Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25828117-20160126170544/@comment-5543592-20160216002000

Tanner stepped off to the side, walking around to the rear of the Boss. It was midday, and the sun hung high in the sky. He set his hands at his hips, resting them on the plates of his armor.

"You alright, boy?" A rough voice asked from behind him. Tanner glanced back to look at the Boss, who had pulled the sack off his head and was holding the cloth in his hands, revealing the ruined, red flesh underneath.

"Alright, I guess." Tanner said with a shrug, looking off again. The Boss came to stand beside Tanner, and the boy was again taken aback by his height. The Boss' deep, but weary voice and unsuspecting clothes didn't give him presence, but he had a sturdy form and height to match. He was easily a good couple inches taller than Tanner, and more than half his weight.

"Woman troubles?" The Boss asked, with a wry smile.

Tanner looked over, eyes widening, and he opened his mouth to protest, but the Boss held up a hand to silence him.

"I ain't going to press, isn't my business, I only happen to have couple hundred year old ears.  You just try to do right.  No need to go stirring up trouble where there ain't any.  Now, given me your rifle.  I hear you been having problems with it."

Tanner nodded, passing the weapon to the Boss. "It misfires in the weirdest way.  The beam goes back towards me.  I think it has something to do with the emitter."

The Boss grunted, and walked off to the side, examining the weapon. He tinkered with it for a bit, before lifting it to his shoulder and firing. It shot true, a blast of red light lighting a patch of grass on fire. It burned out in a moment.

Hades walked back over to Tanner and handed the boy his weapon again, then stepped back.

"You fire it now.  It finna gots to work."

Tanner fired. The beam flew back towards his head. Tanner yelped and ducked as the laser flew over his head and smashed into the remaining rear window of the bus, melting the glass and roof behind it, as the trajectory was at an angle.

"Sorry!" Tanner called over his shoulder.

The Boss stepped back over, snatched the weapon from Tanner, walked away, then fired again. The rifle shot true, once more hitting it's intended target.

"What the fucking mother...." The Boss grumbled stalking back to Tanner and shoving the rifle into Tanner's hands, before backing away again. He watched Tanner intently, eying the motions the boy went through as he prepped the gun to fire, then squeezed the trigger. A beam of light blasted into the ground, not an inch from Tanner's boot.

"I don't- how?" Tanner demanded, looking at the Boss with an exasperated expression. The ghoul stormed back over once again, roughly yanked the gun from Tanner's hands, although the boy was more than happy to surrender it, and fired it forward right then and there.

Hades wasn't certain whether it was the close proximity or just chance, but the rifle, instead of firing straight in his hands as it had, shot a beam sideways back towards Tanner. It hit nothing but air, as the ankle was impossible, but the Boss had seen all he needed to see.

He pulled Almighty from his shoulder and handed it to Tanner. The Knight took the rifle, arms sagging a little as he recieved it's unexpected weight. It was much heavier than the rifle he was used to.

"You use this from now on.  I'mma hang on to this rifle."

Tanner looked at the Boss with a confused expression. "But why?" Tanner was silent for a moment, as a second question dawned on him. "Do you think.... that it's me?  Not the rifle?"

The Boss gave Tanner a look that bespoke of untold knowledge, and then turned and walked away. Tanner lifted Almighty to his shoulder and fired straight. The projectile hit a tree forty yards away with pinpoint accuracy, lightning bolt screaming behind it.

This didn't make any sense. It doesn't have to make any sense. Tanner thought, but immediately shoved that from his head. He was a scholar, at least a heart. Even if it didn't make sense, he'd figure out the answer, if the Boss was hesitant to give him one.

He had a feeling it mattered for reasons he couldn't yet understand.