Tread Lightly

Usually, when I activate Chain Eyes, I just see what rank of Sigils people have, but this time is different. I see so many chains that the color overloads my brain. Within this crowd, there are at least a hundred or more Sigil. Most of which are first and second, but there are a few thirds. I even spot two fourth Sigils that stand on the edge with the bright green half-solid manacles that wrap around them.

But that's not all. The two men on the stage throw me for a loop. Well, one of them does. The one tied up is a 2nd Sigil like me, with orange chains looped around him alongside the physical steel manacles that bind him. The other man, though, with a brown wide-brim hat, long black coat that falls near his ankles, and leather pants, just looking at him hurts my mind. Like Alexos, in a way that resembles a bullet piercing into my mind and less like the phantom pain Alexos left me with when I peered at him.

The man looks a little past middle age with salt and pepper hair with short trimmed facial hair. A single six-shooter rests on his hip. His presence demands obedience, and it shows that whenever he speaks or moves, the crowd goes silent. But none of this is what truly surprises me.

No, it's his chains. And what his manacles hold.

Wrapped around his whole body is only a singular deep blue chain, a mark of a 6th Sigil, one of the strongest men alive, equal to that of Alexos. The rest of his chains in my eyes are all concentrated in a single place. His hands. Or, more specifically, his right hand. It looks like a massive bundle of dark blue, almost solid steel.

That's not all, either. Around the fringes of his hands, I see something. I'm unsure if what I see is real or just a figment of my imagination, but for a split second, I see a six-fingered hand poke out of the edges of his chains before fading. It appears and vanishes like an apparition before I can even confirm if it's real.

But what is real for sure is the man. And he's angry. I stop and listen to him yell out to the crowd. Out of respect for him. Out of respect for a 6th Sigiled old man. I give Elizabeth to Earl while I walk closer to the public to hear better.

"The next time a Hunter appears in Rustbank, I will hunt down and kill whoever called for them. This town is free from the claws of the Prime and his nepotistic army. This man here, Henry Pillock, will be put down like the loyal dog he is. This is Rustbank, and I don't care who you are, but none will affect its peace. Not a stray Hunter who doesn't like what he sees. Not a brave Outlaw who seeks riches or power. And most definitely not the oncoming storm of beasts from the breach. You all know who I am. If you have any questions, come find me."

After the man finishes his odd speech, he turns from the stand and begins walking away from the bound man, his coat flowing in the wind, and for a split second, his revolver is entirely shown to the world. It's a pure silver six-shooter. And from the Ether that emanates from it, I'm sure it's a Colt, probably a mighty one.

As he walks away, a gunshot abruptly sounds out of nowhere. I look at the bound man, and he's dead with a hole between his eyes. Who did that? Not the man, for I didn't even see him move, not alone draw a gun.

But when I turn back to the man with the flowing coat, my perceptions are overthrown. I see a smoking pistol inside his holster. Then, he steps off the stage and walks away, everyone backing away from him as he moves through the crowd. What the fuck just happened? Did he just shoot him without drawing the pistol? I spin to a man who stands beside me and ask what happened.

"Hey, sir. What just happened there?"

The man eyes me up and down suspiciously until he sees my face. He has a scar that runs down his right eye that looks blind. For several seconds, I think he won't answer me, but he laughs with a deep bellow before he does.

"HAHA, you must be new around 'ere, kid, yur' too polite. Surprised you came all the way to Rustbank not knowing Johnny, The Gunfighter. He shot that man so fast that none of us, except maybe his right and left-hand men, saw it. A quick warning, though, if you're a Hunter or a wannabe, you best run out of town quick."

The Gunfighter? Does he only fight with that small pistol? And what is the issue with Hunters? I question the man again, seeing his patience is not yet gone.

"Why? What's wrong with Hunters?"

The man laughs once more at my question.

"AHA. You're quite something, lad. You tellin' me you don't know about the rot within the Hunters? How only the old and rich families ever really have any power? All the others are just sent for deadly missions. And how they just recruit any lad who will sign up nowadays? All that bloat doesn't let them filter out the rats, so many just go mad or overboard with their power. I agree with Johnny, which is why I'm here. I turned in my badge a few weeks ago before coming here."

Rot within the Hunters? I need to know more. I ask him even more questions while Earl tries to get my attention. Ignore Earl and shoo him off to focus on the conversation. Because if this city doesn't allow Hunters, then this may be a good place for me to stay.

"No, I don't know any of that. Could you tell me a bit more? Like, why does this city not allow Hunters?"

The man answers, shaking the bottle of liquid in his hands.

"This city doesn't allow Hunters 'cause Johnny took it back from them a few months ago. He strolled on through and killed all the Hunters here that wouldn't surrender after a warning shot. Their organization is so bloated and withered that they still send supplies and other stuff. I don't even think they know this place is not theirs anymore."

Surprise rolls over me from the Gunfighter's resolve, but I am still not getting something.

"Well, then why does Johnny not allow Hunters? Like, what's the exact reason?"

The scarred man laughs again, this time with an open mouth, and shows his missing teeth.

"You sure are a curious lad, aye? I don't know the full story, but for many years, Johnny was a high-ranking Colonel in the Hunters until he saw something he couldn't forgive. He went up to his superiors, the Pillars, who ignored him. He tried to get an audience with the Prime, but he was also ignored by him. So, he gave up on the Hunters and decided to start his own little rebellion to try and change the rot within the Hunters from the outside."

This man, Johnny, is starting a rebellion against the Hunters? What could he have seen that made him quit being a Hunter and rebel? I ask another question, but the man gets annoyed at me. He takes a swig of a bottle he has out, then steps away from me.

"Stop your inane questions; I ain't got time for them, kid. I answered enough. Go bother someone else or find your ma to suck a teat on."

He walks away quickly as the crowd begins to disperse from the spectacle that just happened. A bit of frustration builds in me from how the man treats me, but I ignore it as I see a man go onto the stage and take the corpse. Then the man in black with a raven mask puts the body into a bag before hauling it away. After seeing that, I turn around and look for Earl, who was just calling me. But I don't see him or any of the other four.

Worried that something might have happened to them, I yell out and try to find them as the area clears.

"Earl! Leonard! Esther! Where are you guys!?

No one yells back. I just get odd stares from the people around me who seemingly pity me. My heart sinks. Something must have happened to them. I quickly run around and look in between buildings and inside of any nearby ones while yelling for them the whole time, but I don't find a trace of them anywhere. However, after an hour of frantic searching, I find a wall full of wanted posters near where I last saw them. Many are laid atop each other, and most are old and weathered. But there is a new one. The centermost one.

The wanted poster in the center has a sketch that looks very familiar, and it reads,

The Wendigo

Name: Unknown

Gender: Male

Sigil: Unknown

Location: Unknown, but reported to be in the Andreis Forest.

Threat: 5th-6th — Colonel or large group recommended.

Wanted For: Slaying Edmund Dudley, the Bloodhound. A veteran Hunter who has hunted for many decades and then defeated another group of three Hunters afterward. Possesses the Bloody Palm, capable of quick regeneration. Very fast, very strong. Fights like a beast. Seemingly impossible to keep in the dirt.

Reward: 10000 Dollars.

Condition: Dead or Alive

The picture looks like me, just bloodied, skinny, and wounded. The information, though, fits me to a tee. My heart sinks even further, all the way down into the pit of my stomach. They found out. They found out I'm not a Hunter. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why is this bounty even here?! I thought that Hunters weren't allowed here?! Why are there bounty posters here?

They will try and turn me in, right? Earl certainly will. He's far too righteous not to. But I'll be fine here, right? Because Hunters aren't allowed here, and maybe it's just a fluke that their bounties are here. Or perhaps it was put up before the city was taken over, but it doesn't matter. They must think I'm a monster with that description. And Earl believes in the Hunters wholeheartedly, so there is no way he'll just ignore this poster. Hell, he'll probably take this as word from the Prime himself.

I turn and look around suspiciously, but no one is near me. The sun sets as I look around, and the area turns much darker. My paranoia rises even further as I spin around. Trying to calm myself down, I walk towards a bar I see.

As I enter, I push through the swinging doors and am hit with a strong smell of alcohol and an incredibly rowdy atmosphere full of yelling, gambling, and laughter. I walk past all the people enjoying themselves and walk to the bar. The bartender notices me and asks what I want, but in a way that just provokes me.

"What'ja want, kid? Having a bad day?"

I take a deep breath and try to keep my temper despite his mocking tone. Ignoring his manner of speaking, I order something I only ever had for my last birthday.

"Can I have a shot of whiskey?"

He nods and pours a small glass full of amber liquid.

"Ten cents."

I nod back at him and check my bag, but as I do so, I realize something. I gave Earl all the money for safekeeping. I have none. The man notices my situation and grows visibly angry. Then, he calms down slightly and points to the side of the extensive bar, a small ring marked by chalk. He also nods towards a man at the front who is positively ripped and at least thrice my size. A quick glance with Chain Eyes tells me he is a 2nd Sigil like me.

"You can't pay, you brawl. That, or you fight Bruce."

Fuck man. What went wrong? Just an hour ago I was rich and with all my friends. Now they're all gone, and I'm alone and poor. I don't want to fight right now; I just want to find Earl and the others and talk to them. I look at the bar for several long seconds in contemplation until the man slams his hand on the counter.

"Bruc–"

"No-no-no. I'll brawl. It's fine."

I stand and hurriedly walk to the circle of chalk where another man is standing. He's quite a bit larger than me, but he is revealed to be nothing special under a glance of Chain Eyes. Just an ordinary man. I must finish this brawl before I can do anything else. I don't want to fight a 2nd Sigil just because I'm too poor to buy a single drink.

A small crowd gathers around and places bets on the two of us. From what I can hear, it seems to heavily favor the man across from me. None of them can likely either detect other Sigiled or recognize me, it seems. I shrug my shoulders and raise my fists before the fight begins.

It starts fast, with very little preparation or time to think as a man to the side whistles and signals for us to start. The man across from me starts off immediately with a right hook as the crowd around us goes wild. And it lands against my cheek despite my thoughts that it would be an easy fight. It's hard for me to focus on this fight with what just happened and the still present headache of Ether.

The hook sends me reeling and sliding back before I pull myself back together. But another fist is already heading towards my face. I push my chin in and eat the fist as I'm left off balance again. But I use this time to further stretch my Adrenaline Surge, which I have never taken off, careful for when its aftereffects come to fruition.

I'm getting hit because I'm Daydreaming to protect my mind, which weakens my body, and I'm constantly thinking of how to find the others. But enough Ether into Adrenaline Surge will overcome that, I'm sure.

And my confidence comes true. I get back up from the two consecutive hits and swing my fist at the man as everyone around us cheers. The burly man across from me tries to dodge, but my fist is too fast. It connects to his temple in a clean resounding strike. I see his eyes roll back as he falls backward into the crowd.

The second the man falls unconscious, the circle of men around me cheer, and hands exchange bet winnings. I take no satisfaction in my victory and push through the crowd with a bloody lip. I walk past the cheering men and tables full of people back to the bar, where I sit before the bartender.

"Can I have this now?"

He nods with a great big smile.

"Aye. Always nice to see a young fighter. Now that you're not in debt, I'll let you in on something. You get one percent of the total bets for each fight you win. So, you're always welcome to come back, or you can continue now if you want."

I think about the bartender's offer. The man has a long handlebar mustache and a cheerful smile that makes me want to agree. I have some anger and steam I need to get out of me. Maybe a bit of fighting would be good. Plus, I'm broke. I'll need money to live now that Earl and them left. I'll find them, though. I have to explain. I didn't want them to figure it out from a bounty poster. If I do, they'll understand and forgive me. I'm sure of it.

Before I accept or deny the offer from the mustache man, I ask his name and take a drink of the amber liquid. It burns the whole way down my throat but fills me with a warmth unlike that of the Bloody Palm.

"I'm Roy. The owner of Rusty Nails, this establishment your very ass is in right now, lad. I'll be back to you in a second. Take some time to think. I've got another customer."

Roy greets a woman beside me cheerfully with a pink scarf, something I've never seen before, but I ignore the interaction as I think.

How will I find them? I'm sure Earl, with all his wisdom, found a way to hide from me or something. Even with the concussed Leonard and injured Elizabe—

That's it! They need to find a doctor. I'll just have to find one. The doc is probably closed at night, though, and it's been over an hour since they disappeared, so maybe they found one…

No, I can't accept that. I'll have to look around tomorrow and ask the doctors for the patients if I can't find them. For now, though, I'll have to get enough money to sleep indoors. I don't want to sleep on the streets here. Something tells me that's not a good idea. Roy takes me out of my thinking by prompting an answer from me.

"So, have you decided yet? And are you gonna finish that? It's been a few minutes, and you've only had a single sip."

I sigh and nod sadly. I need this money. I might as well use my best skill. One that I never expected to be so good at.

"Yeah, I need some money. How much do I have to win to pay for a room?"

He points over at the lady next to me.

"Depends on how much someone like her bets. She normally comes in and has some fun on the weekends."

I eye her and notice something in her eyes. They aren't normal. They're yellow and catlike with vertical pupils. Curious, I begin the Ether flow for Chain Eyes. In my eyes, bright lime green is reflected in my mind. And to make matters worse, I see her brows squint at my action. Fuck.

She gazes at me deeply in my eyes and gives me a dark warning.

"Y'know, kid, you shouldn't look at other people that intently… It's quite rude… Some might take it as a threat."

I quickly shake my hands, indicating I didn't mean it like one as I try to explain myself.

"I didn't mean to be threatening; I was just curious because of how lovely you look."

She chuckles with a high-pitched tone while looking at the fighting ring instead of me.

"You hear that, Roy, dear? He's trying to be flattering. Too bad it doesn't work very well on me. I prefer actions, boy."

This statement makes me realize what she wants me to do to make up for my mistake of using a Sigil skill on her. She wants me to fight. I take a deep melancholy sigh before downing the rest of the whiskey shot I had not yet drunk. The liquid burns a warm feeling into me as I walk toward the chalk-lined area again. There is another man there already; this time, though, he is definitely a Sigiled.

He has cloth wraps around his fists and up his arms and is shirtless. Black swirling tattoos glide up his arms and down his torso. Within my eyes, I see crimson chains binding him. This one shouldn't be too bad. I just can't get distracted.

I hear the woman with the pink scarf whistle a catcall as I step into the arena, immediately distracting me.

"Kick the scrawny kid's ass!"