Deadlands - The Last Sons 43
With a Rattler dragging Steele and Ingram toward its maw, the posse fights back. Charles grazes the thing with a shot from his elephant gun, but the accumulated firepower of the others patters off its hide. Then they hear the voice of the worm god in their heads, offering them opportunities now that its former high priest is dead...
In turn, our heroes confront and cast aside the temptation. Then Colt opens up on them with his gatling shotgun, blasting Fay unconscious. Law snaps at this and charges at the man rather than help against the Rattler.
The beast slams its bulk down at Charles and Mike, crushing them against the floor. Charles crawls away with broken bones, but Mike isn't moving at all, and is soon snatched up by tentacles as well.
Steele clambers free, but Ingram, still struggling, disappears into the worm's body. The mountie spots a large batch of dynamite hanging from Mike's belt...
Nathaniel blinds Colt with his flash gun, allowing Law to clock the madman until he regains his senses.
Steele clambers back up the tentacles of the Rattler as Charles desperately reloads, and pauses to snatch and light the dynamite from the miner. He lobs the bundle down the monster's throat as Ingram climbs out of it, the manservant pulling the mountie clear as an explosion engulfs the room.
As the smoke clears, the Rattler remains rearing above them, Mike being dragged ever-closer to its mouth...
Charles finally gets his bloodied fingers to aim his rifle and shoots the thing dead, and the posse regroups.
Fay and Mike are alive, and with the help of the freed miners the posse heads back to Deadwood. Days pass while they recover, and an expedition is mounted to dig the Rattler carcass out for display to the public, and the Rattler young gathered in the canyon can be exterminated.
The posse meets again with Charley Bull, who has arranged a meet with Sitting Bull. The group - included a less-badly hurt McLean now - heads out of Deadwood, where a pair of native scouts takes them to a gathering of the Sioux tribes. The great chief Sitting Bull speaks with them around the fire, and the posse explains their great deeds, and the evils of the Ravenites.
In front of his people, Sitting Bull is sceptical of the threat of such a small, radical group. Steele makes a plea for coming to some form of peace with the white man before war consumes both sides, yet Sitting Bull is intent on destroying his enemy, Custer. Still, the posse's triumphs have impressed him, and he confides that there are some rumours of a group of Ravenites gathering at Turtle Rock, and dealing with them would perhaps warm him to the posse a little.
Still, a party ensues, and the posse indulges in dancing, peace-piping and feasting with the Sioux, a moment of peace before the storm.