"So, do you have a name?" The Courier asked as the two stayed in one of the side passages, waiting for a group of adventurers to go past them, the Xeno standing on her own, her face buried in his chest.
The vouvire shook her head, her attention solely on the man. "No..."
"I see... I am Six, Courier Six," He introduced himself.
"Courier... Six?" She asked, her head tilted to the side.
"Just call me Six, it's easier to remember anyway," He replied.
"Six, Six...," She muttered trying to get a good grasp at the name.
"Now, you should have a name too, don't you think?" He asked while the girl nodded slowly. "Would you like me to give you one?" He asked. Please say no, I am horrible at naming things. Unfortunately for him, the monster in his arms opened her mouth, closed it, before she nodded once again. "Alright then... Give me a moment."
He looked at the naked monster in his arms, her scales and intimate places all fully visible. However, to him, it didn't matter. Considering the number of people and creatures he stripped of gear and anything valuable over the years, it was a sight he got used to. Let's see, the gem on her forehead looks like ruby, so maybe Ruby? No, that sounds cliche as fuck. Scaley? Somehow it sounds even worse. Come on brain, help me here! There was no response, the Courier sighing internally. What now? Am I supposed to call her after one of the brands of the wine? Wait a moment, wine? Wine... Wineee, no, Wiiine, no, Winie...
"Winie," He muttered mostly to himself.
"Winie?" She asked, making him look down at her. There's no way this is going to work.
"Well, kind of. I mean, it's a name I came up with, but if you don't want it, just say so," He replied.
The Xeno blinked and repeated the word. "Wiene…? Me…Wiene?" She asked. Then at that moment, her face lit up and she gave him one of the purest most innocent smiles he had ever seen in his entire life.
"Six, Six!" She said and rubbed her face against his chest, her smile so powerful it stopped him in his tracks. So cute... Then he realized what he just thought and horror came on his face. He was glad the helmet was still on, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to look straight at her. He was Courier Six, one of the deadliest people to ever walk Mojave Wasteland and here he was getting his breath stolen by an innocent girl. How have the mighty fallen...
"So... you like it, I guess?" He asked while the monster nodded. "That's great to hear. Now then, let's get a move on," He said, gently picked her up bridal style and the two resumed their journey to the floor twenty. The Xeno cuddled close to him, releasing a sigh of pure content, her beautiful smiled directed at him. She is way too innocent for this world...
Then he remembered how close she came to dying by the hands of the adventurers. He couldn't protect them, not all of them, that much he knew. And why would he? He was a courier, not a hero that strived to save everyone and everything in existence. If the opportunity arose, he took it, like that time with Weathers and such. However, unlike the followers who tried to help everyone, he always thought about himself first, never doing anything for free. Back in the Mojave, the altruism was easily taken advantage of.
Still, the time spent with the girl in his arms only reinforced his opinion. The Xenos were not monsters and didn't deserve to be treated like this, same with ghouls and super mutants bar the crazy ones. Shaking his head, he focused on the road in front of him. Due to Wiene being in his arms, he had to avoid combat at all times, even if it meant running away or just straight out hiding. It was one of the drawbacks of the stealth field. It only worked on him, unless he were to give Wiene a stealth boy. That itself was risky considering how detrimental they were to the nightkin, making them go insane from the usage. Schizophrenia was not a nice thing, to say the least.
Of course, there were still those slavers and the structure to take care of. However, he couldn't simply waltz in and expect them to commit suicide. They would probably fight to the last member. If the Xenos and the Guild could keep them contained it would go a long way at keeping the Xenos safe. He had to come up with a solution, something like a transportalponder. Although, there were no satellites in this world, not that it would work underground. It took a bit longer than usual, but the duo finally arrived at the entrance to the village, the lake spread out in front of them. He gently set Wiene on the ground, making sure she was stable before he gestured to the waterfall.
"See that waterfall, there?" He asked, the girl nodding in response. "That's where we have to go. We will have to swim through the lake."
"I... I can't swim," She said, her attention on him.
"I figured as much. I will swim and you will hold on tightly to me, okay?" He said while the girl nodded.
"Okay...," She muttered, the two walking into the water which was relatively warm, somewhere around twenty degrees.
The girl still shivered a bit when her leg entered the liquid, but she managed to go all the way, till her waist was fully submerged. The Courier then knelt and let Wiene's arms wrap around his neck before he pushed himself off the bottom and began swimming using classical style, the one that looked like a frog. He kept his watchful eye on the Xeno, making sure, she was not slipping.
A minute later, they swam through the waterfall, both getting wet, before they stood up. Just like the last time, he saw Xenos turning towards them, alarmed, only to recognize him, their bodies relaxing.
"I am back," Courier said, as he left the water behind, Wiene holding close to his back, the water dripping from their bodies.
"Welcome back," Ray greeted him, as she descended from the sky and glanced at his back, where Wiene did everything in her power to stay out of sight. "I see you brought someone with you."
"Pretty much, didn't plan for it. Now, Wiene, come introduce yourself," He urged the girl, who peeked out from behind him.
"Hello...," She muttered, her gaze focused on the siren.
"Wiene... it's a very good name. I am Ray, a siren. It's nice to meet you," She said and extended her wing in the form of greeting. Wiene blushed, squirming as though she were being tickled after the compliment on the name given to her.
The girl looked at the Courier, who gently nudged her forward before she nodded and slowly stepped forward. "Wiene...," She said and shook Ray's wing.
"See, they are friends, Xenos, just like you," Courier said, the girl turning towards him before she noticed all the Xenos looking at her. She tensed, looking like she wanted to make herself invisible. With a sigh, the Courier gently patted her on her head, causing her to turn towards him. "It's alright, I am here."
She nodded and smiled weakly, before the siren smiled and led them inside, other Xenos watching their every move. After that the Xenos walked towards them, Wiene embracing his right arm with her naked body, still a bit tense. The first one to greet the newcomer was Fear, who smiled at the duo.
"Hello, I am Fear, a harpy. It's nice to meet you, Wiene," She greeted.
"Nice to meet you... too," Winie said, the harpy smiling at her, her wing extended.
The vouvire shook the wing, a small smile spreading on her lips. Once that happened, other Xenos came to say hello, the girl greeting them one by one. She slowly relaxed, the Xenos being very hospitable and giving her warm reception, so much so, she only held his arm with her one hand. That went on until Arles arrived and jumped on top of the Courier.
"Hi there, Arles," He greeted, as he gently stroked the fur of the almiraj.
"Kuuu!" She said and let the Courier pet her.
"Uuu..." Wiene pouted as she looked at her fellow Xeno, her eyes narrowed. It only got worse, when Fear walked up to him, the Courier nodding at her, like her treasure was about to be stolen. "N-no! You can't have, Six, no!"
She physically pulled off the Xeno, who yelped as she latched on to the Courier. The Courier laughed in response as he looked at the obviously jealous girl, ruffling her hair in the process. "Wiene, be nice."
"Uuu...," She said, looking him straight in the eye.
Ray giggled as she watched the spectacle unfold. "It seems like she got attached to you. That reminds me, how did you two meet and why is she naked?"
"Well... I kind of saved her life from a bunch of adventurers, healed her wounds and brought her here. She was already naked when I found her," Courier explained.
"Adventurers... huh? What happened to them?" She inquired.
"Dead," He replied shortly, Wiene turning towards him.
"I see... I wish we could avoid fighting, but...," She started.
"They didn't give me much of a choice. It was either them or Wiene and if I let them go, they would have told others. It was a lose-lose situation," He said.
"That's too be expected. Now then, we should bring some clothes for Wiene, shouldn't we?" She asked and told Fear to bring some of the spare clothes they had. "However, they weren't the slavers, were they?" She asked, the Courier shaking his head.
"Sla...vers?" Wiene asked, her head tilted to the side.
"Nasty people, very nasty. Six here saved me and a few others from them," Fear explained, a bag of clothes in her arms. Wiene turned towards her before she turned towards the Courier again.
"Really?" She asked the Courier nodding. She looked at the Xenos, then back at him before she gave him the same beautiful smiled and a hug on top of that. "Six is... nice."
"No, I am not, I am horrible!" He denied, the Xenos laughing, including Wiene, the Courier huffing. Although internally he enjoyed the hug, and her body being pressed against his. She was soft and warm, something he could get used to. Fear walked up to the girl and showed her the clothes, she once again hid behind the Courier.
"Uuu...," She muttered as she looked at the clothes.
"Wiene? Is there something wrong?" He asked the girl turned towards him.
"I don't want to," She said and gestured to the fabric. Fear and others blinked at the confession, not able to comprehend why would she say that.
"Why not?" He asked, the girl shaking her head.
"Don't like them," She replied, making the Courier chuckle.
"Wiene, look at Ray, Fear, Ranieh, just to name a few. They are all wearing clothes, I am wearing clothes," He said and gestured to his suit of armour, but the girl still shook her head. "Wiene, if you don't put on the clothes... I will be sad," He said and faked sobbing. "Wiene doesn't like me.."
"Six, don't cry," She pleaded, the Courier still faking the sobbing, the Xenos watching with knowing smiles.
She looked between the clothes and the still sobbing man before she reluctantly walked up to the harpy and began picking through them. The Courier smiled as he ruse paid off and watched as the girl picked up an article of clothing that would make an Amazon proud. A simple blue bra and pants that resembled more male underwear than anything else.
She turned towards him and asked, "Six... happy?"
He nodded, walked up to her and gently patted her on the head, the girl releasing a soft sigh. "Yes, very happy, Wiene." She beamed at him, before giving him another hug as he gently patted her on her back. When she finally let go, she grabbed his right hand and didn't let. "Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I brought gifts!" And cursed himself internally for the bad luck.
"Gifts...?" Ray asked she didn't expect that. "You didn't have to."
"Perhaps, but you will get more use out of them than I will. I can't bring you to the surface, but I can bring the surface to you," He replied. "Mind If I take a seat? Standing in the entrance like this is not going to make it easier."
"Sure, come on, Six, follow me," Lyd said, as he walked up to them and gestured the Courier to follow him.
The lizard man took two of the wooden chairs located at a massive wooden table located in the cave and set up in this way so that every Xeno could have a good look at them, Wiene being able to sit next to him.
The Courier made himself comfortable, Wiene sitting on his right before he turned towards Ray. "Question, how many Xenos are there in general?"
"About one hundred give or take with the numbers shifting slightly spread over multiple villages. Not all of them can freely travel the Dungeon," She replied.
"You mean, there is more than this one place?" He asked the siren nodding. "Huh, didn't know that. Oh well. I was worried for a second I wouldn't have enough for all of you. So, without further ado, here you go, Miss Ray," He said and materialized a teddy bear out of nowhere.
It was a child's toy shaped like a little bear, made from soft fabric and stuffing used for play and comfort. It's bright pink fur with a smile, made the Xenos look in awe. Ray blinked a bit before she gently received the bear and gave it a good look. She smiled before she turned towards him.
"It looks so soft and fluffy... Is that really alright, giving them to us? She asked, biting her lip a bit.
"I don't see why not. Where I come from nobody wants them anyway, they prefer weapons, armours, money etc," He replied, Wiene looking at the teddy bear as if she wanted to say something.
With a chuckle, he materialized another one and gave it to her. She looked between the toy and her arms, which were still wrapped around Courier's right arm before she let go with one hand and grabbed the teddy bear with other, her smile so pure, he smiled as well.
"So fluffy," She muttered, gently touching it.
"And just so you know, I also have got other toys, like this one," He said and materialized a baseball. "Hey, Lyd, catch!" He tossed the ball, the lizard man catching it easily.
"Oh, nice throw. What's it called?" He asked as he inspected the toy.
"It's called baseball. It's part of the game from where I come from," He replied. "I also have got these things," He said and materialized a chessboard and a basketball.
"What are those?" Fear asked as she looked over the chessboard.
"The chessboard is a game you play one on one. I will explain the rules later. The basketball right here is similar to baseball, except you play it differently," He replied. "So, who wants one?" He asked, the Xenos raising their hands in the sky.
After that, each Xeno came one by one to receive the toy of their own. Fear, harpies and other female Xenos preferred the cute teddy bears, while Lyd and other males like balls more, throwing them at each other. Some smaller Xenos or more animal-based ones like Arles and hellhounds also took the balls, since they found them easier to play with.
To his surprise, even Ranieh and Gros came along with the rest of their group. And to top it all off, the Arachne took her helmet off. Her white skin and hair, along with red eyes reminded him of Yamato Nadeshiko. While some of the members were still reluctant to his presence, they were willing to give him a chance, especially after the latest events. He waved his free hand at them, Gros returning it, while Ranieh simply nodded.
"So, what can I get you?" He asked.
"I would like a teddy bear," Ranieh replied.
"And I would like a basketball as you called it," Gros replied.
He nodded, gave them toys they asked for and watched with amusement as the might gargoyle tossed the ball up and down. As for Ranieh, she actually managed to smile a bit, something she immediately corrected when she saw him looking at her. He chuckled a bit under his breath, the Arachne flushed, as more and more Xenos came for the toys.
As he looked at the Xenos playing with the toys he provided, even the giant dragon, rolling the basketball between his feet, Ray walked up to him, clutching tightly the teddy bear she got. "Thank you for everything, I am not sure how we can ever repay for all the things you have done."
"Seeing you smile is a reward itself," He replied with a chuckle, the siren blushing, Wiene looking at her with a hint of jealousy. "Say, Ray, where can I drop off other toys? Not all of the Xenos are here, correct?"
"That would be correct. I will arrange something," She replied before she turned towards other Xenos. "Everyone, let us celebrate our new friend!"
"Woo!" The Xenos roared and got down to work.
The Xenos wasted no time preparing the table. He watched as the monsters brought food, drinks, plates, utensils and many more. Wine, steaks, vegetables, among the others, covered the surface of the tables. The Xenos set his place in the middle of the table so that others could see him clearly. On his left sat Ray, with Lyd next to her.
On his right, there was Wiene and Gross, followed by Ranieh. Other Xenos did their best to get places as close as they could to him. Seeing food in front of her, Wiene smelled the fragrance, trying her best to decide what to eat. She extended the hand towards one of the dishes, but before she could grab it, he stopped her.
"You can't eat without using the utensils," Courier said as he grabbed a fork and a knife, showing how to use properly. "See, like this."
"Okay," The girl replied before she reluctantly put the teddy bear between her legs and grabbed the utensils. As the girl went on to get some of the food on her plate, the Courier turned towards the siren.
"That reminds me, miss Ray, what do Xenos eat regularly?" He asked.
"Please call me Ray," She asked, while the man nodded. "As for your question, we can eat the same thing as adventurers or monsters, including magic stones," She replied, while the Courier frowned.
"You eat magic stones? You mean like the strengthened species?" He clarified. Rarely in the Dungeon a monster would attack other monsters and become stronger by eating their magic stones.
"Yup, like this," Lyd said and ate a magic stone in front of them. His body glowed for a moment and the Courier watched with attention as a surge of magic energy travelled through the lizard man's body. "See?"
"Damn, that's pretty useful, wish I could do that too," The Courier admitted, while the monster chuckled. "Actually, let's test it."
"I don't think you should do that," Lyd said, while the Courier chuckled.
The man then took off his helmet with a hiss and handed it over to Ray, leaving only the oscillator behind. The siren began inspecting it along with Lyd, other Xenos watching closely. Then he materialized a small magic stone he found at one of the goblins, threw it in his mouth and swallowed it one swift movement. However, instead of the surge of energy like the lizard man experienced, the magic stone began to react violently in his stomach.
He chocked, as the immense pain registered itself in his mind before it felt like a stick of dynamite just exploded in his stomach along with the appropriate sound, blood coming out from his mouth. All around him, the Xenos watched in horror, some of them yelling something, even Wiene held his arm tightly, before it started to subside, the man breathing heavily. Thank god for the artificial spine or the pain would have been unbearable.
During his adventurers, he was forcefully lobotomized, his spine, brain and heart removed and replaced with their advanced cybernetic version. It was not a nice experience, but the benefits they provided were worth it, especially when his brain returned to his body. His torso and spine could no longer be crippled, he was immune to poison, all healing items were more efficient, the pain only registered as the signals allowing him to fight on without drugs and to top it all off, he was more resistant to damage. Unfortunately, the Xenos didn't know about it and were all panicking all around him.
"Six, Six!" Wiene cried, tears fully visible in the corners of her eyes.
"I am... fine," He replied as he leaned back in the chair, the Xenos watching closely.
"Do you need a potion or medicine, can we do something?" Ray asked, now standing behind him, looking all over him, worry evident in her eyes.
"No, it's... fine. I had worse, but still, remind me to never to eat those things," He said and coughed.
"Are you certain you don't need any help?" Lyd asked, not wanting their first friend to die from a magic stone.
"Yeah, I am. Honestly, I am surprised myself, I expected something to happen, but not... this. Well, at least I know what to call it, Explosive Diarrhoea!" He said, everyone, looking at him with a deadpan. "... Sorry, couldn't resist."
"That was awful," Ranieh voiced her opinion, the Xenos nodding at her.
"Oh, shush you," He retorted, while the Arachne smiled smugly. The atmosphere began to relax, as everyone returned to their seats, although Wiene was still clutching his arm too tightly as far as he was concerned. "Now then, since we all gathered here like this, I can answer some of your questions. Fear?"
"Um... Are you sure you don't need any help? It looked painful," She asked, the blood was still visible on the table after all.
"I am fine it's not even the worst injury I have ever suffered anyway," He replied, before turning towards Lyd. "Lyd?"
"How do you make things appear out of thin air? Is it magic?" He asked.
"Trade secret, all you have to know is that I can't use magic," He replied and turned towards the siren. "Ray?"
"Why did you eat that magic stone? It was irresponsible, to say the least," She chided, not fully convinced by the man's words.
"Well, it's a bit of shtick of mine. I blame my own curiosity for it, almost got killed more times than I can count because of it," He replied, while the siren frowned.
"Really?" Lyd asked while the man nodded, Wiene watching closely.
"Yep, I am not the sanest or most cautious person, to say the least. Like this one time, I had a bomb strapped to my neck or that time when a massive flaming bear tried to eat me when I took some herbal tea or...," He said, while the Xenos just stared at him, their eyes and mouth spread wide open.
"You... had a bomb strapped to your neck? Why?" Ray asked, not able to comprehend why would anyone do that.
"Yup, although it's not like I wanted to, it was forced on me to put mildly," He replied with a shrug.
"How did you survive?" Ranieh asked her attention fully on the man in front of her.
"That's one hell of a story, long one too, would you like to hear about it? Just a fair warning, it's not for those faint of heart," He asked, while the Ranieh nodded, along with other Xenos. "I see... in that case, have you ever heard of a Sierra Madre casino?" He asked, a bit of an evil grin plastered on his face.
"What's a casino?" Ray asked, not familiar with the word itself.
"Well, it's a place where you can lose all your money playing stupid games basically, people lose their entire life savings there quite often. I suggest you stay away from them," He replied, while the Xenos looked between each other. "So, how about it?" The Xenos nodded reluctantly. "Alright then, but first we need a proper atmosphere."
The entire population of the cave gathered in front of the courier, as he stood in front of them, his helmet resting on Ray's lap as she watched the man pace back and forth. Other Xenos sat on the ground in front of him, Wiene sitting next to the siren and Lyd, keeping a close eye on her. It took a bit of convincing to separate her from him. The lights were dimmed, only his oscillator and the helmet being the biggest sources of illumination.
"Now then, have you ever heard of the Sierra Madre casino? The legends, the curses? Foolishness about it lying in the middle of the city of the dead?" He started, stopping in front of them as the Xenos shook their heads, some shivered from the tone he took on. Then he resumed the pace, materializing a flashlight and lighting it up, the way his face would be illuminated. "A structure unlike any other, buried beneath a blood-red cloud, a bright shining monument luring treasure hunters to their doom."
He stopped, turned off the flashlight and smiled. "The opening of the Sierra Madre was supposed to symbolize a road to a brighter future, not just for the world, but for all who came to its doors. A chance for everyone to begin again... Except, the Sierra Madre never opened," He said and spread his arms. "It's still out there, preserved, waiting for someone... to crack it open. However, finding it... that's not a hard part, it's letting go," He finished, while the Xenos gulped.
"W-what happened, why didn't it open?" Fear asked, not liking the way the story was heading.
The Courier chuckled, his green eyes lacking the same warmth it had not so long ago, making everyone feel a bit on the edge, Wiene included. "An... accident, a spell, which prevented anyone from reaching for hundreds of years, that's all you have to know."
"So you found it, didn't you?" Lyd, asked, while the man nodded.
"Oh yeah, I found it and it was one of the most nightmarish experiences in my whole damn life," He replied, the Xenos looking between each other.
"H-how bad was it?" Ray asked while Wiene cuddled up to her, the girl definitely afraid.
"We are getting there...," He whispered and turned on the flashlight. "Imagine a city, an empty one. Nobody around, nothing alive around you, no Xenos, no monsters, no adventurers, only an eerie silence and blood-red mist floating above your head. You wake up alone, different, stripped of your weapons, armour, supplies, only a patchwork of clothing and one weapon in poor condition on you... Then, you try to swallow, but it's harder than usual, a necklace, a collar resting on your neck..." The Xenos winced as they imagined how it would feel to have something like this happen. "Then... you hear a voice, a blue ghost appears in front of you...," He said, the Xenos gasping.
"Ghosts don't exist," Ranieh said even though her voice cracked at the end, while the Courier chuckled.
"Oh, you poor, innocent child, you have no clue just how wrong you are," He whispered back, the aura of dread surrounding him, as the Arachne shivered. "Now, the ghost speaks to you, orders you, forces you to comply if you do not? Boom... your head is gone, the collar? A bomb," He whispered, making some of the Xenos looking a shade paler than seconds ago. "You comply, you take the weapon, look around, gather anything of value and inch by inch you move towards your objective."
"Then... you see a silhouette, a human, just like you, but... there is something wrong about it...," He muttered and crouched, his left hand on the stone floor the cave. "It's crouching, a rusty spear in its hand, breathing heavily... just like this," He said and did his best impersonation of one the ghost people from the Sierra Madre, the Xenos trembling from the sound. "You look closer, notice the details, the... clothing it's wearing, it's green visor turned the other way," He said and in an instant changed into the Hazmat Suit found at the Big Mountain facility, his oscillator gone and a knife spear in his right hand as he crouched just like the Ghost People did. "Just... like... this one."
Fear yelped, Wiene trembled, Ray stiffened, Lyd and Gross reached for their weapons, while other Xenos palled even further at the sight in front of them.
"The Ghost People... they hunt, they stalk, they kill and then...? They drag you right into the Cloud...," He whispered as he shuffled towards them, the movement unnatural, the Xenos backing away from him. Lyd exposed his teeth, a low growl emitting from him, making the Courier stop. He turned towards the lizard man, titled his head to the side, turned around and walked back to the place he started at, crouching just like the Ghost People did. "Then... you die, your corpse is stuffed into one of these and then...? You become one of them...," He said, the Xenos gasping, shivering and some looking like they were about to faint. "... when that happens, having your necktie go off, would be mercy...," He finished, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
"You fight, you kill, the Ghost falls on the ground dead...," He said and fell on his back, imitating the movement. "You think... it's over, you take a few steps forward...," He said and wheezed like the Ghost People did, before standing up in an unnatural manner, his posture leaning forward. "The Ghost stands up... you watch in horror as it shuffles towards you... then... it lungs forward!" He exclaimed, repeating the movement, Lyd standing in front of the Xenos, acting as a protector.
The Courier turned towards the lizard man, who was struggling to keep his nerves in check. He titled his head to the side. "You panic and strike... a vicious blow, which decapitates the ghost," He muttered as he jumped back, and threw the helmet to the side, before putting on his Elite Riot Gear and the oscillator. "You wait... and wait... and wait... the ghost is dead, this time for good," He finished, the Xenos gulping loudly before he took back the helmet.
"H-how did it survive?" Ray asked, Wiene clinging to her like a child to its mother, pure terror on her face.
"The ghosts... they don't die easily... You stab them, they get back up, you smash them, they get back up, you blast them with magic, they GET BACK UP," He exclaimed the last part, the Xenos gulped. "To kill one? Dismember their limbs, turn them to ash, blow them apart...," He replied.
"T-there were more of them, Sig...Six?" Laura asked while the man nodded, even Arles was scared, her ears standing upright.
"Hundreds, thousands of them... lurking in the city, in the sewers... they listen, they wait, they move towards sound... make a loud noise? They will surround you, cut you into pieces, drag you into the cloud...," He said, Xenos, doing their best to not panic. Even the massive dragon in the back seemed unnerved by the story. "And... that's not even the worst part of it..."
"There's... more?" Ranieh asked, losing her composure a bit, before she managed to calm herself down a bit, her skin paler than ever before.
The Courier nodded and continued, "You walk through the city... you enter your destination... then a sound, a bad sound that makes you step back, the sound the ghost told you about... Beep, beep, beep," He said, the Xenos confused by it.
"W-Why is it a bad sound?" Ray asked while the Courier chuckled.
"The sound...? A warning, stay too long? Your head is gone...," He replied, the Xenos gasping. "Magic, no longer working properly, all over the city, each one... a guaranteed death... but... their source? It can be destroyed. You look around... find the source, destroy it... boom, the sound is gone...," He said, the Xenos letting out a sigh of small relief, still very much on the edge. "But... it's just one of many, all deadly..."
His gaze directed at the crowd. "You complete your objective, move on to the next... then you see a ghost, but different from the ones you fought... Blue, translucent, just like this one...," He said and gestured to the oscillator on top of his head. "... it attacks, it hurts... you strike back? Nothing, just like a light, intangible, useless to fight... You run, avoid, hide... then you find a crystal powering it, crack, gone..." He said the Xenos focused purely on him. "Many more of them, all around the city... Fighting them? Suicide."
He breathed in then out, before he crouched once more. "Time for another objective, two of the team gathered, one left."
"A-a team? I thought there was nobody left there, but ghosts," Ray said, the Courier shaking his head.
"Not really, no. There were more, three more prisoners, all with bombs on their necks. Gather them all, let nobody die, if they do? Booom, you die as well," He explained, the Xenos gasping.
"The bombs... they were connected?" Gros asked as he tried to imagine who would be capable of such cruelty.
"Connected, linked, one death makes everyone else die, necessary...," Courier replied, his head tilted to the side.
"Necessary?! Why would they be necessary?!" Lyd asked, his emotions getting better of him.
"Calm down, your rage won't change the past," Courier said his voice neutral once again, the lizard man slowly calming down. "You think I was the first or the only one to ever find the Sierra Madre? No, there were dozens, hundreds of others, all lured by the vision of the treasure. They could have made it, cracked the casino open, but they didn't... Why? Because of greed, greed is in the blood after all. They turned against each other, killed by those they tried to help, failures upon failures," He said, Xenos, looking between each other.
"B-but I don't understand, why would they turn against each other?" Ray asked.
"It's quite simple really, Ray. In a way breaking into the Sierra Madre is easier than breaking human nature, something I hope you will keep in mind when dealing with others. Now then, where was I?" He asked nobody in particular before he snapped his fingers. "Oh yeah, third member. You walk towards your objective, then you hear a click before three bombs roll underneath your feet," He said, the Xenos gasped. "You jump!" He jumped away from the crowd. "It's too late, boom, the bombs explode, you almost die again."
"You go slowly, watch for traps, keep your eyes open, slowly and surely you find your third member, but... something is wrong. He wants you to sit, you comply and then you hear this, 'Get up without my permission, I will blast your ass so far through your head, it'll turn the moon cherry pie red'," He said, the Xenos shivered. "You explain your situation, the third member reluctantly follows, first part of the plan is done."
"Wait, you mean, it's not over? After all the things that happened?" Gros asked the Courier nodded.
"Yep, the Villa, the one I travelled? Safer than others, fewer ghosts, fewer traps than other places," He replied, the Xenos not able to say a word. He turned on the flashlight and whispered, "From there, it only gets worse... Cloud, deadly, slowly eating away your insides, bringing you to the brink of death... but, concentrated? In less than a minute it will kill almost anything... You travel, you fight, the ghosts come and go, they have got bombs of their own," He said and Lyd choked.
"T-they had bombs as well...?" He asked the Courier nodding.
"Many threats, too many, but nowhere near as dangerous as the casino itself. Only when you complete your objective, gather your team at their appropriate places, you can now trigger the gala, a way to make the casino open once again...," He said, before taking his breath. "What happened in the casino, to my team? I will leave it to your imagination, all you have to know are the last words of the man behind the collars... 'You. I know you can hear me. When you die, Courier... I'll be waiting here... at the Sierra Madre. Waiting.'," He finished an eerie silence surrounding him. Then with a swift movement, he produced a Sierra Madre chip and tossed it in the air, before letting it fall on the floor. He watched as the Xenos took in the sight of the chip. "Sleep tight, my little Xenos," He whispered.
The Cavern erupted into a panic, as the Xenos were doing their best to get away from him, as he let out a demented laugh, further unnerving them. The hellhounds whimpered, Gros, Ray, Lyd and Ranieh were pale as ghosts, Wiene was crying into Ray's body trembling all the way. Then the dragon roared stopping the Xenos for a moment and ending the panic attack. It took some time, but the Xenos finally managed to get themselves together, Wiene looking at him with fear, same with everyone else.
"So, are you better now?" He asked, the Xenos staring at him.
"Why... why did you make it so scary?" Ray asked the Xenos nodding.
"Because I wanted to show you, just how horrible the world can be. In a way, you are lucky, you didn't have to go through it yourself, but you get to hear about it from the only man to ever find the Sierra Madre and live to tell the tale," He replied. "I told you, it wasn't a nice tale."
"Nice?" Ranieh asked with her voice dripped in sarcasm. "It was horrifying, I have never been so scared in my entire life."
"Then the tale worked. Think of it as of warning. The world is not a nice place, be it the Dungeon or the surface," He said, before waiting a moment. "I could have made it less scary, I admit, but I wanted you to get a good picture of how it felt for me and those unlucky enough to find themselves there, even if I skipped some of the details. I hope, you will never have to go through anything similar."
However, the atmosphere was ruined, the party felt like it fizzled out. The Xenos confused and still not sure what to do, making the Courier sigh. "I am sorry, I didn't want to ruin this celebration like this."
The Xenos looked between each other before Lyd walked up to him and offered his hand. "Apology accepted, just don't tell any more stories like this today, okay?"
"I can do that," He replied and returned the handshake. He watched as the Xenos slowly walked up to him, making him tense. The first ones were Ray and Wiene who looked like they were about to cry. "You can slap me if it makes you feel any better."
The vouvire shook her head before she let go of the siren and hugged him closely. Just as he was about to question it, Ray also walked up to him and hugged them both, making him pause. "I am sorry, Six...," Wiene whispered, tears making his chest plate wet.
"Sorry...? For what? You didn't do anything," He said, not expecting this kind of response.
"I... we are sorry, you had to go through it, telling us... it must have been painful, wasn't it?" Ray clarified.
"It's alright, it happened a couple of years ago, I am better now," He tried to placate them, confused beyond belief. "Aren't you angry? Not the tiniest bit?"
"A bit... yes, but mostly... sad. I am sorry you had to go through all of it," Ray replied and squeezed him harder. All around him, the Xenos walked up to them and gave him one big group hug, leaving nobody behind and making the Courier speechless.
Compassion, empathy was a rare commodity in the Wasteland, something he rarely received from anyone or anything for that matter. It felt wrong... like he didn't deserve it..., but at the same time for the first time in... well, forever, he was surrounded by those who didn't perceive as a monster, a killer, a terrorist, but just a guy who had been through a lot. And for some reason, despite not having his heart in his body, he felt it ache, his emotions surfacing before he managed to force them back into his psyche.
He returned the hug and whispered, "Thank you, Ray, Wiene, everyone..."Then the monsters broke away from the embrace, giving him smiles all around.
"Now then, I believe it is time to make up for this gloom experience!" Ray exclaimed and with a thunderous roar, the party began for good.
"So, Fels, how did it go?" Ouranos asked as he awaited the response.
"Poorly, but not nearly as bad as it could have. Courier Six is... difficult to deal with, to say the least," He replied. "When I extended a partnership with the guild, he refused, not interested in becoming and I quote 'lapdog'."
Ouranos raised his eyebrow as he pondered about the way the man behaved. "... It seems like we have got a bit of a problem on our hands. Did he say why?"
"He wants nothing to do with gods, all gods for one reason or another," Fels replied. "He is also experienced and dealt with multiple assassination attempts."
"I see... Perhaps a god or a goddess is responsible for his general disdain of my kind, but for what reason, we have yet to know," He said.
"I believe that our best course of action is to wait and see. Telling anyone about his lack of Falna, even Ganesha and Hermes would be detrimental to the city, to say the least," Fels said.
"Indeed... Now then, regarding the Xenos and their capture, what did you find?" Ouranos asked. The Xenos contacted them through one of the Fels' inventions, which allowed two-way communication.
"There seems to be a second entrance to the Dungeon, just like the Xenos said. One of the entrances is located at the floor 18, but the door is made out of Orichalcum," He replied.
"Orichalcum? The rarest and the strongest of the metals found in the Dungeon?" The god asked, his second in command nodded.
"Indeed, the fact that one managed to get their hands on one means one of two things. The group behind the structure had first-class level adventurers able to reach lower floors, or..." Fels said.
"Or they could have bought it from other Familias, which would require millions of Valis," Ouranos ended. "Assuming the structure reaches from the surface, it's safe to assume the time needed to build it can be counted in decades, centuries perhaps."
"I believe that may be the case. However, the fact that the structure was kept secret for a very long time, means the second entrance needs to be located somewhere close to the Dungeon. I believe that Deadalous street might be a good candidate," He said.
"Possibly... I want you to investigate the street and the structure itself. We need to find out where are the entrances, but do not go inside, as it is too dangerous," Ouranos said.
"Just like the Xenos said," Fels added, the god nodding. "There is also the fact that Ikelaos Familia seems to be related to Xenos kidnapping. However, finding their god has proved difficult as he went into hiding along with the rest of his Familia."
"Indeed, now, what did you find about their saviour and the site of fighting?" The god asked.
"Very little I am afraid, too little in fact. The Xenos were reluctant to share any details regarding their saviour, going as far as to keep his name to themselves and only going by the nickname of 'Red Glare' whatever that means. They also refused to describe the battle itself or the attire he was wearing," Fels replied.
"Courier Six?" The god asked.
"Possibly, but for now it's hard to say. We would need a god to say whether they are lying or not and sending a god to the Dungeon is unacceptable as we know, same with bringing Xenos here. Not that they would comply if they got suspicious," Fels replied, before he continued. "The bodies were nowhere to be seen, probably taken by others to deny us intel. However... the battlefield itself was far more confusing. There were signs of fighting, blood stains and such, but..."
"But?" Ouranos inquired.
"Not a speck of magic or anything like this. The Xenos told us that the 'Red Glare' killed all the adventurers, but they refused to give us any concrete details. What we do know is that this person has killed over ten first-class adventurers including one level five all by himself in a few minutes at best," He replied.
"... This is way worse than we initially expected. Someone strong enough to kill a level four monster without the Falna and now this... Nobody can find out, no matter what," Ouranos said
"What about Ganesha and Hermes?" Fels asked.
"They can be told some details, mostly regarding the structure and the 'Red Glare', but lack of Falna and no magic have to stay a secret," He replied.
"Agreed, very well, I will begin my investigation of lower and upper floors in search of the entrances. It's going to take a while seeing how well hidden the last one was," He said.
"Very well, please take care of it, Fels," Ouranos said and watched as his second in command left the room with a nod, leaving him alone with his thoughts. "Red Glare, huh?"
