This instinct was the one that warned him of Paolo’s presence and the one that supposedly would give him an edge in any duel But it had been a long long time since he participated in an actual duel It was a slight thing especially as Hank could feel the presence of Paolo buffeting him backward pushing him mentally
It was strange Hank reflected Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Paolo pounced towards him like a hunting cat
What he was feeling was something like a Skill but it was a general one Paolo felt and thought more powerfully than Hank did He had a vivid image in his mind of how things would turn out and that surety acted as a force that drove the future towards that conclusion It was impressive in a way that Hank had almost forgotten about
When he was a child there was a day where Hank had come home from grade school and found his father sitting on their 2 meter wooden fence looking out at the Appalachian mountains that formed their backyard The fence was originally erected because Hank’s father had seen a mountain lion sniffing after their chickens but Hank’s father always seemed to resent the fence
That day that expression of discontentment was especially strong His gaze was locked on the horizon even as Hank saw his father then scampered off to the shed to bring a ladder After climbing up to join his father the two of them sat in silence for quite some time
Eventually Hank’s father said You know no matter how I think about it we need this fence But it makes me wonder A hundred years ago my grandfather would have simply scowled and laid up waiting for that mountain lion then he would have had it in a stew within the week He was a man of the old ways And hell his grandpappy would have drawn a pistol and put a bullet through the mountain lion’s head from 100 paces away That was just the kind of men they were The kind of men we all used to be
The silence returned but this time it was short lived
Hank kick the ladder out and balance up here with me His father said simply After a brief hesitation Hank did it The fence was made of three layers of wood a softwood between two hardwoods This meant that there was a platform at the top of the fence about as thick as an adults pinky finger While sitting it wasn’t impossible to balance but it was uncomfortable
Stand up
Slowly Hank did as he was bidden Beyond the fence the ground fell away into a steep slope into a thin meandering valley Beyond that Appalachia rose wild and stoic A fall from this wouldn’t kill him but he would then have to worry about slipping on the loose shale and sliding down to further injury in the shallow creek a hundred meters below
See the original pioneers were queer folk Hank’s father was saying They grew convinced of something that this land was a great place where they could find their future and none could dissuade them Many left successful businesses loving family landed fortunes to find something magical in this land Perhaps half of them found it The other have found unmarked beds to lay their heads down for eternal slumber
Half might even be generous Without assistance almost any small injury would lead to you being insufficient in your next brush with danger Animals topography food and water native Americans and even your fellow pioneers all would kill you for what you had You couldn’t have the slightest defect in preparation or care Everything except perfection would leave you a relic of the past
We no longer live in that world Due to that our population has grown wildly But also due to that we as people Hank’s father sighed we do not measure up Hank stand straight Walk towards me Eyes up
A thin breeze caressed Hank as he slowly stepped forward doing his best to balance It was simply brushstrokes on his cheeks sighs on his ankles but it set his legs to trembling And underneath him Hank could feel the fence quivering slightly along with him
His father’s eyes were brutal and direct The more you fear something the more likely you will make it happen yourself These pioneers they didn’t know fear What they knew was how their future would turn out with a surety that could defy causality If you do not reach that at least reach the point where fear doesn’t make you piss like a babe
Hank shivered and that small movement set him off balance There was only the lightness of air those sighs and brushes turning to soft hands trying to help him keep his balance The fickle assistance made it all the more pathetic when he still couldn’t regain his balance and Hank fell In those moments he pictured many things falling down and sliding to the creek the roar of cascading stones the brutal cold of the water perhaps even his father’s hand reaching out to grab him
But of course there was no hand
When Hank hit the ground the wind was knocked out of him He looked to his right and there lay the ladder he had kicked out from under him He had landed on the inside of the fence and was lucky he hadn’t landed right on it
Set up the ladder and get back up here His father had said his voice empty You are doing it again
Chapter 516
For years Hank had wondered what his father was talking about but fighting against Paolo it snapped into place And as it did so several other mysteries shifted forming a clear picture that Hank could easily read
He had wondered how these people had survived so well even prospered when all they had were bladed weapons and leather armors Because while the people from Zone 1 used high tech equipment to focus their growth and protect their mentalities the people here had been forced to fight the wildness of the System with their eyes facing forward There was no buffer to protect them Those that couldn’t adapt died
These were the women and men who believed they could live here with all their heart They embraced this lifestyle without hesitation They became people who lived and breathed with the System Within the past year and a half they had sharpened themselves until they had mental images with such strength that they could strike at their opponents like a weapon
Strangely Hank’s smile snaked open in a wide curve like a smuggler’s river In the past he had believed his father’s stories superficially but never truly accepted them he didn’t believe it was possible But pushed here this powerful man bearing down on him something clicked into place
Congratulations Your images have grown to such strength that you begin to condense your own Skill Warning if there is insufficient ambient energy in the air the energy will be taken from your body This may result in injury or death Do you wish to proceed
Congratulations your Soul Skill Humanity’s Last Cowboy is evolving Warning if there is insufficient ambient energy in the air the energy will be taken from your body This may result in injury or death Do you wish to proceed
Hank blinked and the notifications were gone Paolo raised his hands Hank drew his revolver his father’s revolver Without taking time to aim he fired off the draw and followed it up with several slugs from the repeater empowered with Trick Shot
The speed of the revolver bullets caught Paolo by surprise and they nicked him on his shoulders and arms The revolver shot arrived at his chest Now all noises had faded back and there was only the pounding of Hank’s heart It filled the very sky with its force a shuddering heaving beat
Crushing Blow Paolo bellowed smashing his hand forward to meet the bullet There was a huge impact and the bullet was actually knocked to the side It ripped a long gash up Paolo’s arm but otherwise he seemed fine Hank stepped forward to finish the job
His first two jabs definitely caught Paolo by surprise and the man took them both in the chin After that second hit however his stance shifted and he was ready for the third Sharp Left from Hank The Hard Right still sent him sprawling backward despite his preparations