chapter 1 chance encounter
Can't believe this!
In an rusty broken down home, is a young man throwing a tantrum. He looked no older then 16 and was of Japanese descent.
He looked like an average Japanese high schooler and was living in the sewer, surrounded by manga and garbage all over the floor.
Turned down for a rank up again. It's not fair! I gave up so much for this. I left Japan for this!? To be at the bottom of the rankings and barely make enough to eat? Will I ever be a hero? Will my life ever just not suck? Can somebody just throw me a bone here?
His phone rings, it's his father and from the look on his face he isn't happy to pick up the phone.
Hello father.
Oh you actually picked up the phone? I'm surprised, after your failure to "make it big" as you put it I'd assumed you'd be too embarrassed to even talk to me.
Father-
You dropped out of high school because you said you didn't want to make my mistake of becoming a salary man.
You wanted to enjoy your life but you failed to take into account one thing. Your simply not cut out for the wastelanders guild. Some people are born with talent, but you clearly are not.
You make barely any money and live in the sewer. You could not be a bigger embarrassment to me.
Why can't you be more like your younger brother and stay in school? He's getting accepted into a top class high school.
Screw that! Go to college and find a job at some company where I will spend almost all my time in working an ungodly amount of overtime like you?
I'm not going to commit suicide or die of a heart attack because of overwork and I'm not gonna waste my youth in a company that just cares about profits.
I wanna live my life. A salaryman doesn't live his life, he wastes it.
And how many times do I have to tell you that's not the way the world works. You go to school, get a job and work. That's the way the world works.
You can't just skip-
The boys anger finally hit a breaking point and he hung up.
Damn it! All I want to do is live my life my way. Is that so wrong? Please can something just go right in my life!
The phone rings again, this time a different person is on the other end.
What is it eddy? I'm not exactly in the mood for your games today.
Now that's so mean tatsuya. And here I was going to give you a nice tip on a potential scavenging area.
You serious!?
Yep, none of the guild members know about it yet so you'll be the first one to get the goods.
It's a demolished building owned by an old company long dead. Rumors say they were into some freaky experiments down there. Probably some lost tech for you to sell.
It's not far either. About 5 miles southeast of where you are.
If it's 5 miles away why did nobody pick it off already?
Get this, most of the good stuff was underground. The guild may have picked off the building but forgot to check under it. Better hurry though, I can only keep this under wraps for so long.
Thanks eddy. I owe you one.
Yeah yeah, just so you know this makes us even, no more freebies. You want more, you pay up like everyone else.
Hanging up tatsuya gets dressed and rushes to his car.
Finally a break. God knows I needed it big time. But still this better turn up a nice profit, cause if I don't make anything from this, then that's it.
I'll have no money and be forced to go home and admit defeat. I'll have to tell my father he was right. The shame will be too much for me to bear.
Should I consider suicide? Would death be preferable to admitting I was wrong? Hell no, I promised myself that I would come back rich and there's no way in hell I'm coming back empty handed. Right now all that matters is this job. I find something, ANYTHING, and I just might survive here a little longer.
The drive is long and silent. Fear of failure haunts his thoughts the entire way through the swamp. He remembers the day he left. Everyone in his class called him crazy for dropping out. But he just ignored them. High school has a lot of scars for him and he is not going back, EVER.
After an hour of driving, he makes it to his destination. A building torn in half and covered in vines and dried up blood. Rubble was everywhere and it just shouts don't go inside.
Wow what a dump. Only 5 miles from New Edo city and they couldn't be bothered to clean it up. Even with all the cash the wastelanders guild brings. That blood is concerning but I am not in a position to consider my safety. It's all or nothing and I'm all in.
Rummaging through debris and broken glass, Tatsuya goes into the building. As soon as he enters, he finds many signs. Some written in blood.
All having the same message, "stay away".
Okay, a little creepy but that just means I'm headed the right way.
After a few more minutes of searching and several bodies and signs later, he finds what he's looking for. A lab complete with computers.
Checking on the computers he manages to turn on the power, briefly astonished that it still works.
Quickly calming down, he goes through all the files and is disappointed. Most of the data is useless.
Just random medical research that is common knowledge, nothing too interesting. With each folder he opened, he lost his hope. It seemed like he was done until a command prompt that says open hatch caught his eye.
Clicking immediately, a hatch opened in the center of the lab, leading further down.
Well I've come this far he thought as he sighed and began to climb down the ladder.
Once he was down and found the lights, his eyes, lifeless and depressed, were instantly filled with joy and hope.
Crystals. Lots and lots of crystals. He immediately took out a cube the size of a baseball and it began to suck in each crystal like a vacuum.
One particular thing caught his eye. A statue of a petite woman in the back of the lab.
The sign on it says "Crackshot". And another sign written in blood says For the love of God do not touch.
What is this statue? Why are so many people dead because of it? Maybe it's valuable? And why is it a loli? So many questions ran through his mind. Tatsuya was scared, there were so many people dead and this statue seemed to be the cause. But he pushed aside these fears, death at this point would be a welcome companion and he is done playing it safe. but in the end he decided to take it with him.
He tried to suck it in the cube but...
Error, weight limit reached.
Dang it, well guess I'm dragging this.
Despite being small it was quite heavy. It took an hour to finally get it outside. Seemed like everything was going well.
But in this business, nothing ever goes according to plan. The entire time he was exploring he was being followed, and they decided to reveal themselves.
Alert! Unauthorized intruder detected. Commencing security protocols.
Flying drones, armed with miniguns and mini rockets came in droves. All to kill tatsuya and when he realized what trouble he was in, only one word came to mind.
Sh$t!
Clouds formed and it began to thunder. Tatsuya pulled out his boomerangs and prepared to meet these bots.
Alright tin-cans. Come on, I'll send you to the scrap heap.
First wave of drones rushed in firing bullets, But tatsuya was prepared. With his mind he moved his boomerangs, spinning them in front of him to deflect the bullets then launching one at the same speed as a bullet. In an instant the first wave of drones were destroyed and the boomerang returned to tatsuya.
OH YEAH! Drone zero, me... uh, well I don't know how many drones was that so I'll say 20 points. Who's next?
Warning, trickster detected. Initiating trickster defense protocols.
So they can detect tricksters huh? And what's a trickster defense protocol?
The drones scurry back inside the build and after a full minute of silence loud thumping footsteps could be heard.
With each step Tatsuya became more nervous.
If this place was made to research or experiment on tricksters, then it's obvious they would have a security system designed to kill or stop them.
Maybe I should run away with what I got? Just leave the statue and keep the crystals. Yeah, I mean why risk my life?
His time to run however, had run out. Out of the shadows of the building came a massive 10 ft tall robot that looked as if it was some kind of war machine.
Scanning trickster. Error, subject not bullet trickster. Error, subject not found in any know database. Reviewing drone combat data.
Review complete. Intruder is boomerang based ammo type trickster. Preparing counter measures. Counter measures complete, commencing attack.
Here he comes!
The robot opened with missiles, and tatsuya tried to defend but the missiles weren't aiming for him, but the ground around him. The shockwave of the explosion launched him in the air.
Regaining his balance he quickly threw his boomerangs but he threw them too late. The robot was gone.
He looked around but the robot had snuck up behind and when he realized that it was too late.
With his boomerangs still returning he had nothing to defend himself with and was punched hard, sending him flying.
He managed to soften the impact when he hit the wall by moving his boomerangs in the way but still, he had definitely fractured some bones.
Emotions flying high he tried to throw his boomerangs again but even though they hit they did no damage and just bounced off.
Again? And this time there is no one to save me. I can't even move.
Subject's emotions is currently negative. No longer a threat. Moving to eliminate.
As the robot came for the finishing blow Tatsuya thought, is this the end? After 7 years of failure and depression is this where my choices got me?
Joined the guild and ran from home, dropping out of high school. After all the years with those bullies, all the insults, all the boasting that I'm coming back rich and famous, this is where I die?
The dropout loser they called me. I told them They were wrong and I would prove it. That while they were working overtime with no time for fun, I'd be enjoying my life.
Guess I really was a loser.
He could no longer hold back the tears and the robot was almost close enough to kill him.
SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! HELP! please...I just wanted to be happy. I just wanted to prove my dad wrong. I wanted to prove them all wrong. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?
SOMEBODY SAVE MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
It really did seem like tatsuya's story would end here. But little did he know, he would not die this day.
For nearby, a miracle was happening. It began to rain. And the statue of crackshot, began to crack open.
WARNING! Bullet trickster breaking free. Threat level, extreme. Immediate action advised.
The robot activated it's boosters and flew as quickly as it could to try and stop what was happening. It was too late.
In an instant, the petite woman broke free and right before she was hit, time itself began to slow down.
She dodged and put distance between her and the robot.
MAAAAAAAAAAAAN! I don't know how long I was stuck in there but all that time really gives you a pain in the neck.
She looks at the young battered man on the ground and smiles.
Hang on, I'll be with you in a second, she says cracking her neck.
Ahhhhh, that's much better.
WHAT. THE. FU$@. What just happened? The statue is not a statue, it's a loli?
After finishing her stretch she turns her attention to the robot.
Wow, a trashcan come to life. This should be easy.
The robot came at her again but Crackshot just smiled, and with a flick of her hand, all the bullets fired earlier flew at the robot, damaging it in several places.
Error, damage critical. CRi-cri-error,error. Er-
The robot explodes, with a triumphant crackshot standing over it's remains.
And boom goes the ugliest trashcan in the world.
After that, She turns her attention to the man laying on the ground bleeding.
Hey. Why you crying?
Quickly wiping his tears, he gets up.
I'm not crying. But, who are you?
Me? I'm Anna Jones. Nice to meet you.
-part 2-
I can't believe what just happened.
I go to that place expecting to find some stuff to sell, instead I find a very powerful loli bullet trickster. A cute one too.
Hey.
I mean, how old is she anyway? She's flat as a board and no taller the 4.5 ft. And to top it off, she's definitely an American. Maybe she's 10 years old.
Hey, you!
I definitely hit the jackpot with her. She was so strong she ripped that robot to pieces. Maybe she can teach me to be a better trickster, and then I can finally stop failing jobs and rub it in my fathers face. I can see it now.
HEY!
It took yelling for Anna to get tatsuya's attention. Despite driving he was lost in thought.
Sorry, I was thinking.
No problem. Nice car, never seen anything like it.
Is she serious? This car is a wreck. Tail lights busted. horns broken, rust is everywhere. Is she mocking me?
Anna, upon looking at the car realized she had angered him.
Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. I just never saw a car like this before.
Never saw a car like this? She's weird. Maybe she grew up in the wasteland. Most Americans that are still alive after the war don't have a proper education since they blew up the country and their schools. Wonder how long she survived out here before being put in that statue.
It's alright. So... what were you doing frozen like a statue?
I was kidnapped. They took my blood to experiment with.
Where were you kidnapped from?
A prison.
....I must have misheard you. For a second, I thought you said you were kidnapped from a prison.
I was. I was convicted and sentenced to 800 consecutive life sentences for mass murder after I turned myself in.
WHAT.THE.F$CK. I have a mass murderer in my car. I got saved by a criminal. Not only that she just confessed to being sent there for mass murder.
Noticing his fear, she moves quickly to relax his concerns.
Would you relax. I turned myself in. The guilt of what I had done finally made me do the right thing for once in my life.
Now I'm a woman of God she says while holding her bible for Tatsuya to see. Though he still stops the car.
Wait, she might have a bounty on her head. I could get a nice bonus for turning her in. But she saved my life. If I turned her in, well I'd be the scum of the earth. Plus there's a chance she's telling the truth and she really did reform.
Look kid-
I'm 20 years old and my name's Anna, not kid.
She's 20!? Man she looks so young. Wait a minute she's legal. Who knows, maybe this is the start of my harem. Kind of weird to start it with a loli since normally they are introduced later in the story but hey I'll take it. No, no, she's a former murderer and she has to go.
Look anna, I'm grateful you rescued me but I can't travel with a criminal, former or otherwise. So since you saved me I'll look the other way and let you go just this once.
Hold your horses there cowboy, I ain't going anywhere. Now it's true I would like nothing more then to find the man who froze me and make him pay.
He killed the friends I made in prison, just to experiment on their blood. But, revenge is not something God would want.
So just take me to jail, and I'll let the cops handle it. I just don't want to fight anymore.
Is she serious? Well, that means I'm gonna get a huge bounty reward. Man today is my lucky day. Kind of sad that I'm not going to be starting my harem but it is what it is. There is no way today can go wrong.
As if on cue, something to mess his day came. An explosion knocked the car off the road, launching both of our heroes to the side of the road.
The crystals! I can't let them burn.
He searched and searched but to no avail.
Ugh... 5 more minutes mommy, my dream was getting good.
Anna lost conciousness, leaving Tatsuya alone.
This isn't the time for a nap you have to help me.
Looking for this loser-kun?
2 teenagers show up, dressed like martial artists in their gi's. One of them was holding the storage cube Tatsuya had.
Give me that back!
With no hesitation, Tatsuya throws his boomerangs. They do no damage, the boomerangs merely bounced off.
HAHAHAHA, what was that? Loser-kun, there are no girls to show off to here, so drop the tough guy act. Your embarrassing yourself.
Yeah loser-kun. I mean how many times will we have to do this dance before you learn you just can't beat us? You have boomerangs and we have chi. Why don't you just give up this time.
Not this time! I won't let you steal this one from me. It's way too big to just give up.
Throwing boomerangs one after another, Tatsuya gets closer, all the while the two martial artists just stand there, enjoying the pitiful attempt at causing them harm.
Hey could you hit my back right here? There's this killer cramp-ohhhhhhh, that feels much better.
After running out of boomerangs he just started punching the two teens. No damage was dealt, not even a flinch. They just smiled and laughed. Tatsuya was on the verge of tears.
Man this is so pathetic. I've heard of making your last stand but this is just sad. It's like watching a man bang his head against a brick wall.
I know. Can I kill him now?
No you can't. Remember, no killing other guild members, even if they are useless. Beating some sense into them on the other hand...
Yu grabs Tatsuya by the throat and holds him up.
Now listen here cause this is the last time I'll say it. Your a trickster and I'm a martial artist, he says charging a ball of chi in his free hand.
You can't burn me. You can't hurt me, you can't kill me. You are trash and we are-
Hey Yu take a look at this. There's enough crystals in this thing to make us millionaires overnight. No wonder this guy is fighting so hard.
This got Yu's attention and he puts Tatsuya down, not caring about him anymore.
Wow, with this we could be millionaires. Women, drinks, fast cars, anything we want.
Thanks loser-kun. You just set us up for life.
Tatsuya grabs the ankle of Suya, The tears flowing like the dam had burst completely.
Give...it....back.
You are persistent. Then again, I would be too if millions of yen were on the line.
What do you think Suya-kun? What should we do with him this time?
I'm thinking wedgie.
No, NO.
Tatsuya's eyes widened in fear. He backed away and tried to run. In an instant they caught him.
Now, now, we already stripped you naked and left you in the middle of nowhere last time.
Yeah, think of this as mercy since we're in a good mood.
They grab his underwear and pull. The pain was unbearable, and they didn't care. It was funny in their eyes. Only greed and malice was in their hearts.
Look at that, he's wearing anime boxers. Someone's a fan of megumin.
The two were so distracted with Tatsuya's misery they never noticed Anna rummaging through what was left of the car. By the time Tatsuya got a wedgie, Anna had found what she was looking for. Once she had what she was looking for she approached the group.
Excuse me? Can I talk to you guys for a second?
The two stop to look at what is in their eyes a loli walking towards them, dressed in a prison jumpsuit.
What the heck? A loli?
Loser-kun your even more of a loser then we thought. Didn't know you liked em that young. And what's with the prison jumpsuit she's wearing? That some fetish thing?
For the record I just met him and I'm 20 years old.
Woah, so we got a dopey eyed midget. Seems fitting for a loser like him.
Yeah, we like women with some curves, not a flat chested midget.
Sorry you feel that way. Anyway I'm here to ask you guys to please leave him alone.
Oh is that all? Would you like a tiara with that princess?
Oh, do you have one? Cause I know where you can shove it.
HAHA, Yu-kun she got you good there.
Shut up Suya.
He turns towards Anna.
So you got a mouth on you. Nobody likes a smart mouth.
Believe me it's a nasty habit.
Run...get out of here.
Not without you.
They will do unspeakable things to you.
Listen to me kid, I'm not leaving here without you.
Finally she turns her attention towards the two martial artists, determination in her eyes.
Let him go or else.
Or else what?
Or else I'm going to hurt you and I REALLY don't want to hurt you. I promised myself I'd try to avoid violence but your making this really difficult.
Oooooh, I'm so scared. I'm going to be beaten up by a loli.
The two just kept mocking her and Anna pleaded for them to see reason but finally she had enough.
Just so you know, I gave you several chances to avoid this.
She threw a canister of anesthetic gas at the group.
The heck is this? It's smells awful.
Yu, I don't feel so good.
Suya began to vomit and dropped Tatsuya who seemed to be uneffected.
Okay, either my Japanese is worse then I thought or that wasn't what I thought it was. They should be sleeping, not puking.
You dopey eyed midget loli. We'll kill you!
Suya runs straight at Anna and readies his fist. Anna doesn't even waiver, smiles, and catches his fist easily.
Wha-
He never got to finish his sentence, cause the next thing he knew he was punched in the face by Anna, who had covered her hand in bullets like a magnet.
Suya was bleeding from his mouth and spitting up teeth. The agony of pain he was in made him flail about screaming profanities.
What did you do to him?
I don't know. That was supposed to be anesthetic gas but this works too.
Wait, anesthetic gas? That canister is 10 years old.
Ooooooooooooh, that explains it. The gas was too old and instead made them feel ill.
But our chi. You shouldn't be able to hurt us in any way. Our chi barrier can't be broken unless an equal or greater force hit us.
Not anymore. That gas ruined your ability to concentrate your chi properly. It's only temporary but right now your just a common street punk.
No, that can't be. This can't be happening.
Denial, excellent it's the first stage of grief. You see this is why I call martial artists amateur's. Once their powers are useless they cry, complain and throw tantrums.
Honestly, You'd give baby's a run for their money in the crying department. Now, hand over what you stole and apologize.
NEVER! I'll kill you. Even without my chi I still know how to fight, Yu says rushing Anna.
Maybe so, But I got something that beats martial arts.
Anna pulls out a gun and fires at Yu's shoulder, knocking him down and leaving him crying in pain.
And this is why you don't bring a fragile eco to a gunfight.
That's my gun.
Shhhh, don't ruin the moment I'm in the zone she whispered to Tatsuya. After this she grabs the storage cube, stepping on both of their balls to add insult to injury.
You should get that looked at, wanna make sure you can still have children after all. And so gentlemen, with my closing act I do bid you all goodbye.
Turning toward tatsuya, she gives him back the cube.
Here, this is yours right?
I didn't know it then but this woman would change my life.
-part 3-
Tatsuya got up and put his underwear back in order.
How did you do that? I thought only a martial artist can beat another martial artist. That and magic.
Hmph, you see all martial artists have one weak point. If they can't focus they're chi then they can't use it to protect themselves, which leaves them wide open.
The gas canister. It disrupted their focus.
You catch on quick.
And they couldn't use their chi like a barrier anymore.
Look, lesson number one about being a trickster. We don't win with brute strength, but with trickery or deceit. Not very honorable but that's how it goes. So, since I saved you twice now it seems you owe me 2.
Dang it. Should have known she'd want something in return.
What you think I want money? Heck no money is the last thing on my mind. I just want to ask you some questions and we'll call it even.
I...guess that's fair.
Tatsuya tilted his head ad remained skeptical.
First off I want to know how long I've been frozen in that statue. If I remember correctly I was frozen in 1884. So my first question is: What year is it?
It's.....2080.
For a brief moment Anna seemed disturbed at this news but quickly shoves those concerns aside, telling herself it doesn't matter anymore.
I see. Well, 2 centuries. That's more then I thought. Moving on, where am I?
This is Florida, now a colony of Japan.
Colony? Back up, what the heck happened in the last 200 years?
What happened in the last 60 years you mean? You were alive during the first American civil war right?
Anna just sighed and shook her head.
Let me guess, there was a second one?
Yep, it lasted for 10 years. And we don't really know much about it but we know how it ended. One side nuked the entire country.
Nuked?
Ah right, you were born in the 19th century so it makes sense you wouldn't know what a nuke is. A nuke is a very powerful bomb capable of blowing up entire cities.
Ouch. And at any point did anybody think this was a bad idea? No? Of course.
America had thousands of them and in the end one side was losing and blew everything up.
Talk about sore losers.
Your telling me. After This Japan entered a war with china and we teamed up with various other countries and won.
But it left us with severe financial debt and we lost more then 70% of our population.
It's been a few decades since then so we got some of our population back. Currently there are only about 50 million Japanese left.
To help us get out of our bad situation, a politician from hokkaido came up with an idea to create a guild to explore and colonize what was left of America.
We couldn't enter from the west coast since it was heavily irradiated so we went through mexico and established a colony here in Florida.
When we got here we found out that the soil was mutated and grew these crystals like crops. They could be used as a clean, renewable and powerful power source. This become the main mission of the wastelanders guild, to find as much of these crystals as possible and to grow more of it.
Naturally when other nations found out about this they wanted a piece of the pie. But Japan used the crystals to make new weapons that were only possible in science fiction and defeated all the other nations, becoming the new superpower of the world.
With that the wastelanders guild was born and thanks to all the tech and resources we found, Japan became the richest nation on earth.
Nice. I see the current situation now.
Anna just started laughing.
That's funny. I outlive the government that sentenced me to several life long consecutive sentences. Talk about being the luckiest woman alive.
Which means even if I wanted to turn myself in, I couldn't. As of right now, I'm a free woman. So God answered my prayers and gave me a second chance in the most weird way possible.
What sucks is that I have no where to go.
Uh...sorry to interrupt your internal crisis but, what will you do now?
I don't know. Can't turn myself in, since I didn't commit any crimes against any current governments. But if I'm still alive then maybe the one who did this to me is also still alive. I think I'll just find someplace to stay for a little bit, get my bearings and then decide whether I'll go after him.
Well if you have no where else to go might I make a suggestion. Join the wastelanders guild and team up with me.
Anna crossed her arms and looked Tatsuya straight in the eye.
Huh? A few minutes ago you wanted nothing to do with me, what changed?
The fact that you beat those two idiots is what changed. They have been stealing my jobs from me for months now. I couldn't even hurt them but you beat them with little trouble. The way you fought, I was convinced that you were no ordinary trickster.
Well, I was one of the most dangerous criminals alive in my time.
Well you mind telling me?
Ann sighed.
I don't want to get into details but The short version is I was once called crackshot, and I killed a lot of people. Eventually I realized how evil I had become and made a deal with the feds. I turn myself in and in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, I bring down my old gang.
Wait, Crackshot? I heard that name somewhere before.
Tatsuya's eyes widened and he jumped with awe after remembering where he heard that name before.
That's it! I read about you in history class. Crackshot Jones, very dangerous criminal that wiped out a quarter of the Japanese imperial army and helped put down the satsuma rebellion. You also destroyed killed several wealthy people and millions of civilians. Your crime spree was was so bad that all the world governments gave up trying to kill or capture you and your gang, declaring you a natural disaster.
Guess you did your homework.
It's said that you made no attempt to escape prison and were truly reformed by the time you died. But clearly you didn't die.
Gee thanks captain obvious. That's quite the insight you've got there.
What I don't understand is how are you still alive?
Some rich guy kidnapped me and a lot of the inmates I helped reformed to experiment on us. I was left frozen and forgotten until you found me.
After hearing who you really are Now I definitely want you on my team. After all you know more about tricksters then all of Japan.
I left that life behind me. I promised myself that I would not fight anymore.
But you fought just now.
To save you. If it was just me I would have run.
Tatsuya became desperate, frantically arguing, trying to convince Anna to join but each time he failed. Finally though he came up with a convincing arguement.
What about the guy who froze you? If you join I could help you find him.
That got Anna's attention. She bit her lip and remembered all the people that man killed. All the inmates who had reformed and were ready to leave the prison, some with families waiting for them.
The bible teaches to not desire revenge and to forgive everyone, no matter what. But although she was willing to forgive, she could not forget the people that died, and decided to listen to what Tatsuya was offering.
Alright, you have my attention. I'll listen but I make no promises.
The wastelanders guild can help. They have a huge information network. Joining them would get you all sorts of perks. You'd find this guy in no time.
So your offering to help me find the man in exchange for me joining your boy band.
It's not a boy band. We're adventurers, protecting people from criminals, monsters and bringing riches to the homeland.
Anna rolls her eyes.
Riiiiiight. And what do you get out of this? Besides me.
Me? Well I get a powerful ally to help me do my jobs and make some real money. Then I could go home with my head held high and rub it in every ones faces,
I mean, I'm pretty sure you've figured it out by now but, I'm not a very good trickster. I suck at this, though that's because tricksters have been largely forgotten by the world.
Forgotten?
America was the birthplace of tricksters, but they kept a tight lip on any information related to tricksters. When America bombed itself, all that information disappeared.
Actually come to think of it, how is it a japanese kid like yourself is a trickster? I thought America had a strict policy of tricksters only reproducing with other americans.
Ah that. Well some Americans escaped the conflict before the bombs and scattered to other countries. Some made it to Japan and helped us win the war. As a reward they were granted residency and allowed to live out the rest of their days in Japan. I'm one of the kids they had.
Tricksters scattered all over the world. Well ain't that a major headache waiting to happen.
Anyway, all that knowledge was lost, and not many people know how their powers work anymore since all the tricksters that were alive before the war died. Even when they were alive they never revealed their secrets, taking it with them to the grave. Since I have nobody to teach me I don't know how to properly use my powers.
So the second thing I'll get from you is training. And with that I want to make a deal with you.
I'm listening.
You want to find the man who put you in that statue, I want to prove everyone who made fun of me for dropping out of school wrong.
If you join the guild as my partner, You could help me rank up, and the higher we rank up the greater information we will have access to. You'll be able to find this man, and I'll finally be able to live my life on MY terms. Also you can train me and help me get better at fighting.
So what do you say?
Hmmm, that is an interesting deal. The only problem I really have with it is obviously I'm going to have to fight. And maybe kill people.
But I owe Jess. I can't just abandon her. Plus it's not like I have anywhere to go and Tatsuya doesn't seem like a bad person.
I'll join, but on two conditions.
Name them.
I will not kill. I don't care what missions you take I will never kill again. I've had enough of death.
That's fine.
And the second condition is I will not do anything that goes against God. I'm a christian first above all else.
Works for me.
So any complaints about my terms?
I can live with them.
Then, I guess I accept.
Tatsuya jumped for joy.
You mean it!? Yes! You won't regret this I swear. Now come on, we got crystals to deliver.
And that is how our adventure began.
-wastelanders guild-
We're finally here.
In the distance after hours of walking since the car was destroyed, was a huge harbor. It was surrounded by walls and had guard towers with guards posted on every one.
Even though most of the town wall hidden from view thanks to the walls, the really tall buildings could be seen.
Anna was surprised that this is where the guild was. She was expecting something more futuristic. Instead she saw a modest harbor made mostly of wood.
Wow.
Nice huh? 19th century is nothing compared to the 21st century.
Hey, anything looks great at first. You impressed me for now, but I'm still reserving judgement.
Fair enough.
Guess this is what they call culture shock, or in this case future shock. Everything is so different. Though the swamp is still the same as it always was.
So let me guess, your homeless?
Tatsuya grumbles a bit before answering.
Yes.
Knew it! She says as if she accomplished something.
Sadly I make barely enough to feed myself. So I had to make me a home. I choose to live in the sewers.
The sewers? Gross. How can you stand the smell.
Surprisingly after you live there for over a year you get used to the smell.
I can believe that. I used to live in the woods most of the time. At first the swamp had a putrid smell but it became pleasant after a while. Well, at least living in the sewers I won't have to worry about some alligator trying to rip my throat out in my sleep.
You've lived a weird life.
I'd prefer to say I've had a hard life.
The two walk around the harbor until they reach one building that didn't look like it belonged here.
It had electricity and said wastelanders guild on it.
So this is the guild you talked so much about? Gotta say, I'm impressed.
Yeah it's pretty cool. Just don't talk, lot of people are terrified of American's as is.
Is it our charming personality? Our love of guns?
No they blew up their own country. Every body has legitimate reason to not want them around. They are worried that if American's are let in other countries what happened here will happen to others. So please, only talk when spoken to.
Well that might be difficult since I love to talk but I would be willing to agree, if you please don't tell anyone my true identity. If people found out what I did back then you wouldn't get you new partner.
Fair enough.
But why did they let in the tricksters who helped in the war with china?
Because they helped, now come on.
Once inside everyone's eyes were on me. I mean it's no surprise I'm the only foreigner here. Even back then the Japanese were distrustful of foreigners, guess that never changed.
Tatsuya walked in as if he owned the place, knowing full well what he was holding would turn him in to a millionaire. Anna, on the other hand entered in a cautious manner, looking around at all the glances. The glances all said the same thing, what is a foreigner doing here?
Woah check it out. Loser-kun got himself a pet foreigner.
One of the other wastelanders came up to us, a man in his 30s.
Tatsuya, I didn't know you were into lolis.
She's 20 years old.
Really!? Man she is so tiny and young looking, but pretty cute. That's some pet foreigner you got. Does she come with a leash?
Anna did not get angry at the comments made by this man, she simply smiled.
Oh sorry, I seem to have left my leash in my other pants. Speaking of which where'd you leave your manners? Your childhood?
HAH, she's got a mouth on her. Still if your starting a harem you could do worst.
Harem? I didn't know the Japanese liked more then one lover.
Woah there, I'm not starting a harem, tatsuya says blushing redder then a tomato. Anna just shook her head in a disapproving manner..
Yeah, harems bring nothing but problems. Besides, he's not my type.
Well, since he's not your type how about me?
Anna grinned and crossed her arms.
I like older men but I don't think you'd measure up.
This made the man visibly angry. His cheerful demeanor was gone and you could see veins on his forehead.
Did you just insult my manhood?
I can't insult what was never there.
The man screamed in rage at that comment and was about to punch Anna but a lady dressed in traditional Japanese clothing intervened and stopped the punch.
Really Kashiwagi-san? You going to break the rules and start a fight in the guild just because a foreigner makes a few comments about your you know what?
You know what the consequences are for breaking the rules right?
Kashiwagi looks at anna, then back at the woman, and calms down.
Your pet foreigner needs a zipper Tatsuya. Make sure you get her one.
And with that he leaves. The woman then turns toward us, looking down on us with a disappointed frown. She looked to be in her mid 20's and had a strong demeanor about her. You could tell she was a strong willed woman.
And who is this Tatsuya? Please don't tell me you brought her here just to insult everyone.
No Karin, she's a trickster and I brought her here to make her an honorary guild member so we could team up.
A trickster? Like yourself? Tricksters are quite rare to find since the civil war.
Yeah but I got lucky.
Well it's not like it's my business but she's your responsibility okay? Of course she will have to be approved by the guild.
Yes ma'am.
And you, foreigner. Next time don't go looking for trouble okay?
I can't help it if I'm so adorable. I was cursed with this cute face.
Hmph cute. okay smart mouth, carry on then. But next time I won't interfere if she starts trouble again.
She leaves and Anna takes Tatsuya aside for a private chat.
Who was that girl?
That was karin tasagi. She's a samurai, the highest rank you could get in the guild.
That explains the sword and fancy clothes, but I thought women weren't allowed to be samurai.
New century, different rules, and she's the only female samurai. The requirements to become one are very strict after all.
I see. And wait, only an honorary member? Why can't I be a full fledged member?
Cause your a foreigner and the guild doesn't know you. For all we know you could be out to hurt the guild in some way.
Seems fair Anna grumbled.
Now come on, time is money.
We make our way toward the reception area and meet a lady at the desk. When she's sees tatsuya she immediately is displeased and hopes that he won't come to her. But she doesn't get her wish.
Hey there gorgeous.
What the hell? Trash shouldn't socialize with the elite. Just give me what you got and get out of my face.
Jeez does everyone hate this guy? I'm starting to see why he's so depressed, everyone treats him like garbage. I should be nicer to him, he clearly needs a friend, not a jokester.
Ouch, that stings Yumi-chan. We are here for two things. First, before I give you the big news, I'd like this girl as part of my team.
She looks at me, analyzing every part of my body.
So you want this midget on your team? Did you take a few blows to the head?
No see that's the thing, she's a trickster. But she's not just any trickster she's-
Anna steps on his feet before he could finish the sentence and he screams in pain.
What he is trying to say is, yes I would very much like to join the guild on his team.
Honey I pity you. I don't know what fast talking lies he told you but if you insist. Fill out this form and once we do a background check we'll call you for an interview in 2 weeks.
Thanks.
Tatsuya then shoves me aside and puts the cube on the table.
Here you go, one full storage cube ready to go. I'll take my money in cash please.
Her eyes widen when she looks at the cube and see the amount of crystals.
How did a loser like you get so much?
A good trickster never reveals his secrets. now pay me.
She began to inspect the crystals before finally giving the ok.
It's all legit. I...I gotta make a phone call.
One phone call later.
Well maybe your not so much a loser after all. I've been authorized to give you over 500 million yen.
YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!
Tatsuya took the news like I expected. That sadness in his eyes disappeared, he just started dancing as he started grabbing all that cash.
Quickly shoving it in a bag he took all the cash out to the lobby and looked like he was going to give a speech.
Listen up all you jerks I got an announcement to make.
Everyone looked at him, expecting something lame or appear uninterested.
For 1 year you all made fun of me, saying I can never make it in this business or I'm a failure.
Some of you even picked on me and treated me like trash the entire time I've been here.
Well, I'm here to tell you all that you can suck my balls cause I'm rich now baby. I just got over 500 million yen.
Seriously!?
If he didn't have their attention before he certainly had it now. Though they don't seem angry. If anything they give off a bad vibe for some reason. Though Tatsuya didn't notice and just laughed it off.
Now you guys can work your fingers to the bone all you like but I'm leaving this place to live the high life. Good bye.
Now you reading this might think this is the end of Tatsuya's story. I mean he got the money, more then enough to retire and live however he pleases.
But this wouldn't be much of a story if things ended right here so naturally, something happens. Well, keep reading to find out.
Oh, Tatsuya, your not going to leave without paying me back are you?
Annnnnnnnd there it is. I should have known a guy like him would have debts.
Oh hey, listen can I-
Don't give me excuses. On top of wrecking my restaurant, you have a two year long tab so guess what? It's payday and I'm collecting.
You could feel the pain Tatsuya feels as the woman takes millions of yen out of that bag and leaves.
Well, I still got a lot of money.
Oh really? You didn't forget about me did you?
Oh this is gonna be good. Man I wish I had some chips.
I gave you a loan so you could afford your rent. That was 6 months ago so now with interest I believe you owe me quite a bit.
And just like that more money lost.
Don't forget us.
One by one people lined up to take money and you know Tatsuya couldn't do anything about it. Debts are quite a fickle mistress. Even when your dead you can't outrun them.
By the time they were done he only had about 52 million left.
Are they done? Yeah I think their done. I still got some cash, so if I do a few more jobs with my new trickster friend I can make that money back easy.
Oh really? Don't tell me you forgot about the guild fee?
Yumi!?
Honestly, you run off before the guild takes their cut? You really are trash. 10% goes to the guild so I'll be taking 50 million now.
Noooooooooooooo!
My gosh, this is really painful to watch. I mean he's on the verge of crying at this point. Oh I just remembered. I'm not gonna like telling him this.
I still have 2 million. I still have 2 million.
Um, Tatsuya? I'm sorry but I'm gonna need that 2 mil.
He clutched the remaining cash and curled up into the corner, looking like he was having a mental breakdown.
Why? I don't owe you anything.
True but if I'm going to fight I need ammo, and a change of clothes and we need a new car so in the end you lost all the money. Sorry.
Taking his cash really left a bad taste in my mouth but it couldn't be helped.
This isn't fair. After all that I lose all my cash!
I'm sorry man but that's how it is. Now how about we stop moping and get ready for our next adventure?
Okay he says wiping the tears from his eyes.
part 5
Leaving the guild, the two head for Tatsuya's home in the sewers.
How much further until we're at your home?
Closer then the last time you asked so please just stop asking.
I'm bored.
How is that my problem?
I'm part of your team and your the leader, any problem in the team is your problem so fix my boredom.
I didn't notice you had the mind of a child as well as the body.
Anna glared at Tatsuya intensely, putting fear in his heart.
I mean-sure I can answer more questions about the future if you like.
Anna moved in front of Tatsuya, still glaring as if she was about to kill him.
Don't, please...
Anna then smiled and tried to appear as cute as possible.
Okay.
Tatsuya sighed and reminded himself never to anger that woman again.
What would you like to know?
How about this town? What's it called?
Well it's a port town on the west coast of the state that was known as Florida once. Wastelanders go fishing and hunting on a regular basis. Since most wildlife was mutated people pay big money for trophies and meat.
The city has walls and those living in the walls are better off then those living outside it. Since we're near the ocean fishing is a lucrative business, especially with the new sealife.
New sealife?
Yeah, when the bombs dropped a lot of creatures mutated into horrible abominations. Nobody knows exactly how it happened yet but we're figuring it out.
I'm guessing we will be hunting them too?
Yeah, fishing and hunting new species is one of the jobs of a guild member. Do a really good job and you might get some of the meat.
Was there anybody living here before you guys moved in?
Yes actually. Before we came here some American survivors were living in the area. At first they were hesitant to leave but we offered them some food, water and found them a place to live so they packed up and left.
Well that's nice of you guys.
we're here.
Anna was expecting a tent and a barrel on fire but no, this place was huge. The area of the sewer was the size of a 3 floor apartment complex.
It was filthy and trash was all over the floor, along with lots of manga. A huge tv in the back complete with a worn out sofa.
And there were several rooms, enough for 8 people.
Nice place you got here. I like it.
Stop mocking me.
No I'm serious. I mean I lived in a camp in the woods most of my life so this is better compared to that.
Oh come on living in the woods is not that bad.
When you have a gator sneak in your tent and try to bite your face off then you can say that but until then don't say a word.
I'm not even gonna ask. Anyway, this is my home, pick any room you want. I mean it's not like I bothered to clean the place up a bit.
Excuse me, what kind of pillow is this?
Anna was holding a body pillow with a semi nude waifu.
AAAAAAAGGHHHH! Give me that back.
You can have it, I'm guessing I don't want to know why it smells the way it does.
Did she hurt you Ai-chan? Don't worry, daddy's home and ready for another round.
What the heck am I watching?
Nothing, you saw nothing. Do you understand?
But-
Do you understand, he says holding a boomerang to my neck.
Yes.
Good.
Now that we got that out of the way I got to ask: Did you make this place yourself?
Well I've lived in Florida for 7 years, but I've been homeless for 5. During those 5 years I found a tiny spot in the sewer and took the time to redecorate.
Finished it in 4 years since I was doing all the work myself. I just wish I didn't have to live like this.
What do you mean?
I mean everyone mocks me. I fail a few jobs and people treat me as if I'm a leper. What's worse are the homeless hunters.
Homeless hunters?
Yeah, a bunch of guys that hate the homeless and see them as parasites that need to be moved. They are common in Japan and since Japan established new edo they are here too. They come here every now and then to beat me up.
And since they are martial artists I've never really beat them. Sometimes they piss on me after they finish beating me up.
Yikes. Japan sure has changed since I last saw it.
So, before we turn in for the night, got any trickster tips now?
Ah right, I promised I'd teach you to be a better trickster. Well a tricksters powers depend heavily on their emotions.
Say what?
Negative emotions make you weaker and might even make you lose your powers temporarily. Positive emotions make you stronger.
And just being calm and collected gives you no loss or benefit.
ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THIS WHOLE TIME I WAS DEPRESSED AND ANGRY I WAS MAKING MY OWN POWERS WEAKER!?
Yep, with your real power you could have easily beaten that big robot.
Damn it! See if I knew that I wouldn't have failed so many missions.
Heeeeeeelllllllllooooo! Tatsuya-chaaaaaaaaaaan, come out and playyyyyy.
Oh sh$t it's them.
Relax, I beat up martial artists on a regular basis, plus we have more gas right?
No what you used was the only bit I had.
Okay, not the end of the world, there is more then one way to hurt them.
Several teens showed up armed with clubs and bats, each one full of evil in their hearts.
There you are Tatsuya-chan. Oh, and I see your adding another parasite to your home.
Hi, welcome to our humble abode. Would you like some snacks, maybe some weird girly pillows.
They are not touching my waifu pillows.
It is just sad how that has a name.
We don't want no dirty homeless waifus, and we don't want dirty homeless food. We want you gone. But you know what, we've been doing this dance for years now.
I think we'll just kill you.
Anna, now would be a good time for one of your plans.
May I borrow your gun?
Knock yourself out.
Anna moves right in front of the homeless hunter and points the gun in his face.
What? You going to shoot me? The bullet will just bounce off. I'm warning you if you pull that trigger I'll take that bullet and shove it right up your-
Anna just smiles, moves the gun so it's right next to his ear and fires. The sound of gunfire temporarily disabled the man's hearing and the sharp pain makes him writhe in pain on the floor, unable to focus his ki.
Tsk, tsk, when will they ever learn. I never fight somebody without a plan.
Upon finishing her sentence she shoots out the mans knee caps, which terrifies the others.
You get one warning, take your friend and leave, or your next.
The men are so scared they obey with haste. Tatsuya is shocked that Anna has beaten more martial artists, and with something so simple.
How do you keep doing that?
Many years of experience and practice. You don't just get my powers in this deal, you also get my knowledge, and that is what's really valuable.
Thank you for dealing with them.
Yeah well next time you do it. I'm gonna find a place to sleep, so good night.
What a woman.
