A shot rang out as birds flocked to the air into the cold dawn morning. Winter was coming. James shivered as he pulled his coat closer to his chest. He looked down the range with his binoculars and watched as a Ragstag attempt to lift its other head from the ground.

"One more." James whispered. He heard the subtle clank of a bolt retracting and heard the casing fly out of the chamber as the bolt slid back home. Another shot rang out and a spurt of blood later, the Ragstag was dead. James stood and aimed around with his own rifle.

"Okay, we're clear." James whispered once more. Marie stood from her shooting position and rushed forward. James smiled as he slung his rifle and hustled down the valley to catch up with her.

As James approached he watched as Marie expertly proceed with skinning and cutting choice portions of Ragstag as he laid them out over a handkerchief for later bagging. She worked fast as her fingers worked expertly with the blade to skin the slain animal.

"There you go, kidddo." James murmured proudly watching over her shoulder as she finally performed her first successful hunt. She wrapped the last pound of flesh in a knot as she sat back and sighed, wiping her forehead with her wrist. James chuckled and snatched the knotted bundles from the floor.

"How was that, James?" she asked cautiously. The last time she was too excited a Yao Guai wobbled to their position and forced them to abandon their catch.

"You did alright.' James admitted as he hefted all the meat and kept his beaming pride inside. Marie followed closely behind as they approached James's truck and began to load the meat inside.

"How long before it goes bad?" she asked. James gave Marie a face.

"You know the answer to that." he replied, slightly irritated. It had been a month since he had abandoned most of his principal duties and began to teach Marie the lessons of his life as a Wastelander. She caught on much faster than he anticipated and took his lessons with stride.

"So what's the next lesson?" Marie asked, hardly able to contain her excitement. She had read his Wasteland Survival Guide many times apparently and was interested in learning anything that he hadn't taught anybody yet. James gave her a curved, sly smile as he said nothing and stepped into his car. Marie joined him in the passenger seat.

"You've learned just about everything I can teach you." James replied as he started the engine and began to drive. Marie appeared slightly disappointed by this fact. After all, it had only been a month where the two trained exclusively together. James was well aware that she was learning faster than he had when he was young. He was unsure if his teaching was actually going to be useful for the wanderer in training.

"So then, what are we going to do?" Marie asked. She was ready for the next challenge. However, as the road became longer and James drove for much longer he couldn't help but wonder if he was ready for her final test.

Marie stepped out of the truck and slammed the car door. James winced and shot Marie a look. She flinched a bit and shrugged.

"Sorry?" she added a slightly question mark to indicate that she didn't mean it. James moved on quickly as he strode the the trunk and opened it. His hands flurried to and fro as he cleaned and loaded a rifle and a backpack. This was his backpack so Marie began work on her own. James said nothing and gave no directions, which startled Marie. He always had instructions. He finished loading the rifle and the pack before he turned and pushed them into Marie's hands.

"Wha?" she began to ask before he jabbed a stimpak into her arm and the world faded away.

The world snapped back with a white light as Marie's eyes shot open and she woke from her slumped position against a dried up tree trunk. She had a blanket draped over her with her backpack tied to a branch next to her and rifle across her shoulders. Marie rubbed her eyes and stood from where she slept. The truck was gone. James was gone and the sun was starting to set. Marie was left alone. She blinked rapidly as her instincts took over. She wrapped the blanket into a bundle and looped it under her pack. Correction, James's pack as she slung it on and began inspecting the rifle. After satisfied that it was in good condition to fire, she slung it over her shoulders and began to explore where James had left her.

It was clear after a while of walking that James had left her in a place that she had never been before. It looked like some kind of mountain that she was on and it was a high altitude as it appeared too high for some kind of fog to permeate the area. Marie quickly deduced that it was a dangerous to walk in the fog as a dead person with no external wounds or injury lay dead near the foggy area. A beeping noise attracted Marie's attention as she scanned her surroundings. After a few moments of confusion it was apparent that the noise originated from her wrist. She looked down at it and discovered that James's Pip-Boy had been fastened there.

Marie waved the Pip-Boy at the fog and it clicked and beeped confirming her suspicions of the fog being dangerous. It wasn't just dangerous, it was radioactive. She scanned the area as the sun continued to set and decided to climb up the mountain instead. She hiked as she began to wonder where she was. All she remembered was falling asleep during the drive and then suddenly being on a boat before falling asleep again.

Marie reached the peak and saw the sun set over the horizon. She saw the reflecting glimmer of water in the distance. She turned to see more but found that the fog covered everything. Suddenly a cheer and applause from her Pip-Boy attracted her attention once more. She looked at it and found the green words print on the screen before her.

WELCOME TO FAR HARBOR