Feyd and Ray rode their bike behind three carriages. The carriages belonged three merchants who they had agreed to help.
They would be payed 80 credits for the escort and more depending on the troubles that come. Not only that they could some of the important resources they were transporting, as long as they don't tell anyone about it.
The merchants were extremely surprised when they saw Feyd and Ray pull out a bike hiding behind a boulder behind the thickets.
They even asked where they had gotten it to which Feyd had answered that they stole it from some bandits while destroying their train.
Tido, fascinated, asked whether he could tinker with the thing. Feyd agreed, as long as Tido tried to patch it up abit.
They bought some fuel and after an hour or two they had set off!
Feyd hadn't played his guitar in the meantime since he didn't trust the merchants enough yet. Unfortunately he was alone in his journey and thus there was no one to talk to during that hour or two.
He had feeling he would've enjoyed conversing with a companion very much.
As Feyd and Ray trailed behind the merchants they chatted and made jokes, with the bike wobbling from time to time as they bantered and squabbled.
The bike was decently repaired by Tido, and was fully refueled, so they enjoyed the pleasant feeling of driving a bike.
Although Ray himself hadn't learned how to drive he quickly got the hang of it as the two switched seats from time to time.
Although the dust and sandy winds of the Wastelands was harsh they could manage the journey as long as they wouldn't get too unlucky with the weather.
The destination was a nearby town with only a few hours of the journey left. They now had to pass a road that cut between two mountainous rock formations.
The merchants cautioned them of the place since it seemed like a prime location for an ambush, but Ray and Feyd didn't take it seriously.
According to the merchants only two dozen bandits came the last time, and at most another two dozen will come after them again.
A piece of cake for Feyd and Ray if they used their powers, especially since they both felt that their powers and capabilities had grown after the train incident.
Also the number of bandits would logically be less, since now the bandits would assume the merchants had little to no guards with them.
An hour passed as they reached the narrow exit of the pass. It was tense for the three merchants who all guided a horse each while the two travellers in the back wondered whether the Elf Queen or Cecillia's Queen was more beautiful.
However just as they were about to exit the pass Ray sensed people on horses hiding of either side of the exit through shadows.
His expression immediately became serious as he lifted one hand up which exuded undulations of psychic energy.
Feyd noticed the shift in expression and hand movement but not the psychic energy as not only was his perception only twice as good as that of a normal person, psychic energy itself was incredibly hard to detect.
Feyd continued to drive steadily, but a spark of orange-red shined in his golden eyes for a moment as he readied his fire energy.
He accelerated the bike and quickly overtook the horses as he immediately heard the sounds of gunshots.
Looking around he saw dozens of bullets hanging mid air while eight bandits flanked them on either sides.
Ray's expression stiffened as he stopped exerting pressure on the bullets causing them to fall.
The bandits had only momentarily stopped attacking due to their surprise as their attacks were blocked, yet it seemed that these bandits were of a higher quality than the ones on the train as they quickly regained their composure and began to reload once more.
But this slight moment of hesitation was enough for Feyd as he blasted fireballs at one side while Ray sent a mental shockwave at the other.
The flames burned the bandits and horses to a crisp while they screamed not even having the chance to attempt an escape.
The mental shockwave had incapacitated the bandits while a weaker one caused the horses to scream, knock the bandits off their back, and gallop away.
Feyd swerved the bike to the bandits groaning on the floor as Ray swiftly got off the bike and stabbed them one by one.
By the time the merchants gathered the courage to come join the party it was unfortunately already over.
Their jaws dropped as they saw the yellow-orange flames burning bodies into char to their left, and dead bandits with only a single stab wound on each of their heads to their right.
Feyd looked over his shoulder nonchalantly while speaking.
"Let's move quick. Dusk is approaching and I'm sure you don't want to meet more pests after night fall"
The rest of the journey was smooth sailing, and their destination was in sight.
After they all reached the merchants got off the carriages and went over to Feyd and Ray.
"Thank you guys! Like really, without you two we wouldn't be alive"
Tido bowed slightly to Ray and Feyd as the other two chimed in.
"Oh by the grace of Jimmy it was great fortune meeting you two"
"Mmhh yes, our gratitudes are with you"
Feyd and Ray nodded at their words as while the merchants continued to speak enthusiastically.
"Hey, I have a preposition. How about becoming our full time guards? We'll pay you lots, enough for three generations if you stay with us for a decade"
"Great idea! Ofcourse, and you two are also quite handsome... Hmm, I could introduce you two to my sister. She's still single I believe"
"Mmh yes, it would be great to have such capable people as my brother-in-laws"
Feyd gave a wry smile while Ray looked at them impassively.
"Uhuh, thanks for the offers, but it's fine we're good"
Dissapointed, Tido sighed as he accepted the outcome.
"I expected as much, though it was wroth a try. If you two really wanted employment or women it would be pretty easy with your capabilities"
"Well if you two need anything in the future, just come to us! We will make sure to help you to as best we can"
Feyd nodded and made a thoughtful expression for a moment before speaking.
"Well there is one thing you guys can help us with"
Ray raised an eyebrow at his words while the merchants' eyes twinkled with anticipation.
Feyd connected his thumb and index finger to form a coin shape.
"Give us more money"
Everyone's expressions froze while Ray rolled his eyes at his companion's antics.
...
The next day Feyd and Ray left their inn early in the morning to explore the town. Both walked around and ate some street food before splitting off.
Feyd walked around, taking in the sights of the town and its atmosphere. The streets had moderate bustle and the sun was shining down on the trees and bushes that were sparsely planted.
Feyd stretched his arms up while yawning as slight tears welled up on the sides of his eyes.
"What a peaceful day"
He got a cup of iced tea from a vendor to drink as he searched for interesting stores.
'A florist...'
'A coffin shop...'
'A... Casino?'
'Ah, an adventuring store!'
Adventurers were people from the Wastelands who took up jobs posted by the government or other local organizations.
The profession picked up popularity since it provided a source of money in these barren wastes and was legal, though many jobs were dangerous and could led to fatal injuries or death.
Another factor was the severe lack of manpower in the Wastelands, a product of the multitude of troubles that marred the kingdom and the lack of resources to be obtained here.
'This place should have something good'
His armour, blade and other essentials weren't in good shape after being with him for the past few months, especially since he always manages to get in a fight with something every few days.
A bell rung as Feyd pushed the door open.
A few other people were inside browsing the goods and they were all presumably Adventurers.
Feyd had thought of going to the merchants, but since it was their first time in this small town and the stuff they had was vastly different from what he needed the thought left his mind as soon as it came.
He walked to the shopkeeper who was a chubby man sporting light clothes.
"Hey, do you sell enchanted goods or only regular ones?"
The chubby shopkeeper turned towards Feyd with a friendly expression as he started nodding excitedly.
"Ah yes yes! Ofcourse! We have Tier-1 enchanted stuff, you can find them that side"
He pointed towards the center of the store where large shelves containing weapons, armours and other objects was.
"Alright thanks"
Feyd nodded as he walked towards the enchanted weapons.
'I'll need a new sword, the other one's chipped, bent and melted in some parts'
Feyd's expression soured as he remembered the first time he tried using fire while fighting with his blade.
He ended up burning his armour, melting bits of his sword and creating opportunities for a monster to attack him.
He soon found a standard longsword with the enchantment [Sharpness I] and a red gem with [Fire Resistance I] imbued into it.
'I'll put this in the blade, especially with the new abilities I've thought of'
He found a set of medium armour made from a monster that naturally had high fire resistance and a pair of gauntlets with [Toughness I].
He also bought a few other essentials like water skins, rope, etc.
He then placed them on the counter where the shopkeeper looked at him with a strange look.
"Uhm, sir... Is this your first time adventuring?"
Feyd gave a confused look to the shopkeeper before realizing the problem.
Although he was pretty tall and had strong muscles, most of it was hidden by the clothes he wore.
His face also didn't match that of a seasoned veteran with no scars, smooth skin that was barely tanned by the sun and handsome facial features.
Also he bought a combination of gear that were not well suited to the Wastelands as most creatures here had no fire abilities, and also he bought everything at once.
All this painted the picture of a sheltered rich kid who wanted to try adventuring without also knowing what to do.
"Ah... Rest assured mister shopkeeper I've experienced my fair share. It's just that most of my stuff was damaged in a recent mission"
Feyd gave an awkward smile as he pulled out his Adventurer license.
'Feyd, C-Rank'
Although he didn't take tasks that often the ones he did take along with Ray were always the high-risk high-reward kind.
Actually the Wastelands was avoided even by most monsters let alone dangerous humans.
There was almost no resources worth going after like magical gems, special plants, etc. The only thing was rocks, sand, gravel and more rocks.
All this led to the highest rank of adventurers(S Rank) being not that difficult to achieve for individuals with special powers or experience and training.
Ofcourse the average person's rank was around C, since that was the level for dealing with common monsters and bandits which most people could achieve with some effort and experience
The shopkeepers eyes narrowed at the sight of the license as he began to examine it. Realizing it was genuine the troubled expression on his face faded.
"Ah I see, sorry for my suspicion. You just... Didn't look the part hehehe"
He laughed it off awkwardly as he began to calculate the price of the goods.
"Alright, all of this will be 460 Credits"
Feyd passed a couple notes and coins to the shopkeeper before taking the items away in two large bags.
He placed the sword and its scabbard on his waist while slinging the two bags over his shoulders.
He then walked over to the Adventurer's guild, a building Adventurers could gather, form parties, take missions, etc.
Feyd had completed the necessary amount of C-Rank and B-Rank missions to be promoted, so he went ahead and updated his rank to B.
But on his way out he noticed a small commotion outside the guild.
"Come on old man, no one's going to take your quest. Just give up and move somewhere else"
"No please! Just a few more days!"
"It's been months and no one wants your stupid quest. Just let it go and move somewhere else"
A guild staff was speaking to an old man with a stern voice yet his face contained a trace of pity. The old man being lectured was on his knees begging the guild staff to keep his quest on the quest board.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
Feyd walked towards the two with an intrigued expression.
"Ah yes, good sir, are you an Adventurer!?"
The old man turned towards Feyd in a hurry and started gesturing with his hands enthusiastically.
"Uhm well yes, yes I am"
Feyd nodded awkwardly.
"Ah please, please help me! I have a quest I've put up on the quest board for a while but no one has taken it. Please help me!"
Feyd's eyes furrowed as he had a feeling the quest was probably nit that simple. Turning towards the guild staff he asked:
"So... What's the quest rank, and why hasn't anyone taken it up?"
The guild staff sighed with an annoyed yet helpless expression as he answered.
"Well the quest was originally a B rank quest to clear out some rat monsters near this man's secluded house outside the town barricades, but after a party of C ranks ledby a B rank was almost wiped out the quest rank was updated to A"
"Yet this old man doesn't have the money to pay for an A rank quest so the reward is still barely that of a B rank quest. So you can probably see why no one wants to help him"
Feyd nodded almost imperceptibly as he looked back down to the old man.
"Please sir, you're my only hope! No one else in this town wants to help me, and I don't want to move my house!"
"Oh come one, just move houses! Your late daughter and wife wouldn't mind it. They would rather you live peacefully than having to tend to their graves in torment"
Feyd then realized the crux of the problem. He had also been wondering why the old man wouldn't just move places since he had enough money to pay for a B rank quest, albeit barely, yet it turns out it was because the graves of his late family members were next to his house.
"Why don't you tell me the details of this quest, and I can see whether I can help or not"
The old man's eyes glimmering with hope as he got up and began to excitedly tug his clothes into the guild.
"Come one come on! I'll tell you everything and you can accept the quest right now!"
As he was slowly dragged towards the quest board the guild staff followed with concern in his eyes.
"Are you sure you want to take this quest?"
Feyd nodded his head as the old man chattered in the background.
"Yeah I'm a B rank, and I have a friend who is basically an A rank. We can handle this"
'Let's hope Ray doesn't mind this small detour'
Meanwhile Ray was heading inside of a blacksmith after having bought some new armour and a cloak for himself.
"Hello?"
"Come in! And mind yar fingers pretty boy, if ya damage it ya buy it"
Ray nodded dismissively as he searched for a weapon.
His rapier was salvaged from the corpse of a dead Adventurer, thus its quality was not the greatest, and neither was its condition.
It had already been through quite the times when Ray had found it and it had been through even more after.
Thus Ray was now here looking for a replacement.
'Hmm, maybe a scythe this time? I have this feeling my body knows how to use one pretty well... Or continue with a rapier...?'
As Ray absent mindedly looking around and examined the different weapons he heard a short coming from behind him.
"Are ya gonna buy somethin' or not!? It's already been half an hour you've been here"
Ray furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the blacksmith with an annoyed expression.
'Whats the point of getting angry at someone browsing through your goods?'
"I'm just taking my time. I'll buy something soon enough"
The blacksmith huffed and growled as his hoarse voice grated Ray's ears.
"Ya better, otherwise I'll kick ya out of this place myself"
Ray grew slightly angry at the man but stopped himself from doing anything more than complaining in his head.
'Crazy bastard. If the quality of weapons here wasn't good I would've left ages ago'
He noticed that an alcoholic smell was coming from the blacksmith and his face and neck were red with an intoxicated look on his face.
'Tch, just gonna ignore this drunkard'
Ray continued looking at the weapons before finally deciding to buy rapier. Yet as his hands moved towards it he heard the blacksmith shout out from behind him once more.
"What a pussy boy, choosing a weapon like that! Take an axe, or a hammer, those are what a real man uses"
Veins bulged as Ray begun getting increasingly more angry and annoyed. There were no other customers and there had been none for the past half an hour. The blacksmith had continued to indulge in insulting Ray all this time.
'Just let it go... It's not worth your time'
He walked towards the counter with a seemingly indifferent expression as he spoke:
"I'll buy this"
The blacksmith seemed peeved that his attempts at provoking Ray was unsuccessful. His red face scrunched for a moment before relaxing. It seemed he had gotten an idea.
"Didn't ya hear me when ya first came in? Ya damage it ya buy it"
He then pointed at a few weapons before speaking again:
"This, this and that. All damaged by your sissy hands"
Ray's expression cracked with anger. This was the final straw.
"I damaged them huh!? How?"
He then slammed the table hard, enough to knock a hammer placed there down.
The blacksmith smirked as he pointed at the hammer.
"Dented, damaged, your fault. One more thing ya have to buy"
Ray clenched his fists tight as he bent down to pick up the hammer.
"This one huh? Alright alright, let's see how I've damaged it"
'Let me teach you a lesson you'll never forgot'
Ray's fingers curled around the weapon as he lifted the hammer up.
"Ahhaha you touched it! It has your stinky, filthy Elven grime all over it! Now you REALLY have to buy it–!"
Ray threw the hammer before the man could speak further. The hammer spun in the air once before its head slammed into the man's head.
Blood leaked out and down the man's temples as he gritted his teeth and roared.
"Ahhh!! Hurts! Hurts so–! Ahhh come here!"
He placed one hand over his fresh wound while the other grabbed a dagger.
"Take this!"
He then hurled it at Ray who stood completely still. The blade drove itself into his shoulder causing Ray to grunt in pain slightly.
A slight psychic force imprinted on the daggers handle as Ray moved towards the other weapons, specifically the ones that the blacksmith wanted for force him to buy.
Picking up each one he stabbed or slashed himself as soon a few weapons jutted out of his body.
"Guards! Guards! Help! This blacksmith is attacking me!"
The blacksmith looked dumbfounded as he shouted out in response:
"No! He's lying! Guard he attacked me first! Help ME!"
Psychic energy flowed around the weapons that Ray attacked himself with and on the hammer he threw at the man as a guard cane bursting into the store.
"Halt! Everyone stop what you are doing!"
Although there were only two people inside, the two people who each called for help, the guard still shouted the same customary ine.
"By the grace of Jimmy what is HAPPENING!?"
The guard's voice cracked as she turned towards Ray. And there he was, bleeding out ok the floor with an emaciated and weak look.
"Guard guard... Help me. He attacked me just now..."
The guard's eyes narrowed as she pointed her spear at the blacksmith.
"How could you assault someone like this!? You bastard!"
The blacksmith began to feel flustered as ge started waving his arms in denial.
"No no no! See this wound on my head, I was all his fault! He attacked me first!"
Ray looked up from the ground as he spoke out weakly.
"I didn't... I just wanted to buy some... But then he attacked himself out of nowhere... And hit himself on the head..."
The blacksmith's face turned as red as a tomato as he began to scream frantically. Be pointed at Ray while fumbling to find words.
"You! You! You! Fucking bastard!"
He tried to keep over the counter to hit him but was restrained by the guard.
"He's lying! He's a liar! Why would I hit myself?"
He turned towards the guard and pleaded innocence but she shook her head. More guards soon arrived as she gave them some instructions.
"He needs immediate medical care, helo him quick. And we need to preserve the weapons for finger prints! And you–"
She pointed at the blacksmith.
"–You'll be coming with us for sometime"
The guard then sighed internally, 'This is going to be troublesome...'
Meanwhile Ray gloated at the current situation.
'Hahaha! All according to plan... After this he'll be locked up for a long– long time!'