Salinaar - Turn 11 

Looking up at the seated rider, Maurice gives him a broad smile. “Trouble? Us? Well I admit that things look a little, um, unfortunate, but I'd say a man on a skittish horse would have more worries than I.” As Maurice silently calls on V’garn, Remagen steps forwards holding her hands out to show that she is not armed. “Sir,” she calls out, “we are lost travellers and have arrived first at the scene. We simply wish to know where we are, can you help us?”

“You sure are a str… whoah! whoah boy! WHOAH!”

The man’s horse is bucking and rearing and he is having great difficulty controlling it. The beast has a fearful look in its eyes and with one particularly vicious buck, it sends the rider flying, his rifle falling from his hands. The rider is rolling down the dusty slope as his steed is off in the opposite direction, trying to put as much distance between itself and the dreadful fear that is Maurice.

As he stops rolling, the rider’s hand goes for a gun at his belt only to find that Celestial is stood over him with a fist rapidly heading in his direction. The man’s jaw is thrown to one side by the blow but he is still conscious and so as Maurice stamps a foot down on his right hand, Celestial delivers another punch and then another until the man goes limp. Maurice suggests the man be tied and so Celestial gets to work with his rope.

Remagen stands with her hands on her hips, a slight scowl on her face. “I think he was going to answer my question you know.” “Yes,” says Maurice, “but now he has no weapon in his hands so we can all talk like ‘civilised’ folk.” Celestial has taken one of the guns from the man’s belt and is holding it the wrong way round as he asks Remagen if she can show him how to use it. The detective snatches the gun from him to stop him hurting himself and makes him hold it carefully the right way round as she explains how to operate it.

Maurice rubs his bruised shoulder, the result of Salinaar's earlier tackle, and then grins broadly as his pet hand starts to massage the injured area. “I always knew Phil would come in handy.” Maurice then gives Salinaar a critical look, “It would appear that you have your uses too Salinaar. I’m sure your mewling god loved the way you leapt to my defence. And as for your speech about missing me... Truly touching, It reminds me of the way another once spoke to me.” Maurice's eyes gleam, a tint of his madness returning to them. “A shame she had to die. Still they say a loving mother gives her heart to her son, so I can't quite understand why she made such a fuss.”

Salinaar feels a giant hand land upon his shoulder and the hairy and rather unpleasant smelling knight asks, “Ig ee yourg freend?” Salinaar can see that the mystery knight’s weapon has the symbol of T’gellen engraved in the pommel of it and the knight appears to wear the ring on his finger, the symbol of a true T’gellenite.

Celestial and Maurice move over to the stagecoach and begin to examine the bodies within and upon it. They find that the two men within the wagon are better dressed than the ones on the outside but one of them looks to have been already looted. His shirt has been ripped open, his pockets all gone through and most gruesomely, one hand is missing, just a ragged stump left. The other dead man however does not look to have been robbed, still on him is a gold pocket watch, a money belt holding silver coins and a revolver on the floor at his feet that looks to fit the holster at his waist. From the men on the outside is gathered three revolvers, a pouch of chewing ‘weed’ and a pouch holding a handful of silver coins.

Celestial starts to untie the trunks on the back and with the help of Maurice, gets them down and opens them. One of them contains various items of clothing, a book embossed with the golden symbol of rays coming from an orb, a couple of bottles of liquor, some personal grooming items and three packs of cards. The second trunk holds several ladies frocks, bottles of perfume, a box of makeup and several sheets of sheet music.

The sacks are found to hold numerous letters.

Celestial looks at the man’s waistcoat but with him being tied, removing it is going to be a problem without untying him again. The man groans to signify his senses return and very soon he is struggling in his bonds before he finds the entire group are stood over him. The large knight has his impressive blade out and has the point up against the man’s neck.

“So you are members of the Reaver Gang,” says the man, “so tell me, why did these people have to die, what was so important in that bag Errol Garson had chained to his wrist. When I heard you were trailing the coach, I knew it was he you were after, especially when I spoke to Bragan and he said some of your men had been asking about Errol in the Nugget.”