Caledon's Relay For Life of '07 started it all. There had been some roleplaying involved during the fundraising, and some of the fine citizens took up the task of roleplaying......well, maybe not villains, but in some cases Ne'er Do Well's and in others, picking a fight with another resident(s). So, I thought, "Why should these people be the bad guys, after already establishing themselves as upstanding citizens? Why not have someone as the villain, and only the villain?" And then, Jobias came on to the scene (shortly after, Doctor Obolensky appeared, and eventually Malegatto Alter.....if rumors of her being evil are true).
At first, he was to be a werewolf hunter. Trying to find the right look was tough. After finding a skin of Anthony Ainley as The Master (from the Doctor Who run during the 80's), and a few outfits from Sir Edward's store, not to mention deciding on Ortega's origins and home, it all changed to Jobias Barthelmess being a specist, if it's not human, it has no rights.
From the time he was first introduced, it was the intention on making him someone everyone would love to hate. During a confrontation with Hotspur at a Caledon event, Jobias had said something about Sheriff Ortega being paranoid and that Steelhead should reconsider their decision on having hired him. If a lynch mob was possible in Second Life, it would've happened that night.
Unfortunately, Real Life intervened and the Jobias storyline fell by the wayside. By the time he returned to the Grid, not many people remembered the man. What better way to drive a man insane than to have him be forgotten.
So, the idea for Gaslamp Adventures (something that's still in the works) gave way to Steelhead Adventures, and this blog (and if photos were possible, I would've taken them and posted). In most cases, each chapter was written in less than thirty minutes, and the majority of the plot was done as the chapters were written.
Of the original idea that was supposed to have happened in world, last year:
Sheriff Ortega being shot and taken someplace safe. The original idea was to have Fuzz escape via his airship, crash in Caledon, and a few Caledonians hide him there.
Jobias searching for Fuzz, wandering all over the known lands.
The showdown, which originally was supposed to be Hotspur challenging Jobias (Hotspur and I had discussed this at length last year). The TARDIS appearing at the last minute was also to happen (only I was going to ask Oolon, since I hadn't established Purdie as either my cousin, or a Time Lord at the time).
The whole thing went into the blog (although for a while, there was silver bullets on my front porch in world, the scarecrow did go missing, and there was a mention of the crime during Steelhead town meetings, just to tie into the story). The hardest thing for me to write was in the Blog of Uggla, where Purdie was having visions of a dark future.....not like that was going to happen, mind you.
The biggest change, was the epilogue. Originally, it was to take place in Steelhead City in the year 2008, the old Steelhead is now a theme park/memorial. Lunar and Tensai are still around (Elves are immortal, and Tensai's story.....well, she'll need to tell that for herself), and speaking with Fuzzball's great granddaughter. Seems everyone's favorite werewolf lived well into the 1950's, and is fondly remembered to this day. It ended with Purdie taking Fuzz (thanks in part to the Mason family's time traveling screwing the space-time continuum, Fuzz was able to know his own future) to the museum, and showing him a portrait of the "Steelhead Four" (Katt, Lunar, Tensai, and Fuzz) and of the bright future the four of them would bring. The story ended with Purdie taking to the Steelhead Saloon (now a themed restaurant in 2008) to treat him to a Fuzz Burger.
Somehow, I came up with the idea of instead having it end with a cliffhanger ending, setting up for a new Steelhead Adventure, and doing a sort of follow up to Hotspur's unfinished Journey To Fusang storyline. And that's where we are now.....after my computer is out of the shop and a few emails with Hotspur, Steelhead Adventures continues (this time, with photos, and better plotted, instead of more or less at the last minute).
And as for Jobias.......he'll be back. Still mentally unstable or not, that remains to be seen.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Steelhead Adventures: The Grand Finale With A Cliffhanger Ending....wha'?!?
Steelhead City Town Hall, Later That Evening
The meeting room was a buzz with the recent events of the night, Angelica being threatened and Tensai being defeated. All were shocked and dismayed by the news.
"SHOCKED" yelled Riven Homewood
"And Dismayed" added Annechen Lowey
The citizens continued to ramble on angrily. Behind the podium, Lunar tried to calm the citizens down. Finally, exasperated he looked at his sister and motioned towards the crowd. Christine stood up, and without raising her voice above her normal tone, said:
"Be quiet"
And the citizens all went quiet and looked at Lunar.
"Thank you," Lunar said, while at the same time wondering how Fuzz managed the weekly town meetings "Now, Yes, Jobias DID threaten Angelica and yes, he DID manage to defeat Tensai in a battle of the HUD's."
"How?" Hawc DeCosta asked "There's no way anyone could defeat Tensai. She's got the most powerful talisman around."
"With the Sheriff being a close second." Mother Superior pointed out
"Well, yea" Hawc continued, "and you see how useful THAT was....."
Hawc quickly became quiet as Angelica stood up and turned towards him. Hawc knew that if looks could kill, he would be dead twenty times over.
"I'm gonna sit down and shut up." Hawc said, sitting down. He leaned towards his wife and whispered, "Why didn't you stop me?"
"You're on your own, Dear." CeAire replied
"As I was saying," Lunar continued, "he defeated Tensai, but didn't finish the job, perhaps to search for Fuzz and finish what was started. She's fine. Resting in our home. For now, I must insist that none of you approach Jobias Barthelmess. He is a very dangerous man, no telling what....."
Lunar stopped mid-sentence as he looked up at the doorway to the meeting room. Jobias Barthelmess was standing there, cleaning his monocle. The citizens turned to see Jobias, then started talking amongst themselves in a low whisper.
"Fear." Jobias said, placing the monocle back over his eye. "I can sense it in this room."
He walked into the room and headed towards the front.
"I haven't sensed this much fear since I was ruler of Moldavia. Of course, that damned werewolf interfered, but he's not here now, is he? Where is he, Mayor Eclipse? Dead?"
Kattryn Severine stood up and glared at Jobias, "Leave, Mr. Barthelmess. You are not welcomed in my town."
"I have unfinished business." Jobias sneered "Your Sheriff, as you like to call him, and I. Bring him to me. I defeated Miss Hilra. I can defeat any of you with just a snap of my fingers. I will burn your town to the ground if you do not bring him to me."
Jobias turned to find Darien standing next to him, holding two white gloves in one hand. With the gloves, Darien slapped Jobias in the face.
"You like to think that you're better than the rest of us," Darien said, "I think it's time you prove it."
Jobias rubbed the side of his face and sneered, "What did you have in mind, Clone?"
Darien stood firm, "For the honor of Miss Katt, for the honor of Steelhead City, and for the honor of my friend, Sheriff Fuzzball Ortega, I challenge you to a gunfight. No HUDs, no cheats. Just you, a man, and me, a clone of a man, and you think clone's are also inferior to you, time you proved it."
Jobias tipped his hat at Darien, "One hour, in front of the hotel, 'Doctor'."
After Jobias left the room, all was silent. Everyone stared at Darien. It was Katt who finally broke the silence.
"Darien, what are you doing?" she asked
"What?" Darien asked, "We've had gunfights in Steelhead before. And I held my own against many a bad guy back when I was sheriff."
Katt shook her head, "When you were sheriff, you were possessed by Bloodwing. How do you know you'll be able to defeat him?"
"He will NOT burn down Steelhead. And he's not going to hurt Fuzz. I'd rather die than to see either of that happen."
Angelica walked up and took Darien by the arm, "There's a six shooter in Fuzz's office."
Slowly the citizens started to leave the room. Lunar walked up to Katt.
"It will be ok, Katt" Lunar said "Steelhead always prevails."
Katt smiled and looked up at the Moon Elf, "I'd be much happier once my sheriff is back in Steelhead."
Town Hall Foyer
Purdie walked into town hall as the citizens were walking out. He had seen Jobias leave and knew that it wasn't good. Lady Christine whispered to Purdie about what was going to happen. As she walked away, boB Ballyhoo stumbled towards Purdie and put his arm around him.
"December 12, 1845" boB said, then he drunkenly stumbled away
"What was that all about?" Riven asked Purdie
"You know boB" Purdie replied, a blank expression on his face
"I don't think any of us truly know boB" Riven said, walking away
Purdie looked around, then walked towards a corner of the foyer where a grandfather clock stood. He stepped into the grandfather clock, then there was the familiar sound of Purdie's time cabinet engine and the clock disappeared.
The Street In Front Of Steelhead Hotel, One Hour Later
On both sides of the streets, the citizens of Steelhead City stood, waiting for the upcoming gunfight. On one end of the street, Darien Mason stood. It had been awhile since he had worn a holster, it was a strange feeling. On the other end of the street, Jobias Barthelmess handed his talisman to one of his henchman. He, too, was wearing a holster. The pistol had a pearl handle. Darien saw the handle, even from the distance he was standing, and turned to Angelica.
"I couldn't get a gun with a fancy handle?" he asked
Angelica shrugged, "The hell difference does it make? It shoots bullets, doesn't it?"
Jobias called out to Darien, "As you can see, 'Doctor', I have no HUD talisman. Shall we get this over with?"
"Jobias" Lunar called out, "we don't have to do this. You can leave if you'd like. We won't even tell SteelCobra about this, you wont' lose your citizenship to Steeltopia nor your ambassadorship."
"Stifle it, Elf" Jobias sneered "The clone challenged me."
Darien motioned for Lunar to step back, "It's ok, Lunar."
Lunar stepped back. The clock on the clock tower of the hotel struck the top of the hour, and started to chime the hour. Darien and Jobias took their positions and put their hands closer to their weapons. As each chime sounded, the tension grew more and more. Finally, both men drew their weapons. A shot was fired. Darien fell to the ground, grasping his shoulder as blood started coming out. A couple of the citizens started towards Darien to help, only to be stopped by a gunshot.
"I BELIEVE" Jobias yelled, aiming the gun at Darien "THAT A GUNFIGHT MEANS 'TO THE DEATH'."
Darien eyes grew wide. Suddenly, the familiar sound of a TARDIS grew louder and louder. Behind Darien, a blue box, with the words "Police Box" on the top appeared. Jobias looked in disbelief. The doors to the police box opened and Purdie stepped out. He looked at Jobias and smiled.
"Somebody wishes to speak with you." Purdie said
The doors to the police box opened and a very healthy (and very pissed off) Fuzzball Ortega stepped out.
"You threatened my sister" Fuzz snapped
All of Steelhead cheered at the sight of Fuzz's return. Jobias started to stomp around then yelled at Fuzz.
"HOW?!?!" he screamed "I SHOT YOU"
"Ok, now he confessed" Angelica told Lunar
"Yea, well, you did. And the silver was in my blood stream. Fortunately, Purdie installed a sort of perception filter in my pocketwatch, causing your aim to be slightly off." Fuzz replied
"You couldn't heal that fast" Jobias said through gritted teeth.
"It wasn't fast." Fuzz said "I spent six long months in pain." he looked at Purdie, "How long was I gone?"
"By Steelhead's count about a week, week and a half" Purdie replied
"WHERE DID YOU GO?" Jobias yelled out
Fuzz smiled, "The one place you'd never find me."
As Lunar helped Darien up, Darien asked, "Where was that?"
Purdie smiled, "Ambertown 1845, before the flood."
Darien looked over at boB and then at Fuzz, "Old Doc Caruthers took care of you?"
Fuzz nodded, "His sister had married a Lycan, he knew what to do. However, with all the magic and highly advanced medicine that would be at my disposal, it still takes awhile for the poison to get out of my system." Fuzz looked at Jobias "I did this stupid charade to prove that you were a sick man, Jobias. The doctor's at Devil's Crag prison sent me a letter detailing it. You suffer from extreme paranoia, you're delusional, and you're shizophrenic."
"Kill him," Jobias muttered, he then turned to his left as if talking to someone, "I will. Be quiet."
"There's no way," Fuzz continued, "That you would be able to do all the things you threatened to do. The citizens of Steelhead City are too strong to allow that to happen. Now, come with me, we're going to get you some help."
"BOSS" the henchman called out as he tossed the talisman to Jobias.
Jobias quickly put on the HUD and held up his hands in front of him. They started to glow red.
"While you were away, Ortegavich," Jobias said, "I defeated the Undefeated Miss Hilra and.....what?"
The citizens all hoo'd as Tensai walked around the corner and stood by Fuzz. Jobias shot a fireball from his hand, which smashed against a force field put up by Tensai.
"My turn." Tensai said with an evil grin.
A yellow beam suddenly shot from her fingertips, hitting Jobias in the chest. His HUD quickly caught on fire.
"I DEFEATED YOU" Jobias screamed
"ACTING" Tensai called out triumphantly
Lunar and Katt each walked on the street and stood by Tensai and Fuzz.
"You really think defeating Tensai is that easy?" Lunar said "It was all part of the plan Purdie set up. Tensai was never hurt. You saw her fall, then went about your business, never bothering to check to see if she was hurt. Then all we had to do was wait, you wouldn't have killed Darien, she was waiting."
Jobias pointed at Fuzz, "But I did shoot you?"
Fuzz nodded, "You even walked up on my porch to see if you needed to finish the job. Before I passed out, I could smell your mistletoe cologne. Fortunately, someone started running towards the house. You ran off so as to not be discovered."
"Mister Barthelmess" Katt said sternly, "I want you out of my town, NOW"
Jobias sneered and pointed his gun at Katt. Fuzz quickly drew his gun. With one shot, he managed to knock the gun out of Jobias' hand. With a second shot, the gun was knocked further back.
"It's over, Jobias" Fuzz said, putting his gun back in his holster.
Jobias laughed maniacly, "I don't think so, Sheriff"
A lightening bolt smashed down onto the streets. The citizens all started scattering. Fuzz looked up to see three airships hovering overhead, each armed with Telsa cannons. The cannons fired around the street. Jobias pulled out a knife and grabbed a citizen that was running by. Holding her arm behind her back, he pointed theknife at her neck.
"BACK OFF" he called out
"CHRISTINE" Lunar yelled
Jobias looked to see that he had, indeed, taken the Duchess of Argyle as a hostage, "Oh good, maybe the Duke would be willing to pay for your ransom."
The telsa cannons fired in front of Fuzz, Tensai, Lunar and Katt, preventing them from getting closer. From the middle airship, a lift came down. Jobias, Christine, and the henchman got on the lift and headed up towards the ship. The airship turned and started heading towards sea.
Fuzz turned to the other three, "Lunar, you and Katt get the SWAT Team and get the citizens to safety. Tensai, you think you can take down those two ships?"
"Does a fat dog like to fart?" Tensai asked as she started to hover in the air.
Fuzz took off his holster and handed it to Lunar. "I'll get her back, I promise."
Tensai's beam hit one of the ships. Fuzz took the chance and ran towards the docks, as he did he transformed into the werewolf. He leaped and started climbing up the side of Avalance, Sputnik, and Lightfoot. Reaching the top, he judged the distance of the airship and leaped.
The Airship
"You know, Your Grace" Jobias said, "I'm not that bad of a person. Really, I'm not. It's all Cornelius' fault."
Christine blinked and looked at Jobias with a puzzled look, "Who?"
"Cornelius, this furry I went to grade school with. Always having to be better than us. Always getting the better grades. I was human, the teacher should've recognized the superior intellect there."
Christine nodded, "Uh huh"
She looked over the side of the airship and noticed that they were just over Lighthouse Island.
"But, dont' worry," Jobias continued "All will be right. We'll go to New Babbage. I could take over there."
"I don't think so" Fuzzwolf snarled as he climbed onto the deck.
Three henchman ran towards Fuzz, trying to subdue him. Fuzz threw each one off the ship, one by one. each landed on a tree on Lighthouse Island.
Jobias looked at Fuzz, "So now what, wolf? Kill me?"
Fuzz took Christine by the hand and led her away from Jobias, "No" he replied, "I'm not like you, Jobias. I don't kill that which is different. It is not the way I am, it is not the way Steelhead City is, it's not the way Caledon is. None of us are like that. Except you. What we do is learn from that which is different."
Jobias laughed as he headed towards the stern, "What you failed to learn, Lycan. Is not to let me stand so damned close to the Telsa cannon"
Jobias grabbed the cannon, spun it around and fired. Fuzz grabbed Christine and jumped out of the way of the lightening bolt, which hit the bow of the ship, and the engine of the ship. The engine exploded and flames went up fast.
"Ok" Fuzzwolf said, "That was stupid."
"Next time, go for the bad guy, don't worry about me." Christine said
"Give me a break, I just got back"
Fuzz got up and extended his paw towards Jobias, "Jobias, come on. You'll be killed if you stay here."
Jobias pointed the cannon at Fuzz and glared at the werewolf. Another explosion sounded from below and some of the deck started to fall in. Fuzz grabbed Christine and headed towards the port side of the airship.
"Fuzz," Christine said, "We're over the ocean, now."
"Trust me." Fuzz said.
Jobias watched through the flames as Fuzz jumped off the ship. Christine screamed as the fell towards the water. Suddenly, a humpback whale surfaced and the two landed on it's back.
"Now," Fuzz said, pointing at the whale "can your 'Dear Edward' top my deputy?"
Christine laughed and hugged the lycan. The happiness was cut short as the airship exploded. The three watched as the wreckage crashed into the sea.
Christine looked at Fuzz, "What about the other two ships?"
"Two airships.....against Tensai" Fuzz replied
"Those poor men on those airships"
Fuzz looked at the whale, "Take us home, Sushi."
The Steelhead Hotel Ballroom
It was a time for celebration, no matter how late it was. All of Steelhead was in the ballroom, and some late arrivals from Caledon had come out, as well. Fuzz was telling all about his time in Ambertown.
"And Doc Caruthers" Fuzz told the group, "had help from a young guy by the name of Robert Ballyhoo."
"That explains alot." Darien said, his arm in a sling
"You were going to take a stand against Jobias?" Fuzz asked Darien.
Darien nodded. Fuzz held out his hand, as Darien took it to shake it, Fuzz pulled him closer and gave him a quick hug.
"Thank you" he said, then pulled a small cup out of his pocket, "By the way, the Sisters found this in Jobias' office. I'm presuming it was that mystical cup that demon was supposed to have."
Darien smiled as he took the cup, "There are members of my family who would be very happy to see this."
Over by the concession table, Purdie walked up towards Koen and smiled.
"Koen," Purdie said, "I want to thank you for all the help."
Koen shrugged, "No problem, sir. My family still in trouble over the time traveling?"
Purdie shook his head, "The continuum is back in order. I'm sure things are safe now. And besides, it's a party. Grab yourself a nice young girl and have some fun."
Koen smiled and ran off. Purdie looked to see Fuzz and Angelica walking towards him.
"You know she's going to kill us?" Purdie asked pointing at Angelica.
"She may kill you," Fuzz said, "I've already got a safe card in place."
"He wired Mama." Angelica said, smiling.
Purdie chuckled, then took a serious tone, "Jobias?"
Fuzz shrugged, "Sushi and a few of the aquatic residents searched the wreckage. No sign of him. He may've been dragged out to sea. But, we've got plenty of prisoners as it is. All his henchmen are in jail."
The three turned as Willard started squeaking real loud on the table, upset that his cell is now occupied.
"Oh shush and eat a cheese ball" Angelica said, she turned to Fuzz "So, all's well that ends well."
"No." Fuzz said, "When this whole mess started, the SWAT team had to check off all visitors who came into and left Steelhead City. Naturally, coming in on an abassador ship, Jobias had the diplomatic immunity and didn't have to check in."
"What are you getting at?" Purdie asked
"The night Hotspur disappeared, Sid Weezul came into Steelhead and left the same night."
Sid Weezul looked at the bars of silver in the room. He grinned greedily at the fortune he could make, especially now that word of Jobias Barthelmess' demise had reached Babbage. His dreams of Caledon real estate was cut short by a banging on the door. Cautiously, Sid walked up to the door and opened it slightly to where he could see who was knocking. However, the door was forced open by the visitor. Sid looked up at the newcomer and laughed nervously.
"Sheriff Ortega" he said, "It's nice to see you. I heard you were in bad shape and..."
Sid glanced at the bars of silver and turned back towards Fuzz.
"You know," he said, "I came in here and saw all that silver and thought to myself, 'Hey, self, I betcha that's the stolen silver from that Steeltopian shipment.' So, there it is, you can take it back to Steel......" Fuzz grabbed him by the neck "OH BOY I'M IN TROUBLE"
"WHERE'S HOTSPUR O'TOOLE?" Fuzz snapped
"W..w...who? I don't know who you're talking about"
Fuzzball's eyes started to glow read and he let out a vicious growl.
"OK! OK!" Sid screamed, as the front of his pants became soiled "I'll tell you. He's been taken to some city."
"What city?"
"Celeste City, I think"
Fuzz let go of Sid and looked at the ne'er do well. "Celestial City?"
"Yea, that's it."
The local Babbage constables came running into the warehouse with Purdie and Angelica. Purdie pointed to the silver bars.
"And THERE's the Steeltopia silver shipment" he said
The constables took Sid into custody and led him out. Angelica walked over to her brother and noticed the worried look on his face.
"Brother," she asked "where's Hotspur?"
"He's been taken prisoner," Fuzz replied, "by the Dark Ocean Society."
Purdie looked at the siblings, "Dark Ocean Society?"
"He's being taken to Fusang, China. There the warlord of Fusang, Lord Lieng, is going to torture him, and eventually kill him."
The meeting room was a buzz with the recent events of the night, Angelica being threatened and Tensai being defeated. All were shocked and dismayed by the news.
"SHOCKED" yelled Riven Homewood
"And Dismayed" added Annechen Lowey
The citizens continued to ramble on angrily. Behind the podium, Lunar tried to calm the citizens down. Finally, exasperated he looked at his sister and motioned towards the crowd. Christine stood up, and without raising her voice above her normal tone, said:
"Be quiet"
And the citizens all went quiet and looked at Lunar.
"Thank you," Lunar said, while at the same time wondering how Fuzz managed the weekly town meetings "Now, Yes, Jobias DID threaten Angelica and yes, he DID manage to defeat Tensai in a battle of the HUD's."
"How?" Hawc DeCosta asked "There's no way anyone could defeat Tensai. She's got the most powerful talisman around."
"With the Sheriff being a close second." Mother Superior pointed out
"Well, yea" Hawc continued, "and you see how useful THAT was....."
Hawc quickly became quiet as Angelica stood up and turned towards him. Hawc knew that if looks could kill, he would be dead twenty times over.
"I'm gonna sit down and shut up." Hawc said, sitting down. He leaned towards his wife and whispered, "Why didn't you stop me?"
"You're on your own, Dear." CeAire replied
"As I was saying," Lunar continued, "he defeated Tensai, but didn't finish the job, perhaps to search for Fuzz and finish what was started. She's fine. Resting in our home. For now, I must insist that none of you approach Jobias Barthelmess. He is a very dangerous man, no telling what....."
Lunar stopped mid-sentence as he looked up at the doorway to the meeting room. Jobias Barthelmess was standing there, cleaning his monocle. The citizens turned to see Jobias, then started talking amongst themselves in a low whisper.
"Fear." Jobias said, placing the monocle back over his eye. "I can sense it in this room."
He walked into the room and headed towards the front.
"I haven't sensed this much fear since I was ruler of Moldavia. Of course, that damned werewolf interfered, but he's not here now, is he? Where is he, Mayor Eclipse? Dead?"
Kattryn Severine stood up and glared at Jobias, "Leave, Mr. Barthelmess. You are not welcomed in my town."
"I have unfinished business." Jobias sneered "Your Sheriff, as you like to call him, and I. Bring him to me. I defeated Miss Hilra. I can defeat any of you with just a snap of my fingers. I will burn your town to the ground if you do not bring him to me."
Jobias turned to find Darien standing next to him, holding two white gloves in one hand. With the gloves, Darien slapped Jobias in the face.
"You like to think that you're better than the rest of us," Darien said, "I think it's time you prove it."
Jobias rubbed the side of his face and sneered, "What did you have in mind, Clone?"
Darien stood firm, "For the honor of Miss Katt, for the honor of Steelhead City, and for the honor of my friend, Sheriff Fuzzball Ortega, I challenge you to a gunfight. No HUDs, no cheats. Just you, a man, and me, a clone of a man, and you think clone's are also inferior to you, time you proved it."
Jobias tipped his hat at Darien, "One hour, in front of the hotel, 'Doctor'."
After Jobias left the room, all was silent. Everyone stared at Darien. It was Katt who finally broke the silence.
"Darien, what are you doing?" she asked
"What?" Darien asked, "We've had gunfights in Steelhead before. And I held my own against many a bad guy back when I was sheriff."
Katt shook her head, "When you were sheriff, you were possessed by Bloodwing. How do you know you'll be able to defeat him?"
"He will NOT burn down Steelhead. And he's not going to hurt Fuzz. I'd rather die than to see either of that happen."
Angelica walked up and took Darien by the arm, "There's a six shooter in Fuzz's office."
Slowly the citizens started to leave the room. Lunar walked up to Katt.
"It will be ok, Katt" Lunar said "Steelhead always prevails."
Katt smiled and looked up at the Moon Elf, "I'd be much happier once my sheriff is back in Steelhead."
Town Hall Foyer
Purdie walked into town hall as the citizens were walking out. He had seen Jobias leave and knew that it wasn't good. Lady Christine whispered to Purdie about what was going to happen. As she walked away, boB Ballyhoo stumbled towards Purdie and put his arm around him.
"December 12, 1845" boB said, then he drunkenly stumbled away
"What was that all about?" Riven asked Purdie
"You know boB" Purdie replied, a blank expression on his face
"I don't think any of us truly know boB" Riven said, walking away
Purdie looked around, then walked towards a corner of the foyer where a grandfather clock stood. He stepped into the grandfather clock, then there was the familiar sound of Purdie's time cabinet engine and the clock disappeared.
The Street In Front Of Steelhead Hotel, One Hour Later
On both sides of the streets, the citizens of Steelhead City stood, waiting for the upcoming gunfight. On one end of the street, Darien Mason stood. It had been awhile since he had worn a holster, it was a strange feeling. On the other end of the street, Jobias Barthelmess handed his talisman to one of his henchman. He, too, was wearing a holster. The pistol had a pearl handle. Darien saw the handle, even from the distance he was standing, and turned to Angelica.
"I couldn't get a gun with a fancy handle?" he asked
Angelica shrugged, "The hell difference does it make? It shoots bullets, doesn't it?"
Jobias called out to Darien, "As you can see, 'Doctor', I have no HUD talisman. Shall we get this over with?"
"Jobias" Lunar called out, "we don't have to do this. You can leave if you'd like. We won't even tell SteelCobra about this, you wont' lose your citizenship to Steeltopia nor your ambassadorship."
"Stifle it, Elf" Jobias sneered "The clone challenged me."
Darien motioned for Lunar to step back, "It's ok, Lunar."
Lunar stepped back. The clock on the clock tower of the hotel struck the top of the hour, and started to chime the hour. Darien and Jobias took their positions and put their hands closer to their weapons. As each chime sounded, the tension grew more and more. Finally, both men drew their weapons. A shot was fired. Darien fell to the ground, grasping his shoulder as blood started coming out. A couple of the citizens started towards Darien to help, only to be stopped by a gunshot.
"I BELIEVE" Jobias yelled, aiming the gun at Darien "THAT A GUNFIGHT MEANS 'TO THE DEATH'."
Darien eyes grew wide. Suddenly, the familiar sound of a TARDIS grew louder and louder. Behind Darien, a blue box, with the words "Police Box" on the top appeared. Jobias looked in disbelief. The doors to the police box opened and Purdie stepped out. He looked at Jobias and smiled.
"Somebody wishes to speak with you." Purdie said
The doors to the police box opened and a very healthy (and very pissed off) Fuzzball Ortega stepped out.
"You threatened my sister" Fuzz snapped
All of Steelhead cheered at the sight of Fuzz's return. Jobias started to stomp around then yelled at Fuzz.
"HOW?!?!" he screamed "I SHOT YOU"
"Ok, now he confessed" Angelica told Lunar
"Yea, well, you did. And the silver was in my blood stream. Fortunately, Purdie installed a sort of perception filter in my pocketwatch, causing your aim to be slightly off." Fuzz replied
"You couldn't heal that fast" Jobias said through gritted teeth.
"It wasn't fast." Fuzz said "I spent six long months in pain." he looked at Purdie, "How long was I gone?"
"By Steelhead's count about a week, week and a half" Purdie replied
"WHERE DID YOU GO?" Jobias yelled out
Fuzz smiled, "The one place you'd never find me."
As Lunar helped Darien up, Darien asked, "Where was that?"
Purdie smiled, "Ambertown 1845, before the flood."
Darien looked over at boB and then at Fuzz, "Old Doc Caruthers took care of you?"
Fuzz nodded, "His sister had married a Lycan, he knew what to do. However, with all the magic and highly advanced medicine that would be at my disposal, it still takes awhile for the poison to get out of my system." Fuzz looked at Jobias "I did this stupid charade to prove that you were a sick man, Jobias. The doctor's at Devil's Crag prison sent me a letter detailing it. You suffer from extreme paranoia, you're delusional, and you're shizophrenic."
"Kill him," Jobias muttered, he then turned to his left as if talking to someone, "I will. Be quiet."
"There's no way," Fuzz continued, "That you would be able to do all the things you threatened to do. The citizens of Steelhead City are too strong to allow that to happen. Now, come with me, we're going to get you some help."
"BOSS" the henchman called out as he tossed the talisman to Jobias.
Jobias quickly put on the HUD and held up his hands in front of him. They started to glow red.
"While you were away, Ortegavich," Jobias said, "I defeated the Undefeated Miss Hilra and.....what?"
The citizens all hoo'd as Tensai walked around the corner and stood by Fuzz. Jobias shot a fireball from his hand, which smashed against a force field put up by Tensai.
"My turn." Tensai said with an evil grin.
A yellow beam suddenly shot from her fingertips, hitting Jobias in the chest. His HUD quickly caught on fire.
"I DEFEATED YOU" Jobias screamed
"ACTING" Tensai called out triumphantly
Lunar and Katt each walked on the street and stood by Tensai and Fuzz.
"You really think defeating Tensai is that easy?" Lunar said "It was all part of the plan Purdie set up. Tensai was never hurt. You saw her fall, then went about your business, never bothering to check to see if she was hurt. Then all we had to do was wait, you wouldn't have killed Darien, she was waiting."
Jobias pointed at Fuzz, "But I did shoot you?"
Fuzz nodded, "You even walked up on my porch to see if you needed to finish the job. Before I passed out, I could smell your mistletoe cologne. Fortunately, someone started running towards the house. You ran off so as to not be discovered."
"Mister Barthelmess" Katt said sternly, "I want you out of my town, NOW"
Jobias sneered and pointed his gun at Katt. Fuzz quickly drew his gun. With one shot, he managed to knock the gun out of Jobias' hand. With a second shot, the gun was knocked further back.
"It's over, Jobias" Fuzz said, putting his gun back in his holster.
Jobias laughed maniacly, "I don't think so, Sheriff"
A lightening bolt smashed down onto the streets. The citizens all started scattering. Fuzz looked up to see three airships hovering overhead, each armed with Telsa cannons. The cannons fired around the street. Jobias pulled out a knife and grabbed a citizen that was running by. Holding her arm behind her back, he pointed theknife at her neck.
"BACK OFF" he called out
"CHRISTINE" Lunar yelled
Jobias looked to see that he had, indeed, taken the Duchess of Argyle as a hostage, "Oh good, maybe the Duke would be willing to pay for your ransom."
The telsa cannons fired in front of Fuzz, Tensai, Lunar and Katt, preventing them from getting closer. From the middle airship, a lift came down. Jobias, Christine, and the henchman got on the lift and headed up towards the ship. The airship turned and started heading towards sea.
Fuzz turned to the other three, "Lunar, you and Katt get the SWAT Team and get the citizens to safety. Tensai, you think you can take down those two ships?"
"Does a fat dog like to fart?" Tensai asked as she started to hover in the air.
Fuzz took off his holster and handed it to Lunar. "I'll get her back, I promise."
Tensai's beam hit one of the ships. Fuzz took the chance and ran towards the docks, as he did he transformed into the werewolf. He leaped and started climbing up the side of Avalance, Sputnik, and Lightfoot. Reaching the top, he judged the distance of the airship and leaped.
The Airship
"You know, Your Grace" Jobias said, "I'm not that bad of a person. Really, I'm not. It's all Cornelius' fault."
Christine blinked and looked at Jobias with a puzzled look, "Who?"
"Cornelius, this furry I went to grade school with. Always having to be better than us. Always getting the better grades. I was human, the teacher should've recognized the superior intellect there."
Christine nodded, "Uh huh"
She looked over the side of the airship and noticed that they were just over Lighthouse Island.
"But, dont' worry," Jobias continued "All will be right. We'll go to New Babbage. I could take over there."
"I don't think so" Fuzzwolf snarled as he climbed onto the deck.
Three henchman ran towards Fuzz, trying to subdue him. Fuzz threw each one off the ship, one by one. each landed on a tree on Lighthouse Island.
Jobias looked at Fuzz, "So now what, wolf? Kill me?"
Fuzz took Christine by the hand and led her away from Jobias, "No" he replied, "I'm not like you, Jobias. I don't kill that which is different. It is not the way I am, it is not the way Steelhead City is, it's not the way Caledon is. None of us are like that. Except you. What we do is learn from that which is different."
Jobias laughed as he headed towards the stern, "What you failed to learn, Lycan. Is not to let me stand so damned close to the Telsa cannon"
Jobias grabbed the cannon, spun it around and fired. Fuzz grabbed Christine and jumped out of the way of the lightening bolt, which hit the bow of the ship, and the engine of the ship. The engine exploded and flames went up fast.
"Ok" Fuzzwolf said, "That was stupid."
"Next time, go for the bad guy, don't worry about me." Christine said
"Give me a break, I just got back"
Fuzz got up and extended his paw towards Jobias, "Jobias, come on. You'll be killed if you stay here."
Jobias pointed the cannon at Fuzz and glared at the werewolf. Another explosion sounded from below and some of the deck started to fall in. Fuzz grabbed Christine and headed towards the port side of the airship.
"Fuzz," Christine said, "We're over the ocean, now."
"Trust me." Fuzz said.
Jobias watched through the flames as Fuzz jumped off the ship. Christine screamed as the fell towards the water. Suddenly, a humpback whale surfaced and the two landed on it's back.
"Now," Fuzz said, pointing at the whale "can your 'Dear Edward' top my deputy?"
Christine laughed and hugged the lycan. The happiness was cut short as the airship exploded. The three watched as the wreckage crashed into the sea.
Christine looked at Fuzz, "What about the other two ships?"
"Two airships.....against Tensai" Fuzz replied
"Those poor men on those airships"
Fuzz looked at the whale, "Take us home, Sushi."
The Steelhead Hotel Ballroom
It was a time for celebration, no matter how late it was. All of Steelhead was in the ballroom, and some late arrivals from Caledon had come out, as well. Fuzz was telling all about his time in Ambertown.
"And Doc Caruthers" Fuzz told the group, "had help from a young guy by the name of Robert Ballyhoo."
"That explains alot." Darien said, his arm in a sling
"You were going to take a stand against Jobias?" Fuzz asked Darien.
Darien nodded. Fuzz held out his hand, as Darien took it to shake it, Fuzz pulled him closer and gave him a quick hug.
"Thank you" he said, then pulled a small cup out of his pocket, "By the way, the Sisters found this in Jobias' office. I'm presuming it was that mystical cup that demon was supposed to have."
Darien smiled as he took the cup, "There are members of my family who would be very happy to see this."
Over by the concession table, Purdie walked up towards Koen and smiled.
"Koen," Purdie said, "I want to thank you for all the help."
Koen shrugged, "No problem, sir. My family still in trouble over the time traveling?"
Purdie shook his head, "The continuum is back in order. I'm sure things are safe now. And besides, it's a party. Grab yourself a nice young girl and have some fun."
Koen smiled and ran off. Purdie looked to see Fuzz and Angelica walking towards him.
"You know she's going to kill us?" Purdie asked pointing at Angelica.
"She may kill you," Fuzz said, "I've already got a safe card in place."
"He wired Mama." Angelica said, smiling.
Purdie chuckled, then took a serious tone, "Jobias?"
Fuzz shrugged, "Sushi and a few of the aquatic residents searched the wreckage. No sign of him. He may've been dragged out to sea. But, we've got plenty of prisoners as it is. All his henchmen are in jail."
The three turned as Willard started squeaking real loud on the table, upset that his cell is now occupied.
"Oh shush and eat a cheese ball" Angelica said, she turned to Fuzz "So, all's well that ends well."
"No." Fuzz said, "When this whole mess started, the SWAT team had to check off all visitors who came into and left Steelhead City. Naturally, coming in on an abassador ship, Jobias had the diplomatic immunity and didn't have to check in."
"What are you getting at?" Purdie asked
"The night Hotspur disappeared, Sid Weezul came into Steelhead and left the same night."
EPILOGUE
A Deserted Warehouse, New Babbage
Sid Weezul looked at the bars of silver in the room. He grinned greedily at the fortune he could make, especially now that word of Jobias Barthelmess' demise had reached Babbage. His dreams of Caledon real estate was cut short by a banging on the door. Cautiously, Sid walked up to the door and opened it slightly to where he could see who was knocking. However, the door was forced open by the visitor. Sid looked up at the newcomer and laughed nervously.
"Sheriff Ortega" he said, "It's nice to see you. I heard you were in bad shape and..."
Sid glanced at the bars of silver and turned back towards Fuzz.
"You know," he said, "I came in here and saw all that silver and thought to myself, 'Hey, self, I betcha that's the stolen silver from that Steeltopian shipment.' So, there it is, you can take it back to Steel......" Fuzz grabbed him by the neck "OH BOY I'M IN TROUBLE"
"WHERE'S HOTSPUR O'TOOLE?" Fuzz snapped
"W..w...who? I don't know who you're talking about"
Fuzzball's eyes started to glow read and he let out a vicious growl.
"OK! OK!" Sid screamed, as the front of his pants became soiled "I'll tell you. He's been taken to some city."
"What city?"
"Celeste City, I think"
Fuzz let go of Sid and looked at the ne'er do well. "Celestial City?"
"Yea, that's it."
The local Babbage constables came running into the warehouse with Purdie and Angelica. Purdie pointed to the silver bars.
"And THERE's the Steeltopia silver shipment" he said
The constables took Sid into custody and led him out. Angelica walked over to her brother and noticed the worried look on his face.
"Brother," she asked "where's Hotspur?"
"He's been taken prisoner," Fuzz replied, "by the Dark Ocean Society."
Purdie looked at the siblings, "Dark Ocean Society?"
"He's being taken to Fusang, China. There the warlord of Fusang, Lord Lieng, is going to torture him, and eventually kill him."
The End
Coming Soon: Steelhead Adventures: Return To Fusang
Friday, October 10, 2008
Steelhead Adventures: 'tis A Long Bumpy Road
Outside Town Hall, Steelhead City
Lunar and Purdie walked out of the town hall, speaking of the recent events.
"I'm not sure about Mr. O'Toole," Purdie told Lunar "it does seem odd that he'd disappear during the middle of all this."
"I agree," Lunar replied, nodding "is it connected, you think?"
Purdie's response was a shrug. Lunar started to ask another question, when a dirt clod hit Purdie in the back of the head. The two turned to see Angelica a few feet away, picking up another clod of dirt.
"Angelica" Purdie said "What was that for?"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Angelica yelled as she threw another dirt clod at Purdie. "YOU JUST HAD TO GO AND LET HIM GET SHOT"
"It was his idea" Purdie pleaded, dodging another dirt clod "Is this because of him being shot, or because you hate my purple outfits?"
Angelica glared at Purdie, then ran up to him, only to be held back by Lunar.
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU REGENERATED?" she called out
Trying to keep a calm disposition, Purdie replied, "This.....is my first incarnation. I haven't regenerated yet. I mean, I'm only 350."
"When I get my hands on you," she said through gritted teeth, "I'll put you through all 13 of your lives in less than five minutes."
"Angelica" Lunar said, calmly "this is not helping. Please, let's.....let's go get some cookies."
Angelica stopped struggling and looked up at the Moon Elf, "Elves bake cookies?"
"Well...." Lunar said as he let her go
Angelica straightened herself out, then looked at Purdie, "He lives in a tree and he bakes cookies."
"Interesting concept" Purdie said, thoughtfully
"Actually," Lunar said, "I was thinking of going over to my sister's bakery and getting some of her fresh baked cookies, and some tea."
Angelica nodded, then looked at Purdie, "What is he trying to prove by allowing himself to be shot by a silver bullet."
"With luck.....mental instability." Purdie replied
"Well," Angelica said, "I think he made his point."
As Angelica and Lunar walked off, Purdie heard Angelica say, "I swear if he's not dead, I'll kill him."
"The Mayor has a unique way of calming people down with the sound of his voice." Purdie said to himself.
Steeltopian Embassy In Steelhead
A Steeltopian guardsman walked in and looked at Jobias Barthelmess, who's hair was mussed and his clothes were wrinkled.
"Are you ok, Mr. Ambassador?" the guardsman asked
Jobias didn't respond, just looked at the Steelhead Sentinel story about the sheriff being shot and taken someplace safe.
"Sir?" the guardsman asked
Jobias looked at the guardsman, "Nobody knows where the Sheriff's at. Kind of odd, don't you think?"
The guardsman shrugged, "Hard to say, Mr. Ambassador, his life has been in danger, best they kept his whereabouts a secret."
"Of course," Jobias said with a mock smile, "but, some have to know. His family, for example. As close as he and his sister are....she'd know."
"Mr. Ambassador," the guardsman asked, concern showing on his face, "are you sure that you're ok?"
Jobias got up and walked up the stairs, "Of course, been very concerned over the events that our friends here in Steelhead have been experiencing. That will be all, guardsman, I'll be getting some rest now."
Steelhead Commons, Later That Night
Angelica walked the streets, heading towards the Ortega residence. The tea and cookies helped, along with the company of Lady Christine and Lunar. She had even offered to pay for Purdie's cleaning, although she promised he was going to get a serious butt kicking once all this was over. Suddenly, she was grabbed by someone who was hiding in the shadows. The assailint dragged her behind the Steelhead Hotel and threw her up against the wall. Angelica started to swing at her attacker, only to find a silver dagger at her throat.
"Jobias Barthelmess" she said, looking at her attacker.
Jobias gave an evil smile. He was looking better than he looked earlier, hair cleaned and combed, suit pressed, shoes shined, monocle clean.
"Something I've alwaaays wondered." Jobias said, "Trescothick.....that an ex-husband, or something?"
Angelica rolled her eyes, "It's a stage name, you Doody Head."
"Ah" Jobias said, he then put the sharp silver blade closer to her throat. He leaned closer to her face and whispered, "Where's your brother?"
"I don't know" Angelica replied through gritted teeth. Her blood was rising out of anger, but her hands were shaking from fear.
Jobias moved even closer to her face, his grin growing more evil, "I'm going to find him. I'm going to finish the job."
A voice from the other end ended the conversation, Jobias saw the figure of a nun that started heading towards them at a quick pace. Jobias threw Angelica to the ground and ran off. The nun, Sister Christian, helped Angelica to her feet.
"Are you ok, Miss Trescothick?" Sister Christian asked "Who was that?"
"Find Lunar" Angelica whispered
Steelhead Town Hall Meeting Room
Lunar, Dogg Food, Darien Mason, Lady Christine, Mother Superior, and Angelica were discussing what had just happened. Christine gave Angelica, who's hands were still shaking, a cup of coffee. Darien sat down next to Angelica and opened his medical bag.
"I may have something you might want to add to that coffee." Darien said
"Some special medicine?" she asked
Darien pulled out a flask, "Dr. Jack Daniel's special medicine"
Angelica smiled and held out her cup as Darien poured some of the whiskey in it.
"I need to know," Lunar said, "how we can arrest Jobias?"
"The man was crazy" Angelica said as she sipped her coffee, "I will tell you this, he may've said he was going to finish the job, but he never said anything about shooting Fuzz in the first place."
Mother Superior tapped her ruler on her palm, "I'm afraid she's right, sir. All we have is a threat to do the Sheriff harm, and the attack on Miss Trescothick. He will claim diplomatic immunity."
"Oh, pish posh." Christine said, "Emperor Calamari will help us. He could deny the immunity to Jobias."
Lunar sat in his usual spot on the bench, "We've sent word out to Emperor Calamari. Not sure when he'll receive the message. Even so, Jobias is no where to be seen."
"He was feared, once." Darien said, as he closed his medical bag, "When we first heard of him, when Fuzz shared with us the stories of the coup in Moldavia. When Jobias walked around Caledon, people spoke of him in hushed whispers. Then he disappeared, obviously to make himself eligible for Steeltopian citizenship. He returns, it was more like sightings of the Beast of Caledon. 'Oh yea, that's nice *yawn*'."
Lunar looked at Angelica, "I've never seen you like this. Normally, your bite is worse than Fuzz's bark."
"There was something about him," Angelica replied, "like I said, he's crazy. Before, he was a dangerous individual. He had a sharp mind, and his goals were all planned out in advance.....only to be thwarted by a werewolf once or twice. But now.....there's no telling what he would do."
"Where's Purdie?" Lunar asked, "He should be here by now."
"I'm not sure," Mother Superior replied, "Sister Mary Katherine said his traveling cabinet was empty....although, checking all the rooms would take some time. I've sent in a few other SWAT members to do a thorough search."
Lunar's face started to show deep concern, "This is not good."
He got up and turned and looked at the doorway, his face turned to a look of shock. The others got up and turned to see Tensai limping in. She was bruised and beaten, and basically looked like she'd been through Hell.
"Jobias has better hud's than me." Tensai said, referring to the magical talismans that the local Native's created for protection. She then collapsed to the floor.
"Oh boy," Dogg Food said, as the others rushed to Tensai, "THIS does not look good."
Lunar and Purdie walked out of the town hall, speaking of the recent events.
"I'm not sure about Mr. O'Toole," Purdie told Lunar "it does seem odd that he'd disappear during the middle of all this."
"I agree," Lunar replied, nodding "is it connected, you think?"
Purdie's response was a shrug. Lunar started to ask another question, when a dirt clod hit Purdie in the back of the head. The two turned to see Angelica a few feet away, picking up another clod of dirt.
"Angelica" Purdie said "What was that for?"
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Angelica yelled as she threw another dirt clod at Purdie. "YOU JUST HAD TO GO AND LET HIM GET SHOT"
"It was his idea" Purdie pleaded, dodging another dirt clod "Is this because of him being shot, or because you hate my purple outfits?"
Angelica glared at Purdie, then ran up to him, only to be held back by Lunar.
"HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU REGENERATED?" she called out
Trying to keep a calm disposition, Purdie replied, "This.....is my first incarnation. I haven't regenerated yet. I mean, I'm only 350."
"When I get my hands on you," she said through gritted teeth, "I'll put you through all 13 of your lives in less than five minutes."
"Angelica" Lunar said, calmly "this is not helping. Please, let's.....let's go get some cookies."
Angelica stopped struggling and looked up at the Moon Elf, "Elves bake cookies?"
"Well...." Lunar said as he let her go
Angelica straightened herself out, then looked at Purdie, "He lives in a tree and he bakes cookies."
"Interesting concept" Purdie said, thoughtfully
"Actually," Lunar said, "I was thinking of going over to my sister's bakery and getting some of her fresh baked cookies, and some tea."
Angelica nodded, then looked at Purdie, "What is he trying to prove by allowing himself to be shot by a silver bullet."
"With luck.....mental instability." Purdie replied
"Well," Angelica said, "I think he made his point."
As Angelica and Lunar walked off, Purdie heard Angelica say, "I swear if he's not dead, I'll kill him."
"The Mayor has a unique way of calming people down with the sound of his voice." Purdie said to himself.
Steeltopian Embassy In Steelhead
A Steeltopian guardsman walked in and looked at Jobias Barthelmess, who's hair was mussed and his clothes were wrinkled.
"Are you ok, Mr. Ambassador?" the guardsman asked
Jobias didn't respond, just looked at the Steelhead Sentinel story about the sheriff being shot and taken someplace safe.
"Sir?" the guardsman asked
Jobias looked at the guardsman, "Nobody knows where the Sheriff's at. Kind of odd, don't you think?"
The guardsman shrugged, "Hard to say, Mr. Ambassador, his life has been in danger, best they kept his whereabouts a secret."
"Of course," Jobias said with a mock smile, "but, some have to know. His family, for example. As close as he and his sister are....she'd know."
"Mr. Ambassador," the guardsman asked, concern showing on his face, "are you sure that you're ok?"
Jobias got up and walked up the stairs, "Of course, been very concerned over the events that our friends here in Steelhead have been experiencing. That will be all, guardsman, I'll be getting some rest now."
Steelhead Commons, Later That Night
Angelica walked the streets, heading towards the Ortega residence. The tea and cookies helped, along with the company of Lady Christine and Lunar. She had even offered to pay for Purdie's cleaning, although she promised he was going to get a serious butt kicking once all this was over. Suddenly, she was grabbed by someone who was hiding in the shadows. The assailint dragged her behind the Steelhead Hotel and threw her up against the wall. Angelica started to swing at her attacker, only to find a silver dagger at her throat.
"Jobias Barthelmess" she said, looking at her attacker.
Jobias gave an evil smile. He was looking better than he looked earlier, hair cleaned and combed, suit pressed, shoes shined, monocle clean.
"Something I've alwaaays wondered." Jobias said, "Trescothick.....that an ex-husband, or something?"
Angelica rolled her eyes, "It's a stage name, you Doody Head."
"Ah" Jobias said, he then put the sharp silver blade closer to her throat. He leaned closer to her face and whispered, "Where's your brother?"
"I don't know" Angelica replied through gritted teeth. Her blood was rising out of anger, but her hands were shaking from fear.
Jobias moved even closer to her face, his grin growing more evil, "I'm going to find him. I'm going to finish the job."
A voice from the other end ended the conversation, Jobias saw the figure of a nun that started heading towards them at a quick pace. Jobias threw Angelica to the ground and ran off. The nun, Sister Christian, helped Angelica to her feet.
"Are you ok, Miss Trescothick?" Sister Christian asked "Who was that?"
"Find Lunar" Angelica whispered
Steelhead Town Hall Meeting Room
Lunar, Dogg Food, Darien Mason, Lady Christine, Mother Superior, and Angelica were discussing what had just happened. Christine gave Angelica, who's hands were still shaking, a cup of coffee. Darien sat down next to Angelica and opened his medical bag.
"I may have something you might want to add to that coffee." Darien said
"Some special medicine?" she asked
Darien pulled out a flask, "Dr. Jack Daniel's special medicine"
Angelica smiled and held out her cup as Darien poured some of the whiskey in it.
"I need to know," Lunar said, "how we can arrest Jobias?"
"The man was crazy" Angelica said as she sipped her coffee, "I will tell you this, he may've said he was going to finish the job, but he never said anything about shooting Fuzz in the first place."
Mother Superior tapped her ruler on her palm, "I'm afraid she's right, sir. All we have is a threat to do the Sheriff harm, and the attack on Miss Trescothick. He will claim diplomatic immunity."
"Oh, pish posh." Christine said, "Emperor Calamari will help us. He could deny the immunity to Jobias."
Lunar sat in his usual spot on the bench, "We've sent word out to Emperor Calamari. Not sure when he'll receive the message. Even so, Jobias is no where to be seen."
"He was feared, once." Darien said, as he closed his medical bag, "When we first heard of him, when Fuzz shared with us the stories of the coup in Moldavia. When Jobias walked around Caledon, people spoke of him in hushed whispers. Then he disappeared, obviously to make himself eligible for Steeltopian citizenship. He returns, it was more like sightings of the Beast of Caledon. 'Oh yea, that's nice *yawn*'."
Lunar looked at Angelica, "I've never seen you like this. Normally, your bite is worse than Fuzz's bark."
"There was something about him," Angelica replied, "like I said, he's crazy. Before, he was a dangerous individual. He had a sharp mind, and his goals were all planned out in advance.....only to be thwarted by a werewolf once or twice. But now.....there's no telling what he would do."
"Where's Purdie?" Lunar asked, "He should be here by now."
"I'm not sure," Mother Superior replied, "Sister Mary Katherine said his traveling cabinet was empty....although, checking all the rooms would take some time. I've sent in a few other SWAT members to do a thorough search."
Lunar's face started to show deep concern, "This is not good."
He got up and turned and looked at the doorway, his face turned to a look of shock. The others got up and turned to see Tensai limping in. She was bruised and beaten, and basically looked like she'd been through Hell.
"Jobias has better hud's than me." Tensai said, referring to the magical talismans that the local Native's created for protection. She then collapsed to the floor.
"Oh boy," Dogg Food said, as the others rushed to Tensai, "THIS does not look good."
Silver Poison
To Be Concluded
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
And Now A Word From Our Sponsor.....
Do you love visiting Steelhead City? Are the town meetings part of your weekly ritual? Is a community protected by a girl genius from the far future, a werewolf sheriff, and deputized nuns your cup of tea? Have you thought about joining in the continuing growth of the community? Well, consider renting in Steelhead Port Harbor.
Yes friends, Port Harbor, Steelhead's newest addition is now prebooking. Industrial Steampunk in theme, Port Harbor will have docks, a port for airships, and a few other things to make your life in Steelhead that much more fun. And that's not all, for you'll have colorful neighbors as well, neighbors like Steeltopia Emperor SteelCobra Calamari, and Dr. Malegatto Alter. Reason enough to rent.
IM TotalLunar Eclipse for rental information. Commercial and Residential lots available. But hurry, these lots may be rented fast.
Brought to you by the Steelhead City Council and the Steelhead City Appreciation Society. Offer void in Bumfukt, Alabama. If not fully satisfied with this ad, please return unused portion for full refund. The Ortega Chronicles and Steelhead Adventures receive no payment whatsoever for these advertisements, but it gets Lunar off our backs when we do pimp Steelhead. Do not sit up close to the monitor where others can't see, it's rude. Do not squint your eyes when looking at the monitor, it's bad for your eyes. If you don't sit up close to the monitor and squint your eyes, you can't read this small print.
Yes friends, Port Harbor, Steelhead's newest addition is now prebooking. Industrial Steampunk in theme, Port Harbor will have docks, a port for airships, and a few other things to make your life in Steelhead that much more fun. And that's not all, for you'll have colorful neighbors as well, neighbors like Steeltopia Emperor SteelCobra Calamari, and Dr. Malegatto Alter. Reason enough to rent.
IM TotalLunar Eclipse for rental information. Commercial and Residential lots available. But hurry, these lots may be rented fast.
Brought to you by the Steelhead City Council and the Steelhead City Appreciation Society. Offer void in Bumfukt, Alabama. If not fully satisfied with this ad, please return unused portion for full refund. The Ortega Chronicles and Steelhead Adventures receive no payment whatsoever for these advertisements, but it gets Lunar off our backs when we do pimp Steelhead. Do not sit up close to the monitor where others can't see, it's rude. Do not squint your eyes when looking at the monitor, it's bad for your eyes. If you don't sit up close to the monitor and squint your eyes, you can't read this small print.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Steelhead Adventures: The One Without Fuzz or Hotspur
Town Hall, Steelhead City
Lunar held up his hands, trying to calm the citizens down. He knew that they were going to be upset over the news of Fuzz being shot, now it seems a lynch mob was forming, and nobody had an idea on who to lynch.
"Please," he called out, "everyone calm down. Listen to me."
Nobody seemed to listen to him, all were calling out for justice. For Lunar and the SWAT Team to do something. Finally, Lady Christine McAllister stood up.
Maintaining her normal tone, never raising it so much as an octave, "Be quiet"
And then, all citizens stopped talking and sat down. Christine sat down and looked at Lunar.
"Ok, Lunar," she said, "where did Purdie take Fuzz?"
"I wish I knew." Lunar replied, "Perhaps to Moldavia, I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait for Purdie to return and......."
As if on cue, the familiar sound of the TARDIS (ETC to many residents) grew louder and louder, and a grandfather clock materialized in front of everyone. The clock opened and Purdie stepped out.
"He's safe." Purdie softly said, giving a slight smile.
"WHERE is he?" CeAire DeCosta asked, "We have a right to know."
"I cannot tell you," was Purdie's reply "it's for the best that his whereabouts remain unknown. I will tell you, though, Fuzz is in the last place where the assassin would think to look."
"Blingtardia?!?!" Darien asked, only to be smacked in the back of the head by Baron Wulfenbach
Lunar pointed a finger at Purdie, "Well I for one am not happy with this. Tensai, Katt and myself should have been told what your plans were."
Darien slid away from the Baron's reach, "Not to mention his long time friends."
Others began to give reasons why they should know, then quickly all went quiet as Kattryn Severine stood up and walked closer to Purdie.
"Is he alive?" she asked
Purdie nodded, "Yes....however, the bullet still hit him. He felt that any other way, an invisible shield from Tensai or myself, fake blood from the Gaiety theater in Penzance, or any other way, would not have fooled the assailant. The upside, the heart wasn't hit. The downside, the silver is in his system."
"Did he know what he was doing?"
"Crazy as it sounds, yes, he knows what he's doing."
"You and he could've trusted us and told us" Lunar said
Katt looked at Lunar and smiled, "But I trust my sheriff. I'm sure there's a reason to Fuzz's madness. In the meantime, I will be at SWAT Team Headquarters."
Mother Superior walked to Miss Katt, "You wish to give us orders in regards to the situation?"
Katt shook her head, "It's also a church."
Katt walked out of the meeting room, followed by the majority of the citizens, all heading towards the church. Eventually, only Lunar, Tensai, Darien, Christine, Purdie, Baron Wulfenbach, and Old boB were left in the room.
"I hope," Tensai said, "that you and Fuzz know what you're doing."
Old boB stumbled over and put his arm around Purdie, "Don't you worry yer purty head over dat." he said, "Doc Caruthers is the best doctor around."
"Bob" Darien said
"boB" boB snapped back
"boB" Darien replied, "Doc Caruthers.....died....in the old Ambertown flood.....1845."
"Darn...." boB said, "caint take care of the sher'ff if he's dead."
"No" Purdie said with a smile, "He caint."
boB stumbled out of the room.
"Well," the Baron said, "I suppose I should join the others in prayer. Good evening"
As the Baron walked out, Darien looked at the others, "I do think some of us should've been told. Why couldn't we be part of the plan?"
"You are." Purdie replied, "Fuzz's location was to be a secret from all, even his own sister, but now we need to move on to Plan B."
"Which is?" Tensai asked
"Flushing out the shooter."
Christine smiled, "I knew Sugar Booger had a plan"
The four gathered closer to Purdie as he told them the plan.
Steelhead Forest
He had searched everywhere. He trashed the Ortega residence, almost bitten by the rat at the jail, nowhere in the tunnels. Now, deep in the forest, he searched, all the while, muttering to himself. Finally, he stopped
"Where are you?" He asked out loud
He spun around, as if he'd find the person behind him. He spun again, this time, falling to the ground. He picked up his top hat and looked around, breathing heavily. Finally, Jobias looked up and screamed at the top of his lungs
"I'LL FIND YOU, ORTEGA" he screamed "AND I SWEAR, I'LL FINISH THE JOB!"
Lunar held up his hands, trying to calm the citizens down. He knew that they were going to be upset over the news of Fuzz being shot, now it seems a lynch mob was forming, and nobody had an idea on who to lynch.
"Please," he called out, "everyone calm down. Listen to me."
Nobody seemed to listen to him, all were calling out for justice. For Lunar and the SWAT Team to do something. Finally, Lady Christine McAllister stood up.
Maintaining her normal tone, never raising it so much as an octave, "Be quiet"
And then, all citizens stopped talking and sat down. Christine sat down and looked at Lunar.
"Ok, Lunar," she said, "where did Purdie take Fuzz?"
"I wish I knew." Lunar replied, "Perhaps to Moldavia, I'm not sure. We'll just have to wait for Purdie to return and......."
As if on cue, the familiar sound of the TARDIS (ETC to many residents) grew louder and louder, and a grandfather clock materialized in front of everyone. The clock opened and Purdie stepped out.
"He's safe." Purdie softly said, giving a slight smile.
"WHERE is he?" CeAire DeCosta asked, "We have a right to know."
"I cannot tell you," was Purdie's reply "it's for the best that his whereabouts remain unknown. I will tell you, though, Fuzz is in the last place where the assassin would think to look."
"Blingtardia?!?!" Darien asked, only to be smacked in the back of the head by Baron Wulfenbach
Lunar pointed a finger at Purdie, "Well I for one am not happy with this. Tensai, Katt and myself should have been told what your plans were."
Darien slid away from the Baron's reach, "Not to mention his long time friends."
Others began to give reasons why they should know, then quickly all went quiet as Kattryn Severine stood up and walked closer to Purdie.
"Is he alive?" she asked
Purdie nodded, "Yes....however, the bullet still hit him. He felt that any other way, an invisible shield from Tensai or myself, fake blood from the Gaiety theater in Penzance, or any other way, would not have fooled the assailant. The upside, the heart wasn't hit. The downside, the silver is in his system."
"Did he know what he was doing?"
"Crazy as it sounds, yes, he knows what he's doing."
"You and he could've trusted us and told us" Lunar said
Katt looked at Lunar and smiled, "But I trust my sheriff. I'm sure there's a reason to Fuzz's madness. In the meantime, I will be at SWAT Team Headquarters."
Mother Superior walked to Miss Katt, "You wish to give us orders in regards to the situation?"
Katt shook her head, "It's also a church."
Katt walked out of the meeting room, followed by the majority of the citizens, all heading towards the church. Eventually, only Lunar, Tensai, Darien, Christine, Purdie, Baron Wulfenbach, and Old boB were left in the room.
"I hope," Tensai said, "that you and Fuzz know what you're doing."
Old boB stumbled over and put his arm around Purdie, "Don't you worry yer purty head over dat." he said, "Doc Caruthers is the best doctor around."
"Bob" Darien said
"boB" boB snapped back
"boB" Darien replied, "Doc Caruthers.....died....in the old Ambertown flood.....1845."
"Darn...." boB said, "caint take care of the sher'ff if he's dead."
"No" Purdie said with a smile, "He caint."
boB stumbled out of the room.
"Well," the Baron said, "I suppose I should join the others in prayer. Good evening"
As the Baron walked out, Darien looked at the others, "I do think some of us should've been told. Why couldn't we be part of the plan?"
"You are." Purdie replied, "Fuzz's location was to be a secret from all, even his own sister, but now we need to move on to Plan B."
"Which is?" Tensai asked
"Flushing out the shooter."
Christine smiled, "I knew Sugar Booger had a plan"
The four gathered closer to Purdie as he told them the plan.
Steelhead Forest
He had searched everywhere. He trashed the Ortega residence, almost bitten by the rat at the jail, nowhere in the tunnels. Now, deep in the forest, he searched, all the while, muttering to himself. Finally, he stopped
"Where are you?" He asked out loud
He spun around, as if he'd find the person behind him. He spun again, this time, falling to the ground. He picked up his top hat and looked around, breathing heavily. Finally, Jobias looked up and screamed at the top of his lungs
"I'LL FIND YOU, ORTEGA" he screamed "AND I SWEAR, I'LL FINISH THE JOB!"
To Be Continued
Friday, September 26, 2008
Another Out Of Character Post
Yea, I know, everyone's interested what happened to Fuzzball, where did Purdie take him, what of Hotspur's predicament, will Lance admit to Susan that he's having an affair with her evil twin sister with the eyepatch, is Jason the father of the baby, and will Rebecca be able to save the farm in time.....wait, those last three parts were from a soap opera I was watching, nevermind. Just thought I'd toss a few things out....
Speaking of Mr. O'Toole, he's got a spin off blog site translated from Gaelic it's "To Tell A Tall Tale", I've got it listed on the side as "Hotspur's Tales Of Hibernia". Basically, it's where his storytelling, roleplaying adventures and such will go, leaving Hibernia On The Skids more of the "Look what I've found in Second Life" or "This is what this group is doing" type postings....and making it easier to follow his stories. Some will tie into Steelhead Adventures (he got shoved into the current storyline......didn't think he'd mind). Others will involve other stories he's writing, some he started and have yet to finish (you see how this new site will work better for his storytelling). I've heard some may involve Caledon's MI-5.....which doesn't exist, so I'm sure these are just fictional stories. I need to try and update the Steelhead Adventures links to include the latest entry from that blog.
As for the Steelhead Adventures, I'm thinking of giving the current title "Silver Poison". Several residents are wondering if they'll be featured in it (Yes, but not everyone can be featured at the same time......if there's a crowd scene in Steelhead, chances are, you're in that crowd). Lady Christine thinks she's dead in the story (she's not, trust me). I had originally thought of ending it with a touching epilogue, but now the epilogue will be in two parts. the first part of the epilogue will be the touching part, but the second part will lead into the next adventure. Cliffhanger endings, so to speak. Just when you thought the adventure was over...BAM, we're heading into another story. Also, future stories will include references to a few historical characters, or characters from television series set during the time period (with that Gaslamp Fantasy flair added to them, naturally)
Caledon: The Musical......if you haven't seen this on other blogs, you're missing out. It is absolutely awesome. You can find it on YouTube, just search for Caledon The Musical. I applaud all of Caledon who contributed, you wacky aristocrats did a wonderful job.
It appears that giving Cato Quan whaling rights in Steelhead has ruffled a few feathers. It's kind of hard in this day and age to remember that during the 1890's, this was a regular thing. Just a few things to remember, 1) as I said, historically, this was a regular thing. 2) Cato's typist is merely roleplaying a part, I'm sure that in the real world, the typist would never do anything to harm an endangered species. 3) The whales in Second Life aren't real......they can't even be harmed. Cato could stab one with a spear, it'd still be swimming along as if nothing happened. It's all make believe.
I'm really not a big fan of Facebook, but I'm on there. Not as Fuzzball Ortega. If you have Hotspur, Eva, Lavender, Eladrienne, Christine, or Kira (that's all I can think of at the moment), you can probably find me on their friends list (hint, I'm in a tuxedo).
There was about fifteen other things I wanted to post about, but I think I'll save it for later, now, on to Steelhead Adventures. In our previous chapter, that you can find on Purdie's blog, Sheriff Ortega was shot, Purdie had taken Fuzz in his TARDIS to someplace safe, and Lunar was to call an emergency town meeting to let them know what had happened.......(Next chapter coming soon)
Speaking of Mr. O'Toole, he's got a spin off blog site translated from Gaelic it's "To Tell A Tall Tale", I've got it listed on the side as "Hotspur's Tales Of Hibernia". Basically, it's where his storytelling, roleplaying adventures and such will go, leaving Hibernia On The Skids more of the "Look what I've found in Second Life" or "This is what this group is doing" type postings....and making it easier to follow his stories. Some will tie into Steelhead Adventures (he got shoved into the current storyline......didn't think he'd mind). Others will involve other stories he's writing, some he started and have yet to finish (you see how this new site will work better for his storytelling). I've heard some may involve Caledon's MI-5.....which doesn't exist, so I'm sure these are just fictional stories. I need to try and update the Steelhead Adventures links to include the latest entry from that blog.
As for the Steelhead Adventures, I'm thinking of giving the current title "Silver Poison". Several residents are wondering if they'll be featured in it (Yes, but not everyone can be featured at the same time......if there's a crowd scene in Steelhead, chances are, you're in that crowd). Lady Christine thinks she's dead in the story (she's not, trust me). I had originally thought of ending it with a touching epilogue, but now the epilogue will be in two parts. the first part of the epilogue will be the touching part, but the second part will lead into the next adventure. Cliffhanger endings, so to speak. Just when you thought the adventure was over...BAM, we're heading into another story. Also, future stories will include references to a few historical characters, or characters from television series set during the time period (with that Gaslamp Fantasy flair added to them, naturally)
Caledon: The Musical......if you haven't seen this on other blogs, you're missing out. It is absolutely awesome. You can find it on YouTube, just search for Caledon The Musical. I applaud all of Caledon who contributed, you wacky aristocrats did a wonderful job.
It appears that giving Cato Quan whaling rights in Steelhead has ruffled a few feathers. It's kind of hard in this day and age to remember that during the 1890's, this was a regular thing. Just a few things to remember, 1) as I said, historically, this was a regular thing. 2) Cato's typist is merely roleplaying a part, I'm sure that in the real world, the typist would never do anything to harm an endangered species. 3) The whales in Second Life aren't real......they can't even be harmed. Cato could stab one with a spear, it'd still be swimming along as if nothing happened. It's all make believe.
I'm really not a big fan of Facebook, but I'm on there. Not as Fuzzball Ortega. If you have Hotspur, Eva, Lavender, Eladrienne, Christine, or Kira (that's all I can think of at the moment), you can probably find me on their friends list (hint, I'm in a tuxedo).
There was about fifteen other things I wanted to post about, but I think I'll save it for later, now, on to Steelhead Adventures. In our previous chapter, that you can find on Purdie's blog, Sheriff Ortega was shot, Purdie had taken Fuzz in his TARDIS to someplace safe, and Lunar was to call an emergency town meeting to let them know what had happened.......(Next chapter coming soon)
Monday, September 15, 2008
Steelhead Adventures: Demons, Scarecrows, Empty Bottles, A Citizen's Dilema and A Plan
Beneath Steelhead Docks
Fuzz waded into the water and pulled the corpse closer to shore. He looked at the corpse once he pulled it up on shore and looked it over.
"Looks like a blue lobster" he muttered to himself.
He looked up to see a couple of the SWAT Team coming towards him. He glanced back at the corpse, and looked at the emblem on it's uniform.
"Bloodwing?" he whispered, he then looked up at one of the sisters and said, "Find my cousin, Purdie, ask him to see what he can find out about this. Also, see if anyone from the Mason family is in town."
He looked down the docks and noticed something floating out of the entrance to the old underground tunnels. After asking the remaining nun to stay with the body, he walked closer to the cave and looked at the object floating out of the cave.
"There you are." He said to his scarecrow that had gone missing some time ago. "The Duke of Argyle had thought I had destroyed you, not thinking I had appreciated his gift."
He studied the scarecrow some more, then let out a low growl.
"That's it," he said, "time we finally put this to an end."
Sheriff's Office, Some Time Later
Ash Mason sat in the chair looking at the Sheriff. Fuzz finished the paperwork, then looked at Ash.
"Blue Lobster. Had Bloodwing's emblem on his uniform" Fuzz said
Ash nodded, "Resident of New Erebus, most definitely, there were several still in this realm. Well, most of them had been working for Marcus, but not wearing the emblem. This one, sounds like a messenger"
"Could Bloodwing have sent him to look for Darien?"
Ash shook his head, "Bloodwing was aware of the Mason families whereabouts before he......well, you know. It's possible that this courier came to deliver a message to someone else. You perhaps. News of the situation has travelled all over, fast."
Fuzz shrugged, "Had nothing else on him. No letter, no package. Why he was here is to remain another mystery. By the way, how did Darien defeat Marcus?"
"Ah, that is something he's writing in his journal. He cannot wait for everyone to read it."
"If everyone is interested in reading it."
"Yes, if everyone is interested in reading......"
Ash looked at Fuzz, who gave a big smile.
"You are joking, correct?" Ash asked
Fuzz nodded, "Yes. I am. Thank you, Ash. If we discover anything further about this demon, we'll let the family know."
As Ash left, Purdie walked in. He handed Fuzz a notepad containing his findings of the autopsy performed on the demon.
"I guess you're aware of what killed the demon?" Purdie asked
"Silver blade." Fuzzball replied, looking at the notepad. "I knew, but decided to make this official anyway."
Purdie noticed the scarecrow standing in the corner, "You found it."
"Fuzzcrow?" Fuzz asked, "Yea. Floating out of the tunnel entrance. Take a closer look at it."
Purdie walked closer and studied the scarecrow, "Oh my."
Fuzz nodded as he put the pad on the desk, "Yep. Someone's been using it for target practice. And getting better."
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of cheese. He put it on the edge of the desk as Willard ran out of the cell and climbed up on the desk to get the cheese.
"Have you told anyone?" Purdie asked
"No." Fuzz replied, "And we're not telling anyone, either. Do me a favor. Three cases of whiskey came in for Gearz. Give them to boB."
"Why?"
"I need them emptied, and he's the fastest way of emptying them." Fuzz said, putting on his hat and heading out.
"Where are you going?"
"Fizzworks" he replied, "Bring the empty bottles to Severine Valley."
Severine Valley, Later
It seemed as if half of Steelhead had arrived in the valley to see what the sheriff was up to. Old boB Ballyhoo was leaning against a large boulder, swaying as a breeze blew by. Purdie stood close by and help boB from falling over. Fuzz walked by the two, wearing his old gray suit he had arrived in Steelhead all those years ago.
"My word," Hotspur O'Toole observed, "Why this big change?"
"He didn't want to get gun powder on his other clothing. His current tailor isn't cheap" Lord Edward Pearse replied
Fuzz looked at the empty bottles set up several yards away. He pulled his coat back to reveal the Colt in the holster. He pulled the gun from the holster and spun it around, then placed it back into the holster. Then, rather quickly, he drew the gun and fired at the bottles, shattering six of them with each shot. Again, he spun the gun and placed it back in the holster. He held out his hand as Koen threw the Winchester rifle. Fuzz caught it and motioned to Purdie.
"Me?" Purdie asked, rather sheepishly
"You go" boB said, drunkenly, "I'm sloshed."
Purdie walked out to the bottles, then picked one by one up and threw them in the air. One by one, each was shattered in the air by the shots from the rifle. Soon, all bottles were shattered, none of them had landed on Purdie. The town cheered.
"MOTHER SUPERIOR" Fuzz called out.
The head of the SWAT Team walked over to Fuzz, "Yes, Sheriff" she asked
"Tell the Sisters to quit following me around." he replied, "Time to end this scare, and the only way for that to happen is.....to.....let.....ME.....handle it."
Mother Superior smiled, then bowed her head, "My apologies, Fuzz. Didn't want to take the chance to lose everyone's favorite sheriff."
Fuzz smiled and gave a wink, he then turned to Veles, "Same goes for the Jagers"
"Hyu schure?" Veles asked
Fuzz nodded. "Ayup, I am."
As the citizens started heading back to town, Angelica walked over and hugged her brother.
"I know," she said, "you're able to take care of yourself. But, we're talking silver here. You know how bad that is."
Fuzz looked around and whispered, "Every now and then, when the wind blew south, did you catch the scent?"
Angelica nodded, despite not having the ability to turn into a Lycan, she still had certain abilities, including heightened senses, "Mistletoe. Thought one of the trees were....."
"No mistletoe in the Valley," Fuzz replied, "someone was watching."
Angelica smiled, "Which is what you wanted?"
Fuzz winked
Steelhead Docks, That Night
Hotspur looked at the spot where the saloon once stood before Tensai and Lunar blew it up. He looked up at the Steeltopian Embassy to see a weasely looking man walk out and skulk off into the shadows.
"Sid Weezul" Hotspur whispered, "What's he doing here?"
He headed off to find either Fuzz or one of the SWAT Team to inform them. From the window of the embassy, Jobias and a henchman watched Hotspur walk off. Jobias motioned to O'Toole, the henchman nodded then walked off.
Club Gearz
Old boB Ballyhoo walked up to the bar and looked at Fuzz, who was playing bartender, talking to Purdie.
"Sheriff," boB said, drunkenly (as usual) "someone STOLE the saloon."
Fuzz's reply was a bottle of whiskey placed in front of boB.
"They can keep it." boB said as he took the bottle and walked off.
"So that's the plan." Fuzz said, returning to his conversation with his cousin
"Who knows of this?" Purdie asked
"Nobody. And nobody's to know. Not Lunar, not Tensai, not Katt, nobody. Not even Angelica. Just me and you."
Purdie shook his head, "It's dangerous. I mean, what you're setting out to do......and the silver aspect of it.....did you actually tell Lunar to return all silver?"
Fuzz nodded, "We all know who's behind this. I'm surprised Maelgatto Alter didn't just shoot me for even accusing her of this. But it all had to be done. But now, it's time to end this. Regardless of the silver aspect."
Purdie nodded, "Well......there may be a way.......it's possible......I mean, it's still dangerous on your part........we'll need to take you somewhere safe, just in case it.....Yes. Yes, I think this can be done. May I ask to borrow your pocket watch?"
Fuzz put his hand on his watch, "Tensai gave me this...."
"I know, and the way she invents and builds, there'll be room for me to make a minor adjustment. Trust me, no damage will come to it."
Fuzz handed him the watch, "If you do, Tensai'll get so upset, you probably couldn't find a safe place in all of time and space to hide, not even if you managed to return to your home universe."
"Time and space...." Purdie muttered as he looked at the watch, "....yes....."
He looked up at Fuzz and smiled
"You know, Fuzz, this idea of yours is sounding better each time."
Steelhead Gardens
"Do we kill him?" one henchman asked
"No." the other replied, "The Boss has plans for him."
The two picked up the unconscious body of Hotspur O'Toole and dragged him off into the darkness.
Fuzz waded into the water and pulled the corpse closer to shore. He looked at the corpse once he pulled it up on shore and looked it over.
"Looks like a blue lobster" he muttered to himself.
He looked up to see a couple of the SWAT Team coming towards him. He glanced back at the corpse, and looked at the emblem on it's uniform.
"Bloodwing?" he whispered, he then looked up at one of the sisters and said, "Find my cousin, Purdie, ask him to see what he can find out about this. Also, see if anyone from the Mason family is in town."
He looked down the docks and noticed something floating out of the entrance to the old underground tunnels. After asking the remaining nun to stay with the body, he walked closer to the cave and looked at the object floating out of the cave.
"There you are." He said to his scarecrow that had gone missing some time ago. "The Duke of Argyle had thought I had destroyed you, not thinking I had appreciated his gift."
He studied the scarecrow some more, then let out a low growl.
"That's it," he said, "time we finally put this to an end."
Sheriff's Office, Some Time Later
Ash Mason sat in the chair looking at the Sheriff. Fuzz finished the paperwork, then looked at Ash.
"Blue Lobster. Had Bloodwing's emblem on his uniform" Fuzz said
Ash nodded, "Resident of New Erebus, most definitely, there were several still in this realm. Well, most of them had been working for Marcus, but not wearing the emblem. This one, sounds like a messenger"
"Could Bloodwing have sent him to look for Darien?"
Ash shook his head, "Bloodwing was aware of the Mason families whereabouts before he......well, you know. It's possible that this courier came to deliver a message to someone else. You perhaps. News of the situation has travelled all over, fast."
Fuzz shrugged, "Had nothing else on him. No letter, no package. Why he was here is to remain another mystery. By the way, how did Darien defeat Marcus?"
"Ah, that is something he's writing in his journal. He cannot wait for everyone to read it."
"If everyone is interested in reading it."
"Yes, if everyone is interested in reading......"
Ash looked at Fuzz, who gave a big smile.
"You are joking, correct?" Ash asked
Fuzz nodded, "Yes. I am. Thank you, Ash. If we discover anything further about this demon, we'll let the family know."
As Ash left, Purdie walked in. He handed Fuzz a notepad containing his findings of the autopsy performed on the demon.
"I guess you're aware of what killed the demon?" Purdie asked
"Silver blade." Fuzzball replied, looking at the notepad. "I knew, but decided to make this official anyway."
Purdie noticed the scarecrow standing in the corner, "You found it."
"Fuzzcrow?" Fuzz asked, "Yea. Floating out of the tunnel entrance. Take a closer look at it."
Purdie walked closer and studied the scarecrow, "Oh my."
Fuzz nodded as he put the pad on the desk, "Yep. Someone's been using it for target practice. And getting better."
He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a piece of cheese. He put it on the edge of the desk as Willard ran out of the cell and climbed up on the desk to get the cheese.
"Have you told anyone?" Purdie asked
"No." Fuzz replied, "And we're not telling anyone, either. Do me a favor. Three cases of whiskey came in for Gearz. Give them to boB."
"Why?"
"I need them emptied, and he's the fastest way of emptying them." Fuzz said, putting on his hat and heading out.
"Where are you going?"
"Fizzworks" he replied, "Bring the empty bottles to Severine Valley."
Severine Valley, Later
It seemed as if half of Steelhead had arrived in the valley to see what the sheriff was up to. Old boB Ballyhoo was leaning against a large boulder, swaying as a breeze blew by. Purdie stood close by and help boB from falling over. Fuzz walked by the two, wearing his old gray suit he had arrived in Steelhead all those years ago.
"My word," Hotspur O'Toole observed, "Why this big change?"
"He didn't want to get gun powder on his other clothing. His current tailor isn't cheap" Lord Edward Pearse replied
Fuzz looked at the empty bottles set up several yards away. He pulled his coat back to reveal the Colt in the holster. He pulled the gun from the holster and spun it around, then placed it back into the holster. Then, rather quickly, he drew the gun and fired at the bottles, shattering six of them with each shot. Again, he spun the gun and placed it back in the holster. He held out his hand as Koen threw the Winchester rifle. Fuzz caught it and motioned to Purdie.
"Me?" Purdie asked, rather sheepishly
"You go" boB said, drunkenly, "I'm sloshed."
Purdie walked out to the bottles, then picked one by one up and threw them in the air. One by one, each was shattered in the air by the shots from the rifle. Soon, all bottles were shattered, none of them had landed on Purdie. The town cheered.
"MOTHER SUPERIOR" Fuzz called out.
The head of the SWAT Team walked over to Fuzz, "Yes, Sheriff" she asked
"Tell the Sisters to quit following me around." he replied, "Time to end this scare, and the only way for that to happen is.....to.....let.....ME.....handle it."
Mother Superior smiled, then bowed her head, "My apologies, Fuzz. Didn't want to take the chance to lose everyone's favorite sheriff."
Fuzz smiled and gave a wink, he then turned to Veles, "Same goes for the Jagers"
"Hyu schure?" Veles asked
Fuzz nodded. "Ayup, I am."
As the citizens started heading back to town, Angelica walked over and hugged her brother.
"I know," she said, "you're able to take care of yourself. But, we're talking silver here. You know how bad that is."
Fuzz looked around and whispered, "Every now and then, when the wind blew south, did you catch the scent?"
Angelica nodded, despite not having the ability to turn into a Lycan, she still had certain abilities, including heightened senses, "Mistletoe. Thought one of the trees were....."
"No mistletoe in the Valley," Fuzz replied, "someone was watching."
Angelica smiled, "Which is what you wanted?"
Fuzz winked
Steelhead Docks, That Night
Hotspur looked at the spot where the saloon once stood before Tensai and Lunar blew it up. He looked up at the Steeltopian Embassy to see a weasely looking man walk out and skulk off into the shadows.
"Sid Weezul" Hotspur whispered, "What's he doing here?"
He headed off to find either Fuzz or one of the SWAT Team to inform them. From the window of the embassy, Jobias and a henchman watched Hotspur walk off. Jobias motioned to O'Toole, the henchman nodded then walked off.
Club Gearz
Old boB Ballyhoo walked up to the bar and looked at Fuzz, who was playing bartender, talking to Purdie.
"Sheriff," boB said, drunkenly (as usual) "someone STOLE the saloon."
Fuzz's reply was a bottle of whiskey placed in front of boB.
"They can keep it." boB said as he took the bottle and walked off.
"So that's the plan." Fuzz said, returning to his conversation with his cousin
"Who knows of this?" Purdie asked
"Nobody. And nobody's to know. Not Lunar, not Tensai, not Katt, nobody. Not even Angelica. Just me and you."
Purdie shook his head, "It's dangerous. I mean, what you're setting out to do......and the silver aspect of it.....did you actually tell Lunar to return all silver?"
Fuzz nodded, "We all know who's behind this. I'm surprised Maelgatto Alter didn't just shoot me for even accusing her of this. But it all had to be done. But now, it's time to end this. Regardless of the silver aspect."
Purdie nodded, "Well......there may be a way.......it's possible......I mean, it's still dangerous on your part........we'll need to take you somewhere safe, just in case it.....Yes. Yes, I think this can be done. May I ask to borrow your pocket watch?"
Fuzz put his hand on his watch, "Tensai gave me this...."
"I know, and the way she invents and builds, there'll be room for me to make a minor adjustment. Trust me, no damage will come to it."
Fuzz handed him the watch, "If you do, Tensai'll get so upset, you probably couldn't find a safe place in all of time and space to hide, not even if you managed to return to your home universe."
"Time and space...." Purdie muttered as he looked at the watch, "....yes....."
He looked up at Fuzz and smiled
"You know, Fuzz, this idea of yours is sounding better each time."
Steelhead Gardens
"Do we kill him?" one henchman asked
"No." the other replied, "The Boss has plans for him."
The two picked up the unconscious body of Hotspur O'Toole and dragged him off into the darkness.
To Be Continued
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