CHAPTER 9: SAY GOODBYE TO THE JUNKYARD

Leaving the safe walls of my shop behind I could see all of the old pieces of scrap hanging off the building. It really did hold up good all these years so it sucks to leave it behind.

"Do you have everything you need?" Ghost asks while standing outside the door.

"Yeah, it’s about time we leave." I respond while closing the door behind me.

Lots of memories in that old shop now but I was always alone so it’s not like they matter all that much. Maybe ghost will be able to help me make new memories, ones worth thinking about.

"We won’t have any issues with me being... Me.. right?" Ghost asks with a bit of worry in her voice.

I did make sure to conceal a lot of her robotic parts but some people can still sniff it out from a mile away. I’m sure we’ll be fine either way since people can’t just act violently without proper justification.

Rules do still exist within the cities themselves so there’s no reason to worry for the time being. So it’s probably better not to waste anymore time here.

I began walking with ghost while taking in the piles of garbage all around me. This place truly was just full of junk and I never understood why I stayed here before.

The streets outside of this look kind of normal except they have more of a desolate feeling to them you could say.

"Do people reside in any of these buildings?" Ghost asks while observing some of the broken down buildings around us.

"No, most moved into the central part of the city a long time ago." I answer while ignoring the buildings.

A lot of these cities didn’t use to have these names until after the collapse so it’s kind of weird to get use to. Remembering the fact that the world use to have a lot more to it than it does now.

The sky city has been around for a long time but it wasn’t seen as a crazy place to go until the collapse. That’s when the standards to get in were raised beyond any "fair" amount.

Elyndra pisses me off in so many ways that I could probably make a damn list about it but what’s the point. I could be a junker for 50+ years and still never make enough silvite to get in there.

I was lucky that merchants even came by to buy things from me in the first place since the junkyard isn’t really considered safe. I probably see more of the monsters then the people in Central Ashvalis.

"I guess it must’ve been dangerous." Ghost mutters to herself.

I don’t tend to think much when she starts muttering about things since I use to do the same thing. I’ve just gotten a lot better at keeping my thoughts to myself instead of dealing with people thinking I’m crazy.

Junker.

Yes the occupation that very few people have since it’s not a great field to be in, but it’s a way to make money when you have no specialty.

Hunters.

They make plenty of silvite with even the most basic of quests given by the guilds but it’s not enough to buy a city. Just enough to live life without any crazy troubles, that’s why so many people prefer it.

The lowest ranked quests even tend to give about 20 silvite on average which is quite a bit when it comes to necessities. Food isn’t as expensive in the city of Ashvalis so you can easily get away with bigger portions, lasting you longer in the week.

"How far is Central Ashvalis from the junkyard?" Ghost asks with a bit of curiosity.

"An hour walk at best." I answer with confidence.

The last time I went to central city it was an hour walk at best and it’s been a long time, there’s no way for it to change unless we encounter a problem.

We just continued to walk for the duration of that hour as well, just taking in the scenery as we slowly approach the entrance to Central Ashvalis.

Noise. That was the first thing I noticed—not gunfire or screams, but actual people talking. Yelling. Laughing. It was like walking into a dream stitched together from memories I didn’t know I missed. Painful memories.

That’s always what I hated about coming back here, the reminder of things that I don’t need in my life. Being alone in the junkyard was peaceful and I didn’t have to deal with such painful reminders.

All around me I could see people wandering about, trading glances, exchanging old tech for Silvite, and even kids running around. This place was pretty lively during the day which was normal since it’s still got people trying to live.

Old, broken neon signs hang off some of the buildings while others have touched up on them a bit. Not all the buildings were completely trashed since a few people here probably worked on them.

The most noticeable building in the distance was that of an old skyscraper that was converted into a guild base. A sign with the name "Velgrade" was on the front of the building.

That’ll be the place to check out after we look around the city itself for a bit. There’s a lot of different things to figure out before we can head for the guild.

A place to stay would be essential for one, two we probably should find some food to bring along with us. I plan on getting enough information from the guild to head for a dungeon.

Only there will I maybe find my purpose in life, other than being just a plain old junker.

"This place is definitely a lot to take in..." Ghost says quietly.

"Just stay close to me and we’ll navigate through this together." I assure her.

She’s only known the junkyard since she’s woken back up so she’s in a very similar spot to me. I haven’t been here in a long time so even I’m a bit overwhelmed by it all.