Tread Lightly

I look around the graveyard and the people within it as I feel the time crunch hit me. While my friends grieve over Leonard, I'm forced to move. For our own survival. Without Primrose, a powerful 5th Sigil whose probably the second strongest person in all of Rustbank, that I know of at least, our chances against the demon are much lower.

We also need the machete that Johnny is offering as a reward. My daggers are nice, but they've fallen behind, just like my rapier that I got from Edmund. Simply making something bleed more is no longer enough. I need more power from my weapons.

It's now that I genuinely feel the pain of losing the Blooming Spider Lily, which makes my heart skip a beat at a realization that I've not even thought of before. What if we simultaneously fight Hura, the Demon of Storms, and Alexos, the Phantom Pain? Alexos has shown signs of being controlled by the demon, but how far does that go?

He obviously doesn't appear to be a person who is willing to be puppeted, and I'm sure that if we can free him or get rid of the control placed on him that he'll help us. At least partially. From an enemy to a chaotic neutral party. That I also want to kill.

A choice will come to me because I know for a fact that there is no way both Hura and Alexos will be killed. Whether I retrieve my heirloom, the Blooming Spider Lily, a Colt of legendary power, or Edmund's artifact. And while I know what is the correct choice, I cannot help but want the other more.

The Lily might have saved me multiple times and have been passed down from my father, but I can't help but feel a greater attachment to whatever Edmund left behind. The decision will be difficult, but for now, I will push it away. I have things to do now. I need to get going.

I turn back to my friends and try to let them know I'm leaving, but I don't want it to come off as uncaring. I care about Leonard, but I need to go.

"Hey guys, I'm sorry, but I need to get going. Time's running out before I have to leave; it's important for everyone if we can get Primrose healed up. That and Johnny will give us a new weapon. Devil knows we need arms. Oh, you don't have a Colt or Claymore, right Earl?"

Earl shakes his head at my answer while Elizabeth nods and holds onto Esther.

"No, I don't. Johnny said he'd give me something from whatever his boys got when they returned. And are you going with that man, Virgil?"

An idea comes to my mind, I have multiple Claymores on me. Most of which I don't even use. I'm sure his mind will be able to put them to better use. So, I take off my stiletto dagger with the Isatai Sigil. Then, I hand them to him.

"Here, take this; I basically only use my daggers at this point. And yeah, I'm going with Virgil. Is there an issue?"

Earl gratefully takes the weapons from me, taking a minute to put them on himself with their sheathes, but he looks at me and expresses concern over Virgil.

"You sure that Virgil is a good man to be around? He feels dangerous. Like an assassin or something else. Honestly, he's got the vibe of one of the Hunters from the squads."

I wave him off.

"No, he can't be. The man's been kind and protective since I came across him. You should see him when his brother gets hurt. It's like a momma bear protecting her cubs. It's fine. We make a good team as well."

Earl nods at what I have to say, but he continues to press what he thinks is an issue.

"You sure? I think I should come with you two on this trip. Have someone to watch your back, just in case. That, and we know how useful luck is."

I tilt my head at his proposition despite how untrusting of Virgil it is. A third could probably fit on the Nightmare's back. And Virgil is quite skinny and relatively short in stature like me, only I am mostly muscle at this point, for the Bloody Palm has eaten all my fat. I guess I could use a third, but I don't think it should be him, though.

He's too weak. The mission is a quick in-and-out retrieval mission, but that doesn't mean it will be safe. Quite the contrary, actually. We will be constantly dodging, fighting, and running from threats, with how close we must come to the heart of the break. A third could be helpful, but just not him.

"No, I don't think it's a good idea, man. Too risky. How will you defend yourself? The monsters won't leave you alone just because you're weak and useful alive like the Hunters. They will eat you without a moment of consideration."

I intend to end the conversation there as I walk away from my friends and toward the graveyard's exit, but he grabs my arm to stop me from leaving.

"I'm serious, Wyatt. I think you'll need me. Just a gut feeling. And you won't have to worry about protecting me; I can handle myself. Levi and Otto trained me in combat. I won't be useless, I promise. Look."

Earl pulls out of the massive backpack he always carries with him, a bundle of dynamite along with a lever action.

"Johnny gave me access to some explosives, a variety of ingredients, and medical equipment. If I come with you, I will be supportive. I'll lay down traps as we run, throws distractions as we fight, and take care of you guys if you're hurt. I've planned this all out the second I heard about the mission."

His reasoning makes me edge a bit closer to letting him come. The dynamite and ingredients that were given to him are a big bonus. He made molotov cocktails in the middle of the dunes. With actual resources, I'm confident the brilliant dude can make some crazy shit on the fly.

But one thing still lingers. Johnny has him for luck, whatever that means. Will he let him come? I raise this to Earl.

"What about Johnny? Will he let you come? I thought he kept you close for your luck?"

Earl smiles at my question and answers immediately.

"I already asked him before I caught up to you in the clinic. He said I could. He only needs me nearby during war planning and the like so that his decisions are optimized. But he did say that if I can advance in this short trip, it'd be a great help. Once he heard that I only recently got a Sigil, he said forget it, though, and to just focus on keeping us all alive."

I sigh as I relent to his logic.

"Yeah, fine, you can come. Let's get going now, though. Oh, wait, if you're coming, then I don't think Dakota can. Too much weight on the Nightmare for it to be quick enough to outrun other monsters. Hey Elizabeth, can you watch over Dakota while we're gone? He listens really well."

Elizabeth nods amidst her recent tears, and I go over to Dakota. I hand the boy a few treats I have lying around in my torn-up pack.

"Hey, Dakota, I heard you helped out Vernon with some bad guys. That was awesome; I hope you can keep doing stuff like that. I'm going to be gone for a little bit. Only a few days, but I need you to watch over my friends. Can you do that for me?"

The reddish-orange bundle of thick winter fur shakes in agreeance, wagging his tail. I point over at Elizabeth and Esther.

"Those two. Can you stay with them for a few days? Keep 'em safe?"

Dakota wags his tail again in understanding as he walks over to the area I pointed and sits down.

"Good. I'll see you guys when I get back then."

"Yeah, we should be back soon. The plant we're looking for isn't too far out west. We just need to get into the dunes properly. Rustbank was built on a kind of oasis, so there aren't many desert plants nearby."

"Bye, guys! Be safe. Wyatt, take care of Earl, and you do the same, Earl!"

"Bye…"

Both Earl and I walk out of the graveyard after saying our goodbyes. I check my pocket watch. Ten minutes remain for our meetup. We need to move fast.

I look around for the best way back to the clinic, and as I do so, I catch a familiar face. A severe and brooding mug adorned with a black cowboy hat atop his head. He wears a cigar on his lip as he stands before a series of both freshly dug and old graves.

The Gunfighter doesn't meet my eyes as I look at him, but I see the melancholy on his face as specks of ash fall onto his feet. The gaze of a man who has borne such death and turmoil brings an even more profound sadness to my heart.

Looking at him makes me sniffle as I force my eyes away and toward our destination. I'm unsure what Johnny is doing here instead of running the town, but seeing that he cares is reassuring. If I were to die while fighting for him, I'd at least have one man to grieve me. Maybe that's why so many are trying to join him. Because even now, I see some newcomers enter the town.

Voices touch our ears as we walk toward the clinic to meet up with Virgil.

"This is Rustbank, right?"

"Ye, it sure is. You lookin' fur Johnny?"

"Yeah, I heard this is where he's making his stand. I've had enough of doing dirty work for the Hunters. Being forced to fight for people who won't even lift a finger of their own."

"Aren't we all? Here, come bend an elbow with me. A little bit of liquor before the break will do us some good. Loosen the nerves."

"Sounds good. First round's on me."

"Aye! That's what I like to hear."

Many of these conversations zoom past as I begin to wonder where all these people were while I was fighting in the town square with Johnny. My question is eventually answered by a pair of men speaking back and forth with booze in their hands in the middle of the street that we brush past.

"Damn, I wish I could have helped Johnny fight, but by the time I reached the town square, a black film surrounded it."

"Yeah, right, yur just a coward. If I was here, I would have gunned down a few of them myself, but I was piss-drunk and didn't wake up until after the fight from my hangover."

"No, I wasn't. The darkness that rose after Primrose and her poison cloud entered the square was incredibly dangerous. I saw someone touch it, and their entire hand turned to bone, falling to the ground and breaking apart. Who in their right mind would try to push through it after that."

My steps stop in their tracks as I realize that Darkstep was there the whole time, watching. She knew that Johnny didn't have any backup because he was the one that stopped them all from coming. So, why did she not just kill us? Why did she not intervene earlier and prevent all those Hunters from dying?

The investigation into her actions is put to a stop quickly, however, because Earl turns around and tells me to hurry up.

"What are you doing? I thought we had to move quickly?"

I nod and make my legs move faster to compensate for the lost couple of seconds.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

We move quickly through the city and make it to the clinic. I check my pocket watch when we arrive. Three minutes until our time to meet. We stand in front of Heath's clinic while waiting for Virgil to arrive.

The time is used to check our packs for anything we might need and to eat. I'm fucking starving. My newly advanced and ash-gray left hand makes me even hungrier than usual. I devour bread, jerky, and even a few pieces of sweet candy that Earl gives to me. Oh, how I miss a home-cooked meal.

I think I'd literally kill someone to eat Ma's cooking once more. I'd only consider murder to eat at a nice restaurant or something, however. Nothing can beat Ma's cooking. And it's been so long since I've had it. Long before she died was the last time I ate her food because of her illness that confined her to a bed.

The three minutes turn to over ten as we wait for Virgil. I begin to worry just as the fifteen-minute mark passes from when our meeting was, but a figure down the dark street changes my mind.

A silhouette backdropped against the moon in the sky aboard a horse just as dark as night walks toward us. Virgil.

I run over to him, and Earl follows me, scrambling to catch up. When I get up close, Virgil hops off the tall horse and lands on his feet before brandishing the Ghosteye, the artifact that allows for the control of another.

"Hey, Virgil. This is Earl, you guys already met, and he's going to join us on this trip. He's a Gambler and ungodly clever. I'm sure he'll be a great help."

Virgil's head tilts in what I assume is curiosity beneath his newly refitted dark outfit that shields him from sunlight. But his response surprises me.

"You decided this without asking me? We're a team. We make the decision together. And there won't be any casinos, so why do we need a gambler?"

I breathe in sharply as I feel a pang of guilt for not even asking him. Only now do I realize how rude that is, like requesting a girlfriend if you can have a second. That's what it's like to invite another to join a group bound to risk death.

"Yeah, sorry for not asking you. I've not had a team before you and Vernon, so that's my bad. But no, he's a Gambler, the Sigil. You've heard of it, right?"

Earl steps in here to add his own voice to the discussion.

"I can manipulate luck. Not greatly at this point, but any measure of good luck is better than none. And I'm an Alchemist-in–training, so I can make a variety of balms, potions, and even poisons. I've also experimented quite a bit with explosions, and Johnny gave me a stick of dynamite."

Virgil's head turns back and forth between the two of us, appraising Earl and considering the proposal for a third in our group. He takes a moment looking between us both before pulling down his hood and holding his hand out to Earl.

"Virgil, nice to formally meet you."

"Umm, Yeah. Nice to meet you too. I'm Earl."

The two exchange greetings before Virgil motions to the Nightmare, the giant horse that stands over us.

"I've heard of the Gambler Sigil before. Very, very, rare, mysterious, and powerful. Though, I don't think I've ever heard anyone ever getting a second one. The demons that have them are either so few in number or too powerful to rely on getting more. Maybe with this break, you can advance further, Earl. I heard from Wyatt that you two fought a Nain Rouge; experience in fighting demons, even lesser ones, should help with the break.

Well, we better get going. This one would be a bitch to catch. The bastard ran through the town and had several people chasing after it to kill it. Had to pay off a few so that they would leave it alone. But we've got it now, so it's fine."

So Virgil gets atop the oversized creature with a quick hop and grapple onto the horse. I follow his lead and get behind him before holding my arm down to Earl. The Gambler definitely does not have the athleticism or Sigils required to jump up the eight or so feet on his own up to the horse's back.

"Grab my arm, and I'll pull you up. Should be enough room for the three of us."

Earl follows my lead, and I yank the man up atop the mind-controlled creature. Pity still runs through me for it and its fallen brethren with how they are being controlled, but we need them. I doubt they'd be fine with us riding their backs otherwise.

Virgil spins the horse around and sets us heading westward, once more back into the belly of the beast. This has got to be the last time I go toward the break. Once was forced and risky, twice was bought and sure to be even riskier, and thrice? That'd just be plain dumb.

Virgil then speaks up as the horse speeds up a bit through the street, the man using his night vision so that he doesn't run into any pedestrians walking in the night.

"You two need anything before we leave? Bullets? Food? Water?"

Earl answers with a negative to everything while I search my pack. The plan is to only be gone for a day or two at most, but things can always go wrong. Within my backpack are roughly a week's worth of rations and the same in water. I don't use my gun too often, but I have thirty or so rounds in a small box. I think I'm fine. The last trip didn't use too many of my supplies, as Virgil and Vernon did most of the cooking and shooting.

"No, I'm good as well."

The man of the night nods and speeds up the horse further as we near the edge of town.

"Off we go then. Feel free to take a quick nap or something. It'll be at least five or six hours before any activity is seen. I slept this morning, so I'm good for a few days without rest. Just make sure you two are good."

I take his advice and try to fall asleep aboard the Nightmare. I've ridden horses my whole life, so it isn't too hard for me to fall asleep on the back of one. Even a giant, monstrous one such as this Nightmare.

The dark night fades to abyssal black as my consciousness fades into a rejuvenating slumber.