There were things in life that no man could predict. One could plan ahead and prepare for his future but in the end it would amount to nothing if fate decided that he or she was at the wrong time at the wrong place. Man, as a single individual, could easily be brought to ruin. A single encounter with the wrong person would suffice to eradicate someone. Some People viewed misfortune as something that nobody could evade, it was part of life and part of one's own destiny. Avon certainly did not believe in something like fate. Every action he took and everything that had happened to him or others was the result of a certain action. Nevertheless there was something he could not explain and as he grabbed his laser rifle there was but a single thought on his mind; "A god damn dragon ..."
After Louise had left him Avon started to wander through the place. Spending half of his life in a world that continually tried to torture and/or to kill him the memories of the old world, of the time before the atomic fire and monsters, began to fade away. On a rational point of view those memories held no value. Weapons ensured one's own survival and not some fancy memories of the past, but they sure enough had pushed him to his utmost limits more than just once. In his everlasting fight those very memories urged him to rise again and again every time he fell. Not because he was too stubborn to die and especially not because he sought the hero's death. Dying was an ugly matter and if possible something he'd like to avoid. No, the reason was much simpler. His memories of the past, so unbelievably beautiful ... he yearned for them. And in order to bring those memories back to reality he had started his own crusade long ago. Back then it didn't matter to him for how long his fight had to last. He would endure it, as he always did.
Noticing that he started to revel in memories Avon sighed faintly. It was a dangerous habbit which he simply could not get rid of. The last time a bitter-sweet memorie got the better of him a death claw managed to get near him. Granted, he did hide in a ruin to spend the night there and to evade potential enemies but still it was a grave mistake which could have costed him his life. The only thing that stood between him and certain death was his trusty power armor and even though its protection was good the fight proceeded everything else than in his favor. You don't call a creature "death claw" for nothing.
Focusing his gaze on his surroundings he realized that he had to be on the other side of the academy. Except for a few trees here and there he couldn't spot anything or anyone else which was perfect because nobody would be able to come near him undetected. Upon arriving at one of those trees Avon left his power armor, overjoyed that he once again got the chance to free himself of his cage. He cared little for comfort and the like but every now and then the urge to get rid of the weight of his armor was too much to bear.
It was an insignificant task, but everything that helped him to retain his sanity was a necessity. A thought crossed his mind the moment he took a seat on the ground, was it truly a wise decision to expose himself like that? Granted, those "mages" in this academy didn't strike him as a real threat but even a group of dogs could kill a man simply by outnumbering him. At least if he wasn't wearing a power armor which was the case right now.
Shaking his head lightly he dismissed that thought. If anybody dared to attack him while he was "vulnerable" he would simply take care of the problem. Leaning himself against the tree he crossed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. There were so many things he had to learn about this world but right now ... right now he would simply enjoy it to its fullest.
Steps, the first thing he heard after he closed his eyes were steps. Avon didn't get any sleep at all and the fact that once again something interrupted him from taking a break didn't do much good to his mood. Opening his eyes he spotted a bald man with glasses wearing a violet robe. The wooden staff in his hand was kept simple in design, with its 3 red stripes there were no other decorations on it. For a brief moment Avon wondered why the hell this man was in need of a walking stick as he apparently wasn't even in his fifties. It took him a few moments to realise who this man, who now stood before him, actually was.
"Colbert, right? Do you need anything from me?" Avon didn't bother with standig up, there was simply no point in doing it. The older man seemed not to care that his position was being ignored and simply observed the standing power armor.
"Well, I do admit that I came with a few questions if you don't mind." the professor smiled as he acknowledged that he didn't have the slightest idea what he was staring at. Jean Colbert was man of knowledge. He consumed history books like a regulary meal and probed his mind with many inventions. But even with his comprehensive knowledge he could not explain what this type of armor was. Sure, it was meant for protection but it also looked like it weighted a ton. No man would be able to move in something like this unless ... magic was used.
"I'll answer three of them, and after that I wish to be left alone." it wasn't that he despiced this man he simply felt exhausted. It was the perfect opportunity to regain his strength, and he would not give it up because of the curiosity of someone.
"I should choose my questions carefully then" the professor answered with an amused tone in his voice. "The first one, what is your name?"
"Avon" the familiar replied "You are waisting your chances, professor"
"Oh, I don't think so" the bald man replied with a smile on his face "The second one, where exactly did you come from?"
"From another world not comparable with this one" the familiar was sure that the last question would be about the armor. The mage couldn't deny the curiosity on his face even if he wanted to.
"Alright then, the last one" professor Colbert fixed his gaze on the younger man on the ground as if to evaluate what to think of him "Do you regret it that you were brought into our world?"
Not expecting something like that Avon simply shrugged his shoulders "I guess not. My world was filled with malice and destruction. I don't know anything about this place, but you have grass and trees. That's enough for me."
The professor, seemingly in thoughts simply nodded "That was very informative, thank you for your time. If you ever have some time to spare do visit me in my laboratory, I'd be glad to know more about this world of yours."
Noticing that the professor was looking at the runes on his left hand Avon wondered what they actually meant. Sure, Louise had told him that they were proof that he was her familiar, but they had to have a meaning. Avon couldn't imagine walking around with the word "familiar" on his left hand.
"Well, I guess I should take my leave now." the professor interrupted him from his thoughts as he put on a smile again "I wish you a good day, Avon."
"Likewise, Colbert" Avon kept his answer short as he tried to remember the last time someone had given him words of goodwill instead of a bullet. Sure, there were enough people who were genuinly thankful for everything he did but it was hard to keep that in mind when many others tried to murder you because they felt like it. Shrugging his shoulders he simply banished these useless thoughts from his mind and closed his eyes again. Surerly this time nobody would deny him his well deserved rest.
Never has he been so wrong.
In an abandoned warehouse, in the midst of nowhere there was a single man hiding behind a large pile of rubble. The only weapon in his possession was a combat knife with a broken tip.
"Puny human. Always running from Jack. Hate that!" The deep voice he could hear belonged to a monstrosity he had never seen before. A quick look revealed that he was a humanoid ... something. Apart from the fact that his skin was green and easily three meters tall he looked like he could rip people apart without any efforts at all. Or smash them to tiny bits, as he was carrying a sledgehammer around.
"Holy shit ... come on Avon, you've had worse" he whispered as if to encourage himself. Turning his gaze back to his broken knife he smiled as he realised that the odds weren't in his favor. Avon had to get of here, that much was certain. He could make a run for it but the abilities of this ... mutant were unknown to him. Not risking everything on one move he picked up a stone and threw it in the direction of Jack.
"No running away!" the mutant yelled and with a satisfied smile on his face Avon listened to the stomping of Jack. What he didn't expect was the sheer brutality of the mutant. As soon as he realised that his prey was nowhere to be found he started to destroy a few crates in his fury.
"Gha! Always hiding! Always running away! Come out and Jack kill you!"
Considering his options Avon sneaked away from the pile of rubble as the mutant was closing in to his position. There was no way he would fight the mutant with a broken knife and simply running wouldn't keep him alive for long, the best course of action was to take it slow and sneak out of the building. A good fifty meters ahead he could spot an emergency exit, there was no way he would die because of such a short distance ... right?
The illusion of his escape urged him to move faster. After he finally arrived at the door a quick look told him that the mutant was still searching for him, and had no chance to do what he planned to do. Gripping the handle of the door Avon pushed it open and the joy of knowing that he had survived this unlucky encounter turned into bitter frustration. In front of him stood the very same mutant he had evaded earlier and instead of words he was greeted by a sledgehammer.
The evil grin of the mutant burned itself into his mind and the only thing he felt as the mutant bashed his head in was pure hatred for this creature.
Opening his eyes once more Avon realised that he was not dead. There was no green mutant nor was he in a wharehouse which meant that a few bad memories had made their way back into his mind. Feeling even more exhausted than before he let out a weak sigh. He could handle whatever the world threw at him but in his dreams he was as helpless as a newborn.
"I fucking killed those bastards and they still haunt me ..." as he murmured those words Avon turned his head to the right. It wouldn't have been a surprise for him if suddenly a few knifes or bullets tore themselves through him simply because he had already experienced something like that, but to be looked at by a blue dragon was something new.
The beast, with its emerald green eyes, gazed at him as if he were some sort of curiosity. Moving by instinct Avon picked up his laser rifle and threw himself away from the monster in order to gain a little bit of distance. The dragon simply observed as he stood up and took aim.
Avon threw a quick glance at his power armor, he could try to enter it which would increase his chances against this beast significantly but on the other hand was the possibility that the dragon would tear him apart while doing so. Unsure which action he should take the stalemate continued.
The beast, to his surprise, didn't look menancing at all. If he were a little bit less wary he'd say that it looked like an oversized pet. With claws. And wings. But nontheless it was big. Avon estimated that it was approximately four meters tall while standing on four legs and everything that was larger than him was a potential threat to his live.
"As if Cazadors weren't enough I even have to deal with dragons now ... " shuddering at the thought of these monstrosities Avon recalled a few painfull memories of the times when he didn't have his power armor. The sting of those beasts hurt like hell and their poison was as deadly as it could be.
In his long journey he never found out where the hell those things came from, but the image of them never left his mind. Looking like a crossbreed between a tarantula, wasp and a butterfly the cazador was as deadly as it looked like. With four orange wings, a dark blueish carapace and blood-red eyes it was the nightmare of basically every human being.
Shifting his mind back to his current situation Avon slowly approached his power armor. A head on fight without his only means of protection was possible but one wrong move and everything was over. The risk was simply too high. He had to admit though, this was the first time that he had encountered a beast that didn't attack him instantly. A mistake it would regret in a few moments.
In a quick motion Avon opened his power armor and threw his weapon in the air before jumping right in. Enveloped by the technology the humans of his world had produced, at least in their prime, Avon merely smiled behind his helmet as he caught his laser rifle mid air with a precision only a machine could possess. As he took aim to end this meaningless encounter the dragon turned its head sideways. Following its gaze he saw a blue-haired girl carrying a rather oversized wand, assuming that she was one of the students as she was wearing one of these black capes.
The fact that she was going in their direction didn't exactly help Avon in this fight.
Not knowing why she seemed to be calm enough to not freak out even though there was a damn dragon in front of her Avon stepped slowly sideways and put himself between the girl and the dragon.
"What are you doing?" the girl said in an uninterested voice as she approached him.
"Regretting that I was summoned to get through bullshit like this. You?" he replied. Sensing that his current situation seemed to be some sort of misunderstanding he lowered his weapon but still kept his eyes on the beast in front of him. Not caring for his sarcasm the girl simply passed him and stopped in front of the dragon, which lowered its head to be petted by the blue-haired girl.
"Sylphid is my familiar" the girl said which in turn had earned her a doubting look from Avon which, of course thanks to his helmet, she could not see.
"Fine then" he proclaimed "I've had bad experiences with anything thats taller than I am so do me a favor and keep your Sylphid away from me."
Not waiting for her reply Avon took his leave and left the girl with her dragon behind.
The reason why he had left her was simple, there was nothing to gain from staying any longer. The eyes of the girl seemed to view everything as insignificant, or rather, there was nothing that concerned her at all. Or in short, she was someone he did not want to spend his time with.
As his little journey continued , even though he had yet to find his destination, Avon passed quite a few people on his way back into the huge building. Their glances didn't bother him at all and since nobody tried to get in his way he didn't bother them.
Arriving in one of these long corridors that were illuminated with those fancy magic crystals, at least at night, Avon merely watched as a green-haired woman left the room to his right and shut the door close.
Their gazes met each other and as she realised that he was a stranger the woman put on a smile on her face as if it would help her in any way.
"I don't think that I've ever seen you before, do you mind if I ask who you are?"
The glasses she was wearing gave her appearance, even though she seemed pretty young, a rather mature look Avon thought. And if his memory served him right she was wearing the same clothes as Colbert, the only difference was that she had a purple cape. Avon could neither deduce what her role in this academy was nor was it interesting enough to find out, which meant that she was of no interest to him.
"You can call me Avon. I'm supposed to be Louise's sla ... familiar." Avon really didn't want to have to introduce himself every time some stranger asked him who he was but given his current situation it couldn't be helped. The annoyed tone in his voice was obvious though.
"Looks like I am not the first one you had to introduce yourself to Avon.
So Zer - erm, I mean Louise really did get a familiar of her own? Looks like my worries were unjustified after all." the woman said in a rather cheerful voice as if to distract him from the fact that she called his master Zero.
"Well, I guess all is well that ends well. Where is she anyway? She really shouldn't let you wander around on your own, you don't even know your ways around the academy, don't you?"
"I know enough in order to not get lost." he replied dryly "Although I don't know where your library is."
"Oh, if it's just that then you are quite fortunate." the woman said as she pointed at a wooden double door Avon has already passed on his way.
As he turned around to look at the doors he realised that there was a sign above them. He couldn't translate what was written on it but given the fact that this woman told him that it was the library he had at least some kind of clue how letters in this country looked like. He had to admit though, those letters that seemingly made up the word "library" were quite similiar to each other. Well, given enough time he was sure to be able to translate it anyway.
"Well, it was nice to meet you Avon. Be careful to not disturb the other students in there, alright?"
Avon simply nodded as she briefly smiled at him before turning around and going in the direction where he came from. Not wasting any more time he opened the door she had pointed at and entered the room. The smell of old books enveloped his surroundings. Whatever expectations he had were surpassed quite easily by the tremendous amount of books that were stored in here. The library was equipped with a few tables and chairs, probably for students who wanted to study in silence but apart from that there was nothing but bookshelves, containing all the knowledge of the academy.
Not very selective in his choice he picked up a book that was lying on one of those tables, he guessed that one of the students had forgotten to return it to where it belonged to. There was no illustration on the front cover and since he wasn't able to read the title he had no idea which information it contained. Not that he could get a hold of those informations anyway. Opening the book in the middle his eyes scanned the written words through the visor of his helmet.
"Looks like it won't be that easy."
Uncertain as to how many hours had passed since he arrived in the library that was the only thing he came to conclude. Returning the book to the place he had found it before Avon noticed that not a single soul was to be found here. It was strange, weren't those people supposed to learn ... something?. It had probably to do with the fact that he hadn't noticed the students who tried to avoid him as he was trying to get a grasp of this new language, an attempt which resulted in utter failure.
He would have to ask someone for help regarding this matter. Louise popped up in his mind for a brief moment, but he couldn't believe that she would have the patience of a teacher, which was needed in order for him to make progress.
Shrugging his shoulders Avon left the library. It wasn't that not being able to read was a real emergency. Reading wasn't an important factor for survival, if he'd have to guess it would be because the inability to do so was irritating him on a personal level.
In his old world people would call him an idiot for spending time on such a trivial matter since every hour that was not spent on finding food, shelter or materials to work with was a lost one. And they were right to do so since ressources were scarce and enemies everywhere. Casting those thoughts aside Avon finally realised that it was nighttime the moment he passed one of the big windows to his left. Shaking his head in disbelief at the fact that he had wasted so much daylight without producing any results he simply walked and walked. The sound of silence, something he appreciated and hated at the same time, followed him until he took a corner and ... was greeted by the stare of a fire salamander that was already well known to him. The fire salamander, ignorant of the fact that a laser rifle was pointed at him, simply continued to stare until he suddenly turned around and moved a few meters away. As the salamander stopped and turned its head to Avon he realised that it probably wanted him to follow.
"Just so we are clear" he proclaimed as he started to walk towards the creature, which in turn got into motion again "I've eaten things that barely resemble food. You won't be a problem" The fire salamander, simply ignoring that threat, continued to walk for at least five more minutes until it stopped in front of a door. Avon recognized that part of the building as the place where those students had their rooms. Not because he gathered that information somehwere, it was mainly because everything looked exactly the same as the place where Louise was. Well, he had already guessed that this salamander would lead him to the red haired vixen anyway. The salamander scratched at the wooden door as if to encourage him to open it and after a short sigh and a few knocks later he did what he was supposed to do and opened the door. His regret came shortly after.
Avon didn't really know what to expect in this kind of situation, but to be greeted by a red haired woman in her nightgown on top of a bed was definetly not something he would have ever expected. Her seductive smile quickly changed to an expression of surprise and now both parties didn't get what they were expecting. The salamander simply walked into the room and vanished under the bed.
"Lets make this quick. What do you want?" he said after sighing mentally. Kirche, as he recalled her name, stood up and walked slowly towards him while showing off her hips that where rather on the well developed side. The fact that her nightgown layed emphasis on her breasts even though they weren't in need of that was something he couldn't ignore. Not that Kirche was able to notice that since he was wearing his helmet.
Their height difference forced the red haired woman to look up to him but she seemed to not care about that since that meant that she score a few points with her other assets.
"Well ... you kind of surprised me with your appearance. I didn't think that you would be wearing your armor at night" she said with with a humored smile on her face "Don't you sleep at all my dear knight?"
Avon, trying to process what was happening, took his helmet off which in turn revealed an annoyed expression on his face.
"Not if someone sends an overgrown salamander after me. What do you want Kirche?
Kirche put on her seductive smile again and started to caress his left cheek as she lowered her voice.
"I must have left a good impression for you to remember my name. And as for what I want ..."
This whole conversation was pointless since Avon already knew what she was going to say. Or rather what she was going to try. The wasteland had produced many things but even then humans were what Avon was wary of the most. The destruction of infrastructure and human society was like a spark that kindled evil in peoples hearts. Countless years of evolution were reduced to the behaviour of an animal, giving in to their urges without a second thought.
It was the survival of the fittest all over again and those who were unlucky enough to be the victims of the strong suffered until their tormentors had enough of them. Avon remembered his first encounter with the Devil's Sons. People who had abandoned what made them human and just lived to satisfy their own needs and urges. He remembered the men they had tortured to death and later on eaten. He remembered the women, naked and caged only to be violated later on by those animals.
And all of them had that sign of madness in their eyes as if their greed for lust could never be satisfied. Faithful slaves to their needs like that red haired woman in front of him.
"Of all the things you could have done you chose to disappoint me. he said as he brushed her hand off of his cheek. Kirche, not knowing why her seduction had failed, simply watched him as he turned around and made a step forward only to be met by the stare of his pink haired master. Louise, dumbfoundedly standing in the corridor, simply couldn't understand what was actually going on right now. Kirche shifted gears and put on a smile again. She had to admit that the armored man in front of her was a bit tricky but Louise was another thing.
"I hope to see you again very soon, my dear knight" she proclaimed as she closed the door and awaited the tantrum of Louise which was sure to follow up. At least some satisfaction would please her this night, and as for the rest ... well it wasn't as if she was deprived of options.
Louise, irritated by the silence of her familiar, clicked her tongue in annoyance as she put her hands on her hips. Avon, who could not understand how someone could see problems where there were none, simply walked past her earning himself the fury of the little girl that followed him.
"If you want to throw a tantrum because I've exchanged a few words with your archnemesis look for someone who cares."
"Of course I'd be angry about that!" she immediately shot back "Of all the students in this academy you just had to choose her didn't you? What kind of mockery is this supposed to be?!"
Realizing that he had to do something about her frail pride Avon sighed as they walked through the corridor. Girls in their teens were certainly exhausting to deal with.
"I was in the library before her overgrown lizard got in my way and because I knew that she wouldn't leave me alone I've followed that salamander to her room to make it clear."
"Why did she call you "my dear knight" then? Or that she wants to see you again?"
Avon shot her a glance in utter disbelief. How naive could this girl actually be?
"She did it in order to provoke you. And while she seems to be the only one to scorn you publicly the rest of those kids probably are doing the same behind your back. Or is "Zero" a nickname you've been enjoying to have?"
"... do not call me by that name"
Louise was surely a young woman with a short temper and most likely not the friendliest to have around and she knew that. The mockery of her fellow students meant nothing to her, at least not now. She had learned to ignore their spiteful words and instead concentrated on her studies in order to prove her worth as a mage. Not that it was going well in that regard but she was still young and every failure she had to endure would bring her closer to her goal.
The actual problem was that red haired vixen. She, for better or for worse, was the only one who could shatter her usually calm demeanor. The burning hatred she felt for that woman made her only feel worse about the fact that even her own familiar had called her "Zero" like the rest of those imbeciles. That was not something she would forgive easily, for if she couldn't stop Kirche and the others forcefully at least her familiar would learn to give her the respect she deserved.
"My original world was filled with malice and despair" Louise looked up to him wondering which excuse he would use in order to justify his shameless behaviour towards her " I've seen kids in cages to be tortured with methods you can't even imagine. People muredered each other for a damn bottle of water because it was so scarce. Acts of cannibalism because there was no food around. I've seen the end of civilization and lived through the end of the world as we knew it. I've lost everything Louise. Everything that was dear to me was taken away either by other humans, living corpses or monstrosities that had spawned since the end of the world."
The girl fell silent after he had finished his speech and soon after they were standing in front of her room. Louise couldn't explain why but she could sense that he was telling her the truth. As if through the bond between them she was overwhelmed by the emotions he had to deal with right now. Fury, sorrow, bitterness and disappointment made their way into her mind, far too much for a girl like herself to handle.
"You suffer because your strength is insufficient. Humans in general are weak, thats why we form groups. Tell me Louise, which group do you belong to if you alone can't defeat the evil that plagues you?"
The numbness she felt during a short amount of time stopped after he had started to talk again. All the emotions Louise was sure to sense from him simply vanished into tin air and all she could feel right now was emptiness. Partly because she knew that he was right, but most of all because it was depressing to admit it.
"... none"
"That's right Louise. Theres is not a single person on these grounds you could call an ally. Be it because of your short temper or the fact that you willingly seclude yourself into your own world, it doesn't matter."
"It does not matter? My efforts to show these imbeciles that I'm not worthless trash does not matter?!" she suddenly lashed out at him drawing her wand with her right hand and pointing it at him. Whatever sympathy was left within her had vanished the moment he had started to insult everything she had done until now to be acknowlegded as a mage.
"Not only have you dared to treat me worse than those imbeciles I have to call my fellow students and now you are lecturing me as if you knew everything about me! I've had enough of your disrespectful behaviour. I am your master and you will obey every command that you receive from me from now on is that clear?"
"My fate is my own and even your little magic stick isn't going to change that Louise"
"This is the final warning you'll receive from me! Don't force my hand!"
Her familiar stared briefly into her eyes before raising his hand. Interpreting it as another act of defiance Louise gatherd her resolve, it was her mistake that she would have to go this far. If she would have been more strict with him from the beginning all of this wouldn't have happend, but that was of no importance right now. She would discipline him until he was a proper familiar and if force was needed then so be it.
"Explosion!"
Mana flowed through her body into her wand, followed by an explosion directed at her familiar. It was a drastic measure and the only solution her mind could come up with right now. A black smokescreen blocked her line of vision and as she was waiting for the smoke to disappear she could hear the sound of heavy footsteps moving away from her.
"Farewell Louise. I truly hope that you will find what you are seeking in life, for I will not be there to witness it."
AN: One of my reviewers complained that he is not satisfied with how I'm handling a Fallout/ZnT crossover. Let me tell you again that this is my first story and that I'm borrowing certain elements of the game/anime in order to write this fanfic. The MC is an original character and even though I'll mention the master, super mutants and other aspects of the fallout franchise I am not sticking to the story you already know.
In short: The MCs background is influenced by fallout-ish things like muties and death claws, but the actual storyline of his former world is different. Please deal with it.