You manage to extract the safe and burn down the house. You also manage to find about $2000 worth of a variety of items that will be easy enough to sell if you can find someone to take care of it for you (mostly paintings and valuable books).
Where to next?
Angel Eyes considers their situation for a few moments as he watches the house burn, then speaks thoughtfully. "Might be we'll have better luck figuring out where Slade went when the sun comes up. I don't know how he managed that parlor trick of turning into a puff of smoke, but a man can't just disappear like that. If we don't find any trace of him though, maybe someone back in town can make sense of this book we found. There's also the little matter of the safe. We can probably find someone to help us with both, if we're willing to throw some money around."
”Agreed, maybe we can eventually track him down.”
Wei turns to the others, " I think we should camp out in the scrub, I still believe we are the hunted, not the hunter. For now"
”Agreed, let us get out there and stay camouflaged as best we can. Set watches and the like. Yahvev and I can take the darkest hours - our eyes are keen.” Yahvev loads Jack up with their ill-gotten gains. ”Let us take the rest of his horses too - no reason for him to have them any more, and we need the carrying capacity.” Culver sighs, ”we may have become outlaws, you all realize. I am fine with this, but I thought I would mention it.” Culver frowns slightly, thoughtfully.
Angel Eyes nods in agreement with the plan. When Culver speaks of their outlaw status, the gunslinger shrugs. "Wearing a badge doesn't always mean a person's doing right." Figuring that one of the others will wake him for his shift at watch, Angel Eyes lays out his bedroll to provide himself a bit of comfort and rolls up his serape as a makeshift pillow. Laying his head down, he tilts his hat forward to cover his eyes and is soon snoring softly...
The night passes quietly as you all contemplate your situation. Morning comes, and you consider what to do next.
"So, mis amigos. What next?"
[b]"In general I am opposed to wanton distruction, however I believe the right course of action would be to burn down the house and find some place to 'lay low'"[/]
Angel Eyes hunkers by the small fire and glances sideways at Li. "Seems to me like there's not much left to burn. But if you want to go picking through the ashes feel free." He considers Antonio's question for a bit longer, then lights one of his cigars on a glowing bit of charred log before rising to his feet, gesturing toward his mule. "We've got a fair bit of merchandise to sell. I think it'd be a lot easier to carry if it were turned into cash. Not to mention the safe. It might have some clues inside to help us understand exactly what we're dealing with here."
You head back into town, and start selling off your loot. It's a small town, but you manage to gain about $120 each before the sheriff shows up with some new men.
"Put down your weapons, boys. I am afraid you are under arrest for the destruction of private property, trespassing, and murder."
”Sheriff, respectfully, what are you implying that we did?” Culver is hoping that some of the more personable folks will speak up. ”You have new deputies, I thought my companions were your deputies. That is an interesting development...” Culver looks at the Sheriff, leveling an almost accusatory gaze.
While you might recognize a couple of the men, you do not know them specifically as Slade's lackeys.
The sheriff responds. "My mistake, makin' y'all deputies. Didn't know you were murderers and arsons, but yer comin' with us now. Drop those guns."
The sheriff seems nervous, although you can't tell if he is afraid of you or something else.
Angel Eyes smiles grimly, but his eyes are flat and dangerous as his hand strays toward his gunbelt. "I don't think so, sheriff." He pronounces the last word as though spitting a curse. "We've had a taste of how you treat those that cross Slade - and we've seen with our own eyes that he's not what you call nice folk. Now why don't you and your men turn around and leave us to our own. We only fought to protect ourselves when violence was brought against us. Whether you consider us lawmen or not, we plan on figuring out what sort of bad business Slade and his men are up to in these parts. That is, if his 'men' can be called that at all."
"'Arsonists.' The word you were looking for is 'arsonists,' senor. I wonder, did you know he had a bruja -- witchcraft is a sin, and we put those sinners down like dogs. Do you support witchery?
While the Sheriff stands up to Angel Eyes, all of the men get a little twitchy as Antonio talks about witchcraft. With his men murmuring and backing out of the area, the Sheriff finally caves and says "You best git outta town and don't come back."
”Sheriff - we can help you, you know.” He watches the Sheriff for a moment for a response, then gathers his things. He pauses, ”It is not murder if they are already dead, Sheriff.” He watches the Sheriff for a moment.
Angel Eyes regards the sheriff and his cronies with a sneer on his lips, then touches his gun hand to the brim of his hat, dipping it slightly in a gesture of farewell. He is curious to hear the cowardly lawman's reaction to Culver's words, but doesn't much care either way. With money in their pockets and a possible means of cracking that safe they buried a ways out of town, the gunslinger has no desire to stick around anyway.
The sheriff does appear to shiver slightly at Culver's remarks, but remains unconvinced. He simply motions to the door.
Assuming at this point you are trying to avoid a shootout, you gather up your recent purchases and head out to the safe.
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Angel Eyes keeps a sharp watch on their backtrail to make sure they aren't followed as they make their way out of town, but finds himself consistently distracted and daydreaming about the contents of that safe. Gold? Or maybe something that will help to explain the impossible events of last night? The gunslinger is, in fact, beginning to wonder if the whole thing was some sort of bizarre hallucination.
Culver sighs, and nods at the sheriff. "Pity." He tips his hat at the man, and the deputies, and then whistles. Yahvev emerges from a hiding spot, conspicuously close to the deputies, and lopes along after Culver, panting.