Reverse 1999 Fanfiction : Wild West Arcanist (English Version)

6. The Night Before

     Hevan took me with his Spectral Horse, we rode out of Infaustus area, back again to Sonora. Dusk has come, we travel to the forbidden hills south of here. Not long after, we can see tracks on the ground and garbage scraps around. Trails of wheels on the sand, leading directly into a towering stone hills. Among the scraps, a door to an underground mine can be seen with a lamp lighting the area. A wagon wheel without horse and a strange engine on the front parked right outside the door, with a sign saying "Old Jeb Machinery."

"Strange old Jeb still alive?" Hevan asks, "Old man live longer than I expected."

"He's an Arcanist." I answered, "He knows a way."

As the spectral horse stop, we goes down to the ground slowly. I can feel a pain all over my body, my shoulders especially, the pain still stings and the blood streams along the armor protecting my arms. The pain on my chest however already gone, with occasionaly pain while breathing normally. We walk to the door, and its immedietly open. Old Man Jebediah Khan, the Clockwork Engineer. He has a bald head and a big grey beard, looking like a regular man on their 60's. Wearing only an undershirt, he welcomed me in a very laid back manner.

"Howdy, Vigilante. You look...like a mangled canned-fish."

"Been better, Jeb." I told him, "Got hit by a strong Arcanist, a huge guy, Butch Cassidy."

"Butch Cassidy!?" he exclaims, "Then you're screwed. Come on in, have a seat."

We get inside the mine, closed the door and then greeted by a mine interior filled with housing furnitures. There's also a clockwork machines made by hundreds of steel and bronze, and I don't even know what they are supposed to be. In the middle of the room, I can see a table with claw machine above it.

"Get to the table, friend." he said, "Lemme check yer wounds, and then you tell me whats the problem about."

I lay down slowly in the table, and then he remove the armors in my arms and legs. While he clean my wounds, Im telling him all the problems.

"The armors are to heavy. Makes me sluggish."

"Well, it deflects bullets."

"But won't deflects close-ranged physical attacks, especially from Arcanists."

"Oh..." Jebediah put a bandage on my shoulders, "Care to tell me who they are?"

"Billy the Kid, Hardin and Butch Cassidy." I told him, "Heh...all the famous Gunslingers in the west."

"You are not joking, son?"

"Its the truth. Go ask Hevan."

Jeb then looking at Hevan, "Kid, is he speaking the truth?"

Hevan however are still meditating, an Incantation circles surrounds him, he won't answer at all.

"He's doing his Shaman thing in my home." Jeb mumbling, "Here, son. Got something pretty cool."

Jeb showing me a clockwork gauntlet with a rope inside, he also attached a blade on the edge.

"Its a Grappling Hook, I perfected it. Got a mechanism that throw the rope by simply pushing this trigger on the palm of your hand."

"What's that for?" I ask curiously.

"I know these people you talk about. Controlling ropes, fast and agile battle master, and a straight-up close-ranged fighter. They are fast, and you have to be faster!"

"How about the armor?"

"You'll like this one." Jeb dragging a strange device in shape of human body. The chest, arms and legs had more bronze plates than the rest.