That's Just How Humans Are.

Around a day passed after everything settled down, we brought Mother, our Yao Guai, and the 4 other ghouls over. The people that just joined us went into an immediate frenzy. Panic nearly broke out. I even saw one of them curl up into a small ball. It took a bit of time but Bert, Jill, Carly, and the others were able to somewhat calm them down, after an explanation and around a dozen minuetes they managed to bring some order back to the group.

That's when we got started on the next cart.

It took only a day for another one to be made. These people were very skilled with their hands, not to mention we created one already so the construction of the new wagon went pretty smoothly. All of the new additions were rightly astounded when they witnessed the speed at which I grew my Bamboo.

After harvesting the grass we gave all the edible parts to the hungry ghouls that needed it…

Finding another large bear this far out would probably be unlikely… So this cart would need to be pulled by the ghouls. It will be carrying all of the important goodies they had stashed away here… They had a plethora of ammo, weapons and tools.

I asked mother to keep an eye out and to tell me if anything was wrong which she compiled… I'll spend some time with her when I get the chance. Ever since we left the farm the amount of time we have had together has been a bit lacking. That isn't healthy for our relationship at all. Maybe I'll try and teach her some new words…

Shaking my head I cleared my thoughts and looked towards the completed carts.

They were similar to the first one but they were smaller. To make up for the smaller size I had two built. There were a lot of people joining us after all. Naturally, Our travel speed will take a hard hit. Even if we found more animals to pull the cart it wouldn't help much… With the bad terrain it might have actually been worse… This wasn't like the large forests and plains we were near before.

'Meh… I'll worry about that later.'

I stood up from the ground and looked around.

'Now where is the old man we were speaking to yesterday? I still had some questions that needed to be answered.'

The conversation from the day before was cut short when I asked them to join us. Then we suddenly needed to do so many things that I momentarily forgot about it.

Looking around I began searching for the old man. The idea of asking someone for directions appeared in my mind, but everywhere I looked, all the new surrounding followers would retreat or hide…. It was actually a bit irritating. Even so, I'd probably be afraid if I was in their shoes…. Shortly after though, I came across a familiar face.

It was Bert…. He's been wandering in and out of the surrounding buildings for a while now… Doing his part, helping move materials from the settlement to the wagon.…. He seemed busy… Should I ask someone else? But the others also seemed to have their hands full…. It wouldn't hurt to ask him if he's seen the old guy.

"Bert?"

From a dozen feet away Bert turned and met eyes with me. They quickly widened in surprise before glowing with anticipation….. Rushing over to me with an excited look on his face he initiated a conversation..

"Bal! How are you? Have you been sleeping well? Are there any problems? No one has been causing you trouble I hope? Do you need a hand with anything? Are you hungry? Maybe I could try cooking some meat? Though the last time it came out burnt, I'm sure if I try again it'll be fine. Just give me a moment and I'll have it rea-"

"Bert."

I had to interrupt him. This guy was a bit too excited… Ever since I made that Bamboo grow, his attitude towards me did a complete 180. Before he was too scared to even look me in the eyes, now he's acting like some attention seeking kitten… He was very….. Enthusiastic? Yeah, his enthusiasm felt like the real deal…. Which made me feel like I could trust him… Although it could be a bit overbearing at times.....

"Bert, I don't need any of those things… I would really just like to know where the older looking ghoul from earlier disappeared to. The one with the cane. Do you have any idea where he may be?"

My question made Bert pause in contemplation for a few moments before raising his arm and pointing at one of the scrap buildings.

"I think I saw him enter that building over there…. Do you have something important you need?"

"Thank you, And it is something I consider important. I still have many questions I wanted to ask but never got the chance to…"

"Do you mind if I follow you?"

"...."

Turning, I began walking away, towards the house I was directed to… Bert sadly lowered his head.

"Guess that's a no."

A stopped in place before looking back with a neutral expression.

"Join me if you like."

A large smile appeared on his skinless face before he started moving alongside me… Albeit, with a bit more energy than before.

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"W-Walter?"

The old ghoul looked up from the items he was assorting… He was preparing to pack his most important things… He couldn't take everything because there was a lack of room. So he had to choose between what he had… It was difficult..

Hearing one of his old friends calling him, he looked up and waited for a reply…

"The, The dem-...er Bal wanted to meet with you."

Marcus and the others already made it abundantly clear to refer to Bal and Snow by their names. 

Walter felt his eyes widen slightly…

'The demon? What does it want with him?'

He instinctively felt nervous but pushed the feeling down.

"Send him in."

The ghoul hurried away, and after a minute or so he came back with two others following him… It was the demon Setherrog Bal And another ghoul whose name he didn't care to remember.

"Do you need something?"

"...Yes."

He already heard it before... But it's voice…. It felt so menacing. It wasn't something one could get used to so quickly.

"There is more information I would like to know."

"And what would that be?"

"First, I would like to know the location of any vaults either in Nevada or California."

Stilling for a moment Walter grabbed an old book before placing it in a large lockbox…

"I already told you, I don't know anything."

"You were lying."

"I was tel-"

"No, you were lying. It was obvious, your movements, the tone of your voice, and the very suspicious way you and your comrades were whispering to each other…. You were definitely not telling the truth back then."

"That... Sigh."

The old man felt himself squeeze the item in his hand tightly…. His gaze finally met the fiery orange eyes of the demon… He glared as he posed a question.

"What do you plan on doing if I tell you about it? If you plan on hurting the people inside of those vaults then I'd rather die than say anything."

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....

....

Glaring right back at the old ghoul, I spoke…

"I plan on building settlements around the various vaults…"

"That's…."

Bert on the side stared at me in aghast… He had known about my desire to start my own settlement… But…. He did not know my plans to build around the vaults…

"S-Setherrog. That….. Isn't that-"

"Wha!? What do you plan on doing when they open up? Pillage them!?"

Before Bert's question could be finished, Walter practically shouted over him.

"Not exactly."

"Then what!?"

"I'd be in o-"

"You devils are nothing but a bunch of thieves!"

Becoming worked up, spit shot out of his mouth and landed on my face.

Silence seemed to descend in the room.

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"...…....Hey."

Reaching up and grabbing the shoulder of the ghoul in front of him….

"What are-"

Walter was forced down onto his knees… The amount of strength the little Devil used to achieve this was negligent.

Losing all of his previous anger, the elder who was brought to his knees felt pain in his shoulder… He winced before peering at the one holding him down.

The orangish-red color in its eyes began brimming with power as it gnashed its teeth. It was staring daggers at him….

The color of the iris deepened as Walter imagined a black aura oozing around its body. From the gaze, a faint yet intimidating pressure made the force on Walters's knees seem to grow even heavier.

The other ghoul fell back. He must also be feeling the mysterious force.

It was fear… The devil itself was already terrifying. But there was something else mixed in….

Opening its mouth it growled out a sentence.

"I have a name. My mother has a name, USE THEM."

The devil didn't shout, but the words were so thorough and clear, he believed he would be able to hear them even if he was a good distance away.

Releasing his shoulder the pressure Walter was feeling disappeared and he slumped down….

The dev- no…. Setherrog reached over and grabbed one of his shirts… He lifted it up and cleaned the liquid…

"And watch where you spit. I don't really like having a man's saliva covering my face..."

Walter furiously nodded before scrambling back…

...…..

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...…..

I walked over to the shaken Bert and lifted him up… He seemed a bit fearful…. but I couldn't help it… Not only did that guy call me and my mother devils, he even spit on me… Though it seemed I activated my skills subconsciously. But they never had an effect like that….

'It must be that strength of certain skills that target the mind like that, change depending on the intensity of your emotions. Though how would leveling it up higher in the future affect its strength? For now It isn't important.'

Looking over to my fearful follower, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt.

"Sorry, Bert."

He didn't say anything… Just looked at the ground…

'Damn.'

I turned towards the other ghoul that the skill was concentrated on….

"You seemed to be under some sort of misunderstanding."

He didn't respond, he was even worse than Bert… I let my emotions get the better of me.

"Hey."

Again no response.

"Sigh….. Look. I never had any intention of raiding the Vaults."

That seemed to get their attention… If the way they turned to me was anything to go by.

Sitting on a nearby stool, I started explaining my idea….

"Tell me…. What do you think about normal humans?"

I looked towards the both of them waiting for an answer…. Time passed as I let the question sink into their minds, eventually, Bert broke the silence. Although he still seemed a bit apprehensive.

"Wh-What do you mean?"

I stared silently…

"It's not a hard question Bert… What do you think about humans? In general?"

"W-well….. They are always advancing? I'd say they're also capable of adapting pretty well. I learned when studying that they can even build up resistance to radiation after long enough exposure. They are… or were also the only intelligent lifeform before the bombs dropped."

I nodded my head in affirmation…

"You're correct… But you only pointed out good qualities."

This time I focused on Walter.

"What about you old man?"

'O-old man?'

Walter looked a bit offended before shaking his head… He also thought of the question before giving his answer.

"Humans, as well as ghouls, would be considered neutral… Some of them show bad characteristics while others show good ones. I do agree with…. Uh? Bert. They are very adaptable… But not so plainly... I've seen good people do bad or even evil things when cornered. I've seen mothers that'd abandon their children in fits of panic. Men that'd refused to contribute in any way yet still demanded food and protection. Others that'd try and steal supplies… Those kinds of personalities were present in the past…. But at the same time, there were ruffians that'd share their meager amounts of food with others. Men and women that were injured, yet still went looking for food out in the wastes. Many didn't return with their lives…. Unfortunately, In a sense… Those good people were the quickest to die out. But the bad people also eventually disappeared.

As expected from an older individual. Seems wiser. But still, not really what I was getting at… How do I view humanity?"

"Generally... Humans tend to be a bit prejudiced when being asked about humanity…."

'Though I can't really say much considering I was a human a year ago…. But seeing everyone's naturally negative reactions towards me has widened my world view a bit.'

"I think humans and ghouls are nothing but a different type of animal. I also believe humans are some of the smartest creatures on the planet because nothing other than them could come even close to being able to speak, write and build. But still, people are way more biased than they may think. I honestly think humans are full of shit.

"Huh? W-why would you say that?"

Answering Walter, I continued with my own thoughts on humanity.

"People are all into religion, which says that humans are special and great, but humans do so much bad in the world. No other normal animal could possibly destroy the world as they did. I think people are strange. Some of them have good hearts and do good things for others as well as for the environment. There are others that are super smart and create things. But those types are probably in the minority… Most other humans are selfish…. Does it all matter? Nothing matters. It's a crazy world. I don't know what to think about humans. Most other animals in the world, if they were capable of proper thought, would probably see humans as these awful creatures that destroyed everything. It's funny how people are so afraid of me and my mother when the humans or ghouls that surround them in their everyday lives can easily pick up a gun, hold it to someone's head and pull the trigger. They are just as much as or even more of a threat to you than we are."

"So yes, Humans are full of shit. For example, If I were to kill a human in self-defense I may be seen as a terrible devil…. No…. Going by your earlier words, I don't even need to do anything wrong to be labeled as evil. If you say I am evil then I am… Isn't that right? But if I were to be killed by a human? For no reason other than because I existed? Everyone would throw a parade…. Am I wrong? Maybe. All in all most of humanity is crap, but not all of them…. And I am not really all that evil... Just a little bit."

"....Bal?"

I looked at Bert.

"What is it? Did my opinion bother you?"

He quickly shook his head in denial…

"N-no…. It's just…. What does any of this have to do with building settlements around the Vaults?"

I stared at the two both looking interested in my response….

"How do you think humans would react? When they finally encounter ghouls for the first time?"

The two ghouls grew silent as they thought about the outcome….

"They… Would…."

Suddenly A memory flashed through Bert's mind as a gasp escaped his mouth… It was something Jill said to him not too long ago…

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"How stupid can you be? Civilization? Hehehe. Yeah right. Radiation levels are really starting to go down. If anything really did survive in those vaults we should start preparing our defenses, if not then in a few years someone might show up and wipe us from the face of the earth in the name of cleansing."

...…..

"They would treat you like monsters… Like some kind of abomination."

Walter shook his head.

"That's an…. No... You're exaggerating."

"I'm not…"

"That…. They wouldn't do that… This isn't the middle ages… People wouldn't think we are monsters…. They would know that we were once humans…."

Another sigh was released from my mouth…. My expression became blank as I stared into the eyes of the old man.

"Do you really think they'd care? You're different…. That's all it takes. Hatred isn't very picky. Didn't you treat me the same?"

Now it was Bert's turn.

"What about a cure? Maybe if we…."

"A cure may be possible….. But I can assure you, it would take hundreds of years. Even if you had some of the greatest scientists using the best equipment… It would take too long… And during that time, you will always be discriminated against. And that's 'if' a cure can be found.

"How can you possibly know that?…"

"Just acquaint it to a special ability of mine."

"But…."

Both the ghoul's shoulders slumped…. It seems my conversation made them miserable… But it's fine because.

"It doesn't matter though…"

"W-what do you mean Bal?"

"Hmm? I just told you didn't I? I plan on building a settlement around each Vault….When those people finally do come out…. They will be forced to recognize us, and eventually they will integrate with us. Or else they will not be able to leave their shelters."

"How do you plan on doing any of that?"

'Old man… wait a bit, I was just getting to that part.'

"I'm sure the first vaults to open will be either in Nevada or California…. At least the ones that are near us. I'm sure it's in California but there's still a chance of it being in Nevada. We only have a few short years though before it opens….. But….. If we manage to locate this shelter before it opens and build a powerful choke like defense around it… When the dwellers finally come out…. They will either fight us, Submit to us and then be absorbed by us, or hide away until they are forced to come out…. That's my plan…"

"Are there any problems?"

"...."

"This is crazy…"

I walked up to the old man and once again placed my hand on his shoulder… He twitched in fear but I didn't exert any pressure like I did the last time…

"That isn't an answer…."

"I-I…. I… How would we get the number of settlers needed to defend such a place? Those vaults could hold up to 1000 people? Not to mention they have advanced technologies.

"We have enough time to scour the wastes for tec.... It'll be difficult but if we really work ourselves then we should be able to discover some decent things here and there.... And as for settlers....

I felt a smile break across my face.

"Did you already forget?"

"F-Forget?"

"Why your comrades decided to join me?"

End of chapter.