What Changed? Part 1 (Faceless Bandit x Showdown Bandit)
I usually kept all my Showdown Bandit content on a different blog, but I recently had a boost of motivation to make this and wanted to show you all.
The Showdown Bandit was having a normal day at first. Shootin stringless, collecting loot, doing a bit of exploring. All of his usual antics when… he heard it. The bell tolls. He had to hide, or he'd risk getting caught by the Faceless Bandit. He only had a few seconds, so he hid behind a nearby wall hoping the other puppet wouldn't see him.
It was dark, barely any light around him. Maybe that was for the better, if he couldn't see, then maybe the Faceless Bandit couldn't see him either. Like usual, the Faceless outlaw slammed his scythe into the floor with every step. A loud thump emitting from it each time. But something about him seemed… off to the Showdown Bandit. Each thump of the scythe sounded inconsistent. Usually when the Faceless Bandit showed up, he moved smoothly, bumping his scythe on the floor in a consistent almost rhythmic pattern. Two sounds of feet stepping on wood followed by the loud thump of his weapon. That's how it usually was, but this time, it didn't sound rhythmic or precise. It sounded… clumsy.
He could hear the scythe slam down, but it wasn't as forceful. He heard some footsteps, but they didn't sound like confident strides; they shuffled and dragged, as if the Faceless Bandit was struggling to keep a consistent pace. Like he was stumbling around. It was a far cry from the usual sounds Showdown Bandit would hear from the other bandit. Just as he was thinking about what to do next, he heard something else..
Some shuffling followed by a loud thud. And the footsteps stopped. The scythe's slams ceased. It was almost completely silent, but the Showdown Bandit knew he wasn't alone yet. He could still hear something on the other side of the wall. It was quiet, but it was still there. Breathing. Showdown took a deep breath of his own. And in a flash of bravery, peeked around the corner. Pop pistol at the ready. What was the Faceless outlaw doing?
When he looked around the corner, he saw the Faceless Bandit. He was on the floor, curled in on himself. Even from a distance Showdown Bandit could see the outlaw visibly shaking. He took a few steps closer, the Faceless man still shaking. Showdown stood in front of him within arm's reach so he could see Faceless more clearly. The Faceless Bandit was holding himself and breathing heavily. It was then Showdown realized he was injured. The Faceless Bandit was hurt, and for the first time in Showdown's life, Faceless looked… vulnerable.
Showdown was at a loss for what to do. On one hand, he could take this chance to run and not be in danger of the Faceless Bandit coming after him. On the other hand though… Faceless was helpless out here in this state. If Showdown left him here… he could die. The fate of the Faceless Bandit was in his hands. Faceless had taken countless lives, and struck fear in many others, but Showdown had sworn to himself to help those who couldn't help themselves, and at the moment, that was Faceless.
Showdown put his pistol in its holster. His decision was made. He was going to help the Faceless Bandit.
Showdown lowered himself to his knees, getting closer to the damaged puppet. Still hesitant, he gently called out to Faceless. "H-Hey there, fella-" the Faceless Bandit jolted at the sound of his voice, swiftly and clumsily grabbing his scythe and taking a defensive sitting position. At least, for a second he did. He could barely lift his trusty weapon before he dropped it, falling to the floor. Showdown tried to console him. "Hey hey… easy now. You're hurt, I'm tryin' to help ya here. Promise." Showdown, reached his hand out to the Faceless Bandit, gently resting it on his scratched up arm. When Faceless didn't retaliate, he placed his other hand under his chest, slowly lifting Faceless off the ground and onto his feet. It wasn't easy, Faceless was larger and heavier than him, and he trembled the whole time, he had to lean on Showdown for support. He seemed to barely be able to stand, on the brink of collapsing again. Faceless kept his arms tightly around his own stomach, refusing to let go and show the damage done to him.
Showdown eventually managed to maneuver the Faceless Bandit onto his back so he could carry him, leaving the outlaw's scythe on the ground, he just couldn't carry the both of them. The Faceless outlaw was heavy, Showdown could just barely lift him off the ground, even with this piggyback strategy he was going with. But he had promised to help this man and by gum he was gonna do it! He began walking with Faceless on his back, already having a destination in mind. Sure, Showdown wasn't a medical expert, but Doctor Carver was. Surely he was able to help.
...
It was a long walk, Showdown's back and legs ached, he began to shake as his body felt weak. Faceless had seemingly lost consciousness a while ago, at least, Showdown hoped that was the case and he wasn't just giving a piggyback ride to a dead guy. Finally, the Banker and Carver were in his sights, just up ahead. He wasn't sure if he could go too much farther like this. "D-Doc!" He squeaked out, exhausted. Carver and the Banker turned to face him, the little bandit just barely visible to them thanks to the poor lighting. "Ah Bandit, have you come to me for your strings again?" The Banker added a little "you should be careful out there" in agreement with Carver. Showdown took a few more shaky steps forward. "N-no.. Not me this time." Carver tilted his head curiously until Showdown came into the light, revealing the Faceless Bandit's unconscious body on his back. Showdown looked as though his legs would buckle at any moment as he looked pleadingly at the doctor. "H-he needs help. Can you? Please?"
The Banker had already recoiled in terror at the sight. For once, Doctor Carver was at a loss for words. Who in their right mind would carry a well-known killer on their back? The doctor gazed at the tiny bandit's pleading eyes, already feeling the guilt swelling from what he was about to say. "I can't. This man is.. He's too dangerous. He's caused too many casualties, I can't in good conscience help him recover just so he can continue to take more innocent lives." Showdown looked up at the doctor with a betrayed expression before it shifted to one that was more desperate and angry. "We can't just leave him like this!" He shouted. "I admire your kind heart, but this is for the greater good. Leave him Bandit. Stop him from doing more harm." Bandit's body shook from a mix between frustration and exhaustion from carrying the heavier puppet on his back.
"If you won't help him then… I'll do it myself!" Bandit declared, turning away from the doctor in a huff. "Bandit-" "No! I'm not leaving this poor fella to die! I'm gonna do something about it!" Bandit yelled, already almost out of the man's sight. Carver sighed. "That man is going to get himself killed one of these days." The Banker turned to Carver, "S-Should we stop him?" Carver shook his head. "I don't think we could even if we wanted to, you know how the boy is." "Y-you've got a point there."
…
Bandit had finally reached one of his hideouts, he let the (still unconscious) Faceless Bandit rest on his table. He knew he had to patch up the faceless man, the only problem was he barely knew where to start. He wasn't used to parching other people up. But he had to try.
"Alright buddy… let's see what I can do for you."
*To be continued...
