Historia de la Deadeye

Deadeye
Muy pocos han sido testigos directos de sus hazañas, pero los escasos testimonios que existen coinciden en lo mismo: su deslumbrante belleza y su absoluta crueldad.
◈ Sus inicios
Durante su infancia, Deadeye disfrutó de tiempos felices junto a su familia. Sin embargo, sufrieron el ataque de una banda que se cobró la vida de sus padres y la separó de su hermano menor. Tras convertirse en la líder de la pandilla, un determinado incidente la dejó con la urgente necesidad de conseguir una gran suma de dinero. Fue entonces cuando recibió un encargo de alguien llamado Marni.
◈ El origen del incidente
En el interior de una tranquila taberna de Nueva Victoria, el tintineo de las jarras de cerveza se mezclaba con el barajar de las cartas. En ese preciso instante, Deadeye entró en el local. El tabernero, con una sonrisa enigmática, le tendió un revólver mientras ella tomaba asiento en la barra.
◈ El asalto al tren
En 1899, en Nueva Victoria, Deadeye aceptó la misión de Marni de asaltar un tren. Sin embargo, además de los bonos financieros, el convoy custodiaba otro tesoro. En el momento en que Deadeye extendió la mano hacia la esfera, esta comenzó a emitir una intensa luz.
◈ Un trato con Marni – El diario perdido de Deadeye
Tras tocar la esfera y caer en un mundo completamente nuevo, Deadeye se embarcó en una aventura a través de diversos territorios siguiendo los pasos de Marni, quien afirmaba conocer el paradero de su hermano. Aunque él no le daba las respuestas inmediatas que ella tanto necesitaba, no tenía otra opción que seguirle el juego si quería encontrar a su hermano Eddie.
Primer día
¿Pero dónde demonios estoy? Lo último que recuerdo es que estaba en un tren… toqué una especie de… trasto brillante… y de repente aparezco en un sitio que no he visto en mi vida. ¡Y justo cuando la salvación de la banda estaba a la vuelta de la esquina!
Lo último que recuerdo haber visto… fue a un hijo de perra con mucha labia soltando mierda sobre llevarme con Eddie. ¡Ese es el bastardo que me mandó a este agujero de mala muerte!
Al menos entiendo el idioma de la gente de por aquí, menos mal. Pero mientras buscaba a ese escurridizo tipo, unos lunáticos me emboscaron. ¡Pensé que estaba perdida! Pero entonces oí la voz de ese hombre, y al mirar no vi a un sujeto cualquiera, sino a un armatoste descomunal como no había visto en mi vida. ¿Cómo es posible… que exista algo así?
Tras encargarme de esas pestes, por fin arrastré al dueño de esa voz. Incluso con una pistola apuntándole a la nuca, el tío se limitó a reírse como un loco. ¡Será insensato!
¡Maldita alimaña escurridiza!
Se hace llamar "Marni". El mismito nombre de mi cliente...
Así que todo este embrollo fue una trampa desde el principio.
Le grité que me mandara de vuelta de inmediato, ¿pero qué me salta? Que estoy atrapada en "otro mundo" y empieza a parlotear sobre que él no es el mismo Marni de "mi mundo". Y antes de que pueda pestañear, intenta cerrar un trato preguntándome si quiero encontrar a mi hermano, Eddie.
Por muchas ganas que tenga de meterle una bala en su engreída cabeza, me temo que no me queda otra que seguirle la corriente por ahora. No tengo ni la más remota idea de dónde está Eddie, y si quiero sobrevivir en esta extraña tierra, jugar su juego es mi única opción. Así que supongo que será mejor que empiece a anotarlo todo aquí para no perder el hilo de ninguna pista.
Segundo día
Bueno, me fastidia admitirlo, pero el arma que me dio Marni pega unos tiros que golpean con más fuerza que la resaca del licor clandestino de mi abuela. ¿Cómo demonios una bala tan pequeña puede provocar una explosión digna de la dinamita? Si hubiera tenido esta belleza en mi hogar, me habría apoderado de toda la frontera en una semana.
El cielo nocturno de Nueva Victoria estaba tan atestado de estrellas que sentías que iban a llover sobre ti en cualquier momento. Cuando disparo las balas de Marni, las luces deslumbrantes me devuelven los recuerdos de esas noches estrelladas. Supongo que ahora entiendo por qué llama «obra maestra» a esta arma.
Yo ya era una pistolera formidable, pero el regalo de Marni dispara con la precisión suficiente como para enroscar el tapón de una botella. ¿Andas buscando potencia? Este lanzacohetes es una bestia. Arrasa con todo de un solo disparo y es una auténtica delicia usarlo. Lo he bautizado como ¨Diablillo¨, porque es un pequeño demonio incontrolable.
Marni me trae monstruos o me enfrenta a bandidos, diciendo que es parte del entrenamiento. Descargar mis balas contra esas bestias sin cerebro... no ha estado nada mal. Me ha dado una descarga de adrenalina como ninguna otra cosa que haya enfrentado en el salvaje oeste. Por supuesto, ver la satisfacción engreída de Marni me aguó el humor de nuevo, pero un día de estos, me aseguraré de enterrar esa cara de suficiencia bajo tres metros de tierra.
Day 3
Those weapons, once strangers, soon started to feel like familiar friends in my hands.
The foreign stars in the night sky don't seem so odd any more, and just as I'd begun to memorize their mappings, Marni up and says we oughta head to this place called "Calpheon."
Seems he'd caught wind of some unexpected news about the old king of Calpheon—something important. So, he insists we gotta go there and see what we can find. Now, I don't much care for his strange little projects, but I've gathered more blisters than clues, so I figured I'd follow Marni for now.
We left Valencia through Ancado. Never been on a ship before, and I gotta say, the way the vast ocean stretched out before me was truly breathtaking. While we were sailing, I prodded him for information about "this world," and wouldn't you know it—he starts carrying on like some kind of teacher, yapping on and on. I got tired of listening, so I told him I'd rather figure it out myself.
He's a crazy one, but seems like he ain't looing to double-cross me.
...Or so I thought. No sooner had we reached Calpheon than that no-good snake vanished.
Left me with nothing but a damn letter that simply said “See you soon.”
I'll blow out his kneecap when I see him next. Damn, I was a right fool to trust Marni. But sitting around moping ain't gonna help me find Eddie, so I decided to seek him out whether Marni helped me or not.
The city center of Calpheon was... something else. Bigger, stranger than even Valencia. Folks as big as barnyards, some with horns, and even a kid with pointy-tipped ears!—though, they didn't much seem to like being "kid." They started spouting off swear words and asking if I knew how old they were. And I don't even have the ink to write everything about them talkin' otters. Ha! This place is one wild ride, all right.
Day 4
I needed some leads and I needed some work. But folks kept sizing me up all wrong and giving me menial tasks: Catching boars wrecking a farm, searching rooves for lost cats... Just pointless chores. If Declan or the gang saw this, they'd be laughin' their heads off, seeing what their boss was reduced down to. But right now, I ain't got the luxury to be choosy about work.
When folks asked my name after a job, I said "Deadeye." I keep the name to remind myself who I am. Olivia, Sara, Charlotte, Evelyn, Clara... I've been called countless names.
But Deadeye, that name alone keeps me alive as a lone outlaw of the wilds, as the leader of the Canary Gang. I don't know when, but I'll definitely return to that wasteland waiting for me, come hell or high water.
After completing countless petty tasks, my reputation began to grow, and my tales began trickling through every corner of every tavern. Soon enough, more "worthwhile" quests began coming my way.
Guess I proved I was too good for those tiny jobs. Finally, people began to see what I was made of.
By taking down bandit gangs or rescuing hostages, I could earn a decent amount of coin.
I'd head to the information brokers as soon as I got paid and ask about Eddie's whereabouts, but no luck. Damn it! Is my brother really out there somewhere? Feels like I'm lost in an endless sandstorm.
Day 5
I've gotten used to this world more than I ever thought I would. Life here ain't half bad—people treat me well, the work's decent. But every now and again, when I realize I'm just an outsider, a stranger in this place, there's this hollow feeling that hits me somewhere deep. When the night air settles and I can almost hear those loud-mouthed fools back home laughing and swigging whiskey. I catch myself missing them more than I care to admit.
I wonder... are they getting by alright without me? Do they think my disappearance was a betrayal? That thought gnaws at me every time my mind wanders there. No matter how much time passes, the ache for my old world... it don't fade. Damn, looks like I've gotten softer than I'd have liked.
That said, it ain't like I hate this world. In this world, I'm not weighed by the burden of leadership.
I'm free to roam without a care, just me and the open road. The strange sights, new cultures, and oddities unique to this world—they keep stirring that sense of adventure in me.
It's like those childhood dreams, the wild ones you never thought would come true, well... here, they're real as can be. And there's people here, wanderers, they call themselves "Adventurers," who live just like that—traveling the world on their own terms.
If I find Eddie, and Marni's deal comes to an end, then maybe before I find my way back, I'll do what they do. There's plenty of this world left to explore, and plenty I still ain't done yet.
Day 6
Damn it! I'm pouring nearly every penny I earn into finding my brother, but there ain't even a lick of a clue! Eddie is the only kin I got left after our parents passed. As a kid, I always found him downright insufferable. So gentle and kind, you'd think we were in an earthquake the way his hands trembled with a gun in 'em. A bookworm who would just read the day away... He seemed so dull, even empty-headed at times.
But Eddie was my one and only brother.
We'd laugh and play pranks on each other, and if anyone dared to tease him, I'd make damn sure they regretted it... That's what family is all about.
Even in our own world, after Eddie vanished, I turned over every rock looking for him.
But Eddie left no trace, as if he just "ceased to exist," and everyone around me was wanting me to just throw in the towel.
They said Eddie was probably dead, that searching was a fool's errand. I couldn't fully shake the thought that Eddie might be gone. Yet, I couldn't let go.
Just as I was starting to accept deep down that he might really be gone... Marni talked like he knew Eddie. He was the first to clearly speak of my brother's whereabouts. So, for now, I gotta believe. Eddie is alive. He's definitely somewhere out there in this world... But where in the hell did that no-good Marni disappear to?
Day 7
That rascal Marni showed up as suddenly as he disappeared, right before my very eyes.
I wanted to slap that smug mug when he casually asked, "How have you been?" But I held back, fearing he'd vanish into thin air again.
He proposed a deal, asking me to head on over to a place called Mediah. Just when I was starting to settle in, he wants me to pack up and leave...
Marni promised information on Eddie if I kept cooperating. How much longer do I have to take his word at face value? I couldn't let him string me along any further. I aimed my barrel at his clever noggin once more, but he just laughed it off, calm as ever.
Is he even human? I told him I wouldn't budge without solid proof he had real information.
As if he was expecting those words, he handed me a revolver.
The name Canary was etched clearly on the barrel—clear as day.
Now that's some damn proof, if I ever saw it. It was my father's gun. The same one I couldn't use to avenge him the day he was cut down and Eddie went missing. That day, I dropped it, and somehow, it had ended up in my brother's hands. If Marni hadn't gotten it from him, ain't no way else to explain it.
In the end, I had no choice but to follow Marni's request. How much longer do I play along with this mad scientist's games? I am up shit creek.
Day 8
Marni's deal was to fetch him Ator's Heart. The moment I heard that tale, memories of the past flashed past. The very thing my father's nemesis, Giovanni, was after... The same glowing sphere that sent me to this world. What kind of power does a palm-sized orb hold to raise such a ruckus?
To find Ator's Heart, I was told to hunt down a witch named Illezra, so I set off for the town of Tarif, where I'd heard traces of her still remained.
There, I stumbled upon some unexpected information.
Gannicus.
The character Eddie adored and praised as his hero.
How could the same story be told in this world? Who on Earth is Gannicus?
Marni claimed he was different from Salvatore Marni... so then could a version of Gannicus exist in each world? The tale the elder shared about Gannicus was eerily similar to the character in the book Eddie clung to.
I hastily called out to Marni, but the contraption he handed over, a "Marniwave," was filled with strange sounds. And... did he say it plays otherworldly sounds? Suddenly, the voices of my younger brother and my childhood self came through. The nightmares of years past suddenly resurfaced, souring my mood. I kept my ear to that hunk of junk, hoping for more, but nothing else came through. Damn you, Marni!
Day 9
Well, ain't it a small blessing in all the misfortunes, reckon I'll be getting used to this here land called Mediah right quick.
The dry wind scratching my cheeks, the red earth, and those fiery sunsets remind me of home. A land tangled up in nightmares and memories, a love-hate relationship if there ever was one. Cruel and parched, yet it was my whole world.
After leaving Tarif, I found myself hunkering down in Altinova more often than not. Ain't no one to keep in touch with, but when I had the time, I'd poke around for Marni's errands.
Picked up a few extermination tasks while I was at it.
If life had been smooth sailing, I'd have been bored stiff, but thankfully, the world ain't got no plans to leave me be. Lately, I've been feeling a suspicious presence, like someone's eyes are always on me, like I'm being watched. Who could it be? I'm mighty tired of holding grudges. To lure out whoever's tailing me, I headed to the outskirts of town, and sure enough, footsteps followed.
To my surprise, the culprit was nothing like I expected. A woman with white hair. Definitely an outlier in terms of looks.
Makes me wonder how she managed to stay unnoticed. I've no idea how I didn't catch sight of her before. She had an air of mystery about her and introduced herself as Illezra.
…That's the name of the witch Marni mentioned.
That woman... she ain't no easy mark. She claimed my gun wouldn't work on her, and I reckon she wasn't lying.
Illezra said she wanted to make a deal with me. Seems like she wants something from me, so she ain't likely to draw her weapon just yet. Marni said to follow Illezra if I wanted to find Ator's Heart, so I decided to accompany her.
Day 10
Well, let me tell ya, when Illezra first handed me her tasks, they were a real mixed bag of tricky exterminations. Now, she ain't a bad employer, but she doesn't seem to be asking me to kill these critters because she's desperate to make a living or fearing for her life.
What does she want then, I wonder.
Is she wandering around researching things like Marni? That fella seems downright loony, but this gal, well, she seems to be doing it all with a good head on her shoulders, which makes her mighty peculiar.
We've been riding together for quite a spell now. We've shared meals, camped under the stars, and even swapped some more personal stories.
Time sure has flown by, and then she shares her true purpose.
Turns out, all those tasks were just a test. I ain't thrilled about it, but I get it. Back when I was leading my gang, I'd give folks odd jobs to see if they were trustworthy, too.
Illezra's fixing to head to the sandy desert of Valencia, the Black Desert. Come to think of it, Marni mentioned that Black Desert to me too.
I was told Ator's Cradle is there, and where Ator's Heart leads, a mighty power lies slumbering.
That heart, the very thing that dragged me to this world and what Marni's been after.
It might just be the key to getting back to my own world.
Maybe, just maybe, after finding my brother, we can head back home together.
The road there is gonna be more dangerous than anything I've faced, but Illezra reckons we'll get what we're after. I sat in silence for a long while after she asked if I'd join her.
After thinking it over, I agreed.
So now, I'm off to the Black Desert with Illezra.
Here's hoping Lady Luck rides with me.