The final ballad of Darren "Leather" Warren

*A Recap of the drifter playthrough* *The story is slightly embellished for a better read*

*All the events are actual rolls and not doctored, except for the part when I added the doctor*

Darren Warren wasn't called Leather because he was tough. He was called Leather because he was common; a nobody. Darren woke up in town on a nothing day ready to do... nothing. He had no plan and no idea what the world had in store for him.

He left town and started walking. On the side of the road, just outside of town, he spotted a companionless man struggling with a broken wheel on his wagon. Darren stopped to offer assistance, but his lack of experience with tending to a wagon wheel resulted in a greater mess than when he’d first offered assistance. The man reluctantly thanked him for his time and Darren turned to slowly trudge up the hill where he could see the army approaching. Darren pulled himself together and stood at attention as the army passed. Despite the show of respect, the wary Lieutenant promptly had Darren interrogated. The cunning of the soldiers could not draw out information that wasn’t there. Before long they realized they could not gain any knowledge from him and sent Darren on his way. Rattled by this encounter, Darren surmised he must change his route and take a road less traveled. His wandering led him in a wide berth, a broad half-circle that inevitably drew him back into the path of the army. Growing more suspicious, the Lieutenant demanded he is questioned again. He would not rest until he knew why this man had encountered their troops twice now. Darren was hesitantly released once again when he was found to have no knowledge of interest to the Lieutenant. Not wanting to risk another confrontation - and interrogation - Darren resolutely marched toward the road that led straight out of town and away from the army

About five miles out of town, a man in a cordovan hat rode by, unhurried on his horse and gave Darren a long, slow gaze, tipping his hat in recognition. After riding by he turned back, calling out that he would pay for that. "Pay for what?" Darren exclaimed, puzzled. Trying to understand what the stranger was talking about, Darren turned around toward him and saw the man in the cordovan hat draw his gun and raise it toward him. On instinct, without thought, Darren drew his own gun and in one clean motion, fired. Silence filled the space between them as the man fell from his horse. Startled, the horse ran off before Darren could grab the reins. Unable to take a breath for what seems like far too long, he shook himself back into focus. He’d never killed a man before today. It was turning out to be more than nothing day. Visibly shaken, Darren strode off the path, keeping a quick pace until he made it to the marshlands. There, in the coolness of the brush, he collapsed in weariness and tried to sleep for the night. It was an unsettled sleep.

At first light, Darren arose and began walking again. He walked on with no real destination in mind, except away from the memory of what he’d done the day before. The many miles, the hot sun, and the weight of taking a man’s life was too heavy a load to carry much further. He was grateful when he came upon a monastery. Believing this was a place he could seek shelter and much-needed food and water, he decided to stop and ask for nourishment. He could pay them for their kindness. Despite always having been a man of honor, he took twelve dollars from the man in the cordovan hat. After all, he wouldn’t need it anymore, right? But the money was a reminder of what he’d done and he wanted to get rid of it. Surely the monks would welcome the donation. Darren knocked upon the heavy door at the front of the monastery. One monk greeted him and two more reclined just inside the entrance. They let him in, but something felt odd to Darren. He realized that these monks all had beards. The two in the vestibule were slowly standing up and Darren noticed they had whiskey bottles in their hands. Fearful, Darren asked the three if everything was alright. Looking around the room he noticed a monk behind the door - a real monk - tied up and badly beaten. In shock, he turned back toward the three who let him in and was faced with all three men coming towards him, reaching for their pistols. The noise was deafening. It all happened in a flash. As if he was looking at someone else’s hand, Darren looked down to see the smoke coming from his gun. Three bullets, three men dead. What had he done - again?

Shaking off the strain of what just happened, Darren raced to the monk to untie him and tend to his wounds. They both looked around, silently, at the men lying dead in their midst. Darren turned back to the monk to ask for a meal - the reason he came to this place. The grateful monk brought bread and meat and a canteen of water to take with him. Seeing his exhaustion from the long walk, the monk provided him a horse, as well. As they saddled the horse, the monk gave Darren instructions on the fastest way into town. Before he left, the monk gave his heartfelt thanks again, reaching to shake Darren’s hand. Darren felt something press into his palm. It was some sort of pendant. Puzzled, Darren looked down at the monk to question the odd, blue trinket he’d given him. Silently, the monk turned and walked away.

Darren followed the monk’s directions and found himself in town after only a short ride. Or, shorter than it would have been if he were still walking. He headed to the sheriff’s office and studied the wanted posters hanging outside. There was a $100 bounty on one. Just what he was looking for. He took it from the wall, folded it up, and tucked it into his pocket. He had a destination now: he was headed for a town called Malice.

On his way to Malice, Darren once again ran into the army. The Lieutenant eyed him cautiously but remembered they’d met before - twice before. Confident of his decency, this time they offered him bandages and supplies. Darren thanked them for the provisions and bid them farewell. After saying goodbye to the army he journeyed on until dusk. As the sun was setting behind him he came upon a circus caravan. He had loved the circus since he was a child and could not pass up a chance to experience this up close. He wandered through trailers and tents with people of all sorts milling about. He found the ringmaster and spoke with him for quite a while. He was filled with as many questions as one might expect from a young boy. Seeing his excitement, the ringmaster invited him to their next show.... in Malice. Darren thought this coincidence was good fortune and told them he said he was heading that way and would be sure to stop by. Not sure of who or what he might encounter in the dark of night, Darren decided to crash with the circus folk for the night. He knew there is safety in numbers. Being surrounded by the circus caravan brought him comfort and he slept soundly after his exhausting day. As the sun broke over the hills in the distance, he awoke to find that, oddly, the circus caravan had already left. Alone in the cool of dawn, he tied his bedroll to his saddle, packed his meager belongings, and mounted up for the ride into Malice. As he strode along on his horse, alternating between a walk and a trot, he heard an echo of hoofbeats off the hills around him. Looking back, Darren saw bounty hunters coming up behind him, closing the gap fast. With his heart quickening, he thought to himself that it was time to see how fast this monk’s horse really was. He gave a firm kick to the horse’s hindquarters and off they shot. This wasn’t any old farm horse. Maybe the monk knew he’d need some speed to keep himself safe. The bounty hunters were falling farther behind until they pulled up all together knowing they’d never catch Darren on that horse. Without slowing until he could no longer see the bounty hunters at all, Darren eventually came upon an old prospectors village. Darren dismounted and found a trough to give his horse much needed rest and water. As he walked around, he found an elderly prospector who looked Darren up and down. Seeing him as a strong and capable man, the prospector asked him if he would be interested in helping them find a businessman who had cheated him and his partner. Darren paused for a moment, considering their request. Thinking back on the serendipitous path this day had taken, Darren responded 'let me guess, he's in Malice?" When they responded yes, Darren sighed knowingly and offered to help them. He accepted food as thanks from the prospectors and ate as some young boys from the town tended to his horse. He couldn’t spare more time, though. He mounted up and headed toward Malice. He spent most of the afternoon and part of the night riding. In the glow of the moon, he came upon what appeared to be a large group gathered for a pagan ritual. Darren was very nervous and tired but approached cautiously. The leader walked up to Darren without hesitation or trepidation and said "There is a disturbance. You are in turmoil. Let me offer you peace". He handed Darren something and with all eyes upon him, he felt a calm instantly wash over him and he slept. He woke without much memory from the night before but feeling strangely refreshed - more refreshed than he’d ever felt before. He mounted up and made his way into Malice with three tasks at hand, but which to do first?

Money would make everything easier, so Darren decided to go for the bounty. He asked around and found information that brought him to a small cabin on the other side of town. He approached the cabin, hoping to earn his bounty without much trouble. But there was a trap and a tripwire that he never saw. In seconds a large explosion ruptured behind him. He sat on the ground behind the spot where the cabin used to be, astonished that he’d made it out with only a light wound. He got his bearings, found the bandages the soldiers had given him and took care of his injuries. While wrapping the gauze, Darren saw a lone horse run from behind the barn. He headed to the barn, swung open the door, and found a man with his hands high in the air willing to go with him, uncontested. Maybe it really would be this easy, aside from almost blowing himself up. He tied the man up and led him to the Sheriff’s office. Darren was anxious to collect the bounty. When they arrived, the Sheriff told him this man was wanted in several other towns and the bounty he’d earned was even greater. With this Darren was much closer to his goal, but he had made a promise to visit some new friends at the circus.

Darren slept well that night, except for keeping a tight fist around his new riches. The next day, he met with the friends he’d made from the circus. The kind ringmaster explained they had been unable to wake him the morning they left, but he was glad to see Darren now. Darren spent much of the afternoon enjoying the circus and relaxing for a bit, not thinking about the promise he’d made to the prospectors. That evening he saw the fortune-teller's booth and decided to stop in. The fortune-teller looked carefully at Darren and the runes she’d cast on the table. She told him he had a cloudy future. This sounded pretty generic to him, but he thanked her for the fortune and left her tent. It had been a long day and Darren needed more rest before attempting his next task. In the morning, he’d need to find the businessman.

The businessman was not difficult to find. He was a portly fellow as described by the prospector and Darren was able to take him aside for a little ‘discussion.’ The businessman knew his life was in the balance and pleaded for Darren to hear him out. He seemed to have an important story to tell, so Darren agreed to listen. The businessman told him that he had stolen the money to pay for his daughter who had been kidnapped. Through tears, he begged Darren to help him. Darren believed this man, so he agreed to do it for half of the ransom price. He made the businessman promise to return the rest of the money to the prospectors. The man agreed.

It seemed Darren had a new plan to work out and he started on it right away. Darren was not sure how he was going to get to where the kidnappers were. It was hundreds of miles away and would take a very long time. He knew his horse was not up to another long ride again, but fortune was on his side. The stagecoach had just pulled up to the shop where he was. They had extra space and offered to take any passenger to any town - for the right price. Darren took enough money out of his bounty to ensure his seat on the stagecoach and tossed some to the shopkeep, asking him to take good care of his horse. Then he boarded the coach, itching to find the businessman’s daughter.

The stagecoach was about 5 miles outside of the next town when it stopped at an outpost. It was deserted. Darren and the coachman stepped off to figure out where the captain could be. They found him, nailed to a wagon wheel with a note pinned to him that said "turn back, all hope is lost." Darren noticed that the captain had died a slow death and turned to ask the coachman what he thought the note meant. Before Darren could open his mouth the stagecoach took off as fast as it could go, leaving Darren behind. He read the warning note again, but he’d made a promise. He had a job to do. So he walked towards town.

As he approached the sign for the town Darren noticed a green haze over the entire town. It seemed strange and it was making him feel sick. Is the cloudiness the fortune teller spoke of? Was there something more to be afraid of here? He could turn back right now. He didn't need to save this girl. He could just try to make money another way. But, he’d made a promise. And Darren could not go back on a promise. He gave his word which, to him, meant something. The town was deserted except for one building with smoke coming out of the chimney. He knew they were there. He cautiously walked up and counted three of them. Darren took the first one by surprise and shot him. The second bandit heard the gunshot and turned to fire. He got Darren in the arm. Darren spun behind the bar and was able to get a shot off killing the second man. The third bandit fired wildly in a panic but he was soon sent to meet his maker.

It was then when Darren saw the girl, alive but unconscious in the back storage room. He walked through the door to grab her and take her to safety when he was promptly punched in his wounded shoulder. His pistol went flying as he came face to face with the bandit leader. How could he have been so stupid to let his guard down? The bandit had a knife and drove it deep into Darren’s already wounded shoulder. Darren instinctively punched him with the other arm. The bandit leader withdrew the knife and charged again. Darren hit him with a combo, knocking him back. The bandit leader screamed in rage and leaped at Darren, his knife swinging downward taking both men to the ground. After a few moments, it was Darren that got up. He had turned the knife inward right before the man landed and it hit the bandit leader right in his heart.

Darren regained his composure and grabbed the girl. She was a thing of beauty and he just hoped that she would be ok. He took the bandit leader’s horse and rode to the nearest town. He paid for the best doctor in town and sat with her day and night; reading to her, wiping her head with a damp cloth when the fevers came and went. When she was able to speak she asked "Why, why would you do all this?" Darren responded, "You needed me." She tenderly grabbed his hand and closed her eyes.

When she had fully recovered they rode back to Malice. When the businessmen saw his daughter they embraced. She explained to him that this man, this drifter, had sat with her day and night to take care of her when she was sick. The businessman could see in their eyes that they were in love. While Darren was gone, the businessman had been busy making peace with the prospectors and had even invested some money with them in a new claim. It was a lucky one, too, and had paid off. He had just recently purchased a massive amount of land just outside Malice. He offered the land to Darren so that he and the businessman’s daughter could start their life together. Darren takes one look at her, smiles, and gladly accepts it. The drifter stops drifting and builds a large farm on the land he was given. Every day he blithely tends the farm. They are happy together. They live a long life together full of purpose and altruistic love.