Fate City

The Hangman

"So.. now I reckon you won't want to believe what I'm about to tell ya my friend.. But i also reckon you gonna want to hear it.''

It was a hot Thursday afternoon, and the sun was scorching on the desert outskirts of Fate City. Over 30 bodies littered the area surrounding the old church of Aerth. Four men stood tall amongst the death and decay settling in for the evening. Two more men stood guard, protecting the four men who were standing tall amongst the death and decay from the second floor of the church, guarded by the sun's glare.

"Are you listening to me scumbag?" asked one of the men standing over a kneeling, so-called "scumbag" with dark bronze skin, and even darker black matted hair. "I'm about to tell you that we killed all your friends while you were gone...now I reckon that's a lot to hear all at once.. What with your lieutenant and right hand left hand what not being in there but it was swift..they ain't have no bounties for being wanted alive so we aint make them suffer much..They did fight admirably to the end, if that's any sort of consolation. Killed most of my men out here.."

His voice was drowned out by the heat of the desert. The "scumbag" fidgeted against the rope against his wrists. Not enough slack to pull through..even with the old broken thumb. He didnt like the sun beaming on his face, and without a second thought, laid his face on the ground with a loud thud, much to the dissatisfaction of the man speaking to him.

"Okay, well since it sounds like death is knocking on your door, and the sherriff should be here any minute now, i just have one question." the man crouched down, putting his revolver to his hat, as if tipping it to the scumbag lying face down on the ground. "Now i know your name is Reed Cartel, but on the poster here, it says 'Reed' quote 'R-E-A-D' end quote Cartel. Now i'm no English expert, i just been speaking it all my life, and probably will till the day I die, but I can not make heads nor tails of how to read this Reed. Ain't it Reed "Red" Cartel? Or ain't it Read on account of that legendary memory I heard so much about. No matter how complex, you see it, you read it, you got it. Dangerous man to have sneaking into places and snooping aren't ya?" the scumbag mumbled something into the dirt. "I'm afraid I can not hear ya my friend. Can someone help our friend here?"

The scumbag, Reed, felt a hand grab his hair by the locs and jerk his neck upwards, and a rope fall onto his shoulder.

"Now, Mr. Hangman, what is your name?"

"..blood." Reed said softly.

"Ohh blood.. So the name is..what?"

"Red. Like blood."

"Ohh 'red like blood.' Whose blood exactly? Yours or your friends?"

Reed Red Cartel looked into the man's eyes, and with the maximum amount of energy and saliva he could spare, he spit hard and clean in the man's face. The man's posse all went for their guns but the man held his hand up for them to stop.

"Do you know who I am boy? Clearly not," he concluded as Reed enacted getting ready to spit again. "Remember this name Eugene Alan Wesley. Fastest shot on this side of Fate- what in the HELL IS THAT?!"

Reed craned his neck to see a large light opening up in the sky. the colors radiating around the glowing circle were blinding, and everyone with untied hands shielded their faces. Reed however was unable to do so and the light burned into his eyes, compelled to stare until an object emerged and eclipsed the light, hurtling through, a giant ball of metal in an unrecognizable form. As it flew across the sky, it suddenly changed directory, instead hurtling towards Reed and his would be executors. Eugene Alan Wesley dove into the ground, as the ball of metal flew directly into the church, followed by an explosion that rocked the very ground Reed was laying on.

Getting to his feet, Eugene called out, "you boys alright in there?" when no one responded, Eugene hiked his pants up and ordered two of his men to go investigate.