Dust, a name that used to mean nothing to all but a few select people. To those that settled down in these barren lands, the current state of Dust has grown beyond their imagination, but the Wishing Star boom brought more than just growth to the city.

The morning sun shone brightly down on the wooden town as the people of dust walked the streets, their steps on the unpaved roads flicking dust onto their shoes. People emerged from the inns and hotels and went on their way. A loud whistle heralded the coming of the Iron Tom, a great machine of transport built by Yaroi ingenuity, as it thundered on its tracks. Steam billowed from its metal chimney as it pulled into Dust Station. The hulking locomotive drew to a stop at the platform and dozens of people swarmed into the station. Shop fronts opened their doors for strangers and citizens alike, with store clerks adding the last bit of polish to their store. Street vendors opened their carts, spreading the tantalising smell of local treats through the air. The street vendors began hollering at the new arrivals and Dust’s day officially begun.

The streets got busier as people arrived from elsewhere. Some arrived into the town on horseback, some on foot. Some came in groups, though many came alone. There were many famous faces, though if one looked closely there were also many infamous ones. The Wishing Star attracted the desperate, particularly criminals who had nowhere else to turn to. Many sought the frontier to escape from their pasts, believing that they could find a fresh start. Many of those people would not be caught as the frontier belongs to no one. Settlements in the frontier fall under the laws of the countries they are owned by, and those countries typically create bounties for certain individuals or groups. Dust itself has a fully functioning bounty hall which lies under the jurisdiction of the Sola kingdom, and some Solan bounty hunters stay in Dust just to catch their country’s criminals before they can make it out of town.

But criminals and bounty hunters weren’t the only people to enter Dust. There were many kinds of people that went there; tourists, explorers, wealthy and poor alike. Merchants often used Dust as a resting point on their way to Ironsong, eating at small roadside eateries and buying supplies from stores dealing in general goods. People who wanted to buy specialty goods moved away from the main street, into the rest of the town. Some merchants went to the bounty hall as it doubled as an area for mercenaries to find work.

On this particular morning, there were many people navigating Dust, all of whom had their own stories. In particular, an oddly upbeat old man accompanied by a rather young man exited the Sleeping Bear, the single hotel of the town (@LordVoldemort, that’s you and me buddy). Their clothes showed the wear of their travels but the aging explorer was spirited and bright, his steps brimming with zeal from a good night’s sleep.
“Top of the morning, Gabriel, my boy!” He said jubilantly. “I trust you’ve had a rather satisfactory sleep after our recent misfortunes.”

The old man stretched his thin arms over his head, yawning as he did. His grey moustache twitched as he wrinkled his nose and his mouth formed a triumphant smile.
“I suppose it would be wise to secure some provisions in light of our, ah… more unfortunate escapades…” The old man said to his companion.
The pair had used up a large portion of their provisions to ward off a pack of wolves. The frontier roads were dangerous, after all, and it’d been a harrowing trip with just the 2 of them.
“But perhaps a good breakfast is in order.” The old man said. “What say you, my boy? Shall we grab a bite first or get to business?”

The Town of Dust. A small dot on the vast and wild map that made up the great frontier. It was here where many would begin their journeys in search of the legendary and, more importantly, fabled Wishing Star. Those from all shades of backgrounds had amassed to this shallow watering hole, be it a range of criminals to the simple daredevil looking for adventure.

But where there be criminals and daredevils, there were also plenty of bounty hunters to monitor those scum and villainy. One such member of this crowd was Morrigan Desch. If her name wasn’t known to others, then her appearance was, the bespectacled woman tipping her hat off to passersbys and even sneaking in a wink or two here and there.

She was finding residence outside of a local hotel called the Sleeping Bear in which she had taken shelter for the night. With the dawn of a new day approaching, it was time to get busy and head out. But supplies would have to come first of course and given their budget, wise spending was recommended aplenty. That was a task best left to her apprentice in training, or so she called her.

Scanning the area in the bright morning light, she noted two men exiting near her own position. With nothing else better to do, she pretended to still be sun-gazing while trying to listen in on their conversation. It wasn’t like she was committing a crime or anything and besides, she really had nothing else better to do. Honest.

Eight men and women belonging to the Bluebird Expedition League were found dead yesterday. Dust patrolmen recovered the bodies and determined the cause of death to be bullet wounds found on each corpse. The Bluebird Expedition League was thought to have been heading east of Dust, approximately ten miles out from town when they perished in the night. Any witnesses of the event and those who may have any further details about the massacre are encouraged to seek out Sheriff Terrance Goldberg for a monetary reward for aiding in the search and capture of the criminals responsible.


Odds and ends for every aspiring frontiersman. Sturdy boots, dried foods, camp supplies, and travel savvy runes all for sale at a reasonable price. Make sure your first trip into the wild isn't your last; trust Monde Trade Company for supplies you can rely on.
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13 Red St.
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Rest in luxury with Sleeping Bear, a hotel of the finest quality on the frontier. Bedrooms accommodate two to four people with the option of rolling beds for even larger groups. Basic amenities and stabling are provided with each room.
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24 Rail St.
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Open all hours of the day to provide delicious breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and drinks. Try Mr. Philey's custom mulberry brew for a sweet and refreshing drink. Excellent prices and a comfortable lounge make Red River Saloon the best watering hole for residents and explorers alike.
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11 Rail St.
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Verity set down the newspaper as she took a long sip of her fruit-flavored booze. The sparkling sweetness fizzed like a griddle at breakfast time as she swallowed, making her smile as she closed her eyes to enjoy the sensation. All around her was the morning buzz—mercenaries clamoring over a billboard for work, laborers stopping in to inhale their breakfast before running off to work, and even respectable business men shared a drink over their contracts. No table was empty and the booths were even more crowded, cream-colored wallpaper and dusty wooden floor filled wall to wall with people going about their business. The only space left was at the bar where Verity sat with her plate and mug, a smattering of empty stools on either side of her.

She was an oddity all by herself, one leg folded over the other in a most unladylike fashion. Her pleated black skirt was fluffed out like a bell, dark lace spilling out from the space between her legs and the skirt's ruffled hem. Her blouse was a loose white thing topped with a lacy black jabot, which ruffled over her chest like a long handkerchief. The long, loose blonde curls of her head had been pinned back to cascade down her neck in a series of bubbly curls, which bounced over her shoulders as she turned her head and asked the barkeep for another drink.

Verity had been staying in Dusk for roughly a week, and during that time had picked up every newspaper and wilderness related magazine to figure out how she wanted to go about finding an expedition. She'd lingered enough to have heard all sorts of stories—stories about leaders who cheated their hirelings with dubious contracts or even worse, sold out naive groups of explorers to bandits who awaited them in ambush once those explorers made it out of town. Finding an honest expedition leader was like searching for a needle in a haystack; she needed someone who was bold but just, a level-headed sort of fellow who could balance the prospect of finding the Wishing Star with the reality of the harsh Frontier.

Perhaps she was being too idealistic. Several days with no results was making her antsy and the food was getting bland. Sure, the bacon was thickly sliced and spiced with bacon, and sure, the meat was cooked to be crunchy and yet with bits that practically melted in her mouth. The scrambled eggs were a treat too, bathed in cheese that left strings attached to her fork when she tried to eat them. Even the toast was decent, but that was mostly because of the dark mulberry jam spread on top of it. All of it was delicious, yes, but it did nothing to settle her troubles.

What to do, hmm... Verity eyed the clock sitting atop one of the barkeep's shelves, some delicate wind-up affair with copper numbers welded to its face. Barely ten minutes had passed, yet it felt like an hour. She couldn't help but groan, leaning her elbow on the bar as she gazed out through a window that seemed like it was more smudged dirt than glass.

"Hey! Wake up!"
Huh? I want to sleep a bit more..... come on.
*Nihilus tugs his blanket harder and snuggles inside the carriage*
"A few more minutes", Nihilus says to the voice
"Uh... you don't have a few minutes. Hurry up and wake up Nihilus. The boss is making the morning rounds"
Yeah... damn... that old bastard. I'll wake up in a minute. I have time
*Sloshing of water is heard, and the splash of water is quickly felt by Nihilus' whole body*
COOOLLLDD!!!!
*Nihilus wakes quickly wakes up shivering and whimpering, with old man Jack staring down on him, and Cody next to him with a recently emptied bucket of water.*
Crap.... Jonah. Why did you warn me. Well... I guess he did
"Stand in attention man! It's 6AM sharp!"
*Nihilus quickly stands in attention, He slept with his clothes on, so that the old man wouldn't think that he overslept. Of course that would've only worked if he woke up before he came for his daily inspection. Dammit Jonah.*
"Sorry sir" Nihilus replies. *Still soaking wet*
*The Old man sighs* "Alright, alright, wash up and report for briefing in 30 minutes. Hurry up kid." *And goes on to inspect the other mercenaries while Cody enthusiastically fills the bucket with some more water*
Dammit old man, the bloody morning briefing doesn't even concern me.
*Nihilus turns to Jonas who is coming towards him with a towel*
"So... this is Dust? Seems nice", *Senera says while taking the towel and drying himself and getting his toothbrush*
"Yeah... it does seem nice and quiet. But wait till noon when everything gets busy. So....you're leaving the caravan today?" Jonas replies, *Already in full gear. Damn he's dilligent*
*Senera finishes washing his face, and grabs his backpack and weapons*
"Yep..., Jonah. I want to do some exploring on my own. Find out what the Frontier has to offer"
"Fine"*Jonah replies* "Come on, we go to the briefing"
*Senera follows Jonah, he was the closest thing he had to a friend on this 2 week journey with Count Einhorn's trade caravan to Ironsong. A total of 10 mercenaries were hired, and Nililus was a last minute low paid temporary addition which bumped it upto 11. He did help out greatly against a bandit attack five nights ago, earning the respect of some of the mercs as well as the count. Nihilus would leave the caravan at Dust and go on his own path.*
*The two finally reach the briefing, and listen to the old man give everyone orders and lay out the plan for the day. And after about another 30minutes, the others disperse and only Jonah, Nihilus, Cody and Jack remains. Even the count arrives at this location.*
"Good morning lads! Jack my good fellow, Cody, Nihilus, and Jhonas. How are are you this fine day?" The count asks, in a great mood
"Splendid count", Jack replies. "We were just about to say our goodbyes to Nihilus here."
"Ah yes, Nihilus lad. Best of luck on your adventure. Jack tells me that we will be spending a day to to restock on supplies, and then we're off to Ironsong. Do visit us if you ever end up there" says the count.
*After a lengthy session of farewells and breakfast, Nihilus decides to explore Dust*

Ok.... First I need to find a place to stay. And then find a job.
But... it's still morning so I guess a job would take first priority. Plus I have a sleeping bag, so sleeping outdoors is also an option.
So..............where the hell am I going to find a job?

*Nihilus starts searching for any sort of job notice boards. Especially work for a bounty hunter.*

"Something, something..." Thania said to none in particular as she set her feet on the dusty streets of, well... there was a reason why that city was named Dust, Thania thought.

Either way, Thania let out a loud yawn, looking the billowing smoke and steam coming from the Iron Tom. It was that late already? Well, it wasn't Thania's fault that she slept in a little, not when you wake up to an over thirty degrees heat. In fact, it had been barely an hour since Thania woke up and changed out of the single piece of sleepwear she wore, a single linen shirt, into her usual outwear, going out to run errands for her o so lazy partner/boss.

First things first, Thania went to the Ling Sheng Laundry, a Yaroan laundry shop down the main street to collect yesterday's laundry, fresh and clean, for a small of a few copper pieces. On her way back, holding the sack of clean clothes over her shoulder, the short blonde bought a newspaper, skim reading it on her way to the main stop of the morning, the Red River Saloon.

"Ad, ad, more ad.. oh look, someone died for being too dumb again. It's not my fault they chose to hire a cheaper guide, instead of me. Might drop by the sheriff and see if there's a bounty for the culprits later, though. Anyway it looks like a normal day in the Frontier." Thania mumbled as she read the paper while dodging her way inside the crowded saloon. "Two fresh meals, packed for travel, and four sarsaparillas, please." Thania called for the bar master, sliding some coins on the counter and then turning around to look at the packed place as she waited for her order.

For a reason or another the blonde gunner's eyes found their way to a certain other blonde that didn't thought too much of sitting in a position that let all who wished to have a privileged view of her underwear. "Well now, looks like there's more than one old cougar in the city these days, huh?" Thania thought, popping a candy on her mouth and chewing it slowly to pass the time even. For the time being she remained quiet, even if her gaze never wavered from the exhibitionist.

---

^{@Lord of Evil, @Senera2000, @Exit, @TheWindel, @Mega Birb, @MidnightRose, @Fairess, @LordVoldemort.}

A light groan was heard as a pale, unearthly woman awoke early that day. For the desert it was in, the township of Dust was surprisingly cool in the hours between dusk and dawn, and many of the beds on the frontier were equipped for this constantly shifting weather. These thick covers were pushed aside to reveal the nearly bare body of Fleur Moreau, one of the only female engineers to be taking part in the era of the steam engine. She stood quickly as her body was shocked into action by the cold, prompting her to gather her various items of clothing and armor from the floor and redress as fast as she could. "Ugh, as much as I need this outfit to survive, I hate it..."

A solid ten minutes of replacing the complicated ensemble later, the engineer only had the dark leather corset and her pauldron left, one of which she would actually need help with. She grimaced at the thought, then slipped the foundation on and focused for a brief moment, the black ink on her left arm lighting up a bright orange and emitting a low-level light as a pair of small wisps formed around the ends of the lace in the back of the garment. Together, they weaved themselves through the reinforced holes, tightening up and tying off the string at the top holes with a bow, along with a double-knot for good measure. The inky writing and shapes on the girl's left arm settled once again with the leather piece in place, earning a nod from the spellsword as she buckled her eerie armor piece into place and picked up a golden medal from the side table. She examined it with a few turns, then clipped it to her shoulder and secured it to her corset with a similar chain. Lastly, she retrieved her dagger and sword, slipping both of them into their respective scabbards before doing a quick check of all her items. Finding everything to be in order, she smiled and pulled open the door to her rented room on the upper floor of the Sleeping Bear Inn.

The scent of alcohol and tobacco was already thick in the bar, despite the early hour, which oddly invigorated the woman. In a sense, this was the only crowd that would ignore her pale skin and red eyes. Sure, it was mostly because of her decently-sized breasts, but beggars can't be choosers. She gave the bartender a thankful nod as she descended the stairs, likely due to some obscure agreement that had allowed her to stay a few nights while she passed through. It wasn't anything sexual, no, just a few lights had blown out the previous week, and she offered to fix them for a reduced fee. Being the gearhead she was, it was an extremely simple matter. As she neared the door, she was pulled to the side by the town's drunk, already smelling of booze and in desperate need of a new pair of pants. "Yah know... I know what yer are, lady! Yer one o' dem bloodsuckers, from waaaaay down south... those FUCKIN' swamps 'er whatever!" The boozer sloppily pulled a hatchet from his belt while the patrons of the tavern looked on with unease. No one liked the drunk, yet no one wanted a vampire in their midst...

Truly a dilemma for the people of Dust that were already thirsty.

"Mon cher, I do not mean to cause problems. I'm just passing through on a journey." Fleur, always having taken a passive route when she could, attempted to push past the man, and was forcibly shoved into the wall this time. Now having to listen to a grown man rant and rave about the false things about her, she crossed her arms under her chests and sighed. Today was gonna be one of those days.

"What kind 'er jerney? To bite the entire world!? I could kill ye right now 'n no one would care!" He grinned like a madman, the thick stubble on his face wrinkling. "Er maybe... OOF, FUCK!" The color drained from the drunk's face as he flew back a few feet and bounced off the wall, a welt already forming on the back of his head while he fell unconscious. The same orange glow from earlier was fading from Fleur's arm. Quite simply, she had given the poor bastard an open-handed strike to the stomach, along with a bit of magic to give it that extra 'umf' needed to get that point across. She shook her head at the man and tutted him, then came over to his limp body.

"Life lesson: Never threaten a mage if you have no magic of your own." She flicked the side of his head and made her way for the exit, giving a warm smile and a friendly wave to any patrons she happened to pass by. She soon pushed open the doors to the saloon to find a fellow girl in what appeared to be some form of military uniform. The Dhampir came up beside the girl and leaned on the railing that defined the porch of the inn from Rail Street, flipping her hood up to shield herself from the morning sun. "Mon chere, what brings you to the middle of nowhere? You look like someone with purpose." She paused for a moment, the grinned slightly. "Pardon my rudeness. Fleur Moreau, Airship Engineer." She leaned on her cryptic left arm and extended her right hand towards the other female, awaiting a handshake. Across the street and a building or two down, she spotted another person matching her gender, staring out a window from a proper bar setting and looking extremely bored. Mostly just because, she made a slight beckoning motion towards her with her left hand.

An hour or so prior to the scuffle in the bar Lara was leaning against the back wall resting her right arm on the end of the bar casually. Her black hood was up concealing all but a few stray locks of her raven hair that peaked out. Her icy blue eyes were locked onto Jack; the man current passed out on the bar. Lara sighed remembering his drinking last night. She had tried to warn him to take it easy but when did he ever listen to her? He seemed to be having a difficult time with this traveling lifestyle they were living. She wondered if he ever thought of running home... No. That was out of the question. Regardless, Lara had been quite enjoying their expedition. She had been trained to survive in multiple environments and enjoyed the change of scenery.

Of course currently the scenery involved smoking, drinking gamblers and idlers lounging in the bar even this early in the day. Lara's gaze left Jack for a moment to scan the bar glancing over the patrons. No one in here looked particularly troublesome except perhaps for one loud drunk with a hatchet at his hip. However he was loudly talking to some gentlemen so she doubted she had to worry about him. She remained in her watchful position for a bit longer before deciding to move. She looked up to the bartender and straightened up. She tapped the bar once to get his attention before saying quietly, "Scott, I'm going out for a moment. I apologize for him, but he'll pay you very well for his drinks once he comes to."

She glanced at Jack before walking through the room and out the front door. Her hood and black leather clothing shielded her from the bright sunlight as she walked into the street. She walked down a couple blocks to the Monde Trade Company. Once inside she found some mint leaves and selected a small bunch. She payed for the herb and put it in a small pouch before tucking it into her jacket pocket. With her task done she immediately headed back to the Sleeping Bear. She stopped in the road in front of the establishment in time to hear a light thud from inside. She had no clue that was the drunkard hitting the wall. Still as she had left Jack alone in there she needed to quickly investigate so she stepped up to the door and pushed it open. She walked inside just in time to witness Jack's ever so graceful fall to the ground.

Lara shook her head and stepped up to Jack. She couldn't contain a small smile of amusement as she studied his groggy expression. Of course he had earned this hangover after all his drinking last night. Even if it was her job to protect him, she couldn't protect him from himself. "Good morning." She removed the small pouch of mint from her pocket and handed it to him. "Chew on this. It'll wake you up and help your headache."

As the pair of explorers were deliberating on their next course of action, a group of conspicuously cloaked people ghosted through the crowd. The cloaked figures occasionally stopped and whispered to certain people in the crowds, and some who were whispered to followed the cloaked strangers as they went across the street. They stopped at many people but noticeably went after laborers and tended to shy away from bounty hunters, although they didn't seem to be trying to avoid them. It was likely that the cloaked figures were a group who wanted to bolster their ranks at dust, an occurrence not uncommon in these parts. Skilled laborers could be used in the frontier to help build more settlements, so their recruitment wasn't particularly rare. But the recruitment drive reminded the old explorer of a task he'd needed to do first.
"Dear me, I've forgotten about a very important task we must complete!" He said to his companion. "We must secure travelling companions first! To the bounty hall, Gabriel!"

The pair soon emerged into the busy hall. A few stopped to look at the new arrivals but many ignored the two. There was only one person that payed attention to them for longer, the sherriff of the bounty hall. A 50-something year old grizzled retired bounty hunter with white mutton chops and a thick mustache. This particular old man knew the explorer and the bored expression the mustached man had worn quickly wormed its way to a smug grin.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the professor." He said mockingly.

The old explorer stiffened, but returned the bounty hunter's grin with a smile, a smile that was a little too tight to be friendly.
"Tiberius, old chap!" The old explorer said, with a friendliness that didn't quite reach all the way to legitimate goodwill. "How's the wife? I suppose she must be happier now that you've settled down to be a pencil pusher."
The bounty hunter's grin melted smoothly into a wry smile, apparently more composed than his opponent.
"Of course, they're much happier with the luxury of a stable income. As opposed to, oh, I don't know. A travelling explorer chasing after old wive's tales." He retorted casually. "Hitting dead ends and coming back empty handed again, I suppose?"
The explorer's white eyebrow twitched a little and the two white haired nemesis stared at each other. Suddenly, the old explorer laughed.
"You haven't changed a bit, old chap! But this time, I have come back with something! For example, I have Gabriel here, a likeminded-scholar, although he's a bit young." The explorer said, putting a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And there's one other thing I've managed to find."
By this point there were several bystanders listening in on the rather public exchange occurring. Among the crowd was one of the conspicuously cloaked people from outside. They all watched quietly as the explorer rummaged through his bag. Soon enough, he took out an unassuming leather-bound book, presenting it with pride.
"Behold, the diary of the fabled adventurer Alexander Jolstein!" He declared.
The people watching on began whispering to each other, but rather than amazement, they expressed concern.

To put it lightly, Alexander Jolstein was a rather eccentric individual. An ancient Magnan adventurer, he came to be known as "Alexander the Liar". Many of his 'discoveries' were thought to be so outlandish that they weren't even investigated properly. He suffered ridicule after ridicule before disappearing off the face of the earth. Some of his discoveries have recently been proven, although at a lesser scale than what he had reported, and he was generally regarded with skepticism. Even the old bounty hunter was at a loss on how to react. The crowd broke off a bit as some lost interest in the explorer, writing him off as a crazed old man. But one figure came forward.

The cloaked figure approached from behind the explorer, stopping just out of arm's length. Suddenly, the figure's hand shot out and snatched the leather-bound book right out of the explorer's hands. The explorer squeaked in surprise and quickly wheeled around, but the figure had already bolted off out the door.
"Someone stop him!" The explorer cried.
"You're never going to get anyone's help with a plea like that, professor." The bounty hunter said, scrambling to pick up his gun.
A crime had just been commited and it was his job to catch criminals.
"Please, Tiberius. I've been here long enough to know how to get what I want." The explorer said, addressing his old friend before turning to the rest of the bounty hall.
"Whoever catches that scoundrel gets 100 gold, plus another 150 if you retrieve the book for me!" He announced, shouting at the gathered crowd.

(@LordVoldemort Just so you don't get behind)

A shock of white hair on a youthful head, gleaming red eyes, a dipping 'v' of a maroon bodice deep enough to be risque—Verity couldn't imagine why such a specimen was gesturing to her of all people. Just to be sure, she turned around, expecting some young man to be waving from behind. What she found instead was different enough to make her start, eyelids blinking before she canted her head and stared.

When, exactly, did they start letting children into bars? And why is she looking up my— Verity cleared her throat, tugging the hem of her skirt further down her knee. “Darling, if you'd be a little less obvious about ogling, I'd be much obliged. This isn't The Rosy Maiden, after all.” As she spoke, Verity waved at the green-eyed girl with the back of her fingers, not unlike shooing off a naughty pet. When did I start putting off testosterone instead of estrogen? Well, it's not so bad, I suppose; these ladies aren't eyesores like the rest of these misfits.

Verity grasped the new mug of beer the barkeep had left in his hurried wake and turned on her stool to examine the voyeur of a patron more fully. With her adorable little headband with its wing and the overall dress with puffy sleeves, the creature's style was miles ahead of just about anyone else in the saloon. Such a soft chin, wide eyes and a pert little nose—why, she seemed just on the verge of womanhood. Not quite there yet, however, so Verity couldn't help but look over the crowd to see where the girl's misplaced chaperone was. Dust was no place at all for darling little birds to be fluttering along alone, especially when this particular little bird was already brewing up trouble with eyes alone.

“Someone stop him!”

Verity glanced over at some panicked old fellow. A small crowd had surrounded him, and his nearest companion appeared to be none other than Tiberius. But then—was that a shadow flitting out the door? She barely had a second to comprehend what'd happened when the old fellow burst out into a shout.

"Whoever catches that scoundrel gets 100 gold, plus another 150 if you retrieve the book for me!"

“Oh, bothe—” Verity had just enough time to turn and shelter her drink on the bar as the saloon exploded. Wooden chairs clattered to the floor, glasses smashing downward in their wake. An exhilarating buzz shocked through the atmosphere of the bar, an alchemical sort of displacement caused by dozens of human hearts bursting with adrenaline at once. Suddenly the air was thick and hot, a single mass of bodies squeezing through one door in a flood of hooting action. Guns went off, their metallic blasts met with a shock of cries from the street outside.

The barkeep, whose hands hadn't quite left two little sacks he'd set on the counter for his green-eyed customer, blinked. A crack of a smile settled on his face, growing into a toothy grin as the last of the thief’s pursuers flooded out the door. “Well, naw. I wunder how many pieces they gonna bring 'im back in! Last time it was seven—they all went n' claimed the killin' shot was them's. Confounded the sheriff 'till 'e shrugged n' split the bounty between all's of 'em.”

@Lord of Evil @Mega Birb @KoL

*Nihilus searched for a while before he actually talked to someone regarding a job*
"Um...... excuse be sir, but where can a bounty hunter like me get a job?"
*"The bounty hall. Take a left from there. You can't miss it", the person says with an expression which reads somewhere along the lines of, "Are you serious right now?"*
Yes..... I am serious. I can't the only one who asks for directions around here.
*Nihilus takes his leave from the gentleman and walks to the Bounty hall, and on the way keeps looking around to see if there are any people like him who are asking for directions. There are none.*
It's just me...... Well.... that's just splendid.
*Just as Nihilus approaches the Bounty Hall, a cloaked figure runs out of it clutching a book, and soon he hears, "Whoever catches that scoundrel gets 100 gold, plus another 150 if you retrieve the book for me!"*
Yes! a job! Finally.
*Nililus takes out the revolver in his right holster and takes aim at the running cloaked figure's thigh. It takes a second for him to aim accurately at the runner's calf in a way that it doesn't do much damage. He only wants to bring the runner down, not kill him.*
*Time slows down, Nihilus' cone vision focuses on his target, his revolver, and the bullet trajectory. All other distractions; the sweat running down his temple, the weight of his backpack, the blinding light of the sun, all are discarded.*
*A small smile comes to his face underneath his mask.*
*He pulls the trigger and the bullet hits the calf of the leg that the man is about to keep on the ground and he falls flat on his face*
*Nihilus then shoots his other leg as well to prevent him from running anymore*

Well then, the conversation she was oh so lovingly ease-dropping on wasn’t that much interesting after all. If anything, it was just some news about Dust and whatnot. Still, she did spot a potential source to rid of her boredom with the appearance of a young woman waving at her from across the street. Not sure what she wanted, she waved back before glancing about suddenly.

And where was Thania? Honestly, she didn’t know, but it wasn’t like she didn’t care either. The girl could take care of herself and if anyone thought otherwise they would get a boot to the face. And if something happened in which she would need to intervene herself, well, they’d be getting a nice tattoo of bullet holes for their troubles. Besides, the young girl was probably out being a pervert again. Kids these days.

Eyes glancing about the town of Dust, she noticed a small gathering not too far away from her vision. The words of fools didn’t much intrigue her these days but she tuned in regardless for the entertainment. It wasn’t like every town had a radio these days so getting news was hard to spare and difficult to come by. She only partially paid heed to the cloaked figures.

Something, something, ancient book from the liar of explorers; that was what she got out of the little meeting there. Even so, it was enough to spark outrage when the cloaked figure snatched said book and hurried off with it in a buzz. Not her problem. Then the announcement for rewards was proclaimed. Suddenly it was her problem. Sighing, she turned about to the wide-open space before her.

“Thania, be a dear and catch that criminal will you?” she called out, not caring if she got strange looks. Why bother hunting for her assistant when she could just raise her voice? That way she knew the little troublemaker could hear her new orders. “Do it quickly and maybe I’ll give you something nice to dream about tonight dear~”

---

The explorer's decleration was loud, almost too loud. It had startled nearby civilians outside the bounty hall, only made the figure run faster. The figure ran quickly, speeding out of the bounty hall, before be turned to make his way deeper into Dust. Despite the quick start, however, it was clear that the figure wasn't a quick runner. Bounty hunters and hopefuls alike burst onto the streets, hoping to catch the thief and claim the bounty. The figure spotted a crowd up ahead, one large enough to alude the numerous pursuers hanging onto their tail. Bounty hunters from the bounty hall began to fire at the figure.

The figure dodged nimbly at first, but it was clear that they wouldn't be keeping it up for long. What began as an energetic sprint turned into a clumsy, fear-tinged shamble as bullets flew ever closer to the figure. Rather than greed, it became clear that the figure's actions had been fueled by desperation.

"Bloody fools..." The sheriff muttered under his breath, loading his rifle.
Opening fire had the chance to potentially endanger an innocent civilian, and that chance only grew larger if the figure disappeared into the crowd. And besides that, most of the bounty hunters present only had cheap revolvers, they weren't the most accurate at the best of times.

The old bounty hunter took aim at the running figure, who was already closing in on the crowd. The hunter stilled his hand and held his breath, settling his sights on the target, the figure's left leg. But as he prepared to fire, he found himself hesitating. What would happen if his shot missed, or hit civilians? For anyone who knew Tiberius this would've been an odd thought, as he'd been known for his long distance sniping. But a moment's hesitation was all that was needed for him to lose his moment. The thief had almost reached the crowd.

The old bounty hunter lowered his gun, cursing in frustration, when suddenly, a gunshot suddenly rang out. Red blood spouted from the thief's leg as it landed. It collapsed suddenly and the thief fell forward, sliding a few painful feet as people scattered out of the way. As he landed, his other leg exploded into red, shocking bystanders, as the gun-toting stranger secured his bounty. The figure's hood had been blown away to reveal a middle-aged man, with long, messy black hair and an unshaven appearance. His face was haggard, clearly due to the pain from the wounds he'd received, but there was a shade of desperation as well, as if there was something he needed to do so badly that he would stake his life for it. The man scanned the crowd assembled. There was a mix of expressions, from confusion and shock to indifference. Suddenly, the man's face cleared and an expression of relief rose to his face.

Several bounty hunters began to descend on the downed man like vultures, but one man got to him first. A figure donning a similar cloak to the new figure slowly walked out of the crowd and stopped just in front of the man on the floor. The man produced the book from beneath his cloak and handed it to his compatriot.
"I'm sorry my lord, I have failed you..." The man spluttered.
The cloaked figure gently closed the man's eyes before taking the book and rising to his feet. The cloaked figure turned to face the bounty hunters bearing down on him. The bounty for the man's capture went to the masked man, but the bounty for the book was yet unclaimed. But as the bounty hunters came within arm's length of the newcomer, they were stopped by an invisible force. They struggled as if embedded in a wall of air, while the cloaked stranger turned in the direction the masked man (@Senera2000). The cloaked figure was also masked, his face covered with a full-face obscuring seemingly wooden affair, painted in red and black in a motif reminiscent of a demon. The stranger's hair hung out of the figure's hood; long, scraggly and white. Strangely enough, seemingly in spite of small breeze that graced the town, the stranger's hair didn't move at all. Most strikingly, however, is the stranger's single visible eye, with an iris painted with a vivid shade of red. The figure's single eye seemingly burned as he stared at the masked man. It was a baleful stare, one that made it abundantly clear that the masked man (still you Senera) had just made a new enemy.

Some of the trapped bounty hunters had managed to push some distance through the force wall and had inched a little closer to the cloaked stranger. Hiding the book in the folds of his cloak, the stranger snapped his fingers and the trapped bounty hunters fell forward suddenly, shouting with surprise. As the shocked bystanders looked on in confusion, the stranger jumped, rocketing into the sky before landing on a nearby rooftop.

The figure looked down at the people on the streets and the chaos that had just been created. The figure then turned and went off, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, deeper into Dust.
"He's on the rooftops!" A (rather thick) bounty hunter said.
The fallen bounty hunters picked themselves up and began chasing the cloaked figure.

The hunt was on.

"Hold it, ma'am! I wasn't... ogling you. I already have my hands full with a single old cougar, I don't need another one." Thania bolted straight up when she was so unjustly accused of looking up the skirt of a woman she didn't even knew and, not only that but also, pointed to the local house-of-ill-repute. Seriously, what did that woman thought that Thania were, a dirty old man like the kind that overcrowded Dust and the rest of the Frontier?

Well, anyway, her order was had arrived and, when Thania was about to pick it up, she spotted the very same woman sizing her up. Needless to say, Thania puffed her cheeks, red with boiling feelings, in face of such an outrage. "Hey ya, miss! Who's the one ogling now? I was thinking of offering my services to you, but I guess you really want another thing, don't yo-" Thania declaration was abruptly cut by the saloon bursting to life, after the faint cry of someone yelling something about a reward in this city of gold-crazed vultures reached Thania's ears. "Oh, great, what's it now?" Thania went to look out of a window.

A few gunshots, yells, general chaos and Morrigan being a lazy ass as usual, later...

"Send that to my room like usual, old man, I gotta a job to do." Thania shouted to the saloon master, as she dashed to the back alley. When she passed close to the bar, Thania snatched a bottle of the cheapest whiskey she could find, throwing a coin to the old master "Keep the change!" Thania said after juggling the heavy bottle, catching it by the neck.

Once in the alley, Thania quickly found her way to the nearest rooftop that had a stair close to it and then stopped to observe and try to spot the thief, still juggling the bottle, to get a good feel of its weight. As a rule of thumb, cheap drinks are sold in the toughest bottles, it was not uncommon to use one of these as a club on a bar fight, which is more or less what Thania had in mind as she spotted the criminal and began to trail him as silently as she could.

---

^{@Lord of Evil, @Senera2000, @Exit, @TheWindel, @Mega Birb, @MidnightRose, @Fairess, @LordVoldemort.}

*Nihilus takes a deep breath, and looked the new arrival straight in the eye, and it sends shivers down his spine*
Red eyes, white hair,... cloak. Crap.... What kind of mess did I get into.

*As the cloaked figure run away on the rooftops, Nihilus empties the 4 remaining bullets in his revolver trying to hit his legs. No luck sadly.*
Tch. Running after the guy is futile. He can use magic and is far more mobile than me, and my backpack makes me even slower. But... who is that guy? Damn... I need some answers. White hair and red eyes usually are signature appearances of vampires. But.. he should've burnt in the sun if that was the case, even with the cloak. So... he's either an eccentric albino or a half-vampire, and I'm going to kick myself if it's the former. If I'm getting entangled in this mess, I need more information. Now how do.... Oh... the dead person. I almost forgot about him in the confusion. He has to have some details about the situation on him.

*Nihilus gathers his wits, and quickly reloads his revolver. 2 seconds: record time. While he does this, the other bounty hunters storm off after the running figure on the rooftops. Nihilus then walks towards the presumably dead man*
Strange, I've never known a man to die due to 2 gunshots to the leg. *Nihilus frowns* Are you actually dead or are you playing dead?

*Nihilus holsters his revolver, and unsheathes his katana, and looks closely at the man to see if he is alive. Not having noticed anything at a distance, Nihilus moves nearer to the downed man and crouches beside him, while getting ready to strike with is katana. Then he checked the man's pulse to determine if he is still alive. Indeed he is, but he is unconscious and is steadily bleeding out.*
He's only knocked out. Good. I better get this guy some emergency medical aid, or he's going to bleed to death.

*Nihilus sheathes his katana, grabs him and quickly brings him to the entrance of the Bounty hall. There he lays the unconscious man by the wall, removes his backpack, and takes his medical kit out. Nihilus, cleans the man's wounds using Anti-septic, and covers his wounds with bandages to stop the bleeding.*
He's going to need some advanced medical care if he needs those bullets out, but for now, he's stable. I can interrogate him later. Maybe the guy who put the bounty out can help as well.

*Nihilus then starts frisking the man from top to bottom, searching for something to give him a clue about the guy.*

"Hello there!"

The cloaked figure wasn't the only one with hops.

No more than an hour after the train and Eamon was almost convinced that Dust had been worth it on its own. Sure, it lived up to its namesake--his boots were scuffed and caked with it already, let alone the back of his poor coat--but it was also exciting! Adventurous! The kind of place where anything could happen, just brimming with potential. He hadn't even had to wait for a proper gunfight to start, the sound of powder-discharge and roguish shouting in the distance almost enough to make the young man shiver with glee. Real outlaws, slinging real bullets, in the middle of public no less! He wasn't at University anymore, he knew, and my was it good to be out and about.

And speaking of out and about, he was very nearly knocked on the head by a loose shingle displaced by someone who had all the finishings of a bandit. They were even leaping between buildings, heading off from the direction of the gunshots and towards--well, who knew! Eamon certainly intended to find out, though. With a twitch of his ears and a grin he coiled, crouching on the balls of his feet and concentrating a moment to light the runes on them. He felt the usual rush of energy, the building of pressure like the charge of a bullet--

Was it common for people in Dust to sail through the air? Certainly the other man had before, and if Eamon had been thinking about it he might have realized that a standing jump to about twenty feet might have drawn some attention to himself, but in truth he was far more interested in whatever it was his mystery-runner was up to. It was a controlled hop, the kind of thing he'd done plenty of times before, and he found himself landing only a roof behind the figure in black as he hit the roof running and skipped to the next with a jackrabbit's ease.

"What are we running from!" He added cheerfully, closing the distance with a few impossible strides. Sure, the man could attack him, but that was half the fun! Brigands and outlaws, sheriffs and lawmen, such was the name of the game on the Frontier.

Right?

“Well look at that, he was returned in one piece! I should have put money on that.” Verity casually glanced over her shoulder as yet another a bounty hunter returned with the thief in tow. She couldn’t help but smile as the man oh-so-kindly tended to the thief’s wound, apparently oblivious to the fact that he was garnering no small amount of stares from the remaining patrons. The ol’ man who’d lost his book would undoubtedly be making his way over to hand out the reward and breathe a sigh of relief.

Except, where were the rest of the bounty hunters? There were still gunshots echoing from the street, but the hoopla and bullet pangs were drifting further away—fast. Could it be that they’d all turned on each other? It wouldn’t surprise her if an accidental injury or two had turned personal. She couldn’t help it—her gaze flicked to the sheriff, wondering how the grizzled wolf felt about cleaning this mess up. Then she smiled, appreciating the catharsis of someone else’s trouble as she turned back to the barkeep and took a sip of her drink. The dark, rich bubbles of fruit and sun-ripened hops just about eliminated all traces of the struggle from her mind.

Until the barkeep had to give his two cents.

“Don’t look like th’ fella has th’ book. I reckon tha’s why he’s still alive, th’ varmint.” The barkeep shook his head, picking up a broom from behind the counter to start cleaning up the broken glass left in the wake of his patrons. His smile was missing a few teeth as he grinned at the old adventurer. “I’m holdin’ yeh responsible for this, yeh know. I ‘spect some payment for tearin’ a decent place up if yeh ken throw coin at them beasts.”

Verity smirked, turning to face the old man as well. “That was an interesting price, by the way. 150 gold for a book—250 for a girl’s dignity, though that’s beside the point—but I think you may have sold the poor dears short. If that was the genuine article, the single, original, personal diary of Alexander Jolstein, it’s worth several times that amount. But then again, it couldn’t be the real thing, right? No one would be stupid enough to grandstand the genuine article in front of a bunch of bounty hunters. So. Were you trying to expose, or better yet, kill someone?”

@Senera2000 @Lord of Evil

"Oh dear." The explorer said.
The events had unfolded into something beyond what he'd anticipated. It'd gotten rather crazy rather quickly, and he wasn't sure what to do about it, but that would have to come later. Right now, the old explorer was examining the first cloaked man's wounds. It appeared as though the man had fainted, perhaps through the influence of his wounds, but his life wasn't at risk. The wounds weren't too serious and the blood loss wouldn't be a problem, but he wouldn't try taking the bullets out since he wasn't exactly a surgeon.
"Good show, young man," He said, slightly hesitant, as he put a hand on the masked man's shoulder. "But I'm not sure 2 shots were entirely necessary... Well, never mind."
The explorer returned to the incapacitated cloaked figure, shifting him into a somewhat more comfortable position.

The Sheriff reentered the bounty hall and rushed towards his desk. As he passed the masked man, he stopped for a moment and also put a hand on the young man's shoulder.
"That was a good shot son, but the next time you shoot near a crowd like that, you'll be the first one I'm locking up." He warned.
With that, he paced quickly to his desk and grabbed his badge, pinning it to his vest before he set off out of the bounty hall. As he went, he glanced at the unconscious criminal.
"Keep him safe, you old fool, I'm sure I've seen that man somewhere before." He said to the old explorer. "I've got a job to do."
With that, the old bounty hunter left the hall and ran out to catch the downed man's accomplice.

"Well, this has turned into quite a pickle, hasn't it?" The old explorer sighed.
He was surprised when a young lady began questioning his decision making, and he adopted a rather sheepish smile. He turned to face the girl and prepared to give a reply but stopped as he saw her face, a flash of recognition crossing his own. He thought for a moment before suddenly giving his reply.
"Let's just say that I don't quite have the loosest pocket around." The explorer finally said. "Although I do have enough to pay my dues."
He fished out his pocket and began counting gold coins before walking over to the masked man. He dropped a pouch into the young man's pocket and patted him on the back as a gesture of friendliness.
"Here you are, my good man." He said to the masked man. "For a job well done."

He then turned back to continue his conversation with the young woman, as if nothing had happened.
"Financial tribulations aside, Jolstein's diary isn't exactly meant for mainstream reading." The explorer said. "Although, I suppose it would be worth much more to a scholarly audience, although that would only be the case if I - Well..."
The explorer cleared his throat in a conspicuous way before continuing.
"In short, the journal isn't complete." The explorer said. "I managed to stumble on a part of it by chance, but I believe that there's enough of it to find the rest. But before we go any further, may I ask for your name?"

@Fairess@Senera2000

The masked figure glanced at his new pursuer, a flicker of annoyance crossing his eyes. The number of his pursuers was thinning somewhat as he crossed the town but they would catch up if he stopped for too long, and a thinner crowd meant that the more skilled hunters had room to spread their wings. And that wouldn't do.

The masked man stopped and stood still, as if taking in his surroundings. The breeze picked up and swirled around the masked man, dragging dust along with it. The man glanced in the direction of the hidden hunter, and then glanced around the town in every direction. He clicked his tongue and crouched down. The wind grew stronger and the dust gathered around the cloaked man's feet before he sprang off, releasing a cloud of dust. He soared through the sky, jumping clean over 1 buildings, before he began running again.

@Howler@KoL