The STALKERs of Zero

by Smuggler of the West

When Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière wanted a wise, powerful, and beautiful familiar to call her own, an unlikely incident happened within the borders of the Zone and elsewhere, plucking three unlikely stalkers and a destined kid in Japan from their world and into her's. Shots will fly, s#!% will explode, and there will be bandit polka. Contains 100% of pure ass kicking.

2. Chapter 2: The Master of Stalkers

A/N: Another chapter of Pavlo and friends disagreeing with their so-called 'master' and still trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

I would like to thank the reviewers for their positive feedback, but I've yet to see any criticism for now. If so, then please explain your thoughts in a simple form for me to understand so that I will do what I can to fix the problem.

I hold no rights to The Familiar of Zero and STALKER materials, along with other added contents except for OCs and minor deviation of plots.

Review Responses:

Kaioo: They're killers, excluding Saito, but they are not psychotic killers. Further into the story, their assorted views will definitely clash with the local's on morals and beliefs.

Panzer-12: I'll throw in a mixture of both, with the protagonist stalkers trying to figure out how to make their ammunitions and improvised weapons and how the story progresses. Nothing to major in the early beginning, but more weapons will be added; some that are not in the Stalkerverse, but will have their names modified to fit the feel of it.

GrimKid98: An emission is coming, fellow stalker!

Yeza Nairomof: It'll get more interesting after you fastened your seatbelts for a whole bunch of clusterfucks later on. Count on it.

Minh: Cheeki Breeki, bro. Cheeki. Breeki.

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Chapter 2

The Master of Stalkers

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Last hour before unforeseen departure…

"Alright, time to try out my new duds and see if they fit me!" The curtain acting as my door was closed shut behind me and I placed the box on the operating bed. There I begin to take off the leather suit and start putting on the real-deal that I spent on just to get that feel.

Ever since the whole incident involving our previous medic playing vampire and that someone took care of it when he was found out, I decided to call dibs on his room. Having to occupy the late Tremor's medical room, I decided to take it as my sleeping quarter since no one else would go for it in fear of finding out whatever fucked up things he had done beside the whole blood drinking fiasco. Frankly, it just gives me the perfect space since no one will ever go near it unless emergency calls.

It would be pretty annoying if the people here mistook me for a doctor. I can't imagine how much of them barging in and yelling "Help, help, I need a medic!" before they realized I can't do jackshit with their patient other than passing them a medkit and have them figure it out what the hell they should do.

Anyway, I wonder how I look in this thing. I got the pants on, the shirt and tactical vest secured, and then the gas mask and helmet tightly snugged in. I wish Tremor put a mirror in this room before someone killed him. If the man wanted to be the terror of the night, he could at least have the decency to hang a mirror just to pretend he's Edward Cullen. The freak probably likes the sparkling effects. Who knows? I haven't found any glitter around so far.

You know what? Screw it; I'll just use my knife as an improvised mirror just to see how badass I look in this get up. If what Nimble said is true, this baby can stop pistol and assault rifle rounds without any heavy damage to the suit. Sure, it's not as fully protective like those Skat-9m suits or the earlier model, but it beats having no Kevlar at all.

Sometimes, I would imagine myself as a swat officer with a battering ram breaking a door open while the rest of my swat buddies would charge in and get shit done. Actually, before I even entered the Zone, I wanted to be Berkut in the beginning. Sadly, they shut down the organization because of police brutality and them being dicks to the people. If I had joined earlier, I would have kept my skills and breezed through the Red Forest to Pripyat in no time. Or maybe not, with the locals being crazy and shit over there.

Oh well, it's not like I was missing out on anything while I was here. Who knew firing your first gun was exciting? At a bandit who was holding a better gun, no doubt.

"Get on the ground, bitches!" I did a little pose and pretended my left hand is a gun, complete with cheesy sound effects. "Pew pew pew!"

Alright, enough fooling around for me, I got to do some chores before I get some Z's. Don't want to get out in the early morning without any bullets in the mags, eh?

With the knife sheathed, the backpack unzipped next to the operating bed, and the small crate placed elsewhere on the floor, I went to work on replenishing mags with fresh bullets. Putting thirty rounds in each mag was no feat of work, but it was time consuming nonetheless. Even then, I like doing work on my own time alone because it helps me think when I'm focused on a certain task. Things like future planning or what I want to do other than stalking is usually the main topic in my mind, like smoking blunts with the Freedomers or playing checkers by myself back in Yanov.

Sometimes I would have pleasant chats with Hawaiian and ask him why he never wears Aloha shirts if he is trying to make everything fun. Other times, but rarely, I'd end up spying on the bandits at the Container Warehouse to see if there were any changes beside Shishak ranting about how Jack is a retard and playing checkers with his buddies. In Yanov, the fun is always there at the station. Once you step out, though, it tends to turn into a clusterfuck of things trying to kill you and constant firefights.

But in Zaton, the fun never ends for me here. Artifacts are plenty in every emission storms, bandits under Sultan's rule are polite every time they want to rob and/or kill you for your stuff, and the wildlife in this barren wet jungle keeps you on your toes just enough to last a little longer. The swamplands here is almost like the Cordon, if you can tolerate the very same people who were trying to shake you down for loot outside not moments ago are now the ones acting as your drinking buddy that laugh at your crude jokes. I can't imagine myself getting close to any of them and having a pleasant conversation while giving them a pat on the back saying "Better luck next time, bro" much like the other stalkers around me. Life can be funny like that sometimes.

So, what should I do with the seven other mags that I've collected for today's run? Do I save the AK carbine for back-up or should I just take out all the bullets and hoard them for later uses? Hmm, now that I think about it, the hunting shotgun might come in handy if I need to use it to kill a boar or Flesh for food. Decisions, decisions…

. . .

Eh, just keep both of them. It would make sense to have a spare rifle just in case I'd end up with another broken shooter because of those goddamn boars. If there are many things that I hate about the Zone's residents other than bandits and mercenaries, number one are boars. Fuck them, fuck the military, and fuck the Monoliths. Those whack jobs are part of the reason why I never bothered going to Pripyat in the first place. Granted, I've never seen an actual Monolith psycho before, but I heard stuff about them that'll make even the most hardened stalkers shit bricks and reconsider another place to visit.

I once heard that they sit down around tall structures and swivel their heads in a continuous circle to communicate with their Zone god. Jeez, no wonder everyone thinks they are too far gone into crazy land. Zombies are the least of our concerns since we still have remnants of brainwashed freaks hanging around in the Zone. God forbid if they- Hey, I'm done with the mags.

Heh, guess monologues do pay off once in a while.

"What's next…?" I mumbled, looking around for anything to do since I don't feel quite tired yet.

Let see…

Mags are done. Check.

Suit is on. Check.

Supply crate holding all my necessary shit, locked and secured. Check

"ACHOO!"

"Gesundheit," was my reply.

. . .

". . ."

Wait, wh-

Something heavy landed on top of me before I had the chance to look up. My head banged against the floor as I tried to figure out who the hell is on me and how to knock out this son of a bitch. Getting up was hard since the person who is attacking me decided to sit his fat ass on my back while trying to pull my hands together. The sound of metal chains jingling near my head says it all as he took my Compact out of the holster and tosses it far away from me.

"Who the fuck are you!?" I tried to shout for help, but the unknown assailant slammed the side of my head in order to disorient me. Luckily, the lenses from the integrated gas mask didn't break, but goddamn the ringing inside my ears won't stop.

"Get off me, jackass!" Another attempt to get him off me proved fruitless, but not entirely useless when I managed to grip one of his hands and pressed my thumb against the nerve sensitive spot underneath where his thumbs are. I didn't think it would work, but it got the job done when he tried to pull it away which left him vulnerable for me to jerk his arm on one side and cause his entire body to roll. That douchebag landing on my sore form again did not do me wonders as I managed to roll on the side and got up standing so I could fight back properly, along with getting the identity of my attacker. The familiar sight of his dark blue BDU and gas mask left me slightly baffled when he quickly got up and went into a combat stance.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" My voice went shrill before pulling out the knife.

Oh shit, a merc!? What the hell is a merc doing here?

The mercenary in question was checking me out to see if there were any empty gaps for him to charge in and take me out, but I was ready this time. No way is that fucker going to get the upper hand over me again. The bastard may have tossed my pistol away, but I still have three more guns right behind me (even though they were already empty to begin with)!

Speaking of guns, why did he ditch the pistol if he could've used it to threaten or kill me? Maybe he doesn't have a silencer and a loud gunshot within earshot of every stalker will bring unnecessary attention.

Attention that I urgently needed right now by attempting to run out the door screaming bloody murder at the start before he took out a taser, fired two darts at the base of my neck, and shocked my ass into a twitchy oblivion of pain and suffering. Only the muffled scream of choked pain came uttering out of my throat as the voltage continued to course through my body.

"FUuuuuuUUuuuuUUUUUuuu-!"

Unfortunately, like all maneuverable combat suits, the empty gap around the neck is how people with good marksmanship can get an instant kill easily without having to aim for the head or waste more bullets into a larger mass like the chest. Mercenaries, like the one still tazing me, are known for their high kill ratios because they always aim for the weak spot. How else do foreign professional killers get the job done efficiently?

It seems like this one was hired to take me alive, strangely enough for the first time. Since when do mercs get paid to start abducting stray stalkers now?

The dark-cladded hired gun stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs and was about to placed them on me if not for the sudden interruption of two figures slipping through the curtain door quickly before anyone outside would notice. Cardan normally sits at the end of the hallway where his workshop is at so it should be very hard for anyone to come through the middeck unnoticed unless he is either drunk or too distracted to pay any attention, and Owl's store is literally right next to the medical bay! The former would be likely so since he did quit drinking a long time ago, plus the influx of newbies coming may have kept him busy for a while. The latter won't probably care how much noise I'll make since he'll just think I'm in some kind of frisky S&M with someone or just minds his own business because it's not his problem to begin with. Fucking cash whore…

"Hello, Farmer." Oh great, now 'ranty mc rant rant' and his little sidekick are here to steal my artifacts. "I have come to steal your artifacts. Dwarf, get the merc! Our time is short."

Dwarf, being the brute asshole that he is, raised his Viper 5 and ordered the merc to drop what he was doing. A closer look at the SMG showed a silencer attached at the end of the barrel. Shishak pulled out a SIP-t M200 that was also silenced and stepped toward my currently sore body while he devilishly grinned at my fallen form.

"The merc did his work quite well over you, Farmer. Now then, onward to business…" A light chuckle escaped from his mouth when he noticed the cables running to the taser where the merc dropped it. After picking up the non-lethal device, he placed the barrel of his pistol underneath my chin. "Where are the artifacts that you have? I suggest you answer quickly. Time is money."

I scoffed at his piss-poor attempt in threatening me and calmly replied with, "At your mom's house."

The only response I got was a quick, spastic shock before being prompted with the same question again. Shit, why do tasers have to hurt so much?

"Where ARE the artifacts? I won't ask you again." Shishak looked over his shoulder toward where the door is at and turned to me with another smug grin. "I could do this all day, if time was on my side."

"I… told you…" I gave a small hiss, "It's… at… your… mom's… pla- AAaaaAaaAAAaaaaRRRGGGHHH!" The taser in his hand rapidly clicked every time he pressed down on the trigger.

"Wrong answer, Farmer." This time, his expression darkened as he nudge the barrel upward and drew his face closer to mine. "You have five seconds to tell me where they are before I shoot you dead. The last stalker I made a deal with at least had the decency to honor his side before I let him and the hostage walk away unharmed. You should know how fair I can be when it comes to my word."

"Yeah, because… kidnapping stalkers for ransom… worked soooo well for you the last time." A brief shake to the head later left me dazed for a while as I moaned about the slight pain in my muscles from the shock.

"Five…" He counted off, not taking his eyes off me for any given seconds. The same can be said for Dwarf, who still had his weapon trained on the merc.

"Dude, I'm not telling you shit so go fuck of-AaaaRRRrrrrGGGgggHHHHhhh!"

"Four~" Yeah, you're real fucking funny there, asshole.

"If you kill me now, then you won't be able to find what you are looking for! Do you think I put everything all in one spo-AAAArrrRRgh! Shit!" The taser was finally used up when it stopped shocking my body. Honestly, who the hell would bring a taser into the Zone!? It's not like everyone can drop instantly after a few zaps.

"Hmph, battery is dead." Shishak frowned and tossed it over his shoulder. "No matter, I can improvise. Where was I… ahh, three."

"Two words: Fuck. You." Another heavy slam against the back of the helmet almost made me wish he'd shoot me already so I don't have to deal with headaches later on. Almost.

And why the hell is there duct tape all over the ceiling? Did the merc tape himself up there so that he can ambush me while I came in without looking up? Gosh, I never thought these people could get so creative nowadays…

"One." His trigger finger slowly tightened around the trigger.

"Hey, what the hell happen to 'Two'!?" I pointed out in complaint.

The bandit leader wagged his available index finger in front of my face, "Tsk tsk. You should be more worried about what happens right after one. So, any last words?"

. . .

Damn, he got me there.

"Alright… agh… fine, I'll tell you." My throat felt raw from the constant howling so I pointed my finger at the supply crate next to the front of the desk, to which he glanced. "The artifacts are in there. There is a lock combo for it, but I can open it for you."

The trench coater stood up with a satisfied smile and gestured at me to pick myself up to do it while his gun was still pointed at my direction. "Very good. Very, very good. You go do that. Remember, no funny business."

Unfortunately for him, I had something funny planned at the top of my head once I managed to get up via a few wobbling attempts for stabilization.

"Of c-course," I croaked with a hidden smirk behind the mask, "just let me- OH MY GOD, IT'S JACK!"

"Where!?" His head quickly snapped toward the doorway in panic and anger. Dwarf also followed along, not keeping his eyes on the merc and paid for the mistake by a sudden neck chop strike that knocked him out at an instant.

Hehe, suckers.

I batted the gun out of his hand and took his right arm into a standing lock, twisting it all the way to his backside while he screeched in pain.

Yessssss… that's right, squeal! Serves him right for the shock torture!

A small quick bash to the head against the wall made him unconscious so that I can deal with the hired bastard who tried to kidnap me, only to turn around and find him right in front of my face. This elicits a yelp of surprise from me when I felt an iron grip around my throat with his one hand while the other attempt to restrain my flailing arms. I retaliated with a frontal kick to the groin and pushed him off as he grunted in pain, clinging to his jewels. Seems like all those hardcore fighting, close quarter combat, martial arts crap he had been through didn't pay off for him if he still can't take a hit to the balls. For me, I'm just improvising to save my own life so style and pain tolerance practices means moot if you don't allow some part of your fear to take over.

While the merc is in the middle of recovering, I bent down and quickly snatched Shishak's pistol off the floor and aim the piece at him to show that I was done with this bullshit.

"Alright merc, hands up in the air!" I ordered, watching him carefully. "Don't even think about getting that shooter near your foot! Any fast moves and you'll get a bullet for your trouble!"

He complied silently, inching away from the Viper just so he can lower his chances of getting shot. Man, this guy is dangerously creepy for a paid gun. Normally, I would hear some words from the roving mercs inside the Wild Territory next to Rostok, but this guy might be the quiet type judging from how little the noises he made during our confrontation. I'd hate to be that somebody who crosses him or is on his priority target list much like right now.

The celebratory uproar of another successful artifact delivery can be heard outside my room, much to my disdain on how the sounds of loud scuffling that happened in here just a couple minutes ago manage to elude their hearing. I guess happy hours are very fun for a lot of people to not pay any notice to their surroundings. Drunken people are deafened people, anyway.

This pretty much explains how suspicious people such as Shishak and Dwarf could easily slip in without anyone batting an eyes worth of notice in the first place because they're already bandits. My mercenary 'friend', on the other hand, may have had to resort to real stealth since nobody likes them and their 'kill everyone but us' mentality. If they're so goddamn professional, they wouldn't need to resort to that at all if there were other alternatives to use.

"Alright, buddy, here's how we are going to do things. I ask you a question, you answer it. You answer wrong, I shoot you."

"And what happens if I answer all of your questions?" He spoke in a quiet tone.

Oh, so he finally says something. This should go well.

"Then we will see what happens next." My left hand pointed at the ceiling. "Did you duct tape yourself up there, knowing that I never look up?"

He gave a nod.

"Good, that's one thing out of the way. Second question: Who hired you?" I readied my finger around the trigger. "I would be careful with this one, if I were you."

"Jack."

Well, that was easy. Too easy, if you asked me, since the usual mercs never tell who hired them.

"Okay, we're making progress here. So, third and final question: How much is he paying and what does this have anything to do with me?" Coming from Jack, I wouldn't be surprised that he would be able to scrap up that much money to hire a professional.

"50,000 Rubles for your capture," the merc didn't even hesitate to tell me right away and then added, "10,000 extra to kill Shishak and his second in command as well."

"Damn…" I blanched at the high amount on my head. 50,000 RU just to take me in alive? Holy shit, that's a lot of dough the loan shark is offering. "…did he tell you why? Wait, you know what, never mind that. I think I know what he wants."

The smug fucker also wanted my artifacts that Shishak was after. Seriously, what the fuck, I probably shouldn't have told Beard about it. Words spread around too quickly in the Zone. If Jack got a hold of me, he'll do more than what I've been through now.

Shit… what a dilemma this is. If I give away the artifacts, all my work would have been for nothing. If I kill the guy now, then Jack will just hire more goons to come after me. I can't take out the source without some serious manpower, so that's out. Hurgh, this really isn't the best day I had in mind. Fucking bandits…

"What if… I pay you more than what Jack is offering? A counteroffer, yes, that's right. I can give you a much better deal if you agree to kill Jack for me." I hope he accepts stash locations…

He gave it some thought for a while, meaning I might have a chance to get away with it if he takes the deal. I don't care if he kills Shishak; the guy is on the verge of turning into a bigger problem if he decides to take the competition with Jack to a whole new level of banditry. If this goes in my favor, then I will be cutting off two heads of a Chimera.

Meanwhile, the trench coater who I knocked out was beginning to stir himself awake with a loud pain-induced groan. A swift back heel kick to the face made him quiet once more.

"Hey merc, while you're thinking, go cuff Dwarf's hands to something so we won't have to deal with any interruptions." The pistol in my hand flicked to the direction of the still unconscious bandit to indicate who I was referring to. "You're still my prisoner, so get to it."

He complied without any complaint and placed the handcuffs on the douchebag's hand to the middle post supporting the top bunk bed before walking back to where he was standing. I had a few run-ins with Dwarf back in the Jupiter area during my artifact hunting expedition. The asshole and his buddies would always fire potshots at my direction whenever his patrol spotted me. I guess he'd forgo his usual Chaser 13 for a gun that could actually HIT something at a rapid fire rate and be silenced. Either that or his boss made him use the Viper because of the silencer attachment. Holding Shishak's SIP-t M200, I wonder how they managed to get ahold of better weapons other than sawed offs and PMns. A lucky steal on enough stashes and ransom or is someone dealing hardware to them? Right now, that doesn't matter. I needed to settle this problem once and for all.

"The clock is ticking, merc. Have you made your decision yet?" I asked him.

He tilted his head and replied, "That would depend on what kind of offer you are making."

"Stash locations. Good ones that I know in Pripyat. I was planning on heading there to make my fortune, but I'm still concerned about the shit still going on inside the city." A.K.A, the ongoing activity of mercs and other major factions in the area still duking it out for territorial control, despite the military holding the CNPP and grabbing whatever artifacts they find.

"I need more than that." Damn, I was expecting him to say that.

"Alright, how about two valuable stash locations and two artifacts worth your while? A Shell and a Wrenched. Will that do?"

. . .

". . ."

C'mon, think about all the uses you would have for them! It's not just their value you should be concerned about. A Shell and Wrenched combination goes well for extra stamina!

After a brief moment of thinking, his small voice rose up a little more, "Give me one more good artifact, and then we have a deal."

Hook, line, and sinker you greedy bastard, "Fine, I'll throw in a Gravi, but that is my final offer."

Another deep contemplation later, he finally gave a short nod of agreement and was about to lower his hands until I harshly reminded him of his current position he was in.

"Ah, ah, hold it! I still don't trust you yet, so here is another game we going to play." I gestured with the pistol in hand toward the bunk bed while step near the desk and fish around the drawers. "See the lower bed? Look underneath the bottom and you will find a tray box with a heavy duty lock on it."

He did as he was told and got ahold of a large, wide metal box that I had it lined with lead between the layers to prevent radiation from leaking out. It was heavy, but not too much to lift and carry. After he showed it to me, I motioned him to place it on the work desk. A small key is held in my left hand and I begin to unlock the case with my eyes still glued to him. Not a second later, the case was opened and there I saw my current collection of artifacts that I have found throughout my two years in the Zone. I took only the Wrenched and Shell from the box and place it on the table, then closed and lock it for the time being.

"Half now, half later when the job is done and you bring back proof of Jack's death. Once you've done it, I'll upload the coordinates of these stashes to your PDA and give you the Gravi. Fair deal?"

"Yes." He simply replied.

"Good. Glad we've reached a compromise." I secretly slipped the key into my pocket. One of the stashes has a GP 37 assault rifle, but I can afford my losses. Besides, I'm more of a Tunder S14 kind of guy. NATO weapons are fast, accurate, penetrative and can take some decent beating but they end up jamming a lot after some time without repairs. Warsaw pact weapons are the way to go with reliability, firepower, and plenty of ammunition to find. 9x39mm SP rounds are really expensive, but they are really lethal against even heavily armored enemies. At least I know how to repair a Tunder since the design is no different than an AK, but acquiring the gun itself is another story. Furthermore, modifications will cost a pretty penny, but I'll get by when I get enough dough soon. The 'S' in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is how we always earn our keep.

Now I have to deal with these two lug heads and make sure they won't be bothering anyone for a long time. Also, why is the merc still standing there?

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

"Well, don't just stand there," I lowered the gun and took the case off the table, leaving the two artifacts for him, "take it. Half now, half later. Remember?"

"Of course," his tone lacked any hostility, but I could have sworn there was a hint of amusement behind his words as he walked forward and took his half of the pay. An inside joke, perhaps? I guess mercs are weird like that.

"Are we good now? You're not going to backstab me or anything, right?" I voiced my thought aloud, still wary of his next course of action. He still has his knife on him, so that leaves me some amount of worry but he still hasn't done something to prove his dishonesty, yet.

A silent nod from him did not ease my suspicion up one bit, but what else can I not trust about him? A merc is a merc. They'll either stick to their end of the bargain or double cross you to reap in the maximum benefit. I might do the same, but only if it's to people who are bound to screw me over or are asking me to clean up their dirty work that might bite me in the ass later on.

"Right, anyway, I should take care of the other uninvited guests or do you want to?" My head flicked to the currently standing Shish- Oh shit!

"The artifacts are MINE!" He declared and launched half of his right leg against my balls. He then snatched the gun from my hand and shoved me against the table. The case clattered on the floor, after I had to let it go to nurse my sore nuts, and the bandit made a grab for it as well. The merc nearly got to him before he felt the silencer pressed against his throat.

"Whoa, whoa there!" I called out in a strained tone but didn't turn around. "Let's not get too hasty here…"

"No, I will not, Farmer!" His voice was very cringing every time he shrieked at me. Jeez, why can't he have a deeper tone? "I overheard everything between your exchanges with the mercenary! I can't allow him to kill Jack, nor can I allow you to stop me from being the best bandit in this entire Zone!"

"Gee, they should give you an award for stealing other people's work." The sarcasm dripping in my voice was obvious, but lost upon his currently hysterical mind as he saw it as a compliment.

"Damn right, they should give me an award! I work harder than that dipshit! My crew and I have a better base AND we don't roam around like idiots in the middle of a faction war!" Well said for a thieving jackass.

I glanced at the merc that I hired and noticed that he was staring at something else other than worrying about having his air tube, along with everything else in the throat, perforated at point blank. Following his gaze, I soon found out the reason for why he was more interested in staring at the wall.

There is no wall. Actually, to be exact, there was only a portion of the wall that was missing. Instead of seeing a gaping hole that shows what might be the next room inside the Skadovsk, a full green portal took its place without a sound. For some people that have not experience the oddity of spontaneous existence, their reaction of panic is plausible.

For us, and for me, however, such an instantaneous appearance of said green-portal would be considered a new anomaly in the Zone.

Still, even if it is a new discovery, it was still considered 'possibly dangerous' until tested by the right-minded people. Unfortunately, there were those in the Zone's community that are beyond hope rationality. Noah, as much as I hate to accept it, is ironically the most logical person in the Zone that won't even hesitate to prove you wrong by whipping instant proof out of his ass. Most of us, on the other hand, not so likely as much as we wanted to believe ourselves that we would never do something so unbelievably stupid in the midst of surprise.

Turns out, I was one of those people when I told Shishak to turn around and even made another snarky comment about it just to rile him up. He didn't shoot the merc, but what he did when his eyes lay upon the gateway to whatever the hell is out there managed to stir a whole lot of fear out of him.

And by fear, I meant that he flung my entire collection of artifacts at it. This did not bode well with me after I saw all my hard-earned effort thrown out in sheer panic; by a bandit trying to steal it, no less.

If they could see my expression right now, it would be from jaw dropping horror to foaming anger in one go once the case disappeared inside.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT!?" I raged at the top of my lungs before lunging forward, gripping the collar of his trench coat, and shaking him while I spewed incomprehensible gibberish of fury.

The merc backed away from us, noting the change of colors that the portal was exhibiting to the point where the unique blend of its swirling wonders quickly turned into a vortex of doom. I didn't notice it at first, but when a strong gravitational pull caused me to snap out of my attempt to throttle the bastard, I then realized something was wrong. The screech of metal, the flapping of books on the shelves, Shishak screaming for his mother, the merc grabbing hold onto the desk that was slowly inching towards me…

I looked past the blubbering fool in my hand and saw the bastard child of what an emission would look like inside a Whirligig combined with a Vortex. The results… hard to say, but it did not look pretty at all after the first glance. In fact, thinking on this, I should be shitting my pants right now.

Instead, I could only stare at the abyss in a disturbingly serene mood as the pull sucked in whatever was not bolted to the ground. The examination bed came and went, all my books entered without a trace, my Compact spinning rapidly until it was devoured by the techno-colored miniature black hole. Even the room we occupied seems to be fading.

Oh god... what have we done?

Don't tell me that idiot accidently divided by zero.

---

"I really need to get a job." Saito breathed out a sigh as he walked away from the electronic repair shop with a still broken laptop in hand. "At this time, I won't have anything to play Metro: Last Light after cram school unless I get this thing fixed."

The bustling streets of Tokyo, Japan gave him no glance or notice of his existence as if apathy was an everyday norm, leaving him to tread slowly back home in a gloomy mood for tomorrow's cramming of another exam he should be preparing for.

"I should look around the job ads to see if they need anyone during the weekends." He pondered to himself quietly while weaving through the crowd. "All I need is enough money to fix my laptop and maybe upgrade it so it could support the newer games I might get on Steam without the slow frame-rate speed or bugs."

Turning on another corner, the 17 year old young man paid little attention to the people around him while in the middle of his thoughts. He continued down the long road and saw the most peculiar thing not far from where he was standing. A metal case with a black handle stood in the middle of the road with no one paying any mind to it. Saito eyed the flat box briefly and looked around to see if anyone was searching for it. After couple minutes of waiting, he approached the object with wary eyes on an explanation that was slowly forming in his head.

Why hasn't anyone picked it up yet? It was as if no one even saw it there in the first place.

Curiosity let him draw closer to the mysterious case until he was in grabbing range, but did not touch it yet. Not a person noticed his awkward presence as he stood there staring at the container, wondering its purpose.

If I picked up the case, would a naked person with a cell phone and a gun come at me? Will a missile hit Japan?

Another nervous glance around the area, including at the clear sky, made him hesitant for a brief amount of time before he opted to grab the case to see what would happen next. Saito tucked the laptop around one arm and let his hand slowly wrap around the handle, its hard plastic held a cold and chipped surface indicating that it have been used before so its owner probably forgotten or is in the middle of looking for their property. When he lifted it up, it felt slightly heavy to hold. From his guess, it was either something valuable, dangerous, or both.

Either way, he had no idea what was inside. The latch appeared to be locked, as Saito couldn't open it when he tried to see the contents.

"It feels like I'm holding nuclear launch codes," he mused, giving the case a small shake. Nothing was heard, so loose paper documents were out of the question.

Should I keep it with me or take it to the police? A mischievous grin formed on his face as he began to move forward again.

Nah… I want to see what's inside before I decide what to do with it.

"It's not stealing if no one here is going to claim it, so I'll just have a peek later and-" Suddenly the case let out a spark of energy that ran around the metallic surface rapidly. He did saw it, but never heard or felt its sting. Instead, the case started to radiate an abnormal wave of heat that made him jump in small surprise. Not a minute ago, it was acting normal. Now, with the object in question quickly gaining heat, he wondered if there is a bomb inside that was ready to explode at any minute.

What is going on!? His eyes began to widen in fear of what might happened next if what he thought was true. Was this the end of him and everyone else in the area?

Another spark shot out, and then another! More sparks of various colors appeared from the case as Saito dropped the box and watched them go by. The heat gradually stayed at a low temperature, but that didn't explain what was going on.

He was about to make a run for it when the sparking came at a halt and an orb of green slowly enveloped around the case until all was left is the swirling ball of energy in its place. The background around him begins to fade slowly, replacing all the colors with pure blackness while leaving the orb intact.

"What is happening!?" Saito shouted and saw nothing around him, minus the now crackling orb that was now turning from green to a dark red. The sound of thunder erupted out of nowhere causing him to jump again at the frightening noise as the ground then violently shook his core to the point of falling, but he held his balance fortunately.

Brief flashes of light temporarily blinded him for a few seconds, the thunderous roar growing louder with each shake. He could not speak, as terror crept into his mind and all he wanted to do now was scream at the void of darkness.

A sudden pull jerked him toward the enlarged orb that was emitting clouds of lighting around it. He tried to claw his way out of the pull, but was nothing to grasp. The thing was quickly sucking him inside. The end was near, and he couldn't do anything about it.

"I NEVER ASKED FOR THIS!" He howled his final words and then there was none.

The emission orb receded itself into nothing, leaving behind a dropped laptop left in the middle of the living streets of Tokyo, Japan.

---

Current time of event…

"Feels like I've been turned into cattle…"

A brand with silly scribbles on the back of my left hand, burned to last. I don't know how it got there, but I was hugely surprised when I took off my glove to examine the damages. The skin was alright and I didn't feel any more pain when I flexed it a little. Given my current experience, the smell of burnt flesh should be lingering and yet it did not hurt at all when I moved my hand. That girl did something to me, and I want to find out soon enough once the heat is off us, no pun intended.

But first, I need to find a safe place to stash all my shit that went through the Emission Portal or 'EP' as I personally dubbed it. Luckily, the examination bed and medical table with wheels came along for the ride, though I don't see the bunk bed or desk anywhere; must be a weight limit or something. Well, who cares, I still have the artifact case and my supply crate so it's not much of a loss.

"What the hell is that?" Seems like I'm not the only one who went through that unpleasant trip.

Shishak was busy gaping at the tattoo that was also on his left hand, from what I've noticed, along with the other two who shared similar reactions. The merc glared at the thing as if it was cancer while the kid gawked with his (How to put this) seemingly amazed expression. Either that or it's probably amazingly horrified. I don't know.

What I do know is that I want my gas mask on to provide +1 creepy ominous presence and badassery. I bent down to my knees and picked it off the ground while the Japanese kid said something to me that managed to complicate things a little bit more for my comfort.

"Are you a stalker?" His question sounded innocent, but it held a sense of familiarity in that tone. Again, I was thrown off by how accurate it sounded and that I understood what he said just now similar to pinky. With that, I decided to play a little game just to be on the safe side.

"Define 'Stalker'." I intoned nonchalantly, turning away from him and other prying eyes to take off my helmet. The black balaclava hid the back of my head as I strapped the gas mask on my face and then placed the helmet back on again.

The kid took a closer look at my uniform, saying nothing while he tries to piece together of what he knew about my occupation. As he did so, I went to stack what little I have for books on the bed and place the larger items there for last. For the case, I planned to hide it somewhere that nobody would least expect it to be hidden. That, or find a remote place with little to no civilization and make a base camp, probably underground if I have to dig.

Meanwhile, my other 'buddies' were having a chat with the balding adult version of Harry Potter and showed him their left hands when he asked to examine the markings on them. The kid was still standing there staring at me while the rest of the crowd started to disperse by flying off in the air, with only the pink haired witch left to fume in her thoughts.

I shit you not; they literally flew up in the air!

Man, if I was high as the sky right now that shit would've been fucking funny.

Actually, scratch what I said about Pinky brooding around. She's stomping over to me right now with a scowl that spells 'trouble'. I could care less if she was going to launch a tirade of something on her mind, but getting my balls kicked again wasn't going to happen this time.

"Familiar!" She shouted a command in an angry tone, pushing past the blue eyed Japanese boy while he exclaimed a small protest. Pinky got more agitated when I didn't respond to her call and made more furious noises involving insults thrown at me such as "Insufferable commoner!" and how I should respect my betters. Hah, respect isn't given freely, girly. You have to earn it by respecting others around you.

"I order you to drop everything you are doing and respond!" The loudmouth tried again, this time with more horrid volume. Being me, I didn't bother to say anything back at her. If she wanted my attention, then it wouldn't kill her to be more polite. If I called someone a cocksucker for no apparent reason, would that person want to have a pleasant conversation with me? It's not rocket science to know what happens next.

"Familiar! Do as you are told and face me at once!"

"He is not going to listen if you keep raising your voice at him." Oh look, the merc is trying to be the middle man. "And neither will I, for that matter. Yell at us, if you wish. I assure you, no results will be given to your satisfactory if you keep up with that attitude of yours."

"That is not up for you to decide!" She screeched and pointed a finger at him. "I am your master, you are all my familiars! That is how the bond of master and familiar goes!"

He shook his head once and turned to walk away, "Then I'm afraid you have the wrong people. I'll let you carry on to whatever important business you have with him."

"Urrgh! Out of all the creatures I could have summoned, it had to be a bunch of useless commoners that cannot even follow a simple command!" The girl threw her hands up in the air, glaring holes at my back and was eager to attempt another unsuccessful string of orders that not even a Monolith would want to bear any longer. Shishak, the merc, and the kid stood aside to watch the show, but geek man had other plans for me when he made his way before I was ready to jet out of here.

"Excuse me," the man clears his throat behind me, "I humbly request that you allow me to see your familiar runes, if you may. It will only take a few seconds for me to take note on this, sir."

. . .

Well, when he put it that way… sure, why the hell not? At least this guy knows how to get someone talking in a PROPER way. I bet the majority of people like Pinky there are stuck-up to the core, if I could understand what snobby comments those kids were making before we got frenched in the mouth.

My body did a complete 180 spin to face him and held my left hand out, much to Pinky's disbelief. Maybe that was her intention in the first place. It would have been easier if she had asked me to have my hand checked in the first place without screaming orders loud enough to drive a zombified stalker back to reality just to tell her to shut up.

A short scan later, he thanked me and scribbled more notes in his book before walking off, leaving us to our own device. Nah, I wish that last part actually happens without Pinky's eyes glowering at us, specifically at me for causing her more trouble.

It's not my fault I refused to give my time to an indigo brat demanding for my attention.

"Familiars, to me!" She announced in her commanding voice once more, and then pointed her wand at my direction. "I will discipline you accordingly when everything is settled."

Yeah, sure you will, right after I'm done with my own problems.

"Umm…" the black haired boy hummed at the awkwardness that has been happening around us from the start when we all mysteriously appeared from the EP. Well, at least I think we all did. "We should probably see what see wants."

. . .

Yeah, we probably should. I can't ignore her forever, with all that lung power she got. Why are the shorties always the loudest ones? Oh well, better get this over with.

"Hey boy, what was your name again?" I asked him while the four of us made our way to her and form up.

"Hiraga Saito." He answered. "I did not get yours in the beginning when we first met."

I pointed a thumb at myself, "Just call me Farmer."

"Farmer?" Saito replied with a head tilt.

"Everyone calls me that in where I come from, let's put it that way."

Saito nodded, albeit confused still, but went with it in the form of a sincere smile. "Yes, Farmer-san."

Seriously, with a smile like that, I can picture him piloting inside a Gundam fighting Godzilla with all those laser beam effects. Hehehehehe… makes me feel like a kid all over again.

"What is taking you two so long!?" And there goes my pleasant trip down to imagination land. Honestly, this girl is the definition of the 'Fun-Police' on lockdown. It's like everything we do is likely to be ruined whenever she waves her stupid stick ol' ban.

"Well, Saito, it seems like our moment of chit-chat will have to wait. Pinky over there is getting impatient. I wouldn't want to get kicked in the junk by her, you know."

A short wince of reminder made him power walk over to the group assembled line in a nick of time before me. I could not help but let a quiet chuckle escape from my mouth before rejoining with the guys once more.

Maybe this day might get a lot more interesting if I allow my curiosity to run.

. . .

. . .

God, I miss getting shot at by assholes in the Zone.

---

Geez, what the hell is in this box!? It feels like an entire arsenal packed inside!

Saito strained himself further to help carry the metal crate with Farmer up the spiral staircase. This went by at a slow pace, with the added weight of the tray case sitting on top. Fortunately, they were almost at the top of the second floor where their 'master' resided comfortably in her dormitory room. Even though Saito was leading the way, he still had trouble gripping the box without letting it slip and come crashing down.

"Don't worry; we're nearly there, kid." The tall man in the armored blue/white patterned camo suit kept his grip steady. "Just make sure you don't drop it. That is my mini-armory you are holding on to."

Hah!? So my assumptions were true! He IS a Stalker! That is so cool!

"Hey, Farmer-san, I've thought about my question back when we didn't know each other." He felt the flat surface of the stone corridor finally resting upon his feet, at last. "Is it true that you scavenge for supplies on the ruined surface of Moscow?"

"Hm, what was that about Russia?" Farmer hoisted the box again to get his bearing. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Well, doesn't your people live inside underground metro stations due to the aftermath of a nuclear war while fighting roving bandits and mutants?" He asked him.

"Uhhhhhhh, nooooooooooo~?" The man droned back, but then said more. "You got the scavenging, the mutants, and the asshole bandits right. But we don't live underground, nor is everything on the topside ruined from nukes. I think you got the wrong idea of what a Stalker is, boy."

But everything about him seems to fit!

"What year is it over your world?" Saito continued.

"2014. Why'd you ask?"

They were at the right side of the hallway where a rolling bed with books and other miscellaneous piled on top and a square metal tray table sat next to each other. Both of them set the crate down to catch their breath, with Saito leaning against the wall while Farmer checked his items to make sure nothing was missing.

"I'm asking because that is the same year I am in before I got here." Saito inhaled the air greedily, a drop of sweat sliding down his face while catching his breath.

"Really?" He tilted his head in question. "How did you get here, anyway? Did you get sucked in to something?"

The young man nodded and wiped the sweat drop away, "Yes, after I touched a metal case sitting in the middle of a busy street. Nobody seemed to notice it except me."

He then pointed at the same object sitting on top of the supply crate, "Just like that one."

". . ." Now Farmer was eerily silent after he followed the direction of where the boy pointed at. Saito couldn't see his eyes, so he could only imagine that they were scrunched or narrowed when he mentioned about the case. This made him slightly worried at that point when the man went over to it, grabbed it, and then clutch it to his chest as if it was his own child.

"Farmer-san…?" He asked him in a careful tone. "Are you alright?"

Farmer did not respond, instead he held the tray case tighter and even growled out, "My precious…"

"Uhh…"

"You will never take it from me, you hear me! NEVER!" He started breathing heavily and drew closer to nervous boy, who tried to back away from him and only met the wall. "No ONE can! REDRUM, REDRUM!"

Saito raised both of his hands in front of him, sweat now pouring steadily from his face, "Whoa, easy there. I'm just wondering how-!"

"It puts the lotion on its skin," Farmer said creepily and inch closer to him, "or else it gets the hose again."

What is wrong with this guy!? It sounded like he wants to molest me or worse!

Suddenly, much to Saito's disbelief, the man burst into a raucous laugh, hooting obnoxiously at the briefly terrified boy before setting the case next to the crate. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh man, that look on your face was priceless!"

Saito's expression faulted into annoyance when realized that Farmer was only pretending to be deranged just to get a reaction out of him.

"That wasn't funny! I almost thought you were into boys for a minute there!" He shouted at the still chortling Farmer with wide-eyed irritation.

"Oh hoho, oh lord… I needed a good laugh once in a while." Farmer chuckled, holding his side. "Relax dude, I just wanted to let some stress out. Sorry if I made it awkward for a moment."

"Etcch~," He couldn't help but let a small grin form at his odd sense of humor. "Well, you got me good. Are you happy now?"

"Very." A thumbs up was sent his way.

A few wooden door creaked open, revealing some familiar faces that they saw peeking out: The tall dark skinned redhead from before was wondering what the racket was about, her short stoic friend with the blue hair stared at them in mild annoyance, while their pink haired master glared daggers at them with furrowed eyes.

"Some of us are trying to sleep, you know."

"Too noisy, cannot read."

"What are you two laughing about for? Get inside and be quiet!"

"Sorry, sorry!" Saito rapidly waved his hand in apology and sent a wary look at Farmer.

"What?" He shrugs at the boy, "I didn't know it was getting late."

Both doors closed quickly, all but one left open by the fuming girl who was muttering a few obscenities under her breath.

"You are such a troll, you know that?" The black haired boy chided at him.

Farmer shook his head once and gestured for him to pick up where they left off while placing the tray case on top, "Believe me, you do not want to hear me sing that song before or after I get high. Now, help me get the crate inside. I rather not let them sit outside for someone to take my shit."

This made him raised a brow as he tried to find his grip again, "Are you an addict?"

"Marijuana isn't addictive, kid." He brushed the comment off. "I'm talking about weed. The 420, if you get my meaning."

"Oh," Saito still held onto his frown, "but those are highly illegal in Japan."

"Then boy, are you missing out," Farmer let out another hearty chuckle when he stepped into the dorm room, "not that I'm encouraging you to do it, by the way."

"Encourage what?" The small but unmistakably gruff voice of the mercenary sounded nearby, allowing the two some space while Farmer led the boy over to a corner farther away from another bed.

"Oh, just talking about drugs and how they're bad for you." Farmer was obviously lying and walked away to get his other belongings. "Thanks for the help, kid. Try chilling around for a while to get your bearing. I know I would."

The other man standing next to a small desk wrinkled his nose, but not at him, "This perfume is enough for any Freedomer to get high on; more than enough to replace the air in here because of its suffocating stench."

Now that he mentioned it, Saito did felt the heavy smell of sweetness wafting around, much to his discomfort. The room was still breathable, but he would have to get used to it if he have to say here.

"You should all consider yourself lucky to be allowed in here." The girl exclaimed at them, "Not many are given the privilege to serve their beloved master so faithfully!"

"Not many are likely to serve under you, in a matter of speaking." He shot back with a straight face and grimaced again at the smell. "Gah, I should put my gas mask on."

"You will do no such thing by putting that horrendous mask on!" But her command fell short after he unclipped his mask from the belt and strapped it on his face.

"I wish I had one of those with me." Saito joked with him. "You sure like to be prepared, Cutler-san."

Cutler switched his gaze to the boy and nodded in agreement, "It helps to expect the unexpected, young man. Maybe when things calm down, I will tell you more of my own personal plights. But for now, figuring out this land is first priority."

"This land has two moons." Shishak said dully, not taking his eyes off the window showing the oncoming night approaching.

"What?" Cutler strolled over next to him to see. "But how is that possible? We only have one back in our world."

"This land has two moons." The bandit droned again, mesmerized by the sight of its color. "Holy crap. I must be high right now."

The strawberry blonde gave them an odd look, but did not get up from the soft bed, "Of course Halkeginia has two moons. Why do you speak of another world? All familiars summoned by their mages originate from this continent."

"Yeah, but here's the problem, Pinky." Farmer came in with the rolling bed and positioned it a couple meters away from his crate. "We're NOT from your continent or of this world. In fact, seeing that we're dressed differently than everyone else, it shouldn't be too hard for you to guess that we come from elsewhere unless your medieval dung brain is too primitive to understand my concept."

"Who are you calling primitive, commoner! I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Valliére and you will address me properly!" She scolded in a seething tone. "One wonders if I summoned a bunch of savages from that wild country that is Germania! At least our commoners are more willingly loyal to the Tristain kingdom."

This only made Farmer wave off one of his hands in dismissal as he left to get the medical table, "See what I mean? The use of unnecessarily long titles, pointless demands, and your extreme superiority complex says it all."

"Why you insignificant, boorish-!"

"Can't we all get along with one another?" Saito butted in an attempt to defuse the situation. "I mean, we don't know each other that well so maybe we should take a deep breath and-"

"Shut up, you dog!" Louise yelled and got up in front of his face. "Out of the four I've summoned, you had to be the weakest one of all!"

She then gave a single wave at the two lingering men still staring out the window, "At least they are armed with their strange, blocky weapons. You don't even have a blade on you to defend yourself! I must have summoned a peasant alongside warriors!"

Wow, for a super cute girl, she sure is ungrateful and downright scary.

Saito inched away from her with anxious look plastered on his face.

"Actually, I only have a knife on me right now." Cutler mentioned off-hand.

"And I don't have my gun." Shishak patted his trench coat, sulking. "Just a knife, sadly."

Louise's face grimaced when she heard the dreaded smug voice of him calling out in the most deliberately cheerful tone that did not put her mind in ease.

"Oh, I have a whole bunch of guns with me, sitting inside the crate. Even your pistol and SMGs, but I'm not giving it back for the time being," The armor cladded man closed the door behind him and pushed the square table next to his bed. After that, he turned to the two gazing at the night and lean to the side to get a view. "Something interesting out there?"

"There are two moons up there, one big blue and a little red one." The merc scooted a little to make room for him. "See for yourself."

"Oh really?" He looked out the window and saw the results of their discovery. "Nice~! If had a blunt on me right now, I would be tripping major balls at that. Hell, I'd probably paint it while getting high!"

"Heh, I guess even stoners can appreciate art," The boy rubbed behind his head with a smirk of amusement at that comment. "At least you guys are alright."

Farmer turned his head and gestured for him to come, "What are you standing there for? Get your ass over here and check this sick shit out!"

"Alright, alright, I'm coming." Saito laughed and stood in between Shishak and Farmer once he got over there. "You are right; it is interesting to look at."

Meanwhile, the young mage just gape at them in a mixture of confusion and outrage as she continued to be ignored despite her angry calls at them.

"Hey! You can go back to your sightseeing when you are done attending to your master's needs!"

"Yeah, in a minute, hold on," The one called Farmer dismissed the importance of their order with a hand wave. His display of defiance only got her more riled up.

"I will not 'hold on' for your unimportant gawking! All of you will come over here at this instant!" She hollered another command, her blood boiling at their complete imprudence.

Saito spared a nervous glance over his shoulder at the currently livid girl demanding for their attention and half-muttered, "I think we should do what she says this time. Something tells me we might regret it soon if we continued ignoring her."

Farmer's voice was none too quiet when he replied to him, "Oh don't be such a pussy, Saito. She can't do jackshit to us. Besides, what is she going to do, cast 'Fireball' at us? Hah! Hey little girl, go play with your dolls or something. Grownups are gazing at the moons."

"Coming from you, she might be tempted to do something rash and-" Before Cutler could finish his sentence, Louise's voice interrupted him with the very words chanted at them with maximum fury in her tone.

"Fire Ball!"

"Wha-"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!

---

"She just had to cast 'Fire Ball' at us, didn't she?" I muttered venomously under my breath, brushing off the soot that covered my suit while shouldering my weaponless backpack still holding my usual stuff from the last trip. "Oh no, look what you made me do, commoner. Now do my chores and be a good familiar! Yeah, I ain't doing shit for you…"

Leave it for her to start throwing a hissy fit just because she couldn't take a joke. After I mentioned guns again, she started going on a rave about how they are the most dishonorable weapons in the hands of those who can't use the rightful magic of Nobles, blessed by some dude named Brimir and some shit I tuned out.

It was bad enough that she exploded the entire room without destroying it and us with it, but once that spoiled brat started taking off her clothes in front of us and demanded that they be washed by throwing them at me that was the final straw. If I wanted to join Duty, ass kissing and hardcore rules should have been part of my favorite hobbies.

And really? She actually thought taking off her clothes in front of a bunch of strangers, let alone, three adult males and a boy, was such a good idea to begin her introduction when becoming the master of the stalkers in the first place? I know she would make a pedophile's wet dream come true if any of us had a more promiscuous thinking.

So I tossed the clothes over my shoulder when she finally went to sleep and got out to clear my head in order to figure out how to get the fuck out of this headcase place. She summoned us here, right? So maybe there's a spell to bring us back home if I ask the right person for the job. Only problem is where am I going to get the money to pay them off? I could do some odd jobs for the rich, but their pay rate must be horrible if this world is filled with stingy, hocus pocus assholes like her.

Robbing someone is out of the question, since I'm not a stinking bandit like Shishak and I don't want any trouble with the police here. That only leaves mercenary work and inventing the assault rifle, again.

. . .

These people have blacksmiths, so there is a good chance I might land myself in a good position and run my own business or co-op with someone who is eager to learn something new and keep their mouth shut in a town or city. I know the insides and designs of an AK, some NATO guns, and most blowback semi-automatic pistols; it shouldn't be too hard to manufacture the parts with the right materials such as pure steel smelted with other elements to prevent corrosion and short wears, despite the parts themselves that are complicated to make even with master craftsmanship. Modding a modern gun is one thing I'm not good at, but creating one out of scratch and improvising existing ones here on the other hand…

Yes, it could work out well for me. Pinky did say something about flintlocks being the newest introduction of projectile weapons beside bows. Please, a bolt action can do it better with power, clips, and range.

But what about making bullets and smokeless powder to make sure the gun doesn't get gummed up? How am I going to manufacture those? I know black powder would fuck up the internal mechanism if we're talking about rotatory bolt gas-operated firearms, but my knowledge in bullets is just shooting them. I can build modern guns like pistols and rifles, but ancient stuff like bolt and lever actions? I probably won't be able to tell the difference if I compared it with a hunting shotgun and a muzzleloader's ramrod sticking out of my ass.

Maybe if I pay the merc with more valuable shit, he'd help me with that. Mercs are smart; smarter than me if he can speak different languages while the rest of us only know one. Centerfire cartridges are not something anyone would see in this backwater fantasy land, so I might need his professional insight in order to make the cartridges.

That girl, what was her name? Oh yeah, Louise. She mentioned about swords and peasants. Hearing her say that nearly made me assume that there are no guns in this world until she mentioned 'weird, blocky weapons'. Either she mistook the bullet magazines on our vests or was dead on with the guns I had on me, this made me realized that I could start something new here for everyone. The bitching about dishonor and how magic is better pushed her point far beyond my comfort zone.

Still, as much as I would like to prove my point that depending on magic will only bring their downfall much faster, an angry mob armed with AKs is the very last thing I would want to see if I ended up ruining a country just because of my ego. A revolution would be a nice change, but it is not something I had in mind. I'm crazy, but I'm not that crazy after two years in the Zone.

Which kind of reminds me, doesn't that make me an expert already if I've survived whatever horrors were thrown at me for a long time and all I came out with was more paranoia and misanthropy? Don't tell me I'm turning into another Noah with a pet mutant and a need to blast the door with bullets since I will assume everyone is out to get my artifacts, which is kind of true on my part. Hell, if I turn out like that loon, the door would be rigged with a grenade instead because I'd be much more batshit than him. Legendary stalker or not, I just want to get rich and live my life as a hermit in the big lands.

Too bad my dreams will have to wait until I think up of something to-

Bump!

"Ow." Came my flat reply when I collided against a stone wall while in the middle of a monologue. A brief look around revealed that I was still in the same dormitory halls and that I was walking back and forth, going through my deep thoughts.

"I really need to pay more attention to my surroundings if I'm going to think and move at the same time." I sighed and shook my head at my own silliness. I hope no one was watching…

"Farmer-san!" My head jolted up as I turned around to see Saito holding onto a balled up school uniform in his hands. He casted a concern glance at me when he got closer, thinking carefully on where to begin his sentence with. I jumped the gun before he could say anything and took the clothes from him.

"Let me guess, the pink haired brat realized that I wasn't going to do her dirty work at all, pushed it to you, and then mentioned about a more severe punishment for me when I get back. Am I right?"

He was flustered at first, but nodded quietly and was about open his mouth to speak before I interrupted him again.

"Yes, you can come with me." I said as I turned around to head for the staircase. "Now would be a good time for you to start asking questions. I'm bored and those two are not good at holding conversations without asking for something in return."

The boy quickly followed next to me, but not before giving my arm a small pat in a show of humor and mild annoyance. "You don't seem to be the type to open yourself toward people, do you, Farmer-san?"

"Boy, just call me 'Farmer' without the 'san' at the end. I don't care much for honorifics, so speak your mind and don't beat around the bush."

Saito nearly snorted at my comment as we made our way down the stairs, "That is your expertise, not mine. How come you never gave a full answer when I asked if you are a stalker?"

"Because I assumed you knew what I did." I replied without missing a beat. "Plus, if you go around calling us stalkers, then the people here would get the wrong idea."

"But I don't know what you actually do for a living," He asked, noticing a pair of students at the mid-level base of the stairs. A handsome boy adorning his black cape (and exposed chest through a partly unbuttoned dress shirt) was whispering sweet words of romance in to the ears of a young girl sporting her own brown cape while they were under torchlight.

"Ahh, my dearest Katie~. I simply must try your fantastic soufflé one of these day." The blond twiddled with a red rose between his fingers and flashed the whitest smile with impish eyes gone unnoticed by the currently blushing girl with brown hair.

"Oh Guiche~, you can be the first to sample it any day!" Her voice gave a faint of a whisper to him with a small infatuated smile.

"If you must insist," He brought his face closer to hers, eliciting a cute squeak from the flustered girl.

Yuck. If this is how they portray romance here, then they don't know what true love is about. Sugar-coated words and double-standard remarks would only get him so far before that girl realizes how much of a sham he really is.

If I remembered correctly, wasn't he hanging around that other blonde with the drill hairs?

. . .

Oh, I see what he did there. He's two timing them. Hah, he is so going to get fucked up badly if they found out about it. This would make a great blackmail if the guy decided to fuck with me.

And his name is Guiche? Isn't that the area between a guy's balls and anus? Hahaha, I can't wait to make fun of his name too!

Anyway, Saito and I are going to walk past them and hope they don't bother noticing us. I have enough problems as it is with Pinky and her stupid cultures. If all these kids are like her, then I can see why they have no problem putting each other down.

"Hold it right there, commoner." Fuck my life…

Both of us halted in our track and turned to face the blond and his other 'acquaintance' in question and stared at him while he gave us a short glance, notably at me.

"You have an interesting golem there with you," Guiche commented to Saito, who looked confused at him, "what is a commoner like you doing with it?"

"Golem?" He blinked and glanced at me.

The black-cape noble pointed at me with his fresh rose, "Yes, that golem imitating as a human. I never thought Louise the Zero would stoop so low as to use deception by having to place two golems and a pair of paid actors just to prove us wrong. Summoning a familiar and creating a golem are two different methods." He shook his head with much swag.

Golem, golem, golem… hmm… this gives me an idea. Golems are kind of like robots, right? Let me give this a try.

"So tell me, how much is she paying you to act as her 'familiars'?" He smirked while slowly circling around me. "Such a unique, lifelike design, a pity it has to be used out of foolish desperation than proper servitude. Perhaps I can purchase it off her hand once she is done playing pretend with us and admit that-"

"You always know a Working Joe." I abruptly cut him off with my best attempt of a robotic voice. This managed a surprised yelp from him as he jumped back with arms spread out and his expression turned shock.

"T-that thing can still talk on its own!?" He brandished the rose at my face and glared, "I thought it was given a set of commands and nothing more! A semi-intelligent golem is very rare around these parts."

Oh man, he looks really freaked out right now, I should do it more!

"You are becoming hysterical." I leaned my face forward in a jerky fashion toward him. "Hold still. Your presence has been logged."

The Casanova wannabe did not understand what the hell I was saying to him, but that rose wand seems to be wavering a little too much on the jittery side for him to start casting first and asking questions later.

His tone wasn't holding any better either when he began to shout phrases at me.

"I command you to move back this instant!"

"Negative," I stood my ground, trying hard not to laugh my ass off, "let's resolve this amicably."

"Commoner, order your master's golem away from my prestigious body before I destroy it." He also held his own, but the slight quivering in his voice almost made me want to do sudden jump scare and grab his throat while he screams like a little girl.

"Uhh…" Saito looked back at me, then to the blond fop, then back to me again before rubbing the back of his head in a sheepish manner. "…I don't understand what's going on here."

C'mon, kid. You should be savvy enough to know where I am going at. You asked me about stalkers, for crying out loud!

"Do as you are told, commoner! Control that rogue construct or else face your punishment for this indolence!"

"But I don't know what he's…"

Fuck it; I'll just drop a hint.

"Don't be such an Angry Joe, sir."

"Oh, oh! Yes, I understand now!" A spark of realization appeared in his eyes as he smiled brightly at me. "Initiate Dance Protocol-75."

Bingo.

"Confirmed, initializing dance protocol." My upper body dipped forward suddenly, the helmet touching the rose petals, before standing straight up and doing The Robot (sadly, without the music to shake that groove) while saying the lines of, "it is time to boogie."

A moment of awkward silence followed along with the blond and the brunette girl just staring at my hip moves as if I came from another planet. Guiche lowered his wand and made a face that was torn between freaking out and curiosity. The girl was just plain scared at me.

Saito tried to keep a straight face, but couldn't help letting a chuckle out when he saw me shuffling my feet sideways and telling them to "Step back", which was also funny because they hit their backs against the wall doing so.

"We're just going to leave now. You keep that golem out of trouble, commoner." Guiche grabbed the girl's hand and gently tugged at her to move, "Come along, Katie. Let us linger around elsewhere and leave those two to carry on their master's work."

"Yes, I do believe we should." Katie hurried along with him, not looking back at the odd scene behind. Once they were gone long enough, I dropped the act and slapped Saito's back as we instantly burst into laughter at what just happened.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OH, OH MAN! THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME! HOLY SHIT, DID YOU SEE THE LOOK ON HIS FACE? OH GOD, IT LOOKED LIKE HE WAS ABOUT TO SHIT HIMSELF! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Saito leaned against a wall, holding his side and returning the favor by punching my arm playfully as he huffed for some air, "I DIDN'T KNOW YOU EVEN WATCHED ANGRY JOE SHOWS UNTIL I REMEMBERED THAT LAST REVIEW. THAT WAS GOLDEN!"

"I KNOW, RIGHT?" It felt a little stuffy inside the gas mask, but I didn't care much for it even when the lenses started to fog a little; just watching their reaction made my day.

"Hoo… ho…" The boy wiped away the tears off his eyes and stretch his back a little before taking the clothes off the floor. "You sure know how to turn a confrontation into something else, I admit."

"Hey, when you live in the Zone for two years without constant human contact, you tend to pick up a few quirks along your life that holds little, but means something." I took the bundle from him again and flicked my head for him to follow.

Saito cocked his head to side while walking beside me and asked, "What is the Zone?"

"What, you never heard of it? C'mon, kid. You asked me if I'm a Stalker. That should answer your question of what the Zone is."

"But I don't." He replied.

I shook my head briefly as we step down the stairs for a short period and set foot on the first main floor, noting my surroundings closely for any shadows out of place and observing the décor around us in silence.

We wandered around for a while, still having no luck in finding somewhere that has running water to wash our master's uniform and be done with it for the night. I wasn't tired at all to begin with, oddly enough, even though I was taken recently at night in the Zone. I guess adrenaline gives you a major kick in body for you to stay alert and expect a fight to happen despite how relax I felt. Then again, I am talking about staying alive and shooting anything that so much happens as to twitch the wrong way at me, whether it be mutants or people.

Another several minutes later yielded no results, so our best bet is to find a pond or fountain outside as an improvised method and make sure she doesn't notice the faint residue of scum on her blouse or something. Finding clean, non-contaminated water in the Zone was a real hassle when our suits got too dirty and we ended up smelling like shit if didn't bother keeping up with our hygiene. Every once in a while I would get a large metal pot, try to find water that doesn't cause the Geiger Counter to click like crazy, collect it, and then get some burnable kindling to heat up the pot and kill off whatever nasty parasites and bacteria that were swimming in around before letting it cool down. After that, all it took was getting a simple washboard out to scrub my shit off in cold wash. A long unpleasant wash it was, indeed.

"Maybe we should find someone who knows how to clean the clothes here." Saito suggested and looked around. "Louise mentioned about servants working in the academy. If we can find one of the staffs, that is."

"Whatever you say, kid." I let my head hung back slightly before giving it an audible crack to even out the stiff soreness. "I just want to get this out of the way and find a way to get out of here and back to where I belong."

"I know that feeling," he gave a long sigh, "I just want to go home and have my old life back. But this place, this new world, makes you wonder what it is like to live here. Summoning rituals, people flying away, magic spells… that is something you would only see in movies and video games."

"Tell me about it… meeting a girl with pink hair kind of piques your interest in a strange sort of way." I glumly muttered. "Too bad she has to be the power tripping type. Seriously, that girl needs to stop being such a brat and get her head out of her ass."

I felt a small pat and turned my head to see Saito with a solemn expression that meant hearing something I am probably not going to like from him discerning my act.

"She is only behaving what she was taught to know. Compared to our mindset, it is no surprise that Louise thinks lowly of us because of our status and how we act. To her, we're just commoners who don't know any better than their high social class from my understanding."

My feet stopped walking, and so did his as we both turn to each other to have this important discussion. Meaning there will be some disagreements and maybe a lot of sarcasm on my part while we stood there to talk it out.

"Have you seen the way she acted when we first got here? She literally expected us to listen and do what she says without any complaints! And to top it off, she straight up declared that magic is the symbol of nobility over the people who can't use it. That's called a superiority complex right there!" My loud outburst echoed through the main halls and was carried around for anyone to hear.

He grimly nodded, but continued, "I don't know about you after feeling that explosion, but I think we should be more careful around these people. We don't know much about them, so trying to learn their way of life would make it easier for us to know what to do."

"Just because they have magic doesn't mean they will always win at everything!" I spat out in frustration. "It's not the power that makes the person better. It is how they use it. What I'm seeing is that their fucking pride is going to get them killed sooner or later if they continued to act the way they are. A trained gunman with fighting experience can easily take them out by surprise or with the right tools and tactics. We were brought here, the Emission Portal didn't just grabbed us. It took nearly everything from my room and into here. I could take them out without that much effort if I wanted to."

"Emission Portal?" He raised a brow.

"Never mind, just forget about that for now. Look, what I'm trying to say is that we shouldn't be walked over by those asshole all because of their right of title. You and I know that shit doesn't apply to us, and yet they deemed it so because they can cast magical bullshit out of their asses!"

"I agree with some of what you are trying to explain, but don't believe that our technology can fully trump what they can throw at us. All I am saying is that Louise is just as confused as all of us brought here." Saito urged on. "Of course she doesn't realize that we are different than her. I didn't like the way she treated us at first, just like you, but I took the time to think it over and figured that she might be willing to learn about our modern culture to the point of understanding us if we let her take the time to feel comfortable about it."

"Meaning, we have to play along and put up with her shit until she willingly opens up to us."

"That is what I am telling you, Farmer."

I let out an insufferable moan, knowing that what he said makes sense in the end, "Alright, fine. You're right, I get it. She needs to learn about us, but she isn't going to budge right away unless she feels more secured about her standing. I will have to talk to Shishak and the merc about this."

"His name is Cutler." Saito corrected.

"Fine, I'll let Shishak and Cutler on this and see how they think of it." My finger was then jabbed against his chest. "But just so you know, once this is done, she and the rest of us will have to reach an agreement whether she will like it or not. This is not an option or a debate she can weasel out of. I will make sure of that."

"I understand." He nodded, smiling. "A man chooses, a slave obeys."

"Goddamn, son," I let my finger off and chuckled at his appropriate use of the quote, "if you were my age right now, both of us would have been kicking ass and chewing bubblegum in no time. Only problem is that there's no gum to chew, but there sure are plenty of asses to kick!"

"Haha, so we cool bro?" Saito made a goofy grin.

"Yeah," I bobbed my head with heavy approval, "we cool bro."

"Awesome."

"Gnarly."

"Ah…" A light, feminine voice was heard next to us as we both turned to the person in question. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Oh, no, not at all!" Is it just me, or is Saito blushing at the sight of a nice looking girl in a maid outfit? "My friend and I are just having a long conversation. I apologize in advance if we were being too noisy. Do you work here?"

"Yes, I do." She answered.

Hmm… well, she does have a nice pair of knockers, so I don't blame him for checking her out. And that face she got. Wow, it's like she's giving off a lot of innocence. Did I remember to take my anti-rad pills along with the shot?

"I'm Hiraga Saito, but you can just call me Saito. This is my friend, Farmer." He introduced.

"Saito and… err… Farmer?"

"Everyone calls him that from where he lives. Don't mind his clothing as well, he is a treasure hunter."

"Oh, I see. Well, my name Siesta. It is very nice to meet the both of you."

Eh, I'm alright. The pills are probably there, just in case. I'm just going to piss out the radiation pretty soon, so no worries. My main concerns is the artifacts and making sure that Shishak doesn't get his dirty paws on them; the same with everyone else who asks about the case. I can't let them know what I have in there. The plans for the guns will also have to be taken into consideration before I let someone take a closer look at it. One slip and everything will be a huge fuck up for me. I can't afford to mess it up, but even mistakes happen. It was only just a matter of time before I realize it.

"Sir Farmer, are you alright?"

Only a matter of timmmmmmmmmmmmmmmeeeeee…

"Hey Farmer, aren't you going to say hello?" Someone was shaking my arm. "Hello, Farmer? Are you asleep?"

"Is there something wrong with him?" The maid's voice was tinged with worry. "Should I call for help?"

A smack against my arm managed to jolt me awake as I shook off the tired feeling and groaned, "Ugh... sorry, I was about to nod off."

Siesta giggled and gave a friendly smile, "It is alright. I know that feeling, too."

"You do?" I asked stupidly, blinking rapidly.

"Of course!" She nodded, her smile not leaving. "I've met treasure hunters before and they hardly rest that long, so I understand how you are feeling exhausted from all the work."

"Oh… right. Well, you know how we treasure hunters are." I leaned back and unwind my arms a little. "We see an amazing chest up ahead, so we always grab it with both hands."

"Uhh…" Saito was blushing madly when I turn to take a glance and noted his odd behavior. Siesta just cocked her head in confusion, while I stood there in my own stupor of not knowing what was going on. I looked around, and then turn to Saito again while I rubbed the side of the helmet as if I was missing something.

"What?"