The vast desert stretched out, the brutal sun casting elongated shadows on the undulating dunes. Jondy, Perconia and Bacon rode in strained silence, their horses kicking up swirls of sand as they galloped away from the Los Sanatos mayhem. Thudding hooves brought the relief of distance.
Bacon had since righted himself behind Perconia. Her hands lightly trembled on the reins. The stolen black steed and white mare seemed to get the seriousness of their escape, carrying them forth to the uncertain horizon.
When they finally slowed to a canter Jondy turned his head. They couldn't catch his mood under the red bandana or cowboy hat. Still, his follow-alongs felt sure he was annoyed he'd not lost them.
"So what is it, hunny? Gonna chase me until when?" The show of flirtation didn't hide it either.
"You owe me, Jondy," Perconia replied. "My shop got trashed cause of you and that lunatic. You gotta pay me back."
"I'm not big on charity."
"Five bullets say you are."
Jondy tugged down his bandana. Now they could see the scowl on that bruised and dry-bloodied face. He wiped sweat from his forehead, his hair gleaming gold. Perconia's scalp was sweating, her finer threads of hair shone a whiter gold. Sweat beaded down Bacon's bald head, which was the shape and color of a brown egg. Since they'd slowed his long nose was no longer dick-flopping.
Things got very odd, Bacon thought to himself. Jondy was the man, but he lost that fight against Zenzone and was made to haul ass out of there.
"What's your stake in this?" Jondy turned, this time enough for them to see both eyes.
Bacon still hadn't fully sobered, "I… uh… I got carried away in the moment, you know? But since I'm here, guess I'm a part of this now too."
Jondy faced forward again.
"You're not gonna give me the slip," Perconia insisted. "Even when I gotta sleep, I'm gonna make you tie yourself up first. I'm not leaving until you pay me."
Bacon was still spun out and said nothing.
Jondy considered it. Perconia wasn't gun shy. He was sure she'd put a bullet in him with no hesitation if he turned on her or got close to bailing.
He switched up his mood and smiled. "I'm a man of many talents. Just tell me how to repay you."
"We're not gonna be partners in crime. You're gonna work for me until you settle your debt."
"You good with that, Bacon?"
"Yeah, just give me a sec to... sober up here."
"He's stuck with us for now. I won't let you wrangle him into helping you. You have a bounty, so I could just waste you. At least this way you don't have to die or get busted, right?"
If Jondy died his body would vanish and he'd respawn across the ocean. Getting back would be a pain though. Currently he was in denial over whether it was time to move on from Los Sanatos. Cirplo knew he was here. It's hard to hide among such a low population. This should be game over.
Still, Jondy didn't want to give up maintaining his vision for Los Sanatos.
Jondy couldn't get a bead on what Perconia wanted. Was she soft, or did she hate authority, or could she want him out of jail for another reason?
In silence, they passed cacti and tumbleweeds, the afternoon dragged on into evening. The free desert promised both peril and opportunity.
Perconia pointed. "Look there. An old house and I think that's a mineshaft next to it? Jondy, you can start paying me back by robbing that place."
He internally balked. They rode on to the dilapidated plank house. The sun descended further, casting long shadows across the desert.
As they closed the distance an old man came out, a gold tooth from his smile glinted in the fading sunlight. Nobody was with him, he was unarmed, standing on the porch of the creaky old house. Perconia didn't want to rob anyone, but Jondy was a crim so she reasoned that he would've gone about robbing people anyway. Forcing him to give her the goods afterwards was less objectionable, she said to herself. She figured Jondy would have to resort to trickery, but since the guy was alone maybe old-fashioned banditing was the way to go.
Once they were close the old dude looked over Perconia and Bacon, whose expressions were more readable, and he recognised them as outlaws on the run. Many were in these parts so he didn't freak out, just kept smiling away.
"Well now, what brings an odd bunch like you to my humble pad? The name's Sixbeet."
"Jondy."
"Uh, Bacon." He stifled a burp.
"Why hello Jondy and Uh Bacon. And you, Missy?"
She hesitated. "Perconia."
"Why dontcha tie up your rides and come in? I'll get ya water and some grub."
"Preash." Jondy's eyes flickered to the others and back before he dismounted. The steed stomped a hoof, blowing air from his nostrils and swishing his tail.
Perconia dismounted less gracefully and then steadied Bacon who near fell over. They went to a post and tied the reins, the horses were sponging for water and drank greedily from the trough.
Waving his arm, Sixbeet led the trio indoors. The air was thick with the stank of age, everything looked dingy with rusted billy cans and tins, there was a warped pot and pan for cooking. Once inside they were invited to sit, the worn wooden furniture creaked under their weight. Sixbeet noticed the pistol resting in Perconia's lap but wasn't triggered. Perconia was too addled from the heat to think of hiding it. Sixbeet went to his dusty cupboard and returned with glasses of water.
Perconia chugged so fast that she choked. Her sickness and pinkness from exposure was finally starting to fade in the cool. Jondy spilled his water down his chin. Bacon drank three full glasses. Sixbeet refilled them without complaint.
He then asked, "So, food? You've had a long ride under the desert sun, I reckon."
"...Thank you." Perconia answered for them.
He came back with a cutting board topped with bread, hardtack and jerky.
As they partook, Sixbeet asked them their story. All three took turns giving the deets of their chaotic escape from town, their attacker and the debt that kept them together.
"You've got young blood and real wanderlust," Sixbeet mused, his gold tooth catching the glimmer of the flickering wall torches. "I've got an offer for you."
They were getting less and less keen on robbing Sixbeet anyways. They leaned in.
"Ten years ago, I settled here with my squad after we found the underground mineshaft out back. Wealth has a way of getting lost or trading hands in Los Sanatos, usually it ends up in the pockets of the men in power. But back then we were hopeful. We'd found something in that mineshaft more unusual than gold and diamond. A giant amethyst geode!"
Bacon's eyes widened while munching.
"Of course, I got myself hoodwinked. They left me beaten near-dead in the tunnel, stealing the bulk of the amethyst then caving in a section with TNT. I had a potion of healing stashed away and dug out a manhole but couldn't make it wider without collapsing more of the tunnel. After gathering all the leftover chunks I had enough to fill a minecart. It's on the other side of the rockpile and ever since I've been slipping through to fill my pockets whenever I need cash. Figured it would be safer stashed there than in the house, since the mines are a maze."
"So why are you telling us?" Jondy asked.
"I'm too old to make the journey no more, but if I give you my map and you return with the crystals, I'll split them with you fifty-fifty."
They looked at each other. Sixbeet was simply trusting them not to run with the full amount, hoping his kindness so far would convince them.
"Alright, deal." Perconia told him. A full minecart of amethyst would pay to fix her shop and then some. She couldn't believe their luck.
"Take care or it's RIP, like all the ghosts of bros who died down there, on accident or otherwise."
Bacon, now sober, got nervous. "For real, ghosts?"
With the deal struck, they were handed a torch, empty sacks and Sixbeet's map. The trio left his home and approached the sloping cave mouth. Shadows clung to the rocks, they followed the minecart tracks inside. The promise of amethyst called.
The mineshaft yawned before them, its darkness seemed to swallow the feeble torchlight. Cobwebs were all over, clinging to wooden posts and the braces against the ceiling. Jondy took the lead, Bacon followed and Perconia clutched her pistol, bringing up the rear.
The temperature dropped as they ventured deeper, and the air grew dense with the musty stink of earth. The distant echoes of their footsteps rebounded, sounding eerie in the tunnels.
They reached their fourth fork and Bacon squeaked then started shivering. "Did you guys see that? What in the hell was that light?"
Perconia, her nerves finally fraying, tightened her grip on the pistol. "We'll check it out. Don't go too far ahead, you two."
Jondy was curious but still unafraid. "Keep your eyes peeled." He trudged over.
"Yeah, yeah…" Perconia dismissed him.
They reached the light source and found a barred cube, inside was a weird fire and rotating spider. The vibe reeked something sinister.
Jondy's brow raised. "Well damn, a monster spawner. Haven't seen one of those in a while."
"Monster what now?" Perconia and Bacon gave him weird looks. They could sense its cursed aura even if it couldn't activate.
Jondy answered their looks, "This bitch can spawn monsters - zombies, skeletons, creepers, spiders-"
Bacon shook his head. "You're talking crazy. Monsters aren't real."
Perconia couldn't tell if he was screwing them around or belonged in a loony bin. Something about the way he said it had her curious though.
Jondy shrugged and urged them back. "It's not worth anything, let's keep stepping."
They didn't argue. Even the past miners had avoided digging in that area, nobody had wanted to go near it. They went back to the fork and followed the map onward.
Some time later…
"The amethyst shards are waiting on the other side of that rockpile."
The barrier loomed ahead. The narrow crawl space was hidden but Jondy found it after rummaging around, then like a shadow he slipped through first. Bacon was hesitant and Perconia had to urge him, then push him, waving her pistol before he finally followed suit. Perconia went last, peering so she could see them both and making sure they backed up first. Keeping her gun trained on Jondy, she wiggled through. He stood beside Bacon, lips pursed until she was out and back up, flicking back strands of hair.
She read their disappointment. There was no minecart. Scattered on the ground were a mere handful of amethyst shards.
She let the suckyness settle in. "Pick them up Bacon, then drop them in my hand."
He started getting them for her.
"Looks like someone beat us, took all the jewels from right under Sixbeet's nose," Jondy remarked. "What's left is yours."
"It won't cover my shop, but it's a start." She stepped back and swished her gun, "Go on, now."
They found their way back outside with the map. Jondy and Bacon mumbled to each other but Perconia made them quiet down when it started sounding too conspiratorial. They soon emerged into open air, the moon casting long shadows across the desert. Outside Sixbeet's house a campfire flickered, a beacon of warmth in the cool night. They wandered over and Sixbeet stood, his face falling at the sight of their empty sacks. Perconia showed him the handful of purple and Jondy wondered if she was soft after all. Instead of peeling off into the night like he would've done, she split the meager jewels with him as promised.
Sixbeet fetched them beers and they sat together around the crackling, snapping fire. Embers hissed and danced. Light played vibrantly against their faces.
Bacon downed his beers with a speed that hinted at an escalating problem. Even after all this time, Perconia hadn't lessened her vigilance with the gun. However, she did allow Jondy to shave his face with Sixbeet's straight razor. His swelling was starting to go down, but his nose was crooked. Afterwards she made him hand the blade back.
In being the provocateur that he was, Jondy broke the conversation lull as he sat back down. "Perconia." It was the first time he'd called her by name. "If you don't help me waste Zenzone he'll beat down us both sooner or later. I may be his bounty but he lost fingers cause of you."
Perconia's eyes narrowed at the dancing flames. They were all smeared with cave dirt, but it was most obvious on her white dress. She sipped her beer and said nothing, like him she seemed to understand that some shadows could never be outrun.