Beauregard - A most peculiar train journey

It seems like so long ago, but really only a short time, since I hung up my saber and left camp for the final time - since I bought my supplies and found the train to go west, to find adventure, to find fortune, to find meaning.

What I found was, instead, a strange train carriage with a native lady, a former private soldier, and a salesman of some type. And then we found ourselves in a train wreck.

With the ghost coal igniting and flying back across the train, it was quite horrific. And probably more action I'd seen outside of the odd skirmish. Still, I had my training and my wits. We were soon attacked by the indian folk outside the train who it seems had attacked. Lacking my baggage I quickly drew my pistol and fired at the man leading this attack. Though he managed to graze me with an arrow, I eventually got him and he fell dead on his horse. The others had fought well, and this caused our attackers to break and flee.

We rounded up their horses and then realised that they were massing for another attack. The only escape we had was down into a large hole that had formed - and so we went down into the dark and moved up along the edge of the tunnel that we found.

A train rattled past - a train underground! - and we kept going further. There was a small automaton, and when we tried to probe it - well, the Indian woman we had with us turned into a bird and it fired. That was most bizzare. She was unscathed though and we advanced and it didn't attack us. Clearly designed to attack animals.

What we found was a whole work party, and the inventor of these devices - Doctor Hellstrom. There was also a reporter - always troubling - but a whole little team too. Really fascinating and quite a group. We agreed to stay with them when it transpired they were going to the City of Angels. This it seems would not be quite so dull. For that evening there was an attack by these creatures. We managed to hold them off, gun them down with fine aplomb - I really should have brought more bullets. But, it seems, our little possee - forced together by circumstance - shall hold together a little longer. 

Jack Reynard: Strangers on a train

After deciding, that I spent more than enough time in the town, I decided to get on a train. There were a few interesting characters aboard, nobody who would be worth fleecing though. I had some idle chit-chat with them, and a few games – nothing serious - when disaster struck.
We were attacked by savages, and at the same time the train got blown up as well. Obviously the two are related, although who knows what’s behind it all. The other passengers were out of luck, those not devoured by the ghost rock flames were quickly disposed of by the Indians. My newfound companions seemed to be tougher nuts to crack however. This was not really surprising, two of them are army veterans after all, and the girl – slight as she is – is a savage herself, so she must have some cunning tricks up her sleeve.

I tried to stay out of sight, and only use a few of my own tricks to help turning the odds in our favor. After the whole thing was over, we gathered our belongings, and tried to leave as quickly as possible. I would have loved a chance to go through the pockets of our fellow passengers – they were dead, and I hate money to go to waste – but an even greater number of savages were nearing our position. The only way out was a small, dark tunnel with a new pair of train tracks within, so that’s the way we went.

The tunnel was dark and creepy, not the sort of place I like to spend my afternoons in. We saw a train, but it either did not notice us or did not want to stop for us. In the end we found ourselves near a base of operations of some sort, guarded by a huge mechanical abomination. We decided on a game of chance to see who has to test out the friendliness of the guardian, which suited me just fine.
Not surprisingly – at least not to me – it wasn’t me, who had to take his chances with the machine. What WAS surprising however was that our Indian friend does indeed have a few tricks up her sleeve. She turned into some sort of bird right in front of our eyes. I was amazed by her foolhardiness. Isn’t she afraid of persecution? Maybe it is different for the Indians. At any rate, this might prove very useful in hiding my own abilities.

The guardian was decidedly not too friendly towards the raptor, and she barely escaped unharmed. Thankfully it was uninterested in actual people, so we made it into the camp unmolested.
I was a bit worried about meeting the owners of the camp. If someone goes through that much trouble to hide something, they are rarely pleased when someone else discovers it. However everyone was perfectly friendly when they met us, and we were asked to partake in the historical moment of reaching California by rail. It seemed almost too good to be true.

It was. We could barely settle down for a few moments, when the camp was attacked. At first we were left behind in our – hopefully – safe resting place, but soon there was trouble on the other side of the camp as well. I reluctantly followed the others to find the engineer responsible for digging through the cave wall pinned down by horrific monsters in his equally infernal-looking contraption.
Normally this would have been my clue to slip away quietly from the scene, but with the camp being under attack from both ends I thought that unwise. Especially, since my new acquaintances were more than happy to engage in a deadly battle with the disgusting critters. In the end, I ended up helping them dispose of the creatures, and we even saved the hapless engineer.
I hope there will be at least some sort of reward for this.

Garland: A Wreck

Dear Diary,

I was riding a train that derailed. Injians got us. But I reckon they weren't expecting me on board. I killed a bunch, and a few other of the passengers survived as well. Some doctor from the army, too. That could be trouble.

But I wager my name ain't exactly known. He keeps tellin' people I was a private. That works just fine for me. Less people know about where I come from, the longer I keep going where I'm going.

Met some real famous folks. Underground, too. Heading out to California. Maybe when we get there they'll hire me on as bodyguard or somethin' simlar.

If not, leastaways I'm in California.

Killed some cave beasts. Not much to it. Shot em.

Died just like a man does.