"Crazier than a box of radroaches, but that hasn't stopped you before."
They dropped by Valentine Detective Agency for a visit and, as expected, Ellie looked up from her seat at the desk to say, "I'm glad you're here. Was just about to send you a message. We got a new case in. Ready to put on the detective hat?"
"Sure. Who's the client?" he asked, taking in that Valentine had appeared from the "private" area of the agency.
"A fisherman whose family lives on the edge of the Commonwealth. Kenji Nakano. Mr Nakano didn't leave many details. Said he'd go over everything when you meet him. But if you want my guess? Missing person case. Guy had a worried look a mile long."
Tsuna nodded and looked at Valentine, who also nodded. "We'll check it out, then."
"The Nakano Residence is up in the northeast, near the coast. A small fishing house. He said that he and his wife will be waiting for you."
"Thanks, Ellie. Take care."
"You, too."
Outside of Diamond City, as they headed for a place safe to shift from, he said, "So how did people react after the mayor exposed himself?"
Valentine shot him a look. "Interesting phrasing there. They were all somewhat divided. I knew its and I can't believe its and everything in between."
"Well, if the city council should go mental and try to drive you out, say something, yeah? We'll figure something out." He checked his map after they ducked into Hardware Town, and saw that Mercer Safehouse was the closest known point to shift to. "Yeah, I don't want them seeing us, so we'll open a window, push that out far enough, then shift in."
Daemon nodded and immediately opened a window onto Mercer, then shot it down the hill, down the road northward, and around the corner.
Tsuna gave him a fond smile, then accepted Valentine's arm long enough to shift the two of them. Once they were again assembled it was simply a matter of following the quest marker. Of course, that was pointing straight at a wall of rock.
"If it's a fishing house," Hayato said, "we might be better off leaving the road, skirting this cliff thing, and following the coastline."
"Yeah, I agree. This road probably leads right on out of the Commonwealth."
It was a bit of a walk, but they were all in excellent shape. The coastline path took them by a boathouse. Up ahead was a two storey home, with weathered walls and a red roof. A boat was evident, off the dock, and a few smaller outbuildings were scattered around, plus another boathouse.
When they got close enough they could hear a man inside.
"Damn it. Come in! I know you're listening on the other end! Where is she? Where's my daughter!?"
"Kenji, please! You've been at this for hours. Stop! You need sleep," a woman, presumably his wife, said.
"She's out there, Rei. Someone has her. They could be raiders or Gunners or god knows what else!"
Tsuna nodded, mostly to himself, and headed up the steps onto the stone wrap-around deck. There was a red door to the left of a bay window, so he gave it a sharp knock before opening it. Directly in front of him was a washer and dryer set and some stairs leading up, and to his right was the living room. A large gap in the wall revealed a kitchen. At the far end was another red door, sandwiched between a bookcase and a television set.
The Nakanos were to the right, at a dining table, and Kenji was hunched over a ham radio.
"Hope you don't mind," Valentine said. "We let ourselves in."
"Nick! Thank god! You need to get to work right away! She could be hurt. She could be—"
"Whoa. Slow down. Uh … Kenji, was it? Why don't you go over the details with me and my partner here?"
"You brought a partner? Good. The more eyes the better."
And, as much as he wanted to press the issue of Mr Nakano being seemingly familiar with Valentine, yet Valentine having presumably had those same memories pushed out in favor of newer material, he instead said, "Please tell us what happened, Nakano-san."
Nakano blinked at him, then shook his head. "It's all thanks to this damn radio."
"Our daughter Kasumi likes to fix things. The radio was her latest project," Mrs Nakano said.
"Until she made contact with some kidnapper who lured her away from us."
"Or maybe she left on her own. She's not a child anymore."
Tsuna politely refrained from rolling his eyes or zoning out. They were two very worried parents, and that would be unforgivably rude of him.
"Our daughter is nineteen," Mrs Nakano said. "She knows how to survive, and she's capable. I … think maybe she left because she wanted her own life."
And living this far out in the boonies…
"No, she would've told us where she was going," the man objected. "She would've said … something! I know my daughter is in danger. I can feel it. Find her. Please."
He nodded. "Do you have any idea where she could've gone?"
"We know she took one of the boats, but that's all. She could be anywhere."
"We will find her."
"Thank you. Her room is upstairs if that helps, and if you have any questions about her, just ask."
"Don't worry, Kenji," Valentine said. "We'll get to the bottom of this. Just sit tight."
Tsuna began by wandering the ground floor looking for the holotapes he expected to be there. Kasumi (in the game, anyway) had a habit, due to her grandfather, of recording information about her projects. Most of them were simple enough, and nothing much could be gleaned from them aside from the knowledge that the girl was very good at tinkering with things. She might have made for a good mechanical engineer under different circumstances.
It was very clear that the girl was chafing at being tucked away in such a remote location, with no one to talk to about her projects, and with her father so unwilling to take her with him when he made trips into the "city" for supplies. If nothing else, hearing her voice meant they could match that to a girl they would find with a name of Kasumi.
Before they headed upstairs he stopped to speak with Mrs Nakano. "Nakano-san, I would like to know more about your daughter. It might shine a light on where she's gone."
"My daughter is strong. Focused, careful. That's how I know she's still alive. But why would she leave without telling us? Maybe we… No, never mind. I don't want to waste your time…"
Tsuna shook his head. "Every detail could be important. Please don't hold back."
"…It's just that … we've been fighting a lot more. All of us. Ever since Kasumi's grandfather passed away. He was the only one what could really … talk to her. Kenji and I don't understand machines, but those two? They could work together for hours. She started staying in her grandfather's boathouse late into the night. I thought she was just trying to cope with the loss, but now I wonder what she was up to."
"All right." It also explained for the uninitiated the grave he had noticed on the way in.
There was a "journal" in her room, which was odd as it was paper rather than a holotape, but it merely mentioned the radio she'd been working on. That and the key to a safe.
"So Kasumi was spending time in her grandfather's old boathouse?" Valentine said. "Well, sounds like we know where we're headed next. There's another holotape over here, by the way, under her bed."
He looked over with a smile and went to retrieve it. That one, unlike the others, which had titles like "Television" and "Lamp" and "Holotape Player", was labeled "Dreams".
"Project log. Dreams. Recording what I can remember when I wake up. I keep having the same one. I'm in a white room. People are talking about me like I'm not there, or maybe they just don't care. And then there's this … I don't know … jolt. Like a spark of electricity to the back of my head. And then everyone turns to look at me. God… I hope I don't have it again tonight…"
"Interesting," he muttered.
Valentine looked perturbed, but pointed out another holotape, that one labeled "Radio", but it was just her talking about her choice of handle. The only other room up there was a bathroom, and there was nothing unexpected there.
"Let's keep looking," Valentine said. "Need to figure out what Kasumi's story was. Why she left."
"Yeah, let's head to the boathouse. Got a good feeling about it."
The boathouse was a little down the coast, and a ways off, but not too far. Why they had multiple docks… Maybe at one point there were more houses and more people and more boats to justify so many of them.
That boathouse was much larger and could have functioned as a second house. In fact, he wasn't sure why they called it a boathouse when it was more like a barn or warehouse, though there was a wooden boat in there, up on a makeshift rack of sorts, and more of a proper fishing boat visible outside on the water.
There was a pristine picture of a lighthouse on one of the desks, which looked very out of place next to a burnt out old terminal, so he picked it up and flipped it over. Just barely visible, tucked under the frame, was a key.
"A hidden key, huh? Good work. Just gotta find whatever it—ah, hang on. There's a safe over here the other side of these consoles."
Basically where he expected it to be. On top was a note from the grandfather, a hint as to where the key had been hidden. Inside the safe was Kasumi's final holotape.
"Project log. Um … myself. I never really thought about who or … what I am, but… God, where do I start? The radio. I was right about the range. I managed to get a signal. A strong signal from up north. There's a group of people up there. They say they're all synths … synthetic people. Made by the Institute. "They're trying to build a place for their kind. Where they can be themselves and be accepted for what they are alongside human beings. It sounds wonderful, but … then they started asking about me, and … some questions came up. Questions … I don't have answers to. "I mean, I've always felt … off … like I'm not really supposed to be here, but then there are things in my childhood I can't remember, and I've been having these strange dreams… I… I'm going to go. To meet these synths. I … I have to know the truth about myself. They've told me to sail up north to a town called Far Harbor. I can make my way to them from there."
"So the daughter takes off by boat, but more importantly, there's a colony of synths up near this Far Harbor," Valentine said quietly. "We need a way to get there. Let's go talk to Kenji. He knows the waters better than us."
"Yeah. Let's. I am very curious, though, if her dreams started before or after she made contact."
Valentine eyed him for a moment, then nodded. "Young girl, already confused, and all those questions could have prompted them. Well, let's go tell Kenji about where his daughter ran off to."
"Nakano-san," he said once they returned to the house.
"Have you finished your investigation?" the man said before he could say more. "Did you find anything?"
He found it vaguely amusing that his wife looked more Japanese than he did, and equally amusing that anyone looked Japanese at all after two centuries of post-apocalyptic living and a much smaller genetic base. "Your daughter made contact with a group of synths. She seems to think she might be one of them."
"What? That's … that's crazy!"
"She's not a synth!" Mrs Nakano said. "She's our daughter. We raised her. I … I gave birth to her. She's flesh and blood, not a synthetic."
Tsuna found it interesting that she stumbled over the giving birth part, and only said that after the raised part. "It doesn't matter whether your daughter is a synth or not, Nakano-san. She's still a person who needs help."
Mrs Nakano didn't appreciate that given the very firm, "My daughter isn't a synth," but Valentine did if the warm look shot his way meant anything.
"This is what I was afraid of," Mr Nakano said. "Someone twisting my daughter's mind. Did you find where she went, detective?"
"Ah, yes. A place called Far Harbor."
"She went that far up north? God, that explains why she took the boat… You have to go after her, please! Take my other ship on the dock outside. My father's design. It has a guidance system, and it's built for distance."
He nodded. "What can we expect out there? Do you know?"
"I only made the trip to Far Harbor once … when I was a boy. All I remember is that my father did not want to stay long. Something about the air being bad."
"Interesting. All right, we'll head out, then, and we thank you for the use of the boat."
"Thank you. I know you haven't asked for payment, and we can't offer much, but here. Please take it, I insist. For expenses, if nothing else."
As Nakano handed over some caps Valentine said, "I know it'll be hard waiting for word, but try to carry on like normal. We'll be back as soon as we can."
Tsuna noticed that aside from the quest update to Travel To Far Harbor he got one to Tell The Railroad About The Synth Refuge. 'Yeah, maybe I'll drop off a note. Later. I really don't want to get dragged back into that.'
The boat in question had a bank of consoles in the cabin-cockpit and some semi-complicated-looking machinery hooked up. Tsuna activated the controls and was presented with a choice of where to go, and naturally picked Far Harbor. The machinery to the right started up, so he backed out and took a seat.
"Now we wait," Sin said.
"Well, at least once we get to Far Harbor we can move freely back and forth if necessary," Ken said.
"Right now," he said, "my intuition says the girl is safe, unharmed, and not in any particular danger. So once we get there, we can take the time to investigate the town and its people. I have a … a gut feeling that lending them some assistance will be valuable down the road."
"And if her situation changes, you'll let us know and we change direction," Chikusa said.
He nodded. "Absolutely."
xXx
The first thing he noticed as they drew closer to the island was a shipwreck in the water, and a Red Rocket on the island itself. It was very dark, understandably so given the lack of light pollution, so the still glowing letters of the station stood out. Beyond that was a pool of light, which shortly resolved to a backlit billboard for Vim.
The light from lanterns popped up next, dimly illuminating a coastal settlement, and the eerie blue light from what he knew to be fog condensers. Amusingly, to him at least, there were patriotic half-circle banners on the side of the bridge he could see.
The closer they got to the main settlement the more lanterns could be seen lighting the area, and it was much easier to see the swirl of cold blue light around the condensers—an odd light show, to be sure. Waiting on the dock were two people, a man and a woman.
"Wait. That's not one of mine," the man said.
Tsuna always assumed that the townsfolk listened for the sound of boats—fishermen—so they could be met and assisted if necessary with any catches.
The man immediately brought up his gun to a ready position.
"Jesus," the woman said. "Ease up, Allen. We got visitors."
He was informed by the system that Far From Home had completed—
"Mainlanders ain't nothin' but trouble," Allen said, still aiming his gun their way.
"Put the damned gun down," she ordered.
—and that Walk In The Park had begun and he should Talk To The Welcome Party.
So he hopped off the boat and approached the woman, whom he knew to be Captain Avery. "Ma'am," he greeted.
"Are you lost? This is Far Harbor. We … we don't get many visitors around here."
"We don't need no freeloaders or more 'help', mainlander," Allen added, though at least his gun was pointed at the dock instead of them by that point. "So you can get back in your boat and leave."
"Allen, this isn't your dock. It belongs to the whole town, and that means strangers are welcome," Avery said to her companion, then turned to them. "Uh, sorry. You've caught us during a … a difficult time. But Allen's got a point… Not all visitors have good intentions. So, uh, what's your business here?"
Tsuna smiled serenely and said, "A young woman from the Commonwealth named Kasumi may have passed through here. Her family hired us to find her."
"Some sort of detective, huh? Well, she came through here, all right."
"At least we know she made it this far," Valentine said quietly.
He did wonder what had happened to the boat she had taken, though.
"Damn it," Allen said. "Mariner's incoming." Though how he knew when the man had yet to take his eyes off Tsuna's party…
"Something's coming through the Fog!" a woman, presumably Mariner, yelled.
"You," Avery said. "Help us defend the town, and I'll answer any questions you have. Take a post at the top of the wall near the main gate. The 'Hull' never lets us down. Now follow me!"
"Man the Hull!" Mariner yelled. "Something's out there!"
The walkway overlooking the interior part of the ruined town had quite a number of fog condensers casting their cold blue light, but they also made it difficult to see properly due to how they illuminated the Fog.
"You sure you saw something?" a cardboard cutout asked.
"This ain't a drill."
"What the hell?" Allen said.
"Eyes peeled, everyone," Mariner said.
Tsuna shook his head and switched to thermal vision, and only then could he spot a number of human forms headed their way. The way they moved told him they were not ferals.
"The gate! Open the gate! I've got wounded here!" one of the incoming men hollered.
"Mariner?"
"There's no time," she said. "Look to the Fog. They're coming."
Tsuna shook his head again and jumped down, if only so he had a better line of sight in both directions. His family followed him, of course, and split, half to one side, half with him at the other.
"God. Defend yourselves!"
VATS told him the shapes coming into view were gulpers, but he already knew that. The fuckers spit globs of something that vaguely resembled spherical, acidic fire. Tsuna was helpfully informed by the system, as he was looting the corpses, that the attack was over and that he should Talk To Captain Avery.
"Captain," he said a minute later, having tracked her down again.
"And now you see what we're up against. The Fog and the creatures it spits out have taken the whole island from my people. And for your help when we needed it, you deserve this." Avery handed over a bunch of caps, which he immediately handed off to Hayato.
"What is the Fog?"
"Where to begin? The Fog's radioactive, right? But there are pockets of it, the Deep Fog, that are hard fallout. And as deadly as that is, that's only part of the problem. Things live in the Fog. Thrive. You think what attacked the Harbor's bad? Oh, there's far worse things farther inland."
'Right, not an answer, but I didn't really expect one,' he thought. "Clearly, if you manage to survive despite all that, you must be tough," he said diplomatically.
Avery chuckled. "Ornery, more like. I—"
"I'm done cowering behind your damned Hull, Avery," Allen interrupted. "Time you let me deal with the real problem. With the right people and my guns I can end those Children of Atom cultists for good."
"The Fog's been here forever," Avery rebutted. "The Children didn't make it."
Allen shook his head in denial. "Before the rad eaters came, the Fog was under control. They come and it all goes wrong. It's time we do something!"
"No need to burden these strangers will all this … nonsense."
"…What is the deal with the Children of Atom?"
"They're religious folk. Worship the power of Atom. Which is … radiation, I guess? If you want details you'd have to find and ask them. We used to have a peace with 'em, until a certain hothead menace named Allen Lee—"
"Now that's enough," Allen interrupted again. "That preacher came into the Harbor saying that it was Atom's will that we lost our land. That it was Atom's god damned will that we lost so many friends and family. And that the Atom would wipe this whole place clean of us."
Quite a threat, really. Behind Allen was a bar to the left called The Last Plank. To the right was a billboard which very clearly stated that they were in Bar Harbor, Maine, which begged the question of why these people insisted on calling the place Far Harbor, and how Mount Desert Island had become simply the Island. Then again, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had become simply the Commonwealth, and they only ever saw a small part of it, not even the entirety of Greater Boston.
"If it were up to me, you'd hang for what you did to that preacher, Allen," Avery said coldly.
Tsuna's serene smile was back after a delicate cough. "You were saying about Kasumi…?"
Avery nodded. "Sorry for all … that. Kasumi, she headed inland to the synth refuge, Acadia. Getting there will be dangerous. You'll need a guide: Old Longfellow. No one knows the Fog like him. But, word of warning, he's a bit of an acquired taste."
"Thank you for the information."
Avery grunted, though Tsuna could not for the life of him figure why, and said, "Best place to look for Longfellow's at the bar. The Last Plank. And… Please … lend a hand around town, if you're able. Even if it's slapped away, people like the Mariner and Cassie and others need help. And let me say something you might not hear again: thank you." Avery nearly bolted after saying those two words.
"Don't let the island catch you off guard," Allen called out from his shopfront. "Buy my guns!"
"So, this the part where we do more helping others to help themselves?" Valentine said, eyeing him.
Tsuna smiled. "Yep. A little help and a little hope goes a long way."
xXx
The Mariner complained that the Hull had taken a battering (which Tsuna could not understand, as none of the hostiles had gotten anywhere near it) and rather diffidently asked if they would be willing to acquire some specialized tools from Eagle's Cove Tannery so she could effect some repairs.
Tsuna agreed and trundled off in search of the next side quest.
"Guns, ammo, souvenirs," Allen called. "Get 'em while they're in stock."
"Fresh shipment in," cried a man. "All your medical and food needs!"
And that reminded Tsuna of a sidequest he frequently forgot about, so he headed in to the medical area. There was a man there, laid out on a dingy bed.
"The Hull needs mending," he heard the Mariner say. "You know, it just don't build itself. I need proper wood, steel, nails. The like."
"Everywhere… It's coming… Oh…" was all the injured man had to say.
"Nobody asked you to cobble together that stupid wall," Allen could be heard saying. "You want yourself commodities, you know how to get 'em. Caps."
"That 'stupid wall' is the only thing that kept you stowaways alive. That and the mainlanders."
"The mainlanders? Ha. What kept us safe was Harbormen and the firepower I sold them."
He's clearly delusional, Daemon commented. And what does she mean by stowaways?
"Want supplies?" Allen continued. "Tell you what… Apply that big ol' brain of yours to dealing with the real threat: those Children of Atom whack-jobs."
The Harbor was the Mariner's originally, but she took in island refugees.
"Meaning no disrespect, doc," a cardboard cutout said to the man garbed in the usual dingy labcoat, "but if he ain't getting better… Andre promised me his gun. I got a writ for it here. All official."
Tsuna glanced back to see the man's expression twist in disgusted disbelief.
"You want his … gun? His body's not cold yet, so what's his stays his until then."
"Mr Lee's lined me up a deal. More than enough caps to get off this cursed island. I need that gun," she said.
Cold-hearted bitch, Hayato wrote.
"A miserable rascal like you doesn't deserve to be on this island. You should be praying for your 'friend' instead of reading up on his will. Now, get the hell out of my clinic." To Tsuna he said, "You another vulture circling over Andre's body? He ain't dead. Wait… No, it's a mainlander. Welcome to my little clinic. If you need doctoring speak up. I wish I had time for some proper conversation, but my work's never done."
"Andre, the man on the bed?" he asked, glancing over at it.
"Yeah. He spent too long in the Fog. You may think you know your mainland radiation poisoning, but we got our own special brand here."
"We do know a few things about medicine. Will you allow us to try to help him?"
"You say—what? You? Help? Well, poor Andre's got it bad. Good as dead… I suppose there's no harm letting you have a poke. But I'll be watching you."
Tsuna nodded and approached the patient again, with Sin at his side. "What do you think, schatz?"
"Well, I have learned quite a bit since we've been around, so… Let me see…"
"Well I'll be," the doctor said a few minutes later. "I think you may have done it. I'll keep looking after Andre, but I think thanks to you, he's got a fighting chance."
"Glad we could help," Sin said.
Tsuna gave the man a smile and trundled off again in search of the next sidequest, which was one Cassie Dalton, an elderly woman who came across as somewhat psychotic.
"You're that mainlander who just got here," Dalton said in a slow, measured pace. "Better watch yourself, 'cause this island sees and hears everything you do. I should know. I watched the island tear down the greatest family that ever set foot in Far Harbor. It's a tale of greed, blood, and vengeance."
"Oh?" he said with a quirk of his brow.
"My family, the Daltons, was the pride of Far Harbor for generations, even back before the war. It was lumber and fishin' that made the Daltons rich, but … they got greedy. Took too much from the island. The island's been getting revenge ever since, killing us off one by one. I'm the last Dalton still standing. Ah … but now our story takes an unexpected turn. A mysterious stranger comes to Far Harbor. Someone strong, someone capable. With the stranger's help, the last living Dalton finally has a chance to avenge her bloodline once and for all!"
"Uh huh. And what is this mysterious stranger going to help you with, then? I'm sure it'll be interesting."
Dalton chuckled; it was a gravely sound. "Ah… The stranger is quick-witted, which is good, as the stranger will need their wits about them, because their part of the story is filled with danger. Now, on to the first chapter in our tale of vengeance! That would be the sad story of freckle-faced Petey."
Is this chick for real? Hayato asked.
Sort of, but not really, either. I can spoil it, or you can find out along the way.
Eh, I'll wait.
"Petey was my cousin. He was a good lad, never caused trouble. He thought all those freckles brought him luck, but … well, not so much. He was out foraging at the National Park campground when the island sicced some feral ghouls on him. Island's a sneaky bastard when it wants to be. Anyway, he made it back to town, but died from his injuries that night. 'Course those ferals are still out there, waiting to kill the next poor fool who comes along. Damn shame, that."
He nodded. "It is. Mayhap the mysterious stranger will hear of this and wipe those ferals out."
"Well I hope so. It's long past time those shamblers paid for what they did to Petey."
Tsuna smiled serenely and trundled off again. Just to the left of the Last Plank was a massive boiler tank with a large hatch on the front, nearly the height of the tank, with a large inset of glass, and a wood fire down below. Inside the tank was a mirelurk, boiling away.
As décor it was questionable. As food, well, it was still questionable.
"Right, let's see about a few tasks, then," he said and headed off beyond the Hull.
"These people seem beyond superstitious," Ken said.
They believe the Fog makes you crazy if you're in it too long, he wrote, if only because he could not explain to Valentine how he knew. And there are plenty of crazies on this island. But not, in the end, all that much different from your average cannibalistic raider.
He shrugged. "What little I know of Maine says that its people are a bit weird when it comes to outsiders. Reserved, suspicious, stuff like that. Takes a lot to be considered not so much an outsider. And people did all suffer a sharp setback technologically, so I suppose it's no surprise that superstition had a surge."
Along the way they took out more ferals, a new group called Trappers (raiders of a local sort), and ended up at the National Park Campground, which looked nothing like a campground. The ferals infesting the place were cleared, which updated his quest to Return To Cassie Dalton. Instead, they headed off toward the tannery.
Scattered around the island were tiny camping spots, with pitched tents and campfires, not that Tsuna would ever dare to use one to catch a nap, not with so many nasties roaming the island. Given that Mount Desert Island hosted Acadia National Park, it only made sense there were so many campsites dotted along the numerous hiking trails. The Island, with its blue mist and fog, countless trees, and varied landscape, was incredibly beautiful. …If one didn't count the super mutants, gulpers, fog crawlers, and various other hostiles roaming around.
"Jesus fuck!" Ken practically shouted when a bus got up and shambled toward them. "The hell?"
"Ah, that looks like a massive hermit crab using a bus as a shell?" Chikusa said calmly.
It went down after a minute of concentrated fire.
Eagle's Cove Tannery had its own infestation of ferals, which they cleared before entering the building, as well as some Trappers lurking around. The building itself was also infested, and quite dim, so Tsuna put his heat vision goggles back on. Down on the lower level was the set of tools the Mariner desired, which he grabbed.
Back outside, though, a man had arrived. "Hold up!" he said. "I been casing those ghouls for weeks—waiting for an opening. And you dive in and choppy-chop bang-bang and the whole lot of them … dead. You even know what you got right there? A premium set of Pelmer's Power Tools. Mariner sent you, didn't she? God damned Mitch and his big mouth. No matter what she's offering, it's nothin'. Serious builders would give an arm for them tools."
Then how would they use them?
"I'll pay you two thousand caps right here, right now. Deal?"
Tsuna shook his head. "Sorry, no."
"I ain't hanging around forever," the man said. "Walk away from this, and you'll regret it."
The man wasn't hostile, even with such a threatening-sounding statement, so Samsara took off so they could shift back to near Far Harbor.
"You been to the tannery?" Mariner asked when they approached. "You find my tools yet?"
Tsuna heaved the duffel bag onto the table she was sitting at as an answer.
"A fair bit of luck running into you. Here's your reward, well earned," Mariner said, handing over far fewer caps than that man had offered. "And now to work on the Hull!"
They exited her little workshop and headed toward Cassie Dalton, who was seated at her little table next to the water, her view a wide expanse of ocean.
"You hear of the Red Death?" a harborman said in passing. "A more vicious creature there never was. Avoid the coast if you value your life."
He nodded to show that he had heard and continued on. "We got curious, see," he told Dalton, "and drifted over to that campground you spoke of. Seems a mysterious stranger got wind and wiped all those ferals out. Your cousin has been avenged, it seems."
"The hero of our saga has been triumphant!" Dalton crowed. "I bet the island didn't see that comin'! It's only right you get paid for checking," she said as she handed over a pouch. "Here's two hundred caps for you."
"I'm sure there are more people in your family who need to be avenged."
"Well… I'm glad you mentioned that," Dalton said. "I've been thinkin' about what's next, and then it came to me. We all love our grandparents, don't we?"
Can't say as I've ever met one of mine, he commented.
"Kind, gentle, doting. Love to spoil ya. You'd never want somethin' awful to happen to them. Nobody would. That's why it broke my heart when I lost Grandpa George. He had a farm, little ways north of here. Lived a peaceful life, workin' the land and not causin' anyone trouble. The island sent somethin' after him … a huge monster, mean as spit an' with claws to snap steel beams. A fog crawler! Grandpa bravely stood his ground, a shotgun in his hands, holding off that terror while the farmhands fled back here. If the mysterious stranger can take out that shell-backed devil, it'll send a message loud and clear that says the Daltons never forget when they've been wronged!"
"Mayhap the mysterious stranger will mosey on out that way and make that fog crawler pay," he said. "For Grandpa George!"
"I sure hope so," Dalton said, then let her gaze drift back to the ocean and its carcasses of ships.
Tsuna led them back to the infirmary to check on Andre.
"The doctor has said in time, I will fully recover. He says this is your doing? But … I do not know you."
"It isn't necessary to know someone to give them a helping hand."
Andre let out a dry chuckle. "You're obviously not from here." His accent was not at all like the usual Downeaster, so perhaps he came from French Canadian stock? "Gratitude… It's a hard thing out here. So, yeah. This island…" Andre shook his head mournfully. "It has taken my husband. It has taken everything. This island is a sickness. Don't you see, it's evil? As soon as I am well, I am going to grab as many guns as I can carry. And I will slaughter everything in my path… Until the island is clean or I am no more."
Go, Gryffindor…?
Tsuna frowned. "You're in pain. I've … been there. But your plan, it's just not reasonable. Consider, instead, finding a purpose, something constructive, that would make your late husband proud of you. Something in his honor, not just another death."
Andre heaved a heavy sigh. "You wouldn't know… Once, Far Harbor was … well, not thriving… But alive. I… I'll think on what you've said."
Tsuna nodded, smiled a bit ruefully, then trundled off again. They only got a short distance outside of town when his quests updated again, with (Optional) Help The Mariner Again, so they did an about-face and headed back, with Tsuna remarking that he had meant to check the trader for shipments to keep Valentine from wondering about the abrupt change in plans.
After purchasing a few things he drifted on over to see the Mariner again. As her place was right next to the gate, it was convenient.
"Those tools you found are a joy to work with," Mariner commented, her mouth twitching into what might have been a faint smile. "It gave me this idea… A cargo freighter foundered ages ago. To the south. With a bit of arc welding and some elbow grease the Hull could be reinforced to be sturdy. Fierce. Best to do it soon… Before… Well, soon."
"All right," he said.
"The island should never be underestimated. The ship's the MS Azalea. Expect Trappers, mean ones. Once you mop the decks with them, I'll send my crew over. Best of luck!"
"Guns, guns, and more guns!" Allen could be heard in the background.
They headed out the gates again, that time to the south.
"I wonder why soon," Hayato said as they passed out of hearing range of the town.
"She might be sick with something," he said. "Maybe she doesn't expect to live much longer?"
"And we don't know her well enough to pry," Chikusa said as they passed by Beaver Creek Lanes.
"I suddenly have the urge to go bowling," Ken said, "but I'll settle for a strike against ferals."
"You lot have such odd senses of humor," Valentine said with a shake of his head. "Gettin' any feelings about the girl, Kasumi?"
Tsuna leaned on his intuition just in case, then shook his head. "The same. She's safe, unharmed, and not in any immediate danger. We're still good."
The MS Azalea, when they got there, was teeming with Trappers, but they were no particular trouble to take out, so they moved on to dealing with Dalton Farm, which was on the northern coast. They passed the Aldersea Day Spa along the way, pausing long enough to remove the resident super mutant infestation.
The farm contained the usual cluster of ruined buildings, along with a massive fog crawler to be killed. His quest updated to say Return To Cassie Dalton, but he disdained that to say, "We might as well clean this place up and get it ready for habitation. Those farm hands might want to come back, so…"
The end result was a series of raised platforms (mostly so in the event of a storm strong enough to lash the coast with waves or cause flooding) supporting cabins with the usual two beds and bath, shopfronts, a kitchen/bar, a small manufactory, logistics, and so forth.
xXx
After the Mariner was updated he trundled over toward Dalton, but was hailed on the way by the doctor. "You are a curious specimen," the man said. "Despite our 'friendly' town doing its best to chase you out, you keep helping us ingrates all the same. I gotta ask: Why do you keep at it?"
"Because sometimes all it takes is a hand up. Once people can see hope, they do just fine on their own, and no man is an island unto himself."
"Huh?" The doctor chuckled almost disbelievingly. "You running for office? If that's the truth, we don't deserve you. Most folk here are set in their ways, yes? Makes no difference how hard you try to get in good with them. Heck, it took my family three generations before the Daltons would sell us a heel of bread. But there's a way—a downright insane way, mind—that you can turn even the most stubborn fool around. Most of the folk on this rock believe they've been given the God-given right to walk here. Way I figure it, if you got the moxie to survive—you earned your place."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
The doctor nodded. "Do it right, and all mainlanders might get treated better. In olden times leaders were chosen by something called the 'Captain's Dance'. Legends say the toughest, meanest, and outright craziest hopefuls would … chum the waters and lure out the worst the island could throw at them. Once the would-be captain killed the mirelurk queen, or fog crawler, or what have you—they'd invite the whole island to feast off the bounty. You do this, well, you won't be made captain—but you'll earn respect. Everyone's respect."
"Respecting the local culture, as it were," he said. "How would I go about this, then?"
"There's an old mirelurk feasting grounds by Emmet's Causeway. A treacherous stretch along the coast. Go there and throw any kind of meat you got into the water. All that blood and viscera will be sure to attract their attention. And then wait. I'll make sure there's a witness or two. Prove to the rest of these clods you belong."
Started: Rite Of Passage flashed by as the doctor wandered off again, and Drop Meat In The Water.
"Food! Stimpacks! Fully stocked!"
Dalton was in her usual spot, seemingly mesmerized by a lit lantern on the table.
"We were curious," he said, "and drifted on over to the farm you spoke of. Seems the mysterious stranger took care of that fog crawler, then stuck around to revamp things a bit, in case those farmhands wanted to return and make a go of things."
"Wonderful! That's another chapter successfully concluded. The mysterious stranger truly is the heroic avenger I hoped for. With that fog crawler gone, yes, the farmhands can return. Truly a wonder. You might even consider that you now own a piece of the island," Dalton said, which, if the doctor was to be believed, was something of a miraculous offer. "And here's another two hundred caps in gratitude for your service to the great Dalton lineage," she added, handing over another pouch.
He smiled blandly and nodded. "Is there a third chapter to this saga?"
"I was just about to mention that," Dalton said. "Now, I don't have to tell you that the bonds of blood and family are strong, as strong as any person can know. But if you ask me, the strongest among them is the bond that exists between two married people."
It suddenly makes me wonder how people handle that in this situation, Mukuro wrote. Does the local leader function for such?
"That's why the last part of this tale is the hardest one for me to tell. My late husband, Daniel, was the best fisherman this island ever saw. He and his crew had a favorite fishing spot out by Brooke's Head Lighthouse. One day, a day I'll never forget, I see Danny's boat pullin' up with his crewmen all shoutin' and carryin' on. Turns out some Trappers moved into the lighthouse, no doubt because the island told them to. They're all crazier than a bag of mole rats. Their leader was havin' a little target practice. Shot Danny right between the eyes. Killed him just like that. You go and get that son of a bitch," she said viciously, dropping the pretense of the mysterious stranger. "You make him pay for doin' the island's bidding!"
Did she just call someone else crazy? That's hilarious.
"How would we get to Brooke's Head Lighthouse?"
"It's southwest of town, not far from the quarry."
"All right. We'll go check into it."
"All right, then. Remember, Trappers may be half crazy from the Fog, but they still know how to use a gun."
xXx
The Captain's Dance was quite simple in the end. Heat vision showed him where the observer was located, but was otherwise ignored. Raw meat—angler, fog crawler—was dumped into the water where the quest marker indicated and they mowed down a bunch of mirelurks.
A second round was more of the same, and then they took down a mirelurk queen. He noticed as they were turning to leave that the observer remained, presumably to bring back the bounty of mirelurk meat for the benefit of the town.
The interesting part of the lighthouse, once they arrived, was contained within a single holotape.
"Well, that settles it. I am one hundred percent screwed. Damn this fog. You'd think a lighthouse would be easy to find, but not in this. Never seen fog like it. Can't believe I let myself get talked into this. How do I know that woman wasn't crazy? I'm starting to think her whole story was some fantasy she cooked up to get attention. Taking out one trapper to avenge her husband's death … it sounded easy enough. Now I wish I'd stayed far away from this godforsaken island. Shit … something's coming."
"The hell?" Ken said. "So we're not the first people sent this way. How much of her stories are shit?"
"We can ask her once we return," Mukuro said.
xXx
"The Trappers at the lighthouse are all dead now," he said.
"Then it's done. It's finally done. All those lives lost … all those debts, finally repaid," Dalton said. "And it was no son or daughter of Far Harbor who stood up to the island and avenged the Dalton bloodline. It was you, an outsider. A mainlander. The final chapter's been written. The story has come to an end. This is a day I never thought I'd live to see. Thank you."
"You're welcome. So, about this holotape we found. Seems you sent someone out previously to the lighthouse. He was of the opinion your whole story was a lie. Before he died to those Trappers, anyway."
"A lie?" she said. "No, no. It was true, or at least, there was truth in it. Was there a little harmless exaggeration as well? Perhaps. But some things are more important than the truth. Look at you, for instance. You've seen the island's dangers and survived. You've learned something valuable."
She does have a point, roundabout as it is.
"What's more, the island learned something, too. It knows you're not some green-backed mainlander who can't tell up from down in the Fog. The island will respect you now, and that's more than I can say for most who step off the boat. Now … every story's got to have a happy ending, right? The hero finds the treasure, saves the sweetheart, an' rides off into the sunset."
In perpetually foggy Far Harbor?
"Well, I'm a little old to leap up on a horse, but I have got somethin' close to a treasure. This is an heirloom that's been in my family for … oh, let me think … oh, for at least a generation or two."
Heirloom, my ass.
"There's no Dalton's left to inherit the thing, so it might as well pass on to you. The island knows this weapon. Oh yes. You carry this, and it'll take you seriously." Dalton grabbed a polehook that had been hung off the fencing and offered it. It had a Wounding mod on it, "visible" to Tsuna's protagonist vision, so while it was not something he ever intended to use, it also wasn't a bog standard PoS weapon, either.
"And that's it. That's the end. I can sleep easy now, knowin' there won't be any unfinished business when they put me in the ground. Off you go, now. My story's over, but yours? I think yours is only just getting interesting."
Complete: Blood Tide
The doctor was over by the mirelurk boiling station, so he drifted over that way.
"Times are hard, but this here feast is proof that we can turn things around," the doctor told those gathered. "Now I know mainlanders have been responsible for all manner of harm. But this one is special. This one did the Captain's Dance."
"It's true, I saw it!" one of the harbormen said.
"So in my book, he's not a mainlander anymore. He's one of us."
One of the cardboard cutouts cheered, and another shouted, "Mainlander!" before they dispersed.
"If these knuckleheads don't trust you now," the doctor said. "Well, fuck 'em, right? I expect folk will be more talkative now, might even have some more work for you. Maybe hit up Mitch at the Last Plank."
Tsuna nodded. "Is there anything you need?"
"Ha! You just don't quit. No, no, I don't need a damned thing. Ha. Take this and, if you're inclined to, socialize. It's your party, after all." A tricorn was handed over, with a mod that would increase his movement speed.
He noticed a quest marker over Avery's head, so he trundled over that way to see what the deal was. At the same time he got messages to help both Mitch and someone called Small Bertha.
"I hope the Harbor's being good to you," Avery said on seeing him approach. "At this point, I'd settle if folks were just plain civil."
"What's the history of this place?" he asked.
"Well, the whole dock used to belong to the Mariner. When the Fog started getting thicker—family by family, homestead by homestead, people were kicked out of their homes inland. The Mariner was kind enough to let people stay. The Harbor just kind of grew out of that charity."
He hummed. "Are there any other jobs to be done that you're aware of?"
"It's never easy to ask anyone on this island for help, much less a stranger," Avery replied. "But I've got a responsibility to these people, and I have a job for you if you're up for it. Besides, I know you're tougher than you look."
Tsuna had to admit that his natural appearance did rather suggest a somewhat fluffy and weak pretty boy.
"Sure, what's the job?"
"We get our drinking water from a purifier not far outside of town. We had a bad storm not long before you got here, and it must have damaged the fog condensers that protect the road to the purifier. I sent Howard Dunbar out to fix them. He was out there when the mirelurks hit us, and I'm afraid they might have gotten him, too. I was hoping you might go have a look. If … the worst happened … maybe you could get those fog condensers back online. If you're up to it, just head south out of town. It's paying work, of course. I wouldn't ask a stranger to stick their neck out on our behalf unless I was willing to pay a fair share for it."
"What exactly are these fog condensers? How do they work?"
"Well, I'm no engineer, but the way it was explained to me, each fog condenser pulls in the air around it and then condenses it into liquid. The point being, the Fog doesn't get past them. They make a barrier that protects the town. No Fog means that all the nasty things living in it stay in it. They don't venture out too often. The Fog's their home, I guess. The fog condensers eat up a lot of power, but we've got a wind farm that takes care of that. As long as the turbines stay charged, we stay safe."
"Will I need any tools or parts if it's necessary for me to make repairs?"
"The fog condensers need their power modules replaced, but Howard took the only spares we had. Either way, you're gonna have to find him first."
"All right. We'll head out now."
"Good. Our water supply won't last much longer."
Because these people are incapable of old school methods to desalinate ocean water.
Since she was right there nearby (and a quest marker was showing) he stopped to speak to the Mariner.
"Mainlander," she greeted. "I got one last idea. Crazier than a box of radroaches, but that hasn't stopped you before. Hull's got plenty of stopping power now. But if a mirelurk queen went for a frontal assault… Thicker walls can beat the whole mass, velocity, force issue, but the bigger problem is acid. Only thing I've ever seen survive a queen's acid are other mirelurks. The mirelurks on our islands have carapaces that are extra tough."
Says the woman who might never have stepped foot off this island.
"So, you gather up a bunch of carapaces and lug them back here. Then I'll reinforce the town as best I'm able. Now, crabs are crawling all over the island along the coast, but you might want to check around Haddock Cove. That's southwest of here, on the other side of the island."
Small Bertha was next on his list to speak to, and she was tucked into a sheltered area on the backside of the Last Plank, at the end of the dock. When the child noticed him she immediately approached. "I have to talk to you. I got 14½ caps. I want to hire you."
"What's the job?"
"Harbormen don't belong on this dock. If we keep clinging here, we'll bleed out and die. To get better, to grow stronger, we need land."
Then why are they called harbormen?
"Echo Lake Lumber Mill has power lines that connect to the old Wind Farm. If you clear the land, harbormen can wire up the condensers. Make it safe from the Fog. I know the money's a joke, but if my friends can resettle… I'm sure they'd do anything for you. And owe you big. Please help."
"You got yourself a deal. We'll take care of it."
Small Bertha nodded and turned away, so Tsuna led Samsara into the Last Plank, where Mitch tended bar. He suffered through a long and boring conversation featuring local politics and cultural pride (some would say stubbornness and just plain being ornery), agreed to go find Mitch's uncle (at the Visitor's Center) and convince him to go to the relative safety of Far Harbor, then wandered back out again.
Howard Dunbar was very much dead, so Tsuna looted his corpse for the power modules they would need, then got on with making repairs. They were evenly spaced along the southerly-heading road marching up an incline. At the top of the hill was the final one, as well as a pond with several water purifiers taking up space.
He was just lucky enough that there were several mirelurks lurking, which were quickly killed and the carapaces ripped off. No need to cross the island to get any, which saved time.
xXx
Echo Lake Lumber Mill was on the west side of an inland bay (a "lake" only because of the string of tiny islands between it and the rest of the body of water) near the western coast of the island proper, west-southwest of Eagle's Cove Tannery, due west of Acadia, according to his map. It was infested with ferals, so they employed the usual tactics of gaining height and sniping all they could, then moving in to get any stragglers. Tsuna did not feel like waiting for permission to start rebuilding the place, and was about to start scrapping everything in sight so they had a blank canvas to work with in terms of a decent place for these folks to live, when an odd man showed up.
He was muttering to himself and giggling crazily, which meant he was most likely a Trapper, but possibly just someone driven crazy by the Fog. "You got 'em… You got them shamblers. All dead… Heh. Fog's quiet. The land's mine again. For what you done—you can leave. Leave before I need to go a-huntin' and kill."
"Yeah, no. I was sent to claim the lumber mill for a group from Far Harbor."
"This is my land! Keep the outsiders away! Or … wait. Ha. Let them come. Send them to me." The man giggled again. "Send all of them to me. And then I'll hunt 'em, salvage their gear, cut the meat. Then toss the remains for the Fog. What do you say? Got caps. Make it worth your while."
"Vote?" he said.
Sin cast his vote with his gun, and a bullet through the man's brain.
"Right," he said. "Let's get to scrapping. Once the harbormen get here they'll be able to see where best to place the fog condensers. We just need to leave the power poles intact, and the lines."
xXx
Before heading out to deal with Mitch's Uncle Ken, they returned to Far Harbor to update the other three quest givers. The carapaces were handed over to the Mariner.
"Finally, it's done. Everything that can be welded, duct taped, or super glued to the damn dock's all there," Mariner said in response. "Just gotta get these in place, and then I can sit a spell and relax. Take this. It's well earned." She handed over a harpoon gun that would ignore thirty percent of a target's damage and energy resistance. Yet another weapon that would be shifted to the λ34 storage space. She also handed over more caps, which he passed off to Hayato for safekeeping.
Avery was hunted down and informed, "The fog condensers are back online."
"Good. Our water supply was starting to get low. Wasn't sure how much longer we could hold out. Did you … find Howard?"
"Yeah… Looks like he was taken out by some mirelurks we found right there near his body."
Avery sighed. "Well, I said it was paying work. Two hundred caps should be enough. I need to start making arrangements for Howard, so I'll say good-bye for now."
His final stop for the moment was to Small Bertha, to let her know the mill had been cleared.
"We got to go see the Captain," she said. "You're… You're not like anyone I've ever met. Here's your pay," she said, handing over a fistful of caps before trotting off to find Avery. "People keep leaving the island. But now that there's land, land to call their own, they'll come back. My friends will send word. We're going to turn back the tide. You'll see."
Avery was in conversation with the doctor.
"Excuse me," Small Bertha said.
"Smalls, we got no time for you," the doctor said.
Bertha scowled. "The mainlander cleared out Echo Lake Lumber Mill. So we got to act fast. We got to get off the docks, Captain. If you give us some of those Acadian fog condensers, my friends are ready to homestead that lumber mill."
"Surviving is about more than taming Fog. We got to stay together, Bertha," Avery said.
"But we're no good here. Harbormen need their own land. Something to protect and hold."
"I was wrong about you," the doctor said.
"What?" Avery said.
"Not you," the doctor said to Avery, then looked at Small Bertha. "You. Bertha knows this island better than you, Avery. We give folk some condensers, materials, and a chance to build defenses and they'll survive all right. And thrive even. And even if they don't make it, they go out with their heads held high."
"Uh, if it makes a difference," he said, "we did some preliminary work while we were there. There's beds, crops, purifiers, defenses… There's no reason these people can't homestead the place. They would need those condensers, though."
The doctor nodded. "Give them the fog condensers, Avery."
"Well, I won't stop you. But until we deal with the Children of Atom—settling the island again… It could blow up in your face."
Given that Echo Lake Lumber Mill was not all that far from where the Children of Atom were set up, he could understand why she would say that.
"Come, Bertha. Let's get you and your friends set up with some."
The doctor saw fit to hand over some caps (presumably for a job well done), and Tsuna was about to head out to see about Uncle Ken when he noticed the Mariner had a quest marker again.
"You ever get a gnawing in your belly to do something crazy?" Mariner said as she welded something to a part of the Hull. "But reason and sense keep steering you clear?"
"What's on your mind?"
"You're the only mainlander I'd ever tell this, so hear me out. The Red Death. May have heard of it. The big monster lives beneath the waves. Only strikes when the Fog is thick. People think it's some drunken sailor's tale. But no one goes sailing when there's a Fog on. In their bones, they know there's something out there."
Darling, why do you suddenly look so amused? Xeul asked.
Tsuna just smiled at him. "For whatever it's worth, I believe you."
The Mariner sighed. "Thank you. With my business here done, and knowing someone like yourself… I seek to end this unholy terror. Dozens of boats over the long years been claimed by it. I mean to hunt this Red Death. Are you with me?"
"Absolutely."
"Bring whatever weapons of death and mass destruction you got. Meet by the docks, you take your boat—I'll take mine. This trip is going to test our mettle more than anything." The Mariner finished up her welding job and stowed her tools, then started loading up with weapons.
xXx
When they made it down to the boat Avery was there waiting. "Mariner, please… I heard about this expedition of yours. We need you. Please, don't do this."
"I thought you didn't believe, Captain, so what does it matter?" Mariner said. "Well, the mainlander does, and together we're going to put an end to it."
Avery sighed. "Mainlander, if the Red Death's real… We can't afford to lose you both."
Tsuna's brow went up. "I'm not sure where you got the impression I would always be here, Captain. But consider your warning delivered."
Avery heaved another sigh and moped off toward the town proper.
There was a new option when he checked the navigation system of Nakano's boat, one for Red Death Island.
"You read me, mainlander?" came over the radio, the Mariner's voice. "I plotted a safe course for your boat. Don't tamper with it. The shoals near where we're headed can easily capsize a boat of your size. I'll catch up to you."
He nodded and set course.
"Not much farther, mainlander," came through a bit later. It was a beautiful day out, and being away from the island and its almost constant state of fog meant the sun could be seen and appreciated, though it was colder being out on the water.
"When I was a little one, I went sailing with my aunt. Fog rolled in thick and fast. And we saw it. Glowing red, crimson. An unholy light that stretched to the sky! My aunt was no fool, we rowed to shore with all our might. Tide made it hard, but we hit landfall. When Aunty Stacey told others of her brush with the Red Death, they laughed at her. Called her a drunk or worse. True, she was known to dip into her cups. Then two weeks after a full fishing boat never came back. From the beach they saw the glow on the horizon. I been looking to end the reign of the Red Death's terror my whole life."
A lighthouse was coming into view off the starboard side, but the boat changed course to avoid rocks sprouting from the water and hid it from view again.
"Wrecks all around it. There… You see it, right? Meet you there. And get prepared…"
He saw as their boat threaded through the wrecks that it was not the lighthouse they were headed for, but a tiny, rocky island some distance away, closer to their position. The boat came to a stop next to the shore, and they hopped out onto the beach. The Mariner's boat slowed to a stop just a little later, and she joined them.
There was a glow, all right, though it was muted in the bright sunlight. When they got close enough, having to maneuver around an outcropping of rock, the Mariner said, "It can't be. That? That's the Red Death?"
She referred, of course, to a teeny-tiny mirelurk with eyes that glowed as red as the water in the small inland shallows, and the dirt at the edges. It was probably some sort of bioluminescent algae or something.
Tsuna bit the inside of his cheek to keep from cracking up, not only at her reaction, but at the WTF faces his family was sporting. "Think we can handle it?" he said with a straight face. "I am the General of the Minutemen and I could easily call in reinforcements."
The Mariner shot him a sour look. "Oh, ha ha. What do we say to all the folk back home?" she said miserably. "If we tell them the truth, we'll be a laughing stock."
"I suggest we embellish a little. All good stories contain embellishments. Or a lot. Make it the stuff of legends."
"I have little stomach for it… But, it's better than the alternative. Let's go. I thought… I got this for you to celebrate… I didn't think it would turn out like this." The Mariner handed over a set of harbormen clothing that would reduce damage taken from mirelurks and bugs by fifteen percent, then turned back to gaze unhappily at the Red Death.
The teeny, tiny, utterly adorable, little Red Death.
One bullet took the thing out, and then it was back to Far Harbor.
xXx
"They're here!" he could hear Avery say. "They're back!"
"Did you find it?" a cardboard cutout asked once they gained the upper level of the dock. "Did you end the scourge of the seas?"
"So … uh … we set sail. It was a terrible fight," Mariner said, casting a somewhat agonized look his way.
"So you killed it?" another cardboard cutout asked.
"Oh yes, we did at that. It was … quite the sight."
"Did you hear?" a cardboard cutout called. "They did it! The Red Death's no more!"
"Did it take long? My gran figured it would take a mini-nuke direct to the center to the eye to do it in."
"That … would've worked. But we made do," Mariner replied, casting him another agonized look.
"The seas are ours again, we can fish in peace!"
"Tell me," Avery said urgently. "Are you injured, Mariner? Are you okay?"
"No… We managed to get through unscathed."
"Thank God," a cardboard cutout said, "I thought for sure you were sailing to your graves."
"Here's to the heroes!"
The Mariner smiled awkwardly and moped off to her workshop.
"Time to go find Mitch's Uncle Ken," he declared cheerfully.
xXx
Uncle Ken was the usual curmudgeonly sort, the stereotypical old man who yelled things like, "Get off my lawn!" and insisted he was perfectly capable of handing the odd incursions of hostiles. That they found him tending to crops instead of resetting all his traps gave lie to that, as another incursion began barely a minute after they arrived.
Having been saved from his own foolishness, Uncle Ken was "convinced" to return to Far Harbor and its relative safety for the time being. Half of Samsara escorted him, to make certain he actually made it there (Tsuna got a quest update and a message about the reward, caps and a recipe for Fire Belly, whatever that was), then returned to help with scrapping and settlement making, with the Visitor's Center being torn down and rebuilt into something that wasn't full of holes, trash, piles of leaves, and completely useless display cases displaying nothing at all.
A wall was erected around the property, a plethora of turrets placed, and all the usual amenities, and then they returned to Far Harbor, to speak to Avery, who handed over a rescue diver suit that would allow Tsuna to breathe underwater after more praise for his selflessness.
"Time for our missing person case, then?" Daemon asked.
"Yep. Let's go talk to … Old Longfellow."