god bless adrenaline. I was fully awake no need for coffee, yeah I was less intelligent than usual, but still awake is awake.

It was too early in the morning to be awake and looking at a dead body.

I stood in the muddy forest looking at the dead man with the cracked open skull, he had a medieval peasant clothing a knife on his belt and a small shovel.

I don't need an IQ above room temperature to figure out he was taking an early morning shit, and didn't survive the trip, his camp must be close, I had an idea and tensed up, is he alone?, no I don't think so, am not that lucky. And no one would be willingly alone in this shithole.

I searched my sleepy, foggy brain for ideas, after doing some rapid risk-assessment. I chose to just go, I can't waste time digging holes or waste mana shifting earth, that thing could be right behind me, and this unfortunate man could have friends, and they would be unhappy to find me next to his dead body.

It's time for me to go, as I walked to the gypsy a voice halted me.

"What did you do."

I turned with my mace ready, it's aim fallowing the line of my sight.

A man in a long black raincoat stood a few feet in front of me.

He had an angry face and a crazed look in his eyes, I could see his anger on his face and in his aura it was flashing, a hint of iron in it, his iron level, he looked between me and the cracked skull of what I assume was his friend, in his hand he had a sickle!.

"Kid, what the fuck did you do, how?"

I didn't know what to say, I stood my ground, my left hand holding the front of the mace and my right in the middle, I pushed my aura to the front muzzles, and with my mace aimed and ready I faced him, he didn't see the danger in me aiming it at him. Finally, something went as planned.

He looked at me and in his eyes, I could see it, the decision and the resolve, I had my own resolve, apocalypse rules apply. He ran at me with a sickle in his hand, a sickle!.

That ideas confused me for a moment and on reflex I used too much mana, I accidentally shot him, emptying all four muzzles at once. The force pushed me back violently, the mace slipped backwards in my hands.

There was a loud boom and too much steam in front of me, yet still I could see the man halting mid-run as if he was hit by a wall, and dropped on his back.

That was expected, what I didn't expect was after impacting his clothing and shaking him, most of the bullets, almost all of them ricocheted off of him, and hit the trees and bushes and dirt, except one, one lucky bullet made a hole in his neck, he was bleeding rapidly, I didn't waste time, I flipped my mace aimed the end at his face and the Love sprinkler fired, he jerked and probably died.

A moment passed, and more blood exited from the new holes in his body. With no aura in the way, the bullets went in this time. I was sure he was dead.

As a safety measure I looked around me, and holstered the mace it was spent and less-useful, I pulled my shotgun. Held it with both hands like a gun and listened. To the silent forest, now I have two shots left. And it took five to take this one guy down.

I looked around in a circle, still no movement. And then I heard it, sounds, birds, insects, not just the wind, for the first time since I woke up in this shithole of a world, I heard normal forest noises, now that was freaky.

What happened, why is it loud now?.

After a few moments I re-focused, and realized I can't just run, 'no loose ends', how many SOB's are in this forest, how many would hold a grudge, and fallow me, I need to find their camp fast, I need to know.

Ending up in a situation like' I know what you did last spring' 'spoiler its homicide', would be bad. After the fear started fading, I considered a grate cosmic truth about guns, reloading.

No, no time.

I walked in the direction the last asshole came from, and slowly advanced, I was sure it's the right direction the first man I 'in-countered' was going in this direction, after few moments of stealth walking, I gave up on the slow sneaky approach, my aura was unstable and the little jolts shooting from time to time made me feel like a small thunderstorm.

I wasn't too noisy compared to the forest, yet to my ears, feeling and listening to my aura and the electric shocks running on it, so my attempt at stealthy was total shit, I was a true fuck-up of a Rogue. So I moved faster, I didn't run, just speed-walking.

After a short time and almost killing a squirrel, I saw it in the distance a small river and the camp, three tents and a fire pit in the center, and the most eye-catching thing was the bizarre looking animal next to the small wooden wagon.

It looked like gorilla fucked a horse, and this horse faces thing was the consequence of their forbidden relationship.

2.6 meters tall when standing on all fours, weigh's ~700 kg. it walked on its knuckles, like gorillas, and used its long forearms and claw hands to pickup branches of plants and sat to eat like a fucked-up looking panda.

For now, I ignored what the data in my mind has identified as the chalicotherium and concentrated my attention on the camp.

Three tents, so maybe three men or six with my luck, hopefully they are homophobic and won't share a tent, hopefully. Because I can't kill six 'aura armored!' people. Whatever they are called, the fuckers are hard to kill, am not sure how the first one went down.

I watched the camp then circled it looking into it as good as I can looking for people in tents and using the forest as a cover, only one tent was closed. And after noticing no more people, I advanced forward.

I looked around as I advanced, still nothing. I concentrated on the tent hoping it's the last target, I can't waste more time and I don't have more shots, only two left. Then it's an aura or worse, kukri fight.

Should I shot through the tent, no I could miss or worse it's empty, and I kill nothing only to find my self one shot short.

Stealthily, I advanced closer to the tent and lifted the canvas and aimed.

'Oh, shit'

I found a sleeping boy, probably as old as I am now. Surrounded by books, a bucket, and two empty dishes.

One lag tied with a rope to a tent peg, oh shit this just got complicated.

The good news, I didn't kill innocent scavengers the bad news, I didn't kill innocent scavengers.

The boy opened his eyes looked at me and froze, I backed up, and walked away.

I had my own priorities, I didn't want to handle this shit so for now I ignored he existed, until I can make sure I won't be the next dead body in the forest.

I needed time to think, and to keep my mind off-of this shit, I went back to my wagon to bring it back and start scavenging the camp for everything I can take like food, am low on food.

As I passed the dead SOB's, I looted the body's and placed everything on them in the wagon. The most interesting thing was a small single-shot muzzle-loading pistol. It was empty, but the gunpowder and small balls were in the pockets. With three long copper nails the size of pencil's. They had small ward inscriptions.

Shit this world has guns, fuck this encounter could have gone very wrong, wrong for me.

Note to self when meeting new people, shot first to live.

I stopped struck by an idea, CORES, I pulled my kukri blade and 'harvested'.

After doing the nasty and cleaning up, I rechecked my wagon for damage just to be sure, it looked red and fucked up from the front, there is way too much blood, but that's it, it just looked damage, it wasn't. That's my gypsy also known to my enemy's as the hell on wheels.

The blood was a bad thing, it could give people the wrong image about me or worse the right one, I can clean her later, she deserves a bath after getting her first kill. I was proud of her popping her isekai cherry the first opportunity she got.

That's a weird thought, yeah, I need a nap.

First things first, I went into the wagon closed the door and took a mana bottle pulled in the pure mana also named by me as the new morphine, I loved it, true happiness in a bottle or core, I recharged my aura and enjoyed the moment.

After taking in the happy energy I placed my ass on the upside down bucket and used it as a temporary car-seat, it took a moment to get the wagon going and started driving to the camp, I may have accidentally ran-over both corpses. I didn't feel bad.

Maneuvering the wagon was easier in the daylight, I parked it in the camp closer to the river, got out and looked at it more closely, considering how to start the car washing process.

Using my aura and mana I pulled a water ball from the river and rubbed it on the bloody spots. When the water turned completely red, then I pushed it away into the ground away from the river, and started over until the blood was all wiped away.

The horse gorilla 'chalicotherium' eyed me and then ignored me, I looked at his CLAWED hands and made a policy of staying the fuck away from that murderous hell-demon thing.

This thing would be able to see the top of my head. I don't like things that were domineering, it makes me feel uncomfortable. I miss being tall.

After car washing, I moved to the next big thing, supply's problem.

I started contemplating supply's, and I took the first step by modifying my wagon, it took little mana to shape the aluminum on the wagon roof into a basket-style roof rack. And started taking anything not nailed down, and if it was, I removed the nails, I had no time for inventory. I just loaded it or strapped it onto the roof or sides, using rope to secure things safely.

As I filled my wagon, the boy watched me. I noticed his surprise when I used mana or aura.

I took a knife from the supplies and give it to the boy, he looked smart, I was sure he knows how to use it to free himself. So I didn't talk, just handed it over and kept taking the spoils of war.

After he cut the rope, he just watched me confiscate everything. I could see it in his eyes the intelligent assessment that the two men weren't coming back, to the victor belong the spoils and I looked like a victor, he's probably wondering if he was next on that list.

As I secured everything, I started thinking if I should take the small wooden wagon as extra carrying capacity. No, I don't need it, not yet.

I looked around, worried about an attack from people or the freaks.

I need to find a safe place, the boy came from somewhere, him and the other two, I needed to know from where?. Is civilization still out-there, or did the freaks destroy it all.

This place seems safe, that's what the old owners believed, and they are dead. I can't waste time here and can't keep going forever, I need to eat, sleep and find a long term safe location, am sleepy and hungry I can't sleep now, but I can make breakfast, no correction, I NEED to make breakfast.

As I searched the food supplies, I found the jackpot they had everything I needed or wanted, small bags full of different ingredients for a healthy diet.

The fire pit was ready, I used a lightning shock to start the fire for speed and to show the eyes watching me am dangerous and not to be attacked, and started to cook.

In a frying pan, I heated the olive oil over the heat. Added the onions and sauté for two minutes. And some garlic, hot pepper and capsicum, and sauté for one more minute. Then the tomatoes, I kept at it e until the tomato juice evaporated. I mixed and chopped coriander and parsley. And Cracked 4 eggs into the pan, one on each side. Covered the pan and let the eggs cook.

I looked at his tent and shouted loudly for him, "under the Laws of hospitality, you may share my fire and food.". I wasn't sure there are any Laws of hospitality, I just hoped he gets the message.

As I cooked the smell was better and better the kid slowly came closer after he noticed two plates, I added cheese let it melt in the heat and started dividing and serving the Shakshuka.

The kid was not the only thing attracted to the food the gorilla horse chalicotherium visited I offered it some of the Shakshuka with bread and hoped it won't ask for more or use its claws to search more, this thing freaked me out.

Surprisingly, before I could talk or find a way to start a conversation, the kid spoke first.

"Are they dead" he asked in clear voice

"Yes, is that a bad thing" I didn't look at him, didn't want him to freak out.

"No, they killed my dad"

His response didn't surprise me. The surprise was in the fact that he looked and sounded strangely normal as if talking about grass growth, yeah, this kid has seen some shit. Okay, new note to self keep an eye on the freak, no one can be this cold, I see a probable school shooter in his future.

"Oh, am sorry for your loss" I spoke as honestly as I could, telling him I never knew your dad, so I don't fucking care would be too much honesty.

I didn't ask more questions. We eat in silence and I kept eating and looking around me, keeping my shotgun close.

"Where are you going, sir." he asked

Sir!? That's new, we both look the same age, yet he shows respect. Sir, I like it. That's aura for you, my rusty aura was now iron with small rusty spots too small to be noticed, and I didn't show my aura unless I had to do something with it. And I abandoned the stupid sick sole badge thing amarys had, and this boy, he didn't use his aura.

"I don't know, am just wandering looking for a safe place to sleep, it's a dangerous world, and you."

"There is a farming village, it's close. Sir."

"Is that where your home is" I asked.

"Yes, we were living in tamort city, we moved into this village about two years ago for my father's work."

That calm cold normal voice, shit. I need to keep one eye open.

"I can take you to this village, if you know the path to it, I am looking for a safe place to rest." I hinted, the deal is I get you home alive, and you show me this village, I hoped it would be a safe place. I am feeling like a dog left in the rain for too long, and I am seeking shelter.

I didn't show my desperation on my face or voice, any weakness must be hidden its good habit, and I am starting now, you never know what people could do if they see weakness.

He considered my offer, "yes we have a house it's in the village and I can offer you hospitality, we should travel by day while the sun protects us"

I nodded agreeing, and I didn't know what to say the conversation died, and I didn't care, after I finished my food and went to the wagon made sure every thing was safely secured for the trip, it's best to travel in the daylight.

I entered my wagon, closed the door and took a moment to enjoy the comfort and safety inside the gypsy, then I started thinking as I worked on reloading my mace.

In this reality only the strong and the ruthless survive, I was strong so far. And I need to work on my brutality, if I didn't panic and fired all 4 barrels I would have been dead. The fucker almost survived a point-blank mace unloading to the face.

I need more power, control, to keep myself safe, and for that I need support structure, to build up my power safety and security are necessary for any kind of growth.

I made plans, played with ideas, and finished my work, it's time to go outside.

As I looked at the kid, I realized he didn't ask my name, and I didn't ask his or offer my name.

I watched him as he claimed the small wagon and that beast. I searched that wagon and took all I needed or could need, everything I left was extra he can have it including the books he had, and this village seems far more important, I hoped it's protected.

I looked around feeling uncomfortable, the fucking shaft-less are suspiciously absent, I expected a forest full of them. I really need a better name for them. And to figure out what are they.

Should I ask about them or no, the kid probably knows more than me, but I didn't want to remind him of any trauma, like his mom getting eaten by one of them or something, so fuck it I'll just go with the flow until I can find someone undamaged to answer my questions. I found my self to be uncomfortable talking to traumatized people, can't even tell them jokes.

The kid waved at me from the top of the gorilla freak, it had a saddle like a horse, and he seemed comfortable guiding it. He was ready to go home.