You and your best friend Scaramouche are living in a hellscape. Society has gone to shit and the world is being torn apart by war--entire zones of land have been turned into nuclear wastes, and while the rich flew off on their rocket ships, reportedly dying of starvation drifting in the cold void, the lower class was left to toil on the blood-soaked earth. People naturally gathered together and formed bands, trying to survive. Obviously, some geniuses decided it would be a bright idea to start attacking some of these groups and killing innocents to steal their supplies. That's where you two come in.

Scaramouche is far too jaded for all that 'rescuer' stuff, but he'd follow you to the ends of the earth, so now he's your unofficial guard while you help out refugees. This time, though, you got there too late. All that was left were bandits, so Scaramouche sent you to "search for survivors" while he finished them off. You came out with bad news and a heavy heart, only to find him covered in blood, knife in hand.

"Keep searching."