Jed groaned straining to lift a bucket of slop over top of the makeshift fence. The overflowing contents began to slowly pour out splattering on his jeans through slits in the pallets nailed together. The mixed liquid puree feed of maze, raked blueberries full of leaves and crab apples dripped into the troth over the waiting ears of filthy formerly wild hogs. The animals fought and squealed to feed now tamed.
“Another fine farming day is almost done, and soon we will head home for a fresh shine eh Mule” said Jed, tossing away the bucket for tomorrow.
Jed who leaned against the fencing listening to the hogs struggled to breath through their stuffed mouths.
“I’m a dry animal these days, too good for schlocky trash,” said Mule, tasting some of the pig slop that had spilled over the divide. “This stuff is better for you health wise,”.
Jed began amateurishly whistling a folk tune picked up somewhere in youth. Mule grunted, lagging behind the winding jungle path. It had become well worn from the grind of everyday chores for months. Jed latched the chickens in their hut, and then the trapped ducks into pens made from industrial medium metal shipping boxes.
Towering above the comforting presence of the collapsed mess of a home base. A train derailed into a maze stack from a fall from the tracks. The donkey, and man had been using their intelligence to repurpose everything pulled from the train wreck into farming, and other survival equipment. If only they had more helping hands to help build they could afford some leisure time away from the bare necessities. Their car project was being sidelined and taking what must have been well over a hundred days to get started.
The clearing grew much bigger ahead around the base camp. Both sides of the property were lined with garden fencing constructed out of rusted wires, rope, and sheet metal scraps to keep out the vermin. One such pest darted from a hole in the ground. A plump winged squirrel that spirited into the dark shadows after having failed a go at getting through the wires. The orange sunsets lit a rapidly darkening picture across the lawn cast from the horizons.
“Smack!”
“Oof,” A coconut hit Jed’s back, knocking him on his ass.
Mule helped him to his feet and they both ran for cover of the train cars. The trees became angry with taunting monkeys high in the branches throwing every kind of nut at them. Their, shreeks, laughs, barks and hollering echoed making it twice as scary.
They had almost made it to the front door when something smacked Mule startling him. Jed fell inside the safety of the container.
“Gah get the door Mule,” said Jed clutching his noggin. “Ahh my head pounds something fierce like the gates of noise are being continuously slammed into my ears,” he moaned.
Outside the monkeys had seemed to stop their games with the loss of the target. While Mule looked strangely pissed staring into the dark forest outside.
“Put yourself together quickly man for far more dangerous things are heading straight here for us through the jungle,” said Mule, calmly entering the dwelling and standing to attention. He somehow bolted the locks behind him using his tail.
“And how do you know this danger lurking in the very hairy forest out there oh Mule is different from the usual suspects?” asked the waving Jed. “There's the maddening and then eventual death of me. I have long accepted this fate yet fight on against it anyway for sport” he had grown tired and sunk into a corner in the kitchen.
“These mechanized Knights looking for your scalp best get more prepared than the usual tigers, lions and bears,” cautioned Mule.
"Damn it I hope not. Sigh whatever danger lurks around the next bend, trusted steed are you a fortune teller?” asked Jed who then sighed.
“From my keen sense of smell, and a naturally occurring mutation of X-ray vision from being conceived in a crystal mine," said Mule, with a nod and a wink.
"That explains everything strange and unusual with you" said Jed strapping on his looted glowing light power armor underpowered due to the makeshift crystal power battery much worse than the original.
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" I can see that there is an empire army regiment coming here to reclaim this train. It’s time to get to our mobile death racing machine. It’s time for a new adventure Jed,” announced Mule, before grabbing his friend and pulling him up with a soft bite of his mouth.
“I trust you, and this here was only supposed to be a temporary farm, but how it sucks to lose all our hard work to start again. Say how long do you figure we have before they're on my doorstep?” asked Jed again, coming to his senses.
“No time for nothing else but to run. We got less than 15 minutes to get to the garage and burn rubber away from the waves of incoming enemies,” Mule yelled.
“Let’s go,” yelled Jed, sliding his sword in the sheath, and making sure a Magma tipped arrow was ready for his bow.
The empire men cut through the trees by whipping their slaves who then used machetes. More civilized men nearby used large flamethrowers to burn away the vines, and burdock. Their all terrain lifted wagons slowly followed with crystal floodlights penetrating deep into the surrounding jungle so that nothing could hide. This mission was to scout for traitors, clean the train’s carcass for materials, and share 5% of the looting profits. This accident was derailed due to sabotage in the war. There were too many wars going on to figure out the culprits apparently, but whoever the bastards responsible had sabotaged the tracks. The words they had heard on the communication crystal had briefed them all the details surrounding this scrapping mission.
“General Funkatron we have eyes on our prize in the clearing ahead, and it looks like somebody has made it a home too,” said the underling doing the blue salute.
“Alright clear it out, take the train for all her scrap, and capture those around for questioning at once,” announced general Funkatron with a wave of his commanding arm.
“Yes sir,” was called as the siege on the compound commenced.
The soldiers approaching in the first wave were the specially armored scrapper squad. Slow creaking tin cans marching through the jungle in clunky suits. These elite Knights found themselves outfitted with hilariously expensive to produce crude iron exoskeletons powered by crystal fuel, hydraulics and gears. One of the arms had what looked like an industrial can opener attachment while the other a crusher claw like a lobster. T
The first in line began slicing a hole in a train using his can opener. While sparks flew others walked further along to make more openings. The crusher ripping and tearing into the first train car in their path.
“Clang!”.
A round circle of metal was pulled out falling flat into the snow. The place had been successfully breached.
“Get in there,” said the scrapper pulling back from the opening to let infantry trickle inside.
“VROOM”
“VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!”
“BOOM!”
In came Jed, and Mule plowing through. The cars' rotating guns cleared army men who went scattering. A man trapped in a tin can was left crumpled on the street as the car ran off.
“Nice kill back there soldier” said Mule.
“Right, I'm back in that mode operation, and who knows if I will ever come back this time” said Jed shifting gears.
The blue electric crystal turbo charged infusion of 8 magma cores was a beastly engine. The car flew forward drifting around a muddy bend. Mule put on his shades.
“Get them!” yelled Funkatron injured, and muddy from the ditch where he had fallen.
“Where should we go, Mule who can see things through?” asked the driver.
“Just go with the flow Jed, and where we end up we will explore the paths we are offered” said Mule, his tongue hanging out the window.
“Bah I can’t stand letting another entity take the wheel. I am here still relatively young and still with my own free will” gasped Jed downshifting before drifting again.
“When you get around my years you will discover worrying about those kinds of choices is time wasted. Take advice from someone with far more time behind, and in front of him. Just worry about surviving” said Mule, continuing to drool.
“Baah again from a drooling farm animal at heart you can’t ever imagine the human condition. No matter how much magic infuses you it will still confuse you” said Jed.
“True being paralyzed with overthinking while the hourglass runs regardless is always a tough thing to figure” said Mule.
“Shut up asshole,” said Jed.
“How about two buggies coming in hot so ready with your guns to fire” said steed.
Sure enough the cars came roaring in behind blinding them with crystal headlights. Jed rotated his gun turret swivel.
“Bang, bang, bang, bang”
A volley of bullets penetrated the first buggy before the other swerved behind a mound of manure. The pursuing vehicle filled with bullets smashed into a redwood blowing up into an explosion. Jed returned to the road where he saw the train tracks and a road running along them.
“So yes we have but one path forward, and thus nothing to burden our minds with too much thinking of other outcomes” said the man.
“If everything is good and lucky the universe seemingly keeps things simple” said Mule.
The cars headlights followed the trail marked by metal tracks beside the burning foliage.The engine roared into light provided by four full moons. It began to rain, as the jungle burned behind them.