Ch. 6 Brain Hurty

*pew*

In the surroundings one could hear a silenced shot be fired. But the Cazador never knew what hit it.

The Cazador was going to and fro, searching for something and anything. Mostly food, water, shelter with both?

But it's expedition was cut short.

In an instant it's right wing gained a new hole, along with its body. It's insides turned to mush. It instantly dropped to the ground. It's left wing still twitching along with some of its legs. But it's head lay on the ground. It's body leaked this greenish liquid that Colton can only assume is it's blood and whatever poison it has.

"Damn Colton! Not many people can say they just did what you did. In fact, I can count on my hands how many people I know that could have done that!" Jack said. He was partially joking, he knew more than 5 people that could make that shot. But that didn't mean it was easy. In fact, most rangers couldn't have landed that shot. Maybe within the first 3. But not one and done. And that's at the age of 15.

"Thanks" Colton lowers the rifle and flicks the safety on. He pushes on his knee and stands back up. He had a confident smile on his face.

Colton held out the Purifier out for Jack to take.

Jack had a proud smile on his face as he walked towards his son. "It's yours kid" He pats Colton's shoulder and walks a step past him and grabs the varmint rifle on the ground. "I can't use it anyway, so make sure to take good care of that alright?"

Colton's eyes widen and his mouth opens. But no words come out. He closes his mouth and a giant smile grows on his face. He looks down at the gun in his hands. He can already picture himself in 3 years. "Thank you"

Colton grips the rifle in his hands and then looks to his dad. His beard and hair had grown, but he looks the same for the most part. Maybe a few gray hairs could be seen, but they get yanked out when they get spotted. "But why now? Wouldn't it be best to give me this as I leave? That would be the most dramatic right?"

"Haha. Colton, I'm giving you her because I only know a few Rangers who could shoot a Cazador at this distance and kill it. You shot a bug that is flying fast and changes directions randomly. Of you didn't just earn that gun I don't know what else you could do to earn it…. Besides giving me and your mom a grandkid perhaps?" Jack teases Colton.

"I'm only 15 dad" Colton's goes deadpan.

"And so what? When I was 15 I was-" Jack started.

"What are you doing here mom?" Colton looks behind Jack and waves.

Jack whips his head around. He instantly stopped talking and scanned the area for Samantha. He knew she wouldn't appreciate him telling their son about his past relationships.

He doesn't see his wife so he turns back to his son and sees a smug smirk on the kids face. "You're lucky I'm not one of those parents that beat their kids" Jack warns, but in a sarcastic-serious tone.

"You beat me whenever we spar!" Colton points out.

"That's because you won't stay down! And I have a handicap!" Jack defends.

"That's because you are handicapped!" Colton points at his fathers stump.

"Exactly! And that's how I beat you single handedly every time!" Jack looks around the are. "We will expand our perimeter from today onwards. We can't take any risks. Plus this will let me teach you more about being…" Jack lowers his stance and it almost looks like he's trying to mimic a surfer. "…..stealthy~"

"Says the giant muscles guy" Colton mocks his dad.

"Says the brat. I'm surprised you aren't bigger than what you are. You're stronger and sturdier than most adults already, yet you have your damn 'slim build' as you put it. Just you wait, in a year or two you'll put muscles on that will look just like mine" Jack flexes his biceps. But it just looks weird with only one arm.

"Whatever. I need to learn it anyway" Colton shakes his head.

"Yep! Now let's get a move on" Jack leads the way and they have a decent conversation.

———Recap of the Following Years———

Colton spent the majority of his time with his parents. He was being taught various things by both of them.

Turns out Samantha had vast knowledge on various subjects. And that included the creatures of the Wasteland.

Colton did not like learning about Centaurs. He initially pictured a man with a human torso attached to a horse body.

BOY WAS HE WRONG!

A fucking Centaur in Fallout apparently meant a muscular humanoid torso that sits upright upon a sloped, insect-like abdomen. It looked human, with human skin, and extra human limbs. And when walking, the front two pairs of arms drive the creature forward, with the rear pair dragging along the ground next to the abdomen. The centaur's torso sways when the body moves, with the limbs moving in slow, spasmodic motions.

Jagged bones sprout from the creature's spine and along the rear abdomen. Similarly, numerous teeth-like bones surround the torso's abdominal muscles. A single human-like head sits upon the torso, connected to the body by a wide neck. The centaur has concave eye sockets and three tongue-like tentacles sprouting from its mouth, reaching down the length of the torso. The centaur is covered in thick purple veins and its shoulders end in bony stumps.

Did somebody say NIGHTMARE FUEL?! Colton didn't see an actual picture, but his mom drew a decent one, even if it was crude. But he got the gist. And he hoped to not encounter on. Just like the giant spiders.

He'd also learned about geckos, deathclaws, brahmin, coyotes, mole Rats, bighorner, and other creatures. He was taught about various wasteland insects, an example would be the giant mantis or cazadors.

Then he learned about Super mutants and ghouls. Both ferral ghouls and ghouls who kept their mind.

Lots of how to kill or avoid them type of info. Some had more info than others and Samantha warned that there will be other monsters and that she hopes to hear about them when Colton gets back eventually.

Jack had taught him some special moves. And had told him stories about his field work with the NCR. He hadn't said much, but Colton could tell that his dad was holding back the politics part. Mainly because Jack only talked about his Ranger fieldwork and not what position he held.

The father and son wouldn't lie to eachother, but that doesn't mean they will tell eachother everything. They were close and had fun, as long as they weren't sparring.

Mainly because the older Colton got, the more Jack got acquainted with the dirt. His handicap was truly showing, and it wasn't like he can just take the handicap and throw it out the window.

Even with Colton's 30 melee and 31 unarmed, he could give Jack a run for his money. His strength, perception, endurance, and agility stats were high and Colton learned to use them in a fight and get used to them. Something that the skills wouldn't have been able to help him with.

Somehow, Colton wasn't a big brother yet. He has no idea how that's possible. But he didn't think hard about that. But Samantha had apparently agreed with Jack that she wants grandkids too, preferably while she's alive so she can see them grow up.

Samantha looked beautiful before. But now? Drop dead gorgeous. She had been a tad too skinny before, either due to her sickness or just the toll of the wasteland. But now she was much better and her skin wasn't so pale looking. Even if it was tanned from the harsh sun.

They made it a habit to spend plenty of time outside the bunker. You couldn't tell what time it was down there.

No NCR or Legion were in sight. And after the first year, most hostile creatures left the area. Or they were shot dead. There wasn't really a point in sticking around the area anyway for them. The only water was the water pump that fed water into the bunker so it wasn't like the creatures of the wasteland had to be there, they were there just because they could.

Colton missed human interaction. Mostly because his parents were his only contact. Them and somebody he's been talking with on the radio. He doesn't know who she is, but she had some good stories. They didn't talk long, or get to know eachother. But it was fun to talk with someone you had no idea who they were. It wasn't like they had planned to meet up, they hadn't even told eachother what their names were.

Colton had talked to her for less than a year when she just didn't respond anymore. It was unfortunate since she was his first and only friend since he got to the Wasteland. His parents don't count.

But he got over it quickly. It was mostly a distraction from his constant training anyway. His dad must have been a drill sergeant or something.

Colton only talked with her maybe 2-3 times a month. But he liked it none the less. He was 17 and puberty was not any more fun in the wasteland than it was when he was in his previous world. And he was kinda upset that he was 17 when the year was 2280. He was kind of a stricter for even numbers. But he preferred the numbers that ended in 0s and 5s. Which made his Skills a bit frustrating to look at.

He hadn't received any new quest. And he hadn't completed [ Till I Collapse ] and wasn't sure he would be able to finish it. He had thought he would finish it within 2-3 years. But he's almost 18 and the years left turned to months, which turned to weeks, then it turned to days left.

Colton really didn't want to waste those 4 years. But it's not like he hadn't been trying. He used all 4 intelligence points to learn what his mom taught him. And he gave his all when training with his dad.

He knew that he would finish soon since his parents were stretching for things to teach him. Colton assumed they just didn't want him to leave yet. They were very close after all. And the wasteland was a very dangerous place.

But he was as prepared as he could be. Well, besides being whatever his max level is. He was level 5 still and was disappointed he hadn't reached 6 yet. And not seeing his exp bar was extremely annoying. But he did find that the Pipboy displayed his ambidextrousness in the Effects tab under Status, along with his -10% exp.

Yep, only -10%. Colton was so happy he nearly jumped and punched the ceiling. That would be hard to describe a new hole in the ceiling of the bunker.

His parents didn't talk about people they knew much. The most would be vague references. He wasn't told other names for some reason, but he didn't pry. Not like he needed to know them or for them to tell him. Not like those people were either still alive or in the Mojave anyway.

——————

It was about a week before his birthday when he turned 18.

"I can't think of anything to teach you, even if you forget most of it anyway" Jack said in defeat. He had taught his son lots of things. Some stuck like glue, others bounced like five-footed rabbits.

"Same with me Colt. You should do excellent in the wasteland. Just watch what you do and say around others. I'm afraid that you being cooped up down in this bunker with me and your father has messed with how you interact with people. Especially with the way you sing" Samantha says. Colton had been trying to learn to sing on his own and had been getting used to his 43 Speech.

He found how to make it so others can hear his radio on his Pipboy, but he wanted to learn to sing the songs the Wastland hadn't heard before. He's also hopes to be able to edit with the radio station when his science gets better. At 21 Science he isn't able to do much except plan what he wants to do with the radio and lay the groundwork. He plans on recording and logging the songs so he can play what he wants, when he wants. He's only able to start the project currently.

He just sings along with whatever was currently playing, that included the old timer songs and the more modern songs.

Colton made sure that the radio could be heard by anyone after he was seen singing without any music. His parents still don't let him live it down when he was caught practicing without any sound. He's written down plenty of songs down on paper. There was plenty paper in the bunker that wasn't being used by his parents.

Jack and Samantha wrote down notes about various things and hadn't told Colton what they are specifically. Just that they would be a present for when he comes back. It was supposed to give him a reason to come back to the bunker to see them again in the future.

Colton planned on coming back after a year or two, but that depends on a lot of things. Mainly how far away he was from the Mojave and what he was doing, along with a ton of other factors.

"Thank you? It's hard to tell if you are happy or sad that I've learned so much" Colton scratches the back of his head. His hair is decently long, it's surprisingly only grown a little bit. It stays slicked back no matter what. If it's dirty, clean, oily, whatever. It just stays slicked back when he runs his hands through it a few times. But it's always down over his eyes whenever he wakes up.

"We just don't want you to get hurt out there. Are you sure you still want to go? You can stay here with us. Where it's safe" Samantha pleads as she holds tightly holds her hands. She doesn't want to force Colton to stay, he's already 18. But he is still her baby boy, and she doesn't want to learn he died a horrible gruesome death. Even if he seems to be a gun fanatic that can shoot a pistol at a bottle from about 200-300 feet significantly more often than not. It was crazy. Even Jack had some trouble doing that, even when he had both arms.

"You can stay for another year, just to be safe. I heard that the Legion and NCR tensions are rising. The Legion also are becoming a bigger and bigger threat, I know that you know what they do to people. And even if the NCR aren't after you, that doesn't stop them from being the bag of dicks they are to you. And that's not talking about all the other things trying to kill you" Jack says. He hates to admit it, but he will miss sparring with his son. He wouldn't admit that it's more about having fun scuffling with his kid. He likes being able to actually try and not have to worry about either of them getting injured. It's a bond he didn't have with his old man. That's also to say that Colton was the only guy for a very long distance. They had some great guy talk and 'boys nights' as Colton put it. Jack found it funny how Colton would say 'Saturday's are for the boys' or whatever random stuff he came up with.

"I'm sure. This is what I've been working for" Colton nods. "If I don't go now, I'm not sure I'll be able to leave you guys"

Jack is on Samantha's left side. He wraps his arm around his wife and looks at his son. "We've taught you what we know and won't stop you, but why don't you hang back a week. We still have that much time left" Jack says in a tone that Colton knew not to argue with. Jack wasn't saying it in a demanding way, but more of a man to man tone. "You 'technically' arent 18 until then anyway" Jack says in a much lighter and playful tone.

Samantha has a worried look in her eyes. She wouldn't stop her son from leaving now, but it would make her sad.

"Yeah, I'll stay. Not like the Mojave will disappear in a week. And it can use this time to get ready for Colton Lucky King" Colton says while striking a Super Hero Pose with his fists on his hips, chest puffed out, and chin up.

"I don't think any amount of time can prepare the Mojave for you my baby boy" Samantha says as she puts her left hand on Jacks hand on her shoulder.

[ [Mamas Boy] gained ]

[ Quest Completed: Till I Collapse ]

Notifications pop into the top left of his vision, they can be easily missed if he was busy, but this nearly made him jump for joy. But he didn't, or more like he couldn't.

[ Level Up! ]

Time froze and he was basically locked in place.

[ Welcome to Level 6

Barter = 15

-Energy Weapons = 31

-Explosives = 31

-Guns = 80

Lockpick = 31

Medicine = 36

Melee = 30

Repair = 21

Science = 21

Sneak = 21

Speech = 43

Survival = 31

Unarmed = 31

Assign 14 Skill points ]

Colt was so happy. It had been years since he's seen this screen after all. He was sick and tired of seeing thee 1s. He immediately knew which ones he would increase.

[Skills Increased

Repair = 25

Science = 25

Speech = 45

Survival = 35

Confirm ]

Nothing too big. But it definitely made Colton feel better about himself. And seeing his skills increase drives him forward to see them grow more.

[ Welcome to Level 6!

[Confirmed Bachelor]

[Friend of the Night]

[Heave Ho!]

[Hunter]

[Intense Training]

[Jump to Conclusions]

[Lady Killer]

[Prospector]

[Swift Learner]

[Cannibal]

[Comprehension]

[Run n Gun]

[Bear in Mind] | 6 |

- You find a Yao Guai cub. How, Why, When, Where? Good question! Soon is the answers to all! And the cub won't eat you and your friends, it's like a tamed dog and your it's owner.

[Bloody Mess] | 6 |

- people and creatures you kill will often explode into a red, gut-ridden, eyeball-strewn paste. Fun! Oh, and you'll do 5% more damage with all weapons.

[Gunslinger] | 6 |

- While using a pistol or a similar one-handed weapon, your accuracy in V.A.T.S. is significantly increased.

[Lead Belly] | 6 | 5 Endurance |

- You take 50% less radiation every time you drink from an irradiated water source.

[Shotgun Surgeon] | 6 | 45 Guns |

- Your precision with a scattergun is something to behold. When using shotguns, regardless of ammunition used, you ignore an additional 10 points of a target's Damage Threshold.

[Toughness] | 6 | 5 Endurance |

- Words might not break your bones, but other things can. But with you gain a permanent +3 Damage Threshold. Now it's harder for those sticks and stones to break your bones.

0/1 Perks selected ]

"[Bloody Mess]? Sounds fun in-game, but will it really make things explode into gore in real life? I don't think I can explain me shooting a person with a pistol and them basically exploding. So that's a no from me" Colton instantly tosses that perk out the window.

He looks through the new perks and shakes his head.

Colton will be using a sniper and pistols for now so the [Shotgun Surgeon] is essentially useless.

he thinks about [Lead Belly], it could be amazing. But if it only decreases the radiation he takes from an irradiated water source he doesn't see a point in it. He doesn't want to drink irradiated water to begin with.

He considers [Bear in Mind] but dismisses it. Would it be badass to have a pet Yao Guai? Hell yeah! Could he explain it to his parents? Not really. Could he feed it regularly when he travels the Wasteland? Maybe? Would people shoot it on sight? Possibly. That would be bad. So he decides to put that away for later.

Colton did get his hopes up for [Gunslinger] but he was devastated when it said 'in V.A.T.S.' his hope was crushed. He pictured the comic book and movie gunslingers shooting bullets everywhere and acting badass. But this perk doesn't do that unfortunately.

He narrows his choices down to [Run n Gun] and [Toughness]. He likes toughness because it will help him take less damage without the need for armor. And 3 was a decently big deal, especially for his skin, muscles, and bones. And he will end up using his pistols a fair bit as well.

It's a tough decision, but he decides that being even more accurate while moving would be best. Even if he would only get a bonus with guns he can wield in one hand... what if he gets strong enough to use heavy weaponry with one hand? He would need more than 10 Strength, but still. That just sounds amazing to see.

[ [Run n Gun] gained

- Halved spread with one-handed ranged weapons while walking or running ]

Colton feels time flow yet again. He feels something change with his arms, brain, and eyes. He assumes that that must be the perk increasing his aim. It wasn't anything big, just like a shiver going down his arms and a chill in his brain and eyes. Kinda weird but he appreciated no pain.

He also gains some knowledge about various bits of info. Nothing huge, but enough to give him that 'thousand yard stare' look on his face as his brain stores the knowledge.

"You can say that again. Colton will definitely cause some shock, if not with his gun skills then definitely that music he likes so much" Jack says while praising and poking fun at his son.

"At least I'll be known for something" Colton shrugs his shoulders and ahas a small smile.

"Hopefully all good things" Samantha chips in. She doesn't want to learn that her kind and nice son becomes the next Caesar of Wasteland.

"Of course. Professionals have standards" Colton says in a 'matter-of-fact' tone and folds his arms across his chest.

"Yeah. A professional Dumbass" Jack laughs at his own joke.

Samantha jabs her left elbow into Jacks side which causes the man to slouch a bit.

"Worth it" Jack says as he takes his arm off his wife and rubs his ribs.

"I helped teach this 'dumbass' with you. And we're his parents" Samantha says as she rolls her eyes.

"And we love him all the same~" Jack coos.

"Wow, really making me love my decision to stay immediately, huh?" Colton shakes his head.