Six Steel

Chapter 3: The Lone Traveler And Revenge [OLD]

The hot sun skewed the shadow of a large tree across Deadtree. There was one bar in the entire town of Deadtree, frequented by many who lived in the small town, and newcomers were few and far between. That's why stiff tension filled the room when the wooden doors creaked open. Every member of the bar went silent, for there was a newcomer. He slowly approached the bar as nearly every eye stayed still on him. The bartender, also staring at this man, was slowly wiping a glass clean with a towel, prepared for the next customer who would drink from the glass. The bartender noted that this man looked like he had been walking for quite some time. Nearly every part of his dress was coated in sand. Then, the dusty traveler spoke.

"Water." Whispered the dusty traveler.

The bartender did not hear the man, "You're going to need to speak up, son." He said in his most authoritative voice to avoid letting anyone know he might be intimidated by this man.

The dusty traveler cleared his throat and spoke again, "Water."

The bartender took the glass in his hand and filled it with crystal-clear water. Jed watched the liquid wash across the glass, and when the final shimmering drops rippled across the water, it would have brought a tear to his eye had he not been so wholly dehydrated. The glass was emptied within an instant. Jed didn't even place the glass down. He simply held it out to the bartender and asked for more. The bartender obliged. This glass was also drained. After a fourth glass, Jed began to slow down. He reached behind him, and the entire room shifted at this moment. Jed paused, realizing the whole bar was wary of him being a threat. He cataloged this notion and finished the act, protruding a flask, "Would you mind filling this up for me?" Handing it to the bartender and placing two silver bills on the table.

"Not at all, and what might you have?" replied the bartender.

Jed stood for a moment, not entirely sure what he wanted. He knew there was something brown and tasty in there before, but now it was empty. He looked at the wall behind the bartender, filled with various liquors. He realized the brown ones came in many different shapes and different names. After a while, Jed shrugged, "Whatever." It all will feel nice.

The bartender, unsure, grabbed a bottle.

"No, not that one," Jed groaned, "One of the brown ones."

Even more confused, the bartender grabbed a different bottle with "brown" in it and began filling the flask.

"Where might I be able to find the house of State Fis?" inquired Jed.

The bartender paused for a moment, and mutters filled the room. The bartender replied, "It's about two days' travel north from here," and resumed filling the flask.

"Now, why the hell do you want to go there?" a gray man sitting at the bar to the left of Jed said, glaring.

Jed turned to the man, rested an arm against the bar top, and said, "I have my reasons."

"State Fis murders anyone who even hints towards the possibility of being a threat to the leader, so if you are going there for the reasons I think you're going there, I would advise you turn back now." said the man.

The bartender handed Jed his flask back, and Jed took a sip, relaxation washing over him. I could get used to this feeling. Then replied to the old man, saying, "Well, sometimes life ain't special enough to preserve, old man." With that, Jed walked back out of the bar.

Jed was a slender man, a little over six feet tall, with long hair and a snakeskin hat that kept the sun out of his eyes when he traveled. He tended to keep the hair underneath in a ponytail, and his skin showed he was no stranger to the sun's rays in these parts. As Jed walked outside, a gust of wind blew his hat off momentarily, and everyone in the bar noticed one more detail about the man. In contrast to his jet-black hair, there was a singular platinum streak running through his hair.

Jed made it just outside when a bullet struck the ground next to his foot, and the ground around the hole became frosted with ice.

"You Jedidiah Prave?" hollered the man, fury wretched in his voice.

Unfazed, Jed turned to see who had attempted to kill him. A portly man with a scraggly beard shakily placed his Frostbite back into its holster.

Jed hollered back, nonchalant, "I guess I am."

"You shot my brother, Jedidiah Prave." The man said, furious.

"I've shot a lot of people, friend."

"On the count of three, we're going to pull our guns, you understand."

"I'd hate to-"

"Oh, shut up and do it. This isn't your first standoff."

Jed obliged. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he also felt a little sorry for the man.

"One..." The man spread his feet out, his hand hovering nervously over his holster. "Two..."

Jed, dropped his arms, one hand near the Crimson in his holster. An audience was beginning to form around these two as the showdown progressed.

"Three!"

At this moment, two hands shot for the magic pistols in their holsters. Now, it might be time for the reader to understand a little more about the ways of this world. It has been evident to this point that guns are not entirely the same as they are in the world you and I live in, but they are fashioned in very much the same way. You see, guns were once made of plain old steel and fired plain old lead bullets. However, the reason they changed goes back to a time long before guns or anything more substantial than a crossbow had been invented. It was a time of wizards and mystery. Many races dwelled within the world, mystical beings that defied nature, and all of this was fueled by magical forces beyond understanding. The beings of this time worshipped a multitude of deities, and in turn, these deities would grant various beings certain powers. This was the way of the times. However, as time evolved, humans multiplied far faster than other beings, so other races went into hiding. Much of the magic and deities who controlled the magic seemed lost in history. However, the mighty god, Sol, works in many mysterious ways, and magic would not be lost forever.

One hundred years ago, a group of miners were excavating a cave, and they found a unique vein of metal that possessed abilities beyond the explanation of simple sciences. Immediately, humanity found a way to weaponize this new wonder and created the Norman, a pistol that didn't need ammo. It just pulled energy from the user and fired it in a concentrated amount. Wonder gripped the world as they now searched for more of this fantastic metal, and soon, they not only found the metal that fueled the Normans, but different metals could produce different effects. Guns that shot fire, guns that thinned the blood of their victims, and guns that could alter things beyond the physical. Each gun's unique ability developed special signature designs so users could identify the difference between one gun and another. This brought the world into a new era. The existing states grappled for mines rich in these resources, and if a state had a mine, it had power and stamped out those who failed to find one in time, creating five states that now rule the world, constantly battling for control over the others. The world now revolves around these valuable metals and the guns they can create. Even more importantly, the users who can manipulate the gun's powers to their will.

The crystalline revolving cylinder of the Frostbite rotated once, and the blued steel hammer struck, initiating the launch of a bullet. Around the same time, the red rose on the hammer of the Crimson fired a bullet, traveling through the red metal spiral on the barrel of the gun. Both men stood still. No onlooker could determine the outcome for several moments, as neither man seemed to fall. Frost grew on the ground behind Jed, and blood spurted from the hole directly in the man's heart. He might have cursed when he fell, but only blood sprayed from his mouth. As people rushed to help the fallen man seconds from death, Jed placed his gun back in the holster and continued on his way.