Keran stared at the system panel in front of him, a flicker of light passing through his eyes, barely noticeable.
A faint tremor ran through the cold metal, like something dormant stirring back to life.
A thin layer of blue light rippled across the surface of the broken arm, there and gone in an instant.
[Analysis Complete]
[Blueprint Obtained: Federation Standard Power-Reinforced Armor (Incomplete)]
[Current Completion: 29%]
[Note: Core drive module damaged, portions of wiring burned out. Full functionality requires further repair.]
He looked up at Garron, an unusual note of excitement in his voice.
“This is the right arm of a Federation standard power-reinforced armor. The core drive module’s blown to pieces, but the hydraulic transmission, the alloy joints, and most of the power conduits are still intact.”
He reached out and tapped lightly on the elbow joint, drawing out a dull metallic clang.
“Swap out the corroded bearings, rewire the connections, fit it with a small power cell, and this could carry five hundred kilos as a power assist arm. Out here in the wild, this thing’s worth more than ten rifles.”
“Really?” Garron’s eyes lit up instantly.
“I’ve been messing with this for five years and never even figured out how to take it apart! If you can fix it, it’s yours! It’s just a pile of scrap sitting here with me anyway.”
“I can rig it into a power exoskeleton arm for hunting,” Keran said with a small smile.
“That’ll make dealing with mutant beasts a lot easier for you.”
“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Garron slapped his thigh, thrilled.
“I’ll go dig up some tools right now!”
The two of them fell into talking through the plan for the arm.
Keran’s grasp of mechanics went far beyond anything Garron had expected.
Problems he’d been chewing on for years without an answer, Keran cracked open in a couple of sentences.
Before either of them noticed, night had fully fallen.
Elara brought over the finished stew.
The broth was pale, rich, and thick, the meat stewed down soft and full of flavor, a few bright green vegetable leaves floating on top.
The smell filled the whole tent in an instant.
Keran’s stomach growled, betraying him.
He didn’t stand on ceremony, just picked up the bowl and dug in.
The warm food slid down his throat and settled in his stomach, chasing off the hunger and the exhaustion, both his stamina climbing steadily back up.
After dinner, Garron offered, without being asked, to let Keran stay the night.
“The Black Forest’s too dangerous at night. It’s not just mutant beasts, there’s scavengers roaming around too. You’re wounded, it’s too risky to travel now.” Garron said.
“Get a proper night’s sleep. I’ll walk you out to the nearest road first thing tomorrow morning, and I’ll get you enough rations and water for the road.”
Keran hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
He really was exhausted.
Garron rigged up a small partition inside the tent with a piece of heavy canvas, and Elara brought over clean bedding to make him a simple bed.
“Your pack’s too big, it won’t fit in there. Should I set it out on the storage rack outside?” Elara asked.
The tent had limited space, and his little partition was cramped, barely enough room for a single bed; no way it could fit a pack stuffed with weapons.
He thought it over, borrowed a hide from Garron, pulled out all the weapons he’d looted off the Black Hound squad, and with practiced hands, emptied every magazine and stripped out the triggers and firing pins.
He wrapped it all up tight in the thick hide and set the bundle in a shadowed corner of the tent.
As a finishing touch, he tucked a dried leaf under the edge of the wrapping.
If anyone opened it, the leaf would fall.
Then he loaded all the remaining magazines back into his pack and shoved it under the bed.
He drew the standard issue pistol from his hip, checked the magazine, and slid it under his pillow.
Grateful as he was for the couple’s hospitality, the caution wasn’t something he could afford to drop.
Only once all of that was done did Keran lie down.
Outside the tent, wind rustled through the leaves, and somewhere in the distance an unfamiliar beast let out the occasional howl.
The fire burned quietly at the center of the tent, giving off soft little pops and crackles.
Elara and Garron’s breathing was steady and even.
This was the first time in the six months since Keran had been summoned into this world that he’d found himself somewhere this safe, this warm.
The nerves he’d kept wound tight for seven full days and nights finally let go, and exhaustion crashed over him all at once, like a wave breaking.
He’d barely closed his eyes before he was out cold, in the deepest sleep he’d had in a long time.
Garron heard the faint sound of snoring, shook his head with a smile, and murmured to Elara, “Guess he really was wiped out. Keep it quiet, don’t wake him.”
Elara nodded and softened her movements, gathering up the pots and bowls to carry outside and wash.
…
It was Finn, the one who’d caused all the trouble in the woods earlier that day.
Only the last glow of the fire lit the tent now, and Keran’s steady breathing carried over from behind the partition.
Finn crept in on tiptoe, thinking nobody had noticed him sneaking out earlier.
Finn’s father had served alongside Garron back in the war, and hadn’t made it out.
Ever since, Finn had lived with Garron.
“Where’d you run off to during dinner?”
Garron’s voice cut through the darkness out of nowhere, pitched low, but it still made Finn jump so hard he nearly tripped over the tent flap with his own heel.
Only then did he spot Garron, sitting perfectly still in the shadow of the corner, no telling how long he’d been waiting there.
“Just… walked around nearby,” Finn mumbled, doing his best to brush it off.
“Walked around? We haven’t even settled up about what happened today.” Garron’s voice dropped even lower.
“If Keran hadn’t stepped in, the two of us would be dead in that forest right now. You get that?”
“How many times have I told you, stay away from those mutant beasts? You just let it go in one ear and out the other?”
The words stung, and Finn’s face burned.
He opened his mouth to argue, but the moment he thought of that bloody gash on Garron’s arm, whatever nerve he’d been holding onto drained right out of him.
“Come on, uncle! I said I was wrong, isn’t that enough!” He stuck his chin out, face crumpling, burying his unspoken guilt under an exaggerated show of begging.
“Just let it go this once!”
“Let it go?” Garron snorted.
“Go on then, which leg you want to keep this time, left or right?”
Finn hesitated, then asked, carefully, “Can I… can I keep the more useful one?”
“That one’s getting broken first!” Garron raised a hand, then caught himself, remembering he couldn’t wake Keran, and let it drop with a growl.
“Lucky for you we’ve got company tonight. We’ll settle this tomorrow. Now get out and sleep outside!”
Finn practically got a reprieve from the executioner, and was about to bolt when the corner of his eye caught the bulging hide bundle sitting in the tent’s corner.
His steps hitched for a second, and he couldn’t help but sneak another look before slipping quietly out of the tent.
…
The night air cleared Finn’s head a little.
The whole day had been one thing after another, first chased half to death by a monster, then getting chewed out by his uncle the second he got back.
His chest felt tight with all of it bottled up inside.
But he knew, deep down, that this one was on him.
If he hadn’t gone and provoked that Thorn Beast, his uncle never would’ve gotten hurt like that.
And that unspoken guilt only made him want to prove something even more.
Prove he wasn’t just some useless kid who dragged everyone else down.
He thought about that bulging hide bundle sitting in the corner of the tent.
A guy who could take down a whole Thorn Beast by himself; whatever gear he was carrying had to be the real deal.
“If I had a weapon like that too…” Finn muttered to himself, his eyes slowly lighting up.
Once the thought took hold, it grew like a weed, fast and out of control.
It wasn’t like the idea didn’t cross his mind that this was a rotten thing to do.
The guy had saved their lives, and here he was thinking about stealing from him.
But then he pictured how pathetic he’d looked facing down that Thorn Beast, and Finn pressed his lips together and made up his mind anyway.
…
In the dead of night, everything was silent.
Every soul in the settlement was asleep.
Finn crept back into the tent on his toes like a thief, easing his way carefully toward the hide bundle.
“Let’s see here…”
Finn held his breath and peeled back the hide, layer by layer.
The moment he saw what was inside, his eyes went wide, and he nearly fell flat on his backside from the shock.
Guns!
Every one of them brand new, standard military issue!
There were SMGs, and even a few dark, blocky grenades!
This was gear only a regular army unit would carry!
A hundred times better than his uncle’s old hunting rifle!
Finn’s breathing quickened, his fingers trembling slightly.
He reached out to grab a few more pieces, but the image of the man taking down that monster with such brutal efficiency flashed through his mind, and some inexplicable awe pulled his hand back.
“Can’t take it all…” He looked genuinely torn, gritted his teeth, and reached for the two smallest pistols, tucking them into his shirt.
“Two pistols missing, he probably won’t even notice.” Visit g.com for the full chapter.
He carefully wrapped the hide bundle back up exactly as it had been, made sure there was nothing to give him away, and crept out of the tent.
…
The next morning, Keran woke right on time.
A good night’s sleep had done wonders.
His spirits were up, and his wounds had closed considerably.
“Keran, you’re up?” Garron was outside the tent, stretching, and greeted him with a grin.
This family’s warmth really was a rare thing to find in this brutal wasteland.
As tempting as the safety here was, Keran knew perfectly well that every extra minute he stayed put put this settlement at risk.
“Thank you for taking me in. I wish I could stay longer, but I can’t. I won’t forget this, though,” Keran said.
“No rush, eat something before you go.” Elara came over carrying a plate of freshly cooked flatbread, smiling.
“I made you some to take on the road.”
Keran took the warm bread, something warm rising in his chest.
It was the first time since arriving in this world that he’d felt kindness with no strings attached.
“Thank you,” he said, and meant it.
“Ha, don’t mention it!” Garron waved a hand, easygoing as ever.
“I should be thanking you, you saved my life. If you’re ever passing through again, stop by anytime!”
Keran nodded and started gathering his things.
The moment he picked up the hide bundle, his expression went cold.
The leaf tucked under the edge was gone.
Somebody had gotten into his things.
“What’s wrong?” Garron noticed the change in his face and asked quickly.
“Someone went through my bag.” Keran’s voice stayed level, but there was a chill under it.
Garron froze.
“No way, me and Elara didn’t touch it… wait a second!”
“Finn! Get your ass in here!” Garron roared toward the outside of the tent.
Finn, who’d been hiding behind the tent listening in, flinched all over and slunk out, head down, not daring to look at anyone.
Keran looked at him, something between a smile and not quite one on his face.
“Why am I not surprised.”
Finn hunched his shoulders and couldn’t meet his eyes.
“Did you steal from him?
Hand it over right now!” Garron gave him a kick in the backside, snapping in frustration, “What did I do to raise a kid this useless!”
Finn bit his lip and, with obvious reluctance, pulled a pistol out from inside his shirt and handed it over to Keran.
“Keran, go ahead and hit him! This kid’s got it coming!” Garron rolled up his sleeves, already working out exactly how he was going to smack his nephew around.
“No need. As long as I’ve got it back.” Keran took the pistol back, letting out a breath.
It wasn’t like he cared about the gear itself; what worried him was that leaving weapons like this behind could bring real trouble down on the settlement.
Garron had put him up for the night, and there was no way he’d repay that by leaving a landmine behind.
Finn pouted, feeling a bit sour about it.
There were so many guns in that bag; what difference would one less make…
Keran glanced at Finn once, but didn’t say anything more about it.
He shouldered his pack and waved goodbye to Garron and Elara.
“Until next time.”
“Stay safe out there!” Garron nodded.
Keran nodded once, turned, and walked out of the settlement, vanishing into the depths of the forest.
“He’s finally gone.” Finn wiped away a cold sweat, not entirely sure whether what he felt was relief or guilt.
At least the guy hadn’t noticed he’d kept one back.
Free of his uncle’s scolding, he took off in a flash for the small stand of trees behind the camp.
He pulled the pistol he’d hidden away out of his shirt and turned it over in his hands, unable to put it down.
He took a deep breath, raised the gun, aimed at a big tree off in the distance, and his finger instinctively went for the trigger.
Empty air.
“Hold on.” The grin froze on Finn’s face, the corner of his eye twitching wildly.
“This gun… where’s the trigger?!”