Adam looked at Deccanus and let off a sigh of relief. Deccanus, surprisingly, did too.
"I do not wish to go through that experience again." Deccanus said surprisingly vulnerable at the moment.
"Me too, honestly, If that was what most vaults are like, I guess my vault is tame by comparison." He chuckled softly. "Come on, you can put the guns down now, let's properly get them into our bags for easier transport."
The two then spent a few more minutes loading up the guns into their bags, mostly making use of the duffle bag, which truly was the best means to transport rifles, however Deccanus insisted on carrying the bag despite Adam saying he was fine carrying it. Eventually he gave in and let Deccanus carry the bag as he wished. Adam paused as he looked at the big Vault door to Vault 54. Truly if he had a can of spray paint he would paint a warning on the front of the door telling people to stay away but alas that was not among the tools he kept on hand. He would simply need to be satisfied with the knowledge that Pip-Boys were pretty rare in this area and that The Guild would hopefully spread the news of the horrors this vault contained.
The two then began their journey back. It was not entirely fruitless, they had gotten enough stuff to make the trip worthwhile and theoretically there were still more things of value in the vault, but Adam had no intention of ever going back there to that horror movie-esq place for any reason. As far as he was concerned those creatures could have that vault till the end of time.
The trip back was, predictably, much easier and less strenuous than the first time due to Adam more correctly pathfinding. However that did not mean it was without its own share of issues.
Packs of ferals roamed the streets as if they were on patrol and since they no longer had the advantage of strange paths with verticality to use it meant they had to fight through. All in all they had to fight 3 times just to get out of the most dangerous area.
The first time was a small pack, only 5 feral ghouls. The two of them handled it easily enough. The second pack was much larger, 15. They had to plan out an ambush and Adam had to focus on crippling legs instead of shooting for center mass. With enough effort from Adam aiming for their skinny legs, and Deccanus acting as a shield from the front and drawing their attention while cutting them down with his machete, they were able to wipe out the group of ferals with only a few close calls. The third might as well not even have happened. It was just two ferals. Adam shot them in the head before they got anywhere close to them. It was over before it even began.
However all three encounters taught Adam something important; This was the most dangerous route out of Chicago.
He had already had more than a few run-ins with War's band and while the interactions had never been pleasant they had never been outright hostile, just acting like dicks mostly. Then as for the Cult of Pestilence he hadn't had any direct encounters with them so he couldn't say for certain but it was likely they were about the same as War's people. Just territorial and perhaps more desperate to recruit, but not going to kill them on sight.
With ferals it was an entirely different story. There was no talk, no peace, no options other than fighting. And worse yet they seemed far more numerous. When he had gone through War's territory it was possible to avoid them with effort, however the reason they even had these three encounters was not just bad luck, but because even if they tried to go around one group they would just run into another. The entire area was crawling with them. This was a serious problem. No wonder people christened it the third horseman.
Besides the unfortunate close encounters Adam had the two of them stop at a small corner store that still seemed to be standing. Inside was one ghoul. After dispatching it he found there were still a handful of items to loot, mostly canned food and drinks like Nuka Cola, but with the extra space left in their bags they were able to take most of it. Now it felt like he was coming back with a good amount of stuff. All three bags were full again. The guns truly did make up the most of it, but he was not feeling like this was a wasted trip anymore, he had information, he had stuff to sell, and he had a new bobblehead for his ever growing collection. It was a side obsession of his, he just liked them.
"I now know what the slaves felt like." Deccanus said softly to himself as they finally began to clear the area where the ghouls of Famine could be found.
"What do you mean?" Adam asked, wondering where the random comment came from and, more importantly, what he was talking about.
"In the Legion." Deccanus said back. "Our slaves were ordered to carry the heaviest packs, work the mines, shoulder the manual labors, I too am understanding the burden today."
"Wait, you guys had slaves?!" Adam said incredulously.
"Yes?" Deccanus said with some confusion, as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "The Legion ran on the power of man. Just like the rome of the ancients that our Caesar modeled the Legion after, those we conquered were turned into slaves to fuel the Legion's growth. All for the sake of Caesar." Adam frowned, visibly. "You do not approve?" Deccanus asked.
"No, of course I don't approve." Adam said back sharply. And then sighed. Perhaps because the world had changed so much, maybe these sorts of things were more common again. Slavery could once more be the fuel for all great empires. After all, it seemed like even Second Life was researching clones to make a slave class. However that didn't excuse it, at least to Adam. He was a man of the old world. He fought for freedom, democracy, and the American dream. No matter how much times have changed and how much he is adapting to this new world, he just can't abide by slavery. After all his own people fought a civil war over it, the matter should have been settled then.
Adam sighed again and looked at Deccanus.
"Where I come from, there was no slavery, people, everyone was considered a free citizen. Of course I'm not going to say things were perfect or idyllic, it had its share of problems, but people being slaves? Everyone hated that." Adam said back. Deccanus paused as he considered what to say in return.
"I grew up in the Legion." He began, slowly. "For those of us serving under Caesar's rule, slavery was natural. We needed people to build our homes, tend the crops, remake the roads. This was so that we, the Legion, could march ever onwards, bringing civilization to the wasteland people. Perhaps it may seem strange to you, but to me… it was second nature."
"That doesn't make it okay." Adam returned.
"Perhaps not. But just as you find slavery strange, I too find your people's reliance on technology foreign. It's a… cultural difference." He said, thoughtfully. Adam shook his head. He disagreed, it was much more important than a cultural difference, but arguing on the point seemed moot.
"You aren't going to return to your roots and become a slaver again are you?" Adam asked, inquisitively, judging Deccanus based on what his response would be. Deccanus took a few moments to respond.
"No." He said back, simply. "I have no desire to create the Legion again. This is a journey for myself, one about self discovery and understanding others. If I were to return to my roots I fear the past mistakes would occur all over again. If I am to help to create something strong it has to endure, unlike my home." Adam nodded slowly. It wasn't the resounding 'I hate slavery' he was hoping for, but a practical answer worked well enough for him. After all, actions speak louder than words, if he didn't fall back on his old training about slavery it wouldn't be an issue. But certainly Adam had a different view of the Legion now than he did before.