LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 20: Exodus
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"Protecting us?"
Asked Ben
"No. Just you."
The Ranger ratified.
The rest of the group except Six seemed puzzled.
"Just me. Okay, well you know I appreciate the gesture, but I don't need your protection. Piss. Off. Now let's go.
Ben started moving forward, but Twig and Scarlett wondered what was going on.
"Eldridge."
He and Ben turn to face each other. Ben seemed angry at hearing the name.
"What?"
"Benjamin Eldridge."
Ben came swinging at him, but the Ranger evaded it. He tried to make a few more hits, but the Ranger merely blocked him and brought him down to the ground with one arm.
Twig lashed at the Ranger with his gun, but he blocked it away with his gauntlet and forced him back with a knee kick. As Twig regained his composure he tried to shoot him in his abdomen, the Ranger took out the revolver to shoot him point-blank at Twig's gun and was forced back from the recoil.
"I really overestimated my skills."
Twig pauses.
"Sup choom..."
Rebecca licked her lips as she launched a punch at the Ranger, who, to her astonishment, dodged her Power Armor-encased fist. She glanced between her extended fist and spun around for another attack, highly amused.
Frustration bubbled in Rebecca as she watched the Ranger evade her strikes.
"Ah, damn it! Why do you keep dodging, you Fucking jumping bean! Just let me kick your ass!"
Rebecca retorted childishly while the Ranger remained silent.
She swung again, and the Ranger seized the opportunity to fire at the exposed servos in her armor's arm, causing sparks to fly as she lost control of it.
"You fucking gonk! I'm going to tear off your arm and shove it up your backside for that, asshole!"
Seizing his moment again, the Ranger aimed for the servos on her back but was blindsided by Six's punch, knocking him to the ground.
"What!? No way, choom! I wanted to be the one to take down that Fucking gonk!"
Rebecca vented her frustration on Six.
"Rebecca, if I had let him continue, I'd have to rebuild the your entire Power Armor."
"Hmph!"
she grunted.
As usual, Ben began rummaging through the Ranger's belongings, he stopped after finding a book.
"What the hell is this?"
Flipping through the pages, Ben realized it was a photo album filled with images from his past life.
"Why do you have this? Answer me!"
He demanded, starting to remove the Ranger's helmet.
"OK, I don't know what I was expecting."
He muttered, not recognizing the man's face.
The Ranger regained consciousness at a later time, with Ben's revolver pointed at him.
"How do you know that name?!"
The Ranger withdrew his hand, clutching the chain around his neck with a ring attached.
"This."
Ben holstered his revolver, and the Ranger stood up, realizing no one would shoot.
"We need to talk. You're going to listen."
He began to walk away but pauses to look back at Ben.
"You comin'?"
"What about them?"
Ben gestures back at his group but the Ranger looks at them indifferently
"What about them?
The Ranger walks off and Ben gestures them to hold on as he catches up to him.
-Back at the cave-
Daniels holds up a Mini Nuke and attaches it to the Fat Man Artemis.
"I'm hunting a fox, Daniels. Take away the nest... the fox can't go home."
Leon said going to the edge of the cave site in clear view of Eastwood, as he shoulders Artemis and fires. His guards, Daniels, the slave, and Larry look on as the nuke falls on the town and explodes into a sizeable mushroom cloud. Leon watches gleefully.
Six, Rebecca, Twig, Scar, Ben, and the Ranger see the blast from their position.
-Outside of Eastwood-
The townspeople of Eastwood were tidying up after the festival they had the previous night, celebrating their liberation from slavery.
"Sir, it's been a day already. I think that man was deceiving us."
said one of the guards to Mayor Conners.
"Oh, give the lad a chance; it hasn't even been the 24 hours he cautioned us about," replied the Mayor.
"But—"
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!
The explosion, though not as devastating as the full-scale nuclear bomb used in the great war, was potent enough to topple the closest structure and jostle the townsfolk just a few inches off the ground. It also sent their tents flying into the air, with dust particles scattering as the blast dissipated.
In mere seconds, the entirety of Eastwood was obliterated, leaving only smoke billowing into the sky. The townsfolk, having evacuated earlier, watched from a distance. Despite not knowing the perpetrator, they bore the brunt of the catastrophe.
Fortunately, thanks to Conners' foresight in heeding Six's warning, they were spared from becoming mere ash piles like what remained of Eastwood. Now, the survivors needed a new place to call home, as staying near the town was no longer an option. Thus, they decided to take Six's advice and move to Goodsprings.
"Alright, my people! Please, don't despair, remain calm, and take a seat."
Conners addressed the frightened townsfolk, not shirking his responsibilities.
"We still have each other and our belongings from the celebration. Since Eastwood is no more, we shall set out for Goodsprings."
He continued.
"And fear not, my people. I received an offer of refuge from Goodsprings not long ago, complete with a substantial supply of provisions, medicine, ammunition, and weapons. With these, we will embark on our journey to a new home."
He concluded his speech.
Amidst some reluctance, the townsfolk hurried to pack and set off for Goodsprings, seemingly indifferent to the radiation and nuclear fallout from the recent bomb detonation.
The Mojave, however, showed no mercy. On the second day of their journey, they encountered radscorpions. Four people fell to their venom, inciting panic among dozens in their camp. Despite this, they persevered, drawing ever closer to their destination.
-Back to the group-
"Did you guys see that?"
Twig said panicking
"I felt that you Idiot!"
Ben yelled at him.
"We have to get outta here."
Scar said dusting herself off.
"Nova!"
The shout from the chibi came at the sight of the Mini Nuke explosion.
"Rebecca please don't get any ideas!"
Said Six, halting as he received a system notification.
Ding!
[Hidden Quest: Exodus. Complete]
[Objective: Successfully have the townsfolk of Eastwood travel to Goodsprings]
[Reward: Rare Silver-Tier Item 10lbs of (One Piece) D Rank Sea King Meat]
10lbs of (One Piece) D Rank Sea King Meat:
Meat from a small Sea King, eating this flesh will slowly raise your STRENGTH, PERCEPTION, ENDURANCE, or AGILITY stat by a small amount. The stronger the Sea King, the better the results of strengthening. D Rank Sea King Meat gives a small amount of improvement to the body of the consumer.
Six was thrilled at the prospect of using the D Rank Sea King Meat and eagerly awaited the opportunity to consume it. However, he decided to share the meat only with his family, wanting them exclusively to benefit from the flesh's bonus.
He took some time to repair Rebecca's damaged arm servos during their journey, acquiescing to her persistent requests. Later, the super soldier experienced a sudden discomfort, sensing that they were being watched. The intense killing intent alerted him to an imminent ambush.
"Rebecca, there should be a couple of shooters up the hill. When I make my move, try to take them down."
Six instructed.
He surveyed the area's layout and surroundings, noting the many hills and narrow roads that offered few places to hide. The mercenaries were cautious, adhering to the survival rule of the Mojave.
"Now!"
"Don't worry, Big Guy, I'll handle them."
Rebecca responded confidently.
BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG!!
Under the cover of Rebecca's light machine gun, he sprinted silently, his form swiftly ascending the hill, covering tens of meters in both distance and elevation. He landed deftly at the summit, his fingers wrapped around his Desert Eagles, his piercing gaze surveying the surroundings.
His vision cut through the camouflage of the hidden mercs; the blazing sun did not hinder him, his eyes as keen as a hawk's, identifying the surveillance points. His attention then fixed on the snipers, who were shrinking away from Rebecca's relentless assault.
Quickly, he advanced, striking with the precision and speed of lightning with his pistols.
BANG BANG BANG!!
The sound of the initial casualties sharply alerted the mercenaries on the hill. Already on edge, they drew their weapons towards Six's position as he continued to fire.
"Shit, someone breached our line, all hands on deck."
Barked one of the mercenaries, but he was silenced by a bullet through his neck. Instinctively grasping at the wound to stem the flow, he tragically succumbed, his expression one of despair and agony, as his hand dropped lifelessly to the ground.
Level: 7
NAME: Six XI
GENDER: MALE
STRENGTH: 10
PERCEPTION: 10
ENDURANCE: 10
CHARISMA: 10
INTELLIGENCE: 10
AGILITY: 10
LUCK: 10
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BARTER: 42
ENERGY WEAPONS: 27
EXPLOSIVES: 30
GUNS: 100
LOCKPICK: 27
MEDICINE: 27
MELEE WEAPONS: 27
REPAIR: 98
SCIENCE: 42
SNEAK: 30
SPEECH: 27
SURVIVAL: 27
UNARMED: 30