mercenary, and as Tombstone had learned, not above a few dirty tricks to help herself to another man's money, especially one such as the brothel owner.

Which was good, because this was liable to get messy.

The sound of a pair of horses approaching the base of the hill he was standing on prompted Walker to drop and stamp out his cigarillo as Sonja approached. While he leaned against a large tree, the Hyrkanian stood tall and proud, eyes scanning the horizon before settling on the same guarded wagon that he was watching. "Is that it?" asked the redhead.

"That's it," affirmed the Bounty Hunter, "Any idea where they could be heading?"

"There is little but wilderness in that direction," answered Sonja, "But there is an old mine in the hills where some like to conduct business away from unwanted eyes." Walker nodded, but did not move otherwise, content to watch the brothel for any sign of men he recognized, ones who could be lookouts or sentries. Partway through his sweep, Sonja spoke again, "Why did I have bring the horses?"

Joshua smirked, "Because it's best folks don't realize we're partners in this affair, at least for now." Finishing his look around and satisfied that nobody would see the two when they followed the wagon, Walker said, "C'mon Calamity Dame, we're burnin daylight," before turning and heading down the hill towards his horse. Both of them settled into the saddles of their respective mounts as the Bounty Hunter turned towards the Sellsword, "This mine, you know a good place to watch what's taking place there?" he asked. Getting a nod back, Tombstone grinned, "Then lead the way Calamity Dame, I'll follow."

"Do keep up Joshua Walker," replied Sonja, the woman's tone just a little bit distant before she snapped her reins and tore off.

Taking the words as a challenge, Tombstone put the spurs to Shelby, "Hiya!" he shouted as the Thoroughbred rocketed off. Both horses were pressed by their riders up to a near gallop, covering ground much faster than the slow-moving wagon they were tailing. Joshua followed Sonja, keeping up as she led him down to the trail the wagon was on before veering off before catching up to Lokaar's men. Once off the road they slowed considerably, with Sonja leading them into the hills, winding up and down them until she suddenly slowed and came to a halt besides a small and seemingly abandoned house. Tombstone looked around as he pulled the Winchester from its sheath. "This it?"

"It is on the other side of this hill. We can watch the proceedings from the top," she explained as they both dismounted. Once at the top, the two hid behind a group of boulders that would keep them out of sight of those in the clearing outside the mineshaft at the base of the hill opposite them. "It seems we still have some time. Though I do not see whoever those men are traveling to meet."

"I just hope we got the right place," murmured Walker as he set down the repeater. The Bounty Hunter kept his eyes looking both to the dark mouth of the mineshaft as well as towards the horizon where the gold bearing wagon would come from.

But as he looked between those two locations, he couldn't help but look at that head of vibrant red hair and have the questions raised the previous night come back to the forefront of his mind. "Sonja," he said seriously, prompting the woman to turn and face him. "I heard some things about you the other night," began Walker, "It seems to me that you're pretty well known in these parts. I thought I had a reputation, but you Calamity Dame, you put me to shame. I admit it's got me awful curious, how much of what I heard is true?"

Joshua carefully scrutinized the face of the Hyrkanian woman and saw that she didn't seem all that surprised that he had heard about her. But she wasn't completely calm, Sonja's lips pressed together as the corners turned downwards, seeming unsurprised that he'd heard about her. "I have been a mercenary for the last six years, many tales of mine have been told and retold. Some are true, and some are not," replied the redhead.

"I hear that," drawled Walker, knowing that there had been a few rather spectacular rumors that had cropped up about him. "I'm surprised to hear that you've been working as long as I have. Most men didn't survive six years as a Bounty Hunter. To hear a woman has is a bit of a shock," said Tombstone, keeping up his best poker face before speaking again. "Mind if you ask you about the validity of some? I'd hate to let the words of bitter men have a place in the thoughts of my partner." He watched as Sonja bit her lip, a tell if he ever saw one, but despite that initial reaction, the woman gave a reserved nod. "Okay then, I heard that you ain't never lost a fight. That really true?"

"No man has ever crossed swords with me and won, that is true," she replied coolly, though there was a hint of pride in her words that Walker recognized. It was something that she hadn't had when speaking with him and instantly, the Bounty Hunter that she had lost a bit of that confidence. The next words out of her mouth confirmed his suspicions, "Or… that was true, until I met you."

The Gunslinger chuckled, which only got him a look of irritation back from the beautiful woman. "It's still true Calamity Dame, I don't remember you and I ever crossing swords," he observed with a wry grin. Sonja wasn't exactly amused, but her expression did soften ever so slightly. Feeling like he was finally making something approaching progress with the woman, Walker pressed on. "Still, never beat in six years. That's really damned impressive Sonja. Lord above knows that I can't say the same. I remember this one time down in San Miguel I… well let's just say that I learned the hard way that there's always somebody bigger and badder than you are. And that a Smith and Wesson is the great equalizer."

"Was it a fair fight?" asked the Swordswoman, sounding genuinely curious.

"Nah, I wouldn't say so," answered Walker, "Damned group of Rojos got the drop on me. Thought I could take of myself without my gun but…" he trailed off, offering a shrug. "Like I said, I don't get into many fair fights." Then, curious, he posed her a question, "What would you consider an unfair fight? Dishonorable combat?"

Just hearing the last two words caused Sonja to noticeably bristle. "The men who ambushed me as I slept. The men who poisoned my food and drink. The men who took a hostage to use against me," she rattled off, the irritation in her tone growing with each example she stated.

"Tell me this Calamity Dame," began Walker, "Why do you have such an emphasis on 'Fair Combat'?" he asked. Sonja's face dropped and her eyes went down, but Joshua didn't press, instead waiting patiently for her to answer. However just as she opened her mouth to speak, Tombstone spotted movement beyond her, "Never mind that, someone's coming," he warned as both of them went on alert.

Lokaar's men rolled up below and came to a halt in front of the mine, the half dozen or so armed men who served as guards dismounted their horses. The overweight man that Walker recognized as being in Lokaar's inner circle stayed atop his mount, barking orders that the Bounty Hunter couldn't quite make out. However, what happened as a result of his words was clear enough. Two of the guards worked at unloading the chest from the wagon while a third went into the mine shaft.

A few minutes later, the man who had gone into the mine emerged with more men in tow. Joshua and Sonja watch more than two dozen men join the others in the clearing, most lugging large trunks or bundles of sheathed swords. The two groups exchanged words for a while, but Walker noticed something odd about the group selling the weapons to Lokaar, and he wasn't the only one.

"These men, they are all armed, and have the look of fighters about them. They are no mere laborers," noted Sonja, "And there are so many. For what purpose?"

"I got a feeling we're about to find out Calamity Dame," replied Tombstone in a quiet drawl as they watched the fat oaf look at the weapons he was there to buy. Seemingly satisfied, the rotund man turned and shouted something at his own party, and the chest was brought forward and opened. Even from their distance, the two observers could see the contents. "That should be more than enough to cover your debts, don't ya' think?"

The Swordswoman didn't respond however, more focused on the men that began carrying arms to the wagon when she saw something, probably the same glint of metal that Walker did as she grabbed his arm and tugged on it. "Look!" she exclaimed, and Walker did just that. He wasn't shocked at what he saw, but it was still gruesome to watch as the men selling the weapons drew their blades and set upon Lokaar's men.

Lokaar's men were caught flatfooted, some loading the weapons they had purchased, but others were simply far too relaxed. Most of them managed to pull out their own swords, but against the superior numbers of those who had double crossed them it was clear to Walker that their blades would make no difference. The two closest to the mine entrance were the first to fall, quickly cut down and left sprawled out on the ground while their fellows gathered their wits.

Once they had, the four armed guards acted on their own instinct, two backing to the frightened fat man while the others broke and ran, ironically up the hill that Walker and Sonja were watching from. The two who stood their ground were quickly overwhelmed by the oncoming ambushers. One showed some skill, blocking the first strike to come at him and slashing his attacker, a pained scream echoing around the valley as a result. But his success did not last long, another blade was thrust at the hired man from the side, running him through and he collapsed into a pool of his own blood.

The second one fared little better, dodging a Warhammer as it swung down at him before hacking off his assailant's arm and the hammer with it before he attacked the next ambusher with an upwards stroke. As the next three ambushers charged at him, Lokaar's man brought his sword up to block one only for the other two to each hit him from a different side, striking him down swiftly. When he fell, the rotund man was left with nobody to defend him, and he found himself surrounded by spears and swords before he could urge his horse to carry him clear of the danger.

That only left the two who were running, though they were being pursued by the horde as they stumbled up the hill. "Archers!" shouted someone down below, and Walker saw some of the ambushing men grab bows and arrows from the armaments they were to sell.

However, they were not the only ones preparing to spring into action, with Walker noticing movement from the woman beside him. Sonja had a deep set snarl on her usually lovely visage, teeth bared as she reached for her sword, her hand wrapping around the handle as she prepared to draw the blade. Before she could, Joshua reached out, his hand wrapping around the Hyrkanian's wrist and staying her hand, keeping her greatsword in place. That action made him the center of her ire as her head spun to him, scowl and glare bearing down on the Bounty Hunter.

Tombstone just shook his head, "This isn't our time, not yet," whispered the Gunslinger. "There's too many of 'em, and when Lokaar's gold goes missing, nobody can know who has it." Looking at the redhead's eyes, Walker silently urged her to see reason and control her rage better than she had the previous night. Thankfully, he could feel her strain against his grip less as her scowl softened ever so slightly. Upon seeing the fury fade from her jade eyes, Joshua let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding as he released her hand and watched it fall from her blade.

"Loose!" shouted the same man down below, and when Walker poked his head up he could see the bodies of the two men that had tried to flee roll back down the hill. Careful to stay out of sight, and keep his Winchester within arm's reach, the Bounty Hunter watched as the fat oaf Lokaar had sent to oversee the purchase was pulled off his horse and dragged along the ground to the mine entrance.

Then another man, this one standing out by the fine clothes he wore, emerged from the mine. The collar of his robe was adorned with gemstones and the bright purple silk stood out against his pale skin. As for man himself, he was bald, old, wrinkled, and frail, not the least bit imposing from a physical perspective, but he was clearly the one in charge.

"That's Lord Krughor. I have dealt with him in the past. A wretched serpent of a man who has many of the smallfolk of Meroe indebted to him," provided Sonja. Instantly, Walker understood exactly what was happening. Having gotten wind of what his rival, Lokaar, was up to, the cunning old man had set a trap and baited it perfectly. Instantly, Joshua made his assessment, recognizing that he was the more powerful of the two feuding lords. The numbers of men spoke of wealth and a willingness to use it to achieve his ends.

With walking stick in hand, Krughor made his way up to Lokaar's lieutenant and the two men spoke for some time. Then, without warning, the old man revealed that his walking stick housed a finely crafted blade that he slashed across the captured man's torso. As swiftly as he had drawn the weapon, Krughor placed it back into its housing before speaking to one of his hired men, unaware that he was being observed.

Sonja, blood still boiling and demanding that she avenge the men that had been victims of such treachery , remained hidden and watched as events continued to play out before her. She could understand the Bounty Hunters ruthless reasoning for staying her hand, and yet it still bothered her how the man seemed to have no respect for a good fight like he ought. Like a man who could best her should.

Instead of even deigning to employ those fantastical weapons of his, Walker seemed content to let men be slaughtered in the trap while he observed. Doubtless there was some scheme forming behind his chilly blue eyes, which Sonja noticed often drifted towards the chest of gold. She watched as Krughor ordered his men to remove the sacks of coin from the chest and take them into the mine, electing to have the soon emptied chest taken with them.

When they were not there, Joshua watched as Krughor's men brought out bodies made out like bandits from the mine, replacing their fallen number with the corpses. Their dead were placed in the wagon Lokaar's group had arrived with before departing. For what purpose, Sonja couldn't discern, and when she turned to look at her partner, her confusion must've been plain for him to see. "They're making it look like bandits were responsible for the attack, not a double cross. Throw off suspicion, win this little war before it even starts."

Sonja could see the reasoning behind his thinking and could respect it, but still found the subterfuge distasteful. As she watched Krughor and his men disappear into the distance, the Hyrkanian silently hoped that whatever plan her partner had concocted, it ended with their deaths. With that though, the Swordswoman returned her attention to Walker, who turned away from the scene and was heading back down the hill towards the horses. "What do we do now?" inquired Sonja

"We've found ourselves in an interesting situation here Sonja," replied Walker as he stroked his chin. "We got Lokaar on one side, Krughor on the other, and us? We're right here in between. Now, the two of us? We're damned good, but I don't reckon we can take on one group or the other." Sonja found herself agreeing with his words. "But what we just saw? That's the fuse to set off this little powder keg. All we gotta do is light it."

Sonja stared at the Bounty Hunter with a befuddled expression, thinking she understood what the man had just said, but not completely sure. "How do we do that?"

The look she got in reply was one that told her she would not like what Walker was about to say. "Well, you see Calamity Dame, you're going to have to visit a brothel."

She had been right, Sonja did not like what he had said.

Closing notes: The hope is I'll get to the next chapter within a month, but I can't make any guarantees.