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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2327070" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter 41, “Boys Night Out”, Tuesday, March 14th, 1882:The five men ride towards the town of Galeyville.   Continuing their previous conversation about Nanuet’s quest for vengeance, Chester asks Chopido "Did he succeed?"  Chopido replies, "I haven't asked him yet. Brought enough of my own problems, didn't want to remind him of his." Nanuet interjects “Who are you asking? You are talking about me right? Yeah, I succeeded, that is how I met most of the others, well Ruby, Kate, Storm, Alison and O'Dell anyway."  Chester interjects, "Er, Chopido, but I should have asked you first. Sorry, Nanuet. They enter the town of Galeyville, which is comprised of around 120 wooden buildings, around half of which appeared to have been abandoned. The main street was lined with over a dozen saloons filled with people, one of which had piano music coming from inside as well as what appeared to be a lot of activity. It had a sign that read “Silver Star Saloon” above the doorway. "Well, that looks like as good a place as any to get started, unless you want to get room first?" Nanuet says, pointing to the Silver Star Saloon.Chester says, "This looks like a busy place. Let’s hope elves are welcome." The five enter the saloon. There are thirty patrons inside, twelve at the bar and the other eighteen at five different tables. Two tables are empty. A class mirror behind the bar is cracked and broken in four places. There are at least 200 bullet holes in the walls and ceiling. Most of the furniture shows evidence of having been damaged at some point. All but two of the patrons are human, another is an ogre and the last is a dwarf. Most are dressed as prospectors or laborers. There are two people standing behind the bar, one serving drinks and the other holding a shotgun. Luc looked around the saloon. This is one of the worst hell hole places he's been in a long time. " Looks like these boys have a bit of trouble once in a while." Luc says, the sarcasm hits the floor like tobacco spit as he lights a cigar.Nanuet comments, "Yeah, I am sure they have. Lets be careful, don't need any unnecessary trouble tonight."  Nanuet scans the room carefully as his eyes adjust to the low light trying to see if he recognizes anyone other than his companions.  Nanuet says, "Chester maybe you should do the talking. I mean I have no problem doing it but I am not sure I they take well to my kind."  He replies, "Not a problem. Have anything against me just asking if anyone's seen Allison? What's she look like?" Nanuet gives him a full description of Allison, the best that he can remember. He says to also ask about Isaac O'Dell.Chester walks up to the bar. "Evening, there. I'd like a round of beers for me and my friends." The bartender says, "That'll be two bits." He serves up five beers.   "Thanks. Here you go." Chester puts three-quarters on the bar. "And I'd like to know if you've seen a couple of people around recently."  The bartender replies, "I've seen lots of people. You have names for 'em?"Chester says, "Names are Allison Caine and Isaac O'Dell. I heard they might be in town."   The entire saloon becomes immediately silent. A trio of humans at the far end of the room stand up, two raising revolvers towards Chester and the other pumping his Henry rifle. Luc spots the guns and shakes his head. " I should have kept riding," Luc says quietly. His hands drop to his gunbelt where he sticks his thumbs into the belt near his guns. Chester sighs. He's about had it with people pointing weapons at him. "I take it then, you've heard of them. What in Hades did they do?" "What we're doing to you," one shouts and points his weapon towards Chester and fires. The man beside him says "Goodbye friend of O'Dell," as he fires as well.  The first shot doesn't even come close. The second one goes through Chester's hat, missing his head by a fraction of an inch."If I die here someone is gonna regret it" Luc thinks to himself as he ducks to take cover, curses and draws his pistols and fires." "Whoever said we were friends of theirs?" Nanuet hollers. Nanuet unsheathes and throws a knife at the man who fired at Chester. Luc's shot strikes the one holding the Henry rifle in the chest and he collapses to the floor. Nanuet's knife misses, landing with a hard thud into the wall. Four men had been cowering behind a table more towards the middle of the room but one of them says, "The stinking Injuns are attacking white men!" He and his companions reach for their revolvers.Luc turns and aims at the four new men" Ain't got nothin to do with you boys," Luc says," go back to yer drinks or get out. This isn't what we came here for."  Nanuet yells out, "Chopido and Caine, we need your help here!  They shot at us first!"  Nanuet unslings his rifle but does not fire. Chester flips a table over to use as cover. Then he draws his Remington and fires back. "Why are you shooting at us? Stop this before you get killed."Caine charges up to the table with the four new men and then dives through the air. He vaults over the table and strikes two of the men in the side of the head dropping them. "We warned you!" Nanuet lets out a war cry and then fires at the man who most recently shot at Chester. Nanuet's shot hits the man in the head and kills him. The third man fires at Nanuet and misses. Caine moves his hands in towards his chest and then flings them outward, striking the other two men and knocking them backwards. The man behind the bar with the shotgun yells "ENOUGH" and fires one barrel up into the ceiling. He then swings the shotgun towards the room and says, "Who wants the second barrel?" At the sound of the shouting shotgun wielder Luc spins his guns on his fingers and holster's them. He stands calmly and waits for the situation to be fully defused. "Nobody does. We didn't come here to cause trouble" Nanuet says as he lowers his rifle. "We just came here looking to find someone’s relative is all. No reason for people to die. Chester, you were saying... ?"The saloon quiets down. People who had moved behind either the bar or tables retake their seats. The third companion of the two dead men hastily exits. Two of the men that Caine had struck help up their fallen friends and escort them outside.  The bartender looks to Chester and Nanuet and says "Can I get you men a drink? You look like you could use one."  Nanuet exclaims, "Yeah, I'll take a whiskey actually. Better make it a double." Nanuet slings his rifle back on his shoulder, rights the table that Chester flipped over and walks over to the bar.Luc walks to the bar and stands with his back to the bartender keeping an eye on the door and the rest of the room.  Nanuet comments, "Nice shot there Luc, glad you came along. Sorry to get you into this mess though." Luc takes the cigar out of his mouth and blows the smoke out. " When we get back," Luc says putting the cigar in his mouth again," I want a raise."  Nanuet says, "Have to talk to the boss lady about that one."  Chester says, "Nice shooting there, Luc." He turns to the bartender. "A whiskey for me too. "Who were those guys?"After serving up whiskeys to the men the bartender says to Chester, "So I gather you're the one in this group who is related to O'Dell?"  Chester says, "Me? No, but he's a Caine." He points to Caine. "Why'd those guys start shooting at us?"  While that is going on the bouncer heads across the room, grabs each body by a foot, and unceremoniously drags them both into a door to a backroom. Chester raises an eyebrow at this, but doesn't say anything. I don't think Jake and Ruby would want to do that at the Lucky Lady.The bartender says "You mentioned O'Dell. Not the best name to drop in here.” The last time he was here Black Isaac O'Dell killed eight people. Their friends remember that." Chester comments, "That's good advice. Thanks. Eight people, huh. How did that happen?" " Maybe he asked about Alison Caine too," Luc says. The sarcasm might as well have hit someone in the face. Chester gives a hard look at Luc.  "You know the nicest people," Luc says and takes a drag on his cigar.  Nanuet replies, "I wouldn't say I know him. He came in with me and a few others, like Miss West on the stage to Promise City. Last I heard of him he had skinned out and headed here with Al Caine."Nanuet comments, "And I thought it would just help to jar people's memories about Alison Caine. She is the person we are really looking for. They originally came here together so I figured I would mention him as well.”   The bartender replies, "O'Dell had a woman gunslinger with him. Never caught her name though. They moved on some time last month. Couldn't tell you where."   Chester asks, "Anyone else who might know more?"The bartender replies, “You could ask around town, but there could be some consequences like what you saw here already. Most folk don't stick around long though, the town's been dying since last summer when the silver ran out. Hard to believe but less than a year ago over 500 people lived here and we would get two or three stagecoaches a day. Now we're down to under 100 folks and a stage comes through just once a week now."Chester says to the bartender, "Do you know where we can get some rooms for the night? A place that'll accept Indians?"   He replies, "No hotels left here, last one burned down in November. But there's lots of places you could sack out. Take your pick, half the buildings in town are unoccupied." "Well, that was easy. Thanks for the info and, um, sorry about the mess." He tosses another quarter on the bar. The bartender says "No need to apologize, we make more money these days selling off the possessions of dead customers than we do on drinks." Nanuet turns to Caine. "Well I guess it is up to you if you want to stick around and try and find out where she went to. What do you think?" Kwai Chang Caine says, "Sounds like another dead end. Thank you all for at least helping me check." Chester lights a cigarette. "You're welcome. What're going to do now?"The five head outside and over to where they tied up their horses. A revolver gunshot then rings out. They see a man stagger out from an alleyway ten feet away. He is the companion of the two men that were killed inside. He collapses, a large bullet hole in his back. In his hands is a sawed off shotgun that hasn't been fired yet. Another man steps out from the same alleyway, his gun still smoking and pointing towards the ground. He looks at Nanuet and says "We're even now." Nanuet recognizes him as the former Cowboy Gang member who he and Jake Cook had questioned and released from the bandit's hideout nine weeks earlier.Chester reaches for his gun, but realizes the man probably saved their skins. "Nanuet, do you know this guy?"  He replies, "Yeah, I know him. He was one of the guys that Jake and I found that night we went looking for the people who were shooting at us on the way to the silver mine. I healed him, gave him a second chance. Now it looks like it paid off." Chester tips his hat to the man, "Thanks pal."Nanuet then says to the former Cowboy gang member: "Thanks. We're here looking for Alison Caine, any idea where she might have headed off to?”  He replies, "No, but I know who you mean. Only around five or six women left in the town these days so she stuck out, even though she dressed and acted more like a guy. She had that O'Dell fella cleared out three, maybe four weeks ago. Rode east I believe, which would be New Mexico." Nanuet asks, “Also, is there a safe place 'round here where we can rest for the night?"  He answers, "Yeah, I have a place down the street. Lots of beds there, it used to be a bunkhouse for one of the mines. I've got three roommates but they won't mind the company as long as you're all willing to take a shift on guard duty."Nanuet replies, "Well I don't imagine that it would be the best idea to travel back to Promise City tonight. I can handle guard duty, don't need much downtime anyway."  Nanuet turns to the other four with him. "Well, what do you think? Spend the night at the place he mentioned and then head back to Promise City with first light?" Chester replies, "Yeah, let's stay here for the night. I can't see in the dark. You sure you want to handle guard duty by yourself? I can pull guard duty, too."Nanuet answers, "Oh, I wasn't volunteering to do the whole night myself, just saying I was willing to do my share." The men head to the former bunkhouse that the outlaw directed them to. They introduce themselves and offer to take their turns at watch. Nanuet makes sure to get the layout of the place and note all the potential exits.The four men at the bunkhouse are a little apprehensive at first, sharing their quarters with strangers. As such, guard duty is shared with one of each group. In what little conversation occurs during the night they discover that Galeyville is a dying community and that robberies and killings are commonplace. The law has all but abandoned the town, and the only time any of the County's Deputy Sheriffs ever come here is to arrest a specific individual for crimes committed elsewhere, not wanting to even hear of the goings on in Galeyville. The group are more than willing to move on at first light. Chopido and Caine announce that they are continuing east into New Mexico in search of Alison Caine. Nanuet, Chester and Luc ride back to Promise City without incident, arriving back in town at 7:30 AM.Nanuet says, "Well gentlemen, that was an interesting trip. Chester, thanks for coming along, trustworthy as always. Luc, you did well. I'll put in a word with the boss for you. I am sure you didn't get much rest last night so maybe you can crash at the Lucky Lady for a while. I'll see you tonight."  Nanuet heads to the Druid's grove and calls for Maska. The two hadn't seen each other in a while and spent the morning in training and in play.</blockquote>

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