We had been camping outside of Smith Casey's garage for two days, postponing the inevitable bloodshed lying just two short miles away.
The chief hunted. Nameless was quiet. I think all he said that morning was something about coffee.
We had a fire going, and even though the door to the garage's lock had been busted years ago, we preferred to stay outside.

I loaded and reloaded my guns, checked them thoroughly, and did this almost every hour.

I was bored, but I was also afraid. There was a sense of despair hanging on the wind.

I could see fear in Gustavo's eyes as well, and that really scared me.

We started talking about what we should do, and how we should approach the field. Gustavo had been looking through his binoculars to the north. He saw the area very clearly, and said the place was crawling with people.

"Gustavo, I'm gonna go in there alone, try to take out there leader first." Nameless said.

"You wouldn't make it to within a foot of him, if he even exists." The chief replied.

"Got an idea?" Nameless was noticeably irritated.

"It's broad to say the least, but I think we should split up, and go in at the same time, from different directions."

Gustavo continued:

"Tomorrow morning we draw straws on who gets to go in from the south, and who gets north and east..."

"Or west." I said, laughing.

No one laughed.

One of the Kadim, a boy named Varuna, had surpassed all expectations: becoming not only the most skilled marksman in the tribe, but also a favorite of King Fear.

The king praised the boy, who was only twelve years old, for his willingness to lead his minions in battles. Varuna had on more than one occasion, come back with the heads of rival tribes-leaders.

The boy had a look in his eye; the thousand yard stare. He would sit at the king's feet whilst he was speaking in the meeting barn. The others treated him like royalty.

Varuna could not speak, but was considered the unofficial leader, besides Durga, of the Kadim.

His throat had been slashed at an early age by another tribe, who hoped to use the young boy as an example.

Bhadrakali saved the boys life, and nursed him back to health.

The night before the evening of the Deathclaw ritual, King Fear was to make an early sacrifice. He killed two slaves in front of everyone in attendance at the meeting barn.

The blood from the dead was drained and used to "paint" Varuna and about twelve of his Kadim.

They were an important part of the following evenings ritual.

Nameless looked back up the hill, making sure the others hadn't heard him get up.

It was times like these, these sudden get-up-and-go moments, where he felt invincible.

Gustavo's idea to draw straws was ignorant and exactly what he had come to expect from a chief of security.

Nameless was different. His plan involved assassination. Hell, even if King Fear wasn't real, these idiots had a leader, and what happens when a leader gets taken out?

Nameless moved in silence through the night, approaching ever closer to the field.

About and hour after he had left the garage, he found something bizarre.

Almost a hundred yards away from him, was a group of children, all boys from what he could tell. They were naked except for black headdresses.

They were gathered around a fire, some were sleeping and some were singing.

One boy, was covered in what appeared to be blood, and he stared off into the distance.

Nameless watched the group for an hour, and then decided, after judging from behind a small bush that the boys had no weapons, he would go and speak to them.

He clutched Mordida tightly, and proceeded to walk towards the fire.

I don't like posting when there's really nothing to say, but I think your doing a stupendous job, keep up the good work.

My utmost thanks.

-Chapter Four: The Ritual-




Gustavo was furious.

He woke me at dawn, and we packed up very quickly, skipped breakfast entirely, and headed towards the field.
Nameless would do something like this, I thought. Gustavo was worried about the man and I could sense it.
I could see the dim haze of the Charnel House, and a newer building near it in the distance.
We walked cautiously closer, constantly spinning around as if invisible forces were encircling us.
We decided to hide in a nearby bush till nightfall, which was covered in thorns, and they dug into my arms as we crouched into it.

Gustavo said, "There's no telling how long the idiots been gone..."

"Not to mention what his ultimate goal in all this is." I said.

"I can see all types of movement," He said, looking through his binoculars.

"The fool will get himself killed for sure."

I kept expecting to hear gunshots, or any sign of Nameless's foolishness, but none came.

We waited until nightfall.

The area around the Charnel House was lit up with great fires, which was evident even from our thorn bush; something was obviously going on this evening.

Something big.

We slowly exited the bush in darkness, and moved north.

We came to within two-hundred yards of the newer complex, and I noticed the moon was full. There, in the gleam of an impressive moon, was an even more impressive sight; the field.

The field was exploding with huge ears of corn, none of which looked picked.

Gustavo hit me on the shoulder, and motioned for me to head east.

I cocked back the hammer on Honeybell, and proceeded to sneak eastward, around the side of the complex.

The sound of random shooting and yelling filled my ears. I was in a state of shock, and started to tremble a little as I approached the side of the building itself.

The crude metal siding was full of random holes, and flaking with red rust. I peered into one of the smaller holes and was floored by what I saw inside.

There on the floor, in front of the man I knew instantly as King Fear was the body of Nameless, dismembered and beyond dead.

I vomited.

The room was full of people, maybe a hundred, maybe more.

A voice began speaking:

My people. Let us rejoice for this sacrifice!

The crowd went completely insane at this, firing rifles at the roof of the barn.

I was feeling dizzy, and the last thing I remember before I blacked out was that a hand had gripped my shoulder.

I dreamed of being crucified, between two raiders.

I awoke to an extreme pain in my side, and a wet feeling on my legs.

I could barely see, my eyes were full of sweat, but I could make out the field; the moon was very brilliant.

Around me were what looked like people, hooded yet naked, on all sides.

They were chanting;

A low hum that felt completely nightmarish.

I realized in horror that I was nailed to a cross; literally.

The pain in my side was now obvious, I had been stabbed, and was now apart of some strange ritual, to what end I was pretty sure of.

King Fear was near me, wearing a bloody Deathclaw's head, and was surrounded by about twelve boys; all covered in blood.

The king said:

Two sacrifices, both unplanned. Great Tamu help us...

A fire was lit below my feet, but I was in so much pain this almost seemed a relief in some bizarre way.

As I blacked out again in a dizzying array of all types of pain, I heard the sound of a trumpet, and automatic rifle fire with the steady hollowness of fanatic screaming.

-Chapter Five: Of Vultures and the Blood



I dreamed of an unending plague that would decimate the few remaining people of Earth. The Earth was barren, even the remaining animals were effected.

As I opened my eyes, I still couldn't see well, but I could tell I was in a white room. I was in a comfortable bed, with very enjoyable sheets.

It hurt my arm to, but I reached up and felt tape on my right eye, but there was no eye in the socket.

I half expected to look down and be missing limbs but aside from that, and the bandages on my wrists, from where I had been crucified,

and the stab wound in the side, I was hungry.

Where was I?

I looked around the room the best I could; nothing to give me a hint as to where I was, but it looked like a hospital.

Too weak to talk, to tired to move anymore, I ached all over.

I heard an all too familiar voice say:

"Good heavens my boy you're awake!" it was Allistair.

"Can't really talk old man." I barely whispered.

"Don't expect you to, now get your rest my boy..." as he said this he closed the door to the room and left me alone.

I didn't want to be left alone I was still confused. Was I at the tower?

Was I dreaming this?

The next day, I was still extremely sore, but felt like I wanted to drink a river.

I looked around, still in the white room...But where?

The door opened and to my utter astonishment, Chief Gustavo walked in.

"Hey amigo! Hope you start feeling better soon, we got work to do..." He smiled.

"You have to be kidding me..." I managed to say.

Gustavo stayed with me in the room for weeks, telling me about what happened at the field.

He told me that the trunk at the foot of my bed held all my belongings, Honeybell, all my ammo, and a backpack full of corn.

We talked a little about Nameless...

Good old stupid, self-centered Nameless. I missed the man, he was my friend.

I learned that Gustavo killed more than thirty men that night at the field. He wounded King Fear, and according to the chief,

the man was after us.

We were in Girdershade it turned out; at my new house of all things.

Tenpenny was a man of his word, I'd give him that.

Nameless!!!!!! Why do people have to go and kill my favorite character? At any rate this is brilliant, I love it. And I finally got you on something,



I think you meant sore.

Very nice. Thanks for that. Use that spell check people, and read your work carefully, I type it all out on MSWORD without looking a lot of the time.

Actually, I have caught a few that no-one caught a couple of times...

Yeah, but this is the first one I caught, don't ruin the moment...

For the next few weeks I learned of all the little nuances of what had occurred the night of the field fiasco.

Gustavo had fought through a couple waves of men to get to me, and then pulled the nails out of my wrists, and somehow managed to stop my bleeding.

A woman named Ayoka helped Gustavo get to me, and ultimately led us to safety. The chief carried me about a mile, until

he and Ayoka came upon a caravan of merchants. They put me on a makeshift rope stretcher, between two brahmin, and took us to Girdershade.

Tenpenny and Mr. Rowe, his manservant, where waiting on us when we arrived.

A doctor in the employ of the Brotherhood happened to be staying in the town that day, and Tenpenny paid the man

to stay with me until I was well enough to walk.

The woman, Ayoka, had for the last few weeks since my arrival, been coming into my room to read to me.

She read poetry mostly, older stuff like Robert Frost, whom I loved.

She had jet-black hair, and wore it at her shoulders. A scar went from her eye to her neck, obviously a sign of the tortures she endured.

The woman had been trying to escape the cult for years she implied, and had her share of bruises and scars to prove it.

Between the doctor, the chief, and Ayoka, I was cared for that month very well.

The housework was taken care of, and we ate exceptionally well, considering the chief did all the cooking.

Allistair had helped furnish the house with his own caps, a favor I swore to pay up on one day.

Everyone but the doctor had a room at the Girdershade house, which we named Mordida; the name of Nameless's assault rifle.

The doctor actually left at night, and stayed at the Brotherhood barracks. He was needed elsewhere in the town a few times:
a stabbing, and a domestic dispute turned ugly; a woman was knocked unconscious.
As far as I knew, no one else had any of the corn. Ayoka claimed to have set fire to the stalks as we left in a hail of bullets.
I was surprised to find out that Tenpenny didn't take any for himself, I thought for sure
he would have his scientists looking at it in no time.

My first day up and walking, I managed to get to the stairs,
down them, and to the front door. I walked to The Gaff, and slowly made it up on the overpass.
The vultures were there, about ten of them.
They looked resplendent with their weird faces and blackened wings.

On one particular morning, I felt very well, well enough in fact that I descended my stairs, and ate in the kitchen with the gang.

I mentioned to Gustvo that he had said something about getting to work.

"The doctor that originally found the strain, Dr. Ballard, is in Rivet City. She claims she has no samples of the corn herself.

The woman also informed master Tennpenny that the strain can be used to make a permanent cure for radiation poisoning," he said.

This was huge.

I said:

"So how many people want to kill us exactly?"

"All of 'em." Gustavo laughed.

-Chapter Six: The Kadim-




Varuna was ashamed. Even though the king said it was written in the stars to happen this way, it embarrassed him.

It was during the Kadim's watch the king was shot in the stomach, and on his deathbed some whispered, because of their ineptitude.

Varuna had two friends:

One was about the same age as he; named Tie-pal, the other was named Wasi, and about fifteen.

Tie-pal was fit as a ten year old could be, but Wasi was an overweight mess; though a mess capable of punching through bricks.

They had escaped (left to avenge the king, Varuna said) during the night of the ritual, and were following the three violators.

Dressed in brown cloaks they traveled all the way to Girdershade in one night.

Once there, they entered unprovoked by the guards, had already found where I lived and payed for a months lodging at the Brotherhood barracks.

Varuna and Wasi watched us a lot. I didn't know this of course, none of us did, though Gustavo did mention once in hindsight that

some overweight kid bumped him at the market one day.

Tie-pal sold necklaces at the market everyday, ones with turquoise shells, and bullet-laden bangles, and real leather boots, all made himself.

The boys wanted to be sure to annihilate all the violators, no mistakes, so they watched and waited, for weeks.

Funded?

Other than that, I got nothing. Story is still as awesome as ever. Last chapter is keeping my in suspense, but at least I know Gustav will live. Keep up the great work.

I gotta stop rushing. Oh and it was "Found".

Ah, makes more sense. But I don't really think it's a problem, if your rushing and you only get one mistake every six chapters, than that's pretty good. I type very slowly, and re read my work and I still get those little word mistakes. I think it's just my subconsciousness putting the word I thought I wrote. Anyway, I love the frequency you put out each chapter. And with the short posts that they come in, it's easy to stay focused.

Thank you. The short, sporadic way the posts come in is purely coincidental.

I headed to the market. I wanted to do the shopping for lunch on my own, and requested no aid.

It was only slightly annoying, because I was learning to live life with only one eye.

The stalls were immaculately packed from floor to ceiling with all manner of goods;

knives, guns, jewelry, a few cheap drugs, and food.

The old men who played blackjack were talking loudly about the current state of the Brotherhood so

I tuned them out the best I could and went about my shopping.

With the attitude of a master merchant, I bought three pumpkins, a bag of sugar, eggs, and some cheese; unbelievable finds since the bombs fell.

I stood with my back against the wall of an empty stall for a quick break, I was tired, legs hurt; when all of a sudden

I realized that a bald-headed teen boy was staring at me from across the maybe one-hundred feet of merchant space the people of Girdershade called: The Stallway.

The feeling of immense dread filled my body as I realized I was about to be attacked from my side and sure enough:

The sound of a supersledge narrowly missing my head and crashing into a cheaply made pillar of metal that supported the roof was enormous: THWACK!

My arm was in a sling, but I whipped out Honeybell anyway, and blasted four shots into my attacker. The overweight teen; with his flaming red hair, stained redder still with fresh blood, fell.

I never again saw the bald-headed boy in Girdershade, even after I sent the Brotherhood looking for him.

The boy had met my cyclopian gaze, and in doing so averted me from noticing that my true assailant was coming up on my side; a sign

of superior training.

It was a mess. Blood was splattered all over the stallway. I couldn't help clean up though, so Ayoka stayed and cleaned.

Back at the house things were getting hectic.

The Brotherhood, who were basically the police in Girdershade, had sent an envoy over to discuss the situation at the stallway.

I sat for hours talking with the man, Dennis Clafford, who was trying to suggest that maybe I was out of line.

It was also suggested that maybe I had murdered the kid.

The chief elected to send for Allistair and Mr. Burke, Tenpen's fix-it guy, though I wasn't that worried.

My legs and arms still hurt very badly, though this turn of events kept my mind off of it.

Dennis stayed with us for two days, asking millions of inane questions. The man didn't irritate me though,

like you'd think, I realized it was his job to keep the peace in this small little burg.

The envoy left; standing at the door long enough to apologize for the inconvenience, saying:

"I see now that it was simply self defense, the eastern side of the roof is damaged anyway, the stallway will get back to normal very soon, have a good day Mr. Duvac."

My mind was instantly made up: we would go to Rivet City and deliver the strain to Dr. Sandra Ballard.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Gustavo was the first to notice Ayoka was missing.

He had searched the entire town before I even knew she was gone. I think the chief was quite fond of her; I had seen them kiss once

by The Gaff.

Tenpenny arrived without Mr. Burke, but came upstairs with his manservant Mr. Rowe.

"This business with the ignorant child was foolish my boy..." Tenpenny didn't like it one bit.

"Some would say..." He paused and sat down near me, I was stretched out on my bed.

"That I am a bad individual." He continued:

"I have heard that there are some who would even call me a murderer..."

"But there is one thing I am not, and that's a child killer."

"Now wait just a moment!" I yelled, climbing out of bed and grabbing my combat armor.

"Just tell me it was death the boy was playing at." Tenpenny sighed.

"Of course Al. You know me..." I said.

Mr. Rowe, the chief, and I would be the new corn crew, which made me laugh when Tenpenny actually said those words, hell Gustavo laughed and even said:

"That's the 'corniest' thing I have ever heard..."

This literally had me spitting water out of my mouth.

As we were leaving, I not only realized that my pack of corn felt considerably lighter, but at the east gate Gustavo gave a shout:

"I'll be a mother [censored]! It's Ayoka!" the man was hysterical.

Sure enough, the regulator wanted poster had Ayoka's face printed on it.

For murder and theft, it said. 75,000 caps. Damn.

Her name on the poster wasn't Ayoka though.

It was Bhadrakali.

-Chapter Seven: The Slough of Trepidation-



Mr. Rowe and the chief walked slower for me. I wasn't trying to be a bad ass anyway, my wrists still felt ridiculous and almost useless.

We followed a road due east, towards the first place we planned to camp, the VAPL-84 power station.

The hike was torture for me but I didn't let the guys know this of course, and even picked up the pace from time to time.

We sat for about an hour near a small spring, which actually had a negligible amount of radiation. Canteens were immediately filled, and I rested my feet in the cool water.

The chief, still feeling betrayed by Ayoka, said:

"That [censored], she knew I was falling for her! This mission just got a helluva lot more difficult..."

"Why is that Goose?" I asked. It was very rare that I called him this.

"Are you being [censored] serious? Because this corn is more valuable than our lives Elias..." He accentuated the word 'corn'.

Mr. Rowe was a very tall man. He wore a red leather jacket, always zipped to his neck, and bluejeans. He carried a hunting rifle, and a king's load of ammo, which he wore in belts around his

shoulders.

The pale giant hardly said anything at all, and I kept thinking that a foolish man would try to talk here, at this moment, but the man said nothing as his eyes skimmed the horizon.

We headed on towards the power station.

Two hours later, with maybe a half-hour left to go, Mr. Rowe finally said in the most monotone and deep voice I had ever heard:

"Beware the slough." He pointed to the swamp-like waterway at our left.

The surface was littered with the bones of countless dead animals and humans.

The smell was for lack of a better word; deadly.

The chief put a bandana over his mouth and upon seeing this, Mr. Rowe and I did the same.

A mile of space, flooded by rad-polluted rainfall, a pool of basically acid, acrid and dark, was all around us.

Raiders had taken to attacking people here in the last few years, and were said to have homes built into the cliffs that skirted the edges of the slough.

Mr. Rowe and Gustavo both noticed a trip-wire at the same time, stopping and nodding to themselves.

The wire was placed about four inches off the ground, and was attached to the pins of about twelve grenades; a doozy.

The box was also full of shattered glass and bits of metal, sure to kill or maim indefinitely.

I backed up about forty feet.

I looked down at my boots and saw an ancient-looking red arrowhead, just as Mr. Rowe's rifle sounded.

I saw in front of me, just a few feet away, that a motorcycle helmeted raider was walking up behind the chief.

The men were engaged with several enemies to their north, I pulled out my trench knife and grabbed the woman's head and cut her throat. No emotion.

This time it didn't bother me. It was kill or be killed out here, and raiders almost killed me before, it wasn't going to happen again.

Still holding her head with one arm, I spun around and quickly traded the knife for Honeybell and fired at the legs of another raider who was again trying to sneak up to me.

The man dropped his simple Chinese pistol and I finished him off with a shot to the head.

The chief and Rowe had killed five men, and were surprised at how many were behind them, and of the violent circumstances of how they died at my hands.

Gustavo looked at me as if I had lost my mind, and in a way, I had.

Altogether seven men died that day without the help of the cursed slough.

I found two-hundred caps, another wanted poster of Ayoka, and some assault-rifle ammo which I promptly loaded into Mordida, which I was carrying in memory.

Excellent. I'm wondering how someone would even be able to transport 75,000 caps. The bounty on Ayoka, I mean Bhadrakali, just made me think of this. I mean where do you store that many caps anyway? So many...

Trunks. Footlockers. I would also imagine that people would probably trade for a lot of it too.


You know like: I'll give you a trunk full of caps and these healthy brahmin.

It is excessive, but I guess the nature of who's looking for Bhadrakali trumps our understanding of that kinda money being thrown around.

I'd say 75,000 caps would be about five trunks maybe six.

This is certainly not something for a guy and a horse you know, more like a caravan of brahmin and access to a wagon.

Having that many caps would be a curse, everyone would want you dead. "Whats ya got there in them trunks boy?"

It took me 15 minutes to type that. Every time I touch my computer, it goes blind.

And because of that you just rendered everything I typed, pointless.

Now you have me thinking about this too much. You see I always imagined a brahmin drawn cart carrying trunkloads of caps.

I was thinking of a whole caravan. With lots of guards. Or maybe you get some Vertibirds. Either way your going to be loosing caps. I was just curious that's all, we don't have to delve to deep in this subject, which isn't even related to your story.