As it turned out, there wasn’t much of worth at all in that dank cave, save for a scant few metal tools which he owned better versions of in his workshop. Still, the metal could be melted down and repurposed later, so he packed them away in his bag. He doubted he’d be able to trade these for much, they were little more than blades affixed to sticks, if that. How had the goblins managed to smooth these walls with such meager tools?

Ah well, it didn’t matter now, they were dead and their cave looted, if there were any survivors that had been out and about during his rampage, the gore-strewn scene that Joseph left would hopefully send them fleeing. The dwarf certainly didn’t seem interested in hanging around here either, based on his speedy departure. Hmm, perhaps they had used Varig to smooth their walls somehow?

The question was how? He didn’t look like he had any tools on him. Joseph shook his head with a sigh, again it wasn’t like it mattered now how they did it, not unless he wanted to learn how to do it himself. Maybe he did, now that he thought of it. What if he wanted to carve out an underground lair for himself someday? Knowing how to smooth stone with primitive tools might come in handy.

Yet, he’d not trade the comforts of Betty for a cave, even a nice smooth one.

It was beginning to get dark now, the daylight fading as his travel dragged on. Finding the trail once again had been no hassle, the problem was how long the damn thing went on. This was no mere hiking trail, this likely went all the way through the forest. The ground of the trail had been carved out by the footsteps of hundreds of survivors passing through these parts, meaning that it had to lead to somewhere important.

Maybe there was a settlement at the end of this path, one worth making the dangerous trip through the forest for? If so, that was the best-case scenario for Joseph, assuming the denizens weren’t hostile. There could be mutants, bandits, slavers, monsters from beyond, who knew? He pursed his lips at the thought. It just didn’t seem likely that all this footraffic would be going to such a dangerous place as that… at least unless they were slavers.

If they were slavers, then he’d torch the place and save whoever he could. His teeth clenched at the mere thought of those cretins, the corners of his vision going red as he remembered all the things he’d seen back in the wastes. Men, women… children, all bought and sold for any and all purposes.

Any and all.

His breathing became ragged and he slowed his walk, fists at a white-knuckled clench. Eventually he stopped his stride, hissing through his teeth in the center of the trail. The world became a blur and he knew that if anything approached him now that he would kill it. He needed to reign himself back, he wasn’t like how he used to be! He wouldn’t allow himself to fall into a blind rage again… not until it was the proper time and place.

Slowly, he regained his composure, his breathing stabilizing as he let his shoulders go slack. Who knew that regaining his youth would re-ignite his long dormant wrath? In truth, he supposed that it had never really left him. He just got too old to lash out anymore, but now that he was strong again… it was like an old muscle, flexing itself and regaining power. Had he forgotten how to keep it under control?

He’d need to work on that, the entire world wasn’t his enemy, only the majority of it was. There were still good folks out there that needed his help, and he couldn’t do that if he approached them as a stark-raving madman. Perhaps he could use that intent to help control the horrible hate welling up within him? The cool waters of kindness might be just the thing to douse the flames of his rage… at least until it was time to give in to that wrathful beast. There would be a time and place for it to emerge, but now was not that time.

Once he was completely stable again, he continued his trek, making sure to steer his thoughts away from slavers. Did Varig happen to go this way, or in the other direction? He could have just wandered into the forest, but Joseph doubted it. The dwarf had not been wearing any shoes, the soft dirt of this well-worn trail would be greatly preferable to the brambles and rocks of the untrodden woods.

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It hadn’t taken him that long to clear out the cave, so why hadn’t Joseph caught up with him yet? It must have meant that Varig went the other way… and if that were the case, then perhaps the settlement that he sought was back that way as well. He’d already put a good bit of effort into traveling this direction though, might as well see it all the way through. He wasn’t concerned about food and water, Joe could survive off the land just fine, especially when the land was so verdant and filled with life.

There was no real need to trek back to Betty for food, the only reason he could think of to go back early was to drop off any excess loot he found. Well, he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. Another hour passed of walking before the sun was nearly completely gone, and it was then that he decided to set up camp. He moved off the trail a good distance, trying to find a good natural shelter he could utilize.

Thankfully it didn’t take him long, as he found a tree with a sizable gap between it and the forest floor. Its thick roots held it above the dirt, making a man-sized entrance beneath it. It was only wide enough for him to crawl under, but it’d do. It was better to blend in with the environment if you could, setting up his tent could make him a target for both local wildlife and otherworldly monsters.

That didn’t mean he’d have to be uncomfortable though. He unslung his pack from his shoulders, unzipping the top and rummaging through the contents until he found his rollmat and sleeping bag. He unceremoniously unrolled the mat, sliding it into the undercarriage of the tree before untying his sleeping bag, laying it on top of the mat. He then slid his bag under as well before crawling inside, unslinging his rifle and leaving it by his side.

He’d not need to remove any of his clothing to sleep, all the gear was warm enough to keep him at a comfortable temperature during the night. Plate armor wasn’t exactly the best stuff to sleep in, but he’d grown used to doing this years ago. The sleeping bag would just be extra padding to insulate him from the ground. As he lay down though, he found himself frowning at the exit to his tree-shelter. His feet were still sticking out somewhat, and there wasn’t enough room for him to lay horizontal… well, in that case, it was time to lay out a few traps.

He didn’t have anything fancy like bear traps or the like, they were far too heavy to carry in his rucksack. No, he had rudimentary things that would alert him should something wander into his campsite. Bubble wrap and some bells tied to strings, that would be sufficient. He laid out the bubble wrap between a few bushes that something could scuttle through, burying it in a thin sheet of dirt before getting to work tying the string bells between some trees. If something tripped those then he’d wake up in an instant, ready to blast the interloper to hell with his rifle.

Now he could sleep, after an hour of watch of course, to make sure that whatever was potentially tracking him didn’t try and kill him in his sleep. Once that hour passed and the darkness of night was in full effect, he finally fell asleep, his rifle at his side.

He awoke to the sound of a bell ringing, and he immediately grabbed his rifle, taking aim at the mouth of his shelter, tucking his feet in as far as they would go. His breathing slowed, his gun steadied, his mind still. A shape emerged, bounding past quickly on four hooved legs. Joseph’s finger nearly squeezed the trigger before he could realize what it had been. The bubble wrap had spooked it away, but he’d seen what kind of creature that was before.

He’d nearly been killed by them a few times before The End, though it had never been a purposeful effort on their part. He crawled out of the trunk quickly, flicking on his light and seeing the back of a retreating white-tailed deer. Joseph smiled, flicking off his light before returning to his den. How long had it been since he’d seen a normal deer? Had to be Yellowstone again, back in the day. This place was a wonder… wait a second, would he be able to see the stars right now?

It had been a good few years since he’d seen the stars, having been locked away in the Betty. It’d be nice to get a good view of them. It seemed the moonlight could seep through well enough, meaning the sky wasn’t occluded by toxic gas or portal storms. Just a glimpse before bed, what could be the harm? He emerged once again, tilting his head up to see a dazzling display.

It was like a diamond-studded tapestry, laid out across infinity to be appreciated by all living things in creation. The stars were so bright, so untainted… Tears began welling at the corners of his eyes as he stared up at the heavens, grateful to be witness to such beauty. That was, until he tried to find the North Star… only to see that it wasn’t where it was supposed to be. The Little Dipper was nowhere to be seen, neither was Orion, or any other constellation for that matter. There was no arrangement of stars he could recognize in the sky above, and most notably… the moon.

Or moons, there were two of them. He sat, dumbfounded as this alien sky stared down at him. Both celestial bodies were equal in size, but one glowed a brilliant gold while the other one was sterling silver, both full. The scarring on their individual surfaces was nothing like the moon that he knew! Just what the hell happened to him? This wasn’t something as simple as him returning to youth and getting sent to another country.

The stars were wrong, the moons were wrong… the language was wrong… was this world…? Could it also be wrong?