《Scorched World - Rise of the Dust Warrior - A Post-Apocalyptic Nanotech LitRPG》 Book 1 - Chapter 1 - Shunted Jack DeWitt woke up feeling that something very, very wrong had happened. Every bit of his body hurt from head to toe, and for a few moments, he thought he was going to throw up. Fortunately, all he had was dry heaves and gagging. After about a minute of that, he managed to get his arms to go to his face and rub the grit out of his eyes. Opening them revealed¡­ a tent. It was old and battered, the metal poles spotted with rust and the tarp stained and patched many times over. How¡¯d I get in a tent? he wondered, looking down at himself and embarrassedly finding himself in nothing but ratty underwear. What happened to my clothes? Where am I? And where was I before this? To his frustration, as hard as Jack tried, he couldn¡¯t remember where he¡¯d been before falling asleep and waking up. Even worse, he couldn¡¯t remember anything else either. He had basic knowledge, of course ¨C how to walk, eat, use the bathroom, etc. ¨C but he couldn¡¯t remember where he¡¯d lived, where he¡¯d worked, friends, enemies, family. It was all gone except for his name and the feeling that he¡¯d died unpleasantly. No real specifics, but some bit of fear and terror remained to give Jack the winding down feeling of an adrenaline rush. Shaking his head, he slowly got into a reclining position and looked around him. Lying next to him was a note and a heavy-looking backpack. Reaching for the note with slightly numb fingers, Jack realized that his nails were long, black, and slightly pointed, not enough to be ¡®true¡¯ claws, but still clearly not normal nails. Trying to put that out of his mind, Jack tensed his hand a few times to get the blood flowing and then picked it up. Unfolding it revealed lines of strange dots and dashes that went in vertical lines. Is this some joke? Jack wondered confusedly. What¡¯s happened to me? Where am I? and why is my headache getting worse? At that moment, something wet and sticky pooled out of Jack¡¯s nose, and he reached up, pulling away¡­ blood. It was red, at least, but it was still concerning as he felt something pulse under his skin. Looking down, he saw strange, silvery, circuit-like veins starting to spread across his skin. They were sparse and simple, but it was still unnatural and uncomfortable, and the headache built up more and more as something blue and square materialized in front of his face. What¡¯s going on- he managed to get out before there was an odd dial-up tone and a scrolling list of words that looked like an old boot-up screen appeared in front of his face.
[DIRECTOR] Interface v.3456.2 integrating¡­ Signal Strength: Poor Interface Quality: Poor Nano-Mesh: Basic Nano-Capacity: Low Nano-Quality: Poor Welcome, User.
Jack stared at the box in shock for a few moments before it blinked away. ¡°What¡­ what was that?¡± he asked in confusion. Even his voice felt different. He couldn¡¯t remember how it¡¯d originally sounded, but this new voice sounded strange. Just like the rest of his body. What¡¯s happened to me? he wondered. This ¨C all of this ¨C is wrong. Why do I have claws? Why am I in a tent? And why are blue boxes with text floating in front of my face? And why can¡¯t I read? Picking up the paper again, Jack scanned the strange text, only to realize¡­ something strange. He could read it now. Dear Kesh: If you¡¯re reading this, that means you are still alive. I¡¯m sorry we left you, but the Sawbones said you had a ¡®zero-point-six chance of survival.¡¯ There was no way we could drag you back to Salt Flats in the state we were in at the time of writing. I¡¯ve left you a pack with supplies and some clothes. I wish I could give you better, but I can¡¯t risk some filthy Scavs getting their hands on the good stuff. Sincerely, Amethyst. P.S. If you can manage, meet us at Salt Flats, if we¡¯re still there. Who¡¯s Kesh? Jack thought, looking over at the bag before setting the paper down and crawling over to it. Carefully opening the backpack, he pulled out a set of clothes that consisted of a flannel shirt, leather pants, suspenders, and a set of hiking boots. Gratefully slipping them on, the man was about to continue rooting through the bag when a beep! sound pinged in his ear, and yet another blue box appeared.
Quest initiated! [The Basics of Survival] Waking up in an unfamiliar place with no memory is dangerous, and with no lay of the land, high stats, and lack of Class, possibly lethal! Familiarize yourself with your Character Sheet and choose a class to hopefully stay alive. Objective 1: Open up your Character Sheet Objective 2: Choose a class. Hint: Think or say ¡®open sheet¡¯ to open your Character Sheet.
O¡­ kay¡­ Jack thought as the box disappeared. Open Sheet? Lo and behold, a box appeared, this one much longer than the previous ones.
Name: Jack DeWitt Species: Shunted [Basic] Class: None Species Rank: 0 Class Rank: N/A Experience: 0/50 Character Points: 4 Wounds: 60/60 Stamina: 45/45 Nano¡¯s: 10/10 Agility: 4 Vitality: 4 Perception: 4 Willpower: 3 Presence: 3 Empathy: 4 Skills [Physical]: [NULL] Skills [Mental]: [NULL] Skills [Social]: [NULL] Nano Skills: [NULL] Flaws: Unnatural Appearance
What¡¯s a ¡®Shunted?¡¯ Jack wondered, confused and a little panicked. I¡­ I thought I was a human. Homo Sapiens¡­ whatever that means. So, why am I not human? As the man tried to figure this out, a beep sounded, and yet another box blinked into his vision.
Congratulations! Step 1 of your quest is complete! Please proceed to step 2 by choosing your Basic class! You can¡¯t change your class once confirmed, but you can advance it over time as you rank up your class.
With that, the box expanded to reveal a few dozen mini-boxes, each with a word on it, such as Ruffian or Scavenger. It took a few minutes to comb through the box, as each mini-box had a description that went alongside it. However, one finally caught Jack¡¯s eye.
Class: Survivalist Strengths: Broad knowledge, above-average toughness. Weaknesses: Lack of specialization in skills. Fury Type: Variable [Lower damage] Description: Survivalists are hard-bitten explorers who are too tough to be culled by ordinary dangers. A high-rank Survivalist can laugh off many poisons, the Rot, and even bullets (sometimes). Their wide range of knowledge also allows them to work in various dangerous situations. Perhaps their most notable ability is a variable Fury type, of which they can choose between brawling, shooting, and meleeing before entering Fury at the cost of less damage compared to ¡®locked in¡¯ Fury modes. However, Survivalists'' strengths are also their greatest weaknesses¡ªthey lack extreme specialization in any field, making them masters of none. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Having a broad repertoire appealed to Jack, and though he didn¡¯t fully understand the description (or how the boxes themselves worked,) nonetheless, being tough seemed useful. Pressing on the box again, he got a Select? Y/N. With that, he selected it and felt something shift within him. Something wet dribbled down his nose again, and the circuit-veins raised across his skin once more. He grunted, falling to the ground as pain pulsed across his body, pure knowledge being forced into his very mind. After what felt like an eternity, the overload finally stopped, and Jack lay there, gasping and trying to calm his racing heart.
Quest Complete! [The Basics of Survival] While far from being the most powerful thing in the Wasteland, you are certainly a notably more difficult threat. Collect the supplies by you to start your next Quest!
Looking over at the backpack, Jack crawled over to it, opening it to thankfully find clothes consisting of a flannel shirt, leather jacket, suspenders, canvas pants, and a pair of boots and socks. At least I¡¯m not in my underwear anymore¡­ he thought with relief, quickly putting on the clothes. Rummaging through the backpack also revealed a pair of glass goggles, a knife, an angle flashlight, a meager amount of preserved food, a canteen, and¡­ a shotgun and ammunition belt. With actual ammunition. Admittedly, it was made out of a steel pipe, wood grip, and a crude top-oriented trigger, but it was still a gun and came with six improvised-looking shells, two a dull green, the others maroon. Inspecting the thing, Jack felt a click in his brain, and a box popped up:
Pipe Gun (Shotgun-Style) Scarcity: Common Range: Very Short/Cone (Shotshell); Short (Slug) Capacity: 1 Shotgun Shell/Slug Damage (Shotshell): 40/8 (individual pellets) [Homemade/LQ Ammo]; 80/8 (individual pellets) [Ancient/HQ Ammo] Damage (Slug): 40 [Homemade/LQ Ammo] 80 [Ancient/HQ Ammo] Special Abilities: None Description: A crude, homemade shotgun fired by fanning the trigger on the top. Both shotshells and slugs can be used, though both deal mediocre damage for their weapon types. With a high spread and a sluggish reload speed, this weapon excels in crowd control and close-quarters combat, while severely lacking in accuracy or rapid fire.
Well, that¡¯s useful¡­. Jack through, strapping the ammo belt across his chest and inserting a shell¡­ or at least trying to. It took a minute to force open the lock and slide a red shell in, so Jack was guessing it either needed to be oiled or was not intended to be a quick-reopen weapon. He quickly shoved the gun into its accompanying hip holster. As the Shunted slung the backpack along his shoulder, yet another ding sounded, and another one of the quickly becoming familiar blue boxes made itself apparent.
Quest Initiated! [On the Road] Lost, alone, and without a Domar to your name, you must now travel the Wasteland to find the settlement Salt Flats. However, the supplies you do have are unlikely to get you all the way there¡­ Unless you find a vehicle. Objective 1: Find supplies. Objective 2: Find means of transportation. Objective 3: Make headway to Salt Flats.
This quest was more complex-looking than the previous, and Jack wasn¡¯t sure he would find much in this barren place. Still, he had little other choice, and at least he had weapons. Standing with more confidence than he felt, Jack exited the tent¡­ ¡­And found himself in a cave. It was dry and somewhat large, with crude metal poles erected to keep the weight from collapsing. No less than six other tents populated the interior, all as patched and battered as the one Jack had just crawled out of. A few firepits were erected as well, and by the ashes in them, were used quite frequently. On the left side of the cave is an opening that appears to lead into a mid-sized ravine. Guess that¡¯s the way out¡­ Jack thought before starting to walk towards the exit. And for the first time in his memory, Jack saw the world. Admittedly, it was slightly unimpressive, consisting of a dry, dull, sandy ravine. Scattered around the entrance to the cave were tons of junk and trash, from pieces of scrap metal to what looked like faded food can labels. None of it looked useful, and staring only read [GARBAGE]. Giving that up, Jack turned to the much more important dilemma of figuring out which way to go. Either way looked the same, and the Shunted resorted to deciding via deciding to go with his dominant hand ¨C left. The way left was narrower and had less sand in it, revealing cracked, rocky ground. I don¡¯t know where this goes, but let¡¯s hope it goes somewhere helpful¡­ Jack hoped before setting off down the path. It wasn¡¯t that large but was thankfully wide enough not to feel cramped. As Jack continued to walk, he noticed the rock walls around him were slowly widening, and he could see the sky above him with greater clarity. It was a smoky, pale blue, and as the wind whistled through, it smelled of ash and dust, and Jack began to wonder what the state of this world was in right now. Suddenly, a chittering sound echoed from somewhere in front of him, and Jack tensed, pulling the pipe shotgun out of its holster and ready to fan the trigger. The Shunted¡¯s throat gulped as he panned the crude muzzle of his gun around and saw nothing in the shadows ahead. Then, a large, two-headed lizard scuttled out of the shadows. Both head¡¯s inner eyes were cloudy and blind, while fanged maws snapped at the air, drool dripping between their crooked teeth. ¡°Shit,¡± Jack muttered, readying the firearm as the lizard-thing pounced. The hand fanned, and the gun roared, stone buckshot spraying out with a good chunk hitting the lizard. However, despite having half of its body ripped open, the thing still stood and charged at Jack. Dropping the gun, Jack pulled out the knife and held it shakily in his hands. How am I supposed to kill this thing if it can withstand a shotgun blast at this range? The Shunted panicked as the lizard shrieked and charged, Jack swinging with his knife as it got within range. He left a wide cut across the left head¡¯s face but appeared to only make it angry. In response, the lizard leaped at Jack and knocked him to the ground. The knife scattered out of his hand, Jack barely able to keep the mutant reptile from biting his throat out. Eventually, the lizard bit down on Jack¡¯s arm, digging deep into his flesh and ripping out a chunk of meat. A box popped up in front of him.
Wounds: 52/60
Jack screamed like an animal, grabbing the lizard¡¯s left head and snapping its neck. Immediately, the lizard¡¯s left limbs went limp, and the second head cried out in fear, desperately trying to retreat. In response, Jack grabbed the knife and sank it deep into the right head¡¯s skull. The reptile dropped like a stone, and Jack scrambled away, breathing heavily. A box popped open in front of him.
XP Awarded! Enemies Defeated: Rot-Lizard [x1] Experience Points have been added to your tally. ¡­. You have enough Nanos to create the default Nano Skill [Nano-Spike]. Create? [Y/N]
What? Jack thought confusedly. What does that mean?
NANO SKILLS Nano-skills are powers created in your body by latent Nanos. They are created by using Nanos to build machinery in a User¡¯s body. Nano¡¯s do not regenerate over time once used ¨C only capacity can be increased ¨C meaning one must use Ancient technology, or drain defeated foes Nano¡¯s to gain more.
Well¡­ that last bit is a little ominous¡­ Jack thought. But a ¡®nano-spike¡¯ sounds a little cool. With trepidation, Jack selected ¡®yes¡¯ on the first box, which then disappeared. Immediately, those silvery circuit-like veins appeared on his left arm as something cold and pointy formed in his forearm. It wasn¡¯t painful per se, but it was uncomfortable, and Jack itched his arm constantly until the feeling faded.
Nano-Spike successfully constructed! 0/10 Available Nanos remaining! A Nano-Spike is a User¡¯s main way of collecting Nanos from defeated enemies, and can even eventually be evolved into a weapon. To extend your Spike, flex your forearm and trigger the new artificial muscles embedded within.
¡°Here goes nothing¡­¡± Jack muttered before flexing the way the box had prompted. A jolt of pain emanated from above his wrist as a silvery, three-inch-long, needle-like spike punched through the muscle and skin above his forearm. Wincing, Jack inspected the thing, before looking at the lizard¡¯s corpse.
This defeated enemy has Nanos! Insert your Spike into the body and assimilate your opponent Nano¡¯s. Over-absorbing Nano¡¯s will increase your Nano count by an amount equal to the amount over-absorbed.
Looking at the spike, it seemed alien, foreign to Jack. Not something part of his body. However, some part of him was morbidly interested in what would happen if he did. In the end, that part won out. Grimacing, Jack raised the spike and stabbed it into the ¡®Rot-Lizard.¡¯ Almost immediately, the circuit-veins bulged on his arms, and the same occurred under the dead reptiles scales. A suctioning feeling built up in Jack¡¯s arm, and the veins on the lizard slowly retreated toward where Jack had inserted his spike. Conversely, the veins on Jack grew longer and greater in complexity. This took all of a minute, and in the end, Jack felt slightly woozy from the feeling. As he pulled out the spike with a wet popping sound, a notification flashed in his face.
Nano¡¯s successfully absorbed! (6) Your Nano Point count has not increased.
I¡¯m not sure this was worth it¡­ Jack thought as the circuit-veins disappeared under his skin. The feeling of absorbing the lizard¡¯s ¡®Nano¡¯s¡¯ almost felt like a violation of its body. Still, the power he felt from absorbing the things was a powerful rush. Retracting his Spike, Jack forced the pipe gun open and pulled out the spent shell before inserting a new one. Shoving it back into its holster, Jack looked over at the path he¡¯d been going down and quickly retrieved his knife. I¡¯m probably going to need this, he thought before continuing down the trail and wherever it led. Book 1 - Chapter 2 - Allies It¡¯d been roughly three hours by the time Jack reached the fork in the canyon path. He knows this because an hour and a half ago, he¡¯d felt an itching sensation in his eyes, and several icons and gauges had appeared in his vision. One of them happened to be a clock. The clock read 13:23, which part of the Shunted¡¯s mind registered as ¡®military time¡¯ for some strange reason. The symbols also included his Wounds, Stamina, and Nano¡¯s as bars, while a dog-eared piece of paper opened up his Character Sheet. They disappeared when Jack wasn¡¯t paying attention and popped up when he focused on them. HUD part of Jack¡¯s brain spoke up. He wasn¡¯t quite sure what that meant other than being an acronym, but he went along with it. The fork in the path itself looked exactly the same as the rest of the canyon, being made of greyish stone and with white sand on the bottom. There was no sign or direction on which way to go, so Jack took a leap of faith and again went with his dominant hand, heading left. The canyon continued, slowly widening as Jack walked, giving him hope. Maybe it¡¯s a way out, Jack thought. Or even a camp with people. Excitedly, Jack pressed on, hoping to find an exit out of the canyons. Instead, he found a dead-end crevasse. The area also served as a nest for those two-headed lizards, as evident from the eggshells and shed skin scattered about. Refuse blanketed the ground, ranging from bones to minor objects, and the odor was utterly repulsive. Jack recoiled from the nest, gagging when he suddenly heard a crackling noise in his ear, followed by a distorted male voice speaking to him.
¡°H-o, can anyone hear-s? I¡¯m det-tec-g a User near-y. Look for the lo-k box. Please H-lp¡±
¡°What?¡± Jack asked, scratching his ear at the sound. ¡°Who is this?¡±
¡°HEX-23¡­ E spea-g. Look for the lock b-x¡±
Looking around, Jack spotted a corpse lying in the corner of the clearing, something square and metal in its grasp. Trying not to breathe through his nose, Jack gingerly walked over to the body. It was rotten and half-eaten, and a small, rusted lockbox was still clutched in its bony grasp. Shivering, Jack pried the metal container out of its withered arms and inspected it. The box had a padlock on it, but the lock was corroded to the core, and a swift tug broke it open. Inside the box was a padded tube with what looked like a small tablet connected to the top. Cables with headphone jack-like wires trailed out of it, and a few buttons were situated on the side. ¡°What is this¡­¡± Jack muttered to himself, as a blue box appeared.
Personal Computer Wristwatch (PCW) ¨C Field Model Scarcity: Rare Battery Life: Indefinite Usage: Radio, Computer, Health Tracker, AI Assistant/Companion Description: Personal Computer Wristwatches or ¡°PCWs¡± are Ancient AI devices meant to integrate with a User and aid them in virtual tasks. PCWs are highly durable, with a battery life of millennia and impressive memory storage for their size. This PCW is intended for military or hostile environment work, giving it a durable frame, redundant components, and a more serious pseudo-personality.
How do I use this? Jack wondered, looking at the jack-pointed wires. Do these¡­ insert into something?
Nano-Skill unlocked! [PCW Hookups] This Skill allows hookups to a PCW unit, giving it the ability to monitor vitals and integrate with the wearer¡¯s Director port. This will form on the User¡¯s non-dominant arm. This Skill requires [1] Nano-Point. Create? [Y/N]
Recalling the discomfort of creating his Nano-Spike, Jack trepidatiously pressed ¡®Yes,¡¯ and the circuit-veins immediately pulsed once more, surrounding his right bicep and forming what looked almost like three color-coded headphone jacks in three spots. As the discomfort ended, Jack looked over at the three plugins in the PCW. Gingerly, he slipped the PCW onto his arm before inserting the jacks into the same-colored holes. As he inserted each one, Jack felt a slight electrical shock and a tingling feeling around the inserts. The PCW had a large, recessed switch marked POWER, which Jack trepidatiously flicked on. Immediately, the screen went blue, and a loading bar started scrolling across it. After a few minutes, the screen changed to a simple HUD listed as MAP, LOG, COMMUNICATIONS, and ASSISTANT. There was even a simple wallpaper of a light blue swooping line superimposed on a darker blue background. Intrigued, Jack started toying with the buttons. The map was mostly blacked out, revealing only the cave and about a half mile of the canyon he¡¯d gone through. The Communications button simply gave an empty contacts list, while the log was similarly blank. Trepidatiously, Jack pressed the button, which led to another loading screen. After about a minute and a half, a flat line appeared, which quickly evolved into multiple squiggles as a rough male voice sounded in Jack¡¯s ear. It was the same voice Jack had heard earlier, but much more confident and with no static. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve got a new master, huh? Let¡¯s hope you live longer than the first one.¡± ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m guessing you were the one talking in my ear?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Correct. I detected your Director signal, and sent out a message. I¡¯m rather glad you found me. I¡¯ve been stuck in that box for roughly six years and in access standby for most of it.¡± ¡°What exactly is your purpose?¡± Jack asked the PCW. ¡°As an AI assistant to you, it is my directive to aid you in any way I can. Is there any other way I can assist you currently?¡± The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Jack was about to say ¡°No¡± when a thought came to his head. ¡°Do you know where Salt Flats is and how I can get to it?¡± he asked. There was a pause, and then the AI continued. ¡°I have a basic map and even more basic knowledge of that settlement, but it may be a little outdated. According to my internal clock, I¡¯ve been on access standby for roughly six years. A lot can change in the Scorch in that time.¡± ¡°The Scorch?¡± Jack asked. ¡°Is¡­ is that what this place is called?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an informal name,¡± the PCW responded. ¡°The official name is Thenasia, though I don¡¯t know much about the name or the history behind it. Most of my historical and pre-Fall societal data was wiped during the collapse of society.¡± ¡°So, you¡¯re saying this world is¡­ post-apocalyptic?¡± Jack asked. ¡°I suppose you could say that. It¡¯s been roughly two hundred years since, and Users have begun to rebuild. As far as I knew before my deactivation, it unfortunately appeared to be slow going. Most groups have a Class III understanding of theology ¨C complex machinery, basic electronics, and operational knowledge, if not a full understanding of Relics.¡± So this place has been rebuilding, but it¡¯s been tough going, Jack determined. ¡°Anything else I should be careful about or avoid?¡± ¡°The Rot is one. Common slang for anything with mutagenic properties. It¡¯s all mixed together enough that it¡¯s all essentially one thing at this point. Get enough Rot in you, and you¡¯ll Change. Sometimes, you become better and stronger and gain strange abilities. But usually you get worse. Also, get too much Rot in you, and you either die or turn into an Abomination. An Abominations, something that¡¯s been Rotted enough to be nothing other than a violent, inhuman monster. Generally, the best thing you can do for an Abomination is put them to rest.¡± ¡°How do I avoid the¡­ Rot?¡± Jack asked, now feeling anxious. ¡°I¡¯ve got a chemsniffer in my chassis. I¡¯ll let you know if it¡¯s getting to lethal levels. Otherwise, stay away from unknown substances or materials that look strange.¡± The Shunted breathed a sigh of relief. Then, one last question popped into his head. ¡°Uh, what¡­ what exactly is a Shunted? My character sheet says I¡¯m one, but¡­ I don¡¯t know what that is.¡± ¡°I see. There¡¯s very little information I can access on Shunted, but I do have some basic details. You are essentially an extradimensional being or ¡®soul¡¯ possessing a corpse. Your body is alive, make no doubt about it, but due to interference between the energy that your true body is and the matter of the host body, there are some¡­ mutations. They¡¯re all generally cosmetic, but as you Evolve your body, more radical effects might take place.¡± ¡°So¡­ I¡¯m a¡­ ghost?¡± Jack asked. That¡¯s a little¡­ creepy, he thought. ¡°Crudely, yes,¡± the AI stated. ¡°It¡¯s currently unknown why this happens, and it appears that all documented Shunted suffer from selective amnesia regarding their past or specific details about where they came from. Your kind is rather rare, and there¡¯s a lot of superstition about Shunted, such as them being magical spirits or demons. I¡¯d suggest you keep in mind that while there¡¯s still a proliferation of technology here, there are also large swaths of knowledge that are now lost or virtually useless. That leaves a lot of space for people to come up with their own beliefs or ideas for how things work. Including magic, spirits, and demons. Just be careful for people who might fear or seek to use you.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Jack said, feeling nervous. How am I going to talk to people if they think I¡¯m some sort of spirit? Hell, I don¡¯t even know what I fucking look like. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t help with that,¡± the PCW stated. ¡°You¡¯ll have to find a mirror of some sort or hook a camera up to me.¡± A thought then popped up in Jack¡¯s brain. ¡°Do you have a name?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I only have a serial number as of currently, but my Identification number is HEX-2364E. It¡¯s a bit of a mouthful, but I can be given a nickname by my user ¨C currently you.¡± Jack took the obvious road. ¡°How about Hex?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m not programmed to argue with my User ¨C at least not intentionally ¨C but I will say it¡¯s an easy-to-remember name. I will now respond to the nickname ¡®Hex.¡¯¡± Jack grinned. ¡°Good. Now, how about we get out of this¡­ nest and get on track to Salt Flats, eh Hex.¡± ¡°As I stated before, I have a basic route we can take towards the settlement. We should likely get going before any hunting parties of this nest return.¡± Jack immediately got up and started for the exit. The bite on his shoulder still stung, and the way he¡¯d brutalized the Rot-Lizard was still fresh on his mind. As he got to the exit, the Shunted suddenly heard a squeak and a cracking sound to his left. Confused, he turned to see something pawing its way through the refuse covering the floor of the clearing. Fingering his shotgun, Jack watched as a pair of heads poked out of the filth, each inner eye blind and body covered in brownish-tan scales. A Rot-Lizard the size of a small dog climbed out of the garbage, turning toward the Shunted. Its heads cocked, and Jack gulped slowly pulling his shotgun out in case the lizard decided to attack. The lizard skittered forward, stopping at his feet. It looked up at him and squeaked again. ¡°Uh¡­ what¡¯s it doing?¡± Jack asked nervously. ¡°I believe it¡¯s imprinted on you,¡± Hex stated. ¡°It¡¯s likely asking for food.¡± ¡°What exactly does it eat?¡± Jack asked as the lizard squeaked again, almost pleading. ¡°Rot-Lizards are omnivores by nature and are both hunters and scavengers. It¡¯ll eat anything from plants to insects to animals. Give it a bit of your rations, and it¡¯ll eat them. It may not look like much right now, but these reptiles can grow to be five feet long and weigh a hundred and fifty pounds. It¡¯ll make a fantastic guard animal and hunting companion in a year or two at most.¡± Nervously, Jack pulled off his backpack and rummaged around in his backpack as the lizard squeaked again. Pulling out a small bit of some sort of jerky, Jack held it out nervously to the mutant reptile, which cocked its heads at it before lunging forward and snatching the jerky out of the Shunted¡¯s hands. The two heads both snapped and bit at the food, tearing chunks out of it with their fangs. As the right head gulped down at the last bit, it looked up at Jack, skittered up to him¡­ and then double-bit him on the arm. ¡°Fucking shit!¡± Jack yelped as the lizard immediately let go and looked up at him expectantly. ¡°What the hell was that for?¡±
Nano¡¯s Shared! [insignificant Amount ¨C no Points gained] [Unnamed Newborn Rot-Lizard] would like to share contact information with you! Share contact information? [Y/N]
¡°what the fuck¡­¡± Jack muttered as Hex spoke up again. ¡°It¡¯s trying to create what it knows as a parental bond with you. In other words, it¡¯s trying to join your party.¡± Oh. Well, I guess it¡¯s already imprinted on me, so I might as well gain some sort of way to communicate better with it. Jack selected yes, and a blue box popped up.
Contacts shared!
¡°Good¡­ now let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Jack muttered. ¡°I¡¯ll think up a name for you along the way.¡± With that, he started walking out of the clearing, the lizard squeaking before skittering after Jack and away from the horrible smell. ====--------==== Sometime later, as the sun drifted under the horizon, there were multiple squeaks like the one Jack had heard. Dozens of [Newborn Rot-Lizards] burrowed out of the refuse covering the cavern floor as they hatched. They looked around, squeaking as a trio of [Adult Rot-Lizards] and six [Juvenile Rot-Lizards] returned, dragging the mangled bodies of several [Dire Roaches]. The newborns all squeaked in glee and rushed towards the feast as the adults and juveniles pulled two of their own away. The colony feasted as the three moons watched both them and the newcomer to this battered world who was busy pursuing tasks of his own.