The Magnificent Seventh
Chapter Seven Payback
"We should have known the Wild Bunch wouldn't take this lying down. It seems when we arrested Ike Bronco, we went too far." Sly Winkum said as we sat at the bar of the Desert Rose.
"Not long after you all left, the Wild Bunch attacked Tumbleweed in force. They broke Ike out of jail and unleashed all manner of mayhem. But that's not the worst: they took little Timmy with them!"
"They took Timmy?!" I nearly shouted, slamming my glass down onto the bar, and Sly Winkum and the rest of the patrons of the bar looked nervously at me.
"Old Man Bronco called you out, Matthew – he's waiting at the old jailhouse for you and the Seven. Do us all a favor. End this." Sly Winkum said.
"Well then, let's be about it." I said as I stood up. After leaving some money behind on the counter, I gestured for the others to follow me to the Aquila.
We sailed to the old jailhouse up north near the entrance to Haunted Skyway, and it was late in the afternoon as we dropped anchor at the dock in front of the old jailhouse.
The members of my crew and the Magnificent Seven stood at the end of the dock to be briefed by Wild Bill on the plan. "Jane, Bat – you come with me. Billy, Big Bill – you head right. Matthew's crew and Duck will head for that tower. We'll meet you in the middle."
We nodded as we split up, and my group soon came into conflict with a group of ruffians from the Wild Bunch. "Everyone spread out!"
Bonnie hid behind a wall and shot the ruffians armed with bowie knives first, and then the battle erupted into a gunfight.
From behind the sacks that I was using for cover, I saw Old Scratch wave his staff, and then I heard the ruffians shout in surprise. "What the – my feet's frozen to the ground!"
Duck Holliday then seized the moment to fire at the distracted ruffians, and the others quickly followed. By the time the barrage of gunfire was over, each of the ruffians were stunned along with several burn marks on their clothes from the bursts of electricity.
"Go on, my friends. I think I shall stay here and catch my breath. You go – I'll guard the rear." Duck Holliday said as he leaned against a wall, coughing. We nodded and went on ahead, where we soon came across an old foe along with some more thugs. "Ike Bronco…"
As we aimed our guns at each other, the air was tense like a fight between two wolves surrounded by their pack waiting to tear the loser apart, but then a familiar voice shouted, "Hey there, pirates! Need a hand?"
Billy the Kid sped towards the Wild Bunch, firing his revolvers like he was playing eighth-notes with them, and the Wild Bunch was thrown into disarray, which was the perfect opportunity for Buffalo Bill to charge through and stun them with his shotgun as he went.
"We'll wrap things up here, pirates! You go on ahead!" Buffalo Bill shouted over his shoulder. We nodded and ran down the trail to the entrance of the lower cells, where we met up with Wild Bill and his group.
Duck Holliday and the other two Bills soon caught up with us, and then Wild Bill took the chance to speak as he reloaded his gun. "Are we all here? Good. I don't know what we're going to find down there, but I reckon it can't be good."
"We should go." I said as I drew my sword and pistol. I led everyone inside the lower cells, which was a cavern with smaller caves inside repurposed to be cells with iron bars.
Timmy was being held in the farthest cell, and in front of that cell stood a graying Bronco wearing a gray sash flanked by Waco Kid and Buck Bronco, and Wild Bill whispered, "Old Man Bronco…"
Old Man Bronco then pointed at me at the front of the group. "You there, you're the Ghost of the Skies, aren't you?"
"That would be me." I said, nodding. Old Man Bronco was referring to the epithet on my wanted poster issued by the Armada, which I had gotten with the speed of the Aquila, so fast she was hardly seen.
"So here we are. You just couldn't leave well enough alone. I'd have shared these skies with you, if you'd just asked. But no, you had to be a hero." Old Man Bronco said as he paced back and forth. "Well, it's time for you to learn what happens to heroes – just like Wyatt learned! Get them, boys!"
The lower cells erupted into chaos, with bursts of electricity flying everywhere, and I shouted, "Get their leaders!"
In the first lull of the gunfire, as I made my way across the lower cells while everyone reloaded, a thug armed with a bowie knife got out from behind cover to lunge at me, but his knife was knocked out of his hand by one of Rena's strikers.
Instead of blunting my sword with blue energy and then slamming it into his face, I punched the thug in the face, the knuckle guard of my sword helping to knock him out.
The Wild Bunch then seized the opportunity to fire their revolvers at me, and their jaws dropped slightly as I blocked their shots with a Valor's Shield, allowing me to shoot Waco Kid in the face, knocking his derby hat off as I stunned him.
I leapt behind a stalagmite as the others fired at the Wild Bunch, stunning many of them, but not Old Man Bronco and Buck.
Rena threw a smoke bomb amongst the Wild Bunch, and as the smoke rose, I emptied my four pistols before leaping in and whacking them with my two swords.
Unfortunately, as the smoke cleared, I found myself surrounded by thugs pointing their revolvers and bowie knives at me, and I wouldn't be able to block their attacks in time.
Suddenly, there was a shout, and thugs started dropping to the ground as Emmett, neglected by the author, fired his four pistols, and as the Wild Bunch were distracted, I began whacking at them again.
Soon, Old Man Bronco and Buck were the only ones left, and Emmett and I aimed our pistols at both of them and pulled the triggers, stunning them.
"Guess someone should have told the old horse we aren't heroes… we're pirates!" Ratbeard said as he came over to look at the stunned body of Old Man Bronco.
"No reason why you can't be both. Let's find Timmy." Calamity Jane said. We soon found the key to Timmy's cell on the body of Old Man Bronco, and as I unlocked his cell, Timmy ran over to hug me. "You saved me! And I got to see the Magnificent Seven in action! Thank you, Matt! Thank you!"
We left the lower cells for the Aquila so we could sail south back to Tumbleweed, and it was the evening as we made port in the docks of Tumbleweed.
A half hour after we had made port, my entire crew and the entire population of Tumbleweed was crammed inside the Desert Rose to celebrate the defeat of the Wild Bunch.
"You did it, pirates! You reunited the Seven, you broke the Wild Bunch. Law's come back to Tumbleweed, and we all have you to thank." Sly Winkum said as he raised his glass, and everyone cheered as they raised their glasses to us as well.
"And now, young Matt, I expect you'll be moving on. I hate to see you go." Wild Bill said sadly as he sat with Calamity Jane.
"It is indeed a shame, but we cannot hope to chain a hero down in such a tiny town as this." Duck Holliday said, coughing.
"So I guess the Magnificent Seven are just six again after all." Billy the Kid said, but Calamity Jane shook her head. "Not quite. I reckon there's one more person we can bring into the gang. Timmy!"
"Yes, ma'am, what is it?" Timmy asked as he stood tiptoe on the seat of his chair to look over the crest rail at her.
"Way I hear it, we have you to thank for the Seven's reunion. What say Wild Bill and I train you to be a lawman, and you'd be our seventh from now on?" Calamity Jane asked, and Timmy nodded excitedly as he said, "Oh boy!"
"Oh brother…" Duck Holliday sighed while coughing, and Buffalo Bill turned to look at me. "You'd best be getting on, young Matt, before the sentiment gets to be too much! Happy trails."
I smiled. "I promise we'll leave in the morning, but how about a song before we retire for the night?"
Everyone in the room nodded, and I looked at some of the members of my crew, who had brought their guitars and violins with them. "How about we sing Wild Rover, boys?"
The men nodded, and they began playing the tune to Wild Rover, a popular folk song often sung in the Kraken Skulls Tavern back on Skull Island, and everyone began singing.
"I've been a wild rover for many a year, and I've spent all me money on whiskey and beer. But now I'm returning with gold in great store, and I swear I will play the wild rover no more."
"And it's no, nay, never, no, nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never no more."
"I went into an alehouse that I used to frequent, and I told the landlady me money was spent. I asked her for credit, but she answered me nay. Such a customer as you, I can have any day."
"And it's no, nay, never, no, nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never no more."
"Then I took from my pocket, a handful of gold, and onto the table, it glittered and rolled. Well, the landlady smiled as she served me the best. What I told you before sure it was only in jest."
"And it's no, nay, never, no, nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never no more."
"I'll go back to my parents, confess what I've done, and I'll ask them to pardon their prodigal son. And when they forgive me as oft times before, then I swear I will play the wild rover no more."
"And it's no, nay, never, no, nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never no more. And it's no, nay, never, no, nay never no more, will I play the wild rover, no never no more…"
A/N: So here ends the Magnificent Seventh and I hope you've enjoyed the bonus mini-songfic here. Tell me what you think of it, and the song is called Wild Rover, and where or who it came from is up for debate in Europe. The link to a video with its lyrics can be found on my profile page.