Chapter 1- 'Welcome to the Wasteland'

(Daniel)
=Once I had the meat safely wrapped up, I began to head out, deeper into the city. This time, I kept my pistol drawn=
Come on fido, I've got a nice treat for ya.

=i swung my scope back over the man from before, to see if he was done, and he was. I continued to watch him, make sure he stayed out of trouble. I adjusted the strap on my M320, keeping it off the ground on my back more securely=

=She steps away from James tearing the cloth off her eye, the position had pained her fractured cheekbone=

No... I can't come...

=She drops the cloth and lets it flutter to the rubble below, she picks up her bag almost losing her balance, but recovering eventually=
=She could smell the hand now more then ever, it's rotting stench was burning her noise, she began to snuffle back inside the building she had just escaped from=

Nyquill wrote:

=She steps away from James tearing the cloth off her eye, the position had pained her fractured cheekbone=

No... I can't come...

=She drops the cloth and lets it flutter to the rubble below, she picks up her bag almost losing her balance, but recovering eventually=
=She could smell the hand now more then ever, it's rotting stench was burning her noise, she began to snuffle back inside the building she had just escaped from=

=I appraise the situation=

Alright then. Just becarful out there.

=I give a two fingered salute and head on home, smelling the sent of dog meat on the wind=

Well, enjoy that meal while you can make it last...

=I move away from the road. Seeing a few mines placed down=
=I sigh and move around them=

=I heard a bullet impact the ground and I duck down=

...Who now...

=I turn to see a few members of Talon Company. A notorious group known for their ways of going overboard with their contracts=

"We're going to show you how a real merc does it!"

=One comes at me and swings a bat towards my head. I dodge and grab his hand. I kick him and pull him around to make him a human shield=

=She turns back to see the figure of James fade away, then she turns back to the hollow shelter of the building=
He's one of them isn't he... He's going to alert the others... I... I have to stop him...

=She runs back to catch up with James, she yells after him=

Wait!? Where are you going...?

=She just had to play nice, then when he wasn't looking she could get him, he wouldn't tell anyone, she wasn't going back to that hell. Not any time soon=

(Daniel)
=I walked through the streets for a few minutes, then decided to check one of the buildings, see if there was anything inside. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside, the contents either destroyed or stolen by looters=
Well, that sucks.

=Since I didn't find a thing, I left the building and once again resumed my walk through the streets=

=i lost sight of the man, and so I turned my sniper back to where it was, and started scanning again. I saw James talking to a woman, or at least someone who looked like James talking to another person who looked like a woman. At this range, I could hardly see anything, but we were trained to identify our targets at long range, to help prevent a misfire. I knew James fairly well, so I knew what he looked like and walked like, but I couldn't tell for sure. Either way, it was better than watching the faceless, nameless crowds of people going in and out of the ruined buildings=

Nyquill wrote:

=She turns back to see the figure of James fade away, then she turns back to the hollow shelter of the building=
He's one of them isn't he... He's going to alert the others... I... I have to stop him...

=She runs back to catch up with James, she yells after him=

Wait!? Where are you going...?

=She just had to play nice, then when he wasn't looking she could get him, he wouldn't tell anyone, she wasn't going back to that hell. Not any time soon=

=I hear her yelling for me=

=I head back to where I found her=

All that trauma...all that pain...I have to do something

=I find where she is=

Good thing you caught me before I wandered to far. I was just about to head to my, well, 'home'.

=I look and see a slaver collar on her=

Damn U.S.C bastards...no wonder she's scared

Don't worry about a thing, I'm not here to do any harm to you, not at all.

=I relieve the man of his 10mm and fire at the others. He struggles some, but I keep him under control=
=I move closer to the other two, firing. I aim for the head and get one down=

=The other one managed to duck behind some cover=
=I look down to notice the person I am holding has a grenade on him. I pull the pin and push him towards the cover=

=I see the other man pop out and try to run away, but the blast manages to get him=
=I walk up and place a bullet into the man that was in cover's head=

Let me show you how a hitman does it.

Okay.......where to now?

=Walking aimlessly through a dead city filled with rabid dogs and God knows what else was fun and all, but I was hoping I could find a place to rest. Hell, at the very least find someone who was willing to talk=

=She notices his glancing at the collar around her neck, she quickly hid it under her hood concealing her panic=
Dammit I have to more careful, now he knows for sure...

=She stumbled next to him, hoping he would take her with him=
Where are you going...?

=Even though James sounded genuine about his vow to do no harm, Esther knew people can lie so well, she would have to watch her knife, even now=

=On my horse, trot, trot, trotting away.=
"This here's a fine wasteland, not like the Mojave though, no, far more sophisticated folk 'round these parts."

=Stops on a small ridge=

"I reckon Rockopolis is near here, hmmmm, maybe if I visit the Yao Guai tunnels, I can find some loot on any sorry soul that wandered too close without knowing how to deal with 'em."

=Turns and heads in the direction of the Yao Guai Tunnels=

=Whistling=

Nyquill wrote:

=She notices his glancing at the collar around her neck, she quickly hid it under her hood concealing her panic=
Dammit I have to more careful, now he knows for sure...

=She stumbled next to him, hoping he would take her with him=
Where are you going...?

=Even though James sounded genuine about his vow to do no harm, Esther knew people can lie so well, she would have to watch her knife, even now=

I was just about to head to my home here among the wastes.

=I notice the shadows lengthen=

Best to head there quickly. Because night is not your best friend out here.

(Daniel)
=I could tell it was getting late, on account of the shadows getting larger, and the sun dropping out of view. Somehow, I had a feeling I did not want to be out in the open come night-fall=
Crap, where do I go?

=There were buildings everywhere, sure. Lot's of potential sleeping areas. But let's face it, I was new in town, and everyone and everything else that lived here would probably know the best places=

=i continued to watch 'James' and his friend. I took my sidearm out and set it down next to me. I still had to be ready, so I couldn't go inside, and at nightfall, having a weapon ready next to you can be the difference between life and death for a sniper=

=She nods resting her hand on her knife, the feeling of the handle in her fingers just felt comforting =
=Esther couldn't sense the threatening vibe she knew so well from James, maybe he was just a nice person...=
=She quickly destroyed that idea, that sort of reckless thinking always lead to people taking advantage=
=She gripped her knife with force, feelings of rage and anger filled her, she needed to calm down=
=She glanced at James's eyes for a second before looking ahead and conversing under her breath=

I'm Esther....

(Daniel)
=It was starting to get late, and I still had no idea where in the hell I was going to stay. I almost hoped that I'd run into whoever the hell it was that saved my ass from those dogs. Maybe they could point me to somewhere with people=

Nyquill wrote:

=She nods resting her hand on her knife, the feeling of the handle in her fingers just felt comforting =
=Esther couldn't sense the threatening vibe she knew so well from James, maybe he was just a nice person...=
=She quickly destroyed that idea, that sort of reckless thinking always lead to people taking advantage=
=She gripped her knife with force, feelings of rage and anger filled her, she needed to calm down=
=She glanced at James's eyes for a second before looking ahead and conversing under her breath=

I'm Esther....

=I take her hand and help Esther off the ground=

You already know my name is James.

=I see the sun beginning to set=

Let's head to my place. Its not very wise to be here after dark.

=She follows him silently, taking her hand back in violent manner, she didn't like being touched=

Lead the way...

=She briefly double checked to see if her collar was showing, thankfully it was not=

(Daniel)
=As I walked, I spotted two people: One guy and a girl. I don't know if they saw me, and to be honest, I planned to keep it that way. I crouched low, behind some fallen rubble=

I walked across the bridge from Rivet City back into the wastes. I'd let the man live, barely. I'd beaten him within an inch of his life, but I didn't really want to be a murderer in Rivet City, at least, not over a few chems. I'd have to come back tomorrow, I'd left to avoid any kind of confrontation with the guards over my actions. As I walked towards my 'home' I heard voices. They were loud and obnoxious.
Raiders... I thought Someone I can vent my anger out on...

I took my laser rifle off of my back and lined it up with the group, before squeezing the trigger and unleashing hell on the four of them.

Nyquill wrote:

=She follows him silently, taking her hand back in violent manner, she didn't like being touched=

Lead the way...

=She briefly double checked to see if her collar was showing, thankfully it was not=

Understandable reaction...

I isn't all that far from here. Just follow me.

=I head back to my home and make sure my young charge didn't die on out here=

Act like it's nothing, nothing at all...

=I get a feeling that I'm being watched by someone=

Just keep your cool James, just keep your cool...

=i started looking around again, as night was getting ever closer. Ghouls liked to come out at night, well, more so. They could come out during the day, but at night it was worse. I kept an eye on James, but I still kept watch around the area=

(Daniel)
=Was I going to attack them? No. Was I going to tail them to maybe a safe area. Yes. Hell, maybe I'd just announce myself, let them know I wasn't a threat. I was about to move from behind cover, when something caught my eye: a group of other people, clad in leather armor this time by the looks of it, rounded a corner. They had weapons=

Oh, crap.

=I decided to take my chances with the first two, and screamed=

LOOK OUT!!! BEHIND YOU!

=She could sense James felt unnerved, but Esther was to tired to care, she would let herself fall asleep on the rocks by feet if she could=
=She tried to ignore it, but a sudden scream from the cars behind them caught her gaze=

What the hell?

=She looked over to James concerned, her first instinct was to run but her legs could hardly carry her=
=She glanced behind them to see the leather glad band of people, she couldn't tell if they were merchants or raiders=
=She whispered to James=

What do we do..?

I'd began the journey to Megaton, and it was going quite peacefully. No raider attacks, no mutated abomination of animal attacks, a nice peaceful walk. Or journey. Whatever. I should probably stop saying 'peacefully'... I'll end up jinxing it... And get attacked by raiders and mutated animals.

Nyquill wrote:

=She could sense James felt unnerved, but Esther was to tired to care, she would let herself fall asleep on the rocks by feet if she could=
=She tried to ignore it, but a sudden scream from the cars behind them caught her gaze=

What the hell?

=She looked over to James concerned=

Lets get out of here...

=I look back and see ghouls=

Just keep moving and don't attract attention.

=I sight on one of the ghouls raising a weapon=

Ghouls, why did it have to be them of all freaks out here..

=I take out my Mk.14 and fire on the one raising his weapon=

=The others get the hint and back off=

Let's get moving. Hopefully that won't happen again

The water here looked clean, but he knew it wasn't. He was still quite a long way away, but he didn't care. He was just enjoying the peaceful serenity of the ocean, or lake...whatever it was.
He laid his helmet beside him, he lowered his hand and picked up some rocks. He attempted to skim them across the water, something he usually did when he was bored.

After a few minutes he got bored, so he rose and continued walking, making sure not to leave his helmet behind.

Weathers too fucking hot!

Today was unusual to be fair, he had not encountered the odd Super Mutant or two, like he usually did. Stuff it.

=i see a Ghoul a ways back behind James and his friend start shooting at someone I couldn't see. I checked the range and adjusted my angle and fired. The shot rang out and blew off part of the Ghoul's arm. I racked the bolt and hoped I didn't ruin things for anyone else=

(Daniel)
=I watched as one of the two people I warned brought out a weapon, and fired on one of the armored figures. They stopped in their tracks=
Huh.

=However, that stopped them for only a moment, and then they kept moving. What's more, one of them came for me=

Oh, crap.
=I popped out of cover, and shot one in the head=

=Esther began to wish that she learnt more about the gun she stole from the slavers=
=It only sat on her back waiting for its fight or flight moment, she wasn't comfortable enough with explosives to test it=
Ironic really...

=She dived for the nearest cover to hide from the ongoing fire fight=

=I had covered some major ground. By the time it was currently I had stumbled upon the town of Grayditch. A sleepy little town with virtually no life=
=I duck into a building for a nice raid=

=I hear a couple of pop shots in the distance and I get behind a large rock and take out some binoculars=

Nyquill wrote:

=Esther began to wish that she learnt more about the gun she stole from the slavers=
=It only sat on her back waiting for its fight or flight moment, she wasn't comfortable enough with explosives to test it=
Ironic really...

=She dived for the nearest cover to hide from the ongoing fire fight=

=I hear a gunshot crack through the sky and a one of the ghouls drops=

Thank god for the Remnant...

=I then see another drop from a shot to the head=

Nice to know that a common fear can unite people trying to survive..

=I go up to the ghoul thats still struggling and shoot it in the head with my Colt .45=

That should do you, you freakjob...

=I head back over to Esther to see if she was alright=

Come on Esther, lets get to my place before it gets worse.

(Daniel)
=The one that came towards me, the one I did not have the mind to shoot, got close, and I had to get away. So i jumped from my cover, and headed down the street, in the direction of the two people, my back to them, and my rifle aimed towards the group=
Please don't shoot me please don't shoot me please don't shoot me..............

=I take aim at another one, not even checking to see if he was going to attack or not, and fire. The shot grazed his chest, but thanks to the power, it spun him around and made him fall. I racked the bolt and continued to keep overwatch for James, now sure it was him=

=I look through the 4x scope of my 416 at the small group gathering, trying to ponder friend or foe=

=I hold my fire=

=Esther follows James, leaving behind the gunfight=
Were those Ghouls?!

=She quickly checks to see if the hand is still in her bag, she didn't want a repeat of before, luckily it was still in place=
Where now!?

(Daniel)
=I chanced a glance, and saw that the two people were fleeing=
Oh, that's nice! Way to help a fellow hu-- OH MY GOD!!!!!

=One of the damn things closed with me, and swung something downward at me. I jumped backwards, rifle firing=

=i fire a fourth shot, this one killing the last ghoul I shot. I rack the bolt and fire at the one next to it, blowing it's neck open. I pull the bolt back and take out the magazine, slotting in a new one and setting the empty one to the side for a reload later. I take aim and look for more targets. I fidget slightly, the M320 falling to the side again=

=I aim at the woman and man, realizing they are the only ones that I can see=

(Daniel)
=The thing that was attacking me fell under my fire, and I saw that it was the last one. I looked around, and saw no one else=
Uh, anyone here? I'm friendly.......most days.

=Hours later.=

"Well then. looks like I got myself into a doozey."

=Capital Wasteland, the Tunnels=

"I ain't never seen so many ghouls in one place."

There it was, River City, straight ahead. He was happy and sad at the same time. He would get food and drink, however he would have to spend his money, his caps. On food that didn't even taste that good.

Isn't life shit?

He did what he thought was best and grabbed his Barrett, and he checked the magazine and made sure it was a good mag, meaning it wasn't too empty nor full. He hated wasting shots.

"Oi. Yeah you. Come here, now!"

Chris walked over to the odd looking, fat, round person.

"Gimme your money?"

Chris laughed for a little while.

"Excuse me?"

"Ya heard. Gimme your money!"

Chris grabbed his Barrett and smacked it around the fat persons face. The chubster fell to the floor, crying.

"You'll have my stool in your face, and that's all!"

The chubby man, tried to crawl away.

Nyquill wrote:

=Esther follows James, leaving behind the gunfight=
Were those Ghouls?!

=She quickly checks to see if the hand is still in her bag, she didn't want a repeat of before, luckily it was still in place=
Where now!?

Yes, yes they were.

=I look at her=

Well, for right now, we need to get to my place for tonight.

=I holster my pistol and gesture for her to follow me=

=I notice a glint of a scope=

=I then hear someone else=

Come out and show yourself, and you won't be shot.

James wrote:

=I then hear someone else=

Come out and show yourself, and you won't be shot.

(Daniel)
=I holstered my weapons, and slung my rifle over my shoulder, and raised my hands over my head. I started walking towards the voice=

I'm friendly.

=I pop up again and point the 416 at him=

=I keep one eye on the man and the other on the woman=

=Esther turns to face their peruser unsheathing her blade=
Lower the gun, we just want to get out of here....

=She stands watching them both, waiting for the first strike, even though she could do very little with her dull blade=

Razgriz wrote:

James wrote:

=I then hear someone else=

Come out and show yourself, and you won't be shot.

(Daniel)
=I holstered my weapons, and slung my rifle over my shoulder, and raised my hands over my head. I started walking towards the voice=

I'm friendly.

=I notice the figure=

Well, you must've been the voice that saved my ass. You need a place to stay?

=I listen to Esther=

Yeah, just let us leave in peace and we won't have any problems.