Long hours are spent riding the carriage behind Alonzo's fancy carriage. The hardwood and shitty cushions eat at the fat left on me as I struggle to find anywhere comfortable. Whenever I can, I get out and run alongside the fast and untiring carriages that Alonzo replaced the horses with undead ones he can empower.
Dakota joins me on these runs as we let out some overflowing energy. However, everyone seems to be okay with staying in the carriage the whole time. It's already been two days, and we're heading back down southwest. We are soon to pass Rustbank, however, but we aren't going to stop to check-in.
Johnny already sent everyone with Bonfire and Sacate to hide within the rocks of the Starkbluffs. The group should get there in another week or so. Travel with a large group is always longer, after all. Our small group with untiring horses? Quite fast. Not very comfortable, though.
Whenever I'm not in the carriage, I spend my time practicing my Ether skills and trying to learn Reach. But I can't seem to make any progress on that skill. The damn thing is just too tricky. I don't know how the hell those two came up with it in the first place.
I finally convinced Johnny to spar with me. I need some extra fighting practice, especially now that I'm missing an arm. I must get used to it until the damn Bloody Palm decides to talk to me again. It's like an ignorant child that's angry at me for not giving it candy. Won't talk, make any noise, or react to any stimulus. It just sits there, growing in animosity.
So, I stand across from Johnny, holding my dagger in my left hand. I would use Intervention, but I'm worried I could seriously hurt him. After all, he doesn't have any way to protect himself or take the brunt of the blast.
The carriages continue beyond us, and the plan is for the winner to catch back up with the other if they're wounded. Dakota stands off to the side, watching the fight closely. I told him not to join, but something tells me he will if I start losing.
And although I know that Johnny is strong, I feel like I can beat him. He wasn't that integral to the victory over Hura. That would go to Virgil, Sacate, and myself, I believe. Sure, he helped, but he only ever landed a few bullets, right?
My grip tightens on the rigid handle of my serpentine dagger as I swallow a dry mouth. Ten feet away stands the Gunfighter. Johnny still doesn't want to fight for some reason, and he tries to talk me out of it again.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Wyatt? I don't want to hurt you, and you don't seem to be healing as you used to."
I wave him off with my hand still full of the curved dagger.
"No, it's fine. Let's just fight!"
Johnny sighs and shakes his head in some kind of disappointment that only manages to make me want to fight him more. He thinks it's stupid of us to fight. I'll show him. I need combat experience, and this is the best way to do so. At the same time, it helps me know where I stack up in the world. How far I've come. That competition with Alexos wasn't a true one in the ravine. It was just us running.
The man across from me then pulls out a pocket watch similar to mine and throws it on the sand to our side. That's gonna clog up the watch for sure with sand. Hopefully, though, we won't be in the Bonedunes much longer. I hate all this dust and sand. I just want to see trees again.
I listen with rapt attention toward the pocket watch's time. We agreed to start the fight on the tenth tick. I use these ten seconds to get the Ether flowing through me rapidly and my skills at the most significant momentum possible.
I might not have learned Reach, but my skill with Ether has increased quite a bit since I left Rustbank almost two weeks ago. Much faster and easier than ever before, Strugglers Defiance and Rapturous flow throughout my whole body, protecting and strengthening me. I also try something that I've been wanting to test out for quite a while.
Since I learned Rapturous by discovering how to imbue my Sigil's significance into my Ether and transform its effects, I have tried to transform some of my other skills. Not all are useful, though.
Yell seemed to merely shake everything around me like a miniature earthquake. Not very useful, and I don't think even worth naming, as all it could do was knock over a bottle.
Nightvision also didn't seem to be all that useful, as it did something similar to my Chain Eyes. It made it so that each person had a simple color corresponding to their Sigil, but no more detail than that. I got none of Chain Eyes' focus, where some people might be more skilled, like Johnny's chains that mostly wrap around his hand. Maybe I could combine the two? A thought for the future.
At least those two weren't as bad as the failure of Stealth. I figured since Sneak was the first I transmuted, it would be easy to upgrade its evolution, but boy, was I wrong. That must be ten times hard, and I am not good enough at it. The second I start to imbue the significance by focusing intensely, everything seems to break and flow out of my "hands". My hands are my mind's eye that tries to meld it all like clay.
The last skill I tried transforming was Whetting, and the result was quite good. It took a long time to accomplish, and I only just succeeded a few hours ago. That is one of the main reasons I was so insistent on this duel. I want to know how it will work against Johnny.
Ether flows from my core to my arms and then down into my wrist before entering the dagger. I focus intensely on the transformation and "feel" of the Ether as I hear the watch tick for the fifth time.
I try to speed up the flow of my Ether and force it into the blade with braided strands that wrap around the skill. And as I do so, I see an ethereal and almost invisible tip extending from the edge that looks like a link of a chain, kind of like the reverse of a whip. This is why I wanted to test it in combat. I want to see how it will work.
The extended blade reaches almost twice as far as it would have before, but completing the skill took me far too much time as I just learned it. The clock just ticked its seventh tick. Only three remain.
I stare Johnny down with squinted eyes as I move from side to side, getting ready to try and predict any of his shots to dodge them. Hura could do it, so why can't I?
The eighth tick strikes, and I see a tiny little grin twist at the corner of Johnny's mouth. The man seems to enjoy this type of duel. I suppose he should; it's pretty close to a fast-draw contest. The faster man who can draw his gun and fire it will win. I've never seen one myself, but I imagine this is similar. The tension. The adrenaline. The sun is beating down on us, even if it is a bit cold.
Everything feels just like the stories. The ninth tick strikes, and I try to gauge where he will first fire to dodge it preemptively, but the man just stands leisurely. His hand is on his hip. He hasn't even drawn his gun yet. Maybe he gave up?
I don't care. I'll make him try.
The tenth tick hits, and I immediately begin to move, but only one foot hits the ground before I hear a series of bangs so close they might have been one, and the world goes black.
*************************
Elizabeth Stroudwater
We're two weeks into this "journey to find an amazing Coltsmith," and Primrose is already completely done with Earl. I'm slowly nearing my limit as well. We've spent over two whole weeks straight on a wagon speeding our way to the Timberlands, which surprisingly both don't have timber or much visible land. Most of it is covered with annoying grass that prickles and stings when it touches the skin. Don't know where the Timber comes from in the name. Maybe further in the trees appear? Dunno.
Today, however, we finally reached the largest town in the Timberlands. Only about four days from the border of Bonedunes lies Pridestead. A sizeable bustling town that is close to ten times larger than Rustbank. It's probably better to call it a small city than a town.
I get out of the wagon as I hear Primrose yelling at Earl for everyone to hear. The woman truly is… irritable, to say the least.
"We have no damn clue where we're at! Your stupid little adventure is wasting so much time, and it's stupid. We're not going to find anything here or anywhere else!"
I snort with laughter and try to plug it so neither can hear as I walk away to get something to eat. There is a bakery nearby, and I'm starving. Thankfully, Johnny lent us some money for this trip. Both to potentially pay off the Coltsmith and to help find them. Needless to say, we got quite a bit.
"I know exactly where we're at! Can't you for just one second not be such a bitch! Oh my… How can anyone even deal with you!"
"You'd be bitchy too if you were just hospitalized and forced to follow some dumbass bumpkin who thinks he's a genius in some random direction, hoping for a miracle to occur. Do you know how many fucking people live in the Territories! You're looking for one out of millions, you shitrag!"
"That doesn't mean you have to be a bitch! I have a plan, and why won't you just…"
I make it far enough away for the sounds of the town to beat away their arguing. They were terrible when we started, with little gripes here or there, but after two weeks… I think one of them might kill the other before we find whoever we're looking for.
I push away the thoughts of them for a short break as I step into the bakery and order a loaf of bread from the baker. He's pretty kind and a fantastic baker, as within just a few minutes, I'm outside eating bread and watching the two dumbasses fight. It's like watching an older sister and a younger brother fight. Kind of reminds me of… No. Elizabeth. Don't think about it. They are long gone and likely all dead. The world is better without them.
Eventually, I eat my fill and then sigh in frustration as I walk back to them. Their yells return to me as I approach.
"Why did you have to touch that? It was not meant to be moved! The mixture within—!"
"Blah-blah-blah. I needed somewhere to sit down. You're not a licensed doctor, alchemist, or Craftsman, so why do you waste all your time with this bullshit?"
"That—! That! That doesn't matter! I don't need something telling me I'm good enough to create! A little bit of genius and a sprinkle of luck is the best fuel for growth!"
"Uh-huh. Can you put a little bit of that genius and sprinkle of luck towards TAKING US THE FUCK BACK!"
I climb back into the wagon just as Primrose screams at the absolute top of her lungs. The argument only took about five minutes to escalate to imminent violence. And that's when I finally feel the need to step in; they're going too far this time. This isn't stress release or anything, as Primrose has green Ether swirling between her fingers.
I yell at the two of them with Yell and Inspire conjoined at the hip with my Ether.
"Chill out! Both of you! Leave now! Opposite directions!"
I pull the trick on them I did with Lonnie and Esther if they got angry with each other. They both glare at me, and I return it right back. Earl quickly submits to my gaze and walks away, angrily sliding off the back of the wagon. Primrose just harrumphs and turns to an almost invisible cloud of gas after a few seconds of contest.
The two are way too much. Had I known this was what was in store for the trip Earl signed me up for, I would have refused ten times out of ten. Now that they are both gone, though, someone has to watch the wagon. So I guess I'll just sit here and practice some Ether while they're gone.
I sit on the wagon's edge with my legs dangling as I start flowing Ether, trying to learn Physical Strengthening. I got Sneak a few days after we left Rustbank, but it's been hard to do anything else with these two arguing all the time over stupid stuff. From why did you sit there to don't touch my stuff? It's all so annoying.
Wyatt told me I don't have much aptitude for the physical skills but should still learn them. After spending so long trying to learn this stuff, I'd have to agree. I don't have the talent. It's not at all like when I was learning Yell; that came so naturally. I wonder if there are any other skills like that.
For the next hour or so, I carefully flow Ether through my right arm, trying to figure out the best way to enhance it with said Ether. If I'm not careful, my Ether could go out of control and damage me significantly. The substance requires full attention almost all of the time. Only when using skills you have used hundreds of times before and created a type of muscle memory for can you lapse focus even a little bit.
I first tried to learn Ether from Wyatt, but that careful precision is why I had to learn from Earl instead. Wyatt simply lacks it. It's almost like his body is created for Ether. Only when he uses it like a child with a sledgehammer does he even manage to hurt himself; meanwhile, everyone else is always that child with a sledgehammer. If he didn't almost always get hurt from using it too much, I'd start to wonder if he was even human. Other races have to worry about Ether saturation and strain, but far less. They are more worried about the strength of their skills than how many they can use.
After this constant and careful practice for about an hour, Primrose returns and lays down behind me in the wagon. Once again, does she distract me from learning.
"I really don't understand why he's so insistent. This is a lost cause. Our efforts would be much better-used fighting and stealing resources from Hunters or something else."
I take my focus away from the Ether and retract it as I do so. I don't want to hurt myself when I talk to her. Ether strain can last quite a while, after all. A week at minimum. I am careful, though, not to be directly antagonistic to Primrose. If she wanted to, she could kill both of us.
"What did you go out and do?"
Primrose puts one leg over the other as she talks straight up into the air, not even directly facing me, as I give her much respect.
"Went to go eat, and I talked around a bit. The food we brought was awful. I don't mind bread and jerky, but hardtack is awful. What's the boy genius out doing? I heard nothing about a Coltsmith."
"I don't know. He hasn't returned yet."
She heaves a deep breath of air in forlorn depression.
"He's probably getting robbed and shanked in an alley. The kid has no sense of self-preservation. He argues with me like I can't kill him. Does he do that to everyone?"
I laugh an awkward laugh as concern does start to build for Earl. He has been gone for quite a long time.
"He doesn't argue with everyone, but he certainly is willing. He doesn't like to be wrong."
She agrees with me and starts to get up.
"Yeah, but we gotta check on him. Johnny won't be too happy if the little shit dies."
I try to refute her but realize that she actually cares a little bit about him because she's willing to help find him despite how she acts toward him.
"He's not—never mind."
I slide off the back of the wagon and pat off my clothes as I hear a yell that instantly makes my concern for Earl skyrocket.
"Guys! Guys!"
I turn and look toward the sound, and I see Earl sprinting toward the wagon and me with a large piece of paper in his hand. My concern wanes a bit as I see no one behind him.
"Look at this, Elizabeth! I found it using my Reshuffle while looking around at the bounty board!"
He runs straight up to me and holds the paper up for me to see. I guess he forgot that I can't really read all that well. The only words that I can make out are "Wanted", "Alive", and "100000$ dollars". That and a black-and-white picture of a woman with tied-up hair and a face covered in soot.
"I can't read, Earl. You know that."
"Oh, right. I was too excited. I'll read it out to you. And you too, I guess Primrose."
Primrose exits the wagon with a slam on the ground as she hops off it.
"I can read too, genius."
Earl looks at her, unbelieving, and I already see an argument coming.
"What? Really? I never would have guessed."
I step in immediately before Primrose gets a chance to respond as she fumes. I can see her face start to turn as pink as her scarf.
"Just read it!"
Earl listens to me and starts reading it out, using his finger to mark the words for us. It seems quite a bit different from Wyatt's in both format and content.
Morgan Weiss
The Icarus
Wanted
Alive 100000$
The woman is wanted for treason and the murder of a Colonel as well as the theft of highly expensive artifacts. Her threat is low, but she is hard to catch. Wanted only alive. If you kill her, you gain her bounty. Last seen near the Red Gulch in Blackreach. Sigil is Craftsman. Do not hurt, damage, or otherwise maim the woman's head or hands. Should you do so, the bounty will also transfer to you in retaliation.