//------------------------------// // Can you Find it in Your Heart Part 3 // Story: Queen Of The Wasteland // by Jest //------------------------------// “Are you sure you’re alright? You look a little singed,” Janey remarked. Twilight snorted, and looked around for something to respond with, settling on a car door that had come loose from a vehicle. “I’d appreciate a stim pack. The burns werent too bad, but those ants really smacked me around,” Twilight replied. Janey nodded, and produced one of the syringes before handign it to the deathclaw. “Here ya go. Try not to crush it.” Twilight merely snorted and jabbed it into her leg, sighing contentedly as the healing chemicals coursed through her body. “You know,” Janey began. “I’m a little surprised that those things even work on you. They were supposed to be designed for use on humans only.” Twilight shrugged. “Yeah I guess. Still, it's weird,” Janey replied. The deathclaw snorted, and pointed to the hole. “Oh right. Suppose we still gotta deal with that,” Janey murmured, scratching her head. “I got a few explosives left, but I’d have to go in a bit in order to collapse it properly.” “Will you be okay?” asked Twilight tentatively. “I should be fine. It looks like it's a straight shot for the first few meters before going down,” Janey replied. “Yell if something goes wrong. I’ll be waiting right here,” Twilight assured her companion. “Just be ready. I don't wanna get dragged into there and buried alive,” Janey remarked with a grunt. Twilight nodded, and watched as her companion began to dig several grenades, and mines from her person. The courier was surprisingly adept at this, and in no time she had assembled a decent amount of explosives. With her ordinance organized, Janey used some tape to haphazardly combine three of the mines into a ball. With that done she tucked the entire improvised explosive under an arm, and raised her pistol. She then gave Twilight one last look before descending into the tunnel at a slow, careful pace. Not tall enough for the human to stand upright, Janey was forced to crouch down slightly before proceeding further inside. Twilight watched her companion closely, waiting for any indication that she was going to run into an ant. Thankfully that didn't happen, and after a few short minutes Janey reemerged with a confident smile on her face. Back at the entrance once more, Janey pulled the pin on a grenade, wound up, and whipped it straight down the hole. The pair hastily stepped to the side, just barely dodging a sudden eruption of dust, dirt and debris that shot from the tunnel. The dull boom was followed by distant rumbling made Twilight worry that the ground beneath her feet was going to give out. That didn't happen however, and after several more seconds the vibrations began to dull before dying completely. “Thank god there werent any more of them in there,” Janey murmured, dusting off her clothes. “I do not enjoy such tight spaces.” “Oh, whysat?” Twilight inquired. “Just… bad memories is all,” Janey muttered to herself before quickly clearing her throat. “Now then. Let's take a look to see if these critters happened upon any valuables.” Twilight rolled her eyes, and merely walked over to one of the burnt ants. Pulling off one of the legs, Twilight plunked down on a hunk of broken concrete and took a bite. The taste wasn't great, but it at least stopped the deathclaw’s stomach from rumbling quite so loudly. After devouring a limb, Twilight decided to go back for seconds, and ended up consuming the entire thing. All while Janey rifled through the various busted vehicles, piles of corpses, and even the insides of a few of the larger ants. Twilight swallowed hard and tapped a few times on a hunk of metal, grabbing Janey’s attention as she stabbed a knife into the stomach of an ant. “Why are you doing that?” Twilight asked. “These bigger guys sometimes swallow their prey whole. You’d be surprised at how many caps, guns, or other things survive their stomach acid. Oh a nuka cola!” Janey exclaimed, pulling a glass bottle from the creature’s insides. Twilight stuck her tongue out in disgust, silently wondering who would drink something that came out of an insect’s stomach. She tried not to think about it, or the several pounds of ant meat now resting in her own stomach. An action she found remarkably easy, with all such qualms over her kills having faded rapidly. Rising from her seat, Twilight watched as Janey piled the nuka cola bottle along with a small mound of other goods. They werent terribly numerous, but there were still a decent amount of them. Including several weapons, some caps, a bit of food, and a small mound of electronics as well as other junk. “Where did you find all that?” Twilight asked, pointing to the loot. “Some trader tried their luck and bit it,” Janey replied, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “Poor bastard probably got eaten by ants. At least most of his stock is still intact.” Twilight sighed. “Did you find anything identifiable on him, or at least a body?” Janey shrugged. “Nah. There wasn't more than a few bits of bloody cloth left of him.” “What now?” Twilight asked, doing her best to ignore her impulse to try and track down the traders closest kin in order to return the trade goods. “Well we still have a few hours before it gets real dark,” Janey began, glancing up at the bright moon hovering overhead. “And sitting in that bar all day has really made me wanna move.” “So we continue to Nipton then?” Twilight inquired. Janey nodded. “Provided they aren't still reeling from a raider attack, that should be a good place to rest and restock.” Twilight nodded, and gestured toward the road. “Lead the way.” “Sure,” Janey began, stuffing the loot into her bag. “But are you sure you don't want to grab another snack for the road?” Twilight glanced down at the still warm ant corpses littering the ground and felt her stomach churn. Again she wanted nothing more than to devour all she laid eyes on, but there was still some revulsion left. It wasn't enough to make her stop completely however, and the deathclaw grabbed one of the headless smaller ants. “There ya go, and don't worry, I’ll deal you in a percent when we get to Nipton,” Janey exclaimed, hiking her bag over her shoulder. The faint tinkling of something metal bouncing off the ground drew Twilight’s eye down to a unique bottle cap. The thing was small, and seemed normal at first glance, all save for a blue star visible in the center. Twilight grunted, and pointed down at the cap. “Oh hey neat. It's one of those star caps,” Janey remarked. Twilight grunted, and held out a hand, urging the woman to explain. “Their is an old legend that if you find a whole bunch of them that you can claim some treasure somewhere,” Janey remarked, dropping the cap into her bag. “It's a bunch of nonsense, but sometimes a trader will take them off your hands for a decent price.” Twilight nodded slowly, and was about to walk away when she felt a sudden urge to turn around. Her gaze scanned the darkened landscape slowly and methodically, searching for any sign of something amiss. “What do you see?” Janey asked, her pistol hanging loose in her grip. Twilight continued to look on for several more seconds before releasing a snort. “Thought I saw something,” she tapped out on a hunk of rusted metal. “Must be more ants, or radscorpions attracted by the smell of blood. Either way we should get moving,” Janey urged. “I don't want to spend all night fighting those things.” Twilight nodded her affirmation, and together the dou began to walk the highway once more. As they trod the broken path they looked around to find themselves more or less alone. There were a few ants in the distance to their left, and a few radscoprions moving among the hills to the right but that was it. Seeing any further was impossible due to the low light, but Janey didn't seem terribly concerned. The human even turned up the volume on her pip boy’s radio, and wrapped her hands around the back of her head, interlacing her fingers. “So. Magic is real eh?” Janey remarked. Twilight sighed, and gave a tired snort. “I know we talked about it before, but what can you really do anyway?” Janey inquired. Spotting a hunk of metal sticking out of Janey’s bag, Twilight grabbed it and began to respond. “Magic is governed by the schools. Illusion is fairly self explanatory, it can disguise people, turn them invisible or create false images,” Twilight began. “Interesting. And the others?” Janey pressed. “Divination is primarily used for scrying, but some particularly powerful practitioners can even see the future,” Twilight continued. “Though I have not seen any evidence of such.” “Really? I don't suppose you mastered that skill eh?” Janey inquired. Twilight shook her head. “My abilities are primarily in abjuration, which shields and protects people as well as transmutation.” “Which turns one thing into the other?” Janey asked. Again, Twilight nodded. “I’ve also become quite adept at enchantment over the years, though my grasp on evocation is almost as minimal as my skill with conjuration.” “Enchantment huh, what can that do?” Janey remarked. “It is... a unique school,” Twilight hesitantly began. “It can hold people, modify their memories, or if you are particularly adept, even kill with a word. I have never delved too deep into that aspect however and primarily concerned myself with dispelling a coercive suggestion or returning lost memories.” “Though you could alter someone’s memories, or use this power of suggestion to make them do whatever you want, right?” Janey continued, the courier eying Twilight carefully. The deathclaw shifted uncomfortably as they walked, replying after a long pause. “Yes, it's possible, but I can't cast magic in this form, nor was I any good at it anyway, so you have no need to worry.” “Well that's good. I’d hate to wake up and find myself enslaved to you,” Janey exclaimed with a snort. “I would never!” Twilight quickly replied. Janey chuckled. “I know you wouldn't. You don't have the stones.” Twilight gnashed her teeth silently. “To alter someone’s will like that is the height of cruelty. I would sooner throw myself into the ocean.” “I’m messing with you. Relax,” Janey stressed. Twilight huffed bitterly to herself. “Besides. At best I could create a sort of binding contract that requires the two parties to enter into it willingly. I’ve very purposefully avoided studying or practicing the more… nefarious aspects of enchantment.” “Still. It's too bad you can't use your magic. It would probably make things pretty easy for us,” Janey remarked. “It would,” Twilight admitted. “Hold up, were coming on a prime ambush spot and I don't want to be caught unaware,” Janey exclaimed. Twilight stopped immediately, and began to scan the area curiously, paying close attention to where the shadows deepened. The road they had been walking had turned sometime over the last few minutes and was now heading east. It wasn't far before they found themselves wandering through the ruins of a small rest stop area. A billboard was visible to the left, though whatever had been painted upon it had long since faded away. Also to that side was the partially intact walls of a one story building, one that was partially filled in with dirt. The smoldering ashes of a campfire sat within only a dozen or so feet from this structure, a couple ratty bed rolls laid out around it. There were also more peice of cover, a few bushes and some scrubby trees all around, though the majority of which was on the right side of the road. Where the ruins of another building and a pair of parked cars offered plenty of hiding spots for any would be ambushers. A possibility that felt more and more likely as Twilight gazed out over the area with a sharp, critical eye. “Doesn't feel right,” Janey muttered, her pistol emerging from its holster. “Wanna go around?” Twilight grunted, and dropped the last of the ant carcass she had occasionally been chewing on. “South we might see some geckos or night stalkers, north we’ll run into some ant-” Janey began, only to be cut off by a male voice. “I wouldn't worry about that right about now,” he exclaimed. “It seems to me like you’ve got bigger problems!” Twilight tensed as she saw a dozen or so humans begin to emerge from cover, weapons drawn. “Don't be stupid. Do you really think you can kill a deathclaw with a bunch of pipe pistols and a crowbar?” Janey shouted, ducking into cover behind the remains of a wall. “Don't throw your life away!” “Throw our lives away? Are you kidding, once we bring this scaly corpse to the powder gangers we’ll be rolling in caps. We’d be stupid not to and besides, we came prepared,” declared a voice a second before he emerged from atop the lip of the more in tact structure, a rocket launcher on his shoulder. “Is that bad?” Twilight whispered. “Very, now leg it while you still got legs!” Janey shouted.