TRIGGERFINGER (ORIGINAL STORY) - SEASON ONE

S01E01 A Frontier Battle! Enter Triggerfinger! (Part Three)

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"I SAID," Siphon shouted over his megaphone. "Ash the Triggerfinger, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!"

The saloon's double doors swung open, and Ash came out, his hands up, and head down, the rising sun painting his face orangey yellow. He clenched his teeth, angry about being framed for crimes he would never commit. Siphon smirked as Ash walked down the steps and onto the sand, putting the megaphone down and going to grab the handcuffs hanging off his belt. He walked forward a couple steps, and Ash lowered his fingers, keeping only his index aimed at the sky. He fired a flaming bullet, then aimed his finger at the Sheriff who dropped his cuffs.

"Don't be stupid Ash," he chuckled. "You know how this is going to go. I'm going to arrest you, and you're gonna do time for the things I did, and I'm gonna get away scot free. Who would ever believe scum like you over the town Sheriff?"

"You bastard..." Ash said quietly.

"Huh? Say that again. I dare you."

Kore, Scabs, Marianne, Snout, Beak, and other saloon patrons came rushing out of the bar to see what was going on. Scabs stepped forward, ready to get involved but Kore placed a hand on his shoulder, advising him to hang back just as Ash asked. Kore knew that this was Ash's fight, to get involved would be an insult to the wily young Triggerfinger. At least for now. If they really needed to, and if things got too ugly, they'd be able to step in at a moments notice.

Did he do it? One of the saloon regulars asked. He must have, who else? Another replied.Marianne frowned at them, slapped one across the back of the head. She knew Ash would never hurt anybody. She had raised him since the age of five, so she knew him better than anybody. His innocence was not in question from her perspective.

"I said," Ash continued. "YOU LYING BASTARD!"

He fired two shots which Siphon avoided with a quick dodge to the right. He shrugged and leapt forward, as did Ash, the two locking fingers, the beginning of what was sure to be a true Frontier spectacle. Siphon flipped backwards, his toes connecting with Ash's chin, sending the Triggerfinger staggering back for a moment before catching himself, and sending another bullet the Sheriff's way. Siphon leaned back, the bullet passing overhead, then took his rope and whipped it Ash's way. Ash grabbed the rope, yanked it back, and nailed Siphon with a gnarly headbutt that sent him to his knees.

Ash placed a single finger between Siphon's eyes. "Admit it! Admit it now, to all these people watching!"

The Sheriff turned his head from left to right, snarling as bystanders came flooding out of nearby houses to catch the commotion. Siphon batted Ash's arm away as a bullet was fired, then hit an uppercut that sent Ash flying. As Ash launched a few feet into the air, the Sheriff jumped from crouched legs, his skin tearing as he propelled himself into the air, sending a forearm into Ash's midsection, the Triggerfinger landing with a thud right on his spine.

Siphon landed, his legs much springier than before, skin torn completely off, now brown with tarsal claws, his femurs much shorter now, attached to tibia and tarsus. Onlookers screamed in terror at the sight, Kore and Scabs looked at each other with teeth clenched. Marianne frowned but seemed mostly unsurprised, Snout and Beak with their jaws agape.

"W-what is he?" Snout managed to utter, sweat forming at the brow.

Two more legs much like the last started forming out of Siphon's stomach, his arms too changing into even shorter legs. Before he could complete his transformation, Ash rolled back onto his feet, and sent three connecting fire bullets the Sheriff's way, each forcefully hitting him in the abdomen. Siphon screeched but this only added more fuel to the fire, jumping over to Ash at an incredible speed, wrapping him with two legs and sending him up high into the air. He leapt inhumanly, meeting Ash in the air, clutching onto him from behind as eight long hairy teeth extended from Siphon's tibia.