(Summary by Pedro)
The game starts with three figures emerging from the wastes: the thrill
seeking motor-head Dean McQueen, the quick-handed scout August, and a
mysterious drifter who goes by Murdock.
Seeking
to find a contact in the slums of Atlanta, the trio make a
quick stop to grab supplies. They come across a duo, fresh from the wastes: the
seasoned Chuck, equipped with an exo-suit, who originated from a
distant Arc City, and an odd 'shaman' named Patton Murphy who calls upon the
names of his Ancestors.The
trio comes upon an argument between the two newcomers and the merchant at a
bullet stand. Patton eventually turns his
attention to other stalls; trading his services to repair a merchant's
robotic prosthetic arm for a cutting torch. The others browse around.
With Patton gone, the old lady begins to barter with Murdock. After much
deliberation, he decides to make her an offer she cant refuse: a
quick trigger pull from his firearm. She drops
with a shattered shoulder, and everyone hears the merchant's cry. The
group slips easily into a bandit mindset. August and Murdock
get to work swiping her wares while Dean and Patton lay down fire on
any threats. Lacking a weapon, Chuck uses his Exo-frame to
defend the merchant stall. As soon as the raid is done, the group flees
deep into the old ruins of the city, only stopping when safety is certain.
The
gang decides to lay low in a ruined office building. August utilizes
Dean's flammable urine to start a fire and Murdock comes across what can
only be described as a 'big-ass rattlesnake.' After killing it, the
gang shares stories over roasted reptile.
Chuck reveals that he
used to be an official in an Arc City to the North-West, exiled when his citizens deemed him an
incompetent leader. Inside the exo-frame Chuck is a dwarf.
Dean
and August explain that they used to run with gang called the
Scorpions. The two became fast friends as a raiding team-- Dean as driver and August shooting. When their leader began to launch fewer and fewer raids, the duo hatched a plan to
steal a motorcycle and run off with some supplies, to make a living for themselves.
During their escape, the motorcycle was destroyed when Dean attempted to thread the needle through a gap between two pursuit vehicles.
Patton hails from a settlement at Fort
Benning, where the people are descendents of soldiers from before the bombs fell. Fixated on keeping the history of
their country alive, the base has gradually devolved into ancestor
worship. Patton's family were renowned battle-medics, now
referred to as 'shamans'.
Murdock refuses to reveal
personal information, stating that all that matters is 'the here and
now.' He addresses their curiosity by saying he was born in the wastes and
has learned from it all he needs to survive.
Later, August takes
the group to his contact: his twin sister, June. Although her garage
remains, he doesn't find her there. He questions an old man, and is told that his sister has gone into hiding and that if he's
truly her brother, he'll know where to find her. The scout decides to
head over to his uncle's bar.
His reunion with June is cut short. Upon finding her he is given a steel case, car keys, and curt instructions to leave the city. She explains that
there is a tracking device on the case, which will allow her to find him
as soon as she can. Further inquiry nets only that she cant say anymore. August relays this
information to the rest of the group.
June's car, they realize,
is stored in a warehouse not far from the market they raided
previously. As such, the gang takes precautions in escaping the city. While Dean and August make their way to the vehicle, Patton lends them
sniper cover. Chuck and Murdock wait outside the market.
Though Dean
and August make it to the modded Dodge pickup unscathed, trouble worms its way once more into the marketplace.
Patton spies suspicious individuals prowling the area, one of whom attempts to mount his building for his own sniper's nest.
He easily ambushes the man with a knife and deems his
comrades threats. Once they brandish weapons, he begins to pick them
off.
Hearing gunshots, Dean and August quickly move into action. Dean takes the wheel and August cocks his
gun. The marketplace is taken by surprise by the sound of engines roaring to life, and Dean
blares the horn as he pulls out. Patton drops another raider with a
well-placed shot and as the merchants turn their weapons on the
vehicle several swiftly meet their end under the truck's wheels. Others fall as August guns them down. August names
their blood-soaked and flesh-striped ride the "Blud-Bucket" and Dean
remarks that he's never driven a more beautiful car.
They're able to rendezvous with the others and hit the road.
That
is, until they find themselves pursued by a Scorpion's truck
outfitted with a trebuchet. Dean is able to weave out
of the projectile's path while Patton ends the fight quickly with a
bullet through the driver's head, although the remaining gang
member still manages crash safely.
The group
reaps the spoils on their conquest; taking firearms, siphoning gasoline,
grafting a pivot mount onto their truck and sabotaging the raider's rig
before speeding away.
Patton points out that the team should find
shelter. August and Dean reply that anywhere near Macon would be a safe
bet considering the settlement doesn't get many visitors. They
come across an abandoned farmstead along the way and decide to
make camp there.
Giant crows populate the farmstead, but Patton
proves himself a competent hunter, providing a fresh meal for the group. Not
much is found, but August manages to scavenge a deck of cards and supplies
to repair the parts of the group's short wave radio previously removed to fix a
merchant's robotic arm.
Between giant crows, ghouls, and card
games the group finds themselves fairly occupied. Patton continues to proseletize to Chuck, while Dean and August act as scouts on the roof of the
barn. Murdock keeps to himself.
One night, Dean catches movement
on the road and moves to wake the others. They decide to park the
Blud-Bucket behind the farmstead and send August out to keep an eye on
the road. He has the case in hand, expecting June.
And although
he spies the feminine form of his sister, it's the
taller, bulkier form behind her that surprises him.
June: "August?"
August: "June!"
A
man walks up and rests his rifle in the sand, a broad machete at his
side and a bandanna over his mouth. Pulling it down, he reveals a
scorpion brand on his neck and a scowl on his lips.
"August..."
