The Magnificent Seventh

Chapter One Trouble in Tumbleweed

"El Toro sent you, you say. You must be here to talk to me about Captain Blood. That was a long time ago, strangers. I'm a businessman now." Sly Winkum said as he and I sat at the bar with two glasses of Yum, the others scattered around the tables behind us.

"So do you know where Blood's hideout is?" I asked. Sly Winkum gave me an annoyed look. "Of course I know where Blood's hideout was! But telling you it's in Haunted Skyway isn't going to help – the way's blocked, thanks to the Wild Bunch."

"I've never heard of them." I said, and Sly Winkum explained. "A viler band of outlaws and villains you will never find. The Bronco clan leads them, and they aim to drive all us settlers out. There's no stopping them."

"How many ships are blockading Haunted Skyway?" I asked, and Sly Winkum answered. "Thirty-three paddle steamers."

I whistled softly. The Aquila was a lucky ship, but even her luck wouldn't hold out against a blockade of paddle steamers, and our small crew would certainly be outnumbered by the Wild Bunch if they had enough manpower to take over a skyway.

"I know who could stop them. The Seven could do it, sure as you're born!" A voice piped up from my right. I turned to see a young brown-feathered Chicken sitting on the stool next to me, his feet not even touching the floor, and he wore blue overalls with a broken strap over a white shirt.

"What's your name, and who are the Seven?" I asked. "I'm Matt, by the way."

"My name's Timmy and you've never heard of the Magnificent Seven? They're the greatest band of heroes and lawmen that ever rode a skyway." The young Chicken said.

"Back when I was little, this skyway was no fit place for bird or beast. Weren't no law at all out here and the rangers wouldn't even show their faces. But that all changed when the Magnificent Seven came to town. They tamed this skyway and made it safe for us settlers."

"Wyatt Chirp was their leader, the greatest lawman Cool Ranch ever saw! After Wyatt cleaned up Cooper's Roost with his fists, he gathered a band of heroes to follow him, each one a legend."

"There was Wild Bill Peacock – he was the best shot with a rifle there ever was, except maybe for Miss Jane. That's Calamity Jane Canary to you. Jane can bull's-eye a silver dollar at fifty yards, easy!"

"There's Duck Holliday, the Dapper Deputy. They say Duck looks Death in the face and laughs. And don't forget Buffalo Bill, stronger than an ox, meaner than a mountain lion."

"Then there's Bat Masterson. He's quiet as a shadow and a better tracker than a bloodhound. They say Bat's from Darkmoor, but his heart is in the right place."

"Last but not least, Billy the Kid! He was an outlaw until Wyatt showed him the error of his ways. He's fast, crazy fast and a little crazy too."

"My pa told me all the stories. How the Seven beat Guaco Mole and the Red Mole Gang, shot Saguaro Slim, caught Sam Bass, and rounded up all the Waltons!"

"Nobody could stop them. The Seven tamed the Savage Skyways for years but then they went their separate ways. I guess some of them didn't get along. But now Tumbleweed's been taken over by the Wild Bunch. They're bad, bad folks! But I bet the Seven could whoop them without breaking a sweat!"

"So you see, Matt? You should track down the Seven. Duck Holliday still lives right here in Tumbleweed! You should go talk to him." Timmy finished, and I briefly considered the idea.

All lies and exaggerations are built on a single grain of truth, and if the Seven were half as good as Timmy said they were, they could tip the odds in our favor. "Alright, Timmy, where do I find Duck Holliday?"

Timmy hopped off his stool, and gesturing for the others to stay, I followed Timmy to a house on the far side of town, where a brown-feathered Duck with a graying mustache was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch.

He wore a black hat and a gray waistcoat over a white shirt and black cravat, and dark brown trousers held up by a belt. As we approached him, I casually leaned against the railing, and Timmy did the same. "So you're Duck Holliday. I've heard a lot about you."

Duck Holliday raised an eyebrow, and I continued on. "I have need of you and the Magnificent Seven. Are you interested?"

"Please say yes!" Timmy piped up next to me, giving Duck Holliday the big amber puppy dog eyes, and Duck Holliday sighed.

"You two are bold, I'll give you that." Duck Holliday said, coughing. "The Magnificent Seven are a dream that has ended. Their day is done."

"After what happened to Wyatt, cough, cough, I seriously doubt the six of us will ever stand in the same room together, much less go to battle."

"I do miss those days though. Tell you what – if you can get Jane, Bat, and the three Bills to agree, I'll be your huckleberry."

"Start with Buffalo Bill, who likes me not at all. Sly knows where to find him. If you can convince Bill to ride with me, the rest will come easy."

We hurried back to the Desert Rose, where Sly Winkum was at the bar, and we told him about our plan to reunite the Magnificent Seven.

"Don't tell me you actually bought that load of…" Sly Winkum said as his eyes fell upon Timmy. "It's a long shot, but the plan's so crazy, it just might work."

"After the Seven parted ways, Buffalo Bill started up a wild frontier show. I hear the show's just come back to this skyway. You'll find Bill there." Sly Winkum said as he handed me a flyer for Buffalo Bill's Traveling Medicine Show.

I looked at to see it depicting the Buffalo himself, dressed as a cowboy atop a rearing horse. "Buffalo Bill's Traveling Medicine Show is the finest wild frontier show in the entire Spiral, with performers skilled in the circus arts! It's just across the skyway from Tumbleweed!"

"Do you have any advice on how to deal with Buffalo Bill?" I asked, and Sly Winkum nodded. "I can tell you this: Buffalo Bill is a betting man. Wager something against his return to the Seven. If you win, he'll come back, no matter how angry he is at Duck Holliday."

I nodded as I got off my stool, and Jack stood up from his table to walk over to me. "Captain, I've just got a letter I think you should see. Let's discuss this below in the cellar, shall we?"

A/N: I'm trying out a new formatting style dividing each quest into a chapter with names for convenience, so tell me what you think of it, and Jack's promotion quest, "The Spaniel Prisoner" will be in Stories of the Spiral.