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The Legend of the Red Ryder is a book in Wasteland 2.

Background[]

A much-read novela; you can just barely read the blocky typeset over faded newsprint.

Transcript[]

Part 1[]

Transcript

Gather close, children and hear the Legend of the Red Ryder, greatest hero of Highpool.

It was a dark time. Highpool was young, defenseless, hopeless. We had nothing but our hidden location to protect us, and it didn't take long for all kinds of wreckers, thugs, riffraff, raiders, and other bad guys with names beginning with ""r"" to find and exploit our little town.

So what were we to do? Run? Hide? Fight? We could not. The few grownups there were were not enough to protect the children, and the children were too young and innocent to fend for themselves. How many unprovoked, unwarranted killings of innocents must there have been back then? I can't say. Ask your parents. They'll know.

But there was one grown up who had more wisdom than most, more foresight, more strength. ""Night is darkest before the dawn, children,"" she used to tell us. Little did we believe, and more the fools we. She put out the call, and he appeared, the Red Ryder.

Who was the Red Ryder, you ask? Who knows? I don't, and I don't think anyone ever did, even she who called him. All we knew, all we needed to know, was that if we needed him, he'd be there, for us, the children, the helpless, the hopeless.

He could not abide seeing children die, and he brought justice to those who killed them with a Red Ryder Range Model Air Rifle, with a compass in the stock! A unique pre-war treasure, now used only for good against the evils of man.

The first time he appeared was a low day indeed. Villains had dispatched an innocent boy's dog, and when the boy protested, did these evil men apologize? Did they realize their mistake and try to make good? No sir, they shot the boy and left him dying in the river.

As they were about to leave, their infanticide done, us hiding in terror, a hot wind blew, summoning clouds of dust. The bad men shivered as if with cold. The dust settled, revealing a transformed valley which we hardly recognized. Appearing slowly from the swirling dust was... the famous Red Ryder himself! Sad was his face beneath his mask, but angry too. He raised his rifle and fired, fired, fired, sending the child killers running before his righteous fury. It was known from then on out - Highpool is protected.

Now times are better, and we are stronger. So we have not seen the Red Ryder in a while. But we all know he's still out there, helping those who need it, fighting for them that can't fight for themselves.

But should you need him, should an evil appear you can't face, forget not the Red Ryder's call: hi-ho!

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