Realistic or Modern Bastard's Tale

[TheAdept]

Two bullets in the chamber, and no time to reload. Jesse refrained from using them during the Hawk battle just in case. This was when he needed them. No time to reload, but Jesse's hands moved inhumanly fast when shooting. The Noble aiming a gun at him had his brains sprayed out on the Old World pavement the minute the molotov broke his concentration. The remaining three seemed in a panic as they were quickly realizing they were outnumbered in spite of the state of several of Jesse's men.

Blasts of gunshots erupted from SMGs in three round bursts. One fired in the direction the molotov was thrown from, another aimed at Shaun but Jesse blew his brains out before he could squeeze the trigger. Then Jesse felt the sting of two bullets in his left leg and one in his torso. Luckily he remembered to wear his kevlar but the vest didn't cover his legs. Jesse fell, feigning death, but when that Noble turned his gun to Rose, Jesse's knife had flown again and lodged in the Noble's shoulder.

As the last Noble was looking for whoever threw the molotov and likely unaware he was the last one, Jesse turned his attention to his leg which was bleeding profusely now. He grabbed a handful of dirt and packed it into the wound to stop the bleeding.

 

[TheSaint]

Fourteen days had passed since Xys had first descended into the ancient brickwork tunnel, the only new lead on the missing group of scavengers that he was being sent off to find. A belief the group had defected being the main reason he was on the hunt. Keeping their home safe was paramount, the only reason they were still thriving as a society was the secrecy that kept outsiders ignorant to their existence.
He couldn’t help wonder what had become of the settlement he’d learned during his brief encounter with the survivor, whether they would be warned off or infiltrated. Part of their training focused on blending in well with groups if possible, having learned using others to track down resources was quite profitable.

Xys hadn’t dealt in extreme violence in months due to the success of being patient with the non cannibalistic settlers. He felt as though he was being put out to pasture until this ridiculous mission had come along, he had half a mind to execute every surviving member of the group. Only trace amounts of a trail could be found with the use of proper marking, a few he’d nearly missed with how well they were hidden. The scavengers were remarkably resourceful inland, still he wasn't having too difficult a time following the movements of several people at once.

He was only a few days away from the man crossing where the blue cannibals held their land, something would absolutely be needed to pay for passage over the water. A handful of supplies would normally suffice, though it had been at least four years since he’d last visited the bone goddess herself for assistance. Keeping a distance was the best way to interact with the cannibal tribes but when it came to actually finding safe passage through the roads, it was beneficial to pay the toll. Using the ferry would cut his trip in half and the few runes he’d found marked along the way preferred water travel. So like his people to be drawn to water, perhaps chasing small comforts in the lands only seen by scouts.
It was easy to forget just how out of place some could feel once the ocean disappeared from the horizon and the terrain began to change. Some would never even leave the rig for fear of the outside, though Xys was grateful for the tireless engineers making use of everything they found and dragged home.

The first signs of the ferry were the jutting ruins of what had once been a massive dam named after one of the presidents that had once run this country, a name that would be lost on Xys until he spotted an ancient road marker. Hoover Dam, something that likely impressed back in its day, only served as a broken path across a massive lake. A few hours of travel were left between Xys and the ruins, meaning he was going to run into the first welcoming party soon. A clever tactic in subtly flexing their numbers, the always scouting tribe had likely known he was in their territory from the moment he crossed the boundary. The preparedness shown was something to envy, despite beliefs they were mindless and vicious to those sheltered on the rig, Xys had found them to be intimidatingly organized and aware of their surroundings.

Large metal statues stood unevenly along the banks of the river to signal where the crossing lay, a fairly long line of other travelers waiting for their own use of the ferry system. Patience hadn’t really been accounted for during this journey, normally the crossing was infrequently used, perhaps the cannibals had become a little friendlier over the years. The bright blue flags painted with varied bones still flew from the wings of the strange statues, long since painted with symbols by the tribes that had dragged them there.
Splashes of ancient human workings intermixed with the modern shack-like structures humans were building with rudimentary tools. Xys couldn’t judge the buildings, having been born on an old rig in the ocean, fortified by scrapped ships. He would have more than enough time to take in the crowd, doing his best to appear completely disinterested in his surroundings. Confidence and a lack of carrying anything outwardly valuable was the key to surviving close quarters with other humans, Xys knew his holstered firearms and bow would catch a few glances. He was hoping there would be at least one trade caravan among the group to distract the more reckless thieves.

“What’s your trade?” An impressively deep voice for a woman spoke, signaling Xys’ turn. The moderately sized line had moved quickly, leaving Xys somewhat confused until he was able to see the improved water crafts being used to move larger groups. Four barges on cables were all in different stages of travel, an incredible upgrade for only six years, perhaps the tribe had taken in a few traveling engineers from other settlements.

“Companionship” Xys replied pleasantly, only the gentlest edge in his inflection, aiming to disarm the guard somewhat. He would be rewarded with a small snort of laughter before he offered over the spare filter he’d acquired before his travels and a few pieces of jewelry he’d picked up in the ruins of an older city. Shiny rocks were loved by the tribe but the filter would be his true ticket across the water, with perhaps some discretion.
He needed to seem likeable enough to probe around about the missing party, though he wasn’t going to press for anything before making it out onto the craft and more capable of blaming small talk.
Even with the new technology, the vessels weren’t quick in cutting across the water, likely making the journey a little easier on the small groups of livestock Xys had seen ahead of him.

A few hours of legwork would finally give Xys something of a fractured story within the trade mark, namely that almost two years prior a fairly complete sounding group of scavengers had passed through the ferry, when the second and fourth barges had been under construction. The group had traded a few building resources and held themselves up to assist the group, no one had defected though, all twenty had moved along and true to form, had given a vague at best idea of where they might be headed.
North was the only real direction he was left with, no one really remembered what was bought and he wasn’t foolish enough to expect the merchants to remember anyone with the sheer volume of people they were getting.

The only settlement North and within a reasonable distance was one Xys had never visited, a reclusive group up in a place known as Deadhorse, through the canyonlands and something of a highly unpleasant journey on foot. Xys barely hesitated before trading for two horses and more gear, knowing he would be able to move much more quickly with better weight distribution, not to mention giving the horses something of a break between being ridden and load bearing.
A few days of riding were ahead and Xys wasn’t sure how clear the roads could be, needing to find the easiest path for the animals but avoid marking himself right into some type of ambush.

----

Xys really had expected to run into more problems on the road, more people even, the entire road into the Canyonlands had been disturbingly quiet and still. Wildlife could be seen roaming, there were obvious signs that travelers had moved through the area, still he wouldn’t see anyone in the several days he moved along the open road.
The territory was new and could easily be claimed or unclaimed by anyone, the country was so rough outside of the small rivers, it almost seemed a shame to leave it empty.

On the fourth night he would finally find the first signs of life, distant lights flickering higher up in the hills to indicate there were indeed people settled high up in the strange ruins in the mountain. Rumors back at the ferry focused on the bizarre people refusing the entry of firearms and living behind impressively high walls crafted from the old ruins of a refinery. Something about it reminded him of home, though he was still incredibly wary about their policy on surrendering weapons.
As a precaution, Xys would take painfully careful measures in stashing his firearms in the woods and relying on them believing he was only using a bow out in these parts. Attempting to pass himself off as a trapper that was exploring new territory to gain entry into what he soon discovered was a small town with impressively high metal walls and an iron emergency hatch serving as the only path in and out of the heavily fortified city. Four hours of hunting would yield up five rabbits and a terribly tired and impatient scout, hoping there would be something valuable waiting for him.

Impressed by the level of work put into welding the heavy walls together, Xys was finally feeling something of a thrill in exploring a new settlement. His own presence wouldn’t be entirely welcome among the small community, almost making him anxious in asking any questions about the large group that may have passed through. A few short transactions for more niche supplies would take place once Xys discovered just how coveted the few pieces of fresh food he carried were. Three rabbits had gone towards some flares and an incendiary grenade, the shopkeep explaining the only local meat was normally cured in salt.

Even the thick, oily, sand the settlement was built on was unwelcoming, slowing his gait uncomfortably and only boosting the impatience burning within.
The market was the only real starting point he could think of, if anyone had defected then jobs were a necessity and he was happy the place was small enough to search in a day. Careful in his exchanges with the vendors, Xys hadn’t found nearly the same level of help offered by the blue cannibal tribe in the South. A strange hostility hung around the whole settlement that had Xys wondering why they bothered opening the gates for visitors. Perhaps a desperate need for trade in such a bizarrely remote location surpassed their distaste for strangers, it wasn’t an entirely appealing place to live.

Everything seemed so gritty and oily, filthy from leaks during the dismantling of the old structure. Sand was absorbent enough to keep some of the mess away but a layer of grime truly clung to every surface in the cursed mountain peak. Even the people were oily and filthy, Xys had already long decided he wouldn’t be lingering beyond a basic search. He hoped he hadn’t taken a completely foolish gamble or missed a signal, the group would be marking more frequently now that they were out in lesser explored lands.

“You’re asking a lot of questions” A gruff voice spoke, attached to a husky man who did his best to catch Xys off guard with such an assertive comment. The Tycho tipped his head slightly at the level of passive aggression coming forth from the large man, carefully glancing about to take in anyone who might pose an additional threat. A confrontation so bold wasn’t likely the act of a single person, the confidence in his approach was telling in at least one other person aiming to aid in this bid for intimidation.
The speed of small town gossip was impressive, even the rig usually held a longer buffer, though he couldn’t help seeing this remote little refiner as a toy version of his home. Perhaps a certain level of arrogance had bled through when he spoke, though Xys was entirely sure he was just overthinking things.

“You seem upset by that” Xys replied, keeping his famously pleasant tone, stitching fake empathy into every world he knew would pull a negative reaction. He couldn’t quite risk outright antagonizing the man but the backstreet confrontation was almost too cliche for words. The awkward exchange that would soon have the group shuffling off felt almost unnecessary with the clear intent of the men ‘arresting’ him, a lone traveler who asked too many questions for comfort. Whether the men were planning on shooting him, running him out of town, or legitimately trying to interrogate was simply a dash of excitement along this journey.

“That pack of miscreants tried to elbow their way in, just like you are, we aren’t sharing the oil fields and we aren’t about to lie down and let you march a clan of savages to our door” The gruff man had decided to outright threaten Xys, meaning he still might be facing some type of execution or perhaps some type of severe beating. Xys would have personally opted to have never let him enter their precious sanctuary at all, he wasn’t interested in storming a greasy hovel littered with barrels of crude and a likely dying population.
Xys wouldn’t say anything, knowing silence was the best form of encouragement when someone got on a roll like this.

“I’m giving you the opportunity to tell your people to stay the fuck out of here, you show up again and we’ll hang you like the other two” The next threat had Xys pausing to look at the man, wanting to be sure he’d understood.

“You hung two, why?” Xys knew he was clipped in his words, he needed to be certain they were tying him in to the same group of travelers. Even with the small town gossip, Xys really preferred to be certain before chasing retribution.

“For sneaking back in after they were ejected, so don’t you slither back in here or you’ll suffer the same” A final threat to round out their pleasant conversation, Xys was once more grateful for the mask obscuring the distant look of distaste he held at the free admission of executing two members of the party. The foolish lack of hesitation in making examples out of people wasn’t going to bode well for the tiny little town, Xys was almost certain. A tiny population had meant he stuck out so their speed in ousting him wasn’t much of a shock, the whole place was something of a feeble joke that wouldn’t last through the next winter.

Xys would find himself stewing over the admission from what seemed to be the law enforcement within the settlement, so carefree in admitting they’d hung two people so easily. Part of him understood their reasoning but the rest of him was quietly raging over two of his people being killed. It was clear the group had moved on, likely in a panic due to two of them never returning. The group would have only one direction they could have taken to not turn back to the ferrylands, meaning they had moved right into unknown territory. Two members down and without any comprehensive map meant mistakes were a much greater risk, especially if more senior members were killed.
He would be forced to wait until dark to enact the hastily forming plans for revenge, aware the settlement completely locked its doors for safety at night. The lesser traveled route wouldn’t have a heavy night watch, they couldn’t spare the manpower.

Retrieving his gear would be the first order of business, there were some things his bow couldn’t do and piercing metal was high on the list. A few precious rounds of ammunition would be required, Xys knew he would need to be incredibly careful but the cluster of old barrels in front of the entrance provided at least some room for error.
Only two bullets would be required to pierce a barrel still containing some crude, the noise quickly alerting the two people standing guard. Light would flicker by as a flaming arrow would soar into the quickly spreading pool of oil and cause a rush of flame to sweep around the heavy iron door. Xys would be rushing in his movements now, aware of how unstable a fire around an ancient refinery could be.

Stopping once he found his next planned vantage point, Xys could hear shouts from inside of the settlement and pulled out his latest purchase. Disappointed to be losing the device so soon, he would pull the pin and throw the item as over the steel wall, hoping luck would land the incendiary grenade snugly among more of the black deathtraps the old barrels truly were. The subsequent explosion would knock Xys off of his feet as a massive black cloud would pour out into the sky, the stench of burning oil dragging the air right out of his lungs. He could barely breathe for a few moments, causing him to genuinely wonder if he may have gone a little too far. At least he’d had the foresight to tie the horses up a fair distance away, though he was almost certain the prey animals would be in a panic if they hadn’t broken free.

Pulling himself to his feet, Xys coughed a few times as he scrambled away from the blistering heat hitting him in waves, genuinely surprised the whole camp had been so flammable. The leaking structure really had been something of an accident waiting to happen, or perhaps Xys truly needed to sit down and think about how his actions may have leaned towards the extreme.
Feeling the ground rumble again, he finally found enough traction to begin a pathetic jog, still trying to regain his breathing. Suffocating with the mask left him fairly certain anyone trying to escape the fires he’d started wouldn’t be crawling away very easily.
Adrenaline would kick in once he managed to pull in his first clear breath, practically restarting his system with oxygen flowing through him once more. He needed to get back to the main road and keep heading North, dreading the backtracking that would follow searching for any further markers.

 

[Mewmewcatfish]

As Shaun spoke to Rose she let out a sigh, offering a hand to help him up. The nobility caught her off guard and before she could put her hood or reach for an axe, she could see the end of a rifle pointed straight at her. She bowed her head slightly glaring pensively at the man who was trained on her. She wouldn't move impulsively. She was quick but she was also 55 fucking years old and had just fought jackals and crackheads. Bone-sore tiredness lingered, not that she would ever admit that to the group. She listened patiently as Jesse spoke with the men, moving just slow enough to lean closer to her blood-soaked axe.

Suddenly, almost out of nowhere a Molotov cocktail erupted behind the men and Rose grabbed her axe. Before she could move though Jesse and Shaun took action though, blowing away most of the group. Rose tried to stay low, as to not get in the way, when she saw Jesse take two to the leg. She gasped, standing at her full height about to run to check on him when she saw a gun was trained on her. She shut her eyes preparing for the pain when the man fell down a knife to his shoulder. She eyed Jesse, her breath heavy as she nodded at him in 'thanks'. She then turned to the last one, who was still looking for who threw the cocktail. She set her feet, throwing away her cigarette as she picked up her second axe, letting out a guttural cry as she threw it with deadly the precision, the blade lodging directly in the back of the man's neck. As he turned in shock, lifting his gun once before he fell to the ground stone dead. She stood in the silence for a few minutes before moving over to the nearest corpse, taking his rifle with ease. She walked over slowly to the man with the knife in his shoulder and finished him. She threw the gun away in disgust before she rubbed her hair out of her face, turning to Jesse who was trying to push dirt into his wounds. She came over to the young man pulling out some ripped cloth she kept tied around her leg for moments such as this and batted his hands away, "Here. I'm not as qualified as Shaun but I can patch you up enough, to stop the bleeding."

She looked over the young man and spoke softly, her tone slightly humbled, "Also thankyou. For saving me. We ain't close..really...so I appreciate it...Again.."

She looked out over the clearing, corpses littering the area when she saw the smoke from the cocktail, wondering where it came from. She looked at the clearing and yelled out questioningly, not sure if her guess was right, seeming as they didn't have many friends close by, "Saxa? That you? Are you injured?"

Rose looked over at Shisa, then Shaun and then back to Jesse, surprised that she had made it through all this unharmed, and worried that some of their group may not make it through the night. She stared up at the sky and turned to Shaun, "Looks like we only have an hour or two of daylight. We should hide in that cellar...at least for the night. Even if the church is gone the foundation of the basement should still be sturdy."

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun nodded, taking Rose's hand to help himself up. He leant on his shotgun like a cane until he found the strength to drop it onto his coat with Shisa, dragging it by the collar to the set of stairs leading down to the Cellar he'd been tackled in.

"Why do I get the feeling I won't be sleeping tonight..." Shaun grumbled looking at the state of Shisa. He'd be ok, it was everybody else who got fucked up that worried him. "Rose, go find everyone and bring them down. Make sure they're not dead or dying too. I'm only one man." He asked her, closing the coat around Shisa, preparing to carry her down the stairs.

He lifted the wounded witch into a bridal carry, carefully carrying her down the steps. His body let out a groan almost as loud as the steps he stood on with their combined weight as he descended. This was too much physical exertion for one day... Upon reaching the bottom Shaun found himself standing in front of the only light source, the staircase was illuminated by the fleeting glow of dusk. Shaun needed to find and light some candles, he couldn't treat injuries in the pitch black. He returned to the surface and began moving rubble away from where the old Altar was, finding a few corroded candlesticks. He then rummaged in the debris for their gear, retrieving a few boxes and putting them under his arm. In the boxes should be their blankets, medications, and those candles from the wagon raid. With them he descended once more, setting everything up before realizing he had nothing to light them with.

"Shit." He muttered. He once more went up the stairs, the Sun was setting now and they would need a light source. Luckily they could close the hatches on the Cellar to keep out the animals tonight. Shaun wandered around to where the Choir stand would've been to find a large pile of rubble. He might've been able to make out two people sitting behind it, but it was getting dark and he was having trouble focusing his eyes from the shocks.

"Are you two alright?" Shaun asked, unsure if it was Aurora and Mos, or just two lumps of humanoid shaped rubble.

 

[Lexico]

"we are alright," said Aurora. Clearly it was her and Mos not just two lumps of humanoid shaped rubble. She had assisted the group through out the fight not in a big way but her small part from jackals to the next set of strangers. Luckily she was not wounded but her face was covered with blood. She was not sure whether the blood was of jackals or human attackers.

When the fight came to an end, she ran to find Mos. He was missing. She spent a lot of time searching for him amid the debris. She was mumbling in fear as she had to turn over corpses to see it was not him. And at last he was found. He was hiding himself in a small room behind the collapsed bricks. He freaked out seeing the blood on Aurora's face. He would have thought she was wounded. She was relived he was not dead. They both hugged each other for long time. She really felt at that moment Mos was back to his self. She was happy. She brought him to the hall where Shaun spotted them.

"We both are fine, not hurt." She then stood up and walked towards him. "oh my God Shaun, you are wounded." She would help him search for the light. They found a match box in one of the boxes. She also helped Mos settle down in the cellar. "Anyone else missing?" She asked Shaun.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Just a couple scrapes and bruises. I'll be alright, and I'm glad you are too. Everybody else is pretty fucked up though, plus I can't find Ethan anywhere." Shaun admitted, appreciating Her offer help.

Shaun went around the rubble to do a headcount and bring them down to the cellar, eventually he found Jesse lying on the ground, nursing his leg. He saw Rose wandering around looking for Saxa, the new girl. Ethan was nowhere for Shaun to see. He saw Aurora and Mos retreating to the Cellar.

"C'Mon kid, before it becomes dark enough for the Jackals to become bold again." Shaun said to the young man, pulling his arm over his shoulders. Shaun took most of Jesse's weight off of his damaged leg. The two hobbled along to the cellar steps, letting him down once they got into the now candle illuminated cellar. Aurora was already down there, trying her best to tend to Jesse once they arrived. While she worked the younger man to clear his wounds of dirt, following shaun's explanation of how to properly band age and pack a gunshot with gauze, Shaun worked to remove Shisa's tourniquets and finish bandaging her properly.

With Shisa and Jesse stabilized, Shaun resurfaced looking to gather Rose, Saxa and Ethan before the Sun finished setting. The light barely covered half the sky now, and looking over at the tree line Shaun could see green luminous orbs dart around in the shrubbery. The Jackal's eyes.

"Saxa! Ethan!" Shaun called out, "Get your asses over here if you're alive!" If Saxa or Ethan were wounded, but not dead, they could call out and Shaun would probably hear them, and he could got get them himself if they couldn't come over to him. Rose was wandering around look in for Saxa. Shaun would wait by the hatch, ready to shoot any Jackals that darted out.

 

[Lyth]

The sound of people calling out to her was a bit jarring, dragging Saxa right back to the panic she’d felt in previous skirmishes. From the sounds of things, they had managed to kill the surprise group of nobles and some relief would find the wounded redhead.
Still struggling to not worsen the arrow jammed into her side, Saxa was incredibly careful in pushing herself up and attempting to find the easiest path down the rubble. No outright sounds of despair had come from the group, though she soon heard Shaun calling out to her as well. A groan would leave the girl as she pulled herself up to properly stand and hobble her way over to the rest of the group. Unable to keep herself from wincing now and then from the pain in both her likely dislocated shoulder and the stab wound slowly getting worse.

“I’m here” Saxa managed, still moving very carefully and hoping there was something of a competent doctor among the new group. No faces seemed to be missing from the gathered survivors, ringed with cultist and noble corpses but strangely with none of their own casualties. Saxa hadn’t given the group enough credit during the initial outbreak of violence, they seemed to be something of a magnet for dramatics but capable of holding their own.

“I’d say I’m pretty banged up” Saxa practically wheezed, her eyes falling on the well bandaged Shisa, at least there was a capable medic within the group. Stumbling forward, she gingerly set herself down on her right side, hoping the arrow jutting out of her hip and clearly displaced shoulder joint would be enough of an indication to the others. “If someone wants to help me get my shoulder in place and maybe that arrow out, we can see if I’ll survive” A weak attempt at humor would follow, she wasn’t made of stone and needed at least something of a coping mechanism to handle the pain of a metal point tearing into her flesh. The ugly cuts tearing through her pants and long sleeves shirt would be ringed with blood but nothing too concerning, though they certainly would need to be cleaned. She was sure she must have looked like she’d been rolling around in broken glass, she certainly felt as though she had.

Whomever would step up to help would be offered a fair amount of gratitude from Saxa, who was quite aware of how vulnerable she was. Hopefully the arrows jutting out of several cultists and the charred nobles would at least help prove to the others that she wasn’t interested in any dramatics.
Saxa would also never be able to argue that she’d made the decision to stand and fight, she wasn’t about to beg for a gold star.

Saxa would muffle her sound of pain once the barbed arrow was yanked out and her shoulder dealt with, finally able to focus once the ache in her arm had faded some.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"Bite this." Shaun told the young woman flatly. He handed her a small wooden bar, slipping it between her teeth. It was going to hurt, a lot. He took her upper arm and jamming it at an angle into the joint. With a nausiating pop clicked it back into place. Saxa was glad that he was at least giving her the lenience of a bite bar to stop her from screaming. He then moved on to the arrow, simply saying " 3...2...1...brace." before sharply pulling it free, pulling some flesh and creating some bleeding as he did so. He then packed the now gaping empty arrow wound with cloth, and securing it with bandages. This cellar at least had draining gutters for spilt wine or some other reason, so there wasn't much of a mess to worry about.

With the major wounds cleared away, Shaun moved onto the cuts revealed by the shredded areas of clothing. Pouring some of his water from a canteen onto a cloth before wiping them clean of soot, dirt and ash. He put on some bandaids and Saxa was done. She was probably the least severely injured, despite being shot with an arrow and dislocating a shoulder. One was mostly just a painful inconvenience. Jesse and Shisa's worlds were significantly more life threatening.

With everybody treated, Shaun was waiting for Ethan to get down there before closing the hatch, securing them from the Jackals above. He satdown beside Shisa, monitoring her pulse. She had almost bled out, and she probably had gotten an infection from those bites...then again maybe not, Shaun did clean them pretty quick. He noticed a bottle top poking out from a shelf near his head, leaning over and pulling it free to reveal it to be communion wine. "Thank you, God." Shaun muttered, pulling the cork free and smelling it, finding it to still be good after all this time. He took a deep swig before looking round at everybody, offering them a sip from the newly found bounty.

 

[TheAdept]

"Oh what the fuck!?" Jesse and likely others heard from outside as Jesse remembered what happened to Ethan. Only mere minutes before the jackals attacked Jesse had sent Ethan out to collect firewood and to scout the area. Now that Jesse was reminded of what had transpired, he was impressed Ethan had managed to survive.

Jesse knew better than to try and see if he could walk with a bullet wound in his leg. Attempts to 'tough it out' would only make it worse.

"Somebody go inform him about whats going on. And I'll take a swig of that." Jesse said, holding his hand out for the bottle Shaun was holding.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun gave Jesse the bottle, wearily standing up to go outside and call Ethan over. "Get over here, were still live...mostly anyway." Shaun called out, Ethan recognizing his voice immediately. Eventually he saw the boy stumble over the rubble towards the hatch following the sound of Shauns voice. "Glad to see the animals didn't get you out there, not every on was as fortunate." he said as he passed him, Ethan decending the creaky wooden staircase. Once he was inside, Shaun grabbed the hatch door handle, heaving it up and down onto the frame, closing it with a large thud. He followed the younger man back down to the Cellar.

In the time it took between the shit-show finishing and him treating everybody, Shaun had moved the last of the supply crates (with the help of those still able-bodied) down there. He stacked them in the corner, moving some empty shelves to form "rooms". Aurora and Mos had one, as well as Shaun and Shisa. The others had smaller areas made from the shelves to serve somewhat as privacy, but when lying on the ground one could look and see the people also lying down due to the bottom of the units not being sealed. Shaun removed Shisa from his coat, putting her onto the pelts she had stashed in her belongings. He grabbed his shotgun that had been left at the foot of the stairs in case trouble appeared before Ethan did, slipping it back into its holster.

 

[Mewmewcatfish]

After Rose had helped Shaun clear the cellar of rubbage she helped get the others down as painlessly as she could. She remained silent during most of this, letting Shaun take the lead in bandaging and cleaning up. She aided where necessary and then when he seemed like he was settled enough she went hunting for Saxa. After a while, Rose was beginning to grow nervous when finally Shaun found the young lady, hurt but alive. She came over helping Shaun and Saxa as best she could in moving her into the cellar. With everyone but Ethan still out she headed out towards the bodies, doing some grunt work as she began to loot move the bodies into a pile. She didn't take much for herself, taking a small dagger that she stuck in her shoe, some spare bullets and one half pack of smokes which she added to her own stash.

When Ethan came back with firewood she followed him into the cellar with the last of the supply crates, and a cart of loot, rifles, and cow-prods that survived included, dropping it into a spare corner. She took the bottle from Jesse after he was done taking two swigs as she shuffled over to a corner, almost falling into the ground. She faced the wall, easily, hiding her expression of pain from the group as she acted like she was fine. She wasn't wounded or hurt, but the constant pain of arthritis and the straining of old muscles were something that people took for weakness. She was the oldest and probably most expendable. She pulled off her coat and axes, rubbing her eyes, as she tried to stretch out her fingers, her eyes shutting in pain. She shook them out, before moving her crap to her corner. She pulled out her hair tie, letting out her braid, so that her white hair hung over her shoulders. She let out a sigh and then came out from behind the crates, whilst taking another swig of the bottle, "Well that was a bit much.."

She looked over to Saxa, "By the way smart move with the Molotov. Doing that whilst injured was very brave. You really helped us... Tough bitch!"

She smiled meaning her last words as a compliment before moving to sit on the bottom of the steps, shutting her eyes for a second as she relaxed, speaking to whoever was willing to listen, "I'll skin some of those Jackals tomorrow. We can get a good dollar for the furs, but the meat may not be that edible. How the hell did everyone find us so soon?"

She sighed looking over at the group quietly, "So..uh..do we have any idea who any of those first fuckers were? With the crackhead and the cattle-prods. I've never seen them before."

 

[Lexico]

The cellar smelled like a hospital with wounded and medicines. Aurora followed Shaun's instructions and was nursing the wounded. She was not a fine nurse but would manage at the moment. Group was exhausted but everyone were trying to hide or minimize their pain. She sat with everyone asking whether they need any help or how much were they wounded.

She refused when Shaun's offer of wine came to her. "It would better serve the wounded." Shaun was taking care of Shisa so she walked to others one by one, keeping an eye if anyone needs help on bandaging or nursing.

Mos though not wounded was very much disturbed. He kept walking behind Aurora and was looking when she tended to others. He was scared and who knows what runs in his mind right now. Aurora wondered whether anything at all runs in his mind. Maybe he only reacts and does not think.

 

[TheAdept]

"Who were they?" Jesse asked rhetorically "I can tell you. I know all too well. Some of you were there on the night with what I did to Santos, well I would like to do that to every one of those Crystal Cultist motherfuckers."

Jesse paused a moment to organize his tale mentally.

"People don't typically remember much from when they were six. I am no exception. Still, I remember them. Those animals killed my parents, and everyone else from where I am from. My old leader, Charles, cleared things up for me. Murder, death, blood, thats all they know. They do something with this 'crystal.' Thats how they shrug off bullets if its not a kill shot." Jesse looked around "By the way, we have more booze in the collapsed church. Hope those bottles are in tact."

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"I'll have a look around these shelves for more wine. Heaven knows some of us deserve to spend tonight buzzed." Shaun said, Jesse reminding him that there was more wine down there somewhere. They also had their own, abeit a small, stash of booze, tucked away mostly for medicinal purposes. He got up and walked around the cellar searching for that bounty. Shaun was listen in to the idle chatter of the others as he moseyed across the cold, dimly lit cellar. It wasn't the worst hole he'd spent the night in, but it was far from the best. That tile belonged to the Nor-Ad settlement.

The candle light was sufficient for him to wander around the reorganized shelves looking for glimmering bottle necks, but not sufficient enough for him to notice the skull he was about to step on. His heel landed on the top of the old, dusty cranium causing to to roll and Shaun stumbled into a shelf, knocking it into a wall. This made a sizable thud against the stonework and something, probably the shelf, had broke. Shaun grunted, scraping the skin on his hand as he grasped the old wooden frame. "God damn i-..." Shaun began to say, then noticing the stonework behind the fallen shelf had given way by a few bricks, showing a hidden compartment. "That's... New." Shaun muttered, walking back to the group to get a candle so he could look into it.

He waved off anyone who might've heared the racket and wondered if he was alright, reassuring them he was fine. He grabbed a small brass stick with a pair of brightly burning candles, and returned to the newly opened hole. Holding the stick to the gap he illuminated an odd sight, at first one might have brushed it off as shelf fittings, but Shaun was a well read historian. The rusted iron squares stuck to the wall were actually manacle fittings, and peeking down to the bottom of the compartment shaun could see a pile of rags and a carved, although rotten wooden box.

Lifting the box free he walked back to the group with it under his arm. Sitting down in plain view of everybody, opening the big box to see...bottles. It was wine. Not communion wine however, like the one's found on the shelves. These ones were oddly shaped and looked far, far older. The labels were faded with age, but upon popping a cork and smelling the wine inside Shaun found it also to be good. Very good in fact, a shame he didn't know the name of this wine. He of course shared the wine around with anybody who'd take some.

"Rose, you want some? It's good for wine." He asked her, offering an unopened bottle.

 

[Mewmewcatfish]

Rose listened to Jesse quietly. Crystal Cultists. She had heard about those raiders if you could call them that. Rogues hellbent on chaos and damage. Hearing that Jesse was a victim of those asshats only made her angrier she had let them slip through her fingers. She leaned back against the steps shaking her head, "Jesus..Jesse. I'm sorry that we couldn't take them all out. Fucking bastards are crazy...I've heard of some weird crystal worshipping nutballs on the road, but I've never had the pleasure of dealing with the twats. Do you think it was just a coincidence that they came across us?"

She heard a bit of a crash noting Shaun had wandered around to another part of the basement. She peered over with a slightly teasing tone, "You okay precious???"

As Shaun came back with a box she raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he had found. Old wine was a rare delicacy and it had been some while since she had tasted such luxury, and she gave a wide smile in anticipation, taking an unopened bottle from Shaun, "Oh hell yeah. Thanks, darling!"

She leaned down hitting the end of the bottle on the steps to help work out the cork. When it was pulled off she took a nice sip, shutting her eyes for a few minutes, "Mmmm...It's good. Old to.."

She took another small sip before she lifted the bottle in a toast, "To another day of survival and new friends! For those of us who get through the night a toast to seeing another dawn, and for those of us who may not...go gently into that good night... You lucky sons of bitches!"

She took a bigger gulp and laughed heartily, enjoying the simple pleasures when they come.

 

[TheAdept]

Jesse nodded "No need to apologize. You're not one of them."

Jesse had made plans but always expected he would need to change them, as he did. He had taken out Santos and the Inquisition but there were still a lot of betrayers and Noble Lords to go. Not to mention countless of these cultists to kill. When he began his plans for revenge years ago he made several vague plans and only loosely set on one: to hunt down each betrayer, set the Nobility and Culrud into chaos, then go into Crystal territory and kill off as many cultists as he could until they managed to eventually kill him. Again, these plans were vague and he was prepared to continuously adapt and make changes.

He took a swig from another bottle that was being passed around. He wasn't one to indulge too much too often, but he loved booze when he could enjoy it though he only ever tasted, or knew of, a few. There was beer for which he knew of 'light' and 'ipa,' then there was a clear substance that looked smelled and tastes like rubbing alcohol called 'fodka,' then a dark version called 'whisking.' Then there were wines. There was a sweet light sometimes bubbly wine, then there was bold and dark red wine. He preferred the latter. In this bottle was red, and the flavors were emboldened with age.

"We need to work on one problem at a time from here." Jesse said, gesturing at his leg "Shaun, how long do I have until I can move this safely again?" He couldn't get anything done with one leg out of commission.

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

"To be honest, that is probably the most pleasant gunshot I've ever had to sew shut. You have no idea how lucky you are it missed bone AND vital blood vessels...I'd say, but remember I'm no doctor, ten days. Muscles will be weak even then, but you wont tear anything if you're careful." Shaun mused, responding to jesse's question. It's hard to tough out a GSW, especially one in the leg. It had been quite the exhausting day of walking and fighting, so Shaun got up with his own bottle of wine and returned to lie down beside Shisa. Checking her pulse again to ease his nerves. She'd be conscious again soon, but she had blood loss and would need to eat plenty to restore her blood sugar.

Shuan didn't particularly listen to what people were saying to each other, he was lost in thought. He should be dead, in this very cellar. Why didn't the Jackal finish him off? It was just like the wild dogs thatsaved him from being executed by the Nobility. Guy dragging him through the desert was mauled, while Shaun was completely fine. He wasn't fine now of course, with painful bruising where he got violently shocked. Cattle prods were meant to jostle cows, not to drop humans. He had to hand it to those druggies, they were creative in finding weapons to use.

 

[Lexico]

Apocalypse had turned the world into a waste land. Not just land, life itself had degraded. One time you were in a deadly fight, next you were wounded then you had your loved one hurt. Danger will lurk in from every where. Experiencing present waste life in itself was as weird as intoxication. But still wine was soothing and uplifting senses. Aurora felt good. Feeling good after all that three attacks subsequently was astonishingly intoxicating. Aurora laid there hugging Mos.

Hearing Jesse's revenge talk for his parents were killed by crystal cultists reminded her of her own. She remembered her dad. He was a hero. A hero in her community. He was gentle and brave. He inspired others. If he had lived, her life would have been much better. Aurora sympathized with Jesse. But still she had lost her hope in revenge. She had lost her past and her dreams for her future. What remains only was her present. A present life sticking together with what is around her. She cannot think about tomorrow. All she had was rage. An undefined rage. She touched the SMG lying next to her. It seemed the gun reciprocated her touch. It had turned into her third arm. She even felt guilty thinking shooting some one felt so good. She never thought that taking lives would make you feel better. But what was she turning into. Aurora shut her eyes hoping this good wine would bring some sleep.

 

[Mewmewcatfish]

When the bottle of the old wine came back around she took a deep swig, getting up slowly before she walked to the box of rifles she had collected from the men upstairs. She took one, opening it to see how many bullets were left. She grunted, moving back over to her spot which was convenient because it was set right across from the cellar entrance. She sat against the cold wall, taking another swig as she placed the gun beside her. As tired as she was, she viewed sleep as a waste of time and figured one of them should stay up for a bit just in case the jackals come sniffing, or worse.

She grabbed her old backpack and took out the nobility uniform she had kept earlier. She also pulled out some needle and thread that she had asked to borrow from the group. She took a swig of the bottle again and took to work stitching up the bullet wounds and any other small cuts or rips that had been formed during the fight. She sang softly to herself, her voice course as she began to sing an old song her mother used to sing to her of times long past, "Blue Jean Baby...LA Lady..Seamstress for the band. Pretty eyes, pirate smile. You married a music man. Ballerina, you must have seen her...dancing in the sand.. "

After a while, she put away the uniform, satisfied with the possible disguise, and settled down. She laid on her back her hand resting on her chest on top of a tattooed name placed just over her right breast. She shut her eyes her thoughts turning to dreams of the girl she had seen earlier in the market and a man with a sly smile and beautiful green eyes.

 

[TheAdept]

"Damnit. I have a duel coming up." Jesse said, remembering his deal with the Williams Nobles. He might duel someone he didn't know, but he would eventually challenge Shingo, and cross another name off his list. But how would he manage a Blood Eagle in that situation?

Then he realized, he had just killed some of Todd's men, and William was allied with Todd. He would need to avoid letting William's men find out.

"Any way anyone could perhaps jury rig some kind of device so I could walk in spite of my injury?" Jesse said, a question open to anyone but somewhat to Shaun being that Shaun seemed the most savvy.

Not far from Jesse, in a corner away from everyone else, Ethan reviewed some documents he had been carrying in a jacket on him. Documents he found during the Boulder fight. On the paper before him was a concept from the Old World. A metal boot which walked on its own with only water as fuel.

"Maybe."

 

[KotaKotsu]

Dashing through the woods akin to beast more than man with the other cultist and the man in the white lab coat tucked under each arm; Hawk smashes his body against twigs, branches, and shrubbery as he made his way away from the church. Jackals laying wait in the woods would run from the thunderous sounds of Hawk's footsteps, leaving the people in Hawk's care alone. As Hawk comes to a clearing several miles away from the church, he places the two down and sits near a small stream, catching his breath.

Washing his face from the blood caused by inhaling the profuse amount of stinging nettles, he begins to push on his nose, realizing it gave him pain. Hawk found the water to be something clean tasting, and beging to drink the water. The next thing Hawk knows is that the man in the white lab coat kicks Hawk in his back as he's washing himself and drinking from the stream. Hawk does not lose balance, but rather freezes up in place.

"What was that?!" The man in the white lab coat screams. "You jumped over one of the people with a bounty rather than grabbing them!" Hawk looks between the cultist and the man in the white lab coat. It was clear Hawk was confused how he was supposed to grow a third arm to carry a third body.

"Useless!" Yells the man in the white lab coat before he produces his own cattle prod and Hawk flinches upon hearing the hum all to familiar to him. "Such a disappointment!" Hawk tries to brace his body but feels himself begin to twitch as volts of electricity run through his body and he digs his heels in the ground as to not fall into the stream which would only amplify the pain further. He remembers how it felt to have this happen in water.

The other cultist makes a face upon witnessing this scene before speaking up meekly. "You can't punish him for saving our asses..." They said. No sooner than the words left their mouth did a scream of agony come from them as the man in the white lab coat shoots them in their leg.

"YOU, don't tell ME, how to raise him!" He nearly screeched. Hawk tensed up even more at this which made the shocking more painful as the man in the white lab coat turns up the voltage, and Hawk begins to lose consciousness.
____________________________________________

Hawk's vision fades to blackness, and he finds himself able to remember fire, screaming, cries from his mother, father, and brother. He couldn't remember their faces, it had been too long. He was confused and was told to hide under his bed in his room and no matter what, don't come out. Gunshots, lots of gunshots and screaming. The front door breaks down and Hawk wants to know what's going on. He calls out to his mom and dad, even his brother, and the bed is flipped upside down. He finds himself staring at three hooded figures, as one brings down their boot on his skull.

Hawk awakens in a room, and finds he can't move his arms or legs and has a blinding light in his eyes. He can't see anything. "You're going to be my greatest creation. If you can survive by chance when you get your head stomped on, you'll be just the endurance subject I need." Hawk feels a sharp pain in his body as he feels an injection enter his arm, the contents pumping through his body. He cries out in pain as a fire spreads throughout his body, and begs for his mother, his brother, and his father.

"Silly boy, I am your father now. And you will learn to respect and treat me as such. Keep pumping him full of growth hormones, steriods, and cocaine. We'll work on the other drugs as he ages."

Hawk's heart rate begins to pick up in response to the drugs being pumped into his body in large volumes. He starts struggling hard against the restraints as he tries to escape, even screaming for help. He feels another sharp pain in his neck, before he finds it hard to move, and eventually, his vision turns black again.
_____________________________________________

Hawk awakens in darkness now, a welcome contrast to the blinding light and the pain. His body hurt a lot, and he felt it challenging to lift his muscles. It felt like everything was sore, and he could hear wind above him, and all around him. He slowly picks himself up, wondering where his mother, father, and brother were, and if that bright light was just a dream. The pain in his body seemed to tell him elsewise. How long had he been here? Was his family okay? He brings himself to walk, and finds his clothes tight around his body. Were they always this small? He licked his lips and found them dry and cracked. Hawk was quite thirsty.

He holds his hands out while trying to follow the wind coming from in front of him, and stumbles by tripping on a stalagmite, crashing against the floor and groaning in pain. There is a stirring above him, the sound of a collective of flapping wings and screech beyond unnatural. He calls out to who's there and finds himself with a sharp pain on his cheek no sooner than he calls out and feels a warm liquid trickling down. He finds the strength to run faster, even with the pain, bringing himself to an opening, with another blinding light.
_____________________________________________

Hawk now awakens, he has somehow been dragged into his chambers back in the coliseum. He had no idea how he had made it back, after he had been electrocuted as a punishment. He looks down at his naked body stripped of his armor, and realized there was a mud compact where he had been shot in the chest. He tried to breathe through his nose and the pain from the nettles were seemingly gone.

"Took you long enough to wake up, Hawk." Hawk quickly scanned the room to notice a figure with a bandaged leg looming in the corner of his room. The cultist member who has tried to defend him pulled down their hood, with long hair spilling out of it, and a soft, feminine face revealed itself in the dim light of the torches along the stone walls.

"I'm sorry that you got punished. I used warm water to get those barbs out of your nose, with a warm cloth. As instructed by your..." The cultist looks down at her leg, "father...." She spits the word from her mouth as though it was a type of poison. Hawk looked down, wondering to himself how he could have grown a third arm still. "Can I sit down next to you?" The cultist asks, and Hawk nods.

"We took your armor off while you were sleeping. And your, father, decided that we would need to use some of our supplies, to make it so you wouldn't get a fatal bullet wound, like this one." The cultist went to place her hand on Hawk's chest, near the mud compact, causing Hawk to flinch as a reaction. She seems disheartened by this. "I'm not going to hurt you, Hawk, okay?" Hawk nods and relaxed slightly.

The cultist smiles a bit, and pulls her hand away to make Hawk more comfortable. "He said something about ballistic protection, something keevler or along the lines. It sounds like you'll be able to fight even harder with it." She gets off the bed and walks over to the door, putting back on her hood and tucking her hair underneath.

"I wish you would talk more, you know. I don't think I've heard you speak once. After all, you haven't even asked me my name." Hawk looks down at the ground again, feeling like he had done something wrong and was going to get punished. The cultist huffs from across the room. "That was a hint, Hawk." She opens the door, and while she's going to close it, she says in a soft voice. "Just call me Snake, okay?" And the door clicks shut behind her.

 

[TheAdept]

The orange glow of fire lit the mountain settlement as the death cries echoed. Some were desperate horrified screams, while most were of frustration and spite. The Crystal Worshipers were weak when compared to the mountain people, but the cultists were far too many. For every warrior in that mountain town there were at least ten cultists if not more. They rushed. They charged. They knew nothing but relentless bloodlust. Even the strongest could be restrained by enough cultists as they were flayed or dismembered. Such a fate was not restricted to men, or those who fought. Newborns were ripped from their cribs, or even their own mother's arms, and skewered.

But in this chaos, in spite of the numbers of cultists, one boy slipped through. One boy...looking for another. This one boy who would later be the last surviving Bastard still loyal to Charles.

His short six year old legs struggled through the snow, now away from the town yet still cautious of what dangers could happen upon him. Perhaps a cultist wouldn't find him. Maybe a large cat would pounce from nowhere. The boy was fleeing, but also searching. Searching for another boy about his age.

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Somewhere near Denver
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Jesse awoke to relative silence, most unlike his dream. He was looking for someone, but who? Was this person ever real, or just a figment of the dream?

He looked around. It had been a few days since they decided to move from the church cellar to the basement of an Old World house a few miles away. The house itself was worn and in disrepair, but the floor which doubled as a ceiling for the basement stood the test of time. Here they now were, in a simple, yet sizable basement. The concrete was cracked but sturdy, and the window wells were surprisingly clear, as grimy as the glass itself was.

Jesse lay on his bedding, knowing he should get back to WIlliam's men soon or miss the chance to kill Shingo. He also know, however, that attempting to use his leg too soon might lengthen his recovery time. He sat up.

"Anybody heard or seen anything about William or the Daimyo? I don't want to miss my chance."

 

[ScalpelsNSaws]

Shaun had been top side a few times to hunt for supplies. He hadn't seen much activity in the area as a whole, but he found that most of the Wasters that would typically found in the area were particularly wary recently. He had only been shot at a few times, so he did have some indication of that fact.

"The locals are all het up about them, from what I've seen on the supply runs. The main idea is that a big player, possibly high in rank is still in the nearby town where Todd's men had originated from." He was rummaging through his books and maps, looking for something in particular in his duffel bag. He had been nursing in the wounded for a few days and it was a repetitive chore with many dressing changes per person, per day.

Shisa probably had recovered from her blood loss by now and regained consiousness, she just had to deal with the healing bites which were well tended to.

 

[Corvid15]

Shisa had been healing well, mostly relaxing due to her injuries. She gave Shaun the pocket watch she had gotten him in the market. Now that they were hidden, she had gotten to checking out the items in the sack. The books she gave to Shaun, and had him look over the different vials. The books were of torture, military strategy, and generally things the Nobility didnt allow to the public. The vials were all different chemicals, some explosive, corrosive, and all different manners of things.

Shisa's injured arm was practically useless at this point, given how messed up it was. She had stayed in her little subsection of the basement, making spells and wards. She had made voodoo dolls of the new group members, which she put with the others. She hadn't done much over the past few days, just resting and relaxing.

 

[TheAdept]

At the mention of a ranked member of Todd's army being nearby, the conversion had Ethan's full attention. Ethan had grown an amount of respect for Jesse the day they discussed their respective revenge goals. Jesse's concealed excitement at the opportunity to kill someone he hated was much like what Ethan felt when he imagined killing Todd.

"Makes sense, considering Todd's men attacked us." Jesse remembered Todd from only a few years ago. Todd was a slob when he was a Bastard and he was probably a slob now.
"Its probably not the man himself, but we could probably get some valuable information out of whoever it is before scalping him."