Chapter 2: On the Road
(I do not own Fallout, or any characters or locations or anything they've used. Especially not an old friend from New Vegas who's making an appearance in this chapter. ;) enjoy, and please give input. Any feedback is good feedback. Also, sorry i'm not very tech literate and i'm having trouble tabbing paragraghs and centering title. Also, i know this chapter is short, don't worry, the next one is much more interesting.)
Lonely Fire and Ofi had travelled west with the traders for almost two weeks, and he couldn't help but wish the the Snake Gang made their home closer to his village. Still, his experience was...interesting with the traders. They eagerly took the chance to take him on as a guard, and every night would ask more questions, typically practical things such as hunting tips or constellations, but they would also ask trivial things, such as why his warriors scarred themselves, or the meaning of their tomahawks. He'd always answer, but he wished they'd not ask.
One such night, a younger trader asked about the most dangerous wildlife, a practical question he could respect. His answer was immediate and confident:
"Dragones. Um, G.E.C.K.O.s."
"I ain't seen any around here. And you mean to tell me you're more worried bout scalies than mirelurks?"
"No, i have seen the carcass of what you refer to. It's not the same. Not even a proper translation, for their is none. Imagine one, then make it about 20 feet tall and a ton in wait. Fast as hell in the water, too. Only weak part of it's armor is it's stomach. Otherwise you'd need massive guns, or explosions, to take one down That is a dragón."
"Ah...out west, most dangerous thing we have is a deathclaw. Imagine a cross between a wolf, a goat, and a man. It is something like that, though i'm not quite sure if that description is correct. However, how else can you describe something that just is?"
"Beast will always have the upper hand, physically," said Fire, now examining his bow and arrows. "But we are smarter. Whenever possible, my people either lay ambushes for things like dragónes, or traps. We also have...boom sticks, big guns, that work when there is no time or too few people." Now he was taking inventory of ammunition, with 24 arrows and 30 rounds of .38 ball for his revólver. Ofi stuck his head in Fire's lap, and he scratched him behind his ear. At this time, they were all of home they had.
"Well, me and the boys are thankful of what you have done to help us. And since this is our last night together, we got you a present. Hold on," he said and retrieved something from his pack. He handed Fire a carton of six grenades. "Either use them for your revenge, or on dragónes, or whatever you need to, Lonely Fire. Just stay alive, ok?"
"Yes, I shall. Much thanks."
"No problem. And hey, you ever come out west to New Vegs, look me up. I know the, um, chief there. Im sure she'd love to meet you. You're the kinda guy she always had with her incase she needed heads smacked together."
"Thank you, Ringo. I wish you're caravan has much success in the future," said Lonely Fire. He then laid upon his bedroll and thought more. Tomorrow he would be in the town of Port Rust, a trading town that served fishermen and traders. He would need to buy food and water, thankfully he brought furs and trinkets to trade. However, he knew there was no way to fight off the raiders with just him and Ofi. They needed assistance. After all, neither he nor Ofi were capable of true range fighting. Or had knowledge of explosives. He needed someone who could fill in the gaps of where he was weak at. Hopefully, he could find a mercenary or another disgruntled individual like himself. He didn't let this bother him, for he knew that everything would fall in place. He closed his eyes and accepted sleep's comfortable embrace.