The Wanderers

       With the excess fuel crystals that Narati salvaged, the three companions had more muns than they could spend. Because of having Narati in the group, they had no way to spend the money on lodgings. Going to a free town was not a choice since every one of them were a den of criminals. Not only that, Narati could ‘accidentally’ burn down a whole town.

       They travel was even more problematic after the town burning Narati did, with many travelers becoming suspicious around Narati and some even took it upon themselves and started a racist vigilantism, with Fa’ars being rounded up and killed or being sold to slavery. The three of them met one such group, but then, they were all killed by Raine and Jek (with some help from Narati’s explosives). While those hate group were not even sure if Narati was the one they were looking for, the fact that they attacked the three of them triggered a survival instinct (What? Do you think there’s a law governing who can kill who in this world?).

       Fortunately for them, the age of communications had long since gone, and so with no witnesses, there would be no nasty rumor that could prevent them from getting into major settlements. While Narati was still a subject of hate (due to his race), nothing was out of ordinary for the three of them. They kill, loot, and survive, just like other people. The difference was that they kill people who attack them, and painted themselves as victims in many encounters.

       The three of them supported each other, and each support and kill they did strengthen their support towards each other. Raine helped Narati with using his lance, which was pretty much a problem in fights due to its length and no one being able to use it except Raine. Jek trusted Narati slightly especially in his thrown explosives. He was, however, still annoyed with Narati’s reaction around gunshot noises, even though he was in close proximity of many loud-noise explosives.

       Even though Jek’s method of accustoming the rat’s ears with gunshot noises (by intentionally unload blanks to wake Narati, who always slept the longest) was effective, Narati slowly felt like Jek was being a jerk. Jek himself was more annoyed than amused, because Narati always closed his ears and panicked every time a shot was unloaded. In the end, with Raine’s help, they could stay as companions.

       Bounties, salvages, loots, kills, and everything seemed to make the three of them became more and more accustomed to the way they lived to the point they became bored. Like many people, they strived for a challenge, even though they needed to survive. Even without Narati, there were nothing worth doing. All they did was kill, loot, salvage, rinse, and repeat. It was illogical, but what could anyone say?

       One night, some days after their last bounty hunt gave them considerable wealth, Narati started to look around the camp, which was surrounded by junks and scraps anywhere. Jek sighed and approached Raine, who was stoking the fire.

       “Raine, are you sure you don’t want to become the Red Rogue again?”

       “Why are you asking me that? I’m through with that lifestyle.”

       “No one seems to be a thrill anymore. One shot, they’re dead. Narati throws a bomb, they are dead. You slit their throat, dead. I mean, there’s no meaningful fight if we just massacre everyone that attacks us. There’s no big organized group that can pose a fucking challenge.”

       “I don’t think that will be a good idea. I mean, this is a wasteland. No wonder people is attacking us. What? You wanna try and take Narati into a town?”

       “No, it’s not. It’s just…somehow, we travel a lot and yet we don’t have a goal. Don’t you think it’s nice that we can start something new instead of wandering and shoot everyone in the face? Maybe we should go back to Tarta and see if he still has a place…”

       “Whoa, wait a second! This isn’t like you, Jek. You don’t usually say things like ‘settling down’ and ‘getting bored’. I thought you’re someone who doesn’t give a fuck.”

       “That’s when I’m alone. There’s a thrill and excitement of travelling alone because it gives my brain a chance to find strategy. Now, I got someone who was known as a famed bounty hunter, and a kid with an arsenal of bombs!”

       “Okay, Jek, you should stop there!” exclaimed Raine, which stopped the wolf. “Where the hell is your calm and collected side? You’ve never rant about things that’s irrelevant like being bored. Just…what’s wrong with you these past month? C’mon, eat some of these and calm yourself down. Then talk to me.”

       Jek furiously ate a whole steak Raine just roasted, surprising the human. After eating them whole and cleaned his face, Jek exhaled and slowly said, “I…am sick with killing them.”

       “Well, whaddaya know? You start to think like me.”

       “I kill if I have to, or maybe do some shits that is beyond my conscience. Hell, I should’ve taken more amoral works like capturing a new slave or selling one of those psych drugs. But…”

       Jek looked at Narati, who was busy trying to find small parts around the junkyard in the depth of the night.

       “That kid…starts to rub on me. He’s too innocent to how things work around here.”

       “Having a change of heart? I thought you’re the one who’s always annoyed whenever Narati is involved in a fight.”

       “When he’s still not useful. Now…he’s capable to fight on his own. How’s that lance training you gave him?”

       “He’s coming around that. The thing’s not designed for a small race like him, but a little modification and it’s good to go. Besides, he’s not all that athletic, so give him time.”

       “Still better than none.” Jek then stoked the fire. “Raine, why did you stop becoming a Red Rogue? Was it because of me?”

       “You? Nah. Well, part of it, anyway. I realize that bounty hunting is not very profitable, especially if there’s a lot of competitors and people getting scared of famed bounty hunters. Hell, Red Rogue is just a small name from the likes of Silver Demon and Mad Dog. You even got a name: Lone Wolf Jek.”

       “I never operate around your region.”

       “Rumor and news travel beyond. Information can be a powerful weapon. Well, after being soundly beaten by you and given a little pep talk, I returned to business. Then I realized that no one wanted to hire bounty hunters anymore since the emergence of the Agents of Tomorrow around my part. So, yeah, I quit being a hunter and turn to mercenary work. Those ‘Agents’ look like mercenaries, and it’s better to be one instead of going from town to town hoping that the board has something to offer.”

       “Agents of Tomorrow? Sounds like some second-rate mercenary group. Damn, that sounds more like a cult.”

       “Cult or not, they are exceptionally well-prepared. But, anyway....”

       “So then tell me why did you even try to follow me? I’m still one and I still have no intention to find another line of work.”

       “How about becoming a mercenary? People needs help all the time, and they are willing to pay us if they need one.”

       Jek scoffed. “It’s always about the muns, huh?”

       “Hah, you know me. But…well, like you right now, I’m sick of killing or doing menial jobs. With Narati in tow, I don’t have the heart to do anything that can cause him to burn everyone. It’s not like I care, but...that’s a waste of muns.”

       “Well, here’s the thing. How about him? Narati may be competent, but no one would hire a Fa’ar, right? Have you ever heard of a Fa’ar doing mercenary work?”

       “There’s always first time, right? As for Nara, he may not be ready for a solo work, but…here’s the thing. I’ve got a grand idea on how my plan works. How about…if we start a group?”

       “Mercenary group? Only three people?” Jek scoffed. “We’ll be turned down the moment we ask for muns.”

       “Hey, at least our reputation persisted, right? We can always start from the ground up. That’s what everything works. Besides, I can’t think of any line of work that does not trigger that poor kid. If his twisted sense of justice can be toned down, however, we might do something else with less…dignity.”

       They stopped their conversation when Narati returned with scraps and junks needed for his things. He was exceptionally happy, as if there’s nothing that can take it away. He took one of the meats prepared for him (saying thank you to Raine on the way), and started tinkering some of the junks he took. He also dismantled bigger one with great expertise, to be converted into another, more efficient junk he had been using.

       Narati looked towards his two companions and smiled, thinking that they would smile back. When only Raine did, Narati didn’t mind. He didn’t think Jek was going to do that anyway. It’s out of his character.

       Jek looked at the rat with a serious expression, weighing on the burden that he took. Narati had been living without any consideration for some times that he didn’t care what people said. Even though both Jek and Raine could be his only friends, Jek felt as if the Fa’ar was hurting, but prefer not to be.

       They set off the next morning, with Narati carrying all the junk he could find, making his back full. Jek sighed and took some of it off Narati, intending to sell them. But, Narati stopped him and said, “Those are not for sale.”

       “You usually do.”

       “I haven’t finished making something yet. I need those junk.”

       Jek sighed and returned the things to him, and said, “You should find a cart or something.”

       “I was hoping you could buy one for me.”

       “Oh, we’re not buying one of those shits in these towns!” said Raine. “They can make you pay twice the price! I suggest you find one around here. It was once a residential area, right?”

       Narati wasn’t sure about it since he had never been to a major settlement before, but complied anyway. He found the cart he was looking for in a house which he can pull with his tail. It helped immensely, especially in lightening the load he must carry.

       They had done this thing for so many times that Narati immediately knew what to do. Because he couldn’t get into any settlements, he would be the one making camp while Jek and Raine get in and find supplies and work. However, this time it was different.

       While Raine and Jek were at the town, Narati set up camp and started hunting. As usual, he had put traps on the proximity of the camp, even though he never encountered anyone. It was unfortunate, but it was also for the best. He had no way to test the explosives beforehand due to their travels and the danger for people around the bomb. What he wanted to try, however, was a new weapon made from scraps he collected for a month that he refused to sell. He had no expertise in constructing that thing, but at least it did something.

       That chance, however, turned out to be closer to Narati that he thought.

       When he set off to try using the weapon, he felt a breeze on his fur. At first, he shrugged it off as the occasional wind in that ruins, but just before he tried to use the weapon, there was a crashing noise and he was thrown by the wind that came out from the noise.

       As he regained composure, he saw a mighty beast that was five times his size. He was only as big as his leg. Seeing that beast made him stunned for a moment, but then he snapped out of it and said, “Oh, this is not good.”
      

***

       Let’s turn back time to one hour before this encounter, shall we?

       Jek and Raine reached the town, but they did not expect what they saw. The supposedly peaceful town that Jek once visited was ravaged to the core. The ruins that were still standing were broken down into chunks of rock. The people, while some tried to rebuilt, was not even up to fight.

       As the two of them walked towards the posting board, an old human came to them and said, “Oh, you two seems like travelling adventurers, right?”

       “Yes we are. What happened to this place,” asked Raine.

       “A monster decided to make a nest nearby and destroy this whole town!” said the old man. “Please, we’ll pay you if you can defeat this creature.”

       “But before that, old human, we need some information. What is this creature.”

       The old man turned to Jek. “It’s a rockeater.”

       “Rockeater?” Jek suddenly realized something. “Oh, so that’s why.”

       “What’s a rockeater?”

       “It’s a monster that eats rocks, hence the name,” said Jek. “It is very aggressive and will make its nest in ruins with rocky components. It’s one giant pestilence.”

       “Wait, are you a monster hunter or a bounty hunter?”

       “Sometimes you need these kinds of knowledge for hunting, Raine,” said Jek with a sigh.

       “We don’t have any bounties today,” said the old man hearing the two travelers’ conversation. “But we can pay you for killing that beast. We’ll hire you.”

       Hearing the word ‘hire’ seemed to spur Raine’s interest, for which he quickly snatched the human’s hand and shake it. He then said, “We’ll do what we can, old man. Just say the word!”

       “Hey, you can’t actually be agreeing to do this job! Rockeaters are dangerous!”

       “We’ve got you, right?”

       “I know what a rockeater is, not how to defeat them!”

       “Ah, whatever you say. In fact, you still got me, right?” Jek then also hear Raine softly said, “And Narati” so as to not make the human suspicious as to who Narati was. They could refuse to give them the work if they knew a Fa’ar was involved.

       Jek sighed and let Raine do the talking with the old human, while he took his time and went to a shop to buy supplies. Even though the whole place was devastated, the shop still had pretty decent items for them to use, including some medical equipment for a more hazardous journey. The vendor seemed not to mind Jek buying most of the stuffs in the makeshift tent, but he was surprised when the Lup asked about business, to which he said, “It’s…well, it’s as you can see.”

       “I know that, but how about the people? Are they scared of getting out because of the rockeater?”

       “No, my business has been failing even before the rockeater. No one actually went through this small town anymore because beyond this town is a vast green wasteland with more dangers than the one in the desert. Mutated creatures, swamps full of dangerous magic, and also that matter about ether contamination…”

       “Aether contamination?”

       “You don’t know? I can’t blame you, though, since you’re a beast race. It is a very known affliction around these parts, and it can affect both magical and non-magical races. I’ve seen one of those rat people roaming around one ruin, and the very next day, when I look around that place, the same person was dying with symptoms of the contamination.”

       “But, I thought Aether is used to replenish mana. Some even called it ‘magic essence’.”

       “I don’t know how to explain it, but the alchemist living in this town said to me that a magic essence is only 5 percent ether. The ether I am talking about is pure, unprocessed Ether that is deadly to all races when inhaled. You don’t want to get those inside your lungs. They’ll burn you inside out.”

       Jek contemplated on the new piece of information. So apparently Ether is a dangerous substance with only the most diluted one being used as magic essence for magic users. He nodded, approving this new information and left after giving the shopkeeper some muns. The scraps he found could be useful once it got into Narati’s hand. Though he felt that the Fa’ar was too much preoccupied with his explosives anyway, Narati might be able to do something to upgrade his guns.

       Jek still wondered on what ‘thing’ that Narati had been making for more than a month now. He kept piling up scraps which almost caused their travel to be hindered because he needed to make them into ‘something’. While This did not annoy Jek anymore, it made him curious. Did Narati became more willing to fight for his own and construct a weapon made from scrap? If so, Jek would be glad to give him one of his spare weapons. But, considering how he kept flinching when hearing gunshot (not outright scared anymore, after being given a blank shot every morning for a month), the Lup doubted that he would ever use a gun.

       But he finally got his answer when he heard explosion sounds coming from the direction of their camp. He thought that Narati got himself into trouble and caused one of his experimental explosives blew off. Jek swore and ran towards the sound, but was completely surprised when a giant grey creature burst through a ruined building. He and the rest of the townspeople immediately identified it as the rockeater. Everyone ran into hiding while Rainer, clearly attracted by the sound of the explosion came to Narati’s aid pulling out his dagger.

       “That thing is the rockeater?!” exclaimed Raine. “I thought it’s a giant monster, not part rock!”

       Indeed, the rockeater looked like a giant-sized bear, but was partially covered in rocks. Somehow the rubble around it provided it protection, and it ate them for both nourishment and defense boost. Not only it made it dense, it means normal guns and weapons would not be able to defeat it so easily.

       “Raine, can your enhancement get through those rocks?”

       “It might be, but how the hell am I supposed to get up there?! My legs are not as springy as yours!”

       “Just climb the ruins and jump on its fur.”

       “Very funny, Jek!”

       At that same moment, they heard a shout, in which both recognized the voice. They turned as Narati was clinging by the gray fur the rockeater had from the crevices of the rock, holding for dear life. On his right hand, he was carrying an unknown contraption, which he shot towards the air near the rockeater’s eye, causing it to roar and turn, narrowly missing a row of houses intact. It crashed through the ruins and leave.

       Jek slapped his face and start running as fast as his digitigrade legs could, leaving Raine behind. The human huffed and said, “I am not a fucking wolfman, goddamn it!”

       Raine was even more annoyed when some of the townspeople was asking about a Fa’ar who was clinging by the side of the rockeater, thinking that it was strange to have a Fa’ar trying to save their town. Raine turned around and said, “Hate having a rat helping you? You gotta admit, this is a rather twisted scenario.”

       “Is that rat your companion?” said one of them.

       “So what? You aren’t gonna trust him anyway, or anyone associated with him,” said Raine, starting to get annoyed by how the man looked at him like he’s a criminal. “You know what, screw your pay anyway. It’s not my style, but I don’t take muns from racists.”

       Raine ran towards where the rockeater went, leaving the townspeople stunned and confused as to why a human helped a Fa’ar. The old man came to them, to which they said, “Elder, are you sure you want help from a man who associated himself with the Fa’ar? He cannot be trusted!”

       “Have you tainted your heart with darkness when you said that?” said the old man calmly.

       “Everyone hates the Fa’ars, so why shouldn’t we?”

       The Elder reprimanded him by saying, “Fools, this is why you will not return us to our glory. Haven’t you learned from your teachers? I’ve specifically told them to teach you that all races are equal, and yet, you take on the lies of racists and haters and shutting your eyes to the real thing? Tell me, young man. Have you ever been betrayed by a Fa’ar before?”

       Everyone hesitated.

       “That Fa’ar clinging by the side of the rockeater turned that monster away from the town, and you still think they are trying to trick us?”

       “He could be trying to trick us with stunts!”

       “Then go there and take the reins of that rockeater! Everyone knows they are too wild to be tamed. So, have you finished? It is clear that the Fa’ar is one of the mercenaries, and we have promised them the pay. I will give them the pay anyway. The rest is up to your hearts.”

       The Elder then waited by the outskirts of the town, looking at the ruined scenery. He sighed, thinking of so many things that could be found in them trampled by the monster. He then looked up, thinking as to why people couldn’t understand one very important thing.

       No one is supposed to blame the sins of their fathers to their sons.