Hi guys. hope you enjoyed the session last night (if not PM me and tell me why!). Thought I'd do a bit of a write up this week but feel free to add one yourself from your character's perspective if you like.
Part 2 - An American Rail
Sunrise arrived too early for some in Colorado Springs.
Slumped in a corner of Mrs Collins's boarding house, a bedraggled Antonio snored loudly, spittle running down his chin and onto the dusty floor where a scrawny dog eagerly lapped up the moisture which was probably 80 per cent proof.
Rabbi Wolowitz looked on, a disapproving expression etched across his face as he ate his bowl of porridge. Realising that his new acquaintance from the barfight the night before wasn't going to be making it to the station on time for their delivery job, Wolowitz gently woke the sleeping Mexican by dousing him with a jugful of water.
Spluttering awake, Antonio realised his trousers were missing and desperately cast about to find the garment and hopefully retain some of his dignity. Taken by surprise, the dog skittered sideways, a pair of soiled trousers draped across its back. Antonio managed to retrieve them before the mangy cur bolted outside.
After wolfing down a bowl of Mrs Collins's finest oats, Antonio and Rabbi Wolowitz headed for the train station to rendezvous with the gunslinger Bob Two Feathers and the shady huckster Cobb Whateley.
They were met by a young man in the employ of Mr Grainger who handed them the advance payment for the job and explained who they needed to meet and when. Satisfied that the posse knew what they had to do, the young man left to telegram ahead to Odessa to arrange transport for them later on.
The team boarded the Colorado Central Railroad's locomotive and they were soon on their way out west. On board were a few other passengers, a snooty English businessman, a prim looking schoolmarm who nearly fell for Antonio's louche charms along with an annoying kid called Zeke who did his best to annoy everyone else.
The first half of the journey proved uneventful but as the train wound its way down onto a winding, grass plain bounded by the Rockies on one side and dark, foreboding pine forests on the other, Rabbi Wolowitz and Cobb noticed a large group of riders emerging from beneath the fir trees. This couldn't be good.
Soon everyone was alerted to the appearance of the riders who burst from the trees hollerin' and shootin' into the air causing a mighty ruckus. Fearing for the safety of themselves, the crew and the passengers, the posse took charge and started picking off these outlaws one by one.
It soon became apparent that the bandits meant to board the train and rob it as a fierce looking Indian and a mean looking one-eyed piece of old leather by the name of One-Eyed Bobby, broke off from the rest of the outlaws and headed for the mail car where the posse's crate was safely stowed.
Thinking quickly, Antonio and Bobby Two Feathers scrambled up onto the roof of the train and headed up towards the mail carriage. The Indian, Sparrowhawk, and One-Eye managed to vault from their mounts and onto the mail carriage where Sparrowhawk shot out the lock. Several of One Eye's boys attempted to join their leader but were unable to safely make the leap across, a couple of them falling of and disappearing under the thundering wheels of the iron horse.
With unbelievable agility, the Mexican swordsman leaped from the top of the carriage, somersaulted and landed behind one of the outlaws trying to get onto the train. Antonio's amazing luck continued as he found a lone stick of dynamite poking out of the bandit's saddle bag which he lit before springing off the horse and managing to find a handhold on the side of the mail carriage where he hung on for dear life.
Meanwhile, as the rest of the posse were picking off the riders like coconuts at the fairground, a lone rail guard managed to hold off One Eyed Bobby and Sparrowhawk until Antonio reached in through an open window and yanked the surprised Indian out of the speeding train.
Angry at seeing his sidekick meet such a grizzly end, One Eyed Bobby shot the poor guard in the back as he tried to run. Unfortunately, Bobby didn't see the sinister shape of Cobb Whateley at the far end of the carriage until it was too late. A fierce blast of mystical energy lanced out of Cobb's hands and incinerated the bandit leader where he stood. Only the smell of his soiled longjohns remained to taint the air.
Out at the end of the carriage, Bob Two Feathers emptied his shotgun into a bandit that had the audacity to make the leap onto the train and the stricken outlaw was flung backwards and off the train again. Further down in the passenger car, Rabbi Wolowitz was doing his holy duty of removing sin from the world, one body at a time.
Outside, one of the outlaws noticed his saddlebag was sizzling like a pan of sausages. Realisation and horror suddenly dawned and he fought to grab the active dynamite out of his bag and fling it as far away as he could. In his panic, he fumbled it and the TNT dropped to the ground in front of two of his compadres. With a huge bang, the dynamite exploded right in their faces. Luck was on these mean hombres' side as they only suffered singed moustaches and missing eyebrows.
Seeing how much their raiding party had been depleted and their leader fallen, the heart suddenly went out of the train robbers and the four remaining raiders quickly disappeared back to the safety of the trees.
Victorious but battered, the posse and the train crew took a much needed rest and the locomotive sped on to the railhead in Odessa without further incident. On arriving at their destination, one of the train crew ran to fetch the local sheriff and explained about the failed robbery while the rest of the crew removed the corpses from the train. The body of One Eyed Bobby was still in the mail car and the sheriff thanked the posse, awarding them a small bounty for 'fatally apprehending' the miscreant.
So, the posse have arrived at the next stage of their job, which has become a lot more than they perhaps had bargained for. After all, what were the robbers after? Were they trying to get the crate that the posse were sworn to guard and, if so, why? What was in the crate? Maybe they after something else entirely?
Join us next week for Part 3 - The Malificient Evan...