Sparks flew as the Soulfire Axe held in place.
"What a way to greet an old friend, huh Kael?"
A man floated in the air, a blindingly bright sword collided with Kaelthar's axe. From head to toe, he was dressed as a jester.
"Why do you protect them?"
The jester looked surprised. "Protect!? I was just passing through when you swung at me!"
Kaelthar huffed. "Move. Before she shows up."
The jester seemed to nod. "Ah, she would show up, wouldn't sh- Ack!"
Kaelthar swat the jester to the side, and raised his axe once more.
Without even moving, the jester appeared right back in front of him, clashing their weapons once more.
"Can't even say 'Hi' after so long!?"
"I have nothing I want to say to you!"
"C'mon! I still have some of your old gear, don't you want it back?"
Kaelthar grit his teeth. "Don't want it."
"C'mon, it's taking up space in the palace! Here, why don't we just go?" The jester, without any motion, had their hand on Kaelthar's chest plate. Only a moment later, they both had disappeared. Completely erased from the dessert.
Lyra sniffled and clutched Ray.
"Ugh, that's why I hate those things. If he had a revolver or a rifle of some kind, he wouldn't have to worry about something silly like that." A woman stood next to Lyra, she had a thick country accent that was very clearly fake. "Well, one man's trash is another man's trash or whatever they say. This yours?
She held the blade of the Phoenix Talon, pointing the grip at Lyra. When she looked up, she noticed even more unusual features about her. Her hand was like a birds talon, and she had these majestic wings that were packed up on her back. A sleek leather jacket and brown pants accompanied by a brown cowboy hat. Even more strange than that, this woman gave off the same aura as the jester and the Eternal Flame, but Lyra felt as she must be hallucinating, and passed out on her back.
When she awoke, she shot up and frantically looked around. She sat in a bed in a corner of a small room. In another corner, Ray was asleep on another bed with a rag over his forehead. The walls were all wooden, and a single window showed her the outside town. It was exactly like those cowboy movies she had watched growing up.
A man opened the door and walked in. Looking surprised, he quickly opened the closet near the door and shuffled through it.
He spoke with a similar country accent as that woman did. "Here, put these on as soon as you can." He tossed her a white button up shirt, brown pants, and matching brown boots.
Lyra was a little taken aback, but her clothes now had numerous holes in them, so she wasn't against a fresh change. "O-oh, thank you."
The man nodded. His round glasses slid down his face slightly. "Come on out when you're done. The boy will need more rest, the Zone Shift must've weakened his immune system."
Ray's face was red, and he was breathing heavily.
She nodded and changed as soon as the man left. The clothes fit surprisingly well for something he had quickly grabbed.
Cautiously, Lyra opened the door and poked her head out. The area outside looked just like a western bar, complete with the rowdy crowd that occupied the space. The door led directly behind the bar. Taking a step out, the men who were seated quickly noticed her. "Ah, got a new barmaid here, huh Doc?"
Another whistled. "Gotta tell me where you find these chicks."
Lyra quickly waved her hands. "Ah, no. I'm just passing by, I have somewhere I need to be."
In an instant, the whole bar went quiet with all eyes focused on her.
The man who gave her a set a clothes and who was referred to as "Doc" leaned in close and whispered. This time, he didn't have the fake western accent like the rest of them. "You need an accent, just blend in."
A little confused, she tried again with her limited knowledge from the movies she watched. "Erm... Sorry friend, I'm just passing through."
Slowly, the bar returned to normal.
"It's a darn tootin' shame then. If you ever change your mind, I'm sure you'd make plenty workin' here."
Lyra whispered to Doc. "Can I talk to you for a second, just back there?"
Doc appeared to ignore her.
Lyra sighed and put the accent back on. "Can I please talk to you, frie-"
"If you're lookin' for someone to talk to, go ask aroun'. I'm busy."
She sighed and walked out into the bar fully. She was given plenty of uncomfortable stares, and decided it was best to ask around outside of the bar.
As she stepped towards the swinging doors, a loud bang sounded, and a bullet quickly flew at her feet.
The entire bar stood up with their weapons drawn, all at one man.
"Relax, I just wanted to get her attention." He stood up and walked towards Lyra. He had a long blue jacket accompanied by a blue cowboy hat. On his hip rested two revolvers on each side, and two rifles slung over his shoulder. The rest of his attire matched that of the rest of the room. Brown boots, pants, the like.
Doc spoke up as he cleaned a glass. "You'll have to pay for the damage again, Edwin."
Without hesitation, the man tossed Doc a bag of coins.
Edwin stopped right in front of Lyra, his hands on his belt buckle. "Where's your gun?"
"My, uh, gun... I must've left it in my other pants..."
Edwin eyed her. "What kind?"
"Oh, just like the one you got there." She pointed to his hip.
"Just like this one?" He pulled the gun out, and once again the entire bar aimed at him, not that he seemed to care. The gun looked like a revolver, but something was off. The usual barrel for six shots looked elongated. "My custom made 8-shot revolver?"
Lyra froze, she wasn't familiar with guns at all. It didn't seem possible to lie her way out of this.
Edwin seemed to only scrutinize her more. "Come with me." He pushed passed her and walked out of the swinging doors.
Hesitantly, she followed. She held her arm up to block the blinding light of the sun, and after her eyes had adjusted, she had put her arm down only to see Edwin standing a few steps in front of the door, pointing his revolver at her.
"You ever been shot before?"