Jed ran through a dry stream eaten through the land in the jungle. Overhead the winds whipped viciously into the wild tall grass. Two suns had fallen for the night, and only the third remained on the edge of the sky.
The daytime critters were on the move in the process of heading back to their dens to clock out for the nocturnal dwellers. Now was the perfect time to catch a meal. A standard issue sword wasn’t cut out for hunting anything faster than porcupines. Jed unfastened his scrap metal bow slung to his back.
The train wreck he called home was full of loot that either needed to be repaired, or most often broken down for survival. That was for the future in the present he was a hunter who had come across prey. He set his sight for a snake slithering in a tree. Jed gripped a drawstring fashioned from spring like metal strings found on broken music instruments.
“THWACK!” said his arrow hitting the target.
Jed set upon the slain snake with his sword, and chopped off the head. He picked up the rest of it, and deposited the nutrients in his sack. The animal would be slowly smoked into jerky in a clay smoker built by the survivor near his den.
"MMMMM.. more nutrients,” he said, drooling.
A giant rat scuttled across the path into the woods. Jed stalked it slowly through the bushes with bow in hand. He pulled back, and let go. The wind hit the arrow, and the rat ran into a hole. He frowned, picking up the bent arrow when the wind carried distant voices to his ears. Jed snapped back on the prowl.
Nearby the stream flowed into a small waterfall. Jed looked down onto a clearing filled with strange metal beasts meshed into crystal drawing them to life on wheels. A tank cleared the front with a stream of flames in front, saw blades on the sides, and rolled on a single massive crushing crystal ball rotating underneath. A figure clad in golden armor jet packed with magma propulsion on his back flew up from the waterfall into view. He moved towards the bushes Jed hid in, and grabbed hold of a communication crystal transmitter.
"Where are you at silver11?" a crackling voice called.
"Taking a leak," replied the gold-plated jet packer, beginning to unzip his armor directly above Jed.
Jed had to move downstream fast.
“Huh what's that?” sputtered the compromised trooper spotting danger close.
“THWACK” responded to the arrow hitting target.
“Bang!”.
He had a special surprise waiting for an explosive load of scavenged crystals taped on. Jed ran back into the jungle while the enemy he had struck strapped to the malfunctioning jet-pack zipping wildly through the forest. His sword cut through blocking spider webs as he kept eyes on the prize above. The corpse hit the top of a towering ancient tree, and the armor that rang out like a bell bouncing away.
The body loudly smacked around hitting on moss covered glacier rocks and mushrooms like a pinball wizard, before finally tumbling down to the ground right in front of him. A strange armor engraved in stranger number blocks, and what appeared to be a single faintly glowing flowing symbol that spun over everything like a giant jellyfish burn. A cylinder weapon of some kind of exposed crystal harnessed glowing blue near the heart. On the other hand lay burned flesh, and melted materials exposed to intense heat of a crystal battery meltdown. A small core once harnessed for energy that was no more.
The mysterious forces below began to burn roads towards him.
“BOOM!”
An explosive volley from an artillery barrage hit where he had killed one of them.
The reinforcements would be soon swarming in like angry bees to find him. Jed threw the surprisingly light body on his back. He would take it back to base camp for looting and disposal so as not to waste anything. Jed had never seen hardware this advanced anywhere except Elf. This guy wasn’t from any military branch he had ever seen. Perhaps the Kingdom had sent in elite shadow guards with top secret technology after him, or he was up against some other force that was yet to be determined.
The corpse was an awkward load to carry such a distance back home with so much heat incoming. Maybe stashing it away somewhere safe for the night would be the better plan, but the curiosity to unmask his foes was greater. Logically they were advanced enough to track him so he needed all the help he could get. The knowledge of who he was up against, and the power of the armor to wear. He descended back into the dry stream dragging it through the mud. One foot over another one.
The suns had all long set now after dark. Thankfully the exposed crystals on the corpse were providing an aura of glowing blue light against the tree walls on either side. The birds had gone to sleep, but the monkeys still barked, swinging all around in the dark sky above. The temperature had dropped to seemingly the coldest it had ever been for Jed in this tundra. He needed to get home soon, and lock up his birds and hogs in their pens on the farm.
A ripped piece of red clothing tied to a branch marked the path at a crossroads. The closing road home. It would surely be less than an hour at this pace, or even less he told himself without saying a word. The body had been dragged by a single smelly foot for a while. Jed slung the whole man back on his back walking the path from trampling a floor of flora to coarse eroded rock heading a sharp bend down under roots that lay exposed from the ground above.
An hour later and home was still nowhere to be seen. Jed sat at the base of a fallen trunk where the corpse lay sprawled over top with one dead hand touching the ground. This looked like unfamiliar land, but until recently it had still been marked by red ripped cloth spurring him forward. The cloth had run out, and this was certainly unfamiliar land. A pile of rock going up a steep cliff to somewhere he didn’t want to be. The trail marks had been moved. No doubt somebody was playing tricks on him. A monkey screeched a laughing cackle nearby announcing itself as a primary suspect.
“Curse my bad luck of my existence limping along tortured, while the other animals have so much fun watching on,” said the man throwing his fists to the sky.
The survivor fell pounding the ground, as tears of frustration fell from his eyes. A branch broke, startling Jed back to a quiet state of survival. He scanned all around for trouble while his body shook with adrenaline. He dragged a leaf over the glowing body snuffing out the light. The jungle was now nothing but darkness in the night. He crouched behind the overturned tree roots, and waited for whatever hunted him to come forward. Another twig snapped closer. Jed heard a beast's nostrils let out a large vent of air.
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“Hello there friend,” said a slow, raspy voice.
Jed jumped, falling over into mud he froze.
“Don’t be afraid Jed, we were already traveling companions once,” it said.
“Who are you?” yelled Jed.
“I once held many burdens for a foolish wizard on my back, and now I will bear many for you,” it announced echoing through the trees, and getting closer.
A nightmare bird hit a harsh tone combined with the wind howl. The nostrils flared hot steam shooting down the neck and his back. He jumped forward crawling for life as the beast advanced on him. Stuck picking himself up off the sucking mud under the ripped away roots in the dead of night. Jed flipped over with his explosive bow ready for a final showdown.
“Hey man I’m another simple animal here, there's no need to be a wussy,” laughed the approaching donkey.
It still had the same pack Jed remembered before Fred, but was engulfed in a new light with bright purple showing the path again emitting from its eyes. Jed covered his eyes while rolling farther behind the thick cover of the roots. This was either a particularly cruel disarming trap, or he had finally caught his big break. A mental one that is..
Jed prepared for any incoming funny business by double checking his battle scarred weapons. Both could were still capable of killing anything in skilled enough hands. He needed to keep the thing talking friendly.
“There’s an Eleven mercenary thug of some kind behind a leaf over there. I would say more will be coming for revenge,” Jed nervously called to the creature.
The purple light dulled.
“Yeah, well not the revenge part, the Elementals care more about protecting their technology, that's a human cultist permanently bonded to them in a life pact,”.
“Did you do anything to Fred, where is he?” Jed angrily interrupted.
“No clue.. He went mad from everything you know it happens sometimes in this grimdark place we inhabit,” responded the purple glowing animal.
The donkey was making a lot of noise messing with the creaking armor of the dead. Jed quickly glanced at the creature now carrying the corpse slung over its back.
“What could they be doing out here in the jungle?” asked the human.
“How should I know,”. The donkey turned to its cargo and gripped. Out ripped the glowing crystal battery part off the chestplate with full force. It slurped, pulling out internal contents with wires, plugs, and finally an artificial heart built of plastic bags holding blood, and crystals. “There’s a tracking device we can keep the loot and they won’t find us now,”.
“Huh alright thanks,” said Jed, slowly peeking out of cover dumbfounded.
“Stop the heart tracker with an explosive when I'm clear,” said the donkey leaving the area.
“Good idea,” said Jed, aiming his bow.
The trail grew more worn, and soon the very top edge of train cars stacked on top of themselves showed in the treeline arriving home. The donkey provided light while Jed went to his nighttime chores late. He approached the chicken where the hen flap was open. A coop where a fox darted out carrying away a hen flapping from its mouth to feed on later. It happened sooner than the farmer had time to react.
“Damn it,” cried Jed.
“Tsk, tsk hope he only had time to get one hen,” scolded the donkey.
“Only two birds are missing. It could have been much worse” Jed said, locking the hens in safely from the hungry jungle.
“Since you talk donkey I assume you wish to sleep indoors with another civilized beast myself” said the man.
“No, I prefer to be classified as mule,” It began to circle a pile of hay like a dog looking for a spot, “I’ll keep night watch out here sleeping on my feet instead of locking myself in a deathtrap with no maneuverability,” it replied.
“Very well friend goodnight” said Jed locking himself inside the mess of crashed train cars.
The next morning parrots squealed the signs of morning. Jed awoke from where he sprawled onto the hammock. Surely a nightmare for this talking ass, either way it was full of shit. He opened the door to the beast who was waiting for him outside. Either way now he had a friend to talk to. A good thing needed to keep him from going crazy.
“I didn’t get your name,” said Jed.
“Mule,”.
“Very well I suppose you actually did and it flew over my head, what can I feed you for breakfast Mule?” said Jed.
“Oatmeal if you got it, or porridge with apples,” said Mule.
“I got a tree of apples and plenty to spare,” said the farmer.
It was a good couple weeks on the farm. With the added horsepower, and another mind to bounce ideas off of, Jed worked twice as hard as before. Everyday he, and Mule got up early to work under purple light feeding animals, and tending crops. The storage bags hung to the animal increased the game he could catch to bring home tenfold on every hunt. Eventually growing trust in Mule Jed had never been so optimistic about living this way of life.
"You know the other night I went looking around on my rounds, and found something amazing you've been sitting right on top of this entire time," said Mule, between bites of duck feed Jed had poured into pales.
"That's for birds not you fool," said the farmer coming down with a slapping hand that the beast dodged.
"Hey I deserve a little bonus for all my support. I guarantee you will let me have anything I want to eat after I show you this crazy thing for use to work on hidden banking under the vines,” said Mule.
"Alright alright let's go show me if it will get you to shut up," said Jed.
They walked over a pile of boulders, and down a bank. Jed had been here before but he hadn't seen the vine covered fallen train car camouflaged into the wood. The Mule pointed it out, and the former soldier got to work clearing away vines from the overturned square box shipping container with his sword. The door knob creaked finally coming down as the man jumped on top of it with his entire weight, but the double doors were so rusted they wouldn't budge open.
"Tie a rope to the handle of the outer door and the other to my harness" said Mule.
"Good idea" said Jed jogging home to get his coil of rope.
Both creatures gave their full strength pulling, and pulling. The door creaked open creating a dust storm pouring out like a cinnamon shaker. Jed untied the rope from his friend who had started glowing purple again. Inside the half buried rectangle was the skeleton on four tires with an engine heart of crystal power exposed in front hanging on a crane with wires and parts strewn all over the floor. Painted black, and gold with a spike plow of sharp cutting crystals in front, and a cannon turret in the back for added firepower.
“Another wizard and I used to street race together in modified crystal engine cars for money. I held the light and spare parts in my teeth as we modified our old rig up with all kinds of guns," grinned Mule.
“I only ever got to drive beaters that couldn’t fly a fraction of the speed as I believe this premium machine can wow,” said Jed, looking impressed.
Behind the vehicle a bolted vault with a warning that the volatile magma boosters for the propulsion were locked away by an unknown combination. Cluttering around the edges of the shop grinders, anvils, smelting supplies, an anvil and a furnace. A thin layer of dust hung over everything with stale air that had been preserved by the airtight lock. No matter how long this building had been sitting here as a time capsule the contents within were a treasure trove of technology for a more primitive survivor.
Jed coughed dust off the hood and tried opening the drivers side door but it wouldn’t budge. He had to climb through the window. He tumbled inside the hard interior. It looked reinforced with only the basics no cushioning.
"We've got so much work to do," said Jed, sticking his grease soaked head out the open window.
"Indeed I've got my work cut out trying to get your dumb ass to put this unit back together again in one piece," laughed the donkey.