While waiting for the metaphorical fuse he'd lit to go off, the gnomish wanderer Fenris Redfeather downed his drink and analyzed his surroundings. The saloon he was in was known as the Travelling Toad, and it was almost empty as closing time was soon. He was there on a job, having been contracted by a young human woman to stop the owner of a saloon, an unpleasant snob of an elf named Gilly, from doing what he had done to her to anyone else. Now that Fenris had thwarted him temporarily, it was only a matter of time before Gilly would strike back.
From the corner of his eye, Fenris saw Gilly finish wiping down the bar, and walk out from behind it. As Fenris turned to face him, Gilly took out a wand and muttered a few words. A surge of thunderous energy crashed into Fenris, sending pain jolting through his torso and throwing him through the room and into the closed door, which Fenris broke through and escaped into the outside. As he crashed into the sand, the Weradydian desert night open to him, Fenris reached his hand into a pouch on his side. Taking a deep breath, Fenris pulled himself off of the ground, and looked directly in front of him.
Slowly walking out of the bar towards Fenris, Gilly began to speak in that sneering voice of his, “Redfeather, we need to talk. I hear you’ve started to meddle in my personal affairs, getting into my private business. Now, I understand, of course, if you made a mistake. So, here is what I ask of you. Leave my saloon, right now. Pay for my door, which you so rudely broke, as well as the Love Potion that has been wasted. Finally, make sure I never see you or your wife’s face ever again. If you do this, I will permit you to leave unharmed.”
Fenris stood still and looked at the elf, taking note of the confident glint in his deep green eyes. Fenris spoke, a soft deep voice filled with courage, with a slight drawl. “Gilly, the funds for your door can be found in your pockets, and I will not leave until I have done what I was paid to do. And don’t you try to claim that I got into your business, cause you definitely got into mine. I saw you, clear as the break of day, put that potion into her drink, and I have it on good word that this is not the first time you tried to pull this kind of stunt. Warning her was the first of what I had to do, now I have to do my other half, and make sure you never do it again. However, let it never be said that I am without mercy, especially to previous clients, so, allow me to grant you this; If you make a sacred vow, in front of an altar of, what is your god again? You’re a wizard so... Cogam? Am I right about that? Whatever, it doesn’t matter, just swear an oath to your god to not do anything like this again and I’ll let you off with a warning. Does that sound fair?”
Gilly’s eyebrows arched downwards, until an even greater smirk appeared on his face. He straightened up, and his teeth bared themselves. Gilly said, “Fenris, you clearly do not understand the situation you have placed yourself in. If I let some two-bit hireling threaten me then what am I? A worthy graduate of Majei university? No. How about I offer you a deal. You never, ever come back to my saloon, you and your wife run away to who knows where, you give me enough gold to pay for eight Love Potions and five doors, and you give me everything in that pouch, and I will not send you on a thirty-league trip without a saddle. Does that sound fair?”
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Fenris looked at Gilly, annoyance rising through him as he frantically searched through his pouch. Fenris felt what he was looking for, and grabbed hold of it tightly. He was a professional, gods damn it, and he would act like one. Taking a deep breath to quell his anger, Fenris spoke. “Gilly, you know I cannot accept that. First of all, you are suggesting I fail a job, destroying my reputation. Second, I don’t know if you are aware, but since you sent me through that door and insulted me, you have been a pain in my ass. Originally I was just gonna threaten you, maybe kick you around a little, but now you have made this personal. This is your final warning. You can choose to surrender, or you can choose pain.”
Towering over Fenris and filled to the lid with confidence, Gilly clearly thought he had already won. He pointed the wand at Fenris and spoke again. “Alright Fenris, let me make it clear where you stand.” Gilly muttered a few unintelligible words, trembling with power, and his hand twitched on the wand. Flying from Gilly’s wand, a beam of fire hit Fenris’ hat and knocked it off his head, burning it to a crisp. Gilly took a deep breath and leaned on the doorway, he would need a few seconds to recover his energy before he would be able to cast another spell.
Fenris narrowed his eyes, and felt the object in his pocket. Now hatless, he said, “Alright, so I guess you chose pain,” as he pulled a long metal object out of his pouch. Somehow, this object was larger than the pouch looked like it could carry, about two and a half feet long, almost two thirds of Fenris’ size. This object had a trigger, a long and wide barrel, and a loading dock in the back, with a few runes inscribed on the outside of the barrel. This was a Spellshooter, or more specifically, a Shotgun. With lightning speed, Fenris aimed it at Gilly. He held the shotgun as an experienced gunslinger would, securely but gently gripped, resting firmly on his shoulder.
Gilly looked at Fenris, fear creeping into his face, the hammer of danger cracking the crystalline confidence from before. Gilly panted, his voice growing stronger with adrenaline, as he said, “Fenris, calm down, you don’t know what you’re doing with that!”
It was Fenris’ turn to smirk, and smirk he did. Calmly, Fenris said, “Oh no, Gilly, I think I know exactly what I am doing with this.”
It only took a fraction of a second. Gilly began to twitch his wand, muttering a spell, while Fenris pulled down on the trigger. Unfortunately for Gilly, Fenris was faster. A thick, bright bolt of electricity shot out and hit the saloon owner in his sternum. Energy and pain jolted throughout his body as he was shocked with the intensity of a lightning bolt. Magnetically repulsed to the source of this energy, a side effect from the shot he took, Gilly flew into his saloon and crashed into the wall on the other side. A shelf filled with expensive looking potions and liquors collapsed with this shock and spint onto Gilly’s immobile body.
Fenris smiled as he walked away. Assuming he survived, Gilly would definitely not try to spike any customers drinks anytime soon. And Fenris would be paid his fair share, of course. Turning the safety back on for his shotgun, Fenris stowed it back in his pouch, and headed home for the night.