"Sorry for being gone for so long, but I'm back now and I plan to start putting together plans on what to do next. I'm going to make sure we're all well off, that's all I'm set on so far, and striking back at Claytons for last night would be a nice bonus. In short, if you have any ideas or requests talk with me any time."

I'm mostly just looking for ideas and leads.

Also, I want to try earthcrafting a rock into gold sometime that day while I'm alone.

The men don't seem to respond well to your words. You get one "whoop!" when you mention taking on the Claytons after last night, but the rest look nervous at the prospect. Instead of coming up to you, the men return to sitting around and talking.

Garret comes up to you afterwards, scratching his head, "I'm guessing that they might still be sore from you running off before, but don't worry. After we get on our feet again, the gang will too. I'm not too keen about going up against the Clayton's myself, especially if we don't do a lot of planning, but there is something we could do. Since you've been gone, we haven't been out to Tallman's Ranch and they've stopped giving us protection money since the Walton Twins gang moved in and started harassing them. Aside from that, I think I know a boy who can get us into the safe at Carpenter's Farm. Could have some money in it."

"Don't worry Garrett, I want you hurt the Claytons but not at the gangs expense. When we hit them we will have a lot of planning and we will be in the strong position, until then getting us all on our feet again would be good. I like the idea of driving off this Walton twins gang and re-establishing out protection money income, what do you know about the Walton twins and their gang? How large are they compared to us and how well armed? Also I have some tricks I picked up while away that should help us out."



It occured to me that turning anything into gold is more likely metalcrafting, and probably would require starting with a metal. Once I have some alone time I'm going to find a small rock and try and earthcraft it into a gemstone, trying diamond first. My logic is earth and gemstones both seem to logically be under earthcraftings field of control.

"Walton Twins...well, they're murderers, thieves, a lot like us but there are more of them. We aren't rightly sure where they're holed up, but it wouldn't be hard to figure that out. No one at Tallman's is going to protect those boys."

You can find time alone during the day, even if you do end up heading out. I understand the end results you're looking for, but you don't have a solid example for earthcrafting a rock into a gemstone, so you wind up experimenting. You start trying to manipulate the earth, and find that you can break of edges into the shape of an extremely awkward gemstone, but transforming it is beyond your understanding of earthcrafting.

"Hmm, well let's say we make a trip out to the Tallmans tomorrow. Do they tend to deal with me or with anyone in particular?"

During the conversation, while Garrett is talking I'm going to try and throw up an invisibility shield between me and him, I want to fill them in on what I've picked up but don't want to sound like a crazy person explaining it and then failing. I'm going to be trying it without any gestures, as they would be awkward if it didn't work.

With the earthcrafting, experimenting was what I had in mind, with the end goal of being able to make gemstones. I'll keep experimenting each day, trying it from different angles. Today I kind of got the shape (which I'll work on getting better), tomorrow I may manage to make it clear, another day I may manage to change the hardness, and so on. It should serve to better my understanding of earthcrafting and could be a good source of money.

How cut off from the wind furies do I feel in this canyon? Is there enough wind that I feel I'm unimpeded other than the generic I get tired easily.

"You brought the gang to them first, but one of the boys rides through every week to collect the money." He looks down briefly, and you throw up your invisibility with an effort of will. You see the dirt shift in the ground slightly when you do, and Garret looks back, "It should be you agai-" Then, he blinks and looks around. "Boss?"

I let the invisibility fade, once he's seen the effect. "Sorry about that, wanted to tell you I picked up some tricks but they make me sound like a mad man unless I show people first. That one there's how I got out of the jail cell, you should have seen the law men's faces when one second they saw me and then looked away and poof I was gone. It's just a distortion of the air that makes it difficult to see me, and I can't hold it too long without getting some massive headaches, but it's a tool we can leverage. Anyway, you were saying I should go personally, sounds good to me. I'll head there tomorrow, I'll need at least one person as a guide, and in case things go bad. I'll likely stop in town, that tailor was supposed to have some new clothes done for me today."

His mouth is agape, his eyes wide, but then he narrows them. "Tricks...right. I'm not sure how you did it, but it's fancy regardless." He dismisses it, and seems comfortable when the topic changes to the mission and the tailor.

"You want one of the boys to pick your clothes up for you?"

My performance at least tells me one thing, it's an unheard of talent around here. I was fairly sure but was hoping to confirm.

"That'll work. Send one of them, but give instructions not to cause the tailor any problems. It's all paid for just needs to get picked up. I'll need a gun and holster as well, mine is back in the sherriffs office."


I don't have anything else in particular for the day, just mentally preparing for riding out to Tallmans tomorrow.

One of the gang heads out reluctantly when Garret tells him to ride out for Desert Pass. He returns just before sundown with your tailor-made attire. he presents you with a suit, vest, and a bowler hat too. "Tailor said it's all the rage back east."

The gang has a small amount of extra supplies lying around. Among them is 18 loose rounds for a revolver and a six-shooter that looks cheap, but has a straight barrel to it. One of the gang assures you that it's nothing fancy, but shoots straight.

I thank the man for picking up my suit, it'll be good to be back into tailored clothing. It was too easy to get used to that from the clothes from Alera.

About the guns I'll respond that shooting straight is good enough and thank them.

The next day I'll ride out to Tallmans, in my new suit, with revolver holstered and 6 shooter strapped to the horse, and with Garrett along as guide and for assistance in case I'm unfamiliar with something.

OOC: Sorry, the six shooter and the revolver were the same weapon. So, one revolver with six bullets until reload necessary and a belt with slots for the rounds of ammunition.

IC:

The following day, you wake early and meet Garret by the horses that they brought. You mount the same white-spotted brown horse from before, and make your way out of the canyon. Once you're out of the canyon, you feel a pleasant and cool breeze while you ride in the open.

Soon, you make your way and find a coach road. In the distance, you see that it goes to Desert Pass. You and Garret follow the coach road for a long time. Over time, you see that green grass slowly overtakes the desert sand. Trees start replacing outcroppings of rocks. You spot a herd of cattle being driven by three men in the same direction you're travelling. One waves, but they all look at you suspiciously from a distance. You can see that they have rifles on their backs. They whoop and holler to keep the cattle moving.

"Just up ahead's the ranch, boss."

I return a small wave, with a slight smile to the herders.

"Good, keep an eye out for the twins gang while we're there. If they heard I'm back they might decide to strike. What's the owners names here? And the names of those I've met before, if you know."

Armed with this information I ride up towards the ranch, towards whatever looks like the homestead of the boss if Garrett sees him and points him out.

You ride into the main property of the ranch, and see a house that's much larger than the other small, wooden shacks set on the sides of the road. You see one stable, a stagecoach station, and a small foreman's office with the star of law enforcement painted on the side of the building.

People seem to be busy at work with their daily chores while others sit and take breaks, refreshing themselves with water. When you reach the larger home on the property, a short man with a thick, bushy mustache comes out. He stands about a foot above the fence around his home, two feet shorter than you. He carries himself with authority, and looks up at you dead in the eye. "So the rumors are true from DP. The Gents have decided to come back?"

"Can't tell without knowing all the rumors, but near enough. Important parts right, I'm back and decided to swing on by here. I'm told the Walton twins are causing you some trouble, just need to ask you a couple of questions like when they ride through here and if you know where their hiding, in order to do good on our protection agreement. You are still interested in our agreement right?"

I'm keeping an air of authority in my posture and voice, but trying to keep a hint of friendly behavior in my voice.

He locks eyes with you in a serious but non-threatening manner. "The Walton Twins wouldn't have been a problem if you had kept protecting us to begin with. Three men have died and they almost got into the ranch safe. We had to move it into the Foreman's office and put it under guard. Not that it's stopped them trying..."

He spits.

"You want our hard-earned money again, you have to prove to us that you'll be around and that you'll look after us for more than just a couple of weeks."

"I understand, and that's what I intend to show, but it has to start with driving the Walton Twins off and showing them that you're under our protection. When was their last attempt? and do you know where they're holed up? I do intend to make things right here."

"Make things right... Well, I guess handling the twins could be a start to it. They're new to the area, so we don't know quite where they are. They might just be hoarding the cash in the brush and sleeping on their backs. But they harass people up and down the road west between here and Desert Pass, sometimes down to the east too."

"Hmm, so they're probobly to the west a ways, to make hitting all those areas easier. I'll start scouting that area, and with your permission I would like to keep a man here at all times, rotating frequently to keep them fresh and so we know if something's wrong quickly. As I said, with your permission that is. And if you could tell me the other locations their hitting I want to check with them as well.

He looks relieved. "Certainly. We can find your man a place to sleep."

He shrugs when you ask about where else the Walton Twins are robbing. "Anywhere along the road between here and Desert Pass is possible. Sometimes, I've heard word of men being lured off the road by a raided coach or women in distress."

"The first man will be out later today then, and rotations every 12 hours" and I extend my hand in offer of a handshake.

"And from the sounds of it there is a good deal to check out, but we'll start here."

Once Garrett and I are riding away, to Garrett I say "any suggestion on the first man to send out to keep an eye out? I will want the shifts short as mentioned so that if a man doesn't return in the designated time we know to ride out and reinforce. I want that settled as soon as we get back, and then set off with you me and one other to ride down the trail looking for raided coaches and women in distress."

You and Garret approach your horses to mount back up and head to the camp when you see someone leaning up against your horse. He has stubble down to his neck and the hairs of his chest stick out beyond the light blue shirt he sports. He keeps his hat down to hide his eyes, and holds rolled tobacco between his teeth. But most noticeably, you see the revolver on his hip.

"Did you really think you'd just ride out of here, scum?" He spits down, almost hitting the end of your shoe.

"That was my intention, yes." I say as I am walking closer and also drawing on the my windcrafting for extra speed should I need to draw on this man.

and I'll continue,
"I'd rather leave peacefully, but I will be going one way or another, please step aside."

If I see him start to draw I want to do two things, one is try and windcraft pull his gun out of his hand and to me, and the other is draw on him. I'll shoot if the windcrafting fails, but not if it succeeds.

"My name's Bill Wilcox, and I heard that the Gent doesn't turn down a fight." He slowly places his hand over his revolver. "Care to draw, Gent, or are you just a con that showed up for a quick buck?"

He gestures to the wide-open street, and you see nearby people start to move others off of it. He finishes, "I'd like to find out. Personally."

"If that's what you want, I won't turn you down." I'm angered by being called out, I can't possibly walk away without causing massive problems for the gang, but hopefully I'm ok with the assistance of windcrafting and I've fired a gun a couple of times at least, but definitely hoping my overall good reflexes and windcrafting will compensate for my lack of experience with guns.

I keep an eye on him as we line up in the area that is being cleared, embracing the wind furies for all the reaction speed I can muster, and get ready to draw on him at any signal that he's drawing or on whatever count it is.