The Pistol Peer

The bustling patrons buzzed about the business of their day as a crowd hovered over the three billiard tables where a long standing tournament was drawing close to conclusion in the far right of the massive room. The smell of stale beer and beer nuts were thick on the air as the three strumming mariachis finished their set with loud clapping and whooping from the crowd. It was a normal weekday at the “Pistol Peer” as everyone was enjoying themselves and few fights were simmering. The pub was host to all manner of beings, from monster to demi-gods, from humans to dalim, from good to evil. All sorts frequented the pub and all of them were aware of the golden rule which was the same for each of his four pubs. Above the bar there was a sign that simply read, “You break it, you buy it. You beat it, you own it. You piss it off, you fight it.” 

Grandpa sat in his booth surveying the room of its patrons and enjoying the occasional tug from his flask. He kept the good stuff in the back under the safe and Gracie would always pull it out when he entered, knowing he would not drink the tap. He took a sip as he watched Gracie speaking with two customers at the thick stage-like bar. It was virtually impossible for anyone to reach across its expanse, but the spells that were cast made it so they could easily hear one another over the noises in the room. Gracie’s aim, however, was something she had to work on and finally was pretty good at from sliding the bottles, glasses and bowls without spilling them or breaking them. She still, occasionally would drop one to the floor, but he was alright with the occasional. 

“What can I get you?” She asked as Grandpa used his insane hearing to listen in directly on their conversation.

“How about a date? I’d love to pull that lovely red mane of yours.” The man asked, not in a cute and kind way, but just shy of rude and obnoxious. 

“Just from the menu sir.” She pointed out.

“Aw, how about I untie that bodice and use its leather laces to tie you up. I could do all that with just my teeth, you gorgeous baldwin.” He pressed, his voice reaching the authoritative tone of someone believing they can command another. He was balding, short and half drunk. His eyes were beady and he was less than fighting condition as his clothes were barely holding together against the bulge of his large stomach. The sagging arm fat that rested on the bar where his elbows pressed marshmallow out of sleeves of his shirt and made extra flaps of skin like a sharpie in its prime. He wore a cotton shirt, some audacious hat made of finer leather with the plume of some bird poking out behind it and his breath was so rank that the patron to his left winced every time he spoke. “You and I are going to go out one night next week. My name’s Marvin von Sheldrak.”

Gracie was eighteen years old, had long brown hair. She often wore a skimpy yellow chemise under her bodice that had no sleeves and a plunging neckline, making it more of a clothe than an actual chemise, but it got her good tips and kept her cool. Her striking face and deep green eyes were enticing to anyone of her or a variety of other races. She was gorgeous and her baldwin features accentuated her near perfect female form. Her lavender skin spoke of her heritage but was not deep purple like most of her race. She was also trained well enough to take care of herself, which made Grandpa feel bad for spying now, but then…he was Grandpa.

“I think I’m busy that night.” She stated, not allowing him to give a time or move forward with the conversation. She simply pushed his drink across and stepped to the next patron.

“Hey!” The man yelled rudely as he stepped off of his stool and all but pushed the man to his right so that he could get back in front of Gracie. The man stepped back, looked at Marvin and then waited, seeing what was about to transpire. “I wasn’t through talking with you. You don’t walk away from me!” 

“And yet, I was through with you. Thank you for the offer, but I am not interested. Now, please take your seat or move away from the bar.” Gracie stated as she slid another drink across the wide face of the bar. The glass slid quickly to a girl just to the man’s right and the man grabbed the drink before she could take it. As he lifted the glass, his face met the girls fist at a rocket’s speed. She finished the punch as she grabbed the beer with her other hand, keeping it from spilling to the ground with Marvin.

“No one takes my beer, bitch!” The girl yelled and looked back at Gracie with a wink. 

Marvin lay there, his face bleeding and many of the patrons pointing and laughing, and he stood quickly from the ground as if he were about to start a fight. The woman chugged her beer in front of him and then lowered herself to meet him eye-to-eye. Her metal skin glistened in the glowing light of the magical lamps and she smiled as she watched him for a moment. Her long wiry hair was so thick it could have been a mop atop her head and though it had been “combed” many times, it still looked atrocious. Her face was more masculine than feminine and she was nothing short of ugly. The shirt she wore was tattered and stained with blood and had the emblem of a gang on it. Her leather jacket had patches on either side explaining where she stood within her gang. Her pants were of a strange leather as well, but the leather was pink and seemed very out of place against her metallic skin. 

“Was there a problem?” She asked, setting the glass back on the bar.

“What the hell is your…” He started as she punched him in the face once again and he fell to the ground even harder than last time. His face was going to bruise and he looked as though he would have a cut under his right eye, but Grandpa couldn’t see that side of his face well enough from where he sat. 

“I am a courier for the Smoxtra.” She stated flatly, as if that told her whole story. It did, to anyone that lived within the area as Smoxtra was a solid gang of cut throats that headquartered in Warnag and were vicious enough to get a massive reputation even among gods. She stood up straight, looked back at Gracie and motioned for another. 

“Do you know who I am!” Marvin shouted as he stood, his face contorted in hatred and his hands balled into fists. “I am…”

When the fist connected this time, Marvin’s protests were cut short and his eyes fluttered closed. His head hadn’t even met the wooden floor before he was out cold. Though the Drykonian was stout, he was no match for a Dalim. Especially not one that was in the pro-boxing circuit. 

No one even looked down at him, simply went back to what they were doing and ignored the unconscious fool. He would have been trampled if not for Grandpa sending two of his bouncers over to get him and escort him out. They took the liberty, of coarse, of pulling any finery from him to pay the tab and leave a generous tip for Gracie. It was well known that if you mess with the bartenders in Grandpa’s joints, you took your life into your own hands.

“What’s on the agenda today?” Grandpa asked the stunning redhead to his left as he continued sipping his morning brandy. “Or are we taking an easy day to go out and tan that alabaster skin of yours? I would love to see you in a bikini on the beach, with those long legs all shaven and those perfectly rounded and quite large breasts just screaming for someone to bounce them. Me…I will bounce them for you.” 

“Stop.” Rose grimaced, but Grandpa could tell it was fake. “Keep your long silvers out of my plate, thank you much. I had Gracie make this up for me special and I don’t need hair in my food.”

He looked at her, looked down at the food and then shook his head as if to try and make his hair fall into the plate. The tail that held his hair was more than tight enough to keep it from actually falling into the plate, or much of anywhere, save for the few small strands and one long bundle that made up a free bobbing braid in the front but it was not going anywhere near it. Rose moved her plate.

“As for the day, no, we don’t get a free day. We have to go to Palama later today and find out why the tills are short at “The Thirsty Rattle”. They have been short three times this year and for no good cause.” She reported as she scooped up some of the gravy from her mashed potatoes using her bread.

“They are in a drought, right?” He asked, not looking away from Gracie once again.

“They are in a desert. They are always in a drought.” She stated flatly as she looked to see what the old man was looking at. “If I didn’t know you better, I would call you a dirty old man.”

“I play the part as well I know how. But you and I both know that females don’t interest me in that way. Nor do males, for that matter. I play the part so that others will perceive me as a fool. Much easier to keep people in check if they believe you a fool. They will do things in front of you that they should have kept in the dark. I like playing my part.” He explained, though they both knew he did not have too. Grandpa was as old as time and that wasn’t an exaggeration. He had met Rose when she first came across to the probe and the two of them hit it off greatly. He was immensely powerful, far more powerful than anyone could even imagine and Rose was very high in scale as well, but neither of them wanted in the daily grind of the Gods fighting back and forth, so they created their own little oasis on this island and ensured that all nations knew their land was not something that was ruled over by anyone. Afterwords, they found three other spots that they liked and made those oases as well. Now they governed over each of them and moved from one to another when necessary. “We may have a problem.”

Grandpa bobbed his head toward the door and Rose followed his gaze. Two men entered with large weapons on their backs. They were Quipian mercenaries and well trained from the look of them. They wore thick black capes to hide the rest of their bodies but Grandpa’s keen eye could see that they were packing an arsenal. Neither had the look of party goers and neither seemed particularly interested in the tournament that was winding down, but both seemed very interested in Gracie behind the bar. They made a beeline for her as the crowd parted ways to allow them through. He watched as they approached the bar and got to the stools. The doors to the bar opened again and a woman entered that got Grandpa’s eye even more than the two mercenaries. She was wearing the royal cloak of Cross Roads and the seal of Colemanian was dangling from her neck like a large sign screaming, “Guess who I am!”.

“Nope, now we have trouble.” Rose took another sip from her mug and the aroma of cherries and oranges touched his nose. He looked at her, knowing the drink and smiled. 

“Going to be an interesting day.” He stood and started toward the bar. Rose stayed seated, but he could hear her pulling energy into herself. He didn’t want to fight in the pub, but wasn’t opposed to a scuffle to push them out if need be. The pub was repairable and most of the items in the pub were either cursed or enchanted to ensure they were self healing or that those who broke them would pay a harsh price. He couldn’t even remember half of the curses he had placed upon these items, but he did know that few were strong enough to get around them.

He went down the stairs, six to be exact, and then past the first set of booths with their high backs, the Red leather was newly oiled and the smell was amazing. He’d always loved the smell of oil, though especially gun oil, but oil in general was nice. The tables, made of apple wood, were all filled, as was normal for this time of year, at full capacity they could accommodate one thousand people in the entire building without issue and a couple hundred more if he opened the basements but that was only during dire circumstances. He loved having the people around and would do all of this for free if that would pay his way in the probe, but Brik ruled everything so he had no choice. 

The two men that had just sat at the bar were asking Gracie something and were getting annoyed that she wasn’t answering. He knew this would take a turn if she did not answer them, but she was taught never to answer anyone’s questions without first asking Grandpa. A trait he wished all the staff would learn. 

“The two of you staying long?” Grandpa asked as the two mercenaries turned to look at him, only now taking in his form. He stood, six feet tall with long white hair pulled back over his shoulders with two braids on either side of his face, though not thick ones. His face was scarred slightly from a single fight years before but otherwise he looked perfectly human. He a long black trench coat that was made of leather from a Bagget and the three daggers he had hidden within were always within reach and never within sight. The six guns that hung down each side of his chest each represented something dear to him, but rarely, if ever, left their holster. The two men didn’t know what they were looking at as they all but dismissed him before they even answered.

“We are here to drink, old man. How about you run along and find someone else to bother?” The left one projected into his mind as Quipians always did since they have no mouths. The little man tried to look as scary as possible to keep him away, but Grandpa wasn’t one to scare quite that easily. Instead he motioned for Gracie to move on and then took two peanuts from the bar. He made a fist with the two nuts inside and then shook his arm as though rolling dice. He then released the nuts onto the table. “You need to leave. Go away.”

“Snake eyes.” Grandpa stated as he stepped back and looked directly at the short Quipian. “The two of you must be new to the area because anyone that comes into my bar knows not to piss me off. Telling me to leave in my own bar is a great way to piss me off. Now, you have rolled snake eyes, leave now and the consequence will not come to fruition. Stay and we will see how well you Quipians truly fight.”

“The owner?” Both of them projected in unison. They may be new to the game, but everyone knew who owned these bars and no one wanted to upset him in any way. “We apologize, we were not trying to…”

“No need to apologize, simply leave. My people here don’t like mercenaries.” He pointed to the three bouncers that were closing on their location. “Now if you choose to stay in my bar, that is fine, but the arsenal should be checked at the door. And if you are hunting someone in my establishment, you should have come to me first. Entering here doing business is not something that I allow of anyone, not even a Ranger.”

The girl looked over from her stool, where she had just taken position to witness the two being chided and she looked directly at the old man as he spoke. Grandpa was no longer looking at either of the Quipians, but directly at the girl. She knew he was addressing her and chose to place both hands on the bar as a show of respect and because she didn’t want him to think that she was going to cause any trouble.

“I see that you are from Cross Roads. A long trip down here.” He stated, still looking at her, but standing directly in front of the Quipians to let them know he wasn’t done with them. 

“A very long journey. These two Quipians made some trouble there and then left before they paid the tab. And I was tasked to return them, alive if possible.” She spoke with perfect common but a hint of the nobel accent of Zerror touched each word. She was vell trained and even now was sizing up a way to get out of the pub before she was horribly hurt, but she wouldn’t act on it unless there was no other choice. He could see that from her tense hands forcing down on the bar. “I must return with them. You know our code.”

“Your code has nothing to do with my lands and you have no authority here. If you choose to proceed with this action here, I will have to intervene.” Grandpa laid his right hand on his top gun as a show of intimidation. The two mercenaries were intimidated but the girl was not. She was far more powerful than they were and thought herself powerful enough to take on even Grandpa. A mistake he hoped he would not have to point out to her. “Now, if you wait a while, they will leave my pub and be on their marry way. Once they are off my lands then your business is your own. Just don’t conduct it on my property.”

“Either way, they must come with me.” She explained as she slowly lifted her hands off the bar, but kept them palm flat in the air. “One way or another, I have to leave here with them.”

“Hear that boys? You are going to have an armed escort back to Cross Roads. You can see the sites on your way back. Enjoy the lovely mornings and the moonlit days as you travel, in style, on a carriage fit for four.” Grandpa giggled as he lay his left hand on the smaller mercenary. “Now I don’t know your names, but whomever you are, when a Ranger comes knocking, I do my best to oblige. Save if they upset me, of coarse. This one has been rather polite and careful and for that, I believe that the two of you will be going back with her without incident.”

“We can’t. We were sent after a man that….” The taller one started as his left hand slowly floated into the open cloak.

“That would be ill advised.” Rose stated from atop the bar. No one had even seen her come up, but her right hand was glowing hot red and she had a mischievous look in her eye. 

“No, no. Please reach for it. Been a while since I’ve had a good fight. Today would be a nice day for it.” Dreygon stated as she stepped directly behind the Quipian. Her breathe was smoky and the heat from her lungs was already evident. When she chose, Dreygon could make a roast out of virtually anything as her breath could get as hot as four thousand degrees before she even started trying. She was not one to underestimate even though she was such a small thing. “Boss?”

“Not yet, they haven’t broken the rules.” Grandpa stated as the other Quipian turned to see the rest of those close to him. Dreygon was behind the shorter of the two and Rose was directly to the left of the taller. Grandpa stood directly between them both and had his hand on the taller’s shoulder. Behind Grandpa was another bouncer that stood about five foot eight inches tall with long blond hair, bright blue eyes and was dressed in cotton t-shirt and blue jeans but with a long coat made of some type of leather that had a sheen to it. This man was not packing any weapons at all, but there were two metal monkeys on either side of him as he stood there with his hands crossed. This situation was quickly getting out of their control.

“We…we will leave.” The taller of the two pushed into Grandpa’s head. He was hoping that Grandpa would just let them leave without fail, they could avoid the Ranger after they were out of the pub. 

“That sounds like a great idea. Warrior here, he’s the one with the two monkeys, will escort you off the premises and off of my land. Once you are off my land then it is on the three of you to decide what happens next. If any of you, for any reason, decides to stay on the land, then we will see an ugly moment.” Grandpa stated and the two monkeys moved in front of the Quipians with their arms out, ushering them toward the door. “Sound good?”

“Fine with us.” Both Quipians agreed and started to move.

“Wait.” The woman stated as she turned and turned toward Grandpa. She was now taking a more hostile stance and Rose jumped off the bar to the woman’s left, over her head. The woman threw back her cloak revealing duel swords with crystal pummels. She started to lay her hands on them when one of the monkeys leapt on her and placed his hands on the swords while gripping the girls belt with its feet to hold on. She couldn’t release the swords and couldn’t push the monkey off either. 

“That’s a bad move, girl.” The taller Quipian stated as he reached for his sword. Grandpa pulled him back slightly and pressed his finger against the man’s head. The shock from a single blast of energy ripped through the Quipian’s face and rocked him so hard that he was unconscious before Grandpa even let go. The body hit the floor as the second Quipian started moving toward his weapons as well. Dreygon released a single puff of breath that heated the air round his face so hot that it caused him to pass out with his first breath. Grandpa was afraid she had killed him, which he hadn’t wanted to do, but when you are working with demi-Gods, Monsters, Gods and the like, it is sometimes hard for them to hold back.

The second monkey jumped on the woman as well and wrapped her arms behind her, using his entire body to hold her in place. She was amazed at the speed the monkey moved and Grandpa was amazed at the fact that she was almost strong enough to break free of its grip. She was struggling as hard as she could and the metal of the monkey began to crack, it was a good thing the monkey’s weren’t living things or this might have caused him to let go of her. Instead, however, Warrior simply shortened the monkey with his abilities and pulled her arms closer behind her back, which caused her a bit of pain, but also stopped her from pulling. 

“Now, I thought we had an understanding.” Grandpa grabbed Rose’s hand as she was about to release a blast to the woman’s ear. “I thought that you would be smart enough to keep from starting anything on my lands, but here we are, you trying to free yourself and us trying to keep a fight from happening. If I hadn’t intervened, Rose here would have just taken your head off. So, please, tell me why I shouldn’t let her have another shot.”

“I….” She stopped struggling and looked him directly in the eyes. “These two killed a man that I was very proud of and did it in the rudest, most humiliating way they could imagine. I tried to stop them, but got there two minutes too late. They deserve to die, but I want to take them back to Cross Roads to serve their time. If I can’t get them back, then I am going to kill them, no matter what gets in my way.”

“Interesting. You truly should have led with that.” Rose slapped the monkey on the woman’s back and it dropped to the floor, grabbing her feet so that she could not run. “Who did they kill?” 

“What’s it to you?” The Ranger asked as she shook out her hands, which had been turning red. 

“I have friends in Cross Roads.” Rose stepped forward, this time with both hands beginning to glow.

“We all do.” Grandpa added as he picked up the tall Quipian and placed his body on Grandpa’s left shoulder. “We all do.”

“Lord Ishi was murdered in his temple. The city went on lock down moments later, but these two escaped in the night before the dome closed. I followed them the next morning and have nearly caught them three times until today. They are slippery and smart, not to mention well trained.” She explained, again sizing up her position. “If you let them go now, I will have weeks, or even months, trying to catch them again. I can’t risk that they might slip away on a ship bound for another continent.”

“Yet, you would follow them there if they did, wouldn’t you.” Grandpa winked at her in a mischievous way.

“I would.” She agreed as she slowly opened her cloak, revealing a number of weapons. “I will do anything to catch my targets and you are all standing in my way.” 

“If we were, “standing in your way”, there would be nothing you could do to stop us. This land is guarded by only we few and yet, for over three centuries none have breached our lands or taken from us. Why do you think that is?” Warrior waved a hand and the monkey tightened its grip on her feet.

“We don’t want to cause issue with your targets or with your mission, but we can’t have it happen here. It’s that simple. You are a Ranger, one of the most powerful among the mortal Ranks and so well trained that you can stand toe to toe with a Melaney for a few hours. Something to be admired.” Grandpa started.

“Something you may want to keep in mind.” She pointed out.

“Warrior here is a Melaney, a very powerful one. He was given under my care by his Grandmother to show him how to control certain powers that would have destroyed the cities he was living in had he even attempted to use them.” Grandpa continued and the woman looked at Warrior, not certain this was true, but knowing that if it were she was already outmatched. “Rose, here is a Melaney of the first order. She was one of, if not the first of the Melaney’s to become a Melaney and her powers would rival the Emperors. I am surprised you hadn’t heard her name before.” 

Indeed, the Ranger had heard her name before as she was so well known that even the Rattles respected her name. She hadn’t put the name to the face though and was now rethinking her strategy. She knew there was no way she could come out against two Melaney, much less the legendary Rose Melaney.

“Dreygon, the girl in front of you there with the amazing breath has the ability to cause great discomfort in was you haven’t even thought of. Her breath alone can kill in a hundred different ways. She is well trained and has a few interesting secrets of her own. There are also three others that are in the crowd, watching and waiting on my que to make their move, should it come to that. I know that you know my true name, but haven’t heard it yet. Maybe that will cause the situation to clear itself. My name is Six Guns, glad to meet you.” Grandpa extended his right hand. The Ranger was visibly shook by the name and instantly began complying. 

“I..I didn’t know.” She started explaining as she took his hand and raised the other away from her weapons. “I thought you were just a bar owner that was getting in my way. I didn’t know that you were actually at this bar.”

“Well, first off, its a pub, not a bar and we have an Inn in the back for those that need to stay a while. Never let a man go off into the moonlight while intoxicated is my motto. Too easy for them to get into trouble and then I get a bad name. Better for them to sleep if off here, and we charge them half for the stay, of coarse. It is a lovely little place and I truly enjoy it. I don’t, however, enjoy drama, which is what you and your friends bring. If these two did actually kill Ishi, then they have made an enemy of me as well. Do you have proof of these crimes?” He asked as he smiled broadly, never releasing her hand.

“In my right pocket is a decree from the Reachers. These two have their faces on it and the wanted posters are there as well.” She stated as she started toward the pocket. 

“No!” Rose grabbed her hand and then pushed her own into the pocket to grab the documents. She had released the energy in that hand, but was still glowing in the other. “It is better that I reach for that.”

“I can get them.” Warrior cocked his head as though quizzically. “I don’t mind.”

“Pervert.” Rose stated as she pulled the documents. She opened them and there was the decree from the Reachers, who were a band of basic gods that kept order in Cross Roads these day’s since Chris, their king, had vanished during the second Melaney wars. “She is telling the truth.”

“Which one killed my friend?” Grandpa asked as he picked up the second Quipian and stacked him on top of the other, still holding the Ranger’s hand. “Oh, and what is your name?”

“The tall one gave the killing blow, but the other did his fare share as well.” She replied, now being much more courteous than before and a small twinge of fear crept into her eye. She had been in control, or the illusion of it, up until this moment, but now she knew what she was up against and knew she had no way to fight any of these beings. “My name is Miriam by the way. “

“Very well, the small one is yours, and it is good to meet you, Miriam. I am confident that we will meet again in the future. Now, you will take the small one back and give him over for justice in Cross Roads. Warrior will send a monkey with you and the monkey will keep him subdued until you reach Cross Roads. That way you don’t have to worry of his escape.” Grandpa explained as he dropped the smaller one onto the ground again and the two monkeys combined into a much larger monkey to grab the unconscious Quipian. “The other one will stay here and explain to me why he would kill one of my friends.”

“I was sent to return both of them and I…” She started as he squeezed her hand tightly.

“This Quipian has dishonored a friend of mine and taken his life in a horrible way, as you pointed out. I am going to learn what he did to my friend and then I am going to act appropriately. If they don’t like that when you return, tell the Reachers to come looking for him. I will be here waiting on them. Me and the Sovereign are always here. My team instant as big as theirs, but I think we pack a bigger punch.” His tone had changed and there was anger tied to each word. “If that is not good enough, then we will fight over him and when you lose, I will send the other Quipian back with your body in tow, but that is a lot of work for the monkey’s and they aren’t keen on carrying two bodies.”

“I..I” she started but he cut her off again by kissing her hand.

“You have been a great guest and we are happy to have you again, should you venture down this way and just want a drink. Come into my lands doing business again, though, and we may not be so accommodating. Let the rest of your Rangers know that my lands are off limits. Have a great day.” He waved his hand and two large males came out of the crowd to literally pick her up and take her to the exit, the metal monkey in tow behind her. 

Once gone, Grandpa looked around the room and everyone had stopped and was looking at him. He smiled wide and addressed the entire room. “Sorry folks, had a bit of a misunderstanding. All is good now. The next round is on the house. Now drink up and enjoy the tournament.”

Grandpa turned and went back to his table to wait on the Quipian to wake. He took the time to disarm the unconscious man but knew there were more weapons hidden within his clothes. Instead of removing them, he left them there so that the man would be able to escape at some point. He would allow that when the man thought he could lie, but after the escape and seeing what his people could truly do, the man would be more forthcoming with his information. Sure, he could simply pry the information out of the man’s head right now and leave the Quipian a drooling vegetable, but then he wouldn’t be able to make him pay for whatever crimes he had visited against Lord Ishi. That old man had meant nothing to Six Guns, but it was a teaching moment and a moment that would become legendary among all the Rangers, the Reachers and everyone that was in the bar when it went down. He had to maintain his reputation and what better way to do so than to punish those that “wronged” him in whatever sleight he could muster. Besides, they killed an old man, no matter the reason, and that was not cool in his book. 

Taking a sip from his mug, he looked around the room as Rose came over and sat to his left. He had a kingdom which he loved, a woman who loved him, a place in the world which he understood, and a reason for all of it. This loop was long and annoying at times, but worth every minute.