“Well, I say, it appears we missed the party, gentlemen,” drawled Eugene “Hog” Porter as he stepped out of the carriage. The moment his considerable weight left the plush interior, the carriage sprang back on its axles with a groan of relief.
The Hog adjusted the lapels of his undoubtedly expensive suit as he surveyed the town. His pink, sweaty skin glistened under the harsh Arizona sun, and his thick orange mutton chops framed a face that looked perpetually amused. Towering over his guards, every movement of his appreciable bulk seemed strenuous, yet there was an arrogance to the way he carried himself, like a man who knew the world would bend to accommodate him.
Billy’s blood boiled the instant he laid eyes on Eugene Porter. There he was. The man who had betrayed him. The man who had ordered Oscar to kill him. The man who had left him to die in that damned canyon. Billy’s hands twitched into the shape of a gun, magic already surging to his fingertips. He was ready to unleash hell.
But before he could fire, a cataclysmic boom rocked the town.
The force knocked everyone clean off their feet. Everyone except The Hog, who stood unshaken, his bulk planted like a monument.
Billy scrambled to his feet and dove down an alley for cover, as an ill-timed notification appeared before him.
"Ding! You have killed [Volcano Titan].
You have reached Level 38.
The skill [Big Shot] has leveled up.
The spell [Ice Shot] has leveled up.
The trait [Thick Skinned] has leveled up.
You have two skill points. Please select from the following:
[Ricochet Round] – Your magic shot ricochets between enemies up to three times. Each bounce deals slightly less damage.
[Deadeye Barrage] – Speed up your perception of time, allowing you to mark up to five targets. When the skill ends, rapidly fire at all marked targets, dealing precise damage to weak points. This ability burns magic quickly. 1-hour cooldown.
[Mirage Round] – Fire at a non-occupied area to cast a mirage of yourself that will act as a perceived threat to your enemies. Does not deal damage. Disappears upon taking damage. Only one mirage can be active at a time. 10-minute cooldown."
Billy cursed under his breath. Not now. The floating words blocked part of his vision, making it harder to focus on The Hog.
The silver liquid still surging through his veins had made him lunge further than expected. He landed behind a stack of crates, forcing himself to focus on the notifications. A quick scan and decision, [Deadeye Barrage].
The skill was immediately replaced with another option.
"[Smoke Screen] – Fires a special round that explodes into thick, magically infused smoke. Within the smoke, you become harder to detect and take reduced ranged damage."
Billy considered his options, then selected [Smoke Screen]. Cover could be the difference between life and death in a fight like this.
Finally, the floating words faded, and Billy could refocus. He was further down the alley, crouched behind crates, and something was off. [Target Genius] was only picking up The Hog. His six bodyguards were standing right there, Billy knew that, but he wasn’t detecting them.
Billy’s gut twisted. Something wasn’t right.
Meanwhile, Eugene Porter had already assessed the state of Blackwater, his keen eyes and magical senses putting together the events that had unfolded. He strolled toward his employees, his massive frame casting long shadows in the dust.
“My my my, Thomas! you seem to have gotten yourself into a lick of trouble,” The Hog chuckled, clapping his meaty hands together. “Valiant effort to keep ‘im alive, Mr. Liu. But if you’ll allow me, I do believe I may be of more assistance.”
He extended a thick-fingered hand to the side. The dry earth beneath him cracked and split, and from the fissure, a grey stone staff erupted, landing perfectly into his waiting grip. Seven feet tall, with a bulbous head embedded with a crackling green crystal, the staff pulsed with power.
Taking it in both hands, The Hog held the end over Thomas’s mangled body. Mr. Liu, uncertain of what was happening, backed away, staring in wide-eyed awe.
“Sweks Ayu-Stahs!” Eugene bellowed.
The ground trembled. Six rough-hewn obelisks of grey stone erupted around Thomas, forming a jagged ring.
Pale green energy surged from the stones, forming a dome over the broken man. The magic rippled, reaching deep into the flesh, reversing the ice shell’s destruction. Gangrenous wounds were purged. Blood vessels re-knitted. Muscles and sinew stretched and reformed, the fibers weaving together like a loom guided by unseen hands. Bones cracked and set themselves. An almost-severed arm was pulled back into place. Joints popped as they realigned.
When the glow faded and the obelisks retreated into the earth, there was no sign Thomas had been injured at all.
Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, blinking in confusion as he took in his surroundings. The moment he recognized Eugene, he tried to rise to his feet. Despite still being under the physically enhancing effects of the silver liquid coursing through his veins, he felt depleted. Hollowed out. He pushed himself to one knee, but the world spun violently, and he was forced to pause.
“Easy now, Thomas,” The Hog chided, his voice thick with amusement. “You’ve just come back from a rather serious injury. You’re gonna need to eat, drink, and rest somethin’ fierce to replenish yourself. Mr. Liu, Number Six, would you be so kind as to help our dear friend to the saloon and see that he’s taken care of?”
Mr. Liu stood motionless, jaw slack with shock at what he had just witnessed. He blinked rapidly, as if to confirm he wasn’t hallucinating. “You… You saved him. You saved him. Jiù mìng zhī ēn, mò chǐ nán wàng…. I… I thank you, I will not forget this.” He bowed deeply before moving to assist Thomas, one of the guards stepping in to help.
“Just one thing,” Eugene said, raising a thick, sausage-like finger. “Do you have the objects I requested on ya?”
Mr. Liu hesitated, then nodded. “Ah, yes, of course. They.. far too valuable for me to leave.”
“Well, now that is just excellent news.” A cheshire grin split The Hog’s ruddy face. “I’ll be takin’ those off your hands now.”
A brief pause. Mr. Liu hesitated for a moment longer, his fingers tightening around the strap of his satchel, before he finally shrugged it off his shoulder and handed it over. One last glance at Thomas, and he turned to help him into the saloon.
The Hog beamed as he pulled open the bag, peering inside at the softly glowing contents. “Ahhh, this is truly an excellent day,” he said, his voice thick with satisfaction. “With these, we can get a move on with the next part of the plan.” He glanced at his guards, who remained utterly expressionless. “I do wish you could give these… puppets some emotion.”
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His guards burst into flame.
Billy activated [Deadeye Barrage] just as he broke from the cover of his alley and locked onto the five guards flanking The Hog. His fingers snapped into position, and magic surged through him. In an instant, his hands moved on their own. Five [Fire Shots] erupted from his fingertips, each one a perfect, unerring strike.
The guards didn’t scream.
They didn’t thrash.
They simply burned.
Flesh crisped, bodies blackened, and in seconds, they crumbled to ash. Far too quickly for anything remotely human.
Billy didn’t have time to process it. He didn’t stop moving. The moment the last ember faded, he swung his focus to Eugene and he unleashed hell.
[Fire Shot] after [Fire Shot] detonated around The Hog, the explosions tearing into the ground. The road cracked. The force kicking up rock and dust.
Billy dove into a new alley, pressing his back against the wall. His breath was ragged, but he forced a grin.
I did it. I killed that bastard Hog. An involuntary grin crept onto Billy's face. The relief from ending it made him weak at the knees.
Then a voice boomed through the smoke.
“William!”
Billy’s blood ran cold.
“I was wonderin’ when you were gonna come out.”
That lazy, drawling voice sent an ice pick through Billy’s spine. He knew he hadn't missed. He’d hit The Hog dead-on. So how the hell was he still standing?
Eugene chuckled, a deep, belly-shaking laugh. “Why, it is good to see you, my boy! I was terribly sad when I heard about your demise. Then overjoyed when Archie—oh, pardon me, you know him as Clyde the postmaster—told me you were still alive! And now I see that not only did you survive, but you picked yourself up some magic. You are full of surprises!”
Billy’s heart thundered in his chest as his mind scrambled for a plan. His [Target Genius] was screaming at him, warning him of the slowly approaching threat.
Eugene took another step forward. “Speakin’ of Archie, I reckon he’s gonna be mighty miffed about you destroyin’ his puppets. They take a lot of effort to create.”
Billy’s brain seized. Who the hell is Archie?
Then it hit him.
Clyde the postmaster?
The guards.
Every single one of them looked exactly like Clyde.
His stomach churned. Eugene had been keeping an eye on everything.
Before Billy could make sense of it, the sunlight at the alley’s mouth was eclipsed by Eugene’s monstrous frame.
“What are you doin’ hidin’ down there, William?” The Hog drawled. “We got so much to discuss.”
Billy’s fists clenched. That damn snake’s tryin’ to monologue to catch me off guard.
His fight-or-flight instincts screamed at him, but Billy's rage boiled over again at seeing Eugene.
He opened fire.
His fingers snapped into position, and he unleashed a flurry of attacks while running at the vast man. [Lightning Shot], [Ice Shot], [Metal Shot] each spell tearing through the air. Crackling electricity. Glinting frost. Whirling bullets of pure steel.
Each shot found its mark.
And each time, the air shimmered like heat waves on desert sand.
The attacks never landed.
A translucent force field flickered against the impacts, absorbing every last one. Eugene Porter stood untouched.
Billy’s stomach twisted. What the hell was protecting him?
With a burst of strength, he leapt over Eugene, the silver potion in his veins giving him an unnatural boost. He cleared the alley in a single bound and hit the main street, immediately ducking behind cover.
Eugene laughed again, louder this time. “Now that, my boy, was a helluva trick! No wand, no staff, no word of power. Just them finger-guns of yours, and bam! Magic! I must say, I ain’t never seen anything like it.” His voice dripped with amusement. “You’re a marvel, Billy-boy, truly! That’s why we need to talk business. Recent developments, you see.”
Billy ignored him.
His anger was clouding his judgement. Stopping him from paying attention. Making a plan.
Billy took a breath. Why weren’t his attacks working?
Peeking out from behind an overturned wagon, his eyes locked onto something behind Eugene. A jagged stone obelisk, jutting from the earth, etched with markings.
It pulsed. Faint, but steady.
Billy narrowed his eyes. That’s it. That’s gotta be it.
He cursed under his breath. He had to take that out.
Dashing toward a stack of barrels, he fired [Smoke Screen] to buy himself time. The enchanted fog billowed out, cloaking the battlefield in dense, shifting mist.
From his new angle, Billy fired [Ice Shot], aiming for Eugene’s feet. Maybe if he froze him in place, he could gain the upper hand.
The ice bullet struck—
And once again, the shield absorbed it.
Eugene kept walking.
Billy’s breath hitched as he saw the obelisk behind Eugene crumble into dust, only for a new one to erupt from the ground right behind him.
Son of a bitch…
The shield wasn’t something Eugene wore, it was anchored to the obelisk. And each time he moved too far, he had to cast a spell to summon a new one.
Eugene hummed as he strolled through the battlefield like a man on a Sunday walk. “Billy, Billy, Billy… you still got that penchant for destruction. and your uncanny ability to escape from the perilous situations you find yourself in, I could use a man of your talents for what's to come—”
Billy wasn’t listening.
He bolted down an alley, charging up [Force Shot] in both hands.
If the shield was tied to the obelisk’s range, then he needed to knock Eugene out of range before he could summon another one.
His fingers snapped into position, and he fired while running.
A thunderous boom split the air as the ground beneath Eugene erupted, a massive crater caving in beneath his feet. Dust and debris exploded into the sky.
Eugene’s eyes widened. “Now, hold on just a sec—”
The earth collapsed, and The Hog fell.
Billy leapt after him.
The dust was thick, but Billy didn’t hesitate. He raised his hands and unleashed everything.
[Ice Shot]. [Lightning Shot]. [Fire Shot]. [Metal Shot].
Over and over, he fired. The crater shook under the force of his attacks. The air glowed with cascading magic. The smoke thickened into a swirling storm of debris.
Billy couldn’t see Eugene. Didn’t care.
He just kept shooting.
Until his magic started to run low.
Panting, he dropped his hands and pulled his revolvers, cocking both with the flick of his wrists.
He emptied every magic bullet he had into the dust cloud.
Still no movement.
His arms screamed in protest. His vision blurred. His body ached from exertion.
But he wasn’t done.
Billy let out a roar of rage and charged forward, fists clenched. He swung wildly, throwing every ounce of his magically enhanced strength into his punches.
Then, finally, he stumbled back.
His entire body shook from exhaustion. His breath came in ragged gasps. The dust swirled like a storm around him.
Several moments passed and the dust began to settle
“Well now,” Eugene rumbled, brushing dust from his lapel as he stood up. “I must say, William, I am impressed.” His grin widened. “It’s been an age since anyone managed to land a blow on me.”
The only thing damaged was his suit. A hole burned clean through the front, revealing an intricate, swirling tattoo etched into his chest.
Billy’s stomach dropped.
Eugene tapped his staff against the ground. A massive stone bat erupted into his waiting hands.
"Hope you don't mind if I have a turn,” Eugene continued, raising the bat onto his shoulder, “I so rarely get the chance”
Before Billy could react, The Hog swung.
The impact was like getting hit by a locomotive. A sickening crunch filled the air as Billy was sent hurtling out of the crater, his body rocketing over the rooftops of Blackwater, crashing through a signpost before slamming into the dusty desert beyond.
