I quickly got the lay of the town after exploring it for a few hours. Over the next few days, my friends and I spend most of our time in Slick’s bar, playing cards and listening to the scavengers and other visitors of the town. Occasionally, one of us will leave and return to Clamp’s clinic so he can replace our bandages and look us over. Our bodies are recovering at a good rate. Cygnus is recovering rapidly, probably an effect of the magic in his cells.

It feels good to get a break from the constant walking around and training I’ve been doing since I woke up in my lab. I can tell the others feel the same, with the exception of Cygnus. He seems a little stir crazy, but I suppose that is natural, given that he just woke up a few days ago after being locked away for decades.

On one particular day, Cygnus decides to sleep in so it is just the Rangers and I in the bar. After a while, Arrow and Lightning leave for the clinic, leaving Thunder and I alone. I decide this is as good a time as any to ask how he and the others are doing. “So,” I begin, “how are you holding up?”

Thunder rubs his chin for a moment before saying simply, “Better than the others.” I can hear the concern in his voice, but he cracks a grin and adds, “Besides that Cygnus fellow. He sure does heal fast. Another day, and I think he’ll be at one hundred percent.”

I bite my lip. So, the others aren’t doing so well after all. They’ve been acting so cheery, I have been concerned about them. “Nothing on your end then? No lingering pain or concerns about anything?” I ask him, wondering if he can be hiding something like the others.

“Nah. You know me Ratchet,” he says. “I say what’s on my mind and my body’s tough. Thanks to the Hydra, I should be ready for combat at the end of the week. I just wish I could have been of more use once my gun got destroyed,” he mutters.

I knew it, beating himself up over not being able to do more. Despite his blunt crudeness, he is a team player. “Don’t worry about it,” I tell him. “We all made it here and are still standing. You were even walking around on a broken leg. We couldn’t have asked anymore of you. You fought valiantly.”

He smiles, rubbing the back of his neck with a chuckle. “Thanks. I guess I feel a bit better,” he says.

“Good. I know if I had a broken leg, I’d have been a big foal about it the whole time. You’d probably have to carry me,” I tell him, grinning like an idiot. This gets a laugh out of him.

“Yea, you sure can’t take pain, can you?” He teases me.

I roll my eyes and sigh dramatically. “Please Thunder, I’m a scientist, not a soldier. The worst pain I had to deal with until recently was getting a cavity filled,” I tell him with a grin.

We banter back and forth about my low pain tolerance for a few minutes. After a round of laughter, Thunder composes himself and puts on a serious look. “In all seriousnes Ratchet, I’m worried about the others. They act fine, but I’ve seen Arrow glancing at the mirror a little bit too long and caught Lightning staring at his rear legs in disgust. They might be getting better physically, but mentally, they are still pained. I don’t know what to do, Ratchet. I’m not good with words. Do you think you can talk with them?” He asks me.

I can tell by the look on his face, that it pains him that he can’t help them himself. He’s good at humor and cheering them up, but he isn’t the type to help sort out delicate situations. I’m worried about them myself, so my answer is obvious. “Of course. I’ll do everything I can for them,” I tell him.

He relaxes and puts on a weak smile. “Thank you, Ratchet,” He tells me. After a few more words, we join a few scavengers playing poker. A few hands later, and Lightning and Arrow return. We deal them in as a few of the scavengers leave for the ruins. I decide that I should talk to them one-on-one, and we continue the game as Cygnus arrives and joins us as well.

The night progresses, and after talking with Thunder, I’ve been watching Arrow and Lightning closely. Little things do appear to be off with them. Quick, little frowns when no one else is looking. Arrow staring at her reflection in her drink. Lightning, occasionally glancing down under the table at his legs.

I make a note of all of this as the night goes on. Eventually, we decide to turn in for the night. We head to the hotel and go to our respective rooms. Thunder, Lightning, and Cygnus to theirs, and Arrow and I to ours. It is the perfect opportunity.

As I bid goodnight to the others, I enter the room and catch Arrow looking into the mirror. She lets out a sigh and takes off the rest of her armor and climbs onto her side of the king-sized bed. I take off my armor and do the same. She is laying on her side, facing away from me.

“Hey Arrow, could we talk for a bit?” I ask her, still sitting up in the bed. She doesn’t say anything or turn towards me, but she nods her head. I hesitate, thinking about how to continue. “I, uh, well...I’ve noticed that you haven’t quite been your usual self lately, Arrow,” I tell her, watching her for any movement.

After a few moments of silence, she hesitantly nods her head. “I want to help you,” I tell her. “However I can, with whatever you need. I’ve seen how you look at yourself in the mirror, with a look of forlorn disgust. I know that you are worried about how you look, and if your aim will be affected, but you are still you,” I say, putting a hoof on her shoulder.

I can feel her start to shake and can hear a few sobs coming from her. I really hope I’m not making her feel worse. She nods again. “Listen Arrow, even if your face is a bit scarred up, you’re still adorable. Even if your aim is off, you're an expert, you’ll adapt and be back to normal soon!” I tell her, trying to convey my sincerity.

She shakes her head, causing me to frown. “Arrow, I can only tell so much from shakes and nods. You’ve got to talk to me. How can I help you?” I ask her. She takes in a few shaky breaths before she sits up and turns to face me.

Tears are running down the right side of her face, but not the left side. “You can’t,” she says quietly. “My eye...it’s not...my face...I can’t...you’ll never…” Arrow falls into a fit of sobbing. I can’t do anything but wrap my hoof around her and pull her in close for a hug. She cries into my shoulder, tears staining my coat.

“I’m here for you,” I whisper into her ear. “I’ll help you. We can go practice shooting with the guards tomorrow, I’m sure they won’t mind. Cheer up, Arrow. You’ll get through this, and I’ll be there every step of the way. So be yourself, don’t worry about how you look, or if you can’t hit your targets right away. I’ll be there for you whenever you need me,” I tell her.

I feel her nodding her head as she continues to cry. The minutes pass and the two of us remain in an embrace. Her crying fades to sniffles as we both lay down to go to sleep. She continues to hold onto my hoof with her own as we both drift off to sleep.

The following afternoon, Arrow and I head over to see Chief Wrecker and ask his permission to use their shooting range. He agrees instantly and says we are welcome to it any time. With his approval, we head into the firing range and Arrow takes position with her rifle. “Ok, just do what you normally do,” I tell her.

Arrow aims through her scope with her good eye and after a moment, puts a bullet through the target at the end of the range, fifty feet away. She looks unhappy with it. “What’s wrong? You hit the target,” I ask her.

“Missed,” she says simply. I furrow my brow. I guess a sniper’s definition of hitting a target, and my own are different. “Non-lethal,” she adds. I blink in confusion for a second, looking at the target. It is an outline of the side of a pony with a hole through the body. I look a bit closer and think about anatomy for a moment, and realize she’s right. It passed through an area with no vital organs.

“Oh, I see,” I mutter. Then follow up with, “Where were you aiming at?” She might not be that far off if she was aiming at the heart, or something.

“Head,” Arrow answers. I flinch. Ok, that was definitely a miss then. I scratch the back of my head with a hoof.

“Well, it was just one shot, try again,” I suggest. She nods, and readies another shot, I keep a close eye on her as she fires and I notice something. I look down the range, and don’t see any indication of a hit anywhere. She must have missed completely. “Hey Arrow, why are you shooting with both your eyes open?” I ask her. “Shouldn’t you only be keeping the eye looking through the scope open?” I suggest.

She shakes her head. “No, hu?” I mutter. “But given that your left eye can’t see as good anymore, does it matter?” I ask. She shakes her head again, looking down at her rifle. After a moment, one of the guards walks over to us.

“Your friend is right, Miss Ratchet. The proper way to shoot is with both eyes open,” the buck tells me. “My name is Lock, by the way miss, nice to meet you,” he says with a smile.

I nod with a smile. “Nice to meet you too. So, why does it matter? Keeping both eyes open, I mean,” I ask him.

“Well, for one thing it puts strain on the open eye and can change the way that it sees. If you are just shooting once and a while, it’s fine. But, when it comes to extended periods of shooting, or precision, it matters,” Lock explains.

“Not only that, “ he continues, “but with both eyes open, you can keep an eye on your peripherals so you are aware of what is happening around you and your target. Given that your friend here is a sniper, she needs to keep her eyes opens.”

“If a sniper focuses on their target alone, they are easy to sneak up on. It is also easy to lose a target without keeping an eye on the target’s surroundings. Even if you aren’t a sniper, keeping an eye open to pick out your next target is a good idea,” Lock concludes.

Nodding, I say, “I see. Thank you, Lock.” I turn to look at Arrow, who is still looking at her rifle. “I’m sorry Arrow, you’re doing fine. Just keep at it!” I encourage her. I catch Lock frowning while looking at Arrow.

“Miss Arrow,” Lock addresses her. “Shoot the target once more for me, if you’d be so kind,” she asks her. Arrow nods, and prepares to shoot. Lock’s eyes don’t leave her, nor do they blink. Arrow fires, and hits the target in the rear leg.

“Can I see your gun?” Lock asks. Arrow nods, and Lock picks it up. He inspects it, then points it at the target. In rapid succession, he shoots it, ejects the cartridge, and does this two more time. All of his shots hit the target directly in the head, close together.

“As I thought,” Lock mutters. “Miss Arrow, your problem isn’t your gun, and it isn’t your eyes. You are hesitating, you are questioning if you bullet will hit where you are aiming. Your doubts are causing you to miss,” he tells her.

Arrow looks at him in shock, then quickly at the ground. “Miss Arrow, I am a sniper as well. You have good instinct, good eyes, and you are more than likely a better shot than me. But you have lost confidence. If you think losing a little bit of sight in your eye is a reason to quit being a sniper, then you should quit. Because if you keep hesitating, if you keep missing, your friends will die,” Lock glares at her, pushing her rifle into her chest.

Shakily, Arrow grabs the rifle and falls to her haunches, cradling it. Lock shakes his head and walks away. I stand there with my mouth open, shocked and unsure what to do. I look from Arrow, to Lock as he walks away. “Stay here, Arrow. I’ll be right back,” I tell her, as I chase after Lock.

I catch up to him in their locker room. “Lock!” I call out at his back. “What the fuck was that?” I ask, anger blazing inside of me. “How could you tell her that? You asshole!” I yell at him.

He turns around to face me with a stoic expression on his face. “Because she needs to hear it,” Lock says. “Because it is the truth, and it is the only thing that can help her,” he tells me.

“Bullshit!” I snarl. “You tell her she should quit? That her friends are going to die? How is that suppose to help her?” I question. My hooves are shaking under me as my anger continues to rise. Other guards that were in the locker room begin to watch us.

“She’s a soldier,” Lock replies. “Her actions carry weight, she needs to remember that. If she continues to hesitate, and stubbornly continue to snipe with that hesitation, either you, or your friends, or Arrow will die. It isn’t a matter of if, it is a matter of when,” he explains.

“How can you say that? You know nothing about her! About us!” I shout at him. “You don’t know what she’s going through!” He flinches for a moment, and then gets angry himself.

“You don’t know anything,” Lock mutters. “If you were actually her friend, if you actually cared about her and the others, you’d understand why she needs the truth,” he tells me. His words hit me like a lead pipe.

“Of course I care about them! But this is just cruel!” I yell. He shakes his head and lets out a sigh.

“You are the cruel one, Ratchet,” He tells me. “Right now, she has forgotten that others depend on her, that she is part of a team. She’s focused on what she lost, and what she’s going through. That’s why she needed the truth, harsh as it may be. To make her realize she can’t hesitate!” He growls at me.

I take a step back from him. “H...How do you know it will work?” I ask him, my anger starting to wane.

He lowers his head, and calms his voice. “Because I’ve been where she’s been. I’ve experienced it first-hoof. I was dealing with my own issues, I hesitated, and a friend died because of it. So trust me, I know what i’m talking about,” Lock says with a sigh, shaking his head.

I fall to my haunches. “I...I’m sorry,” I tell him as I look down at the floor.

Lock shakes his head. “No, I understand, Ratchet. You really do care about her, about your friends. She’ll need you to get through this, but you can’t coddle her. You have to tell her the truth when she needs it. Now go,” he says with a smile, “help her.”

I look up at him, at the others watching us, smiling themselves, and I smile back. “Of course,” I say with a nod, rising to my hooves. “Thank you,” I tell him, as I turn and leave the locker room.

Returning to the shooting range, I see Arrow still sitting while clinging onto her rifle. She isn’t crying though, but seems to be in thought, which I hope is a good thing. I walk up to her and sit down in front of her. “Are you ready to keep going?” I ask her. She nods, and stands up. I do the same.

She sets up her rifle, and aims down the sight. I take a deep breath, wondering if this will really work. “Remember what Lock said, Arrow. Imagine the bullet hitting, don’t hesitate. Don’t shoot for yourself, shoot for us. That target wants to hurt us, to take us from you, you’re going to stop it,” I tell her, not looking at her, but at the target.

Arrow lets out her breath, and a moment later she pulls the trigger and her bullet strikes the target, just below the ear. She looks up from her scope at the target, smiling. I smile as well. Perhaps she just needed the proper motivation to get her mind off things.

“Good job,” I tell her. “But, you can do better. I’m pretty sure that’s not where you were aiming,” I say. “Let’s keep going, now that you’ve got things down again, you can refine your aim.” I look at her with a smile. She smiles back, looking determined, and nods. “Alright, just like last time.”

After another few hours, Arrow is confident in her aim again. She hits every spot she is aiming for and even begins to shoot at the further targets. Her accuracy still amazes me. The sun is beginning to set and Arrow shoos me away saying simply, “Night practice.” I guess she wants to make sure she can still hit things in the dark, as well.

I bid her goodnight and head back to the hotel. I’m glad she’s gotten her confidence back, even more so than her getting her aim back. Even if she couldn’t shoot, I’d still want the normal Arrow keeping me silent company. I do wish she’s talk more though, sometimes communication is hard.

As I near the hotel, I see Lightning standing alone on the second floor balcony. I wave at him, but he either doesn’t see me or is lost in thought. With no one else around him, I decide now would be a good time to talk to him. I make my way though the hotel and onto the balcony. I walk over to him and join him leaning over the balcony railing.

“Enjoying the night air?” I ask him. He jerks, like he didn’t hear me arrive. Recovering quickly, he puts on an easy smile.

“Indeed,” Lightning says, looking up at the statue. “They work around the clock, you know? Constantly expanding the city...it’s quite the sight to behold,” he mutters.

“Really?” I say with surprise. “That’s impressive,” I agree. There is a pregnant silence as I’m unsure how to jump into the discussion. Luckily, Lightning sets me up perfectly.

Letting out a sigh, he asks, “What do you want, Ratchet?” I let out a light-hearted chuckle.

“That’s obvious, hu?” I ask. He rolls his eyes. “You know, I spent the afternoon with Arrow today. Helping her with some target practice. At first, she was doing pretty bad. But now, she’s gotten her aim back. She’s actually going to spend the night shooting, making sure she can do it properly in the dark,” I tell him with a smile.

“Is that so?” He mutters. “That’s good, she was looking pretty down recently,” Lightning points out.

I nod in agreement. “She’s doing much better now. So, how are you doing, Lightning?” I ask him, hoping that he’ll be open about it.

He smiles. Of course it wouldn’t be that easy. “Doing fine, Ratchet. Still recovering a bit, but I’ll get there. I’ll be ready to head out when you are,” Lightning tells me.

I let out a sigh. “Don’t lie Lightning, it won’t help anyone. I’ve been watching you, looking concerned and staring off into space, glaring at your legs, I can tell something isn’t right. Thunder suspects as much as well,” I tell him.

Lightning shakes his head and sighs. “Makes sense he’d know, bring my brother and all. Well Ratchet, you want the truth?” He asks, turning to me. I nod. “I’m terrified. I’m sure the Clamp told you, my legs might not fully recover. But it is more than that. My legs...they shake sometimes. I can’t control it, but being in power armor makes it a bit more bearable,” he confesses.

“They...shake? Does it hurt when they do so?” I ask him as concern builds up inside of me.

He smiles slightly. “No, thankfully. It is just annoying, for the most part. As the day progresses though, my legs get tired and ache because of it, and all I’ve been doing lately is lounging around. Once we actually start moving, and fighting, I don’t think I’ll be able to keep up,” Lightning says, looking down from the railing.

“What does Clamp say about it? Have you told him?” I ask.

“Of course, but the only thing he can determine is that it might go away eventually. He says it might be nerve damage, or it could be a mental thing. Me subconsciously recalling the manticore attack,” he says. “I don’t know, Ratchet. I just don’t know. But, I don’t think you can help,” he tells me with a sad expression on his face.

“Bullshit,” I tell him. This rouses a surprised expression from him. “We are friends, a team, it is our job to help each other. So you know what? If your legs are giving you trouble, let us know. If we have to take a few more breaks on our journeys, so be it. If we have to throw you on our back, we’ll do it,” I explain.

He smirks, but says, “I don’t want to be a burden to you all. I’ll keep up, you don’t have to coddle me.” You idiot Lightning. You just don’t understand.

Lock’s words run though my mind, ‘you have to tell her the truth when she needs it.’ I’m sure that can be applied to Lightning as well, and he needs the same truth as Arrow needed. “Shut up,” I tell him. “You understand that if you ignore your issue, if you push yourself for us, that we could all die because of it, right?” I say, giving him a serious look.

He’s taken aback, that much I can see. His eyes go wide for a moment and he mutters, “W-What?”

“If you push yourself, and we don’t know it, and we get caught in a battle unaware of that, it could cost us our lives. Not only yours, but your brother’s, Arrow’s, Cygnus’s, and mine,” I say, locking my eyes onto his. “If we know, we can work around it. We can be ready. This isn’t just your problem, it is our problem,” I tell him.

When I finish, Lightning looks away, out into the night. He rubs his face with a hoof for a moment before turning back towards me. “I suppose you are right. I would be a burden if I decide to be stubborn about things. I’m sorry. It’s just...my legs were my pride and joy,” he mutters.

“About that,” I begin. “Don’t hate your legs now, don’t be disgusted with them. They served you well, and they probably saved your life from the manticore. Just because they might be a bit slower, and shake occasionally, you shouldn’t be upset with them. You’re still standing, they are still strong, and they are the only ones you got,” I tell him with a smile.

He stares at me blankly for a moment before erupting into laughter. “The only ones I’ve got, hu, Ratchet?” Lightning says, laughing some more. “That’s so...so...corny,” he tells me, continuing to laugh.

I puff out my cheek and glare at him. “I thought it was good…” I mutter, giving him a smile.

Lightning pulls himself together enough to say, “Yea, yea. Oh Celestia, Ratchet. Thank you. I...I feel much better now. Tomorrow, I’ll tell everyone about my legs. You are right though, they are the only ones I have. I’m going to think about things for a little longer. You should get some sleep, it is getting late.”

“I suppose you are right,” I say with a smile. “I’m glad you are feeling better, Lightning. Remember, if there’s ever something you need to talk about, we’re here for you,” I tell him.

“I know, thanks,” He says with a smile. I return inside and leave Lightning to his thoughts. He probably needs some time to get things straight in his head. I decide to take his advice, and head to my room for the night.

A week goes by, and luckily I don’t witness any more deaths. My friends and I make a speedy recovery, and decide we will leave tomorrow morning. Today, we will stock up on supplies and get ready. We go our separate ways to get what we need, but I end up giving Cygnus 500 caps so he can get some gear.

I’ve cut up my soiled lab coat and make some bandages out of it. They aren’t magical or anything, but they’ll help stop some bleeding if we get into a tight stop. Putting on one of the pristine coats, I make my way to the gun store.

The gun store, which is a good sized shack inside the bottom of the statue, is owned by a buck named Bloodshot. He’s got a...peculiar attitude, keeps trying to get me to buy explosives. But, I decide to leave those up to Thunder. I really didn’t want to miss with something that could really cause some damage.

First, I decide to sell Bloodshot my excess guns and ammunition. As I pull gun after gun out of my bags, he doesn’t seem surprised, it is like ponies bring in a ton of guns to sell all the time. I sell all the spare guns I looted and the 9mm I got back from Rose. He gives me 470 caps for the lot of them. I try to haggle, but, he says, “Most of these are shit. Nothing but parts.”

I begrudgingly accept the caps, just grateful for the bag space they freed up. I look over what I have left. The sniper, shotgun, SMG, and revolver. Given my record for hitting my target, I decide to sell the sniper and SMG, along with all their ammo and the 5.56mm I have as well. He gives me 133 more caps for them.

He won’t buy my old armor or the machete I have though. Since I’m done selling things, I decide to stock up on ammo. I buy enough shotgun shells to get me to 56 extra, and 108 .32 caliber for my revolver. This sets me back 331 caps.

I’m about to leave the store when he calls out to me, saying he can sell me a drum magazine for my shotgun, and possibly improve my revolver a bit. I ask for the drum magazine as I give him my revolver to look at. The drum magazine is another 200 caps.

He inspects the revolver for a moment, then gives it back to me, telling me to, “Aim it for me, let me get a look at you.” I raise an eyebrow, but do as he says and aim it like I usually do with my magic. He nods and takes it back. He disappears into the back of his shop for a few minutes, then returns and asks me if I want to name it.

I think for a moment, and smile as I say, “Forgiveness.” He raises an eyebrow, but shrugs and returns to the back. After a few more minutes, he returns with my revolver and sits it on the counter. It looks...different.

“Since you use magic, I lightened it and decreased the amount of pressure needed to pull the trigger. The new grip should feel better in your magic as well. And the name,” he says, showing me the left side of the gun, “is inscribed on the barrel.” He smiles and concludes, “450 caps.”

My eyes go wide at the price, but he gives it to me to test out. It definitely feels...better. I let out a sigh and mutter, “Here.” As I count out the caps. He smiles, and thanks me for my business as I leave his store.

I was really not expecting to spend so much there. I have 400 caps left, hope that is enough for medical supplies. But first, I need to sell this extra stuff. I head into the general store, hoping they’ll buy my old armor and machete. I’m in luck, and gain an additional 73 caps. Why was everything so damn inexpensive when I sell it?

Next, I make my way to the drugstore to stock up on medical supplies. As I approach the counter, I see Lightning standing there. “Oh, hey Ratchet,” he says as he notices me. “Stocking up as well? I made sure to leave some for you,” he tells me with a grin.

“Here you go sir,” a gravely voice says from under the counter. From behind the counter, rises a…

“ZOMBIE!” I yell, drawing my revolver. Lightning quickly puts a hoof out in front of me.

“She’s alright Ratchet, she isn’t a zombie. I guess she’s the first ghoul you’ve seen, hu?” Lightning says with a chuckle. He turns to the zombie, “Sorry about her, first time for her, ya know? Here’s the caps, you two play nice now.” Lightning then walks out of the shop without another word.

The zombie shakes its head and grabs the caps from the counter. “Every time with you smoothskins,” it says.

“Uh...so…” I stammer. “You’re a...ghoul? Not a...Zombie?” I ask stupidly.

“Yea,” it says. Though, it resembles a mare, so I guess...she says? “Though you smoothskins usually don’t care about the difference. The name’s Scarlet,” she informs me.

“Nice to...meet you, Scarlet,” I tell her with apprehensive smile. “Sorry about the whole, trying to shoot you thing,” I appologize.

“Oh, no worries. It happens with you smoothskins sometimes,” Scarlet says with a shrug. “So, I’m your first ghoul hu? I bet you have questions, go ahead and ask so I can start trading with you,” she says.

“Oh, uh. Let’s see. What is a ghoul, I guess?” I ask her.

“Fair enough. We are normal ponies who got exposed to just the right amount of radiation. Not enough to kill us, but enough to turn us into this. Some of us have been around since before the war, though I came after that,” she explains.

“I see. Does that mean you have longer lifespans due to the radiation exposure?” I ask, my curiosity piqued.

“Who’s to say. Hasn’t been that much time to know for sure. Though I know a few that are over 100 years old, and still doing fine. We might be able to live forever, assuming we don’t rot away into nothing,” Scarlet says with a raspy chuckle.

“Right...Does it hurt? Are you physically the same, or did you mutate?” I ask, getting excited.

“Oh naw, it feels pretty normal. Aside from our looks, our ability to heal with radiation, and our lack of needing sustenance, we’re pretty much the same,” she explains.

“That’s interesting. So, are there any negative effects to being a ghoul?” I ask, adding, “Aside from ponies thinking you are zombies and trying to kill you.”

“Yea,” she says with a sigh. “We can go feral, lose our minds. Once that happens, we might as well be zombies. So not all of us are safe to be around. But!” Scarlet declares, “That doesn’t mean you should go around shooting every ghoul. Ferals, sure. But not those with intelligence left.”

“Ferals, hu? Good to know. I’ll try to refrain from shooting ghouls just for being ghouls,” I say, giving her a reassuring smile. “I think that’s all the questions I have for now, thanks.”

“Good. Now, you here to buy?” She asks. I nod, and tell her what I need. She tells me the prices, and I tell her what I can afford. Scarlet shakes her head and pulls out two healing potions. I think for a moment, considering if i have anything else to sell.

I remember I have drugs i should probably get rid of. I bring out the stampede and dash, but hesitate for a moment. I put the dash back in my bags, deciding to hang onto it for emergencies, since I can actually manage to hit things while using it.

With the stampede I have, she agrees to sell me a total of 3 healing potions and one magical bandage for the cost of 450 caps. I agree to the price, and pack up the items and give her the caps.

With 23 caps to my name, I leave the store and head back to the hotel to wait for the others. Tomorrow, we’ll head back out into the Manehatten Ruins. I hope we are prepared.