Chapter 42: Lessons and Mistakes
Levi was still half-lost in thoughts of Daisy's hand and where it'd been when, suddenly, there she was, standing in his way.
"Miss Daisy? Somethin' I can—"
Whack!
A burst of white flashed behind his eyes as something cracked against the back of his skull.
"You got Daisy fired, you son-of-a-bitch! Think you some badass bounty hunter?!"
The dirt hit him hard, his body reacting slower than his mind. Footsteps closed in around him. The stomp of boots. The heavy shift of weight.
Levi blinked, fingers brushing over the warm trickle of blood sliding down his scalp.
Then he smiled.
"Oh, sweet God, thank you."
Rosco spat.
"God ain't gonna help you."
Levi chuckled, pushing himself up.
"He already did."
Lifting his gaze, he took stock of the situation. Four men. Rosco and three others. Cattlemen, by the look of them. All packing clubs and lassos.
"Four against one, huh? Seems unfair."
"Fair?!"
Daisy's voice cut through, raw and sharp.
"Is it fair I'm out of a job?! You just had to piss him off, now Rosco's gonna rip your damn head off!"
Levi exhaled through his nose, recalibrating.
"Five against one."
He was feeling happy. He needed this. Ever since Crimson Song, he'd needed to hurt someone.
Rosco sneered.
"These fellas ain't here to hurt ya, no, no. That's my job. They're just here to make sure you don't run."
The three men shifted, adjusting their grips, clubs tapping against their palms.
"So don't bitch about fair. Just make sure—"
Crunch—bam—thud!
A punch, an elbow, a kick.
Levi moved.
A flash of motion—so fast Rosco barely caught it before his men dropped like felled cattle. One gasped, clutching his throat. Another choked on a broken nose. The last wobbled, holding his stomach and struggling to breathe.
Levi straightened, rolling his shoulders, cracking his knuckles.
"Think y'all better worry about yourselves. And I was meanin' it wasn't fair for you."
He shrugged off his jacket, his Vaporguard flexing, glinting beneath the streetlamps as he readied himself.
While across the street, hidden in the shadows, Silent Dart watched, his eyes narrowing.
'Was that...? Impossible...'
He had seen Levi move—really move. And something about it set his teeth on edge.
Rosco's confidence wavered, but Daisy wouldn't let him fold.
"Get him, Rosco! Show him what a real man's like!"
Rosco suddenly felt like he had no choice, so he tightened his grip on his club.
Levi shot forward. Fast.
Rosco's eyes went wide—then slammed shut in fear.
CRACK!
A whip snapped through the air, slicing just inches from Levi's face. One of the cattlemen had recovered, arm cocked back for another strike.
Levi didn't stop.
His heel dug into the dirt, and he veered left, slipping past Rosco in a blur. The man barely had time to flinch before Levi was on the whipman.
A twist—duck under the lash.
CRACK!
A snap—grab the wrist.
Levi yanked, jerking the whipman forward and—BAM!—drove his forehead into his nose.
The cattleman crumpled, choking on blood.
WHAM!
Something heavy crashed into Levi's side. Another had swung a club at his ribs.
He staggered, but he didn't go down.
Didn't need to.
His arm shot out—caught the man's wrist—twisted—and with a brutal yank, the cattleman hit the dirt, arm bent at a sick angle.
A smile barely left Levi's lips before—
"S—Grgl!"
A lasso snapped around his throat, cinching tight.
Levi's hands shot up, fingers slipping against the rope.
"Gotcha now, you little shit."
The third cattleman dug his boots in, yanking hard, hauling Levi backward. Steam hissed from his legs, his metal fingers clamped tight.
Wrong move.
Levi stopped fighting, throwing himself back.
Letting his weight do the work.
SLAM!
They both hit the ground, but Levi was faster to recover.
He rolled, twisting as he reached back—grabbed a fistful of the bastard's hair—and slammed his skull into the dirt.
BAM!
Once.
CRNCH!
Twice.
The man stopped moving.
Levi shoved off him, standing quick. The last cowhand groaned on the ground, clutching his broken arm. The whipman was unconscious, sprawled out with a crooked nose.
That just left Rosco.
The big bastard hadn't moved.
Levi's eyes locked on him.
"You still waitin'?"
Rosco blinked. Looked at his men. Then back at Levi.
"Go to hell!"
Rosco charged—all brawn, no brain.
Levi smirked. The big bastard would be the perfect dummy to test something.
For the first time, Levi felt it—complete control.
Every move, every swing, every stumble these men made—he dictated it. They weren't fighting him. They were dancing to his tune.
So, he decided to try something new.
Something he'd seen once.
He planted his feet—deep.
Dirt gave way, his stance slamming into the stone. Arms raised. Waiting. Daring.
Rosco took the bait.
Silent Dart, still watching from the shadows, stepped forward before he even realized it.
Eyes wide.
Mouth open.
"How?!"
WHOOOSH!
Rosco's club came down, fast and heavy.
Levi's fingers snapped up, locking onto the man's descending arm.
Pull.
Twist.
Drive.
Levi used Rosco's own weight, his own charge, yanking him forward—while at the same time—he slammed an elbow into his sternum.
BOOM!
A deep, brutal impact.
The shockwave of force rippled through Rosco's chest—his breath stolen, eyes bulging as he choked on his own blood.
Levi didn't even watch him fall.
Just then, Daisy screamed.
"Rosco—!"
She never finished.
Levi flashed forward—a single, sharp strike to the gut. Her breath left, and so did her consciousness.
As she slumped, he caught her, lowering her to the ground. But the second he did—
KS-CHNK!
The hiss of a bolter behind him. The click of the shot firing.
TWANG!
But before it could hit, a dagger came from nowhere, striking the bolt mid-flight.
Levi whirled, eyes catching the bolter in the cowboy's hands—his brain already catching up.
The man tried to reload, but he was too slow.
Levi moved.
One step. Two. Then his blacksteel fist found the bastard's face.
CRNCH!
Bone shattered. Blood splattered.
The cowboy crumpled, his skull caved in.
Levi exhaled, shaking the blood from his knuckles. His breathing was even. Controlled.
Then—
He felt it.
Eyes on him.
Slowly, Levi turned his head—across the street.
"You saw that. I had a right to defend myself."
"I saw it."
Stepping from the shadows, Silent Dart studied him. Levi could see it, the curiosity twisting into something more.
"Who are you, boy?"
Levi's fists tightened.
His heartbeat—louder than the fight itself.
As the two conscious men groaned in pain, Levi ignored them. All his focus locked onto the advancing deputy.
Seeing the boy tense, Silent Dart's suspicion deepened.
"Speak. Who taught you that martial art?"
"Huh?"
Then—Silent Dart moved.
BAM!
A punch. Levi blocked, jumping back—but the bastard was already on him.
Before Levi could react, a firm grip locked around his arm.
"What the hell?!"
Silent Dart squeezed, feeling the muscle, testing it. His sharp gaze traced over Levi's bicep, assessing.
"Not bad."
Levi ripped free, jumping back—
Only to land, and find his leg being held this time.
"Tch—!"
"Not bad at all."
"Fucker!"
WHOOSH!
Levi kicked. Hit nothing. Silent Dart had already shifted, hands pressing against his back now, testing his balance.
Levi twisted away, breathing sharp, thoroughly pissed off.
A few feet away, the two half-conscious cowhands stared, completely dumbfounded.
This was not how they expected this to go.
And at that moment, they both came to the same conclusion—
Rosco was a goddamn idiot.
"What the hell are you doin'?! Stop it!"
Levi yanked his shirt down, swatting the deputy's hands away. He was about two seconds from activating his arm when—finally—the man stepped back.
Still, his sharp gaze lingered, appraising, calculating. Levi shivered.
"No one taught you, did they?"
"Taught me what, dammit?!"
He snapped.
"Only thing I've been taught is you don't go feelin' up another man like that, you fuckin' weirdo! Shouldn't you be arrestin' those bastards or somethin'?!"
Silent Dart waved a lazy hand toward the cowhands.
"They didn't even touch you. Plus, that one's dead already. Think they got their punishment. Right, boys?"
The two men, halfway to dragging Rosco upright, snapped to attention, faces grinning.
"Yes, sir!"
Levi groaned, rubbing his forehead. He was done. This whole night had been a mistake. He should've stayed at the orphanage, should've ignored Rufus, should've never walked into that saloon.
He went to grab his coat and hat, muttering under his breath as the Deputy tried to stop him.
"I still need you to answer my—"
"I'm goin' home!"
He twitched.
'Home?'
The word had slipped out easy. Too easy.
Silent Dart's voice cut in, amused.
"You can either answer my question, or we can do this the official way. I'd need statements, paperwork—Carter would need to—"
"Alright!"
Levi whirled, yanking his coat on with an annoyed huff.
"What the hell do you want?"
Silent Dart smirked as he stepped forward.
"I can tell—you didn't learn directly from someone. But how do you know my country's martial arts?"
Levi blinked. That was what this was about? He exhaled, relaxing slightly.
"I used to work as a merc."
He adjusted his hat.
"Traveled with a guy from your country for a bit. Picked up a few things. Don't see how my business is yours though."
Silent Dart hummed, narrowing his eyes.
"Picked up a few things…"
Levi didn't like the way the man was mulling over his words. He could feel it—that damn feeling—like a noose tightening just before it cinched.
"I answered your question. Now I'm goin'."
And he did. Without looking back.
Behind him, Daisy's cries started, growing louder, Rosco groaned like a dying ox, and the two cattlemen muttered curses under their breath.
But Levi? Levi kept walking.
Silent Dart didn't stop him.
Didn't bother him about the dead man laying in the street.
Didn't say another word.
Yet somehow, Levi knew—deep in his gut—this wasn't over.
And he was right.