Some Warpunk in Cybercraft! [Fanfiction]

DenB

I had a little Blurb here on RR. It doesn't apply here, other than to say. I really don't care about ratings. I care about interactions. Reader comments will always matter more to me than chasing bigger numbers.

I hope everyone is having a great day.

They gently carried Sally to a room. I followed, Fix and Scuff hovering just over head now.

The room wasn't much, but it had a bed and a couple of chair. The state of everything was rough, but at the moment, anyway, it seemed clean.

I took a chair in the corner. I leaned back gathering more mana, it was taking a long time. Fix posted up outside the window and Scuff went back to patrolling and scanning.

Most of the Aldecaldos spent a few minutes talking with Sally and Amanda before shuffling off to their rest. Some stayed alert and took up their own patrols of the area.

I really wasn't paying any attention to what they were saying, just letting my mind drift. Enjoying a moment of quiet.

"I don't trust him, who knows what that weird power of his really does. Maybe he put a charm on her, or a h-hex or something." Lynx my greatest ally. Haha.

"She wasn't going to make it, now she's stable that's all that matters. Anything else can be dealt with. Later." Amanda with the dismissal.

Lynx stomped off muttering.

Amanda sat in the other chair, "Soooo..."

Ah, I know this one.

"Buttons." I chuckle.

"What?" She cocked her head at me.

"Old Joke. You sew buttons. Heh." She frowned at me. Okay. Humor not working, switch tactics.

"You want to know my deal, I get that. But I don't know a lot about my "magic" either. Hell, I've barely started to put together where I am. I've already fucked up in the City. Soooo yeah." I shook my head.

"Just tell me what you can, maybe we can help. At least point you in the right direction." She sounded sincere.

I launched into a somewhat cut down version of my story so far. I gave her a little more than I told Greg. And I certainly kept out the otherworldly aspects.

"That sounds insane. If I hadn't seen what you can do, if I hadn't noticed those flashes of energy, I wouldn't even entertain your story. As it is, I think we can help. We know the badlands better than anyone. We can help you get around. We have our own networks of Fixers, maybe we can set you up. We are certainly willing to help with trading Lumber for a nice cut. Say 40%." She delivered that in a precise controlled cadence.

"Hmm. Yeah, I'm too tired and too lost to haggle. I agree." I thought I had enough mana built up to give Sally a another once over. I stood up and went to her resting my hand on her head again. I hadn't realized it but she'd been awake and watching us, listening in the whole time.

"Warm." She smiled up at me.

Her voice was smoothing out, that's a good sign. I dived in searching for problems. A ton of damage to her hip joints and knees, a few torn muscles. I poured mana into each issue in turn.

When I was coming out of my trance, I heard, "You don't understand, when he does it it feels so good. Better than anything I've ever felt before."

I cleared my throat. Both women glanced at me, I couldn't reach their expressions.

"You ladies okay?" They both snorted at me.

"My daughter here was telling me she wants to travel with you for a while. I told her it was a bad idea. Not talking you down, just think it be better to get to know you first."

I brain stuck, "Daughter?" Sally looked somewhere between 20-25. Amanda, after accounting for a hard life, looked my age maybe a little older.

Hey, at least I remembered to remove my hand this time.

"HA! A bit of vanity in my youth. I'm a lot older then I look." Amanda guffawed at me. She slapped her hip.

Sally also chuckling, "Yeah me and Mom don't share much in the way of features, I take after Dad. I got her winning personality though."

"Uh, okay. I've done what I can, but you need to get your cyberware checked over by a Ripperdoc, I can't do anything about that. Go slow, but test things out, let's make sure I didn't mess up anything. For the record, I agree with your mom. We should get to know each other a little better before traveling together

I offered her a hand to get up. She took it, frowning, her hand was smooth except she had a gun link imbedded in it. Right, chrome arms.

She went through a series of motions. The only thin off seemed to be her right arm, it probably took some buckshot when her lung did. Still it was just a hitch for now. Their Ripper could get it up to speed back at the camp.

"Nice. I'm going to head out. I'd like to feel safe before I crash." I gave them both my detes. I got theirs back. "I'll be in touch in a couple of days, to setup some lumber to exchange."

"We be seeing you." Amanda said.

"Real soon." Sally smirked as she waved.

I left the room to see the sun just peeking over the mountains. Sunrise at the Sunset motel. I will never stop being amused by that.

I saw some of the Aldecaldos still keeping watch.

Scuff and Fix had already attached themselves to the Galena. I got in.

I was going to have the van follow us.

I drove out of the parking lot, thinking of tomorrow, and what might be.

DenB

It took two cups (my mug is large) of coffee to even get moving this morning. I don't want to say how much I ended up drinking to feel functional. Feels Bad.