Chapter 7: Home On The Wastes (II).
It was an extremely cold night, cold enough to freeze the soul. The unforgiving land of Polove was as fierce at night as it was in the daytime, for the desert wasteland offered no protection against the relentless cold once the sun set. Normally the villagers would take shelter in their homes for protection and rest, but that night was different. The streets of the village were illuminated by countless torches, with a huge bonfire located in the center of the town in front of which several villagers were dancing to the rhythm of traditional music. Despite the harsh conditions they were subjected to, the people danced and sang with enthusiasm. It was not a festivity or carnival, it was the simple collective happiness of having been saved from imminent doom.
The elders knelt in prayers, thanking the heavens with infinite gratitude while the children ran from side to side, too innocent to take into account the danger they had been saved from, taking the situation as an excuse to play and have fun. Although they did not have enough food to make a big feast, the neighbors nevertheless brought tables and filled them with what they could offer. At that time even a plate of dried meat and a bowl of hot salt water was a delicacy for them.
The whole populace was gathered in the center of town to celebrate, even the tubby Arkaid was dancing passionately and fervently in front of the fire thanks to the effects of homemade alcohol. However, the Courier and company were absent from the celebration, having been called to a special meeting at Saphirette's house in the slums.
"Quite the party, huh?" said the Courier as he watched the celebration from the window of the hut. "Not my kind of music, but hey, whatever gets the body moving."
"I apologize in advance if the wine is not to your liking, Mr. Grognak, but that is all I can offer at the moment," Saphirette said a bit embarrassed as she placed an old bottle of wine on the table next to a few earthenware glasses.
"Don't worry 'bout that, honey. Booze is booze," he replied as he moved away from the window, approaching the table and taking a seat.
At the table sat Saphirette and Sofiva, with the latter again making use of some sort of camouflage technology to disguise her true appearance, taking the form of a dark-haired human woman, the same one she used to deceive him at the inn. She had acquired that guise from the moment they saved the merchant, even using a false name, refusing to be seen in her true form. Perhaps it was for security measures due to some anti-mutant sentiment in the area, or just for the fun of it. Whatever the reason, the Courier decided not to inquire too much into the matter, after all it would be hypocritical of him to criticize someone for wanting to hide their true identity
"What about you, Miss Anne, do you not mind the wine selection? Saphirette asked as she uncorked the bottle.
"Not at all, I appreciate the gesture," Sofiva answered, responding to her false name with a gentle smile.
The hostess proceeded to fill the earthenware glasses with wine, passing them to her guests.
"What about your golem, Mr. Grognak, can it drink?" she asked.
The Courier cocked his head in confusion. "My what now?"
"Oh, excuse me, is that metallic golem not your property?" Saphirette questioned as she pointed to ED-E.
The Courier turned to look at ED-E, who was floating beside him, still unable to understand the conversation.
"He's not a property to own, he's more like my son," he explained.
"Your son?!" both Sofiva and Saphirette shouted in unison.
"Jeez, my ears," he complained as he took a small sip of the wine, taking his time to taste it. It had a certain vulgar flavor, without much weight or anything to stand out. Almost comparable to toilet wine, but without the risk of getting an infection, so it was a plus. "Hm, not bad."
The Courier sipped his wine leisurely as he was bombarded by questions from the women present. Apparently they had taken his joking remark to heart, seriously believing that he had fornicated with some machine to father a robotic child. Funnily enough, they seemed more concerned about the fact that his supposed mechanical firstborn was a male than the idea that a human could mate with a machine and create life.
He would gladly correct them, but why do that? It was more fun to let their imagination run wild.
"Unless y'all interested in becoming his stepmother, I would appreciate it if you would leave the subject alone. You're ruining my drink." he stated as he grabbed the bottle and refilled his glass. "And besides, I have a feeling that we were not invited to just drink and socialize. You have something in mind for us, don't you, glassies?"
"G-glassies?" Saphirette repeated in surprise as she fixed her glasses, as if it was the first time she had heard someone refer to her in such a way.
"You have something prepared for us, don't you? Otherwise you wouldn't have pulled us away from the crowd. There is something you want to tell us that you don't want others to know. And if it's something you'd rather confide in strangers than your own people, then it must be something serious," he paused to take another sip of wine, getting more and more accustomed to the taste. "Unfortunately, time is money. If you need anything from us, it's best to say so now or I will consider this meeting over."
"Grognak, that's enough," Sofiva reprimanded him.
"No, he… he is right. I do need something from you," she confessed in embarrassment. Her plan to pacify them with liquor before making the request had failed. "Arkaid told me about how you saved him from bandits, about how you were able to finish off eight of them in a matter of seconds."
Sofiva showed discomfort at that, still affected by the memory of the bandits dying one after the other in a grotesque spectacle of violence. She quickly picked up her glass, taking a long drink to get through it.
"From what he told me, you are exceptional fighters. That is why I want to hire you. I need the help of powerful adventurers like you for the expedition of tomorrow."
There was that word again: "Adventurer". Probably the slang for mercenary in those lands, as he suspected. She was basically looking for hired muscle.
"I see, so you want protection," the Courier began to say as he poured himself another glass of wine. "We are on a journey against time right now, and we really can't afford to spare a single minute. I hope you have a good offer in mind to justify the time we would waste on this job."
Saphirette rose abruptly from her seat, looking offended.
"Waste?! Saving my people would be a waste of time?!" she cried out.
Only Sofiva reacted with surprise to her outburst. The Courier remained unamused, sipping his wine serenely while ED-E kept his gaze fixed on her in case she tried something stupid.
"I-I am sorry, that was rude of me. I have been under so much stress that… I apologize," she mused as she removed her glasses, rubbing her tired eyes.
"Did you say something about saving your people?" Sofiva asked her as she put her hand on her shoulder to calm her down and have her sit down again.
Saphirette nodded, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"You have only just arrived, but it must be obvious to you the state of these lands. The soil is infertile, water is scarce, and food is almost inaccessible. We have always had a hard life, we took pride in being able to survive such conditions," she flashed a small smile as she spoke, as if it filled her with pride to think of the perseverance and determination of her ancestors. "But that has changed for the worse. For no apparent reason nature has worsened in recent years, to the point where there is no logical explanation. It has not rained in years, the wind has not blown again, and the little arable land we had has become toxic and incapable of being cultivated. The only answer we have gotten from the elders is that it is a punishment from God."
"God you say?" Courier inquired while refilling his glass, recalling the teachings of a certain man from Utah.
"But... I know better. I have spent the last few years researching, and I think I have found the possible cause."
With that said, she rose from the table so that she could retire for a few brief minutes, leaving the three guests alone and looking at each other in silence. After a short time she returned, bringing with her an old and battered blueprint which she soon placed on the table, exposing its contents.
'Wait, could it be?' the Courier thought to himself, dumbfounded by what he was seeing.
"These are the sketches I have developed based on the research I have conducted on the ancient ruins located to the west of here. They are ancestral ruins, already desolate by the time my ancestors settled here. We have never been able to go beyond the entrance, but we have found paintings and texts that seem to detail their interior," she began to explain. "Polove is different from other nations in its ecosystem. We resemble the Desert Region even though the neighboring lands are green and healthy. This cannot simply be a natural phenomenon, I suspect that these ruins have something to do with it."
The Courier could feel his mechanical heart shrink as he heard her explanation. A part of him longed to believe that it was all a huge coincidence, that it was simply a one in a million chance that that description perfectly matched what he was thinking. Meanwhile Sofiva listened in delight, delighted by the possibility of new knowledge to learn.
"And not only do I theorize that these ruins have affected the ecosystem in some unnatural way, also according to the texts I have translated, I am sure that deep within them lies a piece of ancient magical technology, one capable of bringing life to any wasteland!"
The Courier almost spat out the wine, gagging and coughing violently.
'A G.E.C.K?!' he screamed inwardly.
"Are you all right, Mr. Grognak?" Saphirette questioned as she looked at him both concerned and startled by his reaction, something she shared with Sofiva, who was looking at him in the same way.
The Courier raised a hand to the front, indicating that all was well as he cleared his throat. "Y-yeah, I swallowed a fly by accident, that's all."
"Swallowed a fly? How wonderful, that is a sign of good luck!"
The situation had taken a 180-degree turn. It was no longer a simple escort job, it was now an expedition to a Vault. He could not afford to ignore the offer, for his scientific craving compelled him to explore and investigate any traces of lost technology he might find, and his morality prevented him from letting anyone enter the dangers lurking in an ancient and unexplored Vault on their own.
If Saphirette's theories about Polove's ecology were true, and if his suspicions that these ruins were an unexplored Vault were also true, then Vault-Tec was still responsible for the suffering of innocents centuries later. It was his duty to put an end to it.
"You convinced me, glassies. Tell me the price and we'll have a deal."
Saphirette blinked several times in surprise. Apparently she thought she needed more to convince him.
"Oh, ah, marvelous! But I am afraid I cannot offer you a large payment, only 21 silver coins," she said as she deposited a small bag of coins on the table. "But I can promise you all the treasures you find inside the ruins."
"Don't worry about it, sweetie. I happen to have a special discount for beauties, and in your case, it will be a 90 percent discount," he replied graciously as he winked at his new employer, causing her to blush slightly.
"Ahem!" Sofiva coughed loudly in order to attract their attention and cease their flirty interaction. "If that is ready, when do we depart?"
"A-ah yes, o-of course," Saphirette stammered as she brought her hand to her face to push up her glasses, seeking to hide her blushing. Apparently she was not used to coquetry. "With Arkaid's delivery, I finally have everything ready for the expedition, so we can leave tomorrow at dawn."
"Morning girl, huh? I happen to be a night owl, but if it's for a beauty like you, I'll have no problem being an early bird," the Courier continued his flirtation, being amused by her reactions.
Saphirette looked nervous in the face of those compliments, not knowing what to say or how to react, trying to form words but failing and mumbling nonsense, much to the Courier's enjoyment. Sofiva, on the other hand, denoted a grim and gruff expression at what she was seeing.
"Saphirette, Arkaid mentioned to me that you are an elementalist, is that true?" she inquired with a forced smile.
That question took her by surprise, so she proceeded to laugh softly. "Oh, he mentioned that to you? How embarrassing…"
"An elementalist? What's that?" the Courier asked curiously.
"It means that I am a mage who specializes in elemental magic. You see, I am dedicated to—"
Her explanation was interrupted by the Courier's abrupt rise from the chair, who wordlessly took the bottle and walked away, retreating from the room along with ED-E, much to her confusion.
"D-did I say something wrong?" the elementalist asked, fearful that she had offended him in some way.
"No, not at all," Sofiva responded with a broad, smug smile.
Zarthir was barely able to contain her excitement, and who could blame her? She had been chosen by the Fourth Princess herself for a special mission. Of all her demon sisters, she had been considered the most suitable for a secret job, one that, if successful, would mean a great advantage for the Demon Lord armies.
She could already taste the exquisite flavor of victory. Completing the mission would not only make her a celebrity among her kind, but she would even receive an entire Demon Realm over which to rule as she wished. Who knows? Maybe her prestige would increase in such a way that he could become part of the Demon Lord's closed circle. Just thinking about it made her heart beat intensely with joy.
"Valeria, please tell me that you are finished! I cannot wait!~" the demon exclaimed impatiently as she flew from side to side in a playful manner.
Valeria, her dark mage subordinate, was in deep meditation, with her staff clutched to her chest as she whispered incantations continuously. The teleportation spell was an extremely delicate and dangerous one, specific coordinates and a great deal of concentration were required, and it could only be performed by the most experienced spell casters. A single miscalculation and one could end up buried underground, in the middle of the sea, lost in some other dimension, or worse.
"Keep quiet!" Faeren scolded her as she stretched her whip tight. "It was a miracle that we got deep enough into enemy territory for you to ruin it with your impatience. So behave yourself or you will force me to teach you discipline!"
The demon only looked at the dark elf in silence before giving her a teasing smile. "Do not hold back, Faeren. You know I like it rough."
"Why you…" the dark elf gave her a mischievous smile, determined to teach the smug demon a few lessons.
"Enough you two!"
The fight between the two ended before it even began due to the interruption of the dark mage, who stopped her spell for a brief moment. She looked tired, so much concentration had consumed much of her energy.
"I… I have found it," said Valeria between gasps. "The location of the underground ruins."
"I knew I could trust in you, my sweet Valeria!~" Zarthir pounced on the dark mage in excitement, rubbing her cheek against hers. "Does it mean we can go at once?"
"I am afraid not. It is under several layers of magical protection that prevent access. If I tried, it would only reject us and we would end up suffocated underground. I would need a few more hours to localize a weak spot in order to teleport us there."
The explanation provoked different reactions from the others. Faeren was noticeably disturbed at the thought of suffocating to death several feet underground. Meanwhile Zarthir just pouted, annoyed at the thought of having to wait any longer.
"But I am tired of this stupid cave!" complained the demon as she began to float upside down with her arms crossed.
"This 'stupid cave' is the only safe area from which to initiate the spell, so shut your mouth or I will!" Faeren threatened again with her whip.
"I love it when you get so aggressive!~" the demon squealed in a playful manner.
Valeria simply sighed and resigned herself, returning to her conjuring. They were lucky that they were in a cave located in the vast and barren mountainous territory that formed the border of Polove, otherwise so much noise would have attracted the attention of the humans and ruined their secrecy. It was truly a miracle that they had made it this far.
The sun was peeking over the horizon, bringing with it a new day full of new opportunities, or in the case of those inclement lands, an unbearable heat and the inevitable possibility of death. Birds of prey flew over the skies in a constant search for corpses or soon-to-die victims to devour, finding themselves mainly attracted to a small group that moved through the wilderness.
The trip was considerably short, as the supposed ruins were little more than a 40-minute walk to the west. A simple stroll in the park for experienced travelers like the Courier and ED-E and for natives of the land like Saphirette, but absolute hell for someone like Sofiva.
"I think they're coming for you, birdie," the Courier joked as he looked at the birds circling above them, once again carrying his exhausted companion, helping her across the fierce infernal wasteland.
Sofiva did not respond, looking too weakened by the heat to be able to answer. Worse, maintaining that human disguise under such heat seemed to be draining her.
"Is something wrong with Miss Anne? She looks unwell," Saphirette spoke in a concerned tone, keeping a close eye on the poor woman's condition.
"Don't worry, nothing some shade can't fix," he shrugged.
ED-E proceeded to emit a series of beeps, one that caused the Courier to give him a light smack by way of scolding.
"ED-E! Once we get back I'm cleansing that dirty mouth of yours with soap!" he stated only to then start laughing at the robot's obscene comment, who also joined in his laughter as he wiggled from side to side in an attempt to mimic human laughter.
The group had left before dawn, slipping away from the villagers' sight as they slept off the celebration. Saphirette wanted the expedition to be secret, as she did not want to give her people hope in case things didn't go as planned. Not even Arkaid, the man she trusted so much, was aware of that trip, being something that she had entrusted only to the Courier and his companions despite the fact that they were newcomers.
"So tell me, glassies, what will you do in the event that you find nothing of use in the Vau- excuse me, in the ruins?" asked the Courier as he kept his eyes fixed in the distance.
The black-haired woman made no immediate response to the question, remaining silent. It seemed to be a scenario she was terrified to imagine.
"I am sure there will be. I have spent years studying and researching, there must be something that can help my people. And if not... I will figure it out one way or another," she determined firmly. "But I can assure you Mr. Grognak that no matter what happens, I will not give up. I will save my people no matter what it takes."
That was an attitude he could respect. He had barely known the woman since yesterday, but in all his years of life he had met very few people capable of devoting so much for others, after all generosity towards others was a quality that was in danger of extinction in the Wasteland. So determined was she that she had no problem spending what little money she had left hiring complete strangers to ensure the success of her expedition, one that could easily be a sure failure at the slightest mistake.
It was a pity she was not born in California, because she would have made an excellent member of the Followers of the Apocalypse.
"Damn, glassies, you're going to make me fall for you with speeches like that. After this I'll buy you a drink, got it?"
Such a comment affected Saphirette, who still couldn't stand Courier's incessant flirting. What she felt was strange, as normally she would not take kindly to comments from men she barely knew, but her inexperience in the area combined with the man's charm made her easy prey.
"P-please do not joke around like that," she stammered as she hurried her pace, taking the lead to avoid looking at him.
"And who said I was joking? I'm dead serious, sugar," the man replied playfully.
Saphirette was about to respond nervously, but was interrupted by the beeping of ED-E, which signaled the proximity of a building. However the message was only understandable to the Courier, because for the women present those indecipherable chirps made no sense at all.
Within minutes a massive edifice could be visualized, one that shared no structure or appearance to any other Vault he had ever seen in his life. It had a polished, archaic architecture, radically different from all the pre-war ruins he had explored for years. The entrance was wide and particularly uncluttered, no doubt the product of decades of prospectors taking anything that was not fixed to the ground for resale.
There were huge columns supporting the ceiling, each covered with various ancient paintings and depictions. Sofiva looked around in amazement, already recovered from her heat stroke thanks to the protection provided by the roof.
"You said these ruins were ancient, right, Saphirette?" Sofiva questioned as she advanced with the rest to what appeared to be the end of the ruins. "Exactly how old?"
"Extremely old," replied Saphirette as she walked forwards, leading the group. "These ruins are from a time long before even the Former Demon Lord."
The Courier sighed. "For fuck's sake..."
He was starting to get tired of these ridiculous explanations - was it so complicated for Canadians to use normal words?
"Here it is!"
Saphirette ran until she reached a massive steel door, one so tall it reached to the ceiling, showing no opening of any kind, locked tight. It had a very peculiar design, as it did not look like the usual Vault blast doors that all the Vaults had. It lacked a gear-shaped door, instead it had a massive formation similar to a metallic wall, without even having any kind of number to identify the Vault. The suspicions that Vault-Tec was involved were diminishing, replaced by the fear that it was something completely different but just as dangerous.
"And how are we supposed to get in, glassies?" he asked.
"Normally it would be impossible. This has been sealed for centuries, but that was because the key was never found," Saphirette explained as she grabbed the small pouch strapped to her waist, from which she proceeded to pull out a small metal object in the shape of a crescent moon. "And after years of effort, I managed to find it."
Having said this, she held the object up, presenting it before the door. She remained in that position for a few minutes of silence in which nothing happened.
"H-huh?" Saphirette looked at the object in a daze. "Why did it not work?"
"Maybe it is not the right one for the door?" Sofiva suggested.
"This cannot be. All these years, all the sleepless nights, all my savings... for the wrong key?!"
Saphirette collapsed to the floor on her knees, overcome with despair. There she contemplated the object in her trembling hand, seeing in it all her life's work wasted.
"Everything I did... and I cannot even get in?" her voice was broken, on the verge of tears.
"That's life, glassies," interjected the Courier as he took the object from her hand. "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, what can you do?"
Before Saphirette could say anything or Sofiva could protest his insensitivity, something unexpected happened. The object seemed to react to the Courier's touch, being suffused with a bright, almost blinding light before it began to float, rising high into the air to the surprised sight of those present. Immediately, the object struck the massive steel door, causing the entire building to shake as the massive structure descended to the ground, opening the way and revealing a corridor descending into the ruins.
Both women looked perplexed at what had happened and then turned to look at the Courier, indicating with their gazes that they were waiting for an explanation of what had happened.
"Well…" he began to say, equally puzzled by what had happened. "That was weird."
She slowly went back online. Something had awakened her.
The main entrance had been opened for the first time in centuries. Could it be her master? Had he finally returned? Only he alone could open the door, the key only responded to his unique spirit energy.
She quickly ran a scan of the facility, seeking to identify her master. Three individuals were entering through the entrance, but even though one of them had a particular essence, none of them was her master. Not only that, she could sense that something was happening in one of the chambers, someone was trying to manifest themselves by magical means and bypass security. Her reach could not extend to that area, so she could not prevent this unauthorized teleportation.
She had slept for centuries, waiting to be awakened by her master's promised return. Instead, she was awakened by the intrusion of strangers, who sought to desecrate the sacred workplace of her creators. She could not allow it.
She began to run the security protocols, activate the defense systems, and set in motion the machinery of old. She was going to repel the invaders, one way or another.
" Intruders."