The dry wind howled, throwing dust and sand against the visor of my Interface as Fii and I approached the massive land vehicle. The sound of its tracks churning the earth grew louder with every passing second.

My eyes darted across the expanse between us and the behemoth. We were still far away, maybe a mile or so, but I kept my guard up nonetheless. I leaned forward, my grip tightening on the steering grip as I pressed my weight into the accelerator.

The ground below us shook as the vehicle drew nearer, each of its massive tracks cutting deep furrows into the earth. The vibrations caused me to momentarily lose control of my bike, causing it to veer slightly off course. I gritted my teeth, regaining control of the machine before it could tip over. I adjusted my weight again, leaning forward further.

As we drew closer, the land vehicle loomed larger, dwarfing us in both size and presence, and the faint hum of its engines tickled my ears. I could feel the thrumming reverberate through my bones as I strained my eyes to catch a glimpse of the cabin through the tinted windows.

Then, the vehicle grounded to a halt, sending up a cloud of dust that seemed to hang in the air like a curtain. Its engine quieted to a deep rumble that reverberated in the dry air. I slowed my bike to a halt, keeping my distance from the behemoth.

Fii stopped next to me, its metallic frame seemingly unaffected by the vibration that had rumbled through us. Its camera lens swiveled, adjusting its focus to keep the giant vehicle within its line of sight. "Proximity warning. Remain at a distance until contact is established," it advised.

"Agreed," I said, my hand subconsciously moving to the grip of my bolt-action rifle. Man, hope whoever or whatever is in there is friendly...and speaks English.

A moment later, a door creaked open on the side of the cabin where a stairway protruded and a man stepped out. He was of average height with a lean, wiry frame. The man descended the stairs and headed in our direction with a casual pace. My fingers twitched on the grip of my rifle, but I forced them to relax. I narrowed my eyes to get a better look, and the man came into focus.

His face was weathered, lined with creases that indicated a life led under the unforgiving sun, and a walrus-shaped mustache adorned his upper lip. He wore a cowboy hat that cast a shadow over his eyes, and his outfit suggested a preference for practicality. Long-sleeved flannel shirt, brown dungarees, a belt buckle, and a pair of worn leather boots completed the ensemble.

His voice carried through the distance, a pleasant baritone with a thick southern drawl. "Howdy, stranger," he greeted, his eyes studying me, a playful glint in them. "Don't see too many folk bravin' the wastes by themselves. Thought I'd take a walk an' say hello. You alright, there?"

The man's status screen popped into view through my Interface:

Name ??? Rank Adept IV Status Uninjured

My grip loosened, and my shoulders relaxed at the man's easy manner. "Yeah, I'm good," I replied, removing my hand from the grip of my rifle. "Was just coming across a pretty nice piece of machinery. Don't suppose you're the one behind the wheel?"

"Indeed I am," he said, smiling as he reached into his breast pocket. He took out a pack of cigarettes and stuck one in his mouth. "Name's Samuel Dipton, but you can call me 'Dip'." He bobbed his head forward like he was scooping the air with his chin while emphasizing the pronunciation as 'Dee-yup'.

Huh, kind of an odd nickname, but whatever. "Nice to meet you, Dip," I replied, returning his greeting. "Connor Gallagher. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Sam didn't offer a handshake, and I was okay with that. But, it didn't seem proper to talk with him while my face was concealed so I deactivated my Interface to reveal myself.

Dip's eyebrows rose when he saw my face, and chuckled while shaking his head lightly. "Oh, don't worry none, stranger," he said, his grin broadening as he lit his cigarette with a small lighter and took a drag, exhaling a thin stream of smoke. "Not much point in formalities out here. Been a few of months since I last ran into a lone wanderer."

He paused to take another drag on his cigarette, his eyes roaming over me, sizing me up. "Anyway," he said, gesturing with his hands, "we've all our circumstances, so I'll just cut to the chase. Where you off to?"

I pursed my lips, considering how best to answer the question. Dip didn't seem dangerous, but I was reluctant to give away too much information. On the other hand, it'd be rude to lie. And if he wanted to help me, I'd rather know sooner than later.

"Actually," I replied, "I'm just kinda wandering around randomly so no particular destination in mind. Just taking things as they come."

Dip looked thoughtful for a moment. "No particular destination, you say? Well, that's mighty curious. How long you been in Nexus?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

Should I answer him honestly? What if I tell him that I'm still new to the world and he takes advantage of it somehow? Better pretend that I've been here for a while...four months seems like a reasonable amount of time.

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"Just a little over three weeks, actually," I replied.

Huh? Wait, wasn't I just thinking of saying four months? Why did I say three weeks instead? What the hell is wrong with your mouth, Connor? Get a grip.

"Hm," Dip hummed. "That long?" He tapped the ash from his cigarette, his expression growing thoughtful. "Three weeks, huh? That's pretty fresh, ain't it?"

I nodded, forcing a polite smile.

"Say," Dip continued, his eyes narrowing as his smile widened. "You mind if I ask a couple questions?"

"Fire away," I replied with a shrug.

"Okay then." Dip took another drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke curl from his nostrils. He blew out the smoke, letting it drift in front of his face as he pointed at Fii. "That a SCAV, ain't it?" he asked, nodding in its direction.

"You can tell?" I replied, looking over at Fii.

"Sure, there ain't no other robots running around the land out there and I've seen somethin' like that type before. Though, this here looks a mite different from the others," he said, tapping his chin. "This one's built sturdier."

"Yeah," I said, smiling at Dip's comment. "Its name is Fii."

"Fii?" Dip parroted, arching an eyebrow. "It got a name? or you named it?"

I laughed. "Bit of both. It's got an artificial intelligence system so it can speak, and it's got a designation but I decided to call it 'Fii'."

His eyes widened at my response, and he let out a whistle. "An A.I., huh?" He glanced over at Fii, his eyes roaming over the robot's metallic body. "Well, I'll be damned. Never imagined I'd run into one that doesn't immediately attack me on sight."

"Really?" I asked, surprised.

Dip nodded. "Yep. They don't exactly tend to be friendly." He shrugged and flicked away the butt of his cigarette, stepping on the ground to crush it under his boot. "You fixed it up yourself?"

"Yep, just a few days ago. Got lucky and found it in the Server I was at and a quest popped up to fix it for a reward."

"Ah, I see." Dip nodded, running a hand over his face. "Well, ain't you lucky." He gave me a lopsided grin.

"Well, more unlucky than lucky. But, I guess it worked out in the end." I turned my head towards the robot, speaking to it. "Right, Fii?"

"Affirmative," Fii's robotic voice replied.

Dip raised an eyebrow, his eyes widening once again. "Holy shit, it talks, too?"

"Yep." I smiled as I reached down to pat Fii on its chassis. "One of a kind."

"That's certainly something." He put his hands on his hips and took a deep breath of the dry air. "Well, anyway," he said, turning his head to look back at the behemoth looming behind him. "Now that the pleasantries are outta the way, I reckon we should talk business. What say you?"

"Sure, what did you have in mind?" I asked.

Dip scratched the stubble on his chin. "Well, you seem like an alright sort of fella. And I'm curious about your intentions with approaching my land rover." He tilted his head as he gazed at me with a curious expression. "To be perfectly frank, I'm inclined to believe you've got no ill designs on me, my friends, or my belongings."

So he does have friends in there. Good to know. It made more sense than assuming that he was the only one operating that huge machine.

"That's a pretty quick judgment," I remarked, crossing my arms. "Why's that?"

Dip smirked, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "Let's just say I'm a fairly good judge of character, and I'm rarely wrong." He grinned as he walked forward. I followed him with my eyes until he stopped directly in front of me. "Besides, only a fool would ride towards something that big, all by their lonesome, and not expect to get gunned down by folk that make it their home. And I don't think you for a fool."

Well, that thought did cross my mind but hearing it put into words just made me feel silly. "Yeah, fair enough," I replied, feeling slightly sheepish. "I was actually hoping to find a group to join."

"Hoping to join a group?" Dip repeated. "Why's that?"

"I'm starting to realize that flying solo is harder than I thought it'd be. And I'm not as well equipped to handle myself out here as I'd like." I glanced over at Fii, whose camera swiveled to follow my gaze. "I'm really glad Fii is with me now, but before that, there were times when I had to get creative to get myself out of trouble."

Dip studied me for a moment before replying. "Sounds like you've had a rough few weeks. Did you have to learn everything yourself or did someone teach you the ropes around here?"

That question brought back some recent memories. Even though it's only been a few weeks, it felt like forever ago. "Someone taught me for a short while, but we ended up going our separate ways."

"Ah, well, that's unfortunate." Dip nodded in sympathy before asking, "What sort of person were they?"

I thought about how best to describe Aubrey. Though it ended on a sour note, I still revered her poise and conviction to do whatever it took to survive. I couldn't deny that her company had been enjoyable, too.

"Honestly?" I said, shrugging. "She's pretty badass."

"Badass?" Dip asked, an eyebrow raised. "Well, that's quite a compliment. Must have been a high-ranked Player."

I nodded. "Yeah, she is."

Dip looked at Fii and then back to me with a slight smile on his face. "Well, I don't mind telling you that my group's more of a commune than an organized party. So, if you're lookin' for a group to join, you may just be lookin' in the right place."

"That's good to hear." I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Fii. "What do you think, Fii?" I asked, gesturing to Dip. "Any problems with that?"

Fii's camera rotated to stare at me before turning to Dip. Its lens zoomed in on him for a moment, before focusing on me again. "Possible hazards: Unknown," it replied. "Possible benefits: Unknown. Suggest: Discuss with the members of the group."

"Hmm." I turned to Dip. "What do you think?"

"Well, we can start by letting my friends know we've got visitors, then we can talk about what we all want from this." He put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't you fret, friend. We'll get you sorted out." Dip grinned as he took a step back, clasping his hands together. "Now, come on aboard and let's have us a chat!"