Diamond City

Part one here: https://steemit.com/game/@olmech/trapper-walsh

I reached Diamond City after a two and one half day journey. I did not have any trouble as I had stayed in the old tree line following the road as Pops had told me. When I had reached the gate to the city, the guards there gave me the third degree about what my purpose must be for entering the city, but relented and let me in eventually. I suppose I must have seemed awkward to them at best but no more so than they were to me. I laughed as I walked in about their choice of armor. Lot of good padded armor would be for this .45-70 I thought.

Now Pops had told me all that he could remember about this place but he did not say anything about how loud it would be. With all the people wandering around aimlessly talking to one another, you could not listen for what you needed to hear. As I slowly made my way into the market area, I found that I kept looking over my shoulder. It is quiet up in the mountains. Every sound has meaning. Sound is how you find something or how something finds you. No, I did not like this deafening roar that filled my head with echos. I wanted to turn around and leave...to get back into my comfort zone so to speak, but I needed to give this an honest shot just to say I had done so.

I stopped and talked with a few traders. Everyone here wanted to sell something. I was surprised to learn that many of the goods we trade with caravans are highly sought after here. Traders here would pay five or six times what we got from the caravans. I did not like the thought of coming back here but for this kind of payout, it might be worth it. I ended up trading for a few cigars for Pops and I got some real nice patterned cloth for Mom then quickly got out of that noisy place.

I was thinking to myself about the route I had taken to get here and how slow the going was to make this trip. I had stuck close to the roads which means I had to go north for a good ways before turning east to get here. I decided that if it were possible to do so, a direct southwest route through the forest ruins would shave nearly a day off my travel time and if I was going to make this trip to sell my goods in the city, I needed all the time I could spare. I would try this and hope I would at the very least live to regret it.

Everything was going fine and I was making good time. I had a minor setback in having to cross a stream, but I was traveling light so it did not significantly slow me down. after crossing the stream, I passed an old wrecked house and made my way to the treeline behind it. It was then that I heard the sound that I always listen for. That unexpected noise that lets you know you are not alone. The noise had come from behind me, just over my right shoulder, so I quickly put a good sized tree between me and whatever made the noise before turning to see what it was. It was a Deathclaw and not just any run of the mill one either. This was a Glowing Deathclaw. The leather, horns and claws from one of these were highly sought after not just for their toughness, but they could also be used to make very ornamental armor and I had walked right by it. This would be a tough chore for the old .45-70 but I wagered it was worth the risk. I had to be fast and I had better be accurate. These things could close distance like nothing else I have ever encountered.

My shooting had been spot on. It took six well placed rounds right between its eyes to put him down but he was now mine. I worked quickly to get the most valuable items and a fair bit of the meat but I still had a way to go yet and did not want to be encumbered getting back up the mountain. Who knows what else I might encounter before getting home?

I found my mountains just before the sun went down. It was a beautiful sight to behold. I would not make it home before the world turned to night, but I had to stop and just take it all in. Pops had sent me to find my people only for me to see they were not my people at all. Let the ants have their anthill. This would for as long as I walk the earth, forever and always be my home.

More to come....

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