The livery stable looms like a rotting ribcage against the bruised sunset. Black, viscous ichor drips from the Sheriff Office ruins, pooling around Doc Holliday’s boots. A man bursts from the shadows, his frame gaunt and ragged, clothes stained with the same dark corruption.
Caleb
Stop right there, you monstrosity! You brought this black rot into our valley, and you won’t leave with it.
Doc Holliday
This poor fool is too terrified to see the truth. He wants someone to blame for the nightmare, and I am the only target standing.
Doc Holliday
Put that rusted metal down, friend. You are holding a death warrant, not a solution.
Caleb
The giant is mocking me. He looks like a demon forged in that blast. I have to put him down before the town is consumed completely.
+ Scene Quest Added
Survive the confrontation with Caleb
“doc rips the gun from calebs hand”
FAILURE (Superb Strength, rolled -1)
Doc Holliday lunges, his massive hand sweeping forward like a falling redwood to snatch the firearm from the frantic man. Caleb stumbles, his body vibrating with tremors of raw fear, and he swings his weapon wildly, narrowly avoiding the giant's iron grip.
Caleb
Get away! Don't you touch me, you shadow-born devil!
Doc Holliday
My speed is failing me today. His terror makes him erratic, and that trembling grip is harder to predict than a professional gunman's. If I force this, I might break his arm, and I need him alive to know what happened to this town.
The gun fires into the dirt with a deafening crack, spraying black, pulpy earth into the air. The recoil forces Caleb backward, his feet tangling in the slick, viscous ichor pooling beneath him. He tips, flailing as he slips toward the jagged remains of the sheriff's office.
Caleb
I am going to die in this filth. Please, let my hand be steady enough for one more shot.
“Doc takes advantage of Caleb being off balance and subdues him”
SUCCESS (Superb Strength, rolled +1)
Doc Holliday lunges forward, his massive frame effectively swallowing the space between him and the panicked man. Before Caleb can right himself, the giant's thick, calloused palm clamps firmly onto the back of his collar. Doc pivots his immense weight, using his momentum to pivot Caleb away from the jagged rubble and into a controlled, crushing bear hug.
Doc Holliday
The mud is hungry enough tonight, Caleb. You do not need to feed it any faster.
Caleb
gasping
You... you are as cold as the grave itself!
Doc Holliday
He is shaking like a leaf in a gale. If I let him go, he will sprint straight into the arms of whatever is left of that Preacher. I must keep him pinned until he exhausts this panic.
The gun slides from Caleb's loose, trembling fingers, clattering onto the thick, black ichor without firing another shot. Doc pulls him tight against his chest, rendering the smaller man completely immobile.
Quest Complete
Survive the confrontation with Caleb
Attribute Upgrade: Strength Superb→Legendary