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<blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2702139" data-attributes="member: 8530"><p><strong>Chapter 153, “Buffalo Bill", Friday, January 20th </strong> </p><p></p><p>There are a total of sixteen riders the emerge from the forest. They are mostly human but a few wood elves are with them. Although they have not encountered him yet, based upon the outlandish spangled yellow coat, oversized hat and flowing locks the party can deduce that the man leading this group is the now famous actor, storyteller and ex-solider who goes by the name Buffalo Bill.</p><p></p><p>Ruby looks to Kate. "I suppose we're going to have to deal with all the groups hunting this thing, eh?" She replies, "I imagine so. But since we don't want the creature for ourselves anyway, I don't see why there should be a problem. They want it, they can have it as far as I'm concerned. We might have a bit more trouble about the dead bodies."</p><p></p><p>Sanoma comes to the front of the cave and takes a good look at the oncoming group. She comments, "I think we may be in luck. I know one of the men that the actor hired. As a matter of fact I made a fairly large purchase from his flock. If we do this right we may be able to get out of it as long as Buffy Bill gets the credit for slaying the monster" Kate replies, "I don't care who gets the credit as long as it's dead. He can throw himself a parade and I won't argue. I just want to be done and go home," Kate finished in a tired voice. "Best we don't hide, they might think we were trying to ambush them."</p><p></p><p>The riders slow as they take in the scene. The curvature of the mountain does not afford them a good view yet of the dead monster and their attention is all focused upon the cannon floating eight feet up in the air above the cooling pool of still glowing and steaming magma. The group cautiously rides towards that spot, slowing as they see the two dead half-ogres but not approaching either body. They dismount a good forty feet from the magma and carefully approach towards the cannon, rifles in hand.</p><p></p><p>Nanuet is not near Sonoma but he can make out some of her comments. The idea of a non-violent encounter with these men appeals to him. "Magma, dead half-ogres and floating cannons must make some sight." Nanuet thinks outloud. He decides to stay put and keep an eye on the group, rifle in hand.</p><p></p><p>The men attempt to get closer to the cannon but the rock surrounding it is still too hot. They then follow the line-of-sight from the direction that the cannon barrel is pointed. The ledge that had been by the cave is no more, the pieces of it having slid down the hill. They then spot the chimera carcass another 200 or so feet beyond. Bill lets out a cry and he and his men charge on past and over to the creature. Nobody is watching the cave at the moment, allowing anyone who wishes to to climb down.</p><p></p><p>Sanoma looks at her friends "what do you think? now is the time to get down there and try to cover our backs. The other thing is that wand might still be there too, oh and the sharpshooter with the rifle so we really should warn them at the very least" With that she starts to head down the mountain "Storm will you keep the dragon safe I'll try to send this group on their merry way. Send us some kind of signal if you see another group coming"</p><p></p><p>Kate exclaims, "Wait, Sonoma, I..." But Sonoma was already on her way down the mountain. Kate wasn't entirely certain what Sonoma intended to do, but she knew what Dorita would do if Sonoma got hurt and found out they let her go down alone. Katherine began to clambor down after her. "What do you mean by 'cover our backs?' The elf replies, "There are a bunch of dead bodies with bullets. The dragon surely didn't do that. We need to convince them that the other group got hurt in the cross fire of all of us working together to take out the monster."</p><p></p><p>Kate replies, "You don't think they'll believe they attacked us in a disagreement about who got the carcass? I know we shot first, but once there is a cannon pointed at you I think the intent is fairly clear." Katherine continued behind Sonoma. "But I'll follow your lead."</p><p></p><p>Sanoma quickly makes her way down the rope. Kate and Chester follow. This movement catches the attention of Buffalo Bill's group, who have now surrounded the dead giant chimera but none have gotten close enough to touch it yet. They cautiously watch as Chester, Kate and Sanoma begin to move fowards. Chester spots where the custom-made case for the hand cannon has fallen to but opts to stay clear of it at the moment, as it is partially covered over with rocks and dust so is not likely to be noticed by anyone else.</p><p></p><p>Sanoma, Kate and Chester approach the group of men around the monster's body. The one who recognizes Sanoma whispers something to one of Buffalo Bill's men, who then whispers something to Bill. Chester grabs his rifle before following Sanoma and Kate down the rope. "I hope you know what you're doing, Miss Sanoma. By the way, I've met Buffalo Bill before. He was the chief of scouts when I was in the Fifth Cavalry. This was a few years ago, so he probably doesn't remember me. It shouldn't be too hard to convince him to take credit for the bounty." Nanuet keeps vigilant watch over his companions from behind the rock above the cliff face. He crosses his fingers in hopes that they are saying the right things, whatever they may be.</p><p></p><p>Buffalo Bill steps forward. "Hello, William Cody. We heard your cannon roar all the way from the other side of the mountain. I see that one or more of my rivals decided to also hire people who knew these parts. I see two of Dodge's force lying dead over there and the head of one of Big Jim's force in the creature's claw. Which of those groups are you working with? And what exactly happened here?"</p><p></p><p>Sonoma states, "It is true that we are from the area and know some of the individuals that were hunting the monster. It was a fierce battle with many people on all sides working to take down the great monster. I am greatly relieved that the dangerous creature is dead and our ranch and farmlands will now be safe. Without you chasing the monster to the cannon I doubt the creature would have ever been taken down. Do you not wish your photographer to place your picture with the prize?"</p><p></p><p>It takes Bill a moment to process through exactly what she has just said. He then says, addressing his comments to Chester, "Well, I'm glad that my group was able to herd it for you. I'm just sorry we were a bit late for the final takedown. Yes, I do believe that a picture is in order." </p><p></p><p>He has his personal photographer begin to set things up. Bill then points to the cannon and says to Chester "I understand your need to use some magic to eliminate such a powerful creature, but others might not be so inclinded. You'd better deactive that thing before anybody else arrives." Chester says, "Oh yes, that. Let me talk to the boss, in private. We don't want our secrets getting out." Chester brings Sanoma aside. "Um. Miss Sanoma, How are we going to get that cannon down? Do you have any magic that can do that?"</p><p></p><p>Kate bit her tongue. How rude to ignore Sonoma and talk instead to Chester, as if Sonoma wasn't even there. She looked back up at the floating cannon, trying to remember if Mr. Gonzales had told her of any ways to stop a magical effect, or if she had any idea of when the effect might wear off on it's own.</p><p></p><p>Sanoma directs her first statement to Bill Cody "I fear the cannon is not ours but the group that had the human and ogres in it. I will see what I can do to deactivate it for magic is frowned upon in this area but I really don't know how it works I will need to wait until the gound cools of course." </p><p></p><p>Sanoma speaks loud enough for Cody to gather all of the details while seeming to speak mostly to herself. "It was such a sight to see! The cannon blasting and then the earth turned into a molten lake from the power of the creature in its death gasps. The others in that group mostly fell to their death except for the human who was able to grab onto the cannon as the earth fell away from his feet. The cannon swung as he gripped it, dangling above the molten pool until he could hold no longer aadn fell to his death." </p><p></p><p>She looks directly at Cody "It was a fearful and deadly enemy that you have vanquished and I fear what may follow to pick it's bones in these parts the sooner it is gone the better" With that Sanoma heads over to the cannon. She tries to deduce a way to even get to it as way as to find a way to obtain whatever makes the cannon float. The ground beneath is cooling but is still in the range of 150 degrees, too hot to walk upon. </p><p></p><p>Sanoma tries to keep herself out of the limelight as much as possible while looking for the wand that the ogre used to take down the monster and keeping an eye out for the sharpshooter. Ruby has made her way down and is also searching the area for the wand. Katherine kept back and quiet. Sonoma was spinning a story, and Kate wasn't much of a liar. She made sure to stay out of the camera's range, although she was certain the shots were carefully orchestrated. </p><p></p><p>Cody didn't seem to interested in the activities of anyone who was female, so she slipped away from the group a bit and kept an eye out for the sharp shooter. Considering the father's attitude, she imagined the son wouldn't think twice about risking his life for revenge. A shiver went down her spine thinking of thier poor mothers. Her father had been an abolishonist; she knew what happened to the slaves of men like Dodge. She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing that she felt no sorrow or regret about Dodge's death.</p><p></p><p>Buffalo Bill dispatches a contingent of his men to ride to the town of Dos Cabezas to obtain something to move the monster with. He spends the next half hour being photographed with the carcass. The picture taking is then interrupted with the unexpected arrival of the hunting party with the giants, climbing down from higher up the mountain. </p><p></p><p>All six members of this group are wounded. One of the giants has his arm in a sling made from ropes and blankets. The other giant has bedsheets tied around his chest, with blood seeping through it. He is carrying a blanket wrapped body in his arms. One bugbear is now mostly devoid of fur, it having been burnt away and leaving only black tufts. The other bugbear has a splinted leg and requires assistance from the ogress to walk. She too is wearing bandages. The hunter who Cody called Big Jim has a splint on his arm and a bandage wrapped around his right leg. </p><p></p><p>They approach the dragon and silence falls over all present. Jim and the charred bugbear move foward and pry apart the claw still clinching the head of the deceased bugbear. The giant sets down the blanket and unwrapps the headless bugbear inside. The charred bugbear places the head atop the body and then carefully rewraps the body in the blanket. The giant then picks it up again, cradling it in his arms. </p><p></p><p>The hunter named Jim walks up to Cody so that their faces are only inches apart, causing Buffalo Bill to back up. Big Jim gestures to the cameras and says "Do I need to destroy those, who can I trust your word that there are no pictures that show my friend's head in them." It takes the very intimidated Cody just a fraction of a second to reply "None will ever see print. You have my word." </p><p></p><p>The hunter says something to his companions in a language that none present understand. They turn and begin to walk away towards the forests. Big Jim then turns and points to the monster and says "The head that looks like a goat was our kill. I expect to be paid one third of the bounty." He then turns back and walks away. They are out of sight before anybody speaks.</p><p></p><p>Chester asks, "Who was that, Buffalo Bill? And what where those things with him?" Bill replies "That was Big Jim MacCluskey. He's a big game hunter, made a name for himself in Africa. The ogress is his assistant and some say his mate. The others are creatures from the southern continent of Antarctica. Too bad he wouldn't allow them to be photographed, that would have added alot to the published account of this. I won't be able to use half of the pictures I took earlier either. Oh, and by the way, you look familiar. Have we met before?"</p><p></p><p>"We have. I'm Chester Martin. I used to be a scout with the Fifth Cavalry out of Fort McPherson a few years ago. We've a couple times, but we weren't in the field together much." Chester gestures toward the Chimaera. "How'd you hear about this beast? It must have been some invitation, to bring you and these other great hunters here."</p><p></p><p>Bill says, "Pleasure to meet you again Mr. Martin. The Fifth Cav, brings back many memories. How did I hear about this monster? My from Mr. P.T. Barnum. He's the one who put together this 'Wild West Safari'. To be to totally honest, I didn't believe that it actually existed until now." Chester replies, "I didn't either, until it came flying down at us. It should be quite a scene at Mr. Barnum's circus." </p><p></p><p>Buffalo Bill then asks, "So tell me Mr. Martin, exactly what did the middle head on this thing look like before the cannon destroyed it?" Chester states, "If I remember right, it was a lizard or something. That cannon did a bang-up job on the monster. So, what are you going to do with it now?" Bill answers, "Haul it back and give it to Barnum. I imagine that he will have it stuffed for display. I'm sure he'll come up with something interesting to replace the middle head with." </p><p></p><p>Another hour passes until a series of heavy wagons and draft horses returns with Bill's other men. They are unable to lift the creature up onto the wagons and have to drag it over to another ledge and roll it onto the wagons below. The men said that they sited a way back to Dos Cabezas wide enough for the four wagons to move side-by-side but the trip will still be tricky. One of Bill's men said "We ran into that Comstock guy in town and told him it was all over and not to bother coming back." </p><p></p><p>The sun is starting to set to the west when Buffalo Bill and his enterage make their way off of the mountain. Neither Sanoma or Ruby were able to locate the wand and conclude that it must have fallen into the magma as the orge mage was above that when his arm was blasted off. The cannon remains up in the air, although the soft lava-like ground beneath it has finally cooled enough to we walked upon. They are unable to detect what is keeping the cannon afloat.</p><p></p><p>Sanoma returns to the cave to speak with the dragon. She states, "I realize that you may be hungry and I do not want to accidently offend you, however there are two bodies that the spirits of the individuals will have left. I can place them in the earth or bring them to you as I do not know what their burial rights require. Which would you prefer?"</p><p></p><p>She replies "My consuming them would not be wise. Others of my kind consume the flesh of humanoids but I have always tried to refrain from that behavoir. During a harsh winter some 200 or so years back I had gone many days without food when I came upon a dead elvan body in the woods. I consumed it and for a short period thereafter was overcome by the desire to eat humanoid flesh. I eventually regained by senses and perspective, but unfortantely many dozen elves perished while I was overcome with the instictive desires. It is probably best that I continue to avoid eating such things, my emotions are already in turmoil so I doubt I could control myself."</p><p></p><p>Katherine hauled herself back up the rope and onto the ledge. She sat there quietly taking long breaths. It was amazing how tiring doing nothing could be. And she felt as if she really had done nothing. Yes, two spells cast, but they could have done just fine without her. Braced against a boulder they could have shot the cannon just as easily. She looked out over the landscape and sighed. The important thing was that the dragon and her offspring were still well, and in no more danger from her mate. </p><p></p><p>Kate got herself up and went into the cool darkness of the cave. Their small fire still burned, so Kate prepared that tea Nanuet had suggested a couple hours ago. She retrieved her spellbook as it steeped. She wrapped herself in a blanket to sip it and once it was empty she leaned against the wall of the cave. </p><p></p><p>She waited for Sonoma to finish her conversation with the dragon. "We should signal Senor Bolivar tonight and let him know the creature is dead," she said quietly. "The only danger left now should be the half-ogre that ran off into the woods. And we're going to have to figure out how to get the horses down the mountain tomorrow."</p><p></p><p>Chester climbs up to where Riley fell. He calls over to Ruby, "I don't suppose this is another illusion? Poor Riley. Doesn't look like we'll be able to move all these rocks." He kneels by the pile and places his hand on it. "May Eirene grant you the peace in death you sought in life." Chester rises and looks for the hand cannon. Then he goes back to where he saw the case and retrieves that as well.</p><p></p><p>It takes a while but Chester eventually manages to find the hand cannon lodged between some rocks. It appears to be undamaged but he decides that it is safer to refrain from any further use of it until after the town's gunsmith has a chance to clean and examine it, realizing that if there are any dents or debris within the barrel they could cause a round to jam and explode within the weapon. He secures the weapon within the case. Chester tells the group, "This isn't safe to use. So, I hope we don't get any more people trying to kill us." </p><p></p><p>Ruby finds a pouch with spell components in the general vacinity of the orge mage's body. Lodged between some rocks near the body she finds what appears to be some type of magical amulet, possibley what he was searching for when he died of his wounds. She does not find the wand. </p><p></p><p>Maska tracks the trail of the half-ogre that had managed to get away for about half a mile finding that it continues down the mountain. While it is possible that the humanoid could feasibly come back to the area the party concludes that it has probably fled the mountain. </p><p></p><p>Watches are set up as evening falls upon the mountain. The dragon tells the party that her child will be strong enough for them to leave on the following day. As four of the five hunting parties have now concluded the hunt it should be safer for them to travel although she still has concerns about both the army soldier and this group of outlaws both being in the area.</p><p></p><p>Chester comments to the centaur spirit, "Well the soldiers are spooked by Miss Storm here, so they shouldn't be a problem. The Cowboy Gang is a different matter. But we can't worry about them yet. They may not even be in the area."</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Silver Moon, post: 2702139, member: 8530"] [B]Chapter 153, “Buffalo Bill", Friday, January 20th [/B] There are a total of sixteen riders the emerge from the forest. They are mostly human but a few wood elves are with them. Although they have not encountered him yet, based upon the outlandish spangled yellow coat, oversized hat and flowing locks the party can deduce that the man leading this group is the now famous actor, storyteller and ex-solider who goes by the name Buffalo Bill. Ruby looks to Kate. "I suppose we're going to have to deal with all the groups hunting this thing, eh?" She replies, "I imagine so. But since we don't want the creature for ourselves anyway, I don't see why there should be a problem. They want it, they can have it as far as I'm concerned. We might have a bit more trouble about the dead bodies." Sanoma comes to the front of the cave and takes a good look at the oncoming group. She comments, "I think we may be in luck. I know one of the men that the actor hired. As a matter of fact I made a fairly large purchase from his flock. If we do this right we may be able to get out of it as long as Buffy Bill gets the credit for slaying the monster" Kate replies, "I don't care who gets the credit as long as it's dead. He can throw himself a parade and I won't argue. I just want to be done and go home," Kate finished in a tired voice. "Best we don't hide, they might think we were trying to ambush them." The riders slow as they take in the scene. The curvature of the mountain does not afford them a good view yet of the dead monster and their attention is all focused upon the cannon floating eight feet up in the air above the cooling pool of still glowing and steaming magma. The group cautiously rides towards that spot, slowing as they see the two dead half-ogres but not approaching either body. They dismount a good forty feet from the magma and carefully approach towards the cannon, rifles in hand. Nanuet is not near Sonoma but he can make out some of her comments. The idea of a non-violent encounter with these men appeals to him. "Magma, dead half-ogres and floating cannons must make some sight." Nanuet thinks outloud. He decides to stay put and keep an eye on the group, rifle in hand. The men attempt to get closer to the cannon but the rock surrounding it is still too hot. They then follow the line-of-sight from the direction that the cannon barrel is pointed. The ledge that had been by the cave is no more, the pieces of it having slid down the hill. They then spot the chimera carcass another 200 or so feet beyond. Bill lets out a cry and he and his men charge on past and over to the creature. Nobody is watching the cave at the moment, allowing anyone who wishes to to climb down. Sanoma looks at her friends "what do you think? now is the time to get down there and try to cover our backs. The other thing is that wand might still be there too, oh and the sharpshooter with the rifle so we really should warn them at the very least" With that she starts to head down the mountain "Storm will you keep the dragon safe I'll try to send this group on their merry way. Send us some kind of signal if you see another group coming" Kate exclaims, "Wait, Sonoma, I..." But Sonoma was already on her way down the mountain. Kate wasn't entirely certain what Sonoma intended to do, but she knew what Dorita would do if Sonoma got hurt and found out they let her go down alone. Katherine began to clambor down after her. "What do you mean by 'cover our backs?' The elf replies, "There are a bunch of dead bodies with bullets. The dragon surely didn't do that. We need to convince them that the other group got hurt in the cross fire of all of us working together to take out the monster." Kate replies, "You don't think they'll believe they attacked us in a disagreement about who got the carcass? I know we shot first, but once there is a cannon pointed at you I think the intent is fairly clear." Katherine continued behind Sonoma. "But I'll follow your lead." Sanoma quickly makes her way down the rope. Kate and Chester follow. This movement catches the attention of Buffalo Bill's group, who have now surrounded the dead giant chimera but none have gotten close enough to touch it yet. They cautiously watch as Chester, Kate and Sanoma begin to move fowards. Chester spots where the custom-made case for the hand cannon has fallen to but opts to stay clear of it at the moment, as it is partially covered over with rocks and dust so is not likely to be noticed by anyone else. Sanoma, Kate and Chester approach the group of men around the monster's body. The one who recognizes Sanoma whispers something to one of Buffalo Bill's men, who then whispers something to Bill. Chester grabs his rifle before following Sanoma and Kate down the rope. "I hope you know what you're doing, Miss Sanoma. By the way, I've met Buffalo Bill before. He was the chief of scouts when I was in the Fifth Cavalry. This was a few years ago, so he probably doesn't remember me. It shouldn't be too hard to convince him to take credit for the bounty." Nanuet keeps vigilant watch over his companions from behind the rock above the cliff face. He crosses his fingers in hopes that they are saying the right things, whatever they may be. Buffalo Bill steps forward. "Hello, William Cody. We heard your cannon roar all the way from the other side of the mountain. I see that one or more of my rivals decided to also hire people who knew these parts. I see two of Dodge's force lying dead over there and the head of one of Big Jim's force in the creature's claw. Which of those groups are you working with? And what exactly happened here?" Sonoma states, "It is true that we are from the area and know some of the individuals that were hunting the monster. It was a fierce battle with many people on all sides working to take down the great monster. I am greatly relieved that the dangerous creature is dead and our ranch and farmlands will now be safe. Without you chasing the monster to the cannon I doubt the creature would have ever been taken down. Do you not wish your photographer to place your picture with the prize?" It takes Bill a moment to process through exactly what she has just said. He then says, addressing his comments to Chester, "Well, I'm glad that my group was able to herd it for you. I'm just sorry we were a bit late for the final takedown. Yes, I do believe that a picture is in order." He has his personal photographer begin to set things up. Bill then points to the cannon and says to Chester "I understand your need to use some magic to eliminate such a powerful creature, but others might not be so inclinded. You'd better deactive that thing before anybody else arrives." Chester says, "Oh yes, that. Let me talk to the boss, in private. We don't want our secrets getting out." Chester brings Sanoma aside. "Um. Miss Sanoma, How are we going to get that cannon down? Do you have any magic that can do that?" Kate bit her tongue. How rude to ignore Sonoma and talk instead to Chester, as if Sonoma wasn't even there. She looked back up at the floating cannon, trying to remember if Mr. Gonzales had told her of any ways to stop a magical effect, or if she had any idea of when the effect might wear off on it's own. Sanoma directs her first statement to Bill Cody "I fear the cannon is not ours but the group that had the human and ogres in it. I will see what I can do to deactivate it for magic is frowned upon in this area but I really don't know how it works I will need to wait until the gound cools of course." Sanoma speaks loud enough for Cody to gather all of the details while seeming to speak mostly to herself. "It was such a sight to see! The cannon blasting and then the earth turned into a molten lake from the power of the creature in its death gasps. The others in that group mostly fell to their death except for the human who was able to grab onto the cannon as the earth fell away from his feet. The cannon swung as he gripped it, dangling above the molten pool until he could hold no longer aadn fell to his death." She looks directly at Cody "It was a fearful and deadly enemy that you have vanquished and I fear what may follow to pick it's bones in these parts the sooner it is gone the better" With that Sanoma heads over to the cannon. She tries to deduce a way to even get to it as way as to find a way to obtain whatever makes the cannon float. The ground beneath is cooling but is still in the range of 150 degrees, too hot to walk upon. Sanoma tries to keep herself out of the limelight as much as possible while looking for the wand that the ogre used to take down the monster and keeping an eye out for the sharpshooter. Ruby has made her way down and is also searching the area for the wand. Katherine kept back and quiet. Sonoma was spinning a story, and Kate wasn't much of a liar. She made sure to stay out of the camera's range, although she was certain the shots were carefully orchestrated. Cody didn't seem to interested in the activities of anyone who was female, so she slipped away from the group a bit and kept an eye out for the sharp shooter. Considering the father's attitude, she imagined the son wouldn't think twice about risking his life for revenge. A shiver went down her spine thinking of thier poor mothers. Her father had been an abolishonist; she knew what happened to the slaves of men like Dodge. She wasn't sure if it was a good or a bad thing that she felt no sorrow or regret about Dodge's death. Buffalo Bill dispatches a contingent of his men to ride to the town of Dos Cabezas to obtain something to move the monster with. He spends the next half hour being photographed with the carcass. The picture taking is then interrupted with the unexpected arrival of the hunting party with the giants, climbing down from higher up the mountain. All six members of this group are wounded. One of the giants has his arm in a sling made from ropes and blankets. The other giant has bedsheets tied around his chest, with blood seeping through it. He is carrying a blanket wrapped body in his arms. One bugbear is now mostly devoid of fur, it having been burnt away and leaving only black tufts. The other bugbear has a splinted leg and requires assistance from the ogress to walk. She too is wearing bandages. The hunter who Cody called Big Jim has a splint on his arm and a bandage wrapped around his right leg. They approach the dragon and silence falls over all present. Jim and the charred bugbear move foward and pry apart the claw still clinching the head of the deceased bugbear. The giant sets down the blanket and unwrapps the headless bugbear inside. The charred bugbear places the head atop the body and then carefully rewraps the body in the blanket. The giant then picks it up again, cradling it in his arms. The hunter named Jim walks up to Cody so that their faces are only inches apart, causing Buffalo Bill to back up. Big Jim gestures to the cameras and says "Do I need to destroy those, who can I trust your word that there are no pictures that show my friend's head in them." It takes the very intimidated Cody just a fraction of a second to reply "None will ever see print. You have my word." The hunter says something to his companions in a language that none present understand. They turn and begin to walk away towards the forests. Big Jim then turns and points to the monster and says "The head that looks like a goat was our kill. I expect to be paid one third of the bounty." He then turns back and walks away. They are out of sight before anybody speaks. Chester asks, "Who was that, Buffalo Bill? And what where those things with him?" Bill replies "That was Big Jim MacCluskey. He's a big game hunter, made a name for himself in Africa. The ogress is his assistant and some say his mate. The others are creatures from the southern continent of Antarctica. Too bad he wouldn't allow them to be photographed, that would have added alot to the published account of this. I won't be able to use half of the pictures I took earlier either. Oh, and by the way, you look familiar. Have we met before?" "We have. I'm Chester Martin. I used to be a scout with the Fifth Cavalry out of Fort McPherson a few years ago. We've a couple times, but we weren't in the field together much." Chester gestures toward the Chimaera. "How'd you hear about this beast? It must have been some invitation, to bring you and these other great hunters here." Bill says, "Pleasure to meet you again Mr. Martin. The Fifth Cav, brings back many memories. How did I hear about this monster? My from Mr. P.T. Barnum. He's the one who put together this 'Wild West Safari'. To be to totally honest, I didn't believe that it actually existed until now." Chester replies, "I didn't either, until it came flying down at us. It should be quite a scene at Mr. Barnum's circus." Buffalo Bill then asks, "So tell me Mr. Martin, exactly what did the middle head on this thing look like before the cannon destroyed it?" Chester states, "If I remember right, it was a lizard or something. That cannon did a bang-up job on the monster. So, what are you going to do with it now?" Bill answers, "Haul it back and give it to Barnum. I imagine that he will have it stuffed for display. I'm sure he'll come up with something interesting to replace the middle head with." Another hour passes until a series of heavy wagons and draft horses returns with Bill's other men. They are unable to lift the creature up onto the wagons and have to drag it over to another ledge and roll it onto the wagons below. The men said that they sited a way back to Dos Cabezas wide enough for the four wagons to move side-by-side but the trip will still be tricky. One of Bill's men said "We ran into that Comstock guy in town and told him it was all over and not to bother coming back." The sun is starting to set to the west when Buffalo Bill and his enterage make their way off of the mountain. Neither Sanoma or Ruby were able to locate the wand and conclude that it must have fallen into the magma as the orge mage was above that when his arm was blasted off. The cannon remains up in the air, although the soft lava-like ground beneath it has finally cooled enough to we walked upon. They are unable to detect what is keeping the cannon afloat. Sanoma returns to the cave to speak with the dragon. She states, "I realize that you may be hungry and I do not want to accidently offend you, however there are two bodies that the spirits of the individuals will have left. I can place them in the earth or bring them to you as I do not know what their burial rights require. Which would you prefer?" She replies "My consuming them would not be wise. Others of my kind consume the flesh of humanoids but I have always tried to refrain from that behavoir. During a harsh winter some 200 or so years back I had gone many days without food when I came upon a dead elvan body in the woods. I consumed it and for a short period thereafter was overcome by the desire to eat humanoid flesh. I eventually regained by senses and perspective, but unfortantely many dozen elves perished while I was overcome with the instictive desires. It is probably best that I continue to avoid eating such things, my emotions are already in turmoil so I doubt I could control myself." Katherine hauled herself back up the rope and onto the ledge. She sat there quietly taking long breaths. It was amazing how tiring doing nothing could be. And she felt as if she really had done nothing. Yes, two spells cast, but they could have done just fine without her. Braced against a boulder they could have shot the cannon just as easily. She looked out over the landscape and sighed. The important thing was that the dragon and her offspring were still well, and in no more danger from her mate. Kate got herself up and went into the cool darkness of the cave. Their small fire still burned, so Kate prepared that tea Nanuet had suggested a couple hours ago. She retrieved her spellbook as it steeped. She wrapped herself in a blanket to sip it and once it was empty she leaned against the wall of the cave. She waited for Sonoma to finish her conversation with the dragon. "We should signal Senor Bolivar tonight and let him know the creature is dead," she said quietly. "The only danger left now should be the half-ogre that ran off into the woods. And we're going to have to figure out how to get the horses down the mountain tomorrow." Chester climbs up to where Riley fell. He calls over to Ruby, "I don't suppose this is another illusion? Poor Riley. Doesn't look like we'll be able to move all these rocks." He kneels by the pile and places his hand on it. "May Eirene grant you the peace in death you sought in life." Chester rises and looks for the hand cannon. Then he goes back to where he saw the case and retrieves that as well. It takes a while but Chester eventually manages to find the hand cannon lodged between some rocks. It appears to be undamaged but he decides that it is safer to refrain from any further use of it until after the town's gunsmith has a chance to clean and examine it, realizing that if there are any dents or debris within the barrel they could cause a round to jam and explode within the weapon. He secures the weapon within the case. Chester tells the group, "This isn't safe to use. So, I hope we don't get any more people trying to kill us." Ruby finds a pouch with spell components in the general vacinity of the orge mage's body. Lodged between some rocks near the body she finds what appears to be some type of magical amulet, possibley what he was searching for when he died of his wounds. She does not find the wand. Maska tracks the trail of the half-ogre that had managed to get away for about half a mile finding that it continues down the mountain. While it is possible that the humanoid could feasibly come back to the area the party concludes that it has probably fled the mountain. Watches are set up as evening falls upon the mountain. The dragon tells the party that her child will be strong enough for them to leave on the following day. As four of the five hunting parties have now concluded the hunt it should be safer for them to travel although she still has concerns about both the army soldier and this group of outlaws both being in the area. Chester comments to the centaur spirit, "Well the soldiers are spooked by Miss Storm here, so they shouldn't be a problem. The Cowboy Gang is a different matter. But we can't worry about them yet. They may not even be in the area." [/QUOTE]
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