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memestertrucks2026-01-08 01:50 pm
monstertruckers) wrote in memestertrucks2026-01-08 01:50 pm
Entry tags:
JANUARY TDM/EVENT
The storm drives the Convoy to the very summit of the mountains, before hitting a blinding pitch. The wind howls and drives snow in a way that promises to freeze everything… And there’s also a twist of smoke in the air, to further blind everything.
There’s one thing visible through the storm: a massive fortress clinging to the side of the mountain. The Convoy pulls up into the shelter. It seems this will be the best place to wait out the weather, even if the storm lasts for weeks.
It’s a cold welcome for new arrivals. The garage offers scant protection from the elements, and a winter storm rages outside. Snow, lighting, and thunder all blend together and do their best to break the windows and doors of the structure.
The storm itself shows no signs of abating, at least until several days have passed. So it’s up to the new arrivals to figure out how to survive the storm, find better shelter… And weather the strange changes foisted onto them.
01: SUMMONING CIRCLE
New Drifters arrive to a cold and half frozen garage, almost swallowed up by snow drifts. The Convoy is just visible through sheets of snow falling from the skies, and it is parked in the shelter of a nearby fortress. Getting out of the garage and reaching the fortress will take some work, though.
Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.
There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.
Starting with digging out through the snow. At least there’s a shovel or two inside the garage and the gas station. But digging through the snow is still cold work, and it’s imperative to duck back in the garage and find ways to warm up.
There’s still a small fire burning in the corner of the garage, near the summoning circle. It curiously doesn’t seem to need fuel to keep burning… Though throwing more on it will certainly increase the heat of the flames. Be advised that the fire will also burn clothing and flesh if a Drifter gets too close to it.
02: FORTRESS
The abandoned fortress offers some reprieve from the elements… But the prior battles have found a way to seep into the stones. Ice and Fire both have an effect on the surroundings.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.
In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.
+FIRE Condition: Arcane lava is flowing through the foundations and seeping up through the stones of the building. This is especially clear in the kitchen and dining hall. It may be toasty to the touch, but it also threatens to set things aflame; objects and people alike. Drifters weak to fire will suffer from the increased temperatures.
+ICE Condition: The extremes of the fortress are freezing over in enchanted ice, leaving only the main hall and kitchen with any heat. Drifters who lack ice affinity risk frost bite and hypothermia while exploring the other areas of Bastion. Direct contact with the ice also carries a risk of encasing the limb or the entire Drifter in ice. Might need some help getting chipped out.
In the midst of all this, there are still rooms and beds available for those who want a change of pace from the convoy, or bedrolls for those who want to camp out in the main hall.
03: START UP
After digging out, one can see that there are various cars surrounding the garage. Some of them parked directly outside and sheltered from the worst of the storm. But a few are further out, and will also need to be dug out of the snow.
There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters have the keys to the vehicle now.
…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.
There’s also a certain connection between different newcomers and cars. Something that suggests a particular vehicle is theirs, backed up by possessing the key to that vehicle. The key to the vehicle may already be in the ignition, on the dashboard… It may have even been on their person, ever since they woke up in that garage. Either way, Drifters have the keys to the vehicle now.
…But there’s a few rough edges on these vehicles. Flat tires, cracked windows and mirrors, maybe some stuck doors and locks; all of them the sort of thing that requires two pairs of hands and supplies. The garage can take care of the supplies… Now it’s just a matter of finding some extra hands.
04: WILD ELEMENTS
Even when taking shelter in the fortress, the storms from outside have a way of seeping through the bricks. And trying to take root inside any Drifters. Cold mists and winds seep into the castle, along with fire traveling across the floors and lightning crashing against the roof.
Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.
Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.
These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.
Drifters exposed to extreme elements will find those same elements seeping into their blood.
Teeth also grow along portions of the walls in long fangs, ready to snag at any newcomers. Drawing blood on those teeth can result in changes in the new arrivals… As well as pulling a monster out of the hallway to try and draw more blood.
These monsters frequently manifest as:
+Gyuki, a spider and bull demon fusion.
+YinYang, a Frankenstein abomination
+And Malzeno, a strange eldritch dragon.
05: FUEL PUMPS
The fortress also holds a network of pipes leading through the halls and connecting to the gas station. Text from the Convoy asks for at least a few Drifters to follow the pipes to their source, and activate them. Following those pipes leads to a chamber in the base of the fortress, with basins full of liquid.
Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.
But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.
Glowing and quicksilver liquid, at that. Liquid that looks like it could have been poured straight out of the moon. An inscription on the tanks reads “Moonshard fuel refinement” while a stack of papers details the various attempts to distill moonshards into an energy usable by humans without mutating them. It seems they’ve mostly succeeded with this attempt: once the valves are turned on, the fuel can be pumped into the Convoy and top off almost depleted fuel tanks.
But there is still a risk. Coming into contact with the fuel can instill a sudden, ravenous hunger and push new changes to the front. Prolonged exposure activates all traits at once, and will only revert the person when another monster has been hunted down, and their energy absorbed.
06: IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK
The walls of Bastion reach an impressive 20 feet up and stretch for long distances… And have Husks merged into them, often in the hallways and occasionally in the rooms. The Husks clearly belong to either the Silver Tear or the Steel Wardens, given the insignias on them. Many of them are locked together, frozen in a fight. And their last words and thoughts are written on the walls in gold and silver script.
Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!
Most of the words are frantic, about defending the moon shards from heretics or freeing the moon shards from confinement. But if any of the words are read aloud, the Husks react by merging together and spawning a berserk heavy tank/tankceratops. Or a large Burner type monster. OR a dragon dinosaur with exploding, punching fists. Drifters may also get caught up in the monster changes, and fuse their own monster forms together!
07: MONSTER FUSE
An element saturation isn’t the only strange thing in the fortress. Anyone who makes contact with the fortress stones will find themselves building a resonance with a fellow Drifter. This grows stronger the more time they spend in the fortress.
Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.
Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.
When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.
Until finally the bond solidifies on the next change the Drifters go through and hits a fever pitch. The next threat they encounter WILL force a transformation. When that happens, their next change fuses their two monster forms together into something new.
Their fusion form is a combination of two Drifter’s traits. It is also twice the size it would normally be, and is well suited to taking on any giant sized monsters. It can even give Drifters a brief insight into the memories of their partner, as the fusion takes place.
When this happens, both Drifters can switch control over their merged form. Those with greater synchronism will have more control, while those who squabble and fight will find that their monster form becomes more feral and savage. This fusion lasts until the threat abates: when that happens, the fusion breaks apart, and Drifters return to their prior state.
08: STORM CALL
There’s something outside that isn’t just the storm; it calls out in a howl that can make the blood run cold, and also pulls at one’s feet. Until it hits a point where the Bastion doesn’t feel like a restful place. Drifters who hear the storm call need to step outside and find the source; the storm itself isn’t particular on if they search on their own feet, or behind some wheels.
Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.
Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.
Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.
Drifters who travel on their own feet will swiftly be overwhelmed by the storm, and a moon warp hiding in the snow, and forced to transform. It doesn’t help that there’s wild saber-tooth Barioth wyverns prowling the wilds and ready to pounce.
Being inside a vehicle helps to shield them from the worst of the storm and the changes, and also gives Drifters more traversal options:
Tough cars are capable of wading through even the deepest snow without getting bogged down, as well as towing any stricken or stuck vehicles out of the drifts.
Fast vehicles can follow rivers of fire and lava that move through the wilds, without burning up due to prolonged exposure.
Eventually Drifters will find their way towards the summit of the mountain, and the discovery waiting beyond.
09: MONSTER CHANGES
Between the weird fuel, the teeth in the fortress, and hostile elements trying to force changes, new arrivals can quickly find their humanity getting worn away and new monster transformations taking place.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.
With the cold weather and regal structures, the environment calls out to Undead. As long as the elements rage, all Undead traits are available and also:
+Warm Blood: Undead can easily track living bodies through the wilds and the fortress, sensing the warmth of their blood in contrast to the storm.
+Rivalry: Tends to form rivalry with other Undead monsters, becoming territorial and protective of potential food sources.
+Ice Affinity: Undead find themselves better preserved by the cold and thriving in it, energized and strengthened by the snow, and even taking on glowing blue veins and eyes.
+Fire Fear: The presence of fire inspires aversion, and even terror and need to flee from it. Smaller flames like candles provoke unease, larger flames like a bonfire result in more panic.
+Holy Symbols: Presence of Steel Warden symbols (a sword piercing moon) can cause unease in Undead, and even repel them a location.
+Snow Shift: Exposure to snow forces the Undead into a more bestial form. This could resemble a bat, wolf, or deer/horse/bull.
10: FROZEN HEART
At the summit of the mountains is a collection of freakishly tall and twisted trees. In their branches is a collection of frozen hearts growing like strange fruit. And further up is a massive object that looks like a deer skull with branching antlers. The ice storm flows from its eyes and mouth… And it shows no signs of ceasing without destroying the skull.
The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.
But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.
The frozen hearts are giving off a cold aura that freezes anything that doesn’t resist ice. Drifters will need to neutralize the hearts to dispel the cold aura. The hearts can be melted by fire, shot down with ranged weapons, magic, etc. When burned, the hearts give off a smoke that causes a terrible hunger and need to hunt in anyone who inhales it. Shattered heart shards also rain down and embed themselves in Drifters, and cause a berserk fury in those they cut.
But with each felled heart the barrier of the skull weakens, as does the storm. When the last of the frozen hearts falls, the storm skull fractures and breaks apart like brittle ice. Drifters can deliver the finishing blows, ending the storm in the process. After that, the way down the mountain becomes clear, and the Convoy may continue down without worry.
MICRO ENCOUNTERS:
PLEASE NOTE! These are small bits of set dressing for players to include in threads if they wish, rather than full fledged prompts or events. You may handwave your exploration of these areas, or thread them out.
Fortress Library: Books and screens seem to have fused together. Assorted data about monsters is on display here; everything from hunting strategy to contradicting praise of their strength. (Read: all lore information from the monster pages is available IC.)
Dining Hall: This time around the gas station and garage are empty of supplies… But there’s plenty of preserved foods in the castle kitchen and dining hall. Though the hot dishes are almost painfully spicy, and the cold served foods can almost freeze a mouth shut.
Snow Fields: Surrounding the fortress are fields of snow, ready to bog down anyone who wanders too far into them. It would be next to impossible for anyone to make it far on two feet without the aid of a vehicle… Or the aid of a monstrous transformation.
Fire Snow: The storm can wildly swing between temperatures, from freezing to burning with how the snowflakes fluctuate. They can suck warmth out of a Drifter’s body on contact, or risk burning any exposed skin.
Armory: The Steel Wardens kept an armory and arena close by for sparring. Various weapons and armor are stored here; some antiquated, some modern and augmented with technology. And everything but the older models are badly damaged by the elements; frozen over and metal crackled, or half melted from fire. They won’t have much use as weapons, but could be used as metal materials.
View from the Peaks: When the storm clears, one can look out from the peaks and see what’s next. A strange, twisted landscape stretches out below the peaks. And beyond that is something on the horizon; a massive city reaching upwards, and the buildings intact and gleaming. Going back to the Convoy reveals a new update in the database: Nirvana is near. And will be reached in an estimated 60 days from now.
storm call, both my guys in your inbox
[Max had thought it wouldn't be this bad. Surely snow is mostly just like cold sand, right? Cold sand he can handle, that's just regular sand except at night. But as it turns out, snow is nothing like sand, cold or otherwise, and he is in a bad way, stranded out of the side of a mountain. He can't see very well through the snowflakes, but he can see enough to know he's being tracked, possibly cornered, and he has nothing to defend himself.]
[What a stupid way to die.]
[When he hears the approach of a vertibird, he thinks he's imagining it. But then the beast appears, plowing through the snow and sending monsters scattered, and Max starts rucking for it as fast as he can go. Which isn't very fast, but he's trying, all right?]
[The lip of the vertibird--which is some kind of custom job, he realises, as he gets closer--is about chest height where it's hovering, and Max's legs are weighted down with snow. He's not sure he can pull himself in, until the gunmetal grey wings that grew on his shoulder open up and start whirling in tight circles. Just like the rotors of their larger brother, his wings lift him off the ground and into the vehicle, where he promptly collapses on the floor.]
Thanks...
oh nooo how terrible 😏😏
Don't mention it.
[ What he can spare is a couple of raised brows and a mild, clinical brand of concern. ]
If you're in need of medical attention, there's a kit beneath the other seat. You'll have to take care of it yourself until I can find someplace to land.
no subject
[He's not hurt, just freezing. Is there hot air blowing from the vents in the dashboard? Max is going to knock some snow off himself and clamber up into the passenger seat to check.]
Crazy weather to be flying in.
[Which he says with no small degree of admiration. He assumes the other man is another Brother, and he personally has no idea how to fly these things. He can barely manage the power armour without crashing into things.]
no subject
Great. Because there aren't any.
[ At least there's heat coming out of the vents, though. The heater's on full blast to combat the cold seeping in through cracks in the glass and the briefly opened door, and it's doing a decent job of keeping it at least livable in the cab. ]
You're not kidding.
[ Any assumptions that Arcade belongs anywhere near the Brotherhood can be easily dispelled with a longer look in his direction, too. The patches of pale, white scales on his neck and arms are pretty obvious tells. So is the whole second set of arms that he's using to hold them steady as the wind tearing at the truck threatens to wrench the stick out of all four of his hands.
He snatches another tense sidelong glance. ]
...You might want to put your seatbelt on.
no subject
There never are when you need them.
[Not entirely true, but it's not like the Brotherhood throws them around all willy-nilly.]
[Now that he's not dying of cold any longer, Max looks over at his rescuer. No, definitely not Brotherhood, not with skin like that or four arms. It doesn't look like the man is becoming a ghoul, so Max assumes he's some kind of mutant. Which technically should make him an enemy, but he did just pluck Max out of danger and offered him a med kit, and honestly, Max is so tired of fighting.]
Yes, sir.
[The term of respect comes out automatically as Max fumbles to get his seatbelt on, his hands still clumsy from the cold.]
no subject
Arcade. I'm with the Followers, out of Freeside. Does any of that mean anything to you?
no subject
IdiotsGuys, Arcade!]No. I'm Maximus, from the Brotherhood of San Fernando.
[He's going to guess Arcade knows what the Brotherhood is, if not San Fernando chapter specifically.]
I didn't know anyone outside the Brotherhood had vertibirds, ssssi...
[Oh dammit. Just going to let that trail off and hope Arcade thinks he just hisses sometimes for fun.]
no subject
Brotherhood should probably set off some alarm bells, but it's not like Arcade is a walking (or driving) billboard for the Enclave, anymore. And this guy looks a little too young to be quite that up on his defunct, fascist paramilitary outfits. Hopefully, anyway. ]
West coast? [ Arcade brightens a touch at that, prompting further, ] New Vegas isn't that far off the map from there - Freeside's right outside the Strip.
[ Maybe broader points of interest will shake something loose.
In the meantime, they can just casually stroll right past that second observation.
(Not without a brief, pointed glance at that weird trailing off, though. Looking like he does, Arcade has much more reason to assume that isn't just a fun vocal tic but a deliberate jab about the snake scales, unfortunately. ...But he's giving the benefit of the doubt, as long as it's a one-off.) ]
Uh, NCR has a few, I think. Not that I'd know that much about it. But - you know this isn't the Wasteland, right? Things out here are... Different. And not just in terms of the things that happen to us.
no subject
Yes, the west coast. It's where Los Angeles used to be.
[Not that he knows Los Angeles as anything other than a silent wreck of mouldering buildings. Except for once, when it had all lit up like the stars had fallen out of the sky.]
[The hissing hadn't been about Arcade's scales at all! It had been an abortive attempt to not call him 'sir' again. Max hasn't even connected the scales to anything snake-like, or a transformation from this world. He does catch the glance, though, and swallows down some embarrassment. Definitely don't call this guy sir.]
I know some people traveling to New Vegas. I've never been there myself, though.
[At the mention of the NCR, Max's face falls. He turns to look out the window, watching the snow swirl around them.]
The NCR is gone. After Shady Sands got bombed, they... [He shrugs.] They tried to keep going. But it was too hard.
[And then his own faction of the Brotherhood finished the job, but he's not going to fess up to that.]
I know. We're somewhere else. [He turns back to Arcade and stretches out one of his stubby little wings.] I didn't have these until two days ago.
[OH SHIT MAYBE THE SCALES... goddammit.]
How else is it different?
no subject
[ The Strip may welcome tourists - but only those with caps or Pre-War cash lining their pockets. And the Brotherhood? Never.
That unfocused nonchalance drops as the bad news lands, his startled little jog translating to a brief, jarring lurch in their flight. ]
Shady Sands was bombed? When was this?
[ Not that he has his ear to the ground for news out of NCR territory much, these days, but - that's the sort of thing you'd hear about. Anywhere. Let alone the whole Republic in shambles. Or, well, half of it, at least. But that's beside the point. ]
The world, uh, changes, too. Things like this— [ He gestures to the vertibird...ish truck, with a spare hand. ] Didn't start out this way, either.
no subject
[Or thereabouts, depending on
which part of the franchisewho you ask.]No one ever found out who did it. Or if they did, they didn't tell the Brotherhood. That was about twenty years ago.
[A long pause.]
I was there. It's a hole in the ground now. Too much radiation to go back and try again.
[This is harder than Max thought to talk about. He's spent most of his life purposely not thinking about Shady Sands, but recent events have stirred it all up again. He welcomes the change of topic.]
I thought it looked different than normal. [He offers a tentative, shy almost-smile.] Figured it was a custom job. Still, was really glad to hear it coming.
no subject
[ Or is it the current year, now? Arcade doesn't bother trying to do the math any further; the absurdity (the cruel irony) of someone landing here from a familiar corner of the Wasteland only for it to be allegedly so far into the future, as he recalls it, and the world even more of a wreck than before, is enough to stop him.
He doesn't share the same relief at the change of topic, but what's old news to Max is a shocking, horrific potential new reality, now, to him. ]
Yeah. This weather is - definitely something.
no subject
[That's a weird thought, and Max falls silent as he mulls it over. Arcade is from the past, meaning that he was alive and out near New Vegas when Shady Sands was still a bustling, thriving settlement. When Max himself was just a child, and still had two loving parents. Before the bomb and the Brotherhood changed everything.]
Sorry.
[Had he known, he wouldn't have brought it up.]
no subject
[ Not what happened or the brief, to the point retelling of it. Arcade brushes him off with a wave of a spare hand, expression somber but not angrily so, as he tries to see through the swirling storm outside.
It isn't like he knew anyone in Shady Sands, had any friends there, any family - only brief acquaintances once, after an equally brief stay. And who knows if any of them kept on in the same place, after all this time? (All the time that still hasn't passed, for him.)
Nor is he particularly shocked to hear of the NCR's collapse, as stretched thin as they always are. (Were?) It was a house of cards, waiting to fall, eventually. He could've told anyone of them that, himself.
Still. An attack of that magnitude is a chilling reminder of just how many unknown (and completely insane) powers there are left shifting beneath the sands of their still-not-ruined-enough world. ]
I'm sorry you... had to go through that, so young. I can imagine what it's like, having the only home you've ever known taken from you in the blink of an eye.
no subject
I was luckier than most people.
[Which feels strange to say, but it's true.]
My parents knew what was happening, and had time to put me somewhere safe, so I survived. I stayed there until I was out of food and water, and then when I came out, the Brotherhood was there. They took me in.
[It wouldn't occur to him until years later that the Brotherhood hadn't come to help, but rather to scavenge in the remains and round up any survivors to forcefully add to their numbers. At the time, he'd just been happy to see someone alive.]