Katy dismounted as quietly as she could, landing in a crouch to soften the sound a bit. She took Trace's horse in hand while he went to be sneaky, and found a good place to tie their mounts up. Once she'd taken care of that, she followed at enough of a distance to not hinder Trace's attempts to sneak up on the brothers.

Trace creeps closer to the cave. He can hear the dead man now. Trace peaks into the cave...

"...couldn't just die, could ya?" The scarred man snarls as he hunches over Earl. Earl looks like he's awake, but in terrible pain, and the dead man has a bloody knife in his hands.

"B-Bill..." Earl gasps. "Wh-why?"

"Why? Why!?" Bill kicks Earl in the chest, sending the man wheezing. "'Cause you was always better, weren't you? Mama always loved you more, you stole Caroline away...fuck, even Dad gave the farm to you in his will. And what did I get? Nothin'. Had to make my own way. Had to do the real work. Hand to get my hands dirty."

He made a quick slice across Earl's arm, causing the old man to scream. "And what did you do about it, huh? Didja ever help out your lovin' bother? Ever lend him a dime when he needed to make ends meet? The farm was supposed to be ours, not yours and yours alone! I'm just here to take back what you owe me, you son of a bitch!"

((OOC: 13:15, Today: Bill Johnson rolled 1,1 using d4-2,d6-2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Notice. Bill doesn't notice Trace at all. Trace got a Raise over Bill, and so you can get The Drop on the man, getting a +4 bonus to your fighting or Shooting roll and a +4 bonus to damage.))

When Hargrave saw Bill slash Earl with the knife, he recognized that there was no time. Although the dead man might take his time, to make certain that his brother suffered, he was still making ready to kill him. Hargrave knew he had to act. He was certain that the others would hear the shot and come running. Shouldering his rifle, he took a deep calming breath, steadied his aim, and fired.

14:01, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 18,10 using 1d12+7,1d6+7, rerolling max with rolls of 11,3.  Shooting.

Modifiers: +2 Marksman, +1 Preferred Weapon, +4 "The Drop"

14:02, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 20,3 using 2d10+6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 6,8,3.  Damage - Rifle.

Total Damage: 23

Modifiers: +2 Smite, +4 "The Drop"

18:43, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: 9D using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

OOC: I presume Katy should be drawing for initiative....


19:05, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: 6H using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

The bullet hits the dead man square in the chest, right over his heart, and sends him pitching forward...but it doesn't finish him.

"Sonova...bitch!" He growls. He glares back at Trace. Black blood oozes from his chest. "No..." He gasps. "No, I'm gonna...fucking finish this..." And he raises his knife over Earl...

((OOC: So that much damage against Bill is 3 wounds unless he soaks. But he ran himself out of chips and this is a prelude, so I'm not giving him a fresh batch.

So he takes 3 wounds, but is not Incapacitated just yet.

Time for cards!))

---

Turn Order
Trace: 9D
Katy: 6H
Bill: 3H
Joseph: Joseph is On Hold until after Katy and Trace act.
Earl: is Incapacitated and can't fight.

What in hell does it take to kill a man who's dead? Hargrave wondered as he fired another shot.

Couldn't get there, even with a Blue Chip.

22:33, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 5,4 using 1d12+3,1d6+3, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1.  Shooting.

22:35, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Shooting - Blue Chip.

Total Shooting:7

22:36, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 8 using 2d10+2, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3.  Damage - Rifle.

22:46, Today: Trace Hargrave drew the single card: AS using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.

OOC: What is Katy's distance, and does she have a clear shot?

The dead man wheezes a laugh as Trace's shot takes him in the thigh. "You know...I been shot...stabbed...poisoned with acid...mauled by a fucking mountain lion...you ain't shit."

((OOC: In answer to Trace's question, the same as his minions. Shoot him in the head. But that's not enough to even make him Shaken, so...))

---

Katy's up!

In reply to Catherine Hays Cox (msg # 211):

((OOC: Katy can get there in a move, and the cave is shallow enough that it'd be short-range for her.))

OOC: Yeah, but can she not move and get a short range shot with Marksman?

And when you say she can 'get there with a move', do you mean she can get to Bill Johnson? Or just get in range to take a shot?

And remind me of the rules and potential results for called shots (like the arm holding the knife). I.e. what would she have to roll to eliminate the weapon from consideration. And not just make him drop it right next to him so he can pick it up and finish the job...

((OOC: She'd have to move to get a clear shot, since she was hanging back to let Trace scout. Katy could get into melee range, but she'd have to Run at least a couple squares.

Doing a Called Shot (-2) against his arm will do damage, and also force him to make a Strength check vs. the damage result or drop the knife (it would fly far enough for him to have to move if he fails by 4 or more). You could aim for the knife itself, but that's a -4 penalty instead as the knife is a smaller target. You wouldn't do any damage to him, but you might destroy the knife entirely rather than just spinning it out of his grasp. Even just disarming him and him picking it right back up would make him need to make an attack to perform a Finishing Move, with a -2 penalty on top of his wounds to boot.))

OOC: Ugh. I think she's best off just trying to shoot the bastard. Even a grapple is an opposed fighting roll, which would be -2 if she's running, as I understand it.

Katy saw Trace take a shot, but it didn't sound like it had finished Bill off. She moved to get a clean shot of her own as Trace fired off a second bullet that also didn't finish the bastard off. Katy brought her pistol up and fired. She knew the bullet flew true the moment it left the barrel of the weapon. Whether it was good enough to kill the zombified Bill Johnson, well, that was the hope and was more dependent on Earl's luck than her own.

OOC: 14 to hit (after white chip), 12 damage. I'm hoping she just needed to get to 9. If this guy is Hardy, well, then Katy did the largest amount of damage possible without killing him. The 12 damage is AP1, if it matters.


21:55, Today: Catherine Hays Cox drew the single card: KD using a deck of 54 cards.  Initiative.
21:52, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 12 using 3d6+1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,3,5.  Damage,Raise.
21:52, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 12,14 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of (8+4)12,(6+6+2)14.  White chip.
21:52, Today: Catherine Hays Cox rolled 2,1 using d8,d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2,1.  Shooting.

The shot hits the dead man in the arm, but though he slumps a little, he's able to keep his grip on it. Joseph appears behind Katy, and takes two shots,apparently trying to hit the blade and keep ricochets to a minimum, but the shots don't connect either.

"All that...lead." Bill grunts. "And you still...can't...get me down."

But he does seem dazed enough that he can't make a killing strike.

((OOC: That'll make him Shaken, and is just shy of the final point of damage needed to down him.

Joseph is On Hold, and was planning to go after Katy. He'd normally need to beat Bill in an Agility roll to interrupt him, but since Bill's Shaken, that's not really necessary.

Joseph moves up behind Katy and attempts to disarm Bill. He fires directly at the knife.

23:15, Today: Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder rolled -3,1 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 1,5.  Shooting (Disarm). Miss. Joseph spends a White Chip on a reroll.

23:17, Today: Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder rolled -2,1 using d10-4,d6-4, rerolling max with rolls of 2,5.  White Chip Reroll.

Nope.

Joseph's card: QH

Bill attempts to Unshake. He's harrowed, but I don't think that Harrowed get the same +2 to recover from Shaken that other undead do, so his roll is at -3 from his wounds.

23:20, Today: Bill Johnson rolled -2,1 using d6-3,d6-3, rerolling max with rolls of 1,4.  Unshake.

Nope. He gets no action this turn.

Bill's card: 8H))

---

Turn Order
Trace: AS
Katy: KD
Joseph: QH
Bill: 8H

Ignoring the dead man's taunts, Hargrave remained focused on keeping Earl alive. Exhaling slowly, he squeezed off another shot.

01:04, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2,4 using 1d12-1,1d6-1, rerolling max with rolls of 3,5.  Shooting - Called Shot - Head.

The way my rolls have been going, I figure I need a raise.

01:06, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 2 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 2.  Blue Chip -Shooting.

01:06, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 3 using 1d6, rerolling max with rolls of 3.  Red Chip - Shooting.

Not cheap, but there it is.

Total Shooting: 9

And, as it turns out, an unnecessary investment.

01:08, Today: Trace Hargrave rolled 31,4 using 2d10+6,1d6, rerolling max with rolls of (10+9)19,6,4.  Damage - Rifle.

Modifiers: +2 Smite, +4 Headshot

Total Damage: 35

The outlaw's head is hit in just the right way, and the top of his skull blows apart, leaving only a shocked expression as he crumples to the dirt of the cave.

Silence falls, broken only by Earl's sobs. "Oh God...oh God..."

((OOC: That'll do it. As this is likely the last fight of the prelude, I'll refund you the chips you spent on getting the raise you didn't need, so you have a cushion when I get you into the main game.))

---

Combat Over

Katy watched the top of the head of what was once a man explode. Once upon a time, she might have been bothered by the sight of it. It now bothered her a little that she wasn't bothered by such.

The precision with which Trace eliminated the zombie would save her the trouble of having to ensure that Bill never came back again. Clean shot to the noggin like that should just about do it. Katy walked the couple steps over by Trace. "That was some mighty fine shootin', Trace." She placed a hand on his upper arm and looked at the man to gauge how he was holding up. "If you're doin' alright, Earl could prolly use ta see a friendly face. I'll talk with our new friend and make sure Bill won't be comin' back." Katy looked like she had more to say, but it seemed the rest could wait. Or should wait, anyway. She kept her gaze on Trace until he gave some sign of agreement, hoping that his mind wasn't going to crack under the strain of what he'd seen.

She did add a couple more things. "I know I owe ya some explainin'. And a drink." And probably my life.

Hargrave lowered his weapon and let out a slow breath. He nodded in response to Cox's question. "I'm fine. Just more used to shooting at rustlers that are...alive." His eyes went to the terrified rancher. "I'll see to Earl. Hopefully, the news that his family is safe will help his spirits."

Lifting his rifle to his shoulder, he stepped over to his employer. "Earl? It's over. You're safe. So are Caroline and Conner. They got away from Bill's people. They're okay."

Earl shivers. "I...I...thank you. Oh God, thank you!." He says. He looks over at the remains of Bill. "Dear God in Heaven. Bill was...was always mad about the farm but...but I never...never thought he'd...he would...Oh, Bill. Oh..." He starts weeping.

Joseph watches as Katy comes over to him. "It is done. Will you be claiming a portion of the bounty on him?" He rumbles.

Katy nodded at Trace's response, an understanding look on her face. "You've saved a lotta lives tonight, Trace. Think on that fer a bit, and I'll getcha some more answers once we've seen ta the Johnson family." She patted him on the back once she was fairly certain he was in good enough shape. The physical parts of being a Ranger were difficult enough for Katy to handle. The mental aspects were at least twice as difficult.

Katy went over toward Joseph Voice-Like-Thunder. She didn't expect him to have flinched with what they faced, but one never knew. As she spoke with the man, she tried to gauge his state of mind as well. "Thank you, again. We couldn't have done this without you. It looks like Bill Johnson won't be bothering you or your people any more." She naturally slowed down just a little and used more precise diction and smaller word choice when speaking with someone whose first language wasn't English.

She looked off in the direction of the town before looking back at Joseph. "If there's anything we can do for you, please let us know. I'd be glad to tell your son of your deeds here today. Or I can go with you to tell the members of your tribe about your heroism and the death of this threat." Based on the little Joseph had said, Katy suspected there would be some people in Joseph's tribe that would sleep easier knowing that Bill was no longer out there.

She looked over toward Trace then back to Joseph. "I won't be claiming any part of the bounty, no. Trace is more deserving, maybe you can discuss it with him?"

Joseph nods. "Good." He raises an eyebrow at Katy's careful diction. "I born on a reservation, and was educated in a white school." He says, with a hint of bitterness. "I speak English quite well. You don't have to mince your words around me." The bitterness fades. "Still, your gesture is appreciated. If you think they would listen to you, then go ahead. But I will be telling them of this day myself."

He looks over at Trace and Earl. "Later, we shall discuss it. But not in front of his brother." He looks around the cave. "The scalper was supposed to meet with a railroad brujo. He was to purchase a potion to raise the dead -- the railroad uses the dead out in the desert, where they think no one is watching. Do you think he used all of his potion? Or is there more yet, that he hid after emptying the graves in Socorro?"

Hargrave placed a supportive hand on his employer's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Johnson. Anger...it can twist a man's soul up. Drive him to do things he shouldn't, things he'd recognize as wrong if he just took a step back. Looked at things differently." Even as he spoke, he wondered just how mmany of his words could be applied to his own story. Wasn't it a thirst for revenge that had driven him to take up a rifle and join the Rail Wars?

"I'll stay on for a bit, Mr. Johnson," he said, "You don't need to pay me more. You've been plenty generous. I'll help you round up your herd. Get a new house and corral started. I'm a fair cowhand. Not much of a carpenter, though. But I can swing a hammer."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:50, Tue 21 Feb 2017.

Katy winced a bit at Joseph's response. The last thing she was trying to do was offend her savior. "Don't know if they'll listen or not, but I think havin' a second voice never hurt. An it ain't like we can't use help dealin' with Bill's...sort...in the future." She furrowed her brow a bit. "Speakin' of, seems like ya might know a bit more 'bout this'n I do. I gotta lotta friends what might wanna put a stop ta those sorta work practices. If yer willin' ta work with us, that is, an mebbe share some information?"

The Ranger pursed her lips in thought as she looked over toward the broken form of what was once Bill Johnson. "As fer the potion - I don't think he used it all, no, but I ain't sure. And I wanna be sure that it don't fall inta the wrong hands again. Course I don't rightly know where he mighta hid such."

"I...I reckon that I need some time to think." Earl says. "But...you folks saved my life, and I won't forget that none."

Joseph shrugs. "I was following the scalper for six months. You may not approve of my methods for getting the information I had. But I suppose that I would be willing to work with your friends -- as long as they do not expect me to work for them. Puma is not a housecat." Joseph glances around the cave again. It's bare, save for the body and the lantern. "Pity. Perhaps if he had allowed himself to be taken still moving, we could have asked him. I thought it would have been here, in his hiding place."

Katy nodded at all Joseph had to say. "Not everyone's gotta work for us. We pay fer good help from folk that work with us on a case by case basis, too." Katy also looked around at the cave. "Mebbe he'd a hidden it here. But mebbe it's on his self. Searchin' c'n waita moment, though." Or hidden in the lantern, somehow. If not those two spots, a protracted search seemed to be in Katy's future.

Joseph nods. "So long as that is understood."

((OOC: Given that she's tracking a keg-sized barrel of the stuff, it's not likely to be hidden on his person or in the lantern.))