"Sheriff! Sheriff!" Waffle called running down the boardwalk to the jailhouse
"What, Waffle, what is it?" Rango asked kneeling down to eye level with the Horned Lizard after walking outside to see the commotion.
"That Stranger you said to watch fer is here! I talked to 'im! He said his name was Shadow, and that he was lookin' fer Rattlesnake Jake!" Waffle said out of breath slightly
"Where is he?"
"Still at the saloon where I left 'im."
"Alright, go inside and tell Beans to get you some water. I'll go have a talk with this Shadow." Rango said pushing him towards the door and starting off towards the saloon his face wearing a worried expression "This could either go really well, or really bad." he said pulling out his magnum and taking a look at the amount of shots left his famous one bullet already loaded, and he loaded five more. "I have a feeling it will end worse than horribly."
Rango entered the saloon his hand on his weapon everyone clearing a path to the stranger, knowing exactly who the Sheriff came for "I hear your looking for Rattlesnake Jake." he called taking a step towards the place where Shadow was sitting
"What of it?" Shadow called back "From what I hear of the terror he has caused, I would have expected you to come in asking to help me."
"Yeah, well he is in my protective custody, and I don't take a liking to people walking into my town and killing it's inhabitants." Rango responded "So why don't you just-"
"Go with you?" Shadow asked cutting Rango off "I'm sorry but if I go with you I'll probably be stuck in a jail-cell, something I don't need happening right now. So unless your here to shoot me, I'm not leaving, with you." Shadow said "so we could take this outside, or you can leave." Shadow finished getting up and facing the lizard, as Rango got a good look at this stranger. He seemed regal, kingly even with three horns protruding from his head on either side curving backwards menacingly. He seemed skinny, but built to survive, his hands ending in wickedly sharp claws. His scales, were an astonishing midnight black, the same color as his cloak.
"After you then. Shall this be lizard to lizard, or would you rather face my entire posse?" he asked as Shadow walked out, stopping in the doorway
"One man, or ten. It won't matter, the results will be the same." Shadow smirked walking out the rest of the way
"Lord save me." Rango prayed looking to one of the Patrons "Go grab the others." he said walking out after Shadow and taking his place on the opposite side of the road from Shadow, each member of his posse walking out their hands on their guns, but one who made his way up to the bell-tower and pulled out a rifle, aiming it steadily
"So ten men?" Shadow called his hand moving from his gun to a ready position for a duel, Rango and the others doing the same
"Draw" both of the main combatants said as all of them pulled the gun from their hip and fired launching bullets everywhere around them one buried itself in Shadow's side, and all his shots struck home. Hitting each in their gun arm rendering it useless. All that was left to hit was the rifleman on the bell-tower, where the bullet hit him. He fired his last shot, hitting the rifleman in the shoulder, as in a familiar scene, fell from the tower grabbing his shoulder tightly, to staunch the bleeding. "Your lucky Sheriff, if you didn't have that rifle on the tower I would be taking your weapon by now." Shadow said clutching his side, blood dropping from it in a cascade of deep crimson red. "You have a doctor in this town, I'll see you there when you can walk." he finished walking off slowly to slow the blood-loss, which was becoming heavy fast."
Rango laid there, stunned for a second before pushing himself up with his useable hand walking slowly to the doc, following the blood trail Shadow had left, the others following suit as the rest of the inhabitants of Dirt stood slack-jawed at the sight they just witnessed.
"Did..."
"Uh-huh."
"How?"
"Only the lord will know."
One set of eyes though watched the entire event grimacing at the familiarity until he saw Shadow get hit in the side and he stood still, but remembered his rifle-man was hit before he could get a shot off
"He let himself get hit." The watching snake mused to himself replaying his own defeat at the hands of this 'Shadow' "this thing is truly a demon to hit his mark every single time." The snake slithered back from the window, and closed it for the crack he opened it. He was still favoring his right side, where the bullet hit, but it wasn't as much as what Rango and his posse would be feeling.
A small part of him was whacking him for not trying to help, it was snuffed out by his will to live. And so Jake remained quiet, and docile for the moment, slithering back to his bed and climbing inside "All the more reason to bide my time... I think he was expecting me to watch this... baiting me to come after him while he is wounded only to fall prey to a trap." He said settling down and trying to fall asleep for the fourth time. He had nothing better to do, and was feeling quite tired, mostly since he could barely get any sleep last night if any at all. "the best thing to do is wait until we are both back to full, then we will face off once more, one final time." Jake thought as he coiled himself neatly and laid his head down, falling asleep to the murmurs of disbelief from the crowd.