[color=red]Chapter One[/color]
[color=blue]Chapter Two[/color]
[color=green]Chapter Three[/color]
[color=indigo]Chapter Four[/color]
[color=darkred]Chapter Five[/color]
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[color=red] A familiar but different scene surrounds us. Sand dunes rise and fade. Towns with populations of no more than a couple hundred are planted every 20 or so iles. This desolate wasteland is known a Flintlock.
Our story takes us to a man walking in the desert.
His long black hair came down over his eyes. His appearance was strange. He was dressed in a long black coat. The wind blew it open to show his white shirt and pants. Along with two enormous pistols strapped to his legs . Both of them long and silver. His silver belt gleamed in the bright sunlight and added to the mysterious nature of this wandering stranger.
He came up on an town. There was a worn wooden sign at the town gate that read "CASTAWAY CITY". The man smile slightly and said silently to himself, "Sounds like the perfect place for a man like me."
He continued walking until he came upon a saloon. The doors creaked as they swung back and forth after he entered. "Scotch and water." he said directly to the barkeep. The bartender looked at him for a moment then prepared his drink.
The stranger sat on the barstool, drinking. He overheard some trivial conversation. Nothing of real interest. Nothing until a man ran in and hurriedly asked the barkeep for a bottle of whiskey. "The strong shit." were his exact words.
The other men in the bar asked what had happened. The man began his story, "I was back in Helvetich yesterday. It isnt there anymore. The town was destroyed. They say it was the work of Ark the Devil."
The stranger's eyes widened slightly and he payed closer attention. Another man in the bar said, "You're kidding. That cant be true. Why the hell would Ark the Devil go to a shit hole like
Helvetich?"
"You weren't there. You haven't seen whats left of it. All I saw was a big flash and I heard a loud boom and I blacked out. When i woke up it wasnt there." The man ran outside and vomited on the dirt.
The other men in the bar began talking to each other until the man from Helvetich came back inside. "They say that it was started when a man, eight feet tall, came passing through town. They say that he came into the bar and begand drinking. The owner of the bar said that he got really drunk and got into a fight with a man that insulted his outfit. It was that last mistake he ever made. He planted a bullet right between his eyes. The guy's gang got after him. And after that, no one is quite sure what happened. It all happened so quick. There are 3 dozen people dead. 5 dozen more are injured."
"Oh, God." another man in the bar gasped. "What else happened?"
"That was it. I woke up trapped in my cellar and people had to dig me out. But, I would be careful," he said with a warning glance around the bar, "they say he was headed in this direction."
The stranger sitting at the bar looked at his empty glass and whispered to himself, "Damn. Nothing good ever lasts for long."
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The man now known as Ark the Devil stood up and strolled to the door. The bartender was so awestruck by the traveller's story that he didn't even notice that he hadn't payed for his drink.
As he was walking through the town, he noticed some kids playing ball. Ark decided to sit down in the shade of a building and watch them. There was a cool breeze wafting through town as a cloud formation gathered overhead.
"Looks like a storm." he heard two women chattering as they walked behind him.
"Billy!" the other lady yelled to one of the boys, "Be home before the storm comes. You don't want to get caught in that rain!"
Rainstorms here are a welcome but feared occurance here. Since water was scarce, the moisture was a blessing. But, when the wind howled and lightning crashed, people could only pray that their houses weren't destroyed.
"Great. Now i gotta find a place to stay." the Devil complained to himself, "How the hell am i gonna manage this one? I don't have enough money."
Judging by the wind speed, he had about an hour to get indoors. Ark began to walk through town trying to find someone to take him in. He finally came up on a restaurant.
"Perfect." he said "I'll just wait out the storm in there." he began to run to the diner's door because the wind had picked up considerably. Once he got inside he sat down at a table in the back corner. There were a few patrons eating and talking. There was a group of four men, though, that looked like they were up to something.
"Perfect." one of the said, "The storm will be perfect cover."
"Yeah, yeah." another one said, "We all know the plan, right? Lets do it."
All four men got up at the same time and pulled out guns.
"Alright, everybody." the leader of the gang shouted as he fired his rifle into the air, "Stay calm and no one gets hurt."
"Yeah," another guy said. "Everyone take out your money and other valuables." the patrons did as they were told. and another gang member walked around putting the money and jewelery in a cloth bag.
Ark just sat there. Undaunted by the robbers scheme. "Hey you! Gimme your wallet." the last thief yelled. "Give it to me, or i'll shoot you dead."
The Devil continued sipping his cup of coffee without a word until, "No."
This caught the attention of the leader. He walked over to the table and asked, 'What did you say, little man?"
"I said no." he contiued with his coffee.
"What the hell do you mean, 'no'?" the leader said increduously. "Put your money in the bag or I will shoot you." he said slowly.
The man with the bag went over and pulled open Ark's coat. They all gasped when they saw the two gigantic guns in shiny leather holsters attached to his legs.
A man that was sitting at the counter reached underneath it and grabbed a shotgun. He pumed a shell into the barrel and the gang wheeled around.
"Al-Alright guys." he stammered in a nervous voice, "P-Put down your guns and l-leave." he fired into the air once. "I-I'm serious!"
"Ha ha ha ha!!"the group laughed, "you gotta be joking." they all turned their guns on the would-be hero.
Ark moved with incredible speed as he pulled one of his guns out. He fired four shots. Each of them hitting the barrel of each gun with surgical precision.
"What the hell just happened?" the all four asked each other. "Its the asshole that wouldn't give us the money!"
Each of them, having their first guns ruined, pulled out four new ones. "Get him!!" they all four started firing.
Ark maneuvered to the one with the bag and punched him in the stomach. The bag went sailing through the air. He picked up a knife off of a table and threw it at the bag, pinning it to the wall.
The Devil then shot the fourth man in the leg. Then he shot the second robber in the shoulder. All the time dodging bullets from each man. The only man left standing was the leader.
After a short pause, each man charged toward each other. the gang leader fired three times while Ark ducked out of the way. grabbing a bottle off the counter, The devil threw it at his head.
A sickening 'thonk' sound filled the room. All of the thieves were finished. He ejected the clip from his gun and pulled another one off of his belt. The belt seemed to be made of a string of clips for his gun. Then he holstered his weapon.
Ark the Devil began to speak, "As well thought out as this plan was, you would have never gotten away," he pulled out a familiar pair of yellow sunglasses with a zig-zag frame, " the storm is over."
With god-like speed, he whiped out his gun and shot a bullet that barely grazed the bag, still pinned to the wall, causing its contents to spill onto the floor.
He walked out of the bullet hole riddled restaurant into the sun. He continued to walk out of town and back into the desert. His form distorted by the heat rippling off of the sand. "That could have gone better." he said to himself.
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As he was walking in the desert, Ark was come up on by a convoy of travellers. He recognized some of them as residents of Helvetich. He wasn't recognized, though. Anyone who had seen his face was too injusred to speak. Let alone identify him.
"Hey there!" called out the vanguard of the troop, "Can I offer you a lift?"
"Where are you headed?" Ark asked.
"We're goin' ta' New Tribulation."the man replied. "We can take ya' as far as there."
"I need to go to Sylfaen." he said. "Thats about 50 iles from here."
"Perfect," the man agreed, "that's right on our way."
Ark climbed into a gigantic bus with many people seated in the back. There were two unconcious men lying on stretcher in the back as well. The rest of the occupants were tired and dirty looking.
"I'm Paul, by the way." said the driver.
"What happened?" Ark asked Paul knowing full well what had occured.
"There was a big gunfight in Helvetich yesterday." Paul replied angrily. "People are sayin' that Ark the Devil was involved."
"Really?" He said in a tone of false surprise. "What else are they saying?"
"Nothing much." Paul said with reage still in his voice. "But the price on his head just went up another 1,000,000."
"Wow." he said, again with false surprise. "Now it's up to $$58,812,000,000?"
"Yep." Paul said, "What i wouldn't give for a chunk of that. The price is comperable to Vash the Stampede's over in Gunsmoke.
When he heard that, images flashed in his head. pictures of a blonde haired boy. "Hey Ark." the boy said. Then there was another flash. There was screaming, lots of screaming. Machines were shorting out and exploding all over the place. "Ark! Come on! Hurry up!" he was running as fast as he could. he tripped over some loose cable and fell.
There was a woman there. "Rem! Nooooo!" Vash yelled.
"Vash! You and Knives need to go now." Rem said. she closed the door on an escape pod and pushed the eject button. Rem then went over and picked up Ark and put him on his feet. "You need to go too. Take the last pod"
"No! You can fit in here too!" Ark begged her, "We can escape together."
"You know as well as I do that I cant fit." she strapped Ark in, "When you land you will meet up with Vash and Knives and take care of each other"
"Please. No." Ark cried
"You are more important to humanity than I am." she closed the door. "Noooooooo!" she pushed the eject button and Ark fell away.
"Hey." he heard a mans voice, "Hey! Wake up!"
Ark opened his eyes. "Wha-what happened?"
"You blacked out right after you got in." Paul explained, "Good thing we found ya' when we did. Or ya' might have passed out in the desert and died. Oh yeah. We're here."
Ark looked out the window and saw that they were on the outskirt of Sylfaen. "How long was I out?"
"About an hour." said Paul "Do you need anything? Are you alright to travel?"
"I'm fine" Ark got up.
"Are you sure?" Paul studied him, "You don't need any food or water?
"No thanks" he refused, "I can get what I need in town."
"Alright." he said, "By the way, I never caught your name, friend."
"Uhhhh..." Ark began to think. He spotted a sign that said Louis & Bradley Bakery. "Lou."
"Alright, Lou." he smiled. "Good luck." Ark waved goodbye and walked into town.
He was very disturbed by the dream he just had. he knew it was a memory. A memory from his childhood. "What was it? I cant remember" The dream was slipping away from him. A moment later, it was all a blank.
He continued to walk, trying to remember. But, to no avail. He walked up to a keosk that had a sign that read "CHAMPIONSHIP DUELING COMPETITION. WINNER RECIEVS $$10,000."
Ark put down the name "Louis Grandmaster Funkville III" on the sign-up sheet.
"This should be fun." Said Ark the Devil.
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The competition wasn?t scheduled to begin until the next day, so Ark had to find room and board until then. He walked the streets trying to figure out how to make some quick cash. As he was walking he saw children playing and dogs barking. There was a feel of excitement in the air. This competition seemed to be a big deal here.
He finally came up on a pawnshop on the town square. He walked inside and went up to the counter. ?Can I help you?? called a voice from a room behind the caged-in counter.
?Yeah,? Ark replied, ?I wanna sell some bullets.?
?Sure,? said a squat man walking in from the back room. ?Show me what ya? got.? Ark pulled off one of the clips that made up his belt and pushed out a bullet. ?Ah, very nice. Nine millimeter. Hollow point.? He continued to examine the merchandise for another moment and said, ?I can give you 50 c cents per bullet.?
?That?s it?? Ark said haggling.
?Sorry that?s all I can afford at the moment.? His eyes flitted toward the silver clip in Ark?s hand. ?But if you were willing to part with one or two of those clips I see??
?Yeah?? Ark asked hopefully.
?I can give you say? $$20.00 each.?
Ark thought for a moment and finally said, ?All right.? He continued to pull five clips from his belt.
?O.K., that comes to $$100.00? he wrote down on a receipt.
?Don?t forget the bullets.? Ark said quickly.
The shopkeeper looked at him and said, ?You?re a sharp one. How may per clip??
?Fifteen.? He said shortly.
?O.K., then that comes to?? he pressed several buttons on an adding machine, ?$$137.050?
Ark handed the clips through a gated hole in the cage and collected his money. Not before counting it all in front of the pawnshop owner. Satisfied, he took his leave.
He continued walking through the city looking for a place to stay for the night. Apparently the competition was a bigger deal than Ark had suspected. All of the establishments he visited had no vacancies. He kept walking and walking until it was dark. He found the last hotel in town and went inside and asked, ?Do you have any rooms to spare??
?Sorry,? said a snooty old lady sitting at the front desk ?all of our rooms are reserved for the dueling participants.?
?Ah, perfect.? Ark said relieved. ?I?m in the competition.?
?I see.? She replied sharply, ?Name please.?
Ark laughed silently and said, ?Louis Grandmaster Funkville the Third.?
?All right, Mr. Ummmm, Funkville, is it? You will only be staying for the competition?? he nodded, ?Martin will show you up to your room.? She rang a bell on the shelf behind her and a young man came down the stairs. ?Martin, will you please show this gentleman to his room? He?s in the competition.?
?Oh, right-o? he said in a squeaky voice, ?Come this way, sir.? Martin led Ark up two flights of creaking wooden steps. They then followed the hallway to room number 219. Martin proceeded to show him into the room. ?The bathroom is over there.? He pointed to a door over on the left side of the bare room. ?Just call down to the front desk if you need anything else.?
?No, I?m fine.? Ark said.
?The opening round begins tomorrow at noon.? Martin explained. ?All competitors need to be at the judges tent by 11:30.?
?Alright thanks.? Ark closed the door and flopped onto the rickety bed. He closed his eyes.
He was in a desert. There was a large metal machine lying in the sand next to him. ?What?s going on?? he asked. But, no one was there. He looked inside the machine to find only a jug of water and a pair of sunglasses. He started walking, wondering where he was and what he was doing there. As he was crossing the endless nightmare of emptiness, a strong gust of wind picked up. A sandstorm was roaring through.
Sand was getting into his eyes and nostrils. He pulled his shirt over his face and got as close to the ground as he could. He was waiting there for at least an hour before the wind slowed down. His eyes still burning, Ark trekked on. His water supply was getting low.
He used a lot of the water trying to get the sand out of his eyes. When he did, he saw that he was only an ile or so away from a small settlement. He mustered all of his remaining strength and pushed forward into civilization. He was not 10 yards away when he collapsed. Then there was darkness.
His eyes opened to see a brass and wooden ceiling fan spinning. He got up and looked out the window. There were a few people out and about. Not many. But this didn?t surprise him. Considering it was just past dawn. He went into the bathroom and showered before heading downstairs. There were several men and women sitting in the hotel lounge. Ark figured they were other competitors.
He continued out of the hotel and into the streets. He went over o the Louis & Bradley Bakery for breakfast. He ordered the usual dozen glazed. He left a walked over to the town square. There he sat and ate his doughnuts. He watched men and women bustling to get things prepared for the competition. One by one he saw the people from the hotel lounge headed toward the site. There were all types showing up for the duels. Men and women of all ages. Anyone was welcome to attempt to win the $$10,000.00.
In no time at all it was 11:30. The streets were rolling with the sound of excited chatter. There was a flood of people pouring toward a little blue tent right next to a big stage. There was a thin and nervous looking man running around the crowd shouting, ?Single file, please. Single file.? But, everyone ignored him. When Ark finally got to the table inside the tent, there were three judges sitting at it. The woman in the center asked, ?Name please.?
?Louis Funkville.? He said
?Right.? She handed him a clipboard, ?Sign your name on the line.? He did so and shuffled out of the tent. It was noon before any sort of order came to the crowd when a bearded man went up onto the stage and said?
?I welcome you all the The 54th Annual Sylfaen Championship Dueling Competition.? The spectators cheered. ?Most of us know how things work around here, but for all of you new people, I?ll give you a quick rundown.? Most of the crowd stopped paying attention after he said this, but he continued anyway. ?Since there are so many people vying for the $$10,000.00, there will be several preliminary rounds. The first round will be a simple target shooting round.? he held up a bull?s eye. ?Only the people who?s shot hits within the red dot or the blue circle will advance to the next round.
The second round will be a moving target challenge.? He motioned to a long rail with a tray of seven glass bottles sitting on it. ?The only way you can advance in this round is to break all seven bottles before the tray hits the end of the rail.? The mob paid little attention.
?Now as for the third round.? the crowd went silent. ?Well, the third round is a good, old fashioned fist fight. And the final round, as you all know, is a duel. The last man,? he looked around the audience. ?or woman standing will be crowned champion.? The chattering became even more excited as groups of people would discuss statistics of the fighters and who their picks were to win. ?There, of course, is the option. If things get too hairy for ya?, you can forfeit at any time. Mr. Alberts will call your name when it is your turn.?
The nervous man from before went up on stage and called out, ?Missy Alvarez. You get to go first.? The crowd cheered as she climbed up on the platform. He shot was fired and it landed right in the red zone. ?Ivan Trivell, your turn.? Mr. Alberts called. A rather large man ambled up on stage and fired his shot. The bullet missed completely and went barreling into the desert, ?Ah, son of a bitch!? he cursed as he pounded away. There were several people that went before it was Ark?s turn. He stood up on the stage in his quickdraw stance. He pulled his enormous weapon out of his holster and fired a single shot. It hit dead center. The crowd gasped to see such an impressive weapon and marksman.
There were a few more people that went after Ark and then the second round began. A total of twenty-three people advanced with him. The second round started when the judges compiled a list of the remaining participants and what order they would be starting in. in this round he saw that he was scheduled to go last. This portion weeded out fifteen of the twenty-three that were still playing. When Ark?s turn rolled around, the trial couldn?t have been simpler. As the tray with the bottles on it shot down the rail, he pulled his gun and fired one bullet. This bullet hit the rail, breaking it. When the tray hit it, the bottles went airborne. Ark fired one shot. All of the bottles shattered at the same time. He herd of onlookers stood in awe of such an amazing feat. Ark simply shrugged his shoulders and said, ?That was easy enough.?
The third round brought the most onlookers yet. The eight contestants left were put into a roster. Ark?s adversary would be Missy Alvarez. Who turned out to be last years champion. This didn?t worry him much. Their chance would be after the first match, which ended much sooner than expected. Griffin Spangler quickly broke Don Borden?s jaw. It was time for Ark and Missy to fight.
Their names were called and they both walked out into the street sectioned off especially for this round. ?Ready to rumble Mr., haha, Funkville??
?Let?s just get it over with, Ms. Alvarez.? He replied snidely.
She didn?t even wait for the bell to ring to begin the fight. She just lunged forward and thrust her fist toward his face. He quickly dodged and jabbed her in the ribs. ?What kind of name is Funkville, anyway??
?I dunno,? Ark said jumping to avoid a kick. ?I made it up.?
?Really?? she said as she faked with her left hand and made contact with her right.
?Really.? He said, rubbing his cheek.
?Can I ask what it is then?? she said before she performed a back flip to elude a roundhouse from him.
?In a minute?? he said shortly.
He punched her in the stomach then in the face. Face, stomach, stomach. He twirled around to make contact with his boot to the side of her skull. She fell to the ground and lay motionless on her back. He knelt down to her and whispered in her ear, ?I?m Ark, by the way.? Her eyes widened and she tried to say something but she blacked out. [/color][/size]
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When it was all over, medical personnel carted her away to the doctor?s office. Witnessing the brutality of Griffin Spangler and the sharp shooting prowess of the man they knew as Louis Grandmaster Funkville III, the remaining contestants forfeited their chance at the grand prize.
The two men left were getting ready for the final showdown. They both retreated into the desert where the face off would take place. As they walked, Spangler yelled over to Ark, ?You prepared to die??
?Shut up and draw.? Shouted Ark antagonistically.
There was total silence as they both reached the point where they would fight. The bearded man made another announcement, ?Remember, the first man down, or the first to submit.?
There was a bell to signal the start. Despite the large stature of Griffin Spangler, he pulled two very small guns. Snub nosed Smith & Wesson 38. special revolvers. Ark only pulled one of his guns and fired two shots. They both hit Spangler?s guns and they dropped to the sand. He yelled in pain and screamed, ?You?ll never take me that easy.? He reach behind him and pulled another gun from his belt. But before he could raise it, Ark fired again.
The bullet clipped Griffin?s ear and he yelped in hurt. Ark then said, ?Submit.
?Never!? replied Spangler. Ark pulled back the hammer on his pistol with as click that echoed all through the town.
?Submit or die.? He reiterated. Griffin glanced at his gun and back to Ark. He waited a moment, then threw his gun away. The crowd had mixed feelings about the outcome. Some wanted to see one of them die. The others were surprised and delighted that the end would be so unexpected. Either way, Ark was the new champion.
Ark went up to the podium to accept his money. It was delivered to him in a handsome leather suitcase. After another short speech congratulating Ark, tourists went on to various stores and eateries to discuss and buy memorabilia from the tournament. Ark, however, went to visit Missy in the hospital.
When he got there, he saw that she was sleeping. He went into her room then walked to her bed. As soon as he got there, she arose from her slumber. She took a look at his face and tried to yell out. But, Ark quickly muffled her voice with his hand. ?I will take my hand off only if you promise not to scream.?
She looked at him and said, ?Mmm Hmm.? He did as he promised and then sat down on a chair near he bed.
?How are you holding up?? he asked her.
?I?m just fine, thank you very much.? She spat in a what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here tone of voice. Then she asked, ?What the hell are you doing here??
?Just wanted to let you know I won.? He replied haughtily.
?Whatever.? Missy said attempting to be indifferent.
?Right, well I?ll be off.? He rose from his seat and headed out the door. Missy mulled tings over in her mind for a moment and yelled out.
?Hey, Ark!?
?Yeah?? he said curiously
?Congratulations.? She offered humbly.
Ark smiled slightly and walked away. He realized a doctor was standing outside the door when he walked out. ?Did he hear he call out my name?? he thought to himself. He assumed that he did because of the doctor?s quivering hands. Ark gave him a cold stare and continued strolling down the hall.
When he got back outside, he headed for the nearest bar he could find. He went to the counter and ordered, ?Scotch and water.? his usual beverage. He saw that just about everyone in the place were people disqualified from the duels. They all looked at him as if he didn?t belong there. Ark didn?t mind. He just sat there drinking. A phone behind the bar began to ring. The bar tender picked it up and said, ?Hello? Yeah he?s here.? His face drained. ?Al-alright. I?ll take care of it.?
The barkeep came out from behind it. He went around the room under the pretense of refreshing drinks. He was actually alerting the occupants to the true identity of the tournament winner. Ark realized this immediately, but did nothing about it. He could only assume that the doctor couldn?t keep his mouth shut. He finished his drink and stood up. He crossed the room to the exit and left. There was a mad dash to the door as everyone ran to it at once.
Ark could hear everything going on and still did nothing. When everyone was out of the bar. They began to arm themselves. He heard guns being loaded and cocked. Then he heard a familiar voice call out, ?So you?re the infamous Ark the Devil.? Ark turned around to see Griffin Spangler standing in front of no less than forty gun-laden men and women. His armament was quite different than that of before. His body was weighed down by what had to be fifty kilos of ammunition.
?Here we go again.? Ark whispered. He began to run. His speed was amazing. His reflexes were as such that he could dodge the bullets being fired at him. He continued to run and hide. Most of the town had not heard that Ark was in town, so they had no idea what was happening.
There was a voice on the loudspeakers placed all around town. It said ?Attention residents of Sylfaen. The infamous Ark the Devil is being chased through town. Please get to a secure area now.?
Ark was quickly found in the alleyway he was hiding in. the group of men that found him launched a missile at him. He fired at it, making it explode. This gave him a good cover to find a better hiding spot. He was running and running until he came to an open door. It was the pawnshop he was in the day before. He went to the door in the cage and shot the lock off. He ducked beneath the counter and stayed there. He saw something shiny on the desk in the back room. It was the clips he left. He scooped them up and reattached them to his belt.
There must have been a skilled tracker in the lot, because the mob found him very quickly. He went from the office to the back exit. He saw a car there and jumped into it.
There were no keys in it so he pulled a fistful of wires from underneath the dashboard and hotwired it. He went zooming through the empty roadways. When he turned a corner, he saw someone standing there. It was Missy. She jumped into passenger side and yelled, ?Drive!?
There were automatic machine guns popping off thousands of rounds behind him and rockets zooming past. He rolled down the window and fired three shots into the horde of pursuers. Two bullets hit two of the rocket launchers, causing them to detonate. Most of the pack was blasted back by the shockwave. The third bullet hit Griffin Spangler squarely between the eyes.
?I never did like that asshole.? Ark laughed as he and Missy drove out of town.
CHECK OUT CHAPTER FIVE OF ?TRIGUN: A NEW WORLD? COMING SOON.
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