Pithy’s chase led her through a small maze in the spaces between each building and facility as she attempted to head off her small enemy. A rapport sounded out occasionally, the sound she had come to associate with the honeybadger’s shooters telling her she was on the right track, but the frequency of the sound was unsettling her.

She had little doubt in her mind that her foe was trying to lead her somewhere, but she was stuck giving pursuit. 

Rounding another corner, Pithy finally sighted the hatted honeybadger racing through the streets. Its gaze had not yet found the mouth of the dark alley Pithy stood at, fixed as they were on a group of stacked crates by the street. Pithy’s own position had little cover to speak of, but the light of the poles did not reach her, leaving her shrouded in darkness, and she could see the outline of a side-door to one of the buildings besides her.

She readied her rapier, materializing another host of crystalline blades.

However, before she could launch them at her target, one of the black-winged creatures infesting the Justice Hub let out a screech from above before swooping down at the intruder. One of the blades swept up, immediately silencing it, but the Trickshot’s eyes had already settled on the dark pathway.

The badger began to turn, her paws going to her six-shooters. Pithy saw this and launched her projectiles.  

In a surprising display of agility, the badger leapt towards the boxes. Pithy’s first blade swept under the animal. The next few exploded into fine mist against the thunder of the badger’s shooters, and just like that the creature had ducked behind cover. The rest of Pithy’s projectiles either sailed uselessly over the crates or impaled themselves on the boxes.

She swore under her breath, cursing the local wildlife. Her eyes fell on the door next to her, and she reached out just as her enemy’s voice reached her.

“Not good enough, girl! Not fast enough, and not plenty enough! In fact—”

Pithy didn’t bother to check if the door was open. She waved a hand at the handle as she moved and ice sprouted around and within the mechanism with a grinding sound. She slammed her shoulder onto it and the door flew inwards, the ice giving way for her and releasing the destroyed lock.

“—I’ll show you how it’s done.”

She barely had the chance to see the badger step away from the crates, two box-like shooters on its paws, before she was inside the room.

From a pair of large windows at the building’s front, the poles’ light streamed in, illuminating rows of beds with unique personal effects lying atop each. 

She could also immediately tell that the room’s walls were much thinner than those of the citadel she had been dropped at.

This she knew because the moment she stepped inside, a hole appeared in it and something whizzed past her. It was followed by multiple others as she threw herself to the floor, hearing the small projectiles whizz overhead. 

The windows burst open and sent glass flying everywhere. Bullets crashed against the furniture, chipping the wood and denting the metal, making the contents of the mattresses and pillows explode outwards. As Pithy stayed prone, one hand over her head in what was likely a vain gesture, the room was turned inside-out by the badger’s shooters.

It only lasted for three seconds, but it left the interior in ruins.

When the thunder paused, Pithy glanced upwards, blood thumping against her ears. Part of her marveled at the weapons’ execution. She had to wonder what such a weapon would make of a cavalry charge. [i]It would seem the people of this where have perfected the art of killing[/i] other [i]people. These shooters seem uniquely suited for murder, and, without an ounce of magic in them, any might wield them.[/i] 

However, academic or philosophical concerns were best left aside for the moment. The larger part of her was more concerned about waiting for another barrage. 

When seconds passed without pandemonium breaking out again, Pithy realized the badger must have been waiting for signs of movement. That said, there was no telling how long that would last, and it would be best not to be laid out on the floor when that happened. 

She glanced at the window, and a thought struck her. 

With a practiced ease, she undid the clasp on her robe and removed the article of clothing. She pulled it over her rapier, hiding the glow of the runes as she conjured a hunk of crystal to fill up its contents. Once she was satisfied, she grasped the ice with her magic.

From outside the building, it was immediately visible when a blue-cowled figure stood, clearly illuminated by the pale light of the streets.

The thunder of a six-shooter came almost as immediately, and Pithy let the dummy crumple to the ground. There had been a spark of pale blue when the projectile had struck the robes, but Pithy had no time to investigate.

She quickly got on her knees, leaving the cloak where it was, and hastily crawled deeper into the building. A makeshift barracks, she guessed. Temporary? [i]It doesn’t matter.[/i] 

She opened the door, but the lack of windows within made it too dark to see its contents. As long as bats did not suddenly screech and come hurtling towards her this, too, did not matter. Once within, she took the chance to summon another thick sheet of ice to use as protection.

She left the door slightly ajar so that she could spy into the other room. There was no doubt in her mind that the badger would be coming into the building soon, looking to confirm Pithy’s death.

She was not disappointed. After a half a minute of waiting the barrack’s side door cracked open, slowly at first, and then fully, admitting the furred shooter into the room. It had its six-shooters in its paws as its eyes scanned its surroundings, checking for the dark corners of the room. As the badger’s gaze swept over the door she was hiding behind, Pithy tensed, expecting the shooting to resume, but the animal’s eyes carried on, fixing instead on a piece of blue and golden fabric peeking from behind a bed. It began to approach.

The badger’s words earlier words crossed her mind, and Pithy found her free hand slowly withdrawing the six-shooter she had found from its sheath. She did not think the creature would be able to shoot down projectiles fired from this machine. She leaned slightly on the door, letting it open slightly to improve her view on her target. The barrel of her weapon peeked out.

The hatted badger rounded the bed, shooters high, but all it saw was Pithy’s cloak over a mound too small and angular to be a body.

Pithy fired.

And instantly realized she had made a mistake. 

The projectile went wide, slamming against one of the beds with a muffled thump, and the unexpected kickback tore the weapon from her hand.

The badger turned to look at her at once, aiming one of the six-shooters at the door, and had Pithy not prepared a barrier before-hand, the sudden rapport of the weapon would have been accompanied by a gush of blood from her center.

The badger laughed when she realized what had happened. "Girl you ain't even know howta pop, quit makin' yourself look like a damned dumb bitch!"

Pithy fumed and pushed forward into the room, making a gesture with her now free hand. The hunk of crystal hidden under her cloak rose with it, crashing against the animal’s unprotected side.

The impact sent it tumbling to crash against the leg of a nearby bed.

Pithy couldn’t help but feel some satisfaction at the creature’s pained gasp. “This is not my style, but I’ll bludgeon you to death if I have to,” she said as she made another gesture. The chunk of ice launched itself against the badger once more.

The critter bared its teeth and raised its second shooter. It was not aimed anywhere near Pithy, but when thunder cracked, she felt a sudden swell of pain on her right leg. Surprise robbed her of her control over the projectile, and the badger took the chance to roll to the side, letting the hunk of crystal crash against the leg of the bed hard enough to break it.

“You gettin’ ahead of yourself, sugar,” the badger mocked. Before Pithy could launch another projectile, the creature had jumped on one of the beds and leapt out of the front window. “Show’s not over yet!”

Pithy moved forward into the room with a fearsome scowl, but found herself limping slightly. She glanced down at her leg, and saw some red where her enemy’s projectile had torn the thin fabric and broken skin. Barely, at that, but it felt as though someone had taken a whip to her thigh. There was some relief to the fact that there was not a bloody hole there. Perhaps a trade-off for the feat of reaching her without aiming at her?  

She grunted. If it was just pain, she could ignore it. She would, however, have to keep in mind that blocking line of sight would not stop every projectile the badger threw at her.

She picked up her cloak from the floor, dusting off some of the detritus of the room from it and then, after some consideration, found her six-shooter and placed it back in its holster. 

Outside, she heard the sound of gunshots, telling her the chase was on again.