Witnesses

Chapter 5

 "Okay, where are we now?" Hawthorne asked as they entered a sunny town of farmsteads.

"You're getting better at this." Miles observed, but there was no mirth in his voice. "This is Stardew Valley."

"You're going to train me here?" The magician frowned, and the gunslinger nodded. "Why?"

"I needed a place that was calming, and this was the first thing that came to mind," Miles replied, "Now, shall we get down to business?"

"No," Hawthorne said, and the gunslinger raised an eyebrow. "I've got a few questions first."

"Well, I did promise to explain." Miles sighed. "What do you want to hear first?"

"Who were those people?" Hawthorne frowned. "You seemed cautious around them."

"They already said who they were," Miles grunted. "But I suppose you want more than that. They were crusaders, ones that were quite above my level at that."

"What do you mean?" Hawthorne cocked his head. "I thought you were one of the best in the witnesses' ranks."

Miles chuckled at that. "If you think that, then you haven't seen some of the guys above me. Makes me look like child's play."

"That's a terrifying thought." Hawthorne mused.

"Then let's not dwell on it," Miles replied. "You have more questions, I assume?"

"Yeah." Hawthorne confirmed. "You said things were picking up. What did you mean?"

"I mean that bigger things are starting to happen," Miles said grimly. "It's rare that you get shit like a whole Tyranid fleet world-hopping, much less that you find powerful Crusaders moving to clean it up. Something's going on, and we need to be ready."

"So that's why you brought me here?" Hawthorne asked, and the gunslinger nodded. "Alright, I have one last question before we begin then."

"Oh boy," Miles muttered, but Sam was undeterred.

"You said that the other guy—Oliver, or whatever his name was—stopped time," He said, looking at Blackwater pointedly. "How did you know?"

"No more questions," Miles growled, and as Hawthorne started, he raised a hand. "That opens a whole slew of other questions that I'm not going to answer right now, so I'm just gonna leave it at 'reversing is not all I can do.'"

"What do you—" Hawthorne opened his mouth but stopped as Miles grabbed him by the chin.

"If you say 'what do you mean' again, I am going to find the nearest bottomless pit and boot you in," He snarled, and the magician shrank at the withering glare he gave him. "I'll reveal how when you need to know. Let's just get started."

"Alright," Hawthorne swallowed nervously, and the gunslinger let him go. He wasn't entirely sure whether he would carry out the threat, but it was best to go along with him, just to be safe. "Where do we start?"

"Outside town should be good," Miles said, then gestured to him as he began to walk out. "Come on."

The two kept their heads down, making sure not to attract any unwanted attention to them, before making their way a few miles beyond the town's borders. Once they reached an open field, they stopped, and Miles turned to Hawthorne.

"Now, where to begin with you?" He blew out a breath. "Oh yeah, your skill in fights is absolute dogshit."

"What do you me—" Hawthorne said, then caught himself, and Miles chuckled.

"Good, you haven't forgotten," He said, then folded his arms. "But I'll spell it out for you anyway. Your reflexes are slow and your ability is the only thing that keeps you of any use to me."