As the Courier led the group out of the room, he kept his eyes on the Xenos, watching as Healing Poultice did it's magic, mending wounds that could have been fatal, crippled limbs and such. The tribal's medicine was far more powerful than stimpaks and worked in a matter of seconds. The wounds closed, leaving behind healthy tissue, with little to no scarring behind, the Xenos surprised by its potency.

The group followed edges of the floor, keeping close to the walls and staying as far away as they could from the frequently travelled roads. The ten Xenos he escorted consisted of Fear, two War Shadows, Hard Armoured, Sword Stag, Troll, Wyvern, Bugbear, Hippogriff, Armousaurus and a Silverback. While Fear was the one who guided them all, Six made sure no adventurers ever came close to them. It was not the easiest feat and they often had to dive into the forest to avoid a group of them, especially when they came close to the staircase. There, they stopped in the bushes nearby, watching as people went past them.

They had to wait a couple of minutes, but once the road cleared out, they quickly made their way downstairs, before diving into one of the side passages. There they saw a group of monsters waiting for them. They consisted of six Lizardmen, three Mad Beetles and three Gun Libellula. The first one was a humanoid monster with red scales, the second a medium-sized beetle monster that walked on two legs. The last one was a dragonfly monster that shot projectiles out of its abdomen.

"I will take care of the monsters, you keep watch, okay?" He asked.

"Okay, be careful," Fear said and stepped back, while the Courier moved forward drawing Old Glory in the process.

The monsters charged forward, growling, while the dragonflies shot needle-like projectiles into his armour, not able to pierce through its defences. Armour still holding, good. With a swing of his weapon, two of the lizardmen died in an instant, their bodies exploding into a mist of gore and blood. Moving on to the rest, he kept the monsters away from the Xenos, who formed a protective perimeter around themselves, with weaker members located in the middle.

His fighting style was simple but efficient. Rush in, smash the enemy's skull in, move on to the next. He didn't waste time throwing flashbangs, tomahawks, applying poisons to his weapons due to a simple fact it was unnecessary. Back in the Mojave, it was all about having the most powerful weapon, not one which hit the most often, well, except for creatures who had no armour of their own.

Because of that, the Courier specialized in devastating blows, the so-called critical hits. Thanks to all the perks he acquired over the time of his journey, like better criticals and just lucky to be alive, even something simple as a pistol could hit power armour user so hard, it hurt. In fact, that's what A Light Shining in the Darkness and Old Glory did really well, among many others.

The first one could score a critical strike with each shot, thanks to the combination of items and perks he possessed, like the armour he was currently wearing. On top of that, The Way of Canaanite taught to him by Joshua Graham only made the pistol even more deadly. A single shot from it could kill a hardened mercenary wearing a full suit of reinforced combat armour. In comparison, Old Glory had only seventy-one per cent chance to crit, but when it did, not even a deathclaw could take more than one or two hits at best, assuming he didn't use Grand Slam, which dealt double the damage.

Not that it mattered as the monsters only focused on him. As he killed another two, a lizard man slammed him in the back with its tail, blood gushing out. He could hear gasp coming from the Xenos, but he ignored it and turned the monster into a red smear on a nearby wall, before going on to the next. Not a minute later, all the monsters were dead, no adventurers coming to investigate.

Satisfied, the Courier began gathering the drop items, before he turned towards the Xenos. They walked up to him, most not able to talk, but still gesture. They pointed at the blood on the ground before they pointed back at him.

"Are you alright?" Fear asked while the Courier shrugged.

"Meh, had worse," He replied, while the harpy bit her lip. "I heal fast, don't worry," He said and patted her on the head.

She nodded reluctantly before the group continued their descent. However, before they could continue, Fear yelped and fell on her knees, everyone else turning towards her.

"I am fine," She said and tried to stand back only to wobble, the Xenos keeping her steady.

"Stop trying to force yourself. You." He pointed at the Hippogriff. "Carry her on your back."

The Xeno nodded before the others helped Fear get on its back and they resumed the journey. The rest of it was spent in silence, the Xenos focused on getting back safely to their home, the Courier on their surroundings. Every now and then he had to kill a group of monsters that tried to harm them, before moving on towards the next.

"... Hey, Ulysses," Fear started.

"Hmm...?" He replied, glancing towards her.

"How do you do all that?" She asked.

"Do what exactly?" He questioned.

"All this stuff, like beating the adventurers, making things appear out of nowhere, those weapons you used?" She clarified.

"... It's complicated," He settled on. "Tell you what, when we get to safety I will answer some of the questions, but not all of them. Is that clear?"

"Okay...," She said, her curiosity still not satisfied. "...Why did you help us?"

"... I hate slavery... more than anything else. Seeing you all in cages like this... It reminded me of something I had seen before," He said, before taking a pause. "Guess, I just couldn't stand idly and let it happen, when I could do something."

"... I see," She said, digesting the information. "But, does it not bother you? Helping monsters?"

"No, why would it? You are different from the other monsters. If a human attacked me, should I hate other humans because of that?" He asked.

"Well, no, but...," She said, not knowing what to say to counter it.

"If someone attacked me, I would defend myself. However, I am not going to simply kill others for what they were born as. Our species don't define us, only our actions do," He finished.

The Xenos looked between each other, before they turned towards him, most of them smiling at him, others, well at least they tried. "You are kind, Ulysses," Fear said.

"... I am not, I am no hero either, I am just... a courier," He said, while the harpy blinked in surprise. "Forget I said anything, let's keep moving."

Fear nodded and soon they found themselves at floor twenty, in one of the side passages, where a lake was located, with a waterfall filling it up. He looked around, scratched the back of his head, before turning towards the Xenos.

"So, now what?" He asked.

"Please wait here, I need to talk to others before we let you in. Once it is safe, we will let you know," She said.

"Okay then, don't take too long, I get sunburnt easily," He said, while the harpy giggled.

After that, the Xenos walked into the lake and began swimming to the other side, right through the waterfall. He waited patiently, his ears detecting faint noises coming from the direction of the waterfall. It lasted for a couple of minutes before the hippogriff came out and gestured him to come. With a nod, he dived into the water, swimming through the lake, until he passed the waterfall.

What he saw inside made him blink in surprise. The limestone cavern-like room was well lit, giant magic lamps hanging at the ceiling and basking it in a pleasant light. Monsters of all shapes and kinds greeted him. Dozens of them surrounded him as he slowly made his way inside the cave.

Far away from the entrance where the group stood, a green dragon more than ten meters long lay at the base of a quartz pillar. Its body covered in scars, the wizened beast observed the adventurers with quiet eyes that seemed to contain the wisdom of countless years. He stopped in the middle, before a Siren different from the ones he read about descended from the ceiling.

If Fear was beautiful, then the girl in front of him was straight out gorgeous. Her beauty was breathtaking. Long, dull golden father with light blue tips at the end. Not unlike the half-human/half-bird harpy's, both of her elongated forearms formed beautiful golden wings. Similarly, coloured feathers covered most of her lower body, the exception being the birdlike talons on her feet. As she wore a battle cloth that Amazons would have approved of over her pronounced bust, her unfeathered stomach was completely exposed. And to finish it all off, sky-blue eyes with so much warmth in them, it actually gave him a pause.

"So, you are the one who saved our comrades from the adventurers?" She asked, her voice clear and soothing, while the Courier nodded.

"That would be the case, yes. I am Ulysses, pleased to meet you, miss...?" He said and extended his hand.

"Ray, a siren and one of the leaders of Xenos. I would like to thank you for saving our comrades" She introduced herself and raised her wing, the tip extended out like a finger, the two shaking them. The monsters grinned at the sight, some of them skipping a bit on the floor.

"You're welcome," He replied, glancing at the other monsters.

"Hey, don't forget about me, Ray!" Lydo said, a lizard man with a fine armour on his chest and a long two-handed sword.

"Of course, I didn't forget about you," She said and took a step back allowing the monster to stand in front of the Courier.

"I'm Lido; as you can see, I'm a lizard man and also one of the leaders. Nice to meet you, Ulysses," He said and extended his hand.

"The pleasure is mine," Courier said and returned the handshake.

The lizard man smiled even further and shook the hand vigorously. "No, the pleasure's all mine!"

One heartbeat later—"WOOOOOOO!"

The Courier nearly leapt out of his skins as a burst of sound roared through the room. The monsters that had been just as anxiously watching Lydo and Six—they were celebrating. The red-cap goblin applauded. Harpies on the ground skipped excitedly. The formoire pumped its fists into the air, albeit slowly. Almiraj hopped around in circles. The cheers continued. A friendship between man and monster—this day would go down in history, and all were elated to be a part of it.

"Fear and others told us everything that happened," Ray said as she walked up to the duo.

"Really? All of it? Including the part where I killed them? Or what I told them?" He asked while the girl nodded. "... Well, crap. I hope you are not afraid of me because of that?"

The girl giggled and shook her head. "Not in the slightest. Everyone is glad to have met a person who doesn't reject us and would go as far as to protect us."

"...You're way too trusting for your own good," He said, before shaking his head.

"Perhaps, but if we don't give chance to those would stand by us, would it do anything good?" She countered.

"Good point," He replied, but before they could do anything, a group of Xenos led by an Arachne and a gargoyle walked up to the duo.

The Arachne was wearing a full suit of armour with only her red human eyes visible, her skin and hair both as white as the frozen tundra hidden by it. The gargoyle was similarly dressed with a massive weapon on his back.

"Gros, Ranieh, is there something wrong?" Ray asked, her attention turned toward other Xenos.

"No need to be alarmed, Ray. We only wish to talk to the adventurer," Gros, the gargoyle replied, before he turned towards the Courier, eyeing him up. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Gros, one of the leaders of Xenos and this is Ranieh," He said and extended his hand.

"Ulysses," The Courier replied and shook the hand, noticing the gargoyle had a firm grip. Arachne just nodded at him, which he returned.

Ranieh and Gros were a part of the group of Xenos that detested people who lived on the surface. While those who shared their beliefs were in minority, they still made up about one-third of the Xenos, united by their mutual hostility toward surface dwellers. Ranieh words, in particular, were always infused with anger, hatred or perhaps something bordering on grief.

"So, is there something I can do for you?" The Courier asked.

"We were curious about you, the surface dweller who stood by us and went as far as to kill others to protect the Xenos," Gros replied.

"Judging by the way you speak, you are not fond of the 'surface dwellers', I presume?" Courier asked while the Gros smirked.

"That's quite an understatement. For years we have been hunted and captured by adventurers, the same types you have killed," He replied. "You know, there were other adventurers who in the end always sided with the surface dwellers."

"Gros," Ray chimed in, not liking the way the conversation was going. Lyd keeping a close eye on the gargoyle.

"Ray, let me finish," He said and turned towards the man. "However... you did. You stood by us when others did not. I didn't expect that. Thank you for doing so."

"You're welcome. Still, you seem reluctant to that idea," The Courier said.

"I admit, I am still worried you will end up stabbing us in the back," He said.

"... Finally! Somebody with head on their shoulders!" Courier exclaimed, everyone, blinking at the sudden outburst. "What I want to say is that you shouldn't trust me or anyone else on that matter only based on their words alone. However, I have proven that I am willing to risk my own life for the Xenos and killed those who tried to use your kind for their own personal gain. That's a goods start, isn't it?"

"I agree with that, but where are you going with it?" The gargoyle asked.

"My point is that words are meaningless, only actions matter," He replied.

"Why?" Ranieh asked, gaining everyone's attention. "How can you keep acting like this? We are supposed to be monsters, the things the adventurers hunt down, why are so calm in a situation like this?"

"Well, that's not much of a problem, I am not an adventurer in the same strict sense. Heck, I don't even have Falna," He replied, which got the attention of everyone involved.

"You don't have... a Falna?" Ray asked, not able to believe her own ears.

"Yep, never had it. I kind of hate gods, they are a bunch of dicks," He admitted.

"I don't believe it," Ranieh said, while the Courier shrugged.

"Unless you have got something like a magic prop the Guild uses, I can't prove it," He said. At this point, the Guild knew about his lack of Falna. Telling Xenos wouldn't hurt him much.

"We actually have got one of those," Lyd said, everyone, turning towards him.

"You do? How?" Courier asked, not expecting that.

The lizard man smiled and replied, "The Xenos are working closely with the Guild and a few others Familias. They supply us, in exchange for helping deal with the problems in the Dungeon."

"That makes it so much easier then. Let's do this," Courier said and the group followed to the middle room, where everyone gathered, looking curiously at the scene unfolding in front of them. He dematerialized most of the armour, leaving only some basic trousers, the helmet with the oscillator and the bandages on himself, the Xenos looking surprised at the sight in front of them. He began taking them off from his chest, the monsters watching closely.

Gasps echoed across as the cavern, as more and more of the Courier's body was exposed, leaving nothing to the imagination. The female Xenos looked in awe, some blushing more than others, like Ray who was blinking, her cheeks tainted a faint shade of red. The scars, the physique was fully visible to everyone involved, even Ranieh could not stand idly, her mouth slightly open, her eyes spread wide open.

"Damn, that's a lot of scars, Uli," Lyd said, while the Courier glanced towards him.

"Uli?" He asked.

"Yep, it's shorter and sounds better too. Can I call you like that?" He said while the man snorted.

"Heh, sounds alright to me, sure, go ahead," He replied and let the lizard man do his job. Ray, Gros, Ranieh stood right behind him watching closely. As the seconds passed, nothing became visible, only scars remained, the Falna not appearing.

"...It's true," Gros admitted, not able to believe his own eyes.

"Told you so," Courier said, before he stood up and put his armour back on in an instant, some of the Xenos a bit disappointed.

"But how? It should be impossible," Ray said, her world view shattered.

"There is a lot in this world you don't know about, Miss Ray," He replied with a chuckle. "You know, that gives me an idea."

"What kind of idea?" Lyd asked.

"A simple one, could you gather everyone in the village? I would like to prove my point," He said.

"Sure, just give me a second, Uli," Lyd said before he barked some orders and gathered all the Xenos in the village, in one spot. Fear and everyone else was there too, the harpy smiling at him.

"Okay, everyone. I am going to ask you three very important questions, which I want you to answer by saying yes or no. And if you can't speak, just nod or shake your head, okay?" He asked while everyone else nodded. "Good, first question. Can you think?" The Xenos blinked, before they nodded, not sure where this was going on.

"What sort of question is this?" Gros asked, not getting what the man was doing.

"Just answer the damn question," He replied, while the gargoyle nodded. "Good, second question. Can you speak, write or communicate in one way or another?"

"Yes, we all can," Ray said, the Xenos nodding at her words. "But, what is that supposed to mean?"

"Patience, Miss Ray. Now, one last question," He said, drawing the suspense. "Are you currently trying to eat me, kill me or rape me? Maybe in a different order," He added as an afterthought.

"What, no!" Fear said, the Xenos disgusted at the very idea of it. She couldn't understand, why would she do that to the man in front of her.

"Then, you are alright in my book," He finished, everyone looking at each other, confused and not sure what had just happened.

"That's it? That's all it takes?" Ranieh asked, her mind filled with confusion.

"Pretty much. Most people I have met over the years tried to kill me first, no questions asked. So, my standards are pretty low compared to others," He admitted.

"They... did? But why?" Ray asked she had never heard of other adventurers killing each other for no reason. It boggled her mind, especially since the Xenos never fought between each other.

"Plenty of reasons to kill others. To get all my stuff, rape me, feed me to their dogs, burn me alive and see my squirm, just to name a few. If anything, you and the rest of the Xenos have been far kinder to me than most people were," He said, Xenos just staring at him.

"What... what are you?" Gros asked. He couldn't believe his own ears. The way the man acted, like he didn't care, which greatly confused him.

"I am a green octopus with five penises that feasts on the blood of the innocent!" He exclaimed, everyone just gaping at him with their eyes spread wide open. The sound of crickets spreading out throughout the Dungeon somehow. The silence lasted for a total of five seconds, before the lizard man chuckled, everyone, turning towards him.

"Geh, that's a nice joke there, Uli!" Lyd said, realizing it was nothing more but an attempt at humour.

"Of course it was, good job, Lyd," He said and gave lizard man a thumbs-up. That seemed to have worked, as everyone started to slowly relax, smiling between each other.

"But, you killing others wasn't a joke, was it?" Ranieh asked.

"No, why would it? You've seen the scars on my body, most of them came from my 'fellow humans'. The few that didn't? None of them was caused by Xenos or even monsters from the Dungeon. I have said it once and I will say it again, I have got nothing against you," He replied. At this point, the Xenos began talking between each other, the murmurs filling the cave. "Oh, and by the way, I am going to keep your existence a secret, so could you do the same for me? The gods wouldn't let me live if they found out about some of the things I did."

"Sure, Uli. We can do that for you," Lyd said, the man chuckling.

"Glad to hear. Oh, and since that's out of the way, I need to apologize. I lied when it comes to my name," He said, everyone, turning towards him.

"Really? Why?" Ray asked, a bit disappointed by the fact.

"I wasn't sure if I could trust you. I was simply being cautious," He replied and shrugged. "Anyway, I am Six, Courier Six to be exact. Pleased to make your acquaintance," He said and tipped his helmet at them.

"The pleasure is ours," Ray said with a smile, other Xenos nodding.

Once that happened, the Xenos surrounded him from all sides, all curious about him. Some who could speak, others who could not, as well as those who had difficulty with pronouncing words—every sort of monster gathered in front of the Courier. One by one he shook their hands or appendages, showing no reaction even as the silent large-category monster, a formiore, held out its massive hand toward him. In fact, even Fear walked up to him, still smiling despite what she had been through recently.

"Thank you for accepting us," She said, while the Courier scratched his head.

"I haven't done anything really, I am just treating you as anyone else I would," He said.

"That's what makes it so special," She said and extended her wing. He shook it before he got an idea.

"Hey, Fear, would like to test it?" He asked and pointed at his helmet.

"Test it? You mean your helmet?" She asked, the man nodding. "Can I?"

"Sure, here you go," He said, unlocked the helmet with a hiss, before handing it over to the harpy. She looked at the helmet, then at Courier's green eyes, the visor still red. She began watching it from every direction, some of the Xenos looking at is as well.

The only thing that remained was the oscillator, which the Xenos were also curious about. He let them touch it, an odd sensation spreading through their limbs, whenever they touched the object. Solid light was quite miraculous after all. In the meantime, a red-cap goblin approached him.

"It's an honour to make your acquaintance, Signor Six," She said.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss...?" He replied.

"Laura, Signor Six," She replied and the two shook hands. "Mind If I ask, why do you wear so many bandages if you don't mind that is?"

"Scars, lot's of scars as you have seen. That and I don't like being seen naked, it makes me feel vulnerable, armour is my way to go," He explained. "Still, could you do me a favour and not call me, signor? Just Six will suffice."

"Of course, Sig... Six," She replied. The Courier smiled then watched as Fear put on the helmet, gasping as she did so.

"It's so bright in the cave! It's like on the floor eighteen!" She exclaimed, making the Courier chuckle, other Xenos even more curious about the helmet.

"It's night vision, it allows me to see in the dark. Pretty useful, isn't it?" He explained, the harpy nodding.

"How does it even work?" She asked, curious about the device.

"Trade secret," He replied,

"Aw, don't be like that!" She pouted.

The Courier chuckled at her behaviour before shaking his head. "Still no."

As he looked at the harpy, another smaller monster stepped up to him. It was an almiraj, with a loose blue battle jacket and with a broken pocket watch hanging around its neck like a pendant. The white rabbit looked up at the man with its cute round eyes. He knelt, getting to its level before he extended his hand.

"Kuuu!" The almiraj wiggled its long ears and leapt at him.

"Why are you licking me?" He asked as the monster cuddled to his chest, as he gently stroked its fur.

"Arles... She cannot speak, but it seems she's taken a liking to you," Ray explained.

"Really? Aren't you cute little thing," He complimented as he continued stroking her fur, the Xeno releasing a cute purr. Some of the Xenos giggling at the sight.

However, other Xenos wanted to say hello as well, so the almiraj regretfully let go, hopping away. The next one to meet his was Ranieh, with her lower spider half. The two stared at each other before the Courier extended his hand and waited. After a short consideration, she returned the handshake, her attention focused on the man in front of her.

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Ranieh," He said.

"The pleasure is mine," She said before she let go. "I have got a request."

"And what kind of request are we talking about?" He asked.

"I would like to ask that you give a hug to any Xeno that asks for it, including me," She said.

He blinked as he processed the request. "Okay then... a bit of odd, if you ask me, but whatever. Just a fair warning, I am terrible at hugging, haven't done much of it."

"That's alright," She replied.

As much as she wanted to give the man in front of her chance, her past experiences with the adventurers made her distrustful and reluctant to give surface dwellers a chance. However, the man so far proved to be a bit different than most, but she wanted something more definite. A proof that he was fine with their presence.

She opened her arms and watched as the man, walked up to her. She was an arachne, a predator and at this close range, she could easily inject the man with deadly poison. If he was willing to trust her... not like this would happen. The man slowly got closer, and gave her a hug, bringing his neck close enough for her to bite. Some of the Xenos held their breath expecting something bad to happen.

However... nothing did. She didn't sense anything, nothing, no sudden movement, not a speck of disgust. It was... impossible. After a few seconds, the embrace was broken, the man stepping away.

"Satisfied?" He asked, the Arachne blinking for a few seconds.

"...Indeed," She replied and began walking away, giving one last glance to the Courier.

He released a sigh of pure relief, glad it went well. He was quite certain she would bite him right there and then. Shaking his head, he turned towards other Xenos. Once Ranieh did what she did, many more Xenos were more than happy to give him hugs, both male and female alike, some more than once. It was odd to say the least, odd, but pleasant.

This went on, until Ray arrived, giving him a smile. "It seems like everyone has accepted you so far, even Ranieh and Gros," She said.

"Seems that way, I am honestly surprised. Out of all the things to happen, I expected something a little bit different," He admitted.

The siren giggled and said, "You aren't the only one. Ranieh and Gros have been deeply hurt by the adventurers, it makes sense for them to be distrustful."

"I don't blame them, you Xenos don't have it easy with all the adventurers and such," He said.

"Indeed, in any event. I hope you will be staying with us, a celebration if you will," She said.

"A celebration, today?" He asked the siren nodding. "... I am afraid, I have to say no to that."

She blinked in surprise, her heart aching a bit, the Xenos turning towards them. "Why not?"

"It's not that I don't want to, but it's getting late and I would rather not worry a friend of mine. I promised to come back tonight. I will gladly come tomorrow and then we can celebrate, is that a good compromise?" He asked, the murmurs erupting between the monsters.

"... Very well. It would be rude of us to hold you back," She replied, her smile slightly weaker than seconds ago.

"Thank you for that, Miss Ray. I promise I will come tomorrow," He said and offered his hand. The siren looked at it before she walked up and hugged him on the spot. He paused, as the siren soft feathers surrounded him, before he returned the hug, gently patting her on the back.

"Be careful," She said, her cheeks tainted a faint shade of pink.

"I will, Fear if you would be so kind," He said the harpy reluctantly giving him the helmet.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" She asked.

"Afraid so, but only for a day. Oh, and before I forget, Miss Ray. I have put a trap at the entrance to the structure where your comrades were held. If possible, do not go there and watch from the distance. There could be other entrances, camouflaged on higher or lower floors, so take care, would you?" He said, the siren nodding.

"We will. The Guild will be informed and we will search for the entrances," She replied.

"Good, but don't go inside. We don't know what to expect or what sort of traps are there. For all we know, it could be rigged to collapse, to prevent anyone from reaching the heart of it. However, if we can cut them out from the rest of the world, they will most likely starve to death from lack of supplies," He explained.

"I see...," She replied, thinking of the potential threats.

However, before he could leave, the Xenos walked up to him and started to say their goodbyes. Some hugged him, some shook his hand, some just nodded at him. It took another few minutes, but once he was done, he turned around and left, waving his hand and leaving the Xenos behind.

"So, what do you think, Ray?" Lyd asked as he stood by his fellow Xeno.

She smiled at her comrade and said, "We have made a good friend it seems."


Letting out a sigh, the Courier began his trek towards the surface. On his way there, he switched back into his ordinary attire, not wanting to draw any more attention. As much as he wanted to stay, he promised Ryuu he would come back to the Hostess of Fertility tonight, it wouldn't do him any good to make her worry, he enjoyed her company after all.

Still, as he moved forward, he wondered about the Xenos and their issues. They were trapped in the Dungeon, not able to visit the surface because the adventurers would attack them. He honestly pitied them, since they had done nothing bad to deserve it. In a way, they were similar to ghouls and super mutants, which actually had human origin. And yet, NCR and many other groups looked down upon them, even employing mercenaries to harass their town.

It didn't sit well with him, but he couldn't simply escort them to Orario, not unless they had a place to stay, preferably far away from prying eyes. What he could do instead was bring the surface to them, well at least a part of it. Good thing he still had all those movies with him safely secured on the holotapes. The pipboy could play sound, music, radio, even movies, but it had a very small resolution. Luckily enough, he still had projector capable of playing those things. Whether or not he would show them, was a whole another thing.

Shaking his head, he focused on the road in front of him, clearing out the monsters that stood in his way. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity he arrived at the entrance of the Dungeon, the sun about to set. He made his way to the pub, sat at one of the free tables and waited for one of the waitresses to arrive. As luck would have it, it was Ryuu who decided to take his order, her hair once again dyed green.

"Good evening, Mister Six. What would you like to eat today?" She asked, a small smile on her face.

"Good evening, Miss Lion. A plate of spaghetti, if you would be so kind," He greeted, the waitress nodding before she went to get his order. He didn't have to wait long until she arrived and put the meal in front of him. "Thank you kindly, Miss Lion."

"May I ask, how did the exploration of the Dungeon go?" She asked, curious what happened once the two separated.

"Pretty well, I think. That reminds me, I will be gone for the next two days, most likely, just so you know," He said.

"Why is that?" She asked.

"Something came up and I can't ignore it," He replied.

"I see... Very well, please take care when you are gone," She said.

"I will, it definitely won't be as deadly as a giant carnivorous flower," He replied with a shrug.

"...What?" She asked, not expecting this kind of response. "What do you mean, giant carnivorous flower?"

"Well, there was this massive pitcher plant thing in the ground, which I fell into. There were bones, armours, weapons and such. It had an eye and two green tentacles, never seen anything like this before," He explained.

"Are you alright? You weren't hurt, were you?" She asked, giving him a quick look over, before releasing a sigh of pure relief.

"I am fine, thank you for asking," He replied.

"Where did you see it?" She asked. This didn't sound well, in fact, Ryuu had a bad feeling about it.

"If I tell you, will go investigate?" He asked while the elf nodded. The man sighed as he considered his options. "That's what I thought. I could tell you, but only if you promise me to be careful."

"I promise," She replied, the Courier watching her for a few seconds.

"Okay, it was on a floor eighteen. However, there could be more of them and things like traps. So, be careful, okay?" He replied while the elf nodded. "Don't make me regret it, Miss Lion."

"I won't," She replied, before going on to other customers.

The Courier bit his lip as he watched her leave. He shouldn't be worried, but too many times, people would go and risk their lives only to end up dead. Should he go with her? No, she could take care of herself. She wasn't stupid, she managed to kill entire Familia by herself, he probably underestimated her. With another sigh, he quickly finished the meal, before going back to his room.

First, he brought up his pipboy and checked his status, a relief flooding through. It seemed like the curse has been flushed out of his body. It was good, but he still had to test it out. So he dematerialized his armour, brought the spear up and stabbed himself. He checked the pipboy again and began counting, keeping a close eye on it, waiting for it to disappear.

The curse was potent, able to last an up to an hour with a single strike. Enough for any person to bleed out unless they had regeneration. Multiple hits extended the duration making it deadly against most opponents. What made it worse, was the fact that none of his items could get rid of it. Not antivenom, not healing poultice, nothing. And he still had no clue how it affected adventurers from this world.

If there was any consolation about it was the fact that he could still heal albeit at a slower rate than usual. His regeneration was able to easily counteract most hits, allowing him to stand still even while a rapid-fire machine gun unleashed hell on top of him. Mind you, he still had limits, too many of them, or a powerful hit and even he could die. It became evident when he fought deathclaws, implant GRX slowing down his healing rate. With a frown, he jumped into the bed, thinking of a possible solution to this newfound problem.


When the Courier woke up, he blinked owlishly, before making his way downstairs, having a quick shower on his way there. When he got downstairs, he didn't expect to see Ryuu working along with the rest of the waitresses. He was glad to see she hadn't immediately rushed in. He nodded at her, before making himself comfortable at one of the seats.

"Good Morning, nya," Anya greeted him.

"Good morning, Miss Formel," He said.

"What can I get you?" She asked, her tail swishing back and forth.

"A plate of scrambled eggs, if you would be so kind," He replied, while the female nodded.

He didn't have to wait long before the dish arrived and Anya went on to other customers. He wasted no time finishing the meal, before handing over the plates and heading towards the Dungeon, nodding at other waitresses as he left the pub. He also wanted to try some cooking again, maybe show some of his recipes to the Xenos. So with that in mind, he swung by the market, bought a lot of ingredients to feed all the monsters, before heading out towards Babel, the cost of which ended up at around ten thousand Valis. He had to buy them in parts too, so the merchants wouldn't ask where he stored all of it.

A couple of minutes later, he arrived at the entrance of the Dungeon, before he descended into its depths, going straight to the floor eighteen. On his way there, he did his best to dispatch of any and all monsters standing in his way, before he found himself at his destination. Now, that he reached floor eighteen, he had only two more floors to go, before he would be back at the Xeno's village. That reminded him, he still had a lot of crap in his pipboy, most of it he had no use for, some of which the Xenos could possibly use.

Finding a spot away from prying eyes, he brought the pipboy up and began browsing through all the junk items, he put in the misc category. Things like crappy guns, armours, clipboards, conductors, just to name a few. Let's see what can I show them. Definitely not weapons and armour, maybe some of the toys I have? He could feel his eyebrows raise as he read all the labels of the items.

There were ninety-two baseballs, twenty-seven baseball gloves, seventeen basketballs, five full sets of balls for billiard, fifty-eight chessboards, two hundred seventy-nine Dinky the T-Rex Souvenirs, seventeen Nuka Cola trucks, one hundred forty-one Sunset Sarsaparilla deputy badges, one hundred and two teddy bears and last but not least ninety six toy cars. That's a whole lot of junk, which I haven't sold. He wouldn't give them all away, especially the T-Rex figurines and trucks among others. But, at the same time, he had no clue what to do with them.

Selling them was an option, but he already had plenty of money. Then a stray thought entered his mind. What if I just gave them away for free to Xenos? That made him shiver like somebody just dumped a whole bucket of cold water on top of his head. Throwing them out was against his nature. The idea of simply giving stuff away for free was stupid as far as he knew, that much Wasteland taught him. However, keeping them forever in his inventory was also pretty pointless. Okay, odds I give them away for free, even I keep them for myself. He then tossed a single Valis in the air and watched as it fell, odd side fully visible. With a heavy sigh, the Courier resumed his journey, getting to floor twenty.

As he made his way down, he found himself at the floor nineteen. Navigating through the rock formation, he noticed something or rather someone falling down a slope. He drew his sword and activated VATS, getting a better look at the figure.

Its body was similar to that of a human girl: four limbs and a smooth body. Its shoulders, waist, and a few other areas were covered in countless scales. Long, bluish silver hair flowed down from its head, swinging from side to side as the creature slowly got up from its facedown landing spot.

The strikingly beautiful monster had dark-red eyes that sparkled like gems in the dim light. It shifted its distant gaze up toward the ceiling, which was blocked by the leaves of many trees. The figure had supple, delicate limbs that closely resembled those of a young girl. Azure-silver hair glistened in the light of the moss.

Besides its long, silky tresses, the being possessed skin of a bluish-white hue. The many scales covering its shoulders, lower back, and the long ears framing its face, tapering to even finer points than those of elves, were similarly coloured. But the most notable feature by far was the glimmering crimson jewel embedded in its forehead. Her stilted amber eyes glistening in the Dungeon.

Blue-white skin and a crimson jewel were just the first of many features that proved this creature was a monster. A Xeno? A vouvire? However, what brought his attention were the wounds covering the naked body of the female. They looked like they were made by both monsters and humans alike. The Courier frowned, made sure there were no adventurers nearby, put on his set of Elite Riot Gear before he set out towards her.


"Where... is this?" A vourive asked, her eyes slowly getting adjusted to her surroundings.

The ceiling, walls, and floor in this area of the labyrinth were all tree bark. Moss thickly covered its surfaces, illuminating the passageway in a bluish-green light. It gave the impression that not a soul had ever set foot in this part of the Dungeon. The reverberations of distant monster howls made leaves tremble, prompting beads of silver to dribble off sundry fantastical flora.

She was alone and confused, her mind dizzy. She didn't know what to do, her mind forcing her to stand up and go. She saw a dragon, one of her kind, similar, but different. She walked up to it, wanting answers. What she found instead was pain, as the monster, a wyvern, slashed her with its razor-sharp claws, the blood falling on the ground, making her scream from the agony.

She turned around and ran, the monster roar heard not far behind her. Why...? Tears, dripped from the corners of her eyes as she ran, blood droplets falling on the floor, tainting the ground red. She ran, ran until she came across a group of humanoids, wearing armour, a total of six standing in front of her, all of them male.

"Help... me," She pleaded, the adventurers stopping in their tracks. Then one of them yelled and slashed with his sword, blood spewing out of the fresh wound. She screamed again from the anguish before she turned around and ran. Why...?

"After her!" They yelled, an ominous look evident in their eyes.

She ran, and ran, until she slipped and slid down a slope, her body tumbling on the hard rock. She tried to stand, but her left leg refused to. With tears in her eyes, she noticed a small indent in the structure and managed to drag herself to it, before she fell on her knees and went as deep inside of it as she could. The little leaves and grass growing there acting as a makeshift camouflage. She was alone, her pursuers not far off from her, tears falling out of her eyes.

"Why are you here?" A voice asked.

She looked up, her eyes spreading wide open. A sight straight out from hell greeted her. Red eyes shining in the darkness, a blue halo-like structure on its head and armour similar to the attackers. She raised her arms in a feeble attempt to stop the thing in front of it from hurting her. She waited, and waited, but... nothing came. Slowly she opened her eyes and watched as the creature in front of her knelt, looking over her, but differently than her pursuers.

"You're one of the Xenos, aren't you? Why are you here?" He asked, his voice definitely male.

"X-xeno?" She asked, the creature in front of her looking right in her eyes.

"Do you know what a Xeno is?" He asked she shook her head, still fearful of the one in front of her. "I see... That explains it," He muttered to himself before he gestured to the wounds covering her body. "You're wounded, why?"

"I... they hurt me," She said and gestured to the cave behind her.

"They? You mean adventurers and monsters?" He asked while she nodded timidly. She wasn't sure if they were really called that, but she had a feeling she was right. The Courier sighed as he materialized a healing poultice, the vouvire eyes spreading wide open and gestured to it.

"It's a medicine, it will help you and hurt a bit, is that alright?" He asked.

She looked at the man, then at the bag. "Will it hurt... a lot?" She asked.

"A bit, it's that or a bitter drink, which you will have to drink," He said as he materialized a bottle. "You will have to down in all in one go, otherwise your stomach won't be able to hold it."

She looked between the items before she gestured at the bottle. She took it, her hands shaking before she tasted it and immediately coughed. "It's bitter..."

"Told you so, I can still give you the other one," He said and motioned to the poultice.

She shook her head and downed the bottle in one go, immediately coughing as a result. However, as soon as the medicine entered her body, the wounds on her body began to heal in front of her very eyes. The scales regrew, the skin mended, leaving little to no scarring, only healthy tissue behind. The only thing that remained was her leg, which she could not properly control.

However, before she could voice her thoughts, the man in front of her materialized a Doctor's Bag and began cleaning her wound. She winced as he reinforced the limb with a bit of wood, her left leg covered in a white sheet of bandage.

"Better?" He asked and he gestured to the leg. She nodded, while the Courier breathed out a sigh of pure relief.

"Glad to hear it. Now, you can't stay here. It's too dangerous. I can take you somewhere safe, but you will have to trust me, can you do that?" He asked and extended his hand in her direction, the palm directed towards the sky.

She looked at it, at the five digits, before she slowly reached for it, stopping before she could touch it. She gulped and slowly placed her hand in his, the fingers closing, feeling warmth despite the armour. Then, the Courier slowly began pulling her upward, making sure she wouldn't fall and keeping her stable. Then, just as she was about to stand, she hissed, before she lost it and fell on the man's chest, the hands embracing her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, the girl nodding.

"There it is!" She heard, her heart-stopping for a moment as she glanced behind the man, the same group that injured her in the first place.

"What the hell is that?" One of them asked, the adventurers drawing their weapons, as she huddled closer to the man, shaking from fear.

"Don't know, never seen anything like it. Oi, there, are you an adventurer?" Another one asked.

The Courier turned his head towards the group, most of the group around level two or three at most, judging by their health. Adding two and two together, he had a pretty good idea, of what had the girl in front of him experienced not too long ago. She was probably born not too long ago, tried to get help was first attacked by the monsters and then came across the adventurers. And the way the looked at her... like she was a prey for them, the lust in their eyes clear.

"Depends on who's asking," He replied.

"Heh, good joke. Now then, hand the vourvire over, we saw her first," One of them said.

"And you hurt her first too?" He asked while the man narrowed his eyes.

"Why does it matter? It's a monster," He replied. "If anything, her death will make us rich. If you hand her over we will even split some of the rewards with you."

The vouvire trembled, as she looked up at the Courier's face, the man glancing towards her before he turned towards the adventurers and snorted. "I have got a better idea. You can either leave, forget what you saw or..."

"Or what?" One of them asked.

"Or you can die, the choice is yours to be made," He replied. The adventurers looked between each other, before they laughed heartily, none of them taking the guy in front of them seriously.

"Hah, that's a good joke. Now, hand the girl over. The boys here and I want to have some fun with her," He said, the group preparing their weapons, some licking their lips at the naked monster.

"Don't look," The Courier said, before he gently brought the monster's face to his chest, preventing her from seeing what he was about to do.

She did as told, her eyes closed. The Courier looked at the group, materialized Thump-Thump, aimed it with one hand and pulled the trigger. The grenade soared through the air before it landed right in the middle. The explosion rocked the Dungeon, killing the adventurers instantly, their bodies blasted into pieces. However, the sound echoed across the Dungeon, travelling around it and alerting both adventurers and monsters alike of the accident.

He frowned, there was no time to spare. "Stay here, I need to do something," He said. The girl opened her eyes, looked at him before she nodded.

He turned around and rushed forward, quickly transferring all the items the adventurers possessed to himself, leaving them completely naked. The girl turned a shade paler, trying her hardest not to look at bodies of those that tried to hurt her just a moment ago. Then, he walked up to the girl and picked her up, bridal style, electing a yelp of surprise, before he rushed forward, keeping to the side and travelling to the floor twenty to the Xeno's village.

She didn't know what to think just yet, her saviour both equally scary and kind at the same time. However, for the first time in her life, she felt safe in his embrace and cuddled closer, as she watched the walls of the Dungeon go pass her.