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Defend Redemption

The town of Redemption has had it hard lately. First, there was that case of Smallpox, then the preacher mysteriously disappeared with all of the town’s tithes, and now this—the fearsome outlaw Brad The Bad has led his gang of ne’er-do-wells out to this forsaken little place in an attempt to squeeze what little the citizens have left to give.

For this quest, you will receive a common core for each citizen that remains alive at the quest’s completion. In addition, any outlaws killed or captured will provide a bounty if turned over to Redemption’s sheriff.

So giddyap and cut loose, because it’s time for a good ol’ fashioned shootout!

Task: Keep Brad’s Gang From Killing Civilians

Time limit: 1 hour

Reward: 2,000 XP, Variable Reward

Okay. There were a few new things with this quest I’d never seen before. Keeping civilians alive was one of them—not that I’d had much opportunity to do so before, what with the definite lack of civilians out in the real world. Still, it was an interesting twist.

And the reward being variable was also interesting. My mind tried to recall what the sign at the front of town had said. Two hundred and forty-three? That was a lot of common cores. Enough for a pair of rares, or two dozen uncommons. I could think of a number of uses to put those to.

[Alright, sounds like we’re your men, Sheriff. Er... dogs.] I said to the portly spider-man still heaving by the doorway. He just gave a shaky nod and waved us in the direction of the door. I glanced back at the bartender.

“Oh, don’t go looking at me, I ain’t going to be much help to you. Maybe after you finish the quest we might get a chance to talk about—” He twitched again, then he started cursing up a storm at the ceiling. Next to me, Zapper kept muttering, [Ooh, swears,] under his breath.

[C’mon, Zapper. Let’s see what this quest entails.] I led the way outside.

Main street was still just as empty as when we’d arrived in Redemption, except now a lonely figure stood at the very edge of town, shifting back and forth on their spiderly legs in a somewhat bored fashion. I squinted, trying to get the system to scan them.

It finally did once we were about halfway down the street.

Brad The Bad (Advanced)

Level 12

Boss

Brad is the leader of the Venom Gang Desperados, as he likes to call them. Though most everybody who isn’t a desperado just refers to them as ‘Brad’s Gang’, or even ‘those fuckers again’, though usually not to their face.

Regardless of what name you use though, Brad is unquestionably in charge. It’s unquestioned because anyone stupid enough to try got blown to kingdom come a long time ago, leaving only the most sycophantic or crazy (or both) to provide his combination muscle and meat shields.

When he isn’t throwing his own men into harm’s way, Brad enjoys robbing the weak and defenseless, and also setting off questionable amounts of explosives. Those actually going toe-to-toe with him would also be wise to keep an eye out for his deadly six-shooters, along with aforementioned explosives. Though you might be better off just trying to avoid confrontation in the first place.

Warning: This entity is a boss-class monster. It is recommended you engage with a party of at least four members. CGI is not responsible for any negative experiences resulting from disregarding this advice.

Seriously? Why did this guy have a name like Brad, but wasn’t a unique? The system didn’t make any sense sometimes.

Though admittedly, I might just be upset because it meant no more awesome growth weapons. Having two now really left me with a hunger for a third. Alas.

[Okay, the description says this guy travels with a gang,] I whispered to Zapper as we marched closer. Brad watched us, seemingly satisfied with waiting for us to come to him. [Keep your eyes peeled for anyone hiding nearby. Last thing we need is to get shot in the backside while we’re distracted.]

[Okay, Boss!] Zapper screwed up his face and started trying to peek around surreptitiously. It just made him twice as obvious. From the furrowed frown I saw on Brad’s face, he knew it, too.

“That’s close enough,” he said when we were still twenty feet away. “Now, what can I do for you two fine gentlemen?”

Gentlemen? I glanced around, but there was no one besides Zapper and myself. Huh. Guess we’re gentlemen now. I preened internally at the thought.

[The sheriff sent us to talk with you,] I said, turning my attention back to the outlaw.

“Did he, now? That yellow-bellied sapsucker too scared to come face me himself, is he?”

[Um, yes?] I took the opportunity to study this... Brad. The monster looked exactly like the rest of the townsfolk I’d seen so far, at least from the waist down. Above, he was a lanky blond in a business suit, with a revolver of some sort holstered at his side.

[Ooh, swears,] Zapper said next to me. I glanced at him.

[Which part? The yellow belly? Or the sapsucker? Or all of it?]

[I actually don’t know, boss! But it sounds like swears, doesn’t it???]

[Maybe.] I thought about it a second, then shook my head. [I don’t think anyone would consider it a swear, but maybe offensive? The system is giving me conflicting information on that front. I see a bird, but is calling someone that maybe a euphemism for—]

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“How long are you two planning to yammer on for?” Brad asked.

[Oh, sorry.] I turned back. [So what exactly do you want, Mister... Bad?]

“The name’s Brad! Brad the Bad! I suggest you learn it, so that way after I’ve burnt this little shithole to the ground there’ll be somebody left to spread the word, remind everybody what happens when you cross the Venom Gang Desperados.”

[Yeah, afraid we can’t let you do that,] I said, while Zapper muttered about swears again. Something was itching at the back of my skull. I could have sworn I recognized the name Brad from somewhere. However, the answer continued to elude me.

“So you saying you two are going to stop us?” Brad sneered. I glanced around.

[Who, exactly, is ‘us’? I don’t see anyone but you out here.]

“Keep telling yourself that. Now, either stand aside, or draw your weapons. I intend to take what valuables remain in this godforsaken place, then ride out of here for good. Nobody should have to spend their entire lives somewhere this hot and miserable.”

I considered my options. The bandit was currently too far away for my Claw Slash to be of much use, but I didn’t want to waste my baton if he was the only enemy in sight. My options were limited.

[Fine, you can go,] I said, stepping aside. Zapper looked at me in surprise.

[Boss???!!!]

I’m not actually letting him go, Zapper, I said via the messaging system, as Brad the Bad’s face cracked into a smile and he began tottering forward. Soon as he’s past, we’ll jump him.

Bubba: Woof. Woof, woof, woof.

Riley: Do you need something, doggy?

...

Crap. I forgot about that.

Well, hopefully Zapper would figure out the plan on his own. As the bandit reached us, I leapt, Claw Slash activating.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit, that at fifteen each, my Speed and Agility aren’t exactly at the top of their game. Still, I’d managed to go up against that unique boss with the ridiculous name and come out on top, so I thought I might get at least a glancing blow against this spider-Brad. Sure, he might leap out of the way, but if I could sever a leg or two, it’d go a long way towards hobbling him.

What I hadn’t expected was for another spider-man to simply burst from the ground between us. The man had a hollow face and a wisp of a mustache, not to mention a rather surprised expression as my claws cut him open, spilling out his insides in a hot, gray mess at our feet.

You have defeated: Antrodiae Desperado (Basic) — Level 10

100 XP and a Desperado Bounty Ticket awarded.

“Treachery! I shoulda known!” Brad drew his gun as the desperado collapsed. “Looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands, boys! Giddyap!”

Giddyap? Is there a horse I don’t see? This whole fight just kept getting stranger. Not that I had time to dwell on it. All around us the ground was trembling, as more spider-men desperados rose from where they had apparently been concealing themselves. Zapper barked and took a step back, growling.

[What should we do boss?]

[Lay down some fire to buy us a bit of time and keep them away from the town!] I yelled. My yell turned into a yelp as something hot bit into my side. I glanced around and noticed a gray slash running against the top of my hind leg.

Turning back, I saw Brad frowning, his gun pointed in my direction. He fired again. I tensed, but despite being pointed directly at me, the bullet shifted slightly to one side, this time kissing my other flank.

Right. Good old Glancing Shield blessing. Still, I couldn’t count on getting lucky three times in a row.

So instead, I activated my baton.

Five blasts of energy pulsed out from me, finding targets at random. Four of Brad’s men locked up, twitching as the electricity coursed through them. With luck it’d be enough to take them out.

The fifth shot rocketed towards Brad, but at the last second one of his spider legs launched out, wrapping around an emerging minion and flinging them into the weapon’s path. The desperado collapsed to the ground, a look of surprise locked onto their face.

“You’ll have to do better than that, you mangy varmints!” Brad hollered at us.

Varmints? What happened to ‘gentlemen’? I grumbled. At that same moment Zapper darted between us, a line of fire rising into the air, setting some of the nearby prairie grass on fire.

[Come on!] I called as Brad and his men recoiled from the flame’s heat. With Zapper on my heels, I rushed towards the nearest building, darting into the semi-shadow of the small alley that ran between it and its neighbor.

[I’m glad you didn’t actually let him kill the townspeople, Boss. That would’ve been mean!] Zapper said, wagging his tail and watching as I peered out the way we’d come. [So, what’s the plan now?]

[I’ll tell you once I’ve got one.] The flames were still keeping the desperados at bay, but eventually they’d realize they could simply go around them. It wasn’t as if Redemption had a fence or anything to keep them out.

A few seconds later, several kill notifications rolled in. Seemed my baton had been enough to do the job after all. That was four more we didn’t have to worry about, at least.

I turned back to Zapper. [Did you happen to count how many of them there were?]

[Hmm. Let me see...] The little dog lifted a paw and seemed to consider the question for a moment. [I think... If I carry the one... there are more than this many?] He held his paw up, wiggling it so that all five toebeans jiggled.

[Right. Thanks.] I resisted the urge to sigh. Well, based on the brief glance I’d gotten when all heck broke loose, I’d guess there were still about fifteen desperados, plus Brad himself.

The only question then was what to do about them. On that front, I only had so many ideas. My Claw Slash was well past its cooldown by now thanks to its recent reduction to forty-five seconds, but there was still several minutes on the baton. Zapper still had his own skill, but I doubted his boots were ready for another use yet. He’d spread a pretty wide arc of flames.

Our best bet was probably to launch a guerilla-style offensive—the term floated into my head unbidden—slowly retreating through the town to give our skills time to recharge while picking off the desperados.

Yes, that could work. Now to just—

Across from us, the woman I’d first seen when we entered the town peeked out of a door. She ducked back just as quickly, but a cry went up from Brad’s gang, and one of the spider-men skittered forward, darting inside the building to drag her outside kicking and screaming.

“Look what I got here, boys! Our first catch of the day!” He held the woman aloft by her hair. Spider legs scrabbled at the desperado but couldn’t seem to find purchase.

[Boss! We need to help her!] Zapper leapt to his feet.

[Alright, just a moment. Let me see how many have made it past the flames.] I padded forward. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a moment—and neither did the woman. As I reached the mouth of the alley, she and the desperado exploded. The concussive blast knocked me backwards off my feet and into Zapper.

[What in the hecking heck was that???] I growled.

[Swears...]

[Not now, Zapper!] I leapt to my feet. Where the woman and desperado had been before, now only a smoldering crater remained. I padded forward again—carefully this time.

“Hah, you sure got her good, Boss!” I overheard as I reached the opening again. Brad’s chortling laughter followed on the word’s heels.

“I sure did, didn’t I? That’ll teach these townsfolk to disrespect the likes of Brad the Bad!”

“But, Boss, what about Clye? He got blowed up, too!” Another voice called out.

There was a moment’s silence. Followed by a gunshot. Followed by a dull thump as something solid hit the hard dirt.

“Anybody else got complaints that they’d like to air?” Brad called out. “No? Didn’t think so. Now c’mon! Let’s drag out the rest of these bootlickers and get ourselves a payday!”

A ragged cheer went up from Brad’s men. I retreated back down the alley.

[Well, I guess that’s two less desperados we’ll need to worry about,] I noted to Zapper. The boss’s description had said he was fond of explosives, after all. And killing his own men.

[Gee, that was easy, Boss. If only he’d kill to the rest of his men, we wouldn’t have to fight them!] Zapper cocked his head. [So how are we going to do that, anyway?]

And just like that, a crazy, dangerous, and rather stupid idea occurred to me. My tongue lolled to one side.

[Actually, I think I might know.]