Heartache by the fire

Once the group was done looting they'd been left with a small pile of stuff, it was a relatively good haul and would take some effort getting all of it back to the prison. Unfortunately, there weren't all that many caps being carried, probably due to this being a resupply run instead of a regular trading caravan.

Afton was left with a measly 50 caps, it was an equal split from the whole group, but it wouldn't surprise him if he was getting the short end of the stick.

Glancing at the group he could see them bad mouthing Karl as they tied everything together to make it easier to carry. Afton shook his head and turned to something they'd missed... The brahmin themselves.

He wasn't an expert, but his boost in the survival skill allowed him to now generally how to butcher the creature. They weren't in all that great a condition due to the explosion and subsequent gun fight, but they were big enough to supply enough meat for the group to eat for half a week or so.

Afton covered the meat in some leftover cloth and tied it tight to prevent sand from getting on it, carrying it and his now supply stuffed backpack back to camp where Karl already had the campfire going.

The man sipped the canteen with a forlorn and regretful expression on his face, one hand rested on the revolver that was strapped at his side, the others probably wouldn't be back for a while as they seemed content badmouthing Karl amongst the corpses.

"You alright?" Afton asks, sitting on some scrap metal that'd been used as a makeshift seat.

Karl shrugs, "Yee-ep" he mutters, taking another swig.

Afton just shakes his head and spears a couple of brahmin steaks before laying them above the fire. They were basically just tougher, larger, beef steaks. "Tommy ever tried that before?" he asks, not knowing the history between the men.

The grizzled man slowly nods, "Yeah, in the past. Thought I'd knocked that outta him the last time though."

"Apparently not... I didn't know if you were okay with that sorta thing, I was about to step in myself." Afton admits.

"You're a kind boy, most in our posse wouldn't think twice before enjoyin' themselves. I used to lead a bigger group, but after I killed some of them for havin' a 'go' at some civilians most just left. Tommy's the only one who stayed.

I don't think you belong in the Powder Gangers if I'm honest, boy. You've killed, but you're not a killer." he states as he eyes the fat dripping from the brahmin steaks.

Afton slowly nods, he understood the gist of what he trying to say, but most of it just went over his head, "So, what's the deal with you Karl? Wouldn't have thought a prison-escapee would have morales." he asks after a moment of silence.

"Yeah, I don't know either son. This is just how it ended up, didn't do nothin' to stop it... Just counting the days til' I get unlucky and get buried." he says apathetically.

"What'd you do before getting jailed? You're a good shot, so it must've been something interesting."

Karl snorts, "Interesting? Yeah, that's one way of looking at it. I was a specialist, that's all you need 'ta know." he states.

Afton wants to pursue this further but the sounds of the others returning had him hold his tongue. After seeing what Tommy had intended to do to that woman he knew he'd rather not get too friendly with them.

Tommy walks through and spots the brahmin steaks cooking, he's about to take one when Afton grabs his hand, "Fuck 'd'you want newboy?"

Afton glares at him, "That's mine, cook your own if you're hungry." he states and takes the steak just as Karl takes the other.

Tommy looks between the duo with a scowl and reluctantly pulls out the rest of the Gecko meat to cook, clearly he hadn't noticed the fact that Afton still had a large amount of brahmin meat left in his pack.

The night passed uneventfully and the group made their way back to the prison in the morning. The others in the group were keeping their distance from Karl and occasionally sending hostile glances at him.

Afton thought it was stupid to hold a grudge against a man for stopping you from doing something unquestioningly vile. Regardless, people like Tommy wouldn't like authority, no matter if it was from the NCR, or Karl.

Once they made it back to the NCRCF facility Afton was surprised to see something in the top left corner of his vision.

[Quest Complete: Supplied And Supplanted]

*Dun dun*

[WELCOME TO LEVEL 3]

The skill screen appeared before him as time froze, this wasn't an even level so he wouldn't be receiving a Perk, but that didn't mean he wasn't happy with the skill points.

He had 13 to spend and simply put them all in Guns. Other skills could wait, he'd max out Guns and then move into something else. From the earlier firefight with the NCR supply caravan, he could see that Energy Weapons had their advantages and disadvantages.

He knew he'd likely be on his own in future, so drawing attention towards himself with bright red laser beams, or large green plasma projectiles wouldn't end well. It was probably better to just find a quiet ballistic weapon with a silencer, picking groups off from a distance.

It'd allow him to deal with large groups on his own without risking his life in every skirmish. His skill changed from 35 to 48, and new knowledge flooded his mind. Breathing methods to increase your accuracy while shooting, stances, and knowledge of how much kick certain weapons gave ingrained itself in his mind.

He gives his status one last glance before confirming the selection.

Afton Parker

Level : 3

S.P.E.C.I.A.L :

Strength : 7

Perception : 7

Endurance : 7

Charisma : 4

Intelligence : 6

Agility : 7

Luck : 4

Skills :

Barter : 18

Energy Weapons : 55

Explosives : 20

Guns : 48

Lockpick : 10

Medicine : 40

Melee Weapons : 38

Repair : 41

Science : 41

Sneak : 20

Speech : 35

Survival : 30

Unarmed : 30

Perks :

[Trigger Discipline], [Heavy Handed], [Rapid Reload]