Mindblown: A Fallout Tale

Part 1: An Adventure Continues

War.
War never changes.
The wasteland is a harsh place, poisoned by radiation and death.
Some of its inhabitants succumbed to base instincts and vices in order to try and survive, while others attempted to scrape together the shreds of society.
Conflicts from a bygone age out of the control of most of the world have had such a dire impact, with consequences that have lingered for centuries.
Because of those conflicts that are now utterly meaningless, the world has gone to hell, and people must suffer for years to come because...
Because...
...
What was the reason for the war, even?
...
Well, in any case, no war that has ever occurred matters anymore.
War never changes.

...

There is a person who has become a legend in the wastes.
A woman who has overcome impossible odds and has somehow retained her good will and has not given into the vices of the post-apocalyptic world.
She has learned and made use of various virtues. Compassion, generosity, sacrifice...
She could be called an anomaly, but she could also simply be called someone with a good heart and strong will.
Her name is spoken with reverence by many inhabitants... But jealousy and disgust from others.
Cywren Caster.
The lone wanderer who isn't actually alone most of the time.
She has helped make the wasteland a better place bit by bit, with acts of kindness, no matter how big or small.
Her actions are pretty much unmatched overall. The amount and types of things she has done could be considered pretty much impossible if done by anyone else.
Some say that there is an angel of sorts watching over her, others say she's a superhuman.
What she is doesn't matter.
It's who she is that she has come.
A kind soul who wishes to make the wasteland a better place.

...

Years have passed since her friend left.
Nobody else could see or hear him but her... But he was real, and a friend through and through.
She says it was thanks to him that she was able to get to where she was now.
Not physically, for the most part, he just gave advice and helped out sometimes. He also gave emotional support when she needed it.
Although those days of having a friend in her head were over, her days of adventuring were not over just yet.
All of her yeasrs spent exploring had only parched her thirst for adventure.
Today was spent freeing a large building from the influence of raiders. The battle took a long time, as the sun was high in the sky when she entered and the moon had risen by the time she was done.
It was a nice old building, considering the fact that raiders had lived there for... Months, maybe and had probably done unspeakable things during their time there.
She decided to stay there with her friends for the night.
They had a nice little set up. There were some mattresses in fairly good condition situated right next to a window. It was a really nice location to scope out for danger without being spotted... Plus it had nice ventilation.
Cywren sat on the mattress and looked out the window. A dog of an unspecific breed sat next to her and yawned. She pet it and smiled.

"Hey, Quasar."

The dog put on its best doggy smile and gave her a little doggy kiss.
She patted its back and it curled up next to her.
She laid down and the dog shuffled a little bit closer to her.
Cywren had a slight view of the sky in her position.
The world may have gone to hell, but the sky still looked so lovely.
The radiation had cleared from the sky a long time ago and the view to the starry sky was wonderful.
Without all the urban lights that once blotted the stars from the sky... Its true beauty was revealed.
Cywren couldn't help but stare in awe.
She'd seen the night sky many times during her travels, but it still amazed her every single time.
She heard a clunk from somewhere nearby in the building and instinctively placed her hand on the handle of her revolver. Quasar didn't seem worried, so she didn't press her finger too hard on the trigger.
Sure enough, she saw her companion walk into the room holding his hands up.

"Sorry. Knocked some stuff around."

"It's alright. Good to know it's you."

"I put up a makeshift barrier on the entrance so if someone manages to get in, we'll at least hear them coming."

"Awesome. Landmines?"

"Landmines."

"... But what if someone friendly comes in?"

"... I didn't think of that. Sorry."

"No, no, it's okay, just... Maybe I could do something... Thanks for trying to do that, anyway."

"Um. Yeah."

Cywren got up and her friend followed her. Her dog got up to follow as well.
Upon getting to the entrance she saw something that may as well have been a minefield.
She whistled, having been impressed by the sheer amount of frag mines there were.

"Nice work."

"Wait, what if we just lock the door? Then it's only people who go out of their way to unlo- oh, you do that sometimes too..."

"I was thinking maybe just get a rope or something to tie onto the knobs so they just can't get in."

Cywren spotted a chain in the corner of the room and it was broken... But intact enough to create a sturdy enough barrier on the door.

"This'll do nicely!"

She looped the chain around the door handles and made sure the doors couldn't be opened by trying to pull them open.
It seemed to work very well.

"There we go! Should do nicely. Now, let's get some shuteye, I haven't slept in approximately two months."

"... You're really cool."

"Aw, thanks. It was nothing. C'mon, Timebomb."

...

Cywren laid on the mattress once again and closed her eyes. Quasar curled up next to her and wagged his tail softly.
There were no blankets in the wasteland... None that weren't all gross and burnt, anyway... But the dog's fur provided an adequate replacement for one side.
The world may be one big nuclear mess, right now, but there were still the little things if you looked for them. Friends and love were very important things.
Cywren had been through a lot, but in nice, peaceful moments like this, she'd be able to think about that and it would make her feel happy.
She drifted off to sleep ever so slowly.
After days and weeks of wandering the wastes without much rest, she definitely needs and deserves it.

...
...
...

When Cywren woke up, it already seemed to be midday. She put her glasses on and stretched out her arms.
She looked outside and saw how bright it was out. She immediately got up and began her day by drinking a Nuka-Cola to wake up quicker.
It seemed that Quasar and Timebomb were already awake, since they weren't even in the room with her.
She left the room and found her friends in the main entrance. Timebomb seemed to be playing catch with Quasar using a thin metal pipe.
When Cywren entered the entrance-area, Quasar barked and went up to her, then rubbed his head on her hip affectionately.

"Hey, guys!"

"Oh, hi! Good morn- well it's not... But still."

"Why didn't you wake me up? It looks like noon outside."

"Oh, well. I mean, you've been working really hard, like all the time and you looked so peaceful and really cu- relaxed. I couldn't bear waking you up."

"'Curelaxed,' huh?"

"Yeah, that means very relaxed. Totally."

"Uh huh."

Timebomb was slightly avoiding eye contact with Cywren when he said the stuff he said past curelaxed.
Cywren patted his shoulder and laughed lightly.

"Since we're both awake now, let's get out there, okay?"

"Okay. I like you."

Cywren called Quasar over with some body language and the dog obediently followed.
Cywren took off the chain she'd put on the doorhandles and opened the door. The sun shone brightly, and the wasteland awaited outside.
She was ready to continue taking on the hostile world.
Cywren Caster, the Wasteland Savior.