The Legendary Junkmaster

Chapter 3: Mutation (3)

Jason grumbled as he was knocked around by the crowd gathering in front of the gate. A blue-skinned woman apologised as she nudged him out of her way. 'Another newbie.' Jason quickly picked her out as being new to the profession just from her apology alone. They were all competitors, and unless you were working together, you would never show consideration for the others.

One less scavenger just meant one less person taking your potential earnings! You had to watch your back out there. It was well known that a larger group would probably rob you and leave you for dead if they had a bad haul. There were even people that would offer their services as mercenary guards for scavengers. They usually had low power abilities that worked well in that capacity.

However, barely anyone ever hired them. These mercenaries' prices were just too steep for ordinary scavengers who were struggling to get by. Hiring those guys was basically an announcement to everyone else that you were expecting to score big. Which was obviously not a good move as it would draw everyone around to follow you.

"Yo, kid! Stop spacing out! They're about to open the gates." Raymond shook Jason hard to snap him out of his thoughts.

They turned their attention to the front, where a group of guards prepared to operate the mechanism to open the gates. Five guys pushed on a thing that looked like a ship's wheel, set on top of a metallic cylinder with thick cables wrapped around it. On the other side, a woman with super-strength performed the same feat on her own.

As the wheels turned, the sound of groaning metal washed over the crowd. The cables on either side grew taught as they ran through the system of pulleys. These cables were linked to six cars in total, three on each side, that had been stacked on top of each other. The crowd grew restless as they watched the rust buckets get pulled towards them. Gradually, they left an opening in the makeshift walls, large enough for four ordinary people to pass side by side.

As soon as the guards stopped working the mechanism, the crowd surged forth. Jason caught sight of the blue-skinned woman from before. She had the look of a predator about her as she stared into the group ahead. It reminded him of the look the Banka gave them when it thought it had cornered its prey. 'She's targeting someone.' Jason felt a chill run down his spine. No wonder she had come across as a newbie. She was not a scavenger at all!

Jason got swept up in the crowd that pushed him forward. He kept his eyes on his grandfather and Raymond so that he would not lose them in the shuffle. One of the most considerable setbacks a group could face when leaving was becoming separated. Jason knew this all too well as the memory of his first expedition with his gramps surfaced in his mind.

He was a lot smaller then and quickly got lost in the vast sea of bodies. It took a few hours for him to find his grandfather waiting for him a few miles down the road. Only newbies tried to find their companions close to the gate. Any veteran always moved away from the large crowd to make it easier to spot each other. Jason still remembered the beating his gramps gave him for wasting so much time.

Eventually, his turn came to pass through the wall of rusted metal. His eyes turned upwards to stare at the underside of the cars above him. Every time he left the town, he would find himself silently praying that the metal beams the cars weighed on would not give way. Nobody wanted to be crushed under so many tons of junk.

As he came out on the other side, he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. It always felt like he had just been released from a cage whenever he set foot outside of those walls. He paused for a moment to appreciate the sight of the light green sky with its grey clouds. The ruined buildings on either side of the road were surrounded by overgrown vegetation.

One of the ruined high-rise apartment buildings even had a thick, gnarly tree growing out of its twenty-fifth floor. Whenever Jason saw this sight, his imagination would turn to think about a time when all of this was well maintained. Who lived in those buildings? What did they do for a living? What was their life like?

He had grown up hearing the oral stories passed down by their ancestors. They were marvellous tales of a time when mankind ruled over the Earth. His favourite stories were about the amazing machines that mankind had created. Especially the contraptions that allowed them to fly freely through the skies. However, not one of those stories explained what had caused their downfall.

Jason found the whole thing to be rather sad. They had lost so much about their history. In return, they had gained those privileged ones that developed powers. He could only hope that he would share that vaunted position when he turned sixteen tomorrow.

"Jason! Over here!" Harry, Jason's grandfather, called out with a hint of urgency.

Jason glanced in the direction of his voice, spotting Raymond instead as he stood head and shoulders above the majority of the crowd. 'Of course, I wouldn't be able to see the geezer. How does he expect me to spot him when he's so short!'

Jason waved towards Raymond to alert them that he was on his way. His elbows began to fly as he dug them into the ribs of those around him as he tried to force a path through the crowd. Jason received as good as he gave in return. He could feel a few new bruises starting to form on his arms and body as others did the exact same thing to him.

"The fuck!" Jason cursed, as a burly man smashed his own elbow into Jason's nose. His hand went to his face and came away, smeared with blood.

"Did you say something to me, short arse!" The man responsible for his bloody nose growled as he stared at Jason with a menacing look plastered on his face.

Jason gritted his teeth and said with venom in his tone, "Nothing."

The man turned away, seemingly satisfied with his response. Jason balled up his fists in rage. He hated being so weak, but there was nothing that he could do about it just now. A dark shadow crossed his face as he stared after the departing man. 'I'll definitely remember you!'

That silent threat would remain hollow. Unless the day ever came where he had the power to treat others in the way that this guy did. Jason put more force into his own elbows as he continued on his path. A few cries of pain escaped from his victims as he vented his frustrations on them.

"Took you long enough!" Harry grumbled when he stumbled into view. Pausing for only a second with a raised eyebrow as he looked at the red stain across his face.

"Let's move. It will take a few hours to get there." Raymond intervened before a spark could be ignited between the pair. He did not want to waste any more time that could affect his earnings for the day.

"Alright, Raymond. Don't go getting your panties in a twist!" Harry complained as he turned around. Setting one foot in front of the other, he took the lead in guiding them towards the industrial zone.

Jason followed along behind the two older men, lost in his own thoughts. He was no longer in the mood to appreciate their surroundings. Instead, he was focused on his hopes for developing an incredible power. 'Super-strength Super speed Metal control Pyromancy' It was needless to say that he was only focused on what he knew about that could turn him into a substantial threat.

The first ones he thought about were the ones known to be used by four of the five Guardians. They were the most incredible talents in their Lord's area of influence. It was rumoured that the head of their group had an incredibly potent ability. However, nobody seemed to know what it was. 'Even Dani has a chance of joining them if she proves herself.' Jason sighed as he thought about how bright the future must look for his friend.

There was an extreme amount of utility to her ability. It would make her hard to pin down in a fight while allowing her to reposition herself to a suitable area depending on the situation. She could literally specialise in either melee or ranged combat. Her ability would compliment either style.

'Her ability is already so good. What will it become if she develops it?' Jason thought about that for a while. Just now, she could only teleport herself. In time, Dani may become able to teleport multiple people or even items across a more considerable distance. If she got to that point, she would become one of the most valued existences with their town.

A hard slap on his back brought him back to reality, "What did you do that for!"

"You dreaming or what? We're here." Raymond chuckled as he looked at Jason's annoyed expression. Raymond began to laugh heartily as Jason's face turned to an expression of disbelief.

"Already?" Jason cast his eyes on his surroundings. Raymond was indeed correct, if only partially.

The road ahead took a turn, turning into a half-ruined, rusted steel bridge that spanned the dark, calm waters below. On the bank of the river, on either side, there was half-submerged vehicles and other junk. From here, Jason could make out the most challenging part of their crossing. Just above the halfway point, most of the bridge had collapsed. Leaving only a single, twisted steel beam to connect its two halves.

Harry continued to lead the way, unfazed at the deadly sight. That as to be expected from someone like him who had probably faced far worse in his lifetime. At moments like this, Jason felt a spark of pride for being related to the gruff old geezer. There was no hesitation in the group as they manoeuvred around the ruined vehicles and trash on their side of the bridge.

Raymond would rip parts out of the exposed engines if he thought they were valuable enough from time to time. This got Jason wondering about something.

"Why do you bother about that stuff just now? You could get it on the way back. Instead, you'll just have to cart it around for longer." Jason threw his combined question and statement at Raymond, who huffed in response.

"Sure, you have a good point and all. But, what if someone comes along behind us and takes it before we return? Even if that doesn't happen, I might be too tired to remember about them."

Jason mulled over the veteran's words. He had to admit that it was a good way of looking at things. If he ran out of space and found something more valuable later, he could always dump these parts. He had only found it strange because Harry had taught him otherwise. His gramps preferred to travel light and pick up stuff on the return journey.

Thinking about it, this made more sense for those who had less stamina. It clearly showed the difference between the two men. Unfortunately, as much as Jason wanted to emulate Raymond's actions, he recognised that his grandfather's methods were the ones best suited for him just now.

"Ok, I'll cross over first." Harry confidently declared as he stared at the gaping hole in the bridge. Nobody argued with him. Although he was short and stocky, his mutation gave him a fantastic sense of balance. "Once I'm over, toss the packs to me, Ray."

"No problem, boss," Raymond replied with a sarcastic tone even as he began to remove the rope attached to his pack.

Harry took one end of it as Raymond passed it to him. He deftly tied a thick knot around his waist to create a lifeline. This way, if he fell, the other two would be able to save him from falling into the water.

In this fashion, both Harry and Raymond made it across without issue. Jason's turn had finally come. Following what his gramps had taught him, he tied the same kind of knot around his own waist before moving to the twisted steel beam. 'It'll be fine. Just don't look down. If it can hold those two, then there's no chance my scrawny ass will break it.'

Jason took a deep breath and focused his eyes on his gramps. Staring dead ahead, he slowly felt out the shape of the beam with careful steps. A breeze washed over his body, threatening to throw him off balance. His body rocked back and forth as he attempted to stabilise his position and his heart practically leapt into his throat.

He gasped for air, struggling to calm his racing heart. Panicking now would only make him more likely to make a mistake! Swallowing his fear, he inched forward. Eventually, crossing the beam without incident.

Just as he let out a wide grin at the two veterans' approving looks, a blood-curdling howl escaped from one of the factories. With pale faces, all three of them turned to stare at the dilapidated factories.

"Banka" Harry whispered into the air

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