"You've little knowledge of how bad this weapon then. As for dying, it'll happen if it happens."

James wasn't crazy but he knew better than to let Carter's gun be left in a burning building. He looks around and spies what's left of a poker player's coat which he uses to scoop up the gun. Recalling the gun had a slight tendency to BURN him James kept the gun at the bottom of the bundle. Once satisfied he looks to get out of the place.

In reply to James Wilder (msg # 263):

"There,  ya got your blasted gun!  Now come with me if you don't wanna burn to death!" Zek guides James to the patch of earth under the broken floorboards.  Trying to merge with the earth and back outside once again with passenger in tow.

(Ooc: 16:07, Today: Ezekiel Starkweather rolled 5,0 using 1d12-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 6,1.  white chip re roll.)
This message was last edited by the player at 21:08, Tue 17 Jan 2017.

Matt fumbled a moment as he was handed the silver, but as the leader walked off, he managed to dump the precious metal items into the bag she had thrown at his feet. He grabbed up the bag and silently debated with himself for a moment, before a loud crackle from the burning building broke his reverie.

"Oh, shit. Yeah," He muttered, "Fire."

He looked back at the swiftly retreating hired guns, then to Daisy. He set down both money and liquor, and began to scale the barricade.

"Oh no," he said flatly, "I have dropped the money while attempting to scale this wall."

With that, he threw himself over the top of the barricade and onto the other side.

In reply to Matthew Broaddale (msg # 265):

Daisy looks at Matt, looks at the cash, then springs into action. "Hey!"

Pausing only to scoop the bag up and dump it - for want of anywhere else - down her shirt, she hauls up the barricade like a mountain cat. "The Hell're you doing? They ain't no-one left alive in there!"
This message was last updated by the GM at 12:42, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

In reply to Ezekiel Starkweather (msg # 264):

Zeke pulls James into the earth...and it's a bizarre experience, tunneling through the earth, moving as if one with it. He hardly has time to scream, can't even breathe...and then suddenly they emerge in an alley, covered in dirt and worms and roots.

---

Jackie Wells blinks as Zeke hauls James into the ground. "Well, I reckon that's everyone." She says, looking at the others. She nods to Von Steinhof. "So...out of Charlie dancin' the Foxtrot all over, did you get any of the leads you was lookin' for?"

"My good shared delusion  who we shall endeavor to investigate and explain forthwith once the imminent crisis has passed, it is not fighting fire with fire, it is fighting fire with a concussive wave of force.  Explosives only cause fires when deployed haphazardly."

Belle walked the perimeter of the smoldering ruin, looking for the spot that seemed the most on fire.  The demolition charge, like dynamite, wouldn't instantly squelch it all but applied carefully and in the right spot, it should blow the worst of it out.

In theory.

In practice, there was always a certain... margin of error.

"Is everyone well clear?  Halt that combustion suppression collaborative effort one moment, I am going to attempt to suppress the worst of it with a momentary vacuum created by an instantaneous wave form!  Don't worry, it's science!"

Leopold shrugs and empties his tin cup.
"Well. I believe the answer is: We will see. This man, Sebastian, we came to an understanding. I would protect him from danger and death, he would deliver the package afterwards to me.
My part, I have fulfilled to the best of my abilities. His part... as I said. We will see."

As Daisy dropped onto his side of the Barricade, Matt caught her and set her down easy.

As the woman laden with railroad spikes called out, Matt listened intently. He didn't understand "instantaneous wave form", but had seen enough New Science to understand what "Don't worry, it's science!" meant. He dashed for the small group standing in front of the burning wreck.

"Hey! Back off! Back off!"

Jackie sighs. "Well, I suppose that's the best we could hope for out o' this mess. Shame you couldn't just leave him to the wolves."

She frowns at the shouting, and looks at Katy and Von Steinhof. "Great. Someone is about to Science with a capital 'S.' That never ends well...reckon we oughta git. Where should we meet up?"

In reply to Freiherr von Steinhof (msg # 269):

Zek noticed the man who had put the gun to his head and who had allowed another Whateley to escape. He brushed some dust off James, and then started to head over to Steinhof. "You! Yeah, you! Where did that damn Whateley go!?" He said, trying to restrain his anger. Getting into another fight would not help...but then, Zek would not throw the first punch.

Not caring about the burning saloon or any of the people dealing with it, James beings to head back toward The Deadwood Miner's Alliance stockade as that was the last place he'd slept.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:32, Wed 25 Jan 2017.

"Don't just stand by there!" Maddox yells at those standing by there.

Daisy had fallen against the Marshal, a little unbalanced by being unexpectedly caught. "Oh! Aheheh..." Her hand trailed down his back as he put her down, though she frowned at the yelling woman's words and trotted hastily after Matt as soon as he was in motion.

"Ah have had," she says, holding onto her hat, "-quite enough a 'science'. Jes' get across the street, ya morons!" she adds to Matt's admonishments, throwing a jerk of the head at Wilder limping away as she draws level with Matt's rush.

"That'un seems t'be part a Darius Carter's gang - figure he had some beef with his boss but yelled as he'd shoot anyone tried to down the old monster. Big shouty guy's on th' level, though," she says, nodding at Zek.

Von Steinhof offered a mild smile. "Running to fetch something for me, I certainly hope." He gave a slight bow of his head. "I thank you for getting my good friend James out of this... " he seems looking for an appropriate dramatic word, then, obviously disappointed with himself, just closes with "...fire."

"Get moving!" Jackie says urgently. "Science incoming!" She starts shoving von Steinhof towards the other side of the street.

In reply to Freiherr von Steinhof (msg # 276):

"I certainly did not do that for you." Zek growled. He looked back at the burning building. "The Whateley's are known for burning down evidence that could end up pointing the finger at them. Given the history of the Whateley clan and haunted buildings, and lots of dead people-I would say your 'friend' most likely had something to do with it." Zek's eyes narrowed as he looked back at Steinhof. "You planning on handing him over?"



Zek growls as he is interrupted, but he does as asked and moves. He keeps his eyes on Steinhof, however.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:17, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

Marshall Broaddale joined Zek, Jackie and Steinhof on the far side of the road. He watched Wilder walk off, and made a note to investigate his connection to this Darius shortly. But this shouting match between the green eyed woodsman and the foreign-sounding officer-type caught his ear. And also..

"Miss Wells. You involved here?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:09, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

Daisy grab-drags Katy Cox a few steps in passing to ensure she hurries up, loping to a halt at Matt's side with a faint jingling sound.

"Well, well! Marshal Broaddale!" Jackie grins. She's currently attired in a ripped burgundy dress with a holster for a gatling pistol of unfamilar make around her waist, and generally looks disheveled. "Ain't seen you since the last evil haunted house tried to kill us all." She shrugs. "Only a little bit. I had nothin' to do with this place goin' boom."

It had always slightly bothered the female Dr. Ivers that her little Belle was such an odd girl.  However, to Mrs. Ivers immense credit, when little Belle asked for such a queer thing as a standardized baseball, it was, at considerable hassle, provided.

Nor was it taken away in the aftermath of Belle's subsequent experiments with Newtonian physics, which involved her gathering her own ballistic data.  This generally involved throwing this ball at as many targets as possible, many of which were in the house.

Little could she have known however that this small gesture could make all the difference now many years later as Belle contemplated the throw in her mind's eye first.

The ignition device should set off in the blaze nearly immediately, so the ghost rock and nitro solution would explode instantly, depriving the area around it of sufficient oxygen for a split second and killing the fire.  It had been done before after all, and it had to work.  Science! would not fail.

Belle just hoped she didn't fail Science!

"Mr. Hickok, it seems the purpose that I've asked you to assist with may no longer be an issue, but I'd like to offer a word of thanks for your willingness to help. I'll put up a good word for you if it comes to needing that, and I'm going to look into seeing if I can get you a little more help with your ah…let's call 'em anger management issues we saw back in the tavern. I know a guy who knows a guy," he said.

"But at the moment, I'm going to go check on the survivors and see if I can help with controlling the fire in a way that doesn't involve blowin' more things up. Though I wish you the best of luck, Miss Ivers. I had some friends in and around the building and I need to get movin'," he said, turning to get a running start as he headed toward the barricade, with a leap at the end to get him towards it and help get some momentum in climbin' over it.

As he does, he witnesses the spectacle of an angry man confronting von Steinhoff, Wells dragging him away followed by said angry man, and then another woman dragging away Katy, along with the other Marshal tagging along. He fell into a loping jog to catch up with them. 

"Glad to see y'all made it outta there safe. Miss Ivers is gonna try some kinda trick to help fight the fire. I don't know that it'll work, but I can't figure it'll do too much more damage," he said, mostly talking to Katy, Jackie, and von Steinhof. 

"Marshal Broaddale, I'm Logan West, also of the Marshals service," he said, tapping his badge. "When we find ourselves a non livin' saloon we can maybe discuss our work in the territory, and see if our duties overlap."

---

OOC: Sorry for jumping around a bit, just trying to catch up with the events of the last 45 posts or so.

"I wouldn't know anything about that, Miss Wells. Sounds like superstitious ghost stories. I do apologize about the theater the other night. I think I caught an elbow to the noggin early on and took an unscheduled nap," Matt said by way of explanation, "I hope you enjoyed the show."

Matt turned and tipped his hat at Logan in agreement.

"That sounds fair enough, Marshall West. You think we're far enough back for Miss Ivers' plan?" he asked as he studied the blaze. Last thing he wanted was to run back and forth from the burning building only to catch a roof beam through the chest. He cast a sideways glance at Zek and Leopold.

"Did I hear you say you're missing someone, sir?"

"He's some kinda vigilante," he said to Broaddale, answering his question about Zek.

"Tried to kill one of my suspects while we were in there. Said suspect is at large at the moment."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:21, Wed 18 Jan 2017.

"Th' pale suit wizard's prolly 'at large' over thirty acres, way the back store went up," Daisy opines absently, giving Zek's peculiar monocle a funny look.

Zek frowns and puts the monocle away in his duster.

Then he glared at Logan. "I ain't no vigilante. Your suspect tried to kill me more than once, and even in that Saloon not five minutes ago. His whole damn clan has been coming after me after I escaped them, and they kill anybody around me when they screw up!" He spits off to his right.

He points back at the burning bar. "There used to be one Nicodemus Whateley in there, and is wanted for another Saloon massacre in the last town I was in, and you can telegraph the sheriff about it! And he is also at large!" He snarled. "All I know is that another Whateley pond scum takes yet another shot at me, and when I try to stop him you and Fritz over here..." He gestured as Steinhoff, "...point some guns at me!" He glared at Logan and Steinhoff. "You working for them, lawman!?" He snarled.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:02, Wed 18 Jan 2017.