“No! That’s not what I meant. Don’t you want to know how I became Awakened?”

  “Go on. I’m listening.”

  “But you have to promise—”

  “Fine. I promise not to kill you.” Jax cut him off.

  Ryker’s heart sank.“You agreed so fast， it doesn’t make me feel safe at all.”

  “Want me to take it back?”

  Ryker fell silent.

  He took a deep breath， forcing himself to calm down， and spoke slowly.

  “After I lost the Roulette of Fate to you， Viper flew into a rage and crushed my right hand， left me to die. The Sleight of Hand was everything to me. I’d trained it for over ten years. With my hand broken， I wanted to die.

  But then I thought of my mother， back home， waiting for me to make something of myself， to come home a success. A fire lit in me. I swore I wouldn’t let her down. I had to live.

  Then I felt a searing pain in my head， like something was stirring inside my brain. When the pain passed， I found my right hand， which had been shattered， had healed a little. I couldn’t lift anything heavy， but I could move it again. And an invisible arm had grown from it.”

  “I see.” Jax nodded solemnly.“So to become Awakened， you have to break your right hand first.”

  Ryker fell silent.

  “And you need a mom.”

  Ryker fell even more silent.

  He was now one hundred percent convinced Jax was a lunatic. He’d heard the stories about Jax on the battlefield， but he hadn’t believed them until now.

  What the hell was he even talking about?

  “Vice Leader Jax， that’s not the point. It’s about a mental breakthrough. Simply put， suffering extreme trauma causes your mind to warp and mutate， and you awaken as an Awakened.”

  Jax nodded. He’d known it wasn’t about the mom or the hand， of course. He’d just been making a dumb joke. Too bad these barbarians had no sense of humor.

  He’d heard from other Wasteland hunters that in the age of the Great Cataclysm， everything— people and things alike— had mutated to some degree， even if they looked normal.

  Most people’s mutation was too minor to see. But it was like a seed， buried deep inside every person. When the right conditions were met， the seed would sprout.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  Ryker， now Awakened， was the perfect example.

  In other words， in the civilized age， if you suffered a mental breakdown， you just went crazy. But in the age of the Great Cataclysm， you could become Awakened.

  Holy shit.

  Did that mean all Awakened had the potential to be crazy?

  He suddenly realized the Great Cataclysm that had swept the world wasn’t all bad. It held opportunity too. A chance for all life to evolve. The mutated beasts were just the ones that had evolved down the wrong path. The Awakened were the ones on the right track.

  Then again… maybe neither path was more right than the other.

  “Vice Leader Jax， I’ve told you everything. Please， put the gun down? I’m scared.”

  “You’re begging me， but you can’t even be bothered to say‘please’ with respect? Is that how you beg for something?”

  Ryker’s fists clenched. He was so angry his teeth ached. If he wasn’t staring down the barrel of a gun， he’d punch Jax’s lights out.

  “Please， put the gun down?”

  “No.”

  You little shit!

  “Can I at least lower my right hand? It’s not healed yet. I can’t hold it up forever.”

  “No.”

  “Jax!” Ryker shot to his feet， furious.“I told you， we’re not enemies! I’m here to work with you!

  Haven’t you realized how much danger you’re in? Viper and Talan don’t want you around. They’ve already made a deal. Once you drive off the hyena pack， they’ll team up and kill you! Then they’ll sell your Forbidden Artifact and split the money!”

  “So?”

  “So working with me is your only chance to survive! I’m Awakened， you have the Forbidden Artifact. Together， we can take them both on! Besides， Viper crushed my Sleight of Hand. I’m going to get my revenge on him!”

  “You snuck here in the middle of the night just to tell me that?”

  “That’s not all. I have a solid plan. Next time you go out of the town， I’ll hide outside in advance. When they’re worn out from fighting， we’ll hit them from both sides. We can take them out in one go! Once it’s done， you rule Ashwood Town. I won’t lift a finger to interfere.”

  Jax blinked in surprise.“That’s all you want? Revenge?”

  Ryker shook his head.“Revenge is part of it. I need money. Once it’s done， you get Ashwood Town， I get the money. I’ll take the money and leave immediately.

  Truth be told， now that I’m Awakened， I don’t care about being the leader of this tiny town. I’m going to Dawnhold City. I’ll find the best doctor there， fix my right hand. Becoming Awakened boosted my body a lot， let me move my hand again， but it’s nowhere near as fast or strong as it used to be.

  My power is tied to my right hand. If I fix it， I’ll be stronger than ever. I’ll bring back the Sleight of Hand.

  Once I make a name for myself in Dawnhold City， I’ll bring my mom there. She’ll live in luxury， never want for anything again.”

  Jax’s view of Ryker shifted a little. For all his flaws， the man was at least loyal to his mother.

  And when it came down to it， they had no real grudge against each other. They shared a common enemy.

  With that thought， Jax lowered the Breath of Bone.

  Ryker’s face lit up at the sound.“You agree to work with me?”

  “No. I don’t.” Jax shook his head.

  “Why? This is nothing but good for you!” Ryker stared in disbelief. He couldn’t understand why Jax would turn down such a perfect offer.

  Jax sighed. He tilted his head back to stare at the moon， his voice deep.“I could team up with you to kill Viper and Talan. But have you thought about what happens then? What about the hyena pack? What about the people of Ashwood Town?”

  Ryker froze. He stared at Jax， his expression shifting again and again. He was silent for a long moment.“I can help you take out the hyena pack.”

  Jax shook his head again.“How many people will die doing that? You’re Awakened， but you’re still not as strong as Viper or Talan， are you? Otherwise you wouldn’t have come to me.

  If they can barely handle the hyena pack， what chance do you have? So until every last hyena is dead， I won’t work with you.”

  Ryker’s face twisted with urgency.“But once the hyenas are dead， they’ll turn on you instantly! And the way you fight， you might not even live long enough for that!”

  “Enough!” Jax spun around， his tattered sleeve swirling up a cloud of dust.“Do you think I’m a coward who’s afraid to die? What’s one life， compared to the 800 lives of Ashwood Town?”

  His words hit Ryker like a sledgehammer to the chest.

  In this godforsaken age， there really were people like this…

  For some reason， standing next to Jax， he suddenly felt small.