AN: So, anyway, here we go happy people. You wanted it, you gotted it. :)

Chapter 14: Trust Issues

It was a strange thing even in a world of strange things. A collection of people sat in a lavish dining room. They were all beaten and tired. They had on filthy clothes, and several of them smelled like they had recently died. Despite that, those people were smiling and laughing. It was a welcome relief from the problems that they had recently faced.

The small throng of people sat at a beautiful table in a lavish dining room, and ate spaghetti out of a can. There was no reason to dirty dishes at the moment, after all. The dinner, such as it was, allowed people to unwind a little. People began to speak their minds in relative safety.

“I really thought that was it.” said a young girl in her late teens. She had straight black hair and had been the one to call Scott crazy earlier. Her name was Cia Newman.

The Rifleman from the battle, Harold Weiss, laughed. “Yeah, it was definitely hairy there for a minute. I can’t believe we won.”

Harold’s oldest daughter, Gretchen, reached out and squeezed her father’s shoulder. “You did great out there dad.”

“Yeah he did.” said Frank genially. He sat at the table shirtless, the wounds that had not been healed by the restorative drink had been bound with tape and gauze. He looked like he had been tossed into a wood-chipper, but he was in good spirits.

Rachel, the youngest daughter of the Weiss family grinned at Frank. “I think I saw you through one of the upper windows. You fought with three of those things with just an axe right?”

Frank nodded. “I need more experience fighting with it. That was brutal.”

“You did good. Not like that other guy.” said a short dark haired man. His name was Manny Flores.

“You talking about Scott?” asked Frank. He lifted one eyebrow and glanced sternly at the smaller man.

“Yeah. Whenever I saw him, he was getting his ass handed to him by that one goblin.”

Frank snorted. “It was at least as strong as Scott. You might not remember clearly, but all those bodies on the road we ran across? He did that by himself, and I doubt they all came at him one at a time.”

“Still…” said Manny.

Frank shook his head. He would hear none of that kind of talk. “You know what? I didn’t see you out there.”

“You said..!” began Manny. His expression shifting to an accusatory scowl.

“You agreed.” said Frank.

Just like that, the festive atmosphere died a little. All it had taken was someone talking shit when they had no idea what they had really seen.

Manny's scowl died instantly. He closed his eyes then sighed. “You’re right. Sorry.”

“Not a problem for me. Just, remember how you got here.” said Frank. “Do you think we would have made it if we’d had to wade through all those things when they were alive? Those two guns the girls used were looted from monsters that use guns.”

“Damn…” said Manny. “Hey where did he go anyway?”

“He went to scout the bridge. The guy’s been fighting all day, but he won’t rest.” said Frank.

“Sounds like you’ve got a little hero worship, officer.” said Rachel with a smile.

Frank laughed. “I wouldn’t go that far. He seems like a good guy. We need good guys right now.”

Harold raised up his water bottle. “Here, here. Even if he keeps a little girl who turns into a mini-bike as a pet.”

“That was crazy, right?” asked Frank with a laugh. He raised up his own water bottle. “Here, here.”

Manny looked a little sheepish and raised up his own water bottle. “Yeah. Here, here.”

“There you go.” said Frank to Manny.

Hector, Manny's brother, walked into the room and sighed loudly. “You cannot believe how good that felt.” He had just taken a hot bath.

The mansion they had taken possession of also had solar panels to help with the power needs. Unlike vehicles and gasoline powered generators, the solar panels still worked properly. They only ran a few things, mostly stuff in the panic room, but the hot water heater and the water pump were two of the other uses.

The sound of gunfire reached their ears before anyone could laugh at the man. Frank jumped up and grabbed his axe. He did not even ask what was going on, he ran for the front door.

Once he was out the door, he saw several large rats crawling feebly around near the gate. They fell to another round of fire.

Frank called out to the tower and one of the three people on guard duty waved back to him. “Just some rats!”

“Alright!” he called back. “Lemme go check them.”

He trotted out to the gate and looked around. There were three dead rats, but no loot. “There were only three?”

“There’s two more near the corpse pile!” called back the girl on duty. Her name was Hana James. She had been one of the people who had originally wanted to go with Scott earlier that day, and felt she owed him a little for doing his best to get her a profession book. Guard duty seemed like a good start.

“Shit. They probably came for the corpses.” Frank rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Fine, we’ll have to burn ‘em and bury ‘em. They’ll keep drawing more of those things, otherwise.”

Hana called out, "Scott told me to use one of his salvation crystals if things seemed bad. Does this count?"

Frank shook his head. "Nah, but if anything else shows up use it. We can't be doing this all night. The monsters are stronger at night, too."

"Roger that, fearless leader." said Hana with a smile.

The police officer laughed at her then waved her off. He assigned a few people to help him clean the area. They gathered up some tools and a bit of gas before heading off to do what was necessary.

At first, Frank thought that Scott was a bit too trusting to leave the place with both the owner and his only guaranteed ally in tow. What if the people in Frank's group had wanted to take control of the place?

It was not until he had overhead Scott explain his plan to Rosa that Frank's estimation of the man grew even further than before. Not only could he fight, but he had a dangerous mind.

Frank looked his people over then shook his head. If any of them tried to make the claim for taking this place and keeping Scott's group out, he would shoot it down as best he could. The last words he had heard Scott speak still haunted him.

He looked at the people around him while they began to haul corpses or dig holes. A few of them muttered things related to how the big shot should clean his own mess. Frank shook his head and got back to work. He already knew what would happen if the people he brought there tried anything. Scott's final words on the matter echoed in his ears, and simultaneously chilled him to the core. "Rosa, the world's a graveyard. Digging a few more graves won't be a problem."

The deeper the hole that Frank dug became, the more it began to look like a possible grave. The memory of the corpses littering the town were fresh in his mind. Never in his life had the massive law enforcement officer been so determined not to pick a fight.

While Frank and the crew went about the laborious task of cleaning up the corpses of two dozen goblins and nearly a half dozen rats, there was another clean-up underway at the bridge. After a brief scouting excursion, the battling trio determined that they had a reasonable chance of success.

The lizardmen in and around the bridge numbered an even dozen, but they had an average level of three. In short, they were nothing more than scrubs compared to those who descended upon them.

Battle, the clash of ideals that led to blood flowing across the innocent Earth, had begun. The announcer cried out, "Midboss Mr. Badass, and associates VS. The leaping lizardmen of the bridge! Fight-O!"

Harley hung back during the battle to keep watch for more monsters, she would fire whenever her turn came around, but she would mostly serve as rapid mobility backup.

Scott and Rosa were going to go in to close combat to fight the beasts that held the bridge. The lizardmen were much stronger than ghouls or goblins of a similar level, but that only put them on similar footing to Rosa. That meant that they might as well have given up and died on the spot the moment Scott rolled up atop his hot pink loli.

Mr. Badass reached one of the lizardmen just before his speed would have run out. He only had a chance for one hit, but he made the most of it. His Kaiser blade whipped around and tore several conically shaped teeth from the crocodile-head of his opponent. The monster did not even have a chance of dodging the blow. The only thing it could do after taking such a major attack was to cry out with an agonized hiss. Harley took her turn, and easily killed off a lizardman at range. She had enough speed and movement left to critically injure another before Rosa made her move. Her stats would not allow her to reach her opponents this turn, but she was within threat range before the lizardmen began to make their moves.

A lizardman ran over and lept toward Rosa, in a bid to taste the flesh of a lesser prey. It received a swift slash across the side for its troubles. Blood only slightly trickled from the wound, but the monster heavily favored his side after that. It was a light weight weapon, but the leaf-blade design added extra damage to the attack and it was wickedly sharp.

"Counter!" cried the announcer, before the lizardman made its next move.

Rosa ducked under the claw-swipe of the injured monster then slammed her blade forward in a sharp thrust that rose up under its rib cage and punctured whatever was there. Whether or not its organ placement was the same as a man was hard to say. Either way, the beast immediately went limp and fell to the ground. Only a quick twisting motion kept her blade from going with it. She scored another counter in the process, according to the announcer.

The other lizardmen attempted to swarm Scott instead, but they discovered that he was well beyond them. By the end of the first round, most of the lizardmen were dead. Not long after that the rest of the lizard men at the bridge fell. It had not really been much of a fight, but such was the fate of those who were far weaker than their opponents in this world.

“Scaled Boots.” Scott showed Rosa the footwear that had dropped. “Alligator shoes anyone?”

“Tacky, but yes please.” she said.

Scott tossed them to her and she equipped her first real bit of new world armor. The boots increased agility by one point, and defense by three. Combined with the ring she had been given that increased strength and defense, she was starting to come along nicely.

“The hell?” asked Rosa when she looked down at her new boots. They had morphed after she placed them on her feet. She now sported high-heeled boots with a crocodile skin pattern.

“Sexy.” said Scott with a grin.

She pointed her xiphos at him. “I have a sword you know.”

“Yep. You’re good with it, too.” said Scott lightly.

“Stupid sexist boots.” muttered Rosa before lifting her heel up a little and admiring the fit. She called them sexist, but she did not seem too unhappy if her smile was any indication.

“Well, at least your agility is high enough that you won’t bust your ass.” said Scott.

“I guess.” She twisted her knee and rotated her heel a little. “Kinda sparkly, though.” The boots shimmered a little in the light, much like the scales of the monsters they had just slain.

Scott rolled his eyes then smiled. Rosa was no longer quite as fearful, and had started to become more confident now that she had survived her first large scale battle.

There were several more fights as they attempted to cross the bridge. Lizardmen popped out of the water or appeared out of hidden spots.

Luckily, the monsters that appeared on the bridge had been scattered in little groups all across the bridge. Only a few of them at a time were able to reach them before they were cut down. It was almost a restful battle for Scott after dealing with the hobgoblin boss earlier. He would not want to meet a lizard man boss any time soon, though. If a goblin's boss was that much stronger, what would a lizardman leader be like? It was more than a little disturbing.

“So, guess this is where we say goodbye?” asked Rosa. She looked to Scott and smiled, though her eyebrows pressed together briefly while she did so.

“Just till tomorrow. I have to get going before it gets dark.” said Scott. It was too late to walk to his house, but he could get there much sooner if he rode Harley.

“Yes.” She nodded then looked away. “So, uhm…”

Things became a little awkward after that. They did not actually know each other, but they were discussing meeting again. In a more normal time that might have been construed differently.

“Let’s go hunting tomorrow. OK?” asked Scott, uncertain of what else to say. He liked her willingness to go out and face monsters directly. Besides, she seemed like the sort of person who wouldn’t stab him in the back, or drown him in the river. Strong people like that were good to have around.

Rosa blinked then reached up and grabbed a strand of her hair. “I would like that.”

Scott nodded. “Want Harley to drive you home?”

“No. It’s not far.” she said, while trying to sound brave. Until earlier that afternoon, she had been terrified of even leaving her home.

“Alright.” Scott called to his robo-loli. She transformed into bike form and rolled over to him. He hopped atop the mini-bike, then nodded to Rosa while trying to hold the handlebars in a solid grip. As usual his knees jutting up and slightly to the side made it difficult.

“You look ridiculous. You do know that?” asked Rosa with a grin.

Scott’s knees were almost up to his shoulders due to how he had to hunch over. He laughed a little. “Harley’s a growing girl.” He patted the pink mini-bike on the handlebars and her headlights dimmed a little. Her front wheel turned slightly to one side, and her engine made a strange little noise.

There was a moment of awkward silence that followed. Scott ended it by saying, “Well, we better get going. Do you remember what to do if those yahoos back at the house act weird?"

"Yes." she said with a nod.

Scott nodded to her in kind then revved Harley's engine. "Be safe, alright?”

“Right. You too.” said Rosa.

Scott and Harley rode off with a loud buzzing sound. The image of him on the little bike was reminiscent of a giant grasshopper trying to ride a hot pink weed eater. Rosa watched the ludicrous sight for a moment then turned away. “See you tomorrow, Scott.”

She began her two mile journey back to her home, her thoughts full of concern for someone she had just met that day. She was not foolish enough to think it was more than that, but he had helped her a great deal. Now he rode off to face who knew what manner dangers.

The road that Scott and Harley rode down was filled with abandoned cars, and the occasional ghoul. For the most part the monsters were ignored, but the wreckage took more of their time to navigate than Scott would have liked.

He had suspected that it would take at least a half hour to get to his house, but that half hour had turned into a little over an hour. A large wreck had forced a detour, and they had run afoul of a thick pack of ghouls. They were all ridiculously weak compared to the monsters that they had fought recently, but there had been dozens of them.

They rode up on his house just before the sun finally set on the longest day that Scott had ever faced in the entirety of his life. He sighed loudly and asked Harley to check for signs of life. There were living humans in the house and no monsters within her range. Finally, he could take a break!

Scott hopped off of his pet mini-bike and she transformed into her humanoid form. Together they walked up to the front door and he confidently knocked on it.

He could hear surprised voices from inside followed by overly loud shuffling. A cry of, “He’s back!” could be heard through the door just before it was flung open.

“Hey.” said Scott in a casual manner, like he was just coming over for a nice chat or perhaps to use a friend's toilet.

The small family, plus one, crowded around the door. Several questions were fired off in rapid-succession. Scott raised his hand and said, “Let’s go in and I’ll fill you all in on what’s happened.”

Once they were inside, and the door was locked and barred, everyone gathered round by lantern light. Scott introduced Harley, and she greeted everyone. The others introduced themselves to her and she nodded politely in return.

“So, what happened?” asked Tammi. “Did- Did you find…?”

Scott sighed. “Well, yeah I did find him.”

“You found dad!” exclaimed Anna.

“Daddy’s OK?” asked Daisy.

“Where is he? Why didn’t you bring him?” asked Wayne.

“He’s still in the city. The closest bridge between here and there is completely overrun by ghouls, and the river is dangerous to cross otherwise.” Scott began to explain the situation to them fully. He told them about the shopping arcade, the crazy mermaid, and the boss battles. He told them everything important except for the fact that their father was full of himself and a bit of a dick. He figured they either knew that already, or it would not help to find out.

“So, what now?” asked Tammi.

“It’s too dangerous to travel at night and it will take hours to get to the house on foot. We’ll leave early tomorrow and take the supplies with us.”

“What about dad?” asked Anna.

“If he hasn’t brought everyone else there yet, I’ll go let him know you’re all there the day after that. It would be a terrible idea to try to take you all through the city to where he is. The place is a warzone.”

“So, we have to travel tomorrow?” asked Tammi.

“Yeah, as early as possible. We absolutely cannot go out till dawn, though. Harley will keep watch tonight. She can sense monsters and doesn’t need to sleep. She’s a major help.” said Scott.

“Thank you for praising Harley, Master.” said the machine girl.

It was one thing to be told that she was a robot, but it was another to hear a little girl call a grown man master. Tammi grunted slightly.

“Anyway, I know you’ve all been stuck here in the dark for a while. Just hold out one more night. Alright?” asked Scott.

Tammi nodded. “We can do that.”

“Well, I’m tired. I’m going to get something to eat and pass out.” said Scott before he fought down a yawn. The nap that he had taken earlier had done wonders, but he was still tired.

The night passed slowly for the people who had been trapped in the house for the last few days, but it went by quite quickly for Scott. He slept until Harley woke him just before dawn.

He hissed a little at the stiffness in his body. He regenerated faster than the average person, but he had also taken a beating many times worse than his body should have to endure. The fact that he had taken similar beatings several times over the course of the last few days were quite telling. What he really needed was the equivalent of a doctor in this bold new shithole of a world.

Scott helped the others get everything ready to move, and used a bloodstone gem to make a bottle of restorative just in case anyone might need it. If they made it back without incident he planned to take a drink as soon as he stepped inside the gate.