The change in temperature hit Erron like a rodeo bull. The Imperial Capital of OutWorld was very warm, too warm, that explained why most of the inhabitants had such revealing clothes, mainly the fighting women, who in Erron's opinion left nothing to the imagination.

Even Erron had to put down his old jacket and wear more comfortable clothes for the weather type, wearing a sleeveless denim shirt plus a matching black leather vest, the tops were held up by two bullet-laden shoulder straps for his pistols, they also had pieces of strong light metal armor on the shoulders and forearms that would allow greater protection in the event of close combat. On his back he carried a scabbard for his Tarkatan Saber, a 70cm hardened bone saber as strong as steel but lacking the characteristic metallic properties of steel such as heat, electricity, or magnetism. The saber was covered in an old and very neglected red cloak.

He wore black jeans fastened by a belt with a buckle that he had designed himself, a cowboy hat with 2 crossed revolvers under a rattlesnake, this belt also acted as a third basket where he kept the bullets and the "special bullets" and a pair of cowboy boots, he also had pieces of light armor on both thighs and ankles. His trademark cowboy hat and leather mask with red metal plates helped her hide his identity. Ironically, his outfit made him stand out from the other mercenaries who came to OutWorld.

His residence at OutWorld was very cozy because it was located on a hill where the cold winds cooled the area, in addition to the fact that the residence was mainly made of marble so it would always be cool. Warm but cool at the same time.

However, as far as I knew, on the other side of the portal it would appear in an abandoned prison on the outskirts of the town of Wicket, this old prison was active from 1830 to 1876, it was closed due to the bad reputation and crimes against the prisoners . Due to its bad reputation for it, the mayor's office made it a monument against "inhumane treatment in prisons." Anyway, for Black the prison was his reference point to be able to cross from OutWorld to Earthralm.

But there was a drawback, Erron was supposed to reach the prison cellars, he knew exactly that there was no form of artificial or natural light so he was greeted by almost absolute darkness, however, there was something that was not clear, the The floor was not concrete as he remembered, the floor was uneven stone. The place did not smell of cement or rusty steel as he remembered, if not something more "natural" like the aroma of black stone and the characteristic smell of pine trees in the distance. He turned on his lighter again to get some light .

His suspicions are confirmed, he was in a kind of cave, it was very cold.

"What the fuck?" - Said the confused mercenary "This is not the Wicket prison"

With the lighter in his left hand, his right hand began to review the book with which he made the journey. He searched for the location that he had desired.

"California, Raccoon City, Shanghai, Texas, Mother Mi…. He - he read the list until he found the verse the mercenary was supposed to have recited.

He read the chant while he remembered the last parts of the melody.

"Hell no" - he said cursing his luck. In his desperation to escape Mileena and her soldiers, he had confused the verses of the song.

When he remembered the song for the second time, he noticed that the last parts of the song coincided with the verses of the place "Madre Miranda".

"So this is the peculiar location, a cold cave" -said the mercenary as he put the little book in one of his pockets.

With the lighter she tried to illuminate his surroundings, trying to orient herself, the small source of light from his lighter was barely enough to illuminate the cave.

He only took a couple of steps just to find a small monument with the OutWorld stamp, it was easy to remember, the shape of the stamp was similar to the shuriken of the ninjas that he has known over the years. They were of 3 peaks and with a purple jema in the center.

"What kind of business do you have here, Shang?" asked the mercenary as he walked through the cave. As he walked, Erron came across the famous "light at the end of the tunnel." The light that came from him was white. Erron felt the cold winds hit him.

He walked towards the end of the tunnel only to be greeted by the landscape before his eyes.

The view was amazing, you could see a snow covered mountain range in the distance surrounded by several snow covered trees.

It is high up, so you could deduce that it was on a not very high mountain. It was cold, but he felt the sun very strong on his body, judging by the position of the sun, it looked like a sunset.

"Did I leave OutWorld or am I on Earth?" - Erron asked him. He realized that he would not find answers if he did not move, he had to go down the hill, but first he had to clean the wound on his hand with which he had opened the portal. He ripped some cloth from his red cloak and covered the minor wound.

The mercenary began to descend the mountain with great care. It was not difficult. When he reached the base of the mountain he found himself surrounded by more trees and pine trees.

Without much choice, Erron started walking through the woods, one hand on his right revolver for his safety. He kept walking until he was covered with a kind of dirt road. There were several horse tracks and traces of thin wheels, perhaps carts or carriages. Most of the tracks led to one direction.

He followed the tracks for maybe 20 minutes while Erron wondered where the hell he was, until he heard the characteristic neighing of horses in the distance as well as the growls of beasts heading near his position. Wasting no time, Erron moved out of the way to hide behind a stone hiding his position from him.

He pulled out his Crowbar Rifle, loaded it with 10 bullets, and laid it on the rocks waiting for whatever was coming.

It took 3 minutes until what caused those sounds finally arrived. It was a carriage of 2 large black horses pulling a very large carriage. It stopped at the side of the road. As the carriage stopped, a group of 3 black figures that followed it on all fours stopped grunting at the chariot while one more rider joined the group of beasts, however, this last beast did not growl, rather, only I was looking at the carriage.

Looking closer, he was able to identify the figures, they were not human, neither the rider nor the other 3 beasts. Their faces were deformed, ragged rows of sharp teeth, gray eyes without irises, a nose reminiscent of classical demons, and tousled hair. Their bodies, covered in rags and pieces of clothing, were hunched over, snarling at the horses and carriage in a beastly manner.

"Yes, I am definitely in the Outer World", he told himself to the mercenary, his hand on the lever action rifle, ready to fire at any moment.

Before making the decision to fight or flee, the doors of the float open, rebelling a fifth figure. The figure was roughly the fattest man he had ever seen before, even in the Outer World, where there were beings that by their nature were big and fat. However, this man had human features recognizable from a distance, among them his golden blonde hair and his plump, youthful face.

"What the hell is happening" - Erron said to himself, while he thought about ending this, he saw how the rider under his horse and with the reins of the animal, tied him to a nearby tree. He then proceeded to approach the fat man.

Unlike Mileena's speech at the Palace, where Erron was unable to hear anything due to the great distance, the mercenary was able to hear the following conversation.


"How can I help you, Lycan?" - The plump man said in a tone of anger and at the same time tired to the rider who was in front of him, while smoking a cigar.

"I think you know it very well, Duke" -said the beast with some malice in the words he said in a beastly tone. - "And for your sake I prefer you to call me Iván"

"Not really, you're wasting your time with my clients, Ivan" - Said the man named Duke.

"1 week ago, 2 of the lords of the region were attacked by soldiers," Ivan said as he took an apple out of a basket of apples that was tied to the door.

"Really? It's a real tragedy. Are the Lords okay?" Duke asked with some concern.

"Are you an idiot merchant? It takes more than firearms to defeat Lord Heisenberg and Lady Dimitrescu!" -He exclaimed with a smile to the merchant, while he devoured the apple.

"It's good to hear that, but what does that have to do with me in the first place?" Duke asked with some interest.

"Very simple, merchant." - said the beast Ivan while he ate the stolen fruit- "It is well known both by my brothers and by the locals that you visit the town every 3 days, and it is curious that when the soldiers attacked, you did not appear, it is more I could swear that you have part in this betrayal, after all, you could simply have sold information to the soldiers in exchange for money, am I right? -He said it with a malicious smile.

A laugh came from the lips of the man in the carriage.

"Wow, I see that Mother Miranda's new dogs not only talk, they also imagine unreal and absurd things." - Said the Duke with a charming smile. - "Unlike all the people of the town and the Lords and even Mother Miranda, I, my esteemed beast, have a life outside of this valley" - said the merchant triumphantly while smoking his cigar.

The beast had finished its stolen meal, only the centerpiece where the seeds of that beautiful red apple remained. She looked curiously at the organic leftovers of the fruit and looked at the merchant who placidly smoked his cigar. She took the debris with all her might and threw it at the man's face.

"How? This is not possible ?!" - Said the merchant with fear. Even the most beastly monsters weren't supposed to touch him, it was impossible.

"Your 'magical' charisma will not save you from me, Duke" - said the beast, enjoying the merchant's fear.

"Now you come with me. we will see our almighty Mother Miranda "- As the beast ordered the frightened merchant, with a wave of his hand, the other Lycan began to climb over the chariot. - "You will come by hook or by crook, merchant, after all, I don't think it bothers you if I cut off your leg, it shows that you haven't used it for a long time ..."

"This is unheard of, you can't do this, I'm the door between the valley and the outside world, you damn beast!" - I shout with anger and fear at the Lycan while Ivan just laughed. - "Miranda and the other Lords will cut off your head or worse!"

"True, you are a valuable door, but very free, and I think you have had a lot of freedom, I am sure that Miranda will heal you as she has done to me and my brothers" - he said thinking about the reward of flesh and blood that he would receive for capturing to the traitor of the people.

When Ivan finished speaking, one of his Lycan handed him a lumberjack ax, the ax was not like the other axes of the other Lycan, it was well cared for and very sharp that guaranteed a clean cut.

The other 2 Lycan began to hold on to the now defenseless man as he showed a terrified face at the threat.

"It's fine! * gasps * No need for this! "- The desperate man said, the other 2 lycan growled, while Ivan just laughed. - "I will accompany you voluntarily!"

"I'm sorry, Duke, but I've made my decision" - the beast had dictated. Holding the ax with pure evil about to cut one of the man's legs- "Don't worry, it will be a clean cut, well maybe 3 due to all the fat under your skin."

When he was about to cut the leg of the terrified man, the calm of the place had been disturbed by the roar of 2 shots, and that of 2 bodies falling to the ground….


As the scene unfolded in front of his eyes, Erron internally debated whether or not to intervene. It was clear that these beasts and the man were having an argument, which was apparently quite serious.

The discussion of those 2 gives Erron useful information for the million dollar question that had been asked. Was he still in OutWorld? Apparently not, the mention of firearms, soldiers and the Heisenberg surname backed it up. He is on Earth, but he did not know where. He needed more information, so the only option available was to ask the only beings with the available information closest to him.

While the beast named Ivan could speak, it was clear that it was impossible to ask him due to his malicious nature and savagery.

The second option was the plump man in the carriage, who at the beginning of the discussion was reasonable, now he looked scared, because with good reason, they were about to cut off his leg.

"Perhaps if I save the fat man, I will have valuable information on my situation" - the mercenary said to himself with the trigger finger of his rifle.

He pulled the trigger and fired two consecutive shots at the 2 lycan holding the fat man.

[X ray. A fired projectile hits the first subject directly in the head, destroying the malformed skull and piercing the organ of the brain. The same scene is repeated with the second subject]

"The die is cast" -said Erron after his two shots


Ivan dropped the ax and walked away from where the shots apparently came from. 2 of the Lycan had been shot to the head.

"A hunter or a merchant's bodyguard?" - Ivan wondered, looking at the third lycan that followed him, Ivan ordered him to attack towards the direction from which the shots were coming. After all, Ivan did not see the Lycan as equals because they were beasts without autonomy, not like his brothers that Mother Miranda had healed and gave them the blessing of speech.

He watched as the stupid beast headed to its certain death, and yes, the beast was repulsed with a direct shot to the head falling to the ground.

As the scene unfolded, the man in the cart closed the doors, but not before smiling at the frightened beast.

"It seems that someone has run out of luck, Ivan" - Said the merchant with a smile as he closed the door.

Ivan was furious, the merchant had made fun of him, the Lycan, although expendable, were dead and to top it off, they were shooting at him and he didn't even know where the coward was hiding.

"Enough, I have to escape from here!" - He said as he looked at the horse tied in the tree, however, if he came out of the cover he would certainly get shot. He had to escape, so his best option was to flee into the deep forest where they could not hunt him, of course, he had to abandon the horse, it does not matter, he would get another.

The beast fled into the deep forest where it would be impossible for the shooter to hit it.


Erron approached slowly with his rifle to the place where the cart, the corpses and the abandoned horse were.

I take a closer look at the corpses, they were uglier up close and the smell they gave off was of rotten meat and dried blood. The shots of him went to their heads leaving huge holes and exposing their brains that were a gray color like their skins.

As Erron examined the corpses, the carriage doors swung open, once again showing the fat man, who was showing himself a huge grin.

Erron instinctively held the gun to aim the man in the carriage. The man in the carriage had a huge smile.

"Thank you very much, my hero" - said the man in the car while jokingly raising his hands, then lowered them and continued smoking his cigar.

"Who are you?" Black asked the obese man as he slowly lowered his rifle. "And what were these creatures?"

The fat man took a drag on his cigar, then Black replied

"I'm glad you asked me, they call me the Duke, I'm a humble merchant who deals with all kinds of merchandise" - said the fat man enthusiastically - "and those creatures that you eliminated are nothing more than lycanthropes, creatures of the night that in one way or another they protect the nearby village from threats from the outside world

"The village?" asked the mercenary.

"Yes, the town, I am the merchant who brings products from abroad and vice versa bringing products from the town abroad" - the merchant explained to the mercenary - "in fact I was going to town until these dogs attacked me and my caravan, Mr.… ".

"Black, Erron Black" - said the mercenary

"Mr. Black, what a good name my good sir, I bet he's American, right?" -Said Duke happy to know the name of the man who had saved him- "and tell me Mr. Black, who brings you here. To Romania?"

Erron thought his answer quickly, there is no way he could tell the merchant about the portals and much less about the OutWorld, although this last point he may not be able to understand.

"Let's say it's a pleasure because I'm unemployed" - said Black to the merchant - and tell me, how far is this town? "

"Not far, 20 minutes on horseback Mr. Black" - said Duke- "I also go to town to do business with the Dimitrescu Family."

The weather indicated that the sun was beginning to set, the cold grew stronger. Erron's clothes weren't ready for the kind of weather that was coming.

"I see you are cold Mr. Black, let's fix this!" -said the merchant, while he rummaged through his things- "Look! I have a perfect cape for you" -the merchant proceeded to give it to the mercenary. It was a white cape that was made of a material that worked perfect for brutal cold.

The mercenary received it, inspected the item and proceeded to put it on. The cold that began to haunt him had stopped. He felt very warm inside that warm cloak.

The mercenary received it, inspected it and proceeded to put it on. The cold that was beginning to torment him had ceased. He felt very warm inside that warm cloak.

"How much does it cost, merchant?" asked the mercenary, willing to pay a fair price for the garment.

"Anyway, I had planned to sell it for 500 lei, however, for the man who saved me, it is completely free!" - Said the merchant with genuine joy.

The mercenary's mask hid much of the lower part of his face, but beneath the mask was a satisfied smile.

"That sounds good" - said Black- "500 Lei, is that the national currency? And the euro? -Asked the mercenary confused. As with bullets and pistols, a good mercenary knows the kinds of coins he can work with.

"Romania, my friend, operates with two currency denominations. The Euro within the European Union and the Lei. The Lei, the national denomination that has been around for a long time since the days of Carol's Kingdom and even during the communist era. "- The Duke explained to the stranger-" Supposing you are an American, I suppose you have dollars in your pockets, so doing the conversion would be 100 lei per dollar, so this blanket really costs 5 American dollars. "

As the Duke explained, the howl of a wolf in the distance could be heard in the distance, marking the moment when the sun would die and the moon would rise almighty over the valley.

"And tell me Mr. Black, do you have a camp in the woods?" - Asked the Duke.

"Why the question, merchant? "-Answered the mercenary defensively, still not trusting the baby-faced merchant.

"Very simple, originally I went with the owners of an inn in the town, to deliver a package already paid for." - explained the merchant. - "However, due to the incident, I doubt that I will be able to get to the inn on time, in addition to the fact that the schedule requires that I arrive with the Dimitrescu family."

"But it seems that you, Mr. Black, need a place to take refuge from the cold and the beasts of the night." - the merchant explained. - "Maybe we can help each other."

"How can we help Duke?" - Asked the mercenary.

"Very simple, my friend, could you do me a favor and deliver the package to the owners of the inn." - The Duke explained.

"And why do you think it would help you, Duke? - asked the mercenary. Mercenary work not only consisted of murder, it also consisted of the client's private security and interests, and also in the protection of proceedings. Certainly he could be the messenger, but of course, he wouldn't do it for free.

"For clear reasons. You could deliver the package for me to the owners of the inn, in addition to delivering the package on my behalf I would guarantee you a room in the inn. "- indicated the merchant. - "Because there are not many foreigners and the town does not make deals with strangers, the fact of giving it up would allow you to enter into trust with the owners and they would rent you a room."

The idea seemed simple, deliver the package to the owners and they would provide shelter in these lands. They might not pay her money as she would have liked, but the promise of a warm bed was enough.

"So, we have a deal, Mr. Black" - Asked the merchant.

"Well, on second thought, not a bad idea, merchant. I accept the commission "- Said the mercenary.

"Fantastic, Mr. Black," Duke was saying as he clapped his hands. - "Now, I know very well that the US dollar is the world currency par excellence, however, in the village, a large part of the local population does not know this currency, they only buy and sell with the traditional currency, the Lei."

"What do you want to get to, merchant?" - Asked the mercenary incredulously. A corner of the world that did not know the almighty American dollar? He wondered if the mercenary

"Simple, Mr. Black, let's exchange coins, Leis for dollars" - Said the merchant.

The merchant's proposal did not go down well with Erron. Trading dollars for coins he didn't know was not a good idea.

"Until a few minutes ago he did not know about the existence of these coins, and now he wants us to exchange coins, is this some kind of scam?" - Black asked the merchant, not caring if he offended the merchant's honor.

The merchant did not get angry, on the contrary, he understood perfectly.

"I understand that you distrust the proposal, however there is no other way, they will only accept the Lei" - explained the merchant "

Erron Black thought about the situation, would it be a good idea to exchange coins? In that case, how many dollars would he exchange?

"Tell me, merchant, how much does a room cost in the inn that you tell me?" - Asked Black

"600 Lei, although because you are a stranger maybe between 900 and 1000 lei, my friend" - replied the merchant.

"Well, let's do the exchange" - said Black, he proceeded to look in his left pocket for his wallet. His wallet is overflowing with US dollars, because in OutWorld paper money is frowned upon by several of its inhabitants, it was easier for them to trust the value of the metal of gold coins.

"Do you think that with 200 US dollars it can last a week? - Erron asked the Duke.

"Not at all Mr. Black" - the merchant replied enthusiastically - "I dare say it can even last 2 weeks and I would still have money to spare. A villager in the village normally earns between 80 to 120 in the fortnight. "

Erron took 2 $ 100 bills from his wallet and handed them to the Duke. Duke received the money from the mercenary and proceeded to keep it in a chest that he had locked, in addition to keeping the money, the Duke took out a small but of considerable size leather bag with several coins and proceeded to give them to him.

"Very good Mr. Black, I receive 200 US dollars and you receive 20,000 Lei" - explained the merchant - "The coins have certain values, by size and the number cradled will distinguish it, the lowest value is 10 lei, the half value is 50 lei and the highest value is 100 lei. Be free to count your money "

Erron didn't need me to digest it, he immediately started counting it, and indeed, it was the agreed amount, not one less and not one more.

"Well, since we have solved the monetary problem, it is time to talk about the package." - The Duke said- "It is a not heavy package that can even be carried by the thinnest of men."

The Duke rummaged through his things and pulled out a bulky yellow manila envelope with what appeared to be letters and documents. Erron walked over and took them and proceeded to store it in his leather backpack along with his rifle.

"Very good Mr. Black, it's time to get going" - Said the Duke

Erron was preparing to ride the fat merchant's carriage, however he was stopped by the merchant.

"I'm sorry Mr. Black but I'm not going directly to the village, I'll take a shortcut that will take me to my client." - Said the merchant to the mercenary.

"So how do you plan to walk to the village in the middle of the night and the beasts you mention" - the mercenary said with some anger.

"To walk? Who said walking Mr. Black "-said the merchant with an angelic smile as he pointed to the abandoned horse that was tied to the tree.

Erron looked where the merchant was pointing and looked at him. It was the horse of the Rider-Beast that left him to his fate. It was a gray horse with white spots, large indeed, but smaller than the horses in the Duke's carriage.

"Well, it's better than walking. "- Erron said when he saw the horse -" How much does the basket of apples cost?

"2 dollars or 200 lei Mr. Black" - said the merchant, recognizing the mercenary's intentions.

Erron paid $ 2 for the apple basket containing 7 apples and proceeded to approach the horse. The animal looked scared to the approaching stranger, it whinnied when the man approached it, but the man was not scared or intimidated by the beast. When the man approached the animal's head he dropped the basket of apples to the ground. The animal saw the apples in the basket on the ground and proceeded to eat the fruits. While the animal was eating his food, the man had started to release it from the leash that was tied to the tree.

He stroked the animal on the head and sides, he approached the animal's side closer, and in a quick movement he mounted the animal, the animal had a saddle and straps on the head in good condition, very good for have been used by a beast. The animal raised its 2 legs in defiance, but the mercenary controlled it masterfully. After a few more leaps the animal had given up, he had recognized his new master.

Erron rode his new horse toward the Duke.

"Incredible, Mr. Black, I control the horse in a matter of minutes" - said the merchant.

"I like horses, that's all" -said Erron as he looked down at his horse- "I think I'll call you 'Kano' my new friend."

"Congratulations, Mr. Black, we are ready to go." - The Duke said as he closed the rear doors of the carriage.

Erron rode to the front of the carriage where the Duke was already waiting for him with his own reins on the 2 large black horses.

"On the go!" - the merchant shouted at the top of his lungs to his horses that began to move towards the horizon that was beginning to dusk. Erron galloping after him with his new horse.