The Ballad of Black Mask

A swagger in her step, a hand hovering at her hip
She’ll flash a smile, a knowing wink
A calm reserve that can fool the most able
She’ll cut you down faster than you can think

“I am the fastest this world has seen”
She’ll boast with full bravado
“I am the fastest that’s ever been”
Before one can blink she’ll up and go

Quick with her witt and quick on the draw
Her goal is simple and beyond compare
Willing to fight and willing to rumble
Her eyes seem to glisten without a care

Just who is this adventurer, one might ask
A gunslinger by choice, an elf by birth
Roaming the worlds with partner by her side
She lets loose a laugh filled with joy and mirth

Born to aristocracy, she doesn’t seem to fit
In a world built in magic and towers
She became a thief seeking adventure
Planning each move in what would seem hours

Her name became legend throughout this world and hers
A claim she will lay down when opportunity arise
A boast and a brag, one would think she was a bard
Adept with a tale as though she’d change her guise

As the years would move on, she’d take on new challenges
At different times a thief, a sheriff, a marshal
With each one she’d grow, her fame ever changing
Her heart filled with cheer as a challenge would call

Many have tried to find this wild elf
Many have failed to claim her as their own
Hard to catch, even harder to tame
She’ll remain a mystery, in this world and even her home

This tale is legend, or that is true
An elven maid with her eye on a task
The legend known through the rugged west
As the outlaw known as Black Mask.

artwork by Clarissa Renee Hummel

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