Chapter 3: Unfamiliar (2)

"Turn right! I SAID TURN RIGHT!" An old man screamed, his brows raised and his eyes wide open.

Feeling adrenaline pump through his body he felt his mind shift back and forward the pull of the vehicle leaving his hands shaking.

"HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA!" A young boy laughed his crackle leaving the Oldman Dazed and bewildered.

Due to the young child's gas mask, it seemed more similar to a Wicked and twisted villain than a young child.

These two strange characters were, of course, Alexander and Ralph.

One seemed to be starting to get more comfortable with his environment the other… not so much.

-

"It's your first day and you've already got me regretting my decision," Ralph muttered earning me a laugh.

This old man was built differently!

He was too much of an arse to be called an old man.

Doesn't one wise with age?

This 'old man had not learned to be humble since he was six!

"You're just getting old," I snickered japing him.

"As if, these bones still move with pristine and vigour. Besides it's not every day I get to zoom past the Pandorian sands," He retorted, his arms flexing to reveal a decent amount of muscle.

He was quite fit now that I think about it.

What's an old fart like this packing this much muscle?

What were you trying to prove you fart?

"What with the hammers old man?" I asked confused. It ain't normal to have such muscle mass at an old age.

"Bahh you still think I'm that old? Kid, I'm only forty-five!" He revealed leaving me shocked.

"…"

"What don't believe me?" He asked as if to snicker.

"You look pretty fucked for a forty-four," I replied honestly.

"Language!" He spouted.

"I'm speaking English," I smiled only to earn a raised brow, confusion plastered on his face.

"English? What's an English?" He asked confused.

"English, you know like the language, the one we're speaking right now," I reaffirmed almost to mock him. How did he not know what English is?

"You must be an insane kid. We don't call this English; we call it CL." He explained.

"Now what the fuck is HD." I huffed.

"Language! Skagg heads kid. Tone it down with the profanity. CL stands for Common language or literacy. Why would you ever call it English? It sounds gross. What kind of clan were you stuck with?" He asked appalled, at the very thought of calling CL English disgusting.

"Why is it called CL then?" I asked confused.

"It's called that because everyone speaks it. No one knows why but it's lasted long before the dark age." He replied.

"Dark age?" I asked again.

"Of course, the dark age. The forgotten history of mankind." He replied.

"Now that sounds like something I would like to hear," I answered.

The dark age aye?

Could this possibly be linked to my previous life?

I needed answers and I doubted this fossil could give me some. Now that he would be as useful as one though.

"Well, that's all I know. Everything else has probably been lost. If you want to learn more then your best bet would most likely be Eden 5. They hold the keys to our forefather's knowledge." He replied.

"Anyway, you're going to need to swap seats with me. I'll show what a true professional is like," Ralph teased, his arms pumping his chest as if to jest me.

"Professional?" I asked jokingly. Switching seats, I tumbled over to the back row of seats.

"Professional, now watch and learn," Ralph reaffirmed.

"This is how a true professional drives," He continued, his foot on the peddle as we travelled quite smoothly. With the occasional pumps to wildlife.

"…"

"50km an hour aye?" I joked.

*Pump*

"It's not about the speed kid. It's about the control," He maintained. I guess he is right, to a certain degree. What made me doubt his words were the many 'speed pumps' we came across. So his talk about 'control' was all out of his arse.

*Thump*

"Any loser can go 100 kilometres, not many can keep a stable 50 on a rocky road," He continued.

*Pump*

"That's true… if it weren't for the fact, your steadiness involves running over whatever skags are nearby. You better not run over my minions," I warned - I invested a lot in them.

"Don't worry about it. Besides, like I said I am a professional," He scoffed.

Yeah, yeah keep laughing old man.

"Whatever," I muttered.

Arriving back at the town I saw my skags munching on some other skags.

Cannibalism was one hell of a thing in the animal kingdom. Examining it, I found the corpses to be somewhat fresh. Looks like they were self-sufficient. This would be good; I did not want liabilities that couldn't handle themselves after all. They were proving their worth.

"Oh, you're back Alexander, where were you this morning? I was looking for you!" Jesse asked. Seeing her I sighed. Hopefully, she wasn't going to nag my brains out today.

"Oh, hey there, I was kind of busy. Had to do something you know?" I quickly quipped. Sometimes I wonder what that Oldman thought in that brain of his.

"Like what?" She asked tilting her head. How cute, she is trying to bait me. I won't fall for your tricks youngling.

"Do you think it's a good thing to tell her? I don't exactly want her travelling with us." I whispered to the old man.

"I get it, too annoying?" He smiled understanding his voice almost being heard by Jess.

"Don't say it too loud. She's just a kid, I don't want to hurt her feelings." I explained.

While she was nice, I did not want to grow too attached to her or more honestly have her attached to me.

She was a kid, and I did not have the heart to have that on my conscience.

If she ever died, I did not want it to affect me, especially in the long run. This world wasn't made for kind people like her especially one so innocent.

There could be me, it was the only guarantee I had in this unknown world. 

"Bah, you're a kid as well." Ralph countered.

While our age was similar our mentality was not.

"I just don't want her with us, what if we encounter any danger and get hurt? Are you willing to take the blame? Because I ain't." I argued.

"Fair enough but don't hide it from her. She will just be heartbroken when she eventually finds out. Best to let her know now, just to soften the blow. After all, I know you'll leave. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why you wanna drive," Ralph snickered.

"Of course, a man's gotta keep moving," I joked leaving the old man to shake his head in disappointment.

"Tsk, your balls haven't even dropped yet," He joked, leaving me fuming.

Well, I didn't take it to heart but I'd be damned to give him a point for it.

"Shut up Oldman stop talking about my damn balls!" I countered; Ralph flustered by my remark walked away.

"Tch, damn weasel. Hurry up I still go to teach you about car maintenance. Go socialize and then make your way to my workshop," He ordered.

"Why not now?" I asked.

"Do I have to say? It's under one of the terms you agreed to, don't back out so quickly now," He scoffed.

One of the conditions that we negotiated was that he taught me everything he knew for the protection of Jess and the town. 

He had a soft spot for the girl.

The contract lasted until I gave up or until he finished teaching me everything he knew about being a mechanic.

"Fine." I reluctantly agreed.

Trade was a trade.

I feel like I'm escorting an NPC….

Hmm…

Something does not feel right about my statement.

Also, why was it still sunny?

Do days last longer here?

Like damn, It feels like two days already passed and it's still blazing hot. Probably need to do some more study over the net and find a proper map to download. Every map seems to prompt a virus warning.

"See you soon, kid," He waved.

"See you later Oldman," I muttered, flipping the bird in his direction.

Though I was careful to not allow Jess to see me do it, the earsore I would get from her mother would be large. 

"What was that about?" Jess asked.

"Driving lessons," I admitted.

Oh well. If she cries, then we can only blame Ralph.

"Oh… You going to leave?" Jess asked saddened.

"One day," I revealed.

Eh, it is, what it is.

"Please don't leave…. You're my only friend…" She muttered.

"Don't worry I'm sure you'll be fine without me besides, you still got the other girls, right?" I comforted, well at least tried to comfort.

I was not that type of person.

Healing wasn't my specialty well it kinda was but more on the mental thing, hurting people well that was an entirely different case.

"Yeah, but they're always mean to me now. Every time I hang out with you, they will not even talk to me. They're so mean" She sobbed, her hands clenching at her injustice.

"Maybe they're jealous after all I am quite handsome, aren't I?" I joked.

"But you always wear that thing on your face…. You never take it off do you…" She asked.

"Yeah, breathing problems remember?" I revealed.

"But you seem to breathe normally to me," She stated.

Uh, I WONDER WHY?

"Internal thing, you wouldn't understand," I explained.

"Then why don't you make me," She argued. Woo, Feisty.

"Make you what?" I taunted, my hands shaking and quivering in fear.

"Real funny Alexander. Since you wanna act so smart why don't you make me understand," She argued angrily, a slight vein popping from her forehead.

"I tell you what, why don't we do something productive?" I proclaimed.

"Like what?" she exasperated.

"Do you have a library or a book?" I questioned.

"Books? I think only Mr bones have books; he does not let anyone near them. Or near his house. I don't think he likes us that much," She revealed. Nodding my head, we made our way to the edge of town. Seeing the shack boarded with metal plates, steel pars mantled on the windows. It seemed more of a prison than an actual home.

"Is that where he lives?" I asked, my head turned to face the shack.

"Yep," She agreed.

"Well then," I muttered, before making my way towards the home. Knocking three times I awaited a response only to hear nothing.

"Hello is anyone there?" I asked.

"Watchu want?" A voice boomed a slider being pushed to the side to reveal a speaker.

"I heard you have books," I stated.

"Yeah, and what about it?" He jabbed.

"What kind of books do you have?"

"Textbooks, Colouring books, Novels, you name it," He revealed.

"Can I get any textbooks and novels?" I asked.

"it's gonna cost ya!" He exclaimed.

"How much?" I asked again. My hand was by my pocket ready to give him some cash or lead depending on if the man was uncooperative or a massive thief.

"One hundred shiny rocks and I'll give you my entire stock!" He revealed.

"What about cash?" I asked. Take my fucking money dammit! Don't make me do your bloody fetch quest.

"I don't want your filthy cash monke!" He shouted.

"Get me those shiny rocks!" He shouted again before closing the clasp on the speaker and ending our conversation short. Staying still I allowed my eardrums to relax and readjust from the sudden words that just came out of his mouth.

"Wow…." I muttered astonished.

"Shiny rocks…" Jess muttered.

"Shing rocks," I confirmed.

"Alright let's go looking for some shiny rocks," I declared.

"Yay! An adventure!" Jess cheered, her hands flinging into the air dramatically.

Objectives updated!~

->Shiny stones for Mr Bones

"Well, ain't that a jingle.' I thought to myself before turning my head to face Jess.

"You know, I thought you said he didn't like anyone and would shoot us on sight?" I asked.

"My mom told me he hates everyone and is crazy," She explained.

"So you've never actually talked to him?" I asked.

"No…" She admitted, her voice growing ever dimmer as she went silent.

"I'm hungry… You want to go get something to eat?" She asked her attempt to quickly change the topic causing me to slightly snicker, "Now that I think about it…. How do you eat? Do you ever take your mask off?" 

"Never," I explained.

"Not even to eat or drink?" She asked, a brow raised at my answer. Seeing her try to puppy-eye me made me smile.

Already attempting to manipulate me.

How cute.

"Nope, never," I affirmed.

"That's kind of cool," She revealed, agitating me a little.

Her answers seemed off-place and too direct for my liking.

What's your game here, kid?

"You think me never taking off my mask is cool?" I asked bewildered.

"Yeah, it makes you cool. Everyone here is kind of boring you're the only one that is different."

"Why thank you," I thanked.

"So, I'm going to go see my mom and ask if she has any shiny rocks see yah!" She declared her face growing more flustered by the moment.

"Until then," I waved.

"Now then shiny rocks… Where the fuck am I going to find shiny rocks, he was not even specific with the rocks he wanted just that needed to be shiny," I grumbled. Welp time to check my map to see if there were any solutions to my problems.

Opening my ECHO device, I found a map feature and overlayed it with my map to discover a third of Pandora to be discovered. A list of landmarks was made aware on my map including the locations of bandit camps… How exquisite.

Destroying competition… I mean purifying the land of the wicked became so much easier. Especially since my map was wiped. Information other than what Francis wanted me to see is still retained.

The ability to see throughout the echo net. Archives and communication links meant for high officials required me to get a certain data chip to make me more untraceable, while I could intercept it, my current ECHO device would most likely send me a Deathwish. Technology in this universe seemed too diverse.

Though interestingly enough a DAHL ship made its way to Pandora in search of Francis. Their transmission was logged into my ECHO device. I guess anything with DAHL in nature was given the utmost importance. When I reached the list of transmissions I was met with numerous. Some were bandit calls over resources, some were just a call to say hello and others were… Interesting.

A somewhat surprise visit was made towards the prison by the DAHL crew ship and a 'Sergeant' and his men found my paintwork.

Their reactions showed they were shocked by the recording I got. Hopefully, what I heard was correct and they lost interest.

Best they don't dive too deep. However, what worried me was who they captured. I'm pretty sure I finished everyone there. I made sure of it. Hopefully, it's just those bodyguards that went out to scout and look for resources. Time to check how far I was from the prison facility.

Planet: Pandora

Current Location: Dornwhich Village

Interesting… Dornwhich Village was the name of the place I was situated in.

Seeing the nearby settlements, I was shocked by the amount of space between points. 500 kilometers – 1000 kilometers and it was the average…. Now that this was a large planet. Checking the legend, I was greeted with some indicators of what certain symbols mean.

Fast travel points were coloured in red dots with certain facilities marked as dead. Dead facilities were areas that were deserted.

Such as the DAHL research facility I was currently eyeing. However quickly checking the wiki showcased that certain coordinates and codes required them to be utilised.

Now fast travel, that was going to be convenient if it was what I thought it was.

Instant transportation through this wasteland was going to make my life so much easier. Travelling by vehicles might be nice but instantly getting to where you needed was much better.

Although usage of the device came with possible side effects, death, ambushes' and much more. Teleportation was not something you wanted to fuck with.

For example, were you truly the original when you exited a molecule mover or were you reconstructed on the other side a new entity?

Or were you the clone of the pre-existing person or the original that was somehow put back together?

For example, some teleporters ripped your molecules and then thrust them out elsewhere effectively making you a clone of yourself - other times it could be a parallel universe.

On second thought Maybe sticking with Vehicles was a good idea. Until I understood how it worked, I wasn't going to work with it.

Vehicles were flexible yet time-consuming. Maybe an armoured muscle car could fit me much better. I needed to see Ralph about this.

Seeing the many bandit camps, I gathered a basic idea of who and where they were situated. The bandit gangs around my area were as follows: The Blood Shots, The Smashers, and the Alliance of Steve.

The Alliance of Steve was really interesting. News travels fast in Pandora and the fall of Baron Flynt was heard across the wastes. With his death fear spread amongst the many bandit groups.

With the unknown threat and sudden Dahl crew ship seen exiting the world, they thought it would be a good idea to band together and form an alliance. The rest of the other groups were either independent townspeople or high-level galactic corps.

Such as the Crimson Raiders who were a part of Atlas. Though to be fair they were the only ones still on Pandora. DAHL was still on the radar though.

Who knows when they might come back?

"Welp time to go see Ralph," I groaned. Too many problems, and not many solutions. Getting towards his garage he seemed busy. Getting his attention, he seemed surprised.

"I thought you would take longer. Didn't scare her off, did you?" Ralph asked.

"No, not today. Perhaps tomorrow," I voiced.

"Know any spots I can find Shiny rocks?" I asked Ralph my head turning to watch him work.

"Mr. Bones?" Ralph asked, his hands currently fixing the vehicle in front of him.

"Correct," I answered honestly.

"Welp, you ain't gonna find any shiny rocks around here kiddo. Your best bet is Fyrestone mine. I used to go there to collect some for Mr. Bones. Bandits took it over though, and never went back," He revealed.

"Blood shots?" I asked.

"Nope Smashers," He answered.

"Smashers aren't the bunch you want trickling down your neck. They don't want your cooperation they want your body parts. So if you think you can take the Blood shots then think again because if they move out, the Smashers move in," He sighed.

"So, I just have to kill them all…" I muttered.

"You would, but I doubt a kid like you could leave any damage. Listen kid your best bet is leaving this planet with the other townspeople, staying here will serve you no good," He explained.

"Why don't you wanna leave?" I asked.

"I got no family waiting for me on another planet and my time is running out." He revealed.

"What do you mean your time is running out? You look just fine." I replied.

"I got eye cancer kiddo; cancer spread to my brain. These glasses ain't just for show, they're to help block the sun from burning the rest of what I got," He sighed.

"So don't get any funny ideas of running away anytime soon. I still got some energy in me, and it would be a waste to not pass my talents on to the younger generation," He smirked.

"Yeah, yeah whatever you say, Oldman," I smiled back.

And so, days went by slowly. 3 days to be specific. Each day feels longer than they were supposed to be. Over these many days, I had gone over how to become a fully-fledged mechanic. I found out how a car worked, and how to augment, fix and deconstruct one.

It became such a tedious task that it eventually became lightwork. From identifying part of a vehicle to even knowing how to maintain it. Every single piece of information was sucked into my brain - or core to be precise.

During my stay here I had also gotten close to Jess. While she wasn't the best, she started to become more approachable to me. She was silly but that was in her character.

Ralph and I had also gotten closer. I didn't know how to feel about this. While relationships were nice, they were only human. I was eternal. They were not.

Staying here I noticed that the bloodshot stopped coming here. This was most likely due to their ongoing war with the alliance of Steve and the smashers.

Right now, was the best time to get rid of them all. With my strength and knowledge, it would only be a matter of time before they would all die. They'd either have to come under me or perish. My quest to gain the rocks has been on hold ever since that day.

Scavenging for the stones wasn't my priority. Gaining knowledge that was available right now was more important.

Even finding the solution to heal Ralph was in order. While every being would eventually die seeing him in a pitiful state hurt me. Seeing the old cheery man turn to slumber reduced my workflow.

He was a future liability yet he was worth more living than dying. I was conflicted, he anchored me to the town yet processed incredible knowledge. He was anchoring not only my physical but psyche. An attachment was forming.

Should I kill him and remove the possible feeling of sadness Or fight to the bitter end to help him? I was playing a losing game that eventually resulted in me feeling negative.

A problem for another time I suppose.

"Hey, Alexander whatcha doing?" Jess asked.

"Nothing much just making sure this part's polish before I put it into place," I answered.

"What's it for?" She asked.

"My new project."

"Now? What is it?" She asked.

"Making a vehicle," I answered dryly.

I wasn't much in the mood to be a conversationist.

"Really? A whole car!" She screamed excitedly.

"Hmm kind of," I answered.

What I was making was more similar to a makeshift motorbike than anything. I didn't have enough parts to make a full-blown car and even if I did it didn't mean I was that good.

While I knew the ins and outs of the vehicles in Ralphs's garage that didn't mean I knew how to forge one from scratch.

What I was doing was organizing a puzzle that didn't have a clear picture.

So I was stuck in this hell hole where I didn't know if the thing was going to explode in front of me or if it was going to work.

"Need any help?" She asked.

"Sure, pass me that wrench over there please," I asked. Seeing her skid over I waited a second before she passed it over.

"Thank you," I thanked before cranking in the last bolt in my wheel.

"So, are you gonna show me what you're building?" She asked.

"Of course," I replied, guiding her to Ralph's garage. In it was his array of vehicles. Though they weren't anything special. What got me smiling was the vehicle that I had built. There was my one-wheel motorbike.

"That kind of looks ugly," She snorted. This hurt my pride while I agreed it didn't mean she had the right to spite my creation.

"Welp not as ugly as your dress," I retorted, leaving her astonished.

"Hey! My mum sowed my dress!" She bickered; her hands crossed with her head turned to face her side.

"And I built this bike," I countered. I knew this was childish but… Come on! I spent a good 50 hours polishing those parts and then assembling them. I wasn't going to take this lying down.

"Hmph…" She hummed.

"Hey, Alexander still working on that ugly bike of yours?" Ralph asked walking into his garage.

"Ever looked at a mirror Ralph?" I asked.

"Says the one with a gas mask on 90/7." Ralph joked.

"Don't worry Jess Alexander doesn't mean what he said he's just mad that he spent 50 hours assembling a bunch of junk," He continued.

"You'll see Oldman. This right here is the future," I boasted.

"Yeah, we'll see alright," He smiled.

Refocusing my attention on my Makeshift motorbike I placed it on my wheel and smiled at my creation. It was a bit bulky, but it was good enough. It was my first build. Taking it I filled it with some gasoline and then hopped on.

"Better be careful kiddo. I still don't trust the motorbike," He cautioned.

"I'll be fine," I assured him before taking off. Driving I smiled. While it felt janky at times It worked perfectly my top speed is an estimated 98 kilometres per hour. Not bad for my first vehicle. Hopping off I placed it back into Ralph's garage.

"Not bad kid," Ralph smiled.

"Why thank you," I smiled.

"For a beginner, you still got a long way to go," He revealed.

"Hmph, see you around Oldman," I remarked.

"See you around kid," He smiled.

Walking towards the town I noticed the change in behaviour from the town's people. Instead of their initial hatred, they became more indifferent than anything. This was most likely due to me helping the town out.

I was like the town's handyman in a way. If Ralph couldn't be bothered with a task, he would ask me to do it instead.

So, I ended up helping the townspeople fix small problems such as fixing a broken radio or helping out with building the new fence surrounding the town.

"Hey, Alexander." Jess's mother greeted.

"Hey there Veronica," I replied.

"Want a drink?" She offered.

"No, I'll be fine I was just wondering if there's anything you might need help with," I asked.

I had free time and increasing my reputation was a nice way to slowly integrate within the town. Making people get used to my Skaggs walking about freely was all due to this.

If I didn't help people out they weren't inclined to allow me to do what I wanted. This was in their nature. Besides while I was doing my work with Ralph, I needed to find someone who would look after my minions. 

"No, it's alright everything's already been sorted. Jess here was busy all day trying to finish everything." She declined.

"Where's my minions have you seen them?" I asked.

"Why yes they're currently hanging out with Henry," She revealed leaving me shocked. Henry was the first person to object to their entrance into town. Why the hell was he looking after my minions?

"Sorry did I mishear, or did you just say, Henry?" I asked.

"No, he is getting along with your "minions" I believe he warmed up to them," She answered.

"I'll see to it," I replied, uncertain. 

"It's fine trust me, he's gotten a lot more friendly with them," She assured.

"Hey, Jess," I asked.

"Yeah?" She asked.

"Wanna play hide and seek?" I asked.

"Sure!" She smiled.

"Alright, you go hide, and then I'll try and find you," I smiled.

"OKAY! BUT YOU GOTTA CLOSE YOUR EYES OKAY!" She smiled dashingly.

Sprinting at Mac 10 she quickly ran away without a thought.

"Alright," I replied before counting to ten.

Opening my eyes and seeing she was gone I now made my way towards Tom's house. What I was greeted with truly surprised me. I was genuinely surprised to see him rolling around on the ground with my minions. He was genuinely smiling around them. Seeing me he instantly recoiled back.

"You weren't meant to see this…" He stated.

"I'm really confused right now," I replied.

"Just don't tell anyone you saw about this okay," He pleaded.

Going over my many options I decided to keep blackmail over him was better. This way if he ever decided to go against my wishes I could use this and if that didn't work I could just have him devoured.

"Okay just as long as you keep looking after them," I replied.

"Thank you," He replied, his head bowing down.

"Weirdo…" I muttered before walking around to look for Jess.

I would usually play hide and seek when I needed her to back off but with each game, we played she would get better and better. If only there was a way to find her...

[100 aether consumed]

Closing my eyes I quickly spread my hand out, energy brewing from my palms. With Aether quickly swirling against me, it turned into a radar of sorts. Echolocation, which sent signals back and forth to my core. 

[Utulising energy projection]

Trying to sync my mind with the world I felt my world pause my vision and hearing of the outside world gone. Hearing a small thump sound coming from my left I started walking towards it the noise louder and louder with each step.

*Thump*

*Thump*

*Thump*

*Thump!*

*Thump!*

*Thump!*

*Thump!*

*THump!*

Grabbing a hold of her shoulder I opened my eyes to see Jess angered.

"Hey! That's cheating! You looked didn't you!" She exclaimed.

"Heh, maybe," I mumbled.

"I don't want to play anymore, you're a stinkin' cheater!" She cursed running off.

Watching her depart I felt the social pressure relieved from my duty. 

At least I got something out of the encounter being able to see without visual aid was a boon in itself. 

Going back to Ralph's garage I started to plan the future. Get the stones, get the books then...

Then conquer the universe?

Hmm, I'll think of something. Perhaps being a bounty hunter was a good start.

"Going hunting kid?" Ralph asked, one of his hands holding a glass of liquor and the other a book.

Listening to the radio he seemed occupied.

"You could say that," I replied.

"Where's your Skags', you aren't taking them?" Ralph continued his eyes scanning around to see if I had brought them.

"No not this time. this is a different type of hunt," I replied.

"Hmm, you aren't planning to do anything stupid are you?" Ralph asked.

"Of course not it's me," I retorted.

"That isn't saying much kid," Ralph replied.

"Trust me I'll be back. See you soon," I waved.

Making my way out of his garage I made sure to check if he was following me. Noticing he wasn't I knew I was safe to go.

Arming myself with weaponry and strapping armour around my body it was time to finally get some stones.

Hopping onto my makeshift bike I rode away.

Fyrestone mines, here I come.