A/N: We've come very far, don't you guys think? All the way to Chapter 20. I worded the beginning of the last one incorrectly as I actually wanted to imply that this was to be a special one. Can't say it will be perfect, same goes for all of the other Chapters. But still, I hope some of you enjoy it. Please leave an honest Review and enjoy the Story.
There's a large chance that I'll be stopping at 25 Chapters. I feel like that's as good as a place to stop as any. Hopefully I can think of a proper ending to this Story. Maybe even set the stage for a sequal, or even a prequel.
Oh, and I have to ask. Do any of you guys believe in the Indoctrination theory for Mass Effect 1-3? I really don't want to but at the same time all of the evidence to back it up is so convincing.
I'm asking this because of my other Story Outer Effect. And no, I didn't just give myself some quick advertisement. But if you do happen to love Mass Effect and the Outer Worlds, which is essentially Fallout New Vegas but in a Sci-fi setting, go and check it out.
Wait, this is the last piece of information that you can judge as important or not. There are two small references in this Chapter. One is to an Anime, hint it's a very violent one. And the other is to a certain video game trilogy, hint it's in a Sci-fi setting. Find them and I'll mention your name in the first Chapter of Act 2.
Chapter 20: Not Really An Adventure
While the Airship was still descending Yang decided to ask a very important question. One that she had since she witnessed the duel between Coco and Six ''So wait, how exactly does that even work?'' Yang asked the Courier, who was trying to decide what main weapon she would be using in the forest, and at the same time she was still playing around with Velvet's ears. ''Do you just carry a bunch of sand with you or something like that?''
What Yang was asking about was the strange method of acquiring ammunition for the Khan Trick. She received an appropriate answer. ''How should I know?'' Six said, deciding that she would use her Silenced .22 SMG. ''It's either black magic or something to do with my Pip-Boy. Guess it could also be both.''
The Courier digitized her selected weapon into her hands. Unexpectedly it was ripped right out of her hands, the one behind the sudden act of theft being Ruby. She practically praised the weapon like it was some type of unseen God. Along with that praise came a lot of questions. ''Woah, it's so beautiful. Where'd you get it, do you have another, how many bullets can it hold, what modifications have you used on it?''
''Oh for the love of, would you please quit obsessing over weapons like that?'' Weiss said, wishing there was some kind of switch that would turn Ruby's voice off forever. ''All it is is just another gun, no big deal.''
Six's eyes widened at Weiss's view of her weapon. ''What did you just say?'' She said, letting go of Velvet's ears and gaining the attention of everyone. ''Just another weapon? Just another weapon?! Do you have any idea what this SMG had gotten me through? It's saved my life more times than I can count. That goes for other people's lives as well. If not for this gun I wouldn't have been able to save prisoners and dispatch the Fiends that had invaded Vault 3 and taken them hostage. If anything I see this gun as a symbol of hope. Hope for everyone in the Mojave.''
Everyone was silent for a second. Ruby broke the silence by clapping her hands together, and she even had a tear in her eye. ''That was so beautiful Six.'' She said, rubbing her eyes with her sleeve. ''Always good to see someone who's as passionate about their weapon as I am.''
Ruby carefully handed the silenced gun back to Courier Six, who once again digitized it. ''Alright, my turn to ask a question.'' Pyrrha said, her question also being one that she had for awhile. ''The Mojave, you've already told us about it. But there's something I want to know. Do you travel around on your own or do you have any friends?''
''Of course I have friends. I can name them all right now. There's... actually I have a better idea.'' Six reached into her Pip-Boys inventory and pulled out her favorite photo of her and all of her Companions. Aside from Chalks and Dean because they had yet to make it to Vegas. She positioned herself so that everyone could see the picture. ''Just take a good look for yourselves.''
As soon as everyone looked at the inhabitants of the photo their eyes quickly widened at the new characters. The Companions were certainly an odd and peculiar sight. Blake placed her finger on one of them and asked, ''Who's that lady?''
Each Companion certainly had their own Story to tell. But with them currently unavailable the Courier would have to tell them on her own. ''That right there is Rose of Sharon Cassidy. But she likes to be called Cass. There was a time when she was like a mentor to me. There were times when she let her anger get the better of her. But she almost always tries to do what's best for us.
Jaune really wanted to know who the giant purple creature was. ''That's Lily, she's my Grandma. Well not my actual one but she's close enough. But don't let her nice attitude distract you. I once saw her rip a man in half because of the way he looked at me. Turns out he was blind.''
Nora pointed to the little floating robot. The same one that Six hated talking about. ''Ah, ED-E. He was my very first Companion. Sadly he was destroyed some time ago. He died fighting, it's how he wanted to go out. Out of everyone he was certainly the most loyal.''
Seeing the impressive gun that he was holding in his hands, Ruby pointed to some type of Sniper. ''Boone. I One of the few people who hates the Legion just as much as I do. Whenever he had any free time we'd always go hunting for Deathclaws or more Legion. I'd also have to say that he is absolutely the most dangerous friend of mine. One time when I was captured and being tortured at a small Outpost, he infiltrated it and killed everyone all by himself.''
Weiss pointed to the dog who was both cute and seemed to be a robot. ''Rex, yeah he was the best. I wish I could say he met his end just like ED-E, but I'd be lying. They just tied him up and shot him dead like he was nothing more than a rabid dog.''
Out of all the deaths she had seen Rex's passing had affected the Courier more than any other. Her already fragile soul had been completely crushed by his loss. ''But I know that wherever he is, he's watching over the rest of us. And he's putting in a good word. I still visit his grave and leave flowers whenever I get the chance.''
Yang pointed at the man who looked like he had walked straight through Hell. ''Raul, the World's greatest Mechanic. He's one of those old and wise individuals. Whenever I'm in dire need of it he's always willing to give me some advice when I'm in the middle of a moral conflict.''
''Who's the guy with the huge armour and gun?'' Coco asked about Arcade, who was wearing his badass looking Enclave Power Armour at the time of the photo. In his hands was of course a Plasma Caster. It was purchased straight from the Van Graffs.
''Arcade Gannon, one of the smartest people I know. We had different ideas on who should have control over the Mojave. He said the entire place should be independent, while I wanted the NCR to have firm control over Vegas. In the end it was our hate for the Legion that made us come to an agreement. At the final battle he brought some old friends with him who had no trouble kicking the Legion's ass. Much like the rest of my friends, I'd be dead without him.''
There was only one Companion left. She had what looked like a giant metal fist and wore a beautiful dress. Since she was the odd one out Six didn't wait for someone to ask about her. ''Finally we have Veronica. We were actually in a relationship at one point.''
''But, shortly after we invaded the Fort and killed Caesar we drifted apart. Eventually she said she wanted to just be friends. If I had a heart it would have been really hurt by that. When I get back to Vegas I hope to make amends and start over with her.''
She placed the photo back into her inventory and looked out of the Airship's window. They had reached their destination. ''Thanks for coming along guys, but I can take it from here. Might be better if I try to tackle the forest on my own.''
Before she could leave Ruby blocked the exit. ''What, no way.'' She said, not wanting her friend to once again be torn into shreds. ''Don't you remember what happened last time you were there on your own? You should take a few of us with you.''
''I agree with Ruby.'' Weiss said, confusing everyone. It seemed like she was actually concerned for the Courier's safety. ''We don't need you to almost burn down the entire forest again, now do we? Someone should supervise you.'' And yeah, there it was.
One of the people to volunteer to accompany her was Coco. ''I did kill you so it only seems right that I should prevent that from happening again. Don't you think?'' Six nodded, gladly accepting the extra company from the girl who murdered her.
Next up of course was Ruby. ''I made a promise to Ozpin I'd make you as comfortable as possible. I can't do that if you're dead now can I?'' Ruby was waiting for a few laughs but frowned when she didn't even receive a chuckle out of anyone.
The final two people to tag along would be the only two Faunus in the room, Blake and Velvet. ''You think the two of us should tag along with you?'' Blake asked, getting another nod out of Courier Six because she decided that four Companions was enough.
New Quest Added. The Pip-Boy notified her, bringing her eyes down to her wrist. Quest Name: Another Unexpected Reunion. Which was an odd title but much like the other's she wouldn't be questioning it too much. The objective was simple, go on an Adventure.
Gathering all of her new Companions into a circle, Six tried to hype them up with another one of her famous speeches. ''Get ready men.'' She said, despite everyone in the circle being female. The fact caused Velvet and Ruby to laugh out loud. ''That's the right spirit you two. Whenever you're charging into unknown territory or a place you know is full of enemies. The most important thing to do is to go in with a positive look.''
Blake and Coco shared a confused look. ''We've all been in the forest before.'' Blake pointed out. ''But you're right in that there are a Hell of a lot of enemies.'' Coco added, then putting on a cocky grin. ''More than you could probably handle on your own. So good thing we're coming with you.''
''Yeah I get it, you're all so much stronger than I am. Probably could take down one of those things with your hands only. Meanwhile I need a fucking orbital laser. But now isn't the time to prove who's stronger than who. Now is the time for Adventure, in its purest form to be exact.''
Velvet questioned what the Courier meant by this. ''When you say Adventure, what do you mean exactly? The only thing we'll find out there are a bunch of ruins and even more Grimm ready to go in for the kill. I don't see that as much of an Adventure.''
Six began to laugh softly. ''Oh Velvet, you're so innocent. Getting attacked by monsters and beats of pure legend is 50% of the fun for all of my Adventures back home. There's nothing more fun than being beaten, burned, stabbed, or shot to the point of nearly dying. Why do you think I had so much fun fighting Coco?''
That opinion concerned, and in Velvet and Ruby's case, frightened the new Companions. ''Somehow you continue to get even stranger.'' Blake said, not realizing that what she said was a complement in the eyes of Courier Six. ''We should get walking then. Getting to the forest from here will probably take a few hours.''
After shaking her head, Six began to realize something. When she fully realized it she put on a bit of an evil grin. She held out both of her arms and old everyone to, ''Grab on, I got a quicker way of getting there that is far better than walking.''
Instead of sharing more looks of concerns with each other, everyone just did what she asked. It couldn't possibly get any stranger, could it? They had to find out the hard way that the answer was apparently yes. They, and everyone else in the now parked Airship learned this when the five girls erupted into a green glow and just vanished.
''Ahhhhh!'' All four Companions screamed at the exact same time when they finally arrived on the other side of the teleportation. Ruby was actually so frightened by what she had seen that she jumped into Velvet's arms and both girls were now conforming each other.
''Velvet, please make the giant bad squid people go away. Don't let them harvest me.'' Ruby said, crying at a rate that was beyond unconquerable by anyone else's crying. Upon seeing this, the Courier actually felt a little bit bad. Perhaps they weren't ready to see the unknown.
The Faunus with bunny ears wanted protection as well. ''Only if you promise to protect me from that giant purple spider thing. It killed all of those Students, and even ate some of them. I don't like to use the word... but that was an abomination.''
While they were crying Blake and Coco were vomiting their guts out next to them. Yet another side effect of fast traveling for the very first time. ''Yeah, I know exactly how you guys feel.'' Six said, opening a few bottles of Whisky. ''Seeing entirely different Universes and Realities can be a little unsettling at first. In fact you're likely to lose a little bit of your humanity in the process. You know what helps, drinking.''
She held out four of the bottles as an offer to the girls. Still a little out of their minds and in dire need of any comfort at all, each of them took a bottle and began drinking. ''Now that is the spirit right there. Should have seen me my first time. I got a quick look at what happens when you divide by zero.''
After finishing her drink Coco wasted no time getting a little bit of revenge. She slammed her fist right into the Courier's nose, breaking it. ''You stupid bitch. How and why did you do that to us? What I saw can't be unseen no matter how much therapy. I'm going to be... going to be... you know something? I never noticed how pretty you are.''
The odd realization confused Six, but only after she cracked her nose back into place. ''Uh, thanks? That's a very sudden change of mood don't you think?'' But then her eyes widened with a little bit of fear. Taking the bottle out of Coco's hands she examined it.
''Well, shit.'' She said, fully understanding what she had just done. ''I just gave you an experimental type of Whisky that's filled with several different types of enhancement drugs and painkillers. Also, you're liver might explode in a few seconds.
Coco wasn't exactly in any kind of state to be mad. ''Oh that's okay, you meant well. You know... know what we should do? We shou... should dance, just start dancing. That would make me the happiest little princess. Velvet, come dance with me.''
To her alarm Velvet was grabbed by Coco who brought her in close. ''I... I really want to dance with you. After that we can get some cake. How about Velvet cake? Get those sick thoughts out of your heads. Get it, because your name is Velvet. Then we can snuggle up together and...''
The chaos ended when she abruptly fell to the ground and fell into a deep sleep. Velvet knelt down to make sure she was okay. Things were going very far from how the Courier planned them. She had to find a quick way to fix the situation.
''Okay, there are a lot of things that are fucked right now.'' She said, getting a frown from everyone. ''But we can still have a little bit of fun. Velvet, seeing as there's an obvious yet underused Romance going on between the two of you, why don't you carry Coco?''
Now excessive blushing was another problem to add to Velvet's list. It was right next to extreme mental trauma. For one of the first times in her life she actually wanted to harm another person. But she still managed to resist the urge.
Ruby and Blake wanted to take their turns to cause pain to Six. But they wouldn't get the chance. Everyone, aside from Coco who was still on the floor and in no condition to fight, was put on full alert when they heard what was a combination of Grimm roaring, gunshots, and what was most likely explosions
''You guys will be able to kick my ass later.'' Six said, pulling out her SMG and checking her surroundings. ''But right now don't you think we should focus on what's... hey hold on a minute, I'd recognize the sound of that gun from anywhere. Joshua, is that you causing a ruckus?''
Instead of an answer through the use of words, it was given when a dead Beowolf landed in front of the girls. A flagpole was inserted into its head. The next person to make an appearance was a man who Courier Six could only recognize thanks to the look of his eyes. She had never seen Ulysses without his mask before.
Joshua followed behind him, no bandages covering his face. It certainly wasn't a very pleasant sight to look at. He looked over to the Courier and gave a sigh of relief. ''You were right.'' He said to Ulysses, who was fixing up his wounds. ''This World is even more dangerous than ours.''
Ulysses couldn't give a reply before him and Graham were both brought in for an unexpected hug. ''Guys, what are you doing here?'' Six asked, beyond happy to see the two most wise people she knew. ''We need to celebrate this reunion with a drink.''