III: Run-in with Nitara

There was little in the way of an explanation for the sudden urgency. Skarlet was not told the reason, only to get up and prepare to depart. Rain opened the cage's door armed with his three-fanged katar blade to use should she try anything.

Skarlet could have attempted to scratch him, draw blood to form into a weapon with his magic, but with Tanya present she was certain to result in only a beating, thus she complied. Exiting with her hands raised in a gesture of concessions.

There was the option for Skarlet to manipulate the blood in Rain or Tanya's body, but could only do one at a time and, again, to attack one would invoke the other's wrath, so Skarlet continued to wait for the prime opportunity. Allowing them to slip on restraints and was promptly escorted out into the desert.


Erron moved as swiftly as he could on foot. With his horse dead his ability to make tracks had been hindered somewhat but at least now he had another lead; the letter mentioned a hideout they were reporting to a mile or so away—a cave which had been prepared for their arrival just before they decided to abscond with the keystone and blood mage. Erron was hopeful that was where he would find both.

When he came across the cavernous rocks he found some Edenians and Outworlder as well as some Tarkatans who were helping them sift through the scant objects and valuables to be found within the cavern.

They were so busy with their task they did not even notice Erron enter.

For him this was easy. Reach. "Hello, boys." Then draw.

He took his shots and they were precise. Dropping all but one of the Edenians dead or soon to bleed out to that outcome.

The surviving Edenian tried to reclaim his weapon and continue fighting, but Erron rushed him. "Not happen, boy." Kicking the weapon away and grabbing the survivor by his jerkin. "We need to chat."

He threw the Edenian against a wall and rested his spur bearing boot on the gunshot wound. "Now, where's your friends?"

"Go jump into a vortex, outlander."

This answer caused Erron to laboriously press down hard onto the wound. The Edenian let out an agonized cry of pain. "Wrong answer, try again."

It was nothing new to the gunslinging mercenary. He was a bounty hunter and that meant being willing to go anywhere and do anything to make the client happy; and he had a pretty good track record of that at the very least. It was why Shang Tsung recommended him to the Khan eventually.

Torture was little more than a means to a end and one which Erron found himself numb to performing. With little sense of moral conflict in regard to acting it out.

Erron pressed him on the matter for some time and bloodied the Edenian's intricately decorated attire more and more before the Edenian finally relented. "They have already departed, outlander."

"Where are they, then?"

"The temple."

"What temple?"

"Just some old temple. Gwydion wasn't specific."

"Well? Give me some more details. It to the far end of the Golden Desert? The middle? East region? West region? Unless you want to be feet up in the ground, friend, I suggest you start talkin' more."

"I swear I don't know." the Edenian insisted. "Gwydion was careful to only tell us what we and Rain needed to know at the time."

"Rain?" Erron was quick to raise a brow in response. It was a name he recognized from a past bounty board. The man was infamous for bringing down some of Black's competition in spades. "Why is he working with the trickster?"

"He promised us our home back if we helped him with the Keystone. That the Khan would not be a problem for us."

"And you actually believed him?" Erron could have laughed if the idea wasn't so absurd.

The Edenian insisted on his decision. "What would you know, Outlander? You're just a thug who works for the highest bidder. If you had any sense—any honor whatsoever—you'd be fighting with us. You put a bullet in the tyrant's head."

Erron pulls his boot off the man. "Honor doesn't put food on the table." Before stepping back a smidge. "And I'm done here. Do whatever you want, but try anything and you'll be joinin' your friends over there." Pointing to the dead ones just as he turned away.

With hesitating, the Edentian grabbed his weapon and charged for Erron, intending to jap the blade in the gunslinger's vulnerable backside. But Black was quicker. He drew one of his six-guns and—without even looking back to face him—ended the man with a single shot to the chest. Then he collapsed dead as Erron continued to walk away, holstering his revolver; the jingle of his spurs echoing as he walked through the caverns to search the place for more clues.

Erron was not so credulous as to believe the information readily with great haste. He wanted more to use, but Gwydion and his lackeys left very little for him to use and thus he lit out of the caverns empty-handed in regard to more leads only to hear a pair of flapping wings come from above at the third step out of the place.

Then, landing gracelessly on the sand before him, Nitara was to greet him with "Hello, Lover."

"Nitara?"

He expected she would be in the opposite direction of him in terms of the destination their respective work was to take them. That or across the ocean.

"What are you doing here, Erron?"

"Working."

"Same here."

Something's off.

Erron felt uneasy. Not out of cowardice or fear, mind you, but rather pragmatism. He always looked to work the situation to his advantage and something in that moment wasn't right.

"What are you doing here?" he finally forced himself to ask.

Nitara smirked as she answered "Pursuing a cadre of criminals for my client."

"Well," Erron pointed with his thumb over his shoulder, "If you thought they were here the lot are long gone. Or I killed them. Sorry."

"I doubt you killed them. This bunch would be more than you could handle."

"When has that ever stopped me?"

"Funny." Nitara jived shortly before stepping forward, passing him and making her way to the entrance behind him. "You had best be off. Your targets are likely getting further from your grasp."

"Yeah, yeah." was all Erron responded with before walking off.

Things still felt off. But Erron chose to ignore it, he had things to recover.