Corpses of the monsters littered the floor, their blood painted the walls, blood guts and gore spread all over the place. And right in the middle of it stood Courier Six, scanning his environment, before he finally deemed it monster free. "That should do it," He muttered to himself before he began striping the monsters from magic stones and drop items, including thin red paste and blood sausage.

The latter two were the result of one of his perks, called Them' Good Eatin. It gave him a fifty per cent chance to have any living being to drop one of those items or multiples of them. They were incredibly potent healing items, which also sated off hunger and could be sold back in Mojave for a big pile of bottle caps.

However, here in Orario, he was not willing to sell them for several reasons. One, someone could get interested in their origin, two they were powerful enough to heal major injuries and three, they were much easier to get than potions, all he had to do was keep killing. Suffice to say, if anyone found out about them, especially the gods, they would make his life into living hell. He wanted none of that.

After clearing the floor and leaving no loot behind, he began his journey back to the surface. He still had to get those wings back to the pharmacy after all. Besides he still had his pet project of analyzing the potions he bought and making some food of his own.

As he made his way back, some monsters tried to attack him, but he finished them off without skipping a beat, looting their corpses in the process. It was a routine at this point. Back in the Mojave, when raiders attacked him, he killed them, looted all their valuables and left naked corpses behind. Rinse and repeat for robots, animals, insects, etc. It's how he got rich after all.

The fact that he could easily live in this world, by killing a bunch of bloodthirsty monsters that only craved destruction and violence was quite ironic, now that he thought of it. In his world, it was survival of the fittest or with the biggest guns of all. Most of the people and creatures he killed attacked him first or were immediately hostile. It was either kill or be killed. The fact that this world relied on brutally murdering monsters to keep the economy afloat was kind of messed up actually. Then again, it was better than building nukes and killing each other for a bunch of bottle caps with stars on them.

Shaking his head, he focused on getting to the surface as soon as he could. As he made his way back, some of the monsters attacked him just like that last few times, which he promptly killed. One thing he had to avoid was having someone witness his abilities, which meant he had to either manually extract all the drop items or wait for the adventurers to pass him. At least most of them barely spared him a glance at this point.

A while later, he found himself at the entrance of the Dungeon, the sun slowly setting down, it's rays bathing the city orange. Making his way to the Guild, he sold off most of the loot items, except the ones the Nahza asked for gaining in total one hundred thousand Valis. It was a pretty good amount considering he went all the way to floor seven and fought an entire army of them, easily killing over a hundred monsters by himself.

With his purse slightly heavier with Valis, he made his way back to the Blue Pharmacy to drop off the Blue Papilos' wings. As he entered the store with a ding, Nahza turned her attention towards him, her eyes spreading out slightly.

"You're back soon, how did it go?" She asked, while the Courier simply dumped the content of his duffel bag on the counter. She took note of the drops, carefully examining them one by one before she smiled slightly. "These are good quality, although I didn't expect you to come here so soon."

He shrugged and said, "The sooner it's done, the better. Now, about my reward?"

The female nodded and began putting all twenty potions on the counter. Once she finished the Courier grabbed them one by one shook them slightly, watching as the contents stirred. Satisfied with the result, he put all the potions in the bag, before heaving it over his shoulder.

"I believe our dealings are done here?" He asked.

"That would be correct, but would you be interested in doing some more quests for us in the future? You would be compensated accordingly of course," She asked.

"Sure, why not. Just put it in the Guild or tell Eina Tulle," He answered, while Nahza nodded. "Now then, have a nice day, miss Nahza."

"You too," She responded and watched as the Courier left the Blue Pharmacy behind.

What the Courier didn't see was a small smile on the woman's face as she examined the loot. This amount of drop items would keep the pharmacy afloat in the nearest future. If luck would have it, the Courier would accept another request, one harder than this, but very important for her and Miach alike.

With the job well done, the Courier began making his way back to the Hostess of Fertility. And just like the last time, the pub was packed to the brim with adventurers drinking away their worries, cheering and having fun as ordinary people did. He was grateful he didn't need any of that. The taste of alcohol was something he rarely indulged himself in.

The few times he did was mostly to give himself some more carry capacity or boost to his charisma and speech. Also, being addicted was annoying and forced him to waste precious Fixer on something that could have been avoided in the first place. At least when he used things like Med-X, Slasher, Turbo or Battle Brew the benefits outclassed the drawbacks.

So, with a practised movement, he sat at one of the free tables and waited for one of the waitresses to arrive. This time, it was Anya. "What can I get you, nya?" She asked, her tail swishing back and forth, a small on her lips.

"A plate of spaghetti, if you would be so kind," He responded, while the woman nodded, before heading back to the main counter. A couple of minutes later she returned with the dish, steam coming out of it, the plate looking oh so delicious.

"Have a nice meal, nya," She said, while the man nodded at her before she left towards other customers.

Once she was far enough, he took off his helmet, grabbed the utensils and began eating, his taste buds enjoying every single piece of it. With nothing to distract him, he was done in a moment. Leaving the plate behind him, he walked up to the counter, paid for his meal and headed upstairs back to his room. On his way there, he saw Ryuu going between the tables, who glanced at him for a moment, before returning to the task at hand. Once he was inside the room, he put the duffel bag away before materializing the potions he bought in the morning and putting them on the desk. One of the major aspects pipboy possessed was the fact it could analyze any substance, weapon, armour and such and give accurate data regarding it.

He had no clue how it worked exactly, as the pipboy lacked anything resembling a probe or a scanner that would allow such a thing. Still, it was incredibly useful and he could not imagine conquering the wasteland without its help. As he took note of the effects the potion possessed, he could feel himself frown.

The potion to put mildly was terrible. Maybe not one hundred per cent useless, but still pretty much worthless. From what he could see, the potion only healed a set amount of health over a short period of time. The amount of which was worse than a basic stimpak or even healing powder. The fact that people paid money for something subpar was pretty amusing all things considered.

With that out of the way, he focused his attention on the second potion he bought, the one that allowed him to restore mind in case he used magic, not like that would happen. However, unlike the previous one, it was promising to say the least. From what he could see, it restored his action points, which powered many critical subsystems in his body and pipboy.

That in itself was very useful, far more than he expected. While he possessed ways to temporarily boost his action points and their regeneration, it involved using drugs that he was trying to minimize at all times. So, having a safe alternative would be a huge boon, especially if he could replicate the thing, which he totally could.

Back in the Sierra Madre, there were special codes that allowed the user to access hidden items on Sierra Madre vending machine such as Med-X, ammo, demolition charges, etc. However, the selection was limited so with the help of Think Tank, they managed to create a scanner that could scan an item and then allow for easy creation of said item by paying a set amount of Sierra Madre chips.

Of course, things like food were cheaper compared to demolition charges, but it was still very much a miraculous technology. One of its current limitations was the complexity of the item asked. The more powerful, rarer weapon, the more expensive it was. That's why he rarely used it to buy anything of this sort, plus weapon and armour repair kits were far more valuable in his mind. Not to mention, he had a limited number of the chips on him and wasting them here would be stupid, to say the least.

Bringing out the scanner, which looked like many of the cameras seen commonly in the wasteland, he put the bottle in the objective and pressed the button. The device whirled a bit before a small ding was heard and a holotape was ejected from it, containing all the necessary data to create the item in the future. He considered doing the same for the healing potion, but he decided against it. Instead, he slapped a fresh holotape inside the device, before making it dematerialize.

With all important stuff out of the way, he quickly made his way to the showers located inside the pub. One thing was certain, diving deep into Lake Mead was far less pleasant than taking a hot shower, something he came to appreciate over the years. Not a half an hour later, he was done and with a practised movement, he jumped inside the bed, made himself comfortable before he drifted off into the Morpheus' embrace.


Deathclaws, giant nasty reptiles that barely resembled harmless Jackson's Chameleon they originated from. When they stood upright, they were almost double the size of an average grown human male. Their razor-sharp claws could tear through combat armour like it was made of butter and not even a full set of advanced power armour deployed by the Enclave could not fully protect from their claws.

If that couldn't get any worse, the beasts travelled in packs led by Alpha Deathclaw and Mother Deathclaw, both of which were much worse than an average deathclaw. Something the Courier became painfully aware of when he fought the monsters last time. However, things were looking even worse for the man than the last time.

He was currently dressed in a full set of Elite Riot Gear, a pre-war armour that was used by L.A.P.D. riot squads with its own set of night vision, thermal vision and increased protection compared to standard riot gear. In his hand was a flagpole known as Old Glory, given to him by Ulysses.

The place he was located at was known as deathclaw promontory, which possessed the highest number of deathclaws he had ever seen in his entire life, more than thirty surrounded him from all sides ready to jump at him. It was located on the other side of the Colorado River, almost opposite to Caesar's Legion slave camp located at the bank of the river, on a cliff with a single entrance.

Most people he knew would scream like little girls and try to run away only to be torn by incredibly agile monsters, that or they would suicide rush them like Fiends. However, to him, it was nothing more but a nuisance and he felt particularly vicious that day, really needing something to vent himself on.

With implant GRX activated, he charged towards the pack, rushing up to the nearest deathclaw, before entering VATS and using Grand Slam, a two-handed attack that one shoot Legate Lanius when he used it on him. The deathclaw exploded in a pile of blood, guts, and gore, while he moved on to the next.

The pack tried to hit him, but they couldn't as he was simply too fast, with both implant GRX and kinetic implants active which more than tripled his movement speed, easily shattering the speed of sound. He ducked between the legs of an Alpha, before delivering another Grand Slam, killing it instantly and moving to the next.

However, Mother deathclaw swiped at him from behind, fully expecting to mortally wound the opponent. Instead, it felt like her attack was vastly reduced not able to draw a speck of blood or damage the armour. What it didn't know was the fact that at the time the Courier was full of drugs and rage, including Battle Brew and Slasher, both of which made him much harder to kill.

This combined with the armour's damage threshold and damage resistance meant not even legendary deathclaw could hope to pierce through the man's defence, only dealing a negligible amount of bleed-through damage, which easily regenerated thanks to Rad Child. However, the deathclaws were far too used to be able to kill everything they attacked that they never considered running away, not that it would have saved them.

The Courier smashed through the pack like it was made out of wet paper, rarely needing more than one or two hits to slaughter one of the monsters. And in the next two minutes, the whole pack was dead, their corpses littering the ground, soil soaked in red, as the man breathed heavily, an illusion of black jagged teeth, where his mouth should have been, just before he released one final roar in the air.


Waking up inside his bedroom with a jolt, he groaned as he remembered the dream he just had. It wasn't the worst one all things considered, which was something he could appreciate. Twisting his head to the side, he could feel rays of the Sun shining on his armour getting drowsiness out of his system. Solar Powered definitely helped, as he felt much more invigorated, before swinging his feet out of the bed.

Standing up, his bones popping as he stretched himself to get blood circling back again. With a shake of his head, he made his way downstairs, the waitresses already bustling around the Pub, while Mia supervised all the commotion.

She turned towards him and smirked. "Look who it is, had a nice dream?"

"Could have been worse I suppose," He answered, while the owner grinned, and he sat down at one of the tables, waiting for one of the waitresses to come over. This time it was Ryuu again who brought him a plate full of scrambled eggs, some bread and a couple of pieces of vegetables. Seeing the dish in front of him, he smiled beneath his helmet and nodded at the waitresses. "Thank you kindly, miss Lyon."

The elf nodded in response, before returning to the task at hand, her gaze lingering on the man a second longer than other clients. The man then dug into the food, savouring the taste just like the last time, while still retaining the basic manners. Once he was finished and was ready to go, he remembered something he wanted to do and walked up to the owner.

"Is there something else you need?" She asked while the man nodded in response.

"I was hoping to ask for permission to cook my own food in your kitchen as a test to see, how my food compares to yours or May's," He answered.

"Oh? You can cook? You don't look the type," She said and gave him a look over. The other waitresses heard it as well and walked up to them, except for Syr, who was nowhere to be seen.

"I did tell you that I had to hunt and such, it's something you pick up on the road, especially if you don't want to get food poisoning from eating raw meat. I'd like to think that my cooking is edible, seeing that I am still alive and all," He answered, while Mia laughed at that one along with the other waitresses, except Ryuu that is, although her lips did curl just very slightly upward.

"That's one of way to test it. However, letting you simply use the kitchen is too simple. You will have to cook for everyone working at the Hostess of Fertility and if it tastes bad, I will charge you extra for damaging our taste buds," She warned and grinned, while the Courier chuckled in response.

"Glad to see we are on the same page. So, when can I do it?" He asked.

"Let's see, how about now? Monsterphilia is going on today, so the traffic should be pretty low," She said, while the Courier raised an eyebrow.

"Monsterphilia? What's that?" He asked while everyone blinked at the response.

"Mister Six, have you never been to Monsterphilia before?" Lunoire asked.

He shook his head in response. "Can't say I did. Is it some kind of celebration?"

"No silly, nya. Monsterphilia is a festival, when Ganesha Familia tames the monsters from the dungeon in the Colosseum to entertain all the visitors, nya," Anya answered.

"Really? That sounds… odd, last I checked the monsters were treated as something to be killed on sight," He replied.

"That's not false, but inaccurate," Ryuu said, gaining the attention of the group. "You may not know it, but Ganesha Familia successfully tamed some of the monsters from the Dungeon and have been using them as either pack mules or even mounts, especially those which can fly."

"Huh… I didn't know about that, that's pretty impressive," He answered, before turning towards Mia. "However, why don't we make it a bit more interesting, a small friendly wager, what do you say?"

"And what kind of wager are we talking about?" She asked, her eyes narrowed.

"If my food tastes bad, you can charge me extra, but if I win, you will close the pub for the rest of the day and let everyone else enjoy the festival," He proposed. However, the owner wasn't that keen seeing her expression.

"Only one employee, no more no less," She argued.

"Why though? You said it yourself, the traffic won't be high during the day thanks to the festival. Or is it because miss Mia Grand is afraid of losing?" He baited the woman.

That made her eyes spread wide open before she laughed heartily. "I like you, you have guts, let me tell you. Fine, but everyone has to like it, no exception. Also, you have to get supplies of your own."

"Works for me, so that only leaves one thing, what would you like to eat?" He asked while everyone else blinked in confusion at that.

"And what kind of choice do we have?" Chloe asked, her tail swishing behind her at the idea of a free meal.

"Brahmin Wellington and Deathclaw Omelet," He answered.

"And what would they be?" Mia asked, curious about the odd naming convention.

"The first one is a steak wrapped in a puffy egg pastry. The second one is one of the most fulfilling omelettes you have ever eaten, with a bit of seafood and fruits added to the mix. What I want you to do is choose one of them and then I will cook the appropriate amount," He explained.

"Only one? Not both of them to taste?" Lunoire asked.

"I could cook both if you want, but chances are you won't be able to eat them both. They provide plenty of nutrition, more than an average meal," He answered.

"Very well, everyone please choose your dish and tell May about while you're at it. Let's see what can you do," Mia ordered, while the Courier went to his room to get his supplies.

Once everyone chose their dish, she led the man to the kitchen of the Pub. It was big, with multiple stoves, two sinks for washing dishes and all sorts of wooden cupboards for housing the utensils and plates.

"Here you go, you have got twenty minutes, I trust you know how to use a stove or do you need me to teach you how?" She asked while the Courier gave it a quick look over. Setting a fire was one of the most basic skills in the Mojave desert, after all, so he should be fine.

"I think, I will manage," He answered, while the Mia left the kitchen. "...How did it all end up like this?" He muttered to himself.

He expected some kind of resistance, but not to engage in some kind of cooking contest. Still, he had plenty of time and cooking and crafting was something that the pipboy did instantly. Another mystery he had no clue how it worked. Plus, it broke all kinds of physics, after all the formula for power was work divided by time.

Shaking his head, he began setting up all the necessary utensils, before getting down to work. Making Brahmin Wellington just right involved having good survival skills, mixing the eggs at the right time and then adding them all to the mix. One also had to know in what amount to add BlamCo Mac & Cheese in a way that wouldn't take away all the juiciness of the steak.

Wasteland Omelet, on the other hand, was slightly easier to make, but it required one of the rarest ingredients in Wasteland, Deathclaw egg. For the time being, he wanted to see how would his food taste if replacement ingredients were used in the process. Starting the stove, he brought a pan, set in on the device and got down to work.

Approximately five minutes later, two of the dishes were ready. One substitute Brahmin Wellington and Wasteland Omelette. Taking one of the many spare forks in his inventory, he cut off a piece of the steak, before putting it in his mouth and chewing on it. The taste was… underwhelming to say the least. He knew that ingredients were different but he was surprised at the sheer difference in quality.

He tried the same with the Omelette, but the results were pretty much the same, neither of the dishes being as good as back in his world. That was actually problematic since he couldn't just serve subpar meals to the owner and everyone else. Which either meant, he had to use ingredients from his world or try to make something different using the ingredients he had left.

After a short consideration, he decided to use the ingredients from his world and hope it wouldn't bite him in the ass. He had no time to experiment with the food from this world, not this time. With a heavy heart, he pulled out all the necessary ingredients to serve five people that were waiting for him. One deathclaw egg, three pieces of lakelurk meat, three crunchy mutfruits, eight ant eggs, six Blamco Mac & Cheese and last but not least three pieces of brahmin meat. This would allow him to cook three Wasteland Omelettes and three Brahmin Wellingtons.

Although, a small part of him wanted to serve another, bonus dish. The one he got from Philippe, called imitation strange meat pie meant to taste like human flesh. He could just picture their reactions in his mind before he dropped the idea with a chuckle. Maybe another time or he could prank one of the gods or something.

Getting down to work, he swiftly cooked all the appropriate dishes, before serving them on six separate plates used by Hostess of Fertility. With that out of the way, he put three dishes on one tray and the other three on the other before manoeuvring to the dining area, where everyone was sitting eagerly waiting for the food.

Ryu ordered Wasteland Omelette, Mia Wellington, Chloe Omelette, Anya Omelette, while May and Lunoire both also ordered the Wellington. Setting the dishes at their spots, he bowed to the group and said, "Please enjoy this humble meal."

They didn't have to be told twice as they all tasted the food almost at the exact same time. He watched with a smile, as everyone's eyes spread wide open. Anya looked happy, her tail swishing back and forth, same with Chloe and May, looks of absolute delight spread on their faces. Lunoire was almost exactly the same, with the exception of a tail.

"Delicious…," Ryuu muttered as she looked at the dish in front of her, a small smile evident on her face, before taking another bite.

Even the owner herself looked impressed, nodding as she tasted the steak. "You can feel the juiciness of the meat mixing with the soft egg yolk neither of the taste killing the other. Truly splendid steak," She commended, while the Courier chuckled.

"Thank you for the compliment, how about everyone else?" He asked while the waitresses nodded eagerly.

"It's really good, are you a professional chef by any chance?" May asked, her opinion on the food mimicking Mia's.

"Unfortunately no, but glad you enjoyed it," He replied, the catgirl beaming at him, while he turned towards the rest.

"It's delicious, nya!" Anya said and took another bit with a moan.

"Same here!" Chloe said as she repeated Anya's motions.

"It's very good, there is no denying that," Lunoire commended before she also took another bite.

"It is delicious," Ryuu said, while the Courier chuckled.

"Ow, you are making me blush," He teased, while the females laughed at his antics.

Ryuu rolled her eyes at him, but just seeing the elf smile was well worth it. It suited her and he would be lying if he said, he didn't prefer that way. It reminded him of Christine… and his good mood was gone in an instant. He scowled as he forced the memory back in its place, waiting for everyone else to finish.

"Thank you for the meal!" Everyone said, before taking the plates and trays back to the kitchen.

"So, I win, what do you say, miss Grand?" He asked while the owner grinned at him.

"I admit, it was well done. Don't suppose you would be interested in working for me as a chef?" She asked while the Courier shook his head with a chuckle.

"I am afraid I have to refuse the offer. Although, I am hoping you will let me use the kitchen in the future," He said, while the owner grinned at him.

"As long as you use your ingredients and let us have a taste now and then to confirm the quality of it," She haggled.

"My ingredients are fine, but I will only let you taste it if I deem it good myself, deal?" He asked and extended his hand.

"Deal," She answered and the two shook hands before everyone returned to them.

"Now then, I am going to see what this Monsterphilia is about, if anyone feels like tagging along, be my guest," He said, while the waitresses discussed it with each other for a second.

"Me, Chloe, May and Lunoire will head out ourselves, nya. You and Ryuu can go together, nya," Anya said, before all three of them quickly evacuated the pub leaving only the owner, the elf and Courier behind. For a second there he swore he could see the three of them blinking at the elf, but he was pretty sure he imagined it, right?

"Huh… Well, I kind of expected something a little bit different," He said, before turning towards the elf. "Are you fine with this situation, miss Lyon?"

"Indeed, miss Grand we will be leaving," She said and turned towards Mia.

"Have fun you too, but don't go overboard, I need my employees up and ready for tomorrow," She warned before the two headed to the streets. Leaving the owner behind as she watched intently the two going through the door.


Stalls littered the street as the children run around watching all manner of curious and unique merchandise being presented, the air rich with the fragrance of street food that made people's mouths water. The two were walking side by side towards the Colosseum, neither of the two saying a word, as people passed by them, some glancing at Ryuu and whispering behind their backs.

"She looks so pretty…," One of them said.

"Who is that guy and how did he manage to get a hot date like this?" Another one complained.

"Damn… I am so jealous!" The third one whined.

The Courier could only roll his eyes at the comments directed their way. It seems like the idea of a companion that only travelled with you out of convenience was not well known in Orario. It's not like it was a date, he never expected to go with Ryuu in the first place. Heck, he had never been on a date proper last he checked. Maybe before he got shot and lost most of his memories.

He had some vague idea of how dates worked, like ice cream, coffee, maybe going to the park together or something, but that was about it. Although, simply walking next to the elf and not saying a thing all this time seemed a bit rude all things considered. Biting his lip he turned towards the elf.

"Miss Lyon, is there any place you would like to go?" He asked while the elf shook her head.

"Nothing in particular," She answered. "Do you have a place you would like to visit?"

"Not really, I kind of would like to go around the area, see what they are selling, watch the monster taming or something," He replied, while the elf glanced at him. "Tell you what, let's get something to eat and then we will see what to do next."

"Agreed," She responded.

Looking around he found what he was looking for, a stall selling crepes. He walked up to the attendant, a young man dressed in simple clothing and ordered two sets, one for her, the other one for Ryuu. He initially expected he would have to pay for both of their orders, but Ryuu insisted to pay for herself, seeing that he made it possible in the first place.

His set of crepes was filled with chocolate, strawberries and a bit of syrup. While Ryuu's consisted mostly of fruits, a bit of syrup and some whipped cream and was roughly half the size of his. The reason for that was very simple, she was still very much full after the omelette she had eaten not so long ago. He had to put away his helmet and attach it to his hip to be able to eat, the elf glancing at him when he did so.

"Isn't it cumbersome to be dressed in armour like this all the time?" She asked.

Shaking his head, he answered, "A bit, but honestly, I feel the most comfortable, when I am dressed in a full suit of armour all the time. It's not that big of a deal, especially compared to being forced to change bandages on your body each day to prevent infection."

That got a bit of attention, as the elf focused on him. "Did that happen to you?"

"Nope, but I met a guy who had to do that. He also had to endure the agony of it every day, nothing able to heal his wounds or even make the pain less bearable," He answered, her eyes spread out slightly.

"… I see," She said before the two lapsed into silence once again.

This is so awkward… He honestly had no clue what to do next, racking his brain desperately to keep the conversation going. Fortunately, the world decided to throw him a bone just this once and in the crowd in front of him he spotted two familiar faces.

"Hey there, Bell, Syr," He greeted the duo towards them.

"Oh, hi there, Six," Bell greeted.

"Good morning, mister Six," Syr greeted, while Ryuu smiled at her co-worker.

"So, what are you guys doing here? Going on a date?" He teased, the two blushing in an instant.

"No! I am only here because Syr forgot her wallet!" Bell cried while Syr looked at him disappointed by that.

"Really? That's it? Are you going to tell me, you don't even have the guts to ask a cute girl out on a festival as a companion? Bell, I am disappointed," Courier said with a serious tone, while the boy stuttered at the accusation, not able to speak a word. Syr looked a bit better though, if slightly redder.

"What about you two? Are you on a date?" She asked, sending knowing look towards the elf.

"We never agreed to go on a date in the first place," Ryuu answered, though she did seem a bit off about the way Syr put it.

"Really? You wound my hurt heart, miss Lyon!" Courier gasped, putting his hand on heart, making the elf even more uncomfortable. "Guess I should have known, I am not good enough for a beauty such as yourself!"

That got a reaction of the elf, who flushed a faint shade of red, glaring daggers at him before he burst out laughing. "This was not funny," She said, while the Courier tried his hardest to keep his laughter at bay.

"I am sorry, so sorry, but I couldn't help myself. It's fun to tease others, you know," He answered, while the elf shook her head with a small smile on her face. "Now that's more like it, you should smile more often, miss Lyon, it suits you."

The elf's eyes spread wide open, her mouth slightly open, her cheeks turning a notch brighter. Bell, on the other hand, looked just confused, while Syr had an evil smirk on her face.

"Oh Ryuu, you should have told us," She teased, the elf turning towards her in an instant.

"That's not…," She started, not sure what to say.

"Funny coming from you, miss Flova," Courier said gaining the attention of the group. "I mean, I am pretty sure, you lost your wallet on purpose, just so you could meet up with Bell, because why else would they send anyone else instead of coming here themselves."

That got a reaction out of the woman, who turned bright as a tomato. "I didn't do that!"

"Are you going to tell me that you were going to trust your money with a guy you don't know that well instead of one of your friends? Right…," He teased, the woman pouting, while glaring dagger at him. Then the Courier chuckled and said, "Chill, you have got no chill at all."

That seemed to have worked and everyone relaxed a little. However, before anyone could do say something, there was a roar, coming from a street next to them. The group turned towards the source of it and he could see from the corner of his eyes blood draining out of both Bell's and Syr's faces. They looked like they saw a ghost, which they might have, given what was standing right in front of them.

A two-meter tall monster similar to the Minotaur with two large and curved horns, black skin, red hair, and yellow eyes stood in front of them. Barbarians, powerful monsters that appeared on lower floors below thirty. Its strength was equivalent to a level four or three adventurer something he read in one of the books. And right now it was glaring daggers at them, it's intent clear. Yet, behind it, in shadows, he could see a feminine silhouette watching intently.

"Ryuu take them out of here, now!" He ordered, the elf easily lifting both teenagers. She looked like she wanted to say something, but he interrupted her, "I will take care of it."

The elf nodded and started running, giving one last glance towards him while biting her lip. The monster roared as it charged forward intent on killing the Courier. It was fast, way faster than he expected. The only consolation was the fact that every other person ran into other alleys, clearing the way for the monster. Drawing his weapon, he waited for the monster to come close enough, a fist the size of his head racing towards him.

Half a meter away, he entered VATS and used one of the special attacks he knew, the Mauler. Rolling to the left, he smacked the monster right into the chest, drawing blood and sending it flying. It was something he used extensively on deathclaws and such. And just as the monster was flying in the air, he rushed forward and with a single two-handed strike, he obliterated the monster, it's body torn into pieces, blood, guts, and gore flying everywhere. It's magic stone shattered, the parts of the body turned into ash, leaving no trace behind. Now, there was only one thing left.


Sometime earlier, Freya, goddess of love and war sat in a cafe on the second floor, her face covered by a navy blue cloak to prevent her face and snowy white skin, from being seen. The cafe had a wooden interior and a very laid-back atmosphere. Yet, not even the clothes she was wearing were able to contain her beauty.

Despite her face being well hidden under a hood, every set of eyes in the cafe was trained on her. Whenever she would trace the lip of her cup with her delicate fingers or her elegant chin peeked out from under her hood for a moment, everyone around her held their breath. Many people who happened to see her stopped and stared. However, she paid no attention to them, focusing primarily on the street below, until creaks in the wooden floor announced the arrival of a few customers.

"Yo! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Loki said.

"Not at all. I just got here myself," She replied, smiling at the goddess waiving at her. And just behind her, acting like a guard was Ais Wallenstein, even Freya had to notice.

"Haven't had breaky yet. Mind if I grab a bite?" Loki asked, trying hard to suppress her yawn.

"Do as you please," Freya replied. The reason the two gathered here in the first place, it was Freya who invited her here in the first place, the two acting like old friends. "So, when are you going to introduce that girl standing behind you?"

"Eh, you need introducing?" Loki acted surprised.

"This is the first time for us to meet face-to-face," She replied.

"Okay then, this is my Ais. That's enough for you? Ais, this is a goddess, you should at least say hello," Loki introduced.

"...Nice to meet you," Ais said.

"You can take a seat," Loki said as the girl nodded and pulled out a chair to sit down.

"She is very cute. And also… Yes. I can see why you have taken a liking to this one," Freya commended, while Ais stayed emotionless the entire time, before lowering her head in a polite bow.

"Well then, I think it's about time you told me why I'm here?" Loki asked.

"I just wanted to chat. It's been a while," Freya replied.

"Lying through your teeth," Loki countered.

She smirked at Freya, who was still smiling under her hood. The pleasant aura was gone in an instant, even Ais kept her face devoid of emotions and just watched quietly from the side.

"I don't understand. What's the matter Loki?" Freya asked.

"Come on, moron, it's about Six isn't it?" Loki asked. Freya only smiled in response, while sighed and made herself comfortable in the chair. "You lustful woman, is that all you think about? You will go after anyone, young or old?"

"How rude, I do have standards," She answered.

All of the gods and goddesses knew about Freya's "habits" when it came to men. Once a male on Gekai caught her eye, she made a move. Her beauty was powerful enough to make her target her own. Exactly how many men had fallen under her spell, no one knew. Loki reasoned that Freya's target was most likely not in her Familia. Therefore, the reason she came to the Celebration in the first place was to figure out whose Familia the target was in.

Obviously going after someone already in another Familia, to take them away from it, would not go over well. The god of the other Familia would not sit by and do nothing. Freya was picking a fight. If the other side was strong, she'd get rejected and wallow in despair until she found her next target. She was being cautious, gathering information before she made her move. That was what Loki was thinking, anyway.

"Leaving out all the bumbling idiots in Heaven you pull fast ones on?" Loki countered

"They have their uses. I'm quite skilled at getting money out of them," Freya said.

Loki cleared her throat. The witch was putting up all of her dirty laundries. Loki raised an eyebrow at her fellow goddess. Freya shrugged, but only just enough for the fabric on her cloak to bend ever so slightly. Thinking that there was nothing left to be said, Loki put her hands behind her head and leaned back in her chair so much that the front feet came off the floor.

"So, what do you see in him anyway? He is strong that much is certain, but that wouldn't be the sole reason, now would it?" Loki asked.

"… He's strong, but not that strong. If you compare him to some of the children in our Familias. Stoic, dangerous, terrifying even… And yet different, different from anything I have seen before. I've never seen anything like him," Freya confessed. "I found him by accident. He just happened to walk across my line of vision."

Loki could only sigh as yet another person would most likely end up in Freya's harem one way or another. However, she was not going simply let her get away with it, would she? "Just so you know, Freya. You might have seen him before, but I am not getting to simply watch idly and let you have him, you know?"

Freya only smiled and sipped a bit of tea. Then in her line of vision came the soul she was looking for, followed by another, different one, an elf. She could feel a pang of jealousy forming in her heart as she watched the man go towards the Colosseum, but then a new smile, a scary smile grew on her lips.

"I apologize. Something has come up," Freya said.

"Eh?" Loki asked, surprised by the announcement.

"Let's do this again soon," She said, before leaving the duo behind.

Loki collapsed to the table in stunned disappointment. Freya was already out of her chair. She adjusted her cloak as she went down the stairs and out of the building. Only Loki and Aiz were left in the café.

"What kinda person just leaves ya hangin' like that…?" Loki complained.

Loki stared at the staircase for a moment, her eye twitching. A small "hmm" escaped her throat as she turned to face the girl one seat away from her. Ais had her eyes glued to the window.

"What's up, Ais? Somethin' wrong?" She asked.

"… No," Ais said. She went on to say, "It's nothing." But she didn't look away. Her golden eyes, just like the silver eyes of the goddess before her, saw a familiar armour moving through the crowd to the stadium.


Freya watched as her plan to release some of the monsters for Monsterphilia came to fruition, she wanted to see the soul of the Courier shine and even if he died in a fight, she would chase him back to Heaven itself just to get hold of it.

There was one thing that bothered her, no matter how hard she looked, the man's soul was weak, weaker than even level one adventurer. And yet he managed to kill a Minotaur on his own. She had to test it, see how powerful he was no matter what. And what she saw made her heart skip a beat.

Normally his soul seemed to be peaceful. It's two colours never mixing, always in perfect harmony. However, when the monster attacked, she gasped at the sight. She could see the red side shine for a moment before it disappeared as soon as the monster died. It was expected, but different. At the same time, his grey part stayed still not reacting in the slightest.

She was ready to leave, but the man turned towards her staring right into her eyes. She took off into the valley, not wanting to meet him under these circumstances, only for the man to appear in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. She pondered how did he do it before two powerful arms grasped her by her shoulders and pinned her to a wall, making her gasp from the force behind it, her hood falling back.

"Going somewhere, goddess?" He asked, the venom in his voice clear.

"Nowhere in particular," She responded and tried to wiggle free, but to no avail. One thing that made her crave the men in front of her, even more, was his complete and utter resistance to her charm. Even while being in front of her beauty, he had yet to react in any predictable manner.

"Oh really? Why I don't believe you, Freya? Let's see, because your charm is supposedly so powerful you can make anyone bend to your will?" He asked, gripping her just harder and making her yelp.

"No need to be violent, I was just in the vicinity," She said.

"You don't expect me to believe that, do you? What do I want to know why did you release this monster and probably a couple more, seeing that nobody managed to find him yet? Care to tell?" He asked, while the goddesses only smiled.

"That's a pretty interesting theory, might I ask where does it come from?" She asked.

"Don't be stupid, it's obvious when you think about it. If the monster was here on a loose, you wouldn't be following it from behind for no reason or staying in the shadows for that matter. So, let me put it straight, what do you want from me?" He asked.

"You," She replied, while the Courier just blinked in response.

"Pardon me, but I think I have misheard that last one, but did you say me? Why?" He asked, now he was really confused.

"You are different, your entire being is different. Unique, something I have never seen before. I want you, your love, your soul to be mine," She answered and smiled at him.

"… I would say I am flattered, but I am more creeped out to be perfectly honest," He said and shuddered at the way she put it. "Don't you have entire harem at your disposal already, your Familia? Why don't you spend some time with them instead?"

"I grew bored of them," She replied, while the Courier's head dropped at the confession. "I still love them mind you, but the passion is gone, I am afraid."

"So, you are one of those huh… I see, you chase the tingles whenever you see them," He said mostly to himself, before slowly letting the goddesses go, who put on her cape.

"So, what do you say, will you join me and my Familia?" She asked while the Courier shook his head.

"No, I won't join your Familia or you for that matter. In fact, I will tell you exactly what I think about you. You are a slut, to put simply," He said, while Freya's eyes spread wide open, not expecting this kind of response. "You chase anyone who draws your fancy, your love lasts only till you find another target. The love of a goddess of love is meaningless it seems."

That hurt, she felt like she was just slapped by the man in front of her. "..." She wanted to deny it, but he didn't let her.

"Let's take it up a notch. The love of a god is worthless, your or any other god. The gods are infertile. Loving a god is like loving a statue, it will not age, you can not form a family with it or do anything but enjoy its company. And to top it all off, there is nothing you can offer me that would change that. So, that's why, let me give you a piece of advice, find somebody else to bother," He explained, while the goddesses just stared at him breathing heavily.

"Now, I am tempted to report you or just send you back to Heaven, but seeing how I have got no proof and it would cause me a lot of trouble, not to mention the city itself, I will let you go this time. However, next time you do something stupid like letting a monster loose on the city, I will make you pay for it one way or another, got it?" He said, before turning around and leaving the valley to find the monsters that were left in the city.

"…," Freya was speechless as she watched the man leave her behind, her heart burning with desire. She had never been rejected before and this, in turn, made her crave the man even further. A wicked smile spread on her lips, her gaze watching as the man left her behind.


"… What a god damn mess," He complained, pun not intended, as he looked around at the wrecked stalls and such. From what he could gather Ryuu took Bell and Syr to safety, so he had no reason to stay here. There were still monsters on the loose in the city and they could be causing trouble.

As much as he wanted to say, it was none of his business, it was because of him and that crazy goddess the monsters were on loose in the first place. So, with a heavy sigh, he jumped at the nearest rooftop, looked around before he noticed what looked like a fight taking place. Just before he could move towards it, it felt like the ground itself shook. An earthquake…?

Shaking his head, he headed towards the fight and not a minute later, he arrived at his destination, seeing what could be described as a giant snake fighting three members of the Loki Familia, including Tiona, Tione, and Lefiya. However, they were unarmed and even the Amazoness could not damage the hide of a snake, which easily resisted their blows.

Still, they provided enough of the distraction. The elf was able to complete her chant, only for a creature to turn towards her in that exact moment. In an instant, a massive pale-green tendril shot out of the ground at her feet and slammed into her. Blood erupted from the elf's mouth, knocking her off her feet, her eyes rolling into the back of her head.

"Lefiya?!" The duo shouted and rushed towards her.

Just a glance at the elf told him everything he needed to know. That impact was strong, easily able to take two-thirds of her health. The elf stopped moving, lying eerily still. The tendril that burst from the ground started to wiggle. At the same time, the creature began to change. It raised its lump-like head toward the sky. Crick! Crick! Lines appeared—and it bloomed.

It's roar reverberated through the streets. Many petals stretched out to sunlight. Each of them was an ominous deep red. They all met in the centre, a gigantic mouth lined with fangs. Pollen shook free with every movement. The flesh inside its mouth was light pink. Its magic stone was visible deep in its throat as the beast turned toward its prey.

"What in the actual fuck…?!" The Courier muttered, as the memories of Vault 22 manifested in his mind. It was one of the nightmarish experiences in his life and now it was back again in this world too?! That stunned him for a moment since he did everything in power to eradicate all traces of the fungus responsible for spore carriers.

"Not a snake…but a flower?!" Tione exclaimed. Tiona yelled in horror. The long body was actually a stem. Its faceless lump of a head turned out to be a bud. The ferocious carnivorous flower turned its terrifying visage toward Lefiya. Several more tendrils exploded from the ground as the creature's body slithered toward the helpless elf.

"Lefiya, get up!" Tiona yelled.

"GAHHH, outta my way!" Tione yelled.

Tione and Tiona's path to their ally was blocked by the tendrils. No matter how many times they knocked one of the pale-green appendages to the ground, it would just rise again. Lefiya laid motionless in the middle of a wriggling forest of roots. The monster's head began moving towards the elf, spurring the Courier into action. Gritting his teeth, he jumped and landed right in front of the elf.

The maw opened and rushed at the elf before a set of arms stopped it from reaching her. The Courier growled as the massive plant monsters pushed towards the elf, trying it's hardest to eat the girl alive in one piece. His feet sunk into the ground, pieces of stone shattering from the strength behind the thing.

He was pissed, no, scratch that, furious. First Freya, now giant carnivorous flowers and now this mess. With a roar of his own, he forced the maw to shut down, holding it in one place as it trashed violently and used its tentacles to strike him. Even his armour couldn't fully protect from the blows of the monsters, as blood erupted from his body, painting the ground red.

However, the pain barely registered in his head, as he held the maw with one hand and using his right one, he punched the plant as hard as he could, sending it's head the air, causing it to lose its balance. Then before he could draw his sword, a streak of gold and silver flashed across his vision, the head of a plant separated from its body, Ais Wallenstein appearing in his view.

"Ais!" The Amazoness shouted before rushing towards the trio, the tendrils falling to the ground. However, before they could converge, the sword in the girl's hands shattered into pieces, leaving the group speechless. That wasn't even the end of it as three more monsters erupted from the ground surrounding the Ais and the Courier. This time, though, he had a weapon of his own.

Drawing Blade of the West, he entered VATS and targeted two of the plant monsters, before rushing forward and delivering vicious slash, tearing through the first one and destroying the magic stone in the process. He repeated the process for the second one, only for the third to bite at his neck. He growled and while spinning, he cut it's head in half, destroying the magic stone as well.

"I hate gardening," The Courier exclaimed as he finally sheathed the sword to the back. Then he glanced towards the elf, before turning towards the rest of the group. "You may want to get her a potion or two as soon as you can, she looks like she has seen better days."

"Right, Lefiya, are you alright?" Tione asked as she gently shook the elf.

What came out from her mouth was something that barely resembled human speech, if it could be called that. "T...tione?"

"We are here, Lefiya," Tiona added the elf looking at the group before her eyes stopped at the Courier.

"You... a man from the bar," She grumbled.

"The one and the same. Say, would you be interested in a potion for your companion, it won't come cheap though," He offered, while the four of them focused purely on him, giving him some of the purest deadpans he had ever seen. "What? I have to make a living somehow, besides I have already saved her life from an oversized plant," He argued.

"You're a dick you know," Tione said, while the Courier shrugged. "Still... How much for this potion of yours?"

"Five thousand Valis," He said, while the three stared at him.

"So, a high potion?" Tiona asked while the man shook his head.

"Nope, just the basic potion, should be enough to get her on her feet and get her some quality potions after that," He replied.

"That's not worth it all, you are asking for ten times the price of it," Tione pointed out.

"Of course I am, your friend is wounded, I have got a solution and unless you drag her to the nearest shop that sells potions, you might aggravate the wounds. Besides, for all we know, she could be dying of internal bleeding as we speak," He explained.

"... Fine," She said and handed over the necessary Valis, while the man put the duffel bag down and gave the potion to the Amazon, who proceeded to administer it to the elf. Lefiya coughed a bit as she drank the potion. However, it seemed to have done it and everyone let a sigh of relief.

"Thanks for the help, we needed it," Tiona said, glad it was over.

"You're welcome. Now, can anyone tell me, what the hell were those things?" He asked, turning towards the group.

"No clue, we have never seen anything like it before," Tiona replied.

"You didn't? That's worrisome, still, for the time being, the situation is under… control…," He said as he looked at what remained of Ais sword. "What the hell happened to your sword?"

Ais looked at it and said, "It broke."

"I can see that, I am asking why it broke?" He clarified.

"I fought monsters," She replied, while the Courier groaned at her response.

He turned towards the elf who slowly got back on her feet, feeling a bit better with the help of Amazoness. "You alright there, kid?"

"I… I think so," She muttered, still feeling weak from the blow.

"You know, we would have compensated you, if you simply gave us the potion in the first place," Tiona pointed out.

"Maybe, but many times I helped somebody people expected I would do it for free, which honestly is not good for the business. That's why I prefer payment upfront for something like this, that or half before and a half after," He explained, while the group looked between each other.

"That reminds me... Look at all that blood!" Tiona exclaimed everyone suddenly remembering how the plant smacked him not too long ago.

"I will manage, still have some potions left," He answered, while everyone just gave him a deadpan. "Enough about me, are you alright?"

The group looked at each other and they looked fine for the most part, except Lefiya that is. "It seems like it, thanks to your assistance," Tione replied.

"You are welcome. Now then, might if I ask you a question, Ais?" He turned towards the swordswoman, who raised her eyebrow. "Correct me if I am wrong, but this was an emergency, not a mission issued by a guild, right?"

"...Yes," The woman replied, while the Courier grabbed his temple.

"What it means is that sword you broke is probably not going to be compensated, right?" He said, which seemed to have worked as she looked at what remained from the sword in her hands with a revelation in her eyes. "Any idea how much it was worth or who made in the first place?"

"Ais got it from Goibniu as a replacement for her main weapon, Desperate, right?" Lefiya said, trying to be useful for once.

"Oh yeah, she did," Tiona said. "It will probably cost like fifty million Valis or more now that I think about it."

The news devastated the quiet woman, who looked like somebody dropped a ton of concrete on top of her head. He could see the sadness in her eyes and with an evil glint and a bit of theatrics, he said, "You know if you need the sword repaired... I am available, for a price that is."

"Wait, you are a smith?" Tione asked while everyone else turned towards him.

"Not really no, but I can fix stuff up quite well and do it on the fly as well," He explained. "So, what do you think?"

"How much would that repair cost?" Tione asked.

"Well, seeing how badly damaged the sword is, I am thinking... forty-five million Valis," He said, while Ais gaped at him.

"It's too expensive!" Tiona cried out, while the man cocked his head to the side.

"Is it though? I mean, this sword is basically useless, bar the handle. In order to fix it, you have to melt down the pieces, add more material to make up for the parts that were lost, reforge it and then you are done. Easily a couple of hours of work, not to mention the materials it was made from, which I am pretty sure is adamantine," He pointed out. The look on Ais face told him everything, the girl didn't expect to pay this much money for the repair. She bit her lips, hesitant upon the idea of handing the sword to him. "Look, there is nothing I can gain by stealing a broken sword from you. If anything, it would only get me into trouble," He added.

That seemed to have done it and Ais handed over the handle, before going over to search for the remains of the weapon. At the same time, the Courier laid the weapon in front of him and began looking around until he found what he was looking for. On the ground in front of him was a rolling pin in a mint condition too. With a smile under his helmet, he put it slightly below the handle and waited until Ais got all the pieces before making them in the vague shape of a sword.

"What is that rolling pin for?" Lefiya asked.

"You will see," He said, with a chuckle, before extending his both hands forward and shouting, "Abracadabra!"

The group watched intently, but nothing happened. "Umm… was that supposed to do something?" Tiona asked.

"Well, kind of, it's probably because you are looking!" He exclaimed, before hiding the items in front of him from their sight. "Now turn around would you, it won't work if you are looking!"

Ais glanced at Lefiya, who was just confused as she was. Tiona and Tione looked at each other, while the latter sighed and said, "It's not going to work any..."

"Done!" The Courier said, everyone, turning towards him, while he stood up.

"There is no way… eh?" Tione started only to feel her jaw drop to the ground along with everyone's else. The sword was intact like it had never been broken in the first place, except for the rolling pin, which was nowhere to be seen.

Giving it a few practice swings, he grabbed the weapon by the blade and with the handle turned towards Ais. She couldn't believe her own eyes as she gently took the sword and gave it a few swings, before slashing at a nearby wooden pole, which fell in half. "It's the same…," She muttered.

The Courier laughed as he watched their expressions from what could be described as a miracle. "Told you, I know how to fix stuff!"

Then at that moment Tiona grabbed him by his arms and started to shake him violently. "How did you do that?!"

"I-I-I aaaammm gonna hurl if yo-u d-don't stop-p!" He cried, the Amazon stopping in an instant. It took a lot from him not to escape from her grasp immediately, especially after being chased by her kind, but he did manage to keep his emotions in check.

"Please, tell me, how did you do that? It would save our entire Familia a lot of money," She begged, while the Courier shook his head.

"Can't do, trade secret," He replied, while tears appeared in the corner of her eyes.

"What if we were to pay you for your time and for fixing our weapons instead?" Tione suggested.

"Still no, I have got no intention of working for you and I would rather not have anyone else know," He replied, while an evil glint appeared in Tione's eyes.

"You do realize we will tell our goddesses about what happened today, including you?" She tried, while the man shrugged.

"I didn't expect otherwise, but if you try to blackmail me or tell other Familias about my skill, you can bet I won't speak to you or anyone else in your Familia ever again," He countered. "Also, Ais, you have a month to pay back for the repairs," He added, the woman nodding in response.

That seemed to have worked, as the Amazon shut up, while her sister let go off the Courier. "I see, in that case, I hope you will reconsider joining our Familia," Tione said.

"Not going to happen, still, I have got a message for your goddess," He said, everyone, turning towards him. "Ask her, how does it feel to have something so valuable in your grasp and yet not be able to claim it?" Then with a chuckle, he began his trek back to the pub, leaving the women behind him.