69 – A Man of God

69 – A Man of God

Sitting next to the counter, many of the Customers couldn't help but look or glance at the man wrapped in bandages, seemingly covered in horrible burns, while they wore an old and tattered Riot Vest and read from a bible. The people just couldn't help it; Joshua was...while not unique compared to Zeref or some of the...other customers, he still attracted attention with his silent and calm demeanor as he read from his bible, one that seemed to be quite old, if its tattered pages and worn leather was any indication.

While Joshua was reading the Bible, that did not mean he was not paying attention and was not ready to fight if the moment called for it, as he paid attention to every single movement around him. To expect anything less would be foolish. Joshua did not know how these people could be so calm and relaxed. It was almost as if none of these people had ever fought a Raider before, let alone a Wild Mongrel or Radroach.

Not only were their attitudes strange to Joshua, but so were their clothing and skin. They were too...clean. Not to mention that they were far too... happy. Joshua has only ever seen a few tribes that acted as happy or excited as these people, but at least those tribes were not this... careless. It was concerning, and it was why Joshua was ready to fight in an instant.

Then he looked over at his...host. Joshua has lived a...long time, regardless of how young he currently looks, and he has seen all manner of crazy things roaming the wasteland. Nothing that even remotely matched that of the...creature that floated nonchalantly behind the counter, its voice cheery yet ethereal in sound as it talked with customer after customer like some sort of Caravaner.

He's seen talking deathclaws, intelligent Geckos, the Tunneler Hives of the Divide, and even a cult of machines that worshiped Atom. Yet he has never seen anything like the being that called itself 'Zeref.'

It's been hours since he found himself here, and Joshua couldn't help but feel anxious. This all felt...wrong. These people felt fake, completely foreign to how anyone who called the wasteland should have grown up, and Joshua should know. He worked as a Missionary for years before meeting...

Shaking his head to stop him from traveling down that road of memories, he was surprised to find the creature, 'Zeref,' silently floating before him, just a meter away. Due to reflex, he's hoed over his long life; within a moment, he had his hand on his gun and unholstered it, ready to shoot at the first sign of hostilities.

"Hey Joshua, just checking on you. How are you feeling? Do you need anything to eat? Drink? Do you need to use the restroom?"

Stoically looking at the creature that somehow snuck up on him, Joshua couldn't help but contemplate why the Lord had seen fit to send him here. What was his purpose here? Was he to serve this...creature? Slay it? Or was he to observe and watch?

"Joshua?" The creature asked, breaking him from his stupor.

"I am fine," Joshua answered, letting go of his holstered pistol.

"I'm Glad to hear it but do let me know if you get hungry or thirsty. You are my employee, which means you get free food and drinks while you work... Speaking of work, I was wondering if you might be interested in training?" Zeref asked.

"Training?" Joshua asked.

"Well. I guess I need to give you a few explanations first. Where do you think we are?" Zeref genuinely asked.

"I do not know. Some place that must have been left relatively untouched by the Great War or the shortcomings of man," Joshua spoke, looking around the room and noting how clean and well-maintained everything was, "If not that, then some city of the NCR, if the...cleanliness of all of these people is anything to go by, and the strange mutants that are allowed in the store," Joshua answered, looking over to where Killer Croc, Swamp Thing, and Mr. Freeze and some of the other villains were sitting.

"Close, but wrong. We are on Earth, yes. Just not your Earth," Zeref said, making Joshua freeze.

"Why not you? You are a grizzled veteran who has fought countless horrors that roam the wasteland. You are one of the most skilled men in all of the wasteland, one who was able to drag himself dozens, if not hundreds of miles, after being burned alive with nothing but grit and determination. You are a survivor, a man of God. The people of this world need to be prepared. They need a guiding hand to prepare them for what's to come, and fate has chosen you to be that hand. That's what I ask of you, and I know it will be hard, but every little bit will help. I know you have a very particular set of skills, but those skills will prove invaluable for what's to come."

Listening to Zeref, Joshua couldn't help but imagine another Great War happening here, seeing countless die from not only the nukes but also from radiation, starvation, and other people over the weeks that followed till only a small fraction of the people were left alive from the aftermath of the war and the Vaults.

"What am I preparing them for?" Joshua asked.

"Everything. You will be a sort of trainer, and I want you to teach whoever chooses to undergo your training everything you can: how to forage and scavenge, how to fight, how to maintain and use weapons, the need to think first before delving headfirst into conflict, how to survive. The things that will be coming for the people of this world will be both domestic and foreign, from the very earth to the stars themselves. I hope to get other figures such as yourself soon to teach and prepare those who are willing," Zeref admitted.

Joshua couldn't help but wonder: Was this his purpose? Was this why God brought him back? To help save this world? Or...were these all the words of the snake?

Joshua looked over at the creature with suspicion.

"How do I know you speak the truth? How can I be certain that I won't be teaching demons in disguise? Men like Caeser or Lanius? Men and women like so many others in the Legion?" Joshua asked.

Zeref laughed, "You don't, and you can't. Trust is a...fragile thing, easily broken and leaving those involved hurt. People like Caeser and Lanius will always exist so long as Humanity does, just as people like Nathaniel, the Courier, and Follows-Chalk will as well. Humanity plex...even in a peaceful world such as this. Countless people in this world wear masks to hide their true selves from the rest of the world. That's why I offer you the ability to choose. I will not decide who you get to teach. Only you do. The people of this world? They can be just as cruel or selfless as the people of the Wasteland...but that's the beauty of humanity, don't you think? If everyone were good and selfless, humanity would become stagnant and unable to develop and die out, and the same could be said about it the other way around," Noticing that he was getting lost in thought, Zeref turned toward Joshua and apologized, a small smile forming from the cosmic energy of its body underneath the metal that shaped its head.

"Nor will I keep you prisoner. You are free to leave at any time and explore this beautiful world yourself...but I will warn you, due to your....uniqueness in this world, may seek you out, hoping to learn your secrets and about your own world, by force if necessary...so know, if you need help, my doors are always open, if that is the choice you make," Zeref spoke, focusing on the city before them.

Not long after, Zeref, with Joshua, returned to the Cafe, where Joshua was left to his thoughts. However, he noticed a strange new door on the left side of the cafe from the front door. The glass sliding door showed off a rather large gym, and another glass sliding door showed off a pitch-black room.

Of course, he also noticed that the cafe was seemingly larger than when he left it, with over two dozen new computers now available and a larger reception area. There was also what looked to be a...cafeteria on the other side from the gym and a strange room, with yet another...clone of Zeref serving food while customers sat at their seats, eating while they either waited for a computer to become vacant or something else.

However, he also noticed that Zeref, who was behind the main counter, seemed to be getting interviewed by a woman and a man holding the camera, a man with a slouch-back yet muscular body that Joshua felt strangely drawn to, his honed instincts from years of war and fighting warning him that the man holding the camera was dangerous.

That's when they noticed Joshua and the woman rushed up to him.

"Excuse me, do you mind if we interview you with...Zeref over there?" The lady asked, getting far too close for comfort as she gestured to one of the Zerefs, not before noticing the one that came in behind Joshua.

It took a lot of effort to not instantly throw the woman to the ground and draw his weapon, but he stopped himself. The people of this world did not know war and death as he did.

"What is an interview?" Joshua asked after taking a breath, much to the bafflement of the woman who focused back on him.