Given the warnings, the posse moves up the west. Quick orders are given - the "casino squad" to circle around the town to come into the potential enemies' backs, the "saloon squad" to take up covert positions on the western part of the roof, and Bill, Tencount, Ann and Voho take up stealthy positions in the dimly-lit square ready for anything. Isaac is meanwhile instructed to get off the roof on the opposite side of the saloon, taking a stealthy route into the fray...
As everyone takes up positions, they hear a lamentation from the middle of the square. It's Phillip Idrique, the Ace of Spades gang member they've been warned about by the Woman with No Name, and he first fires off two shots to get the whole town's attention.
"Hermanos of Santa Fe! Y'all's done good bein' in y'all's homes tonight! Just stay there, we pick somethin' up from the Sharf's office, and me and the muchachos will roll on out! No need fer this to be a bloodshed!"
The fight starts off with a massive bang. Taking a page out of the Skull's book, Tencount tosses one of his dynamites at an unaware group of bandits nearby, and despite it being a rather inaccurate throw, manages to take out four, and injure one severely. Said group is then finished quickly by Bill, who accompanies Tencount, and whose rifle strikes true, exploding the brains out of the already injured boy.
The remains of the trap are then quickly sprung as the ambushers up on the saloon roof take their pot shots, but in turn, they show their hands - and Idrique quickly picks up on it, warning his gang of the height advantage. A lot of the Aces turn up to climb surrounding roofs, including the leader himself as gunshots ring past, through, and by. On the north side of the main square, Bill gets taken out by a dual-wielding desperado, with two well-aimed shots that bring the mountain man to the brink of death.
Several clever combat maneuvers in, and it's Ann on top of a roof with the Nameless Woman's rifle, ready to wreck some serious havoc with the customized long-barrel, well-rifled weapon. Aided by Voho pushing her up, despite difficulties and shots taken at her, the sharpshooter made it up there and took aim on Indrique, who'd been responding by the dynamite explosion a bit north of the main street... and Ann's new rifle completely misfired, knocking itself out of her hands. She quickly rolled back behind cover and reached for her revolver.
The Aces' boss seemed to have taken quite the interest there and immediately went for the rifle, but missed a shot with it himself. A lot more fire had been exchanged in all other areas, while both Tencount and Voho were sitting back, hoping for an opportunity to strike in melee. Eventually, the situation turned into several duels. With Ann and Tencount brutally focused on taking down Idrique, Voho working hard to remove a female bandit from the equation who had been flanking them, Isaac finally making his way around to he theatre to remove Bill Williamson from it and stabilize him... and finally, in the Sheriff's office, several members of the Aces' gang having a major shootout with the fresh Deputy Jones.
Once Idrique's got a firm grasp on the weapon, he commands his posse for a retreat; and he does so style. The half-mexican man springs off the rooftop he'd been fighting Ann and Tencount on in a backflip and even manages to take a shot while leaping off, and miraculously, he hits Tencount straight in the chest, be it luck or skill, the shot lands right in the middle of the brute's broad chest. But perhaps even more miraculously, the bullet just shatters off; perhaps it'd been a misfire, or Tencount's thick skin, or his heavy clothes, but either way, the acrobatic shot gives him nothing but a bruise.
More shots are exchanged left and right as the combat becomes even more chaotic. A few more of Idrique's men are taken out by some extremely skillful, and extremely lucky shots by both the posse and their civilian backup, which triggers the Mexican leader to go brutally murderous. While Voho is dealing with a duel against a woman gunslinger, tossing a pear, dodging a shot, swinging his knife that she dodges, moving to cover... the pair on the roof look up at each other as a dynamite lands right between them.
"Scorched earth it is, mo'fuckers!!!" Idrique yells, and Tencount works off nothing but instinct. He darts across the roof with the speed and determination of an animal, leaps, and covers Ann's body with a beat hug. The dynamite blows, taking a massive chunk off of the post office, and more importantly... takes Tencount apart. In his last act on this world, the man is blown to literal pieces, covering the roof, and Ann, in blood and guts, but despite his sacrifice, the woman sharpshooter is nearly taken out as well. Thanks almost entirely to Tencount's sacrifice, however, she miraculously survives, though her left arm is blown off its socket, the only part exposed to the shockwave, ripped away from the joint and flying off into the dirt.
In the shock of the explosion - and perhaps guts and bits flying about - Bart, one of the casino guards who were a massive help up until now in the fight, takes a shot at the gunslinger engages with Voho but misses, and accidentally takes out the pale Indian with a shot to the lower back. Fortunately, it misses any vital organs, but be-all end-all, the whole posse except for Isaac who had been taking care of Bill is down, several townsfolk were dead and down... and in the Sheriff's office, Deputy Jones was completely overwhelmed and bleeding out. Finally, Idrique's crew starts backing out, and everyone is surprised to the dedication his comrades have to saving their leader's life as they jump in front of him when shots are taken and give a life or two to save his. As they retreat, Dancing Blades also makes it out, just as the posse's reinforcements, ordered to circle around town to get into the enemy's back line, finally arrive... to find nothing but carnage.
The survivors are stabilized, but the cost is great. While Isaac has stabilized Bill, Voho managed to survive the friendly fire and most of the townfolk who were down were also saved, there were a few bodies to be buried; and worst of all, Tencount Cormac, who had heroically given his life in saving Ann, paying for it with his own body's integrity.
The posse was beaten, badly. Bleeding, missing members, limbs, weapons, and having lost the encounter entirely. The townsfolk turned away from them as they went to bury their own dead... and prayed for Sheriff Weller, whom they now believed was dead as well.
From Heroes of Santa Fe, to those who disappointed it... and with the doctor murdered as well as one of the first kills, no easy way to recovery... the gang had one hell of a job in front of hem, whatever it was.
