When Cass finally awoke the following morning, Antillicus wasn't in the room. She assumed he'd left to do some trading. Standing up and stretching, she yawned magnanimously. ED-E chirped a cheery hello, provoking a smile from her. As she turned back around towards the bed, she noticed a bottle of amber liquid and a note. The front of the note read "From Antillicus."
She turned the note over in her hands and read the back. "I knew you'd like this little present, but you were still asleep when I woke up, so I decided to find some more supplies." Cass smiled slightly and set the note back down, then opened the door and stepped outside. She leaned on the railing, looking for Antillicus. When she couldn't locate him, she decided to wait.
Antillicus had spent the morning talking to various merchants around town, gathering medical supplies, food, and equipment. Upon returning to the courtyard of the Dino Dee-Lite Motel, he was greeted from the upper walkway with a cordial "Hi there!" and a smile from Cass. He waved up to her and climbed the stairs in twos. "How'd you sleep?" he asked with a smile. "Very well," she replied. "Thanks for the gift."
Antillicus smiled and nodded. "You're welcome." Cass surprised him with a quick hug. "Glad you're back," she said. He returned the gesture with a somewhat awkward smile. "Well, I guess we should be heading off soon," he remarked as he glanced at his Pip-Boy. Cass nodded in agreement. "Let's get ready." She opened their room's door and gestured for him to enter. He complied and she shut the door behind them.
Within half an hour, Antillicus, Cass, and ED-E were on their way towards the 188 Trading Post. Antillicus marveled at the sight of the Helios One power plant, off to the west. "Does that place still work?" he asked. Cass shrugged. "I don't really know. The NCR took it over after they forced the Brotherhood of Steel out. Beyond that, I guess it's pretty hush-hush." He chewed his lip and gazed out at the old plant, but was interrupted in his thoughts by a familiar noise: gunfire.
"Get down, Cass," he told her calmly and authoritatively as he gestured towards the concrete dividers in the middle of the road. "Use those as cover." She nodded and ducked behind a barrier as bullets whizzed through the air. Antillicus and ED-E followed suit, and he craned his neck to get a look at their attackers. It was another group of raiders, complete with spiked hair and dirty clothes, as per the usual. "Jeez," he said. "Don't these guys have anything better to do?"
Cass peeked over at them, but ducked back into cover as a barrage of lead chipped at the concrete barrier. Antillicus had been itching to try out his new hunting rifle he'd bought yesterday, and now was a perfect opportunity. He quickly popped up from cover, resting the rifle on the edge of the divider. Unfazed by the storm of metal about him, he aimed carefully and squeezed the trigger.
His shot hit right on target, impacting the closest member of the attacking group in the face and shearing off his jaw. The particularly gruesome kill troubled Antillicus's stomach a bit, but it subsided after a cackle of victory emanated from his throat. A stray bullet bounced off of ED-E's armor, making him beep in indignation, but caused no damage. Cass boldly returned fire as well, spraying pellets towards the gunmen with her stout 20 gauge.
"I like this gun!" chuckled Antillicus, as he took the third and final aggressor out with a .308 round to the heart. What do you think? Cass?" She was staring at his hand. "I...uh, think you're missing something..." she said, with a worried look on her face. Antillicus lifted his left hand and was greeted with the sight of his ring finger, which was cleanly severed at the knuckle. "Oh shit."
The wound was already bleeding, and Cass was searching in her pack for medical supplies. "Bullets, Cram, water, whiskey...dammit. Wait...whiskey could be useful. The supplies are in your pack. I think." Antillicus was silently regarding his new stump with a mixture of horror and intense interest. "Does it hurt?" she asked, already prepared for the answer, but not for the one she received.
Antillicus shook his head and merely stared. Cass retrieved the gauze from his pack and attempted to get his attention. "Hey. Hey, look at me." He turned towards her. "Yes?" he asked, in a strange, calm voice. "I need to sterilize it and bandage it. Ok?" He nodded and held his hand towards her. Even when she poured a measure of whiskey on the new wound, he didn't flinch. As she wrapped gauze around the end of the stump, Antillicus began to feel the effects.
He clenched his teeth and made a fist with his right hand. "Argh! Now it hurts like a sonofabitch!" As Cass finished bandaging it and tied off the throbbing wound, Antillicus spoke again. "Gimme that bottle." She obliged, and he took a long swig from it. He gritted his teeth and stood up. "Well, that's done. Let's see what I traded my finger for."
After looting the new corpses they'd made, the trio traveled further onwards, coming closer to their destination. Antillicus's new wound pained him greatly for the first hour or so, but eventually the pain subsided to a dull throb. It had certainly dampened his usually high spirits. "Great," he remarked. "Now I'm gonna be gawked at when I get married. This elicited a laugh from Cass. "Nooo...scars and stuff like that make you look like a man," she replied.
He chuckled and shook his head. "Well, it's good to hear someone doesn't think I'm deformed. A bullet to the head does wonders for your face, I hear." She rolled her eyes playfully. "You're not deformed..." Antillicus interrupted her. "Hey...see that overpass up ahead?" She nodded, and he continued. "I think that's it. The 188."