So... Uhh... Apologies for taking so long. Finals took a toll, and I was really tired at the beginning of Summer. But, at long last, it's finally here. This should be my longest chapter yet, though that throne may be taken at some point in the future.
Don't really have much to say other than sorry again for taking so long.
Also, I changed the conversation at the end of Chapter 3, and I highly recommend you read the revised version before beginning this, just so there's no misconceptions.
Anyways, let us begin!
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[Mojave Wasteland]
3rd POV
The wasteland was going about, just like any other day. It's many citizens and soldiers had been doing their day-to-day mundane tasks without much a care in the world.
That changed very quickly.
Without warning, two ear-shattering booms echoed across the Mojave. Thousands had immediately turned their heads to the east and west, where two massive mushroom clouds began to dominate the skyline.
Members of Caesar's Legion assumed that the NCR had gained access to Nukes. The NCR feared the Legion had done the same. Of course, neither were right. The people of the wasteland had no idea what was happening, and feared the worst.
There were, however, a select few that knew the reality of the situation.
"My fucking god, he actually did it." Caesar stared in horror as the mushroom cloud grew in size and blocked out the sun.
"What in the FUCK is he thinking?" General Lee Oliver slammed his hand on his desk as the news of the bombings reached his office.
"You... Crazy..." Robert Edwin House, despite his shriveled and half-dead state, could still feel the vibrations of the bombs shaking his bunker.
Despite their differences in placement and allegiances in the Mojave, all three of these people could agree on the same thing.
They heard it.
His laughing.
He stood at the entrance to the Divide, looking over a cliff at the Mojave. He laughed like a man gone mad. It echoed across the Mojave, striking fear into all those who heard. A feeling of despair clouded the desert as it began to sink in that there truly existed such thing as an "unstoppable force".
It was often speculated on what man was actually capable of, and how far they would go.
Of course, all would be revealed soon, when everything will be at stake...
At the Second battle of Hoover Dam.
[Human Village]
Courier Six POV
I shot up out of my bed and almost knocked over the lamp sitting on the desk next to me.
"Fucking... Nightmares..." I grunted as I stood up out of the bed and stretched. I felt some pops across my body and sighed in relief.
I took the Holotape out of my Pip-Boy and walked out of my room and into the hallway.
I only made it a few steps before an intense aching could be felt in my chest. I stumbled a bit, but found my balance on the wall. That only lasted a few seconds before I began coughing profusely.
My throat burns.
I couldn't keep myself upright anymore, and I fell onto the floor.
My chest hurts. DAMN IT why is this happening NOW?
I tried to crawl across the floor, but my arms felt too weak for me to move.
I faintly heard a rhythmic thumping getting closer and closer. I quickly realized somebody was running over here. Unfortunately, I couldn't look up to see them. The cough began to worsen, and I felt like I was on the brink of vomiting.
After what felt like hours, it began to cease. I could now feel that somebody was holding my shoulders. I could also hear a faint voice that sounded female. I slowly looked up to meet the eyes of Keine, who looked incredibly worried.
"It's been a... Uhh... cough rough morning for me." I broke the silence.
"Six, what is this? What happened to you?" Keine pulled me up to my feet and helped me keep balanced.
"It's a... Uhh... It's a little medical condition that I've had for... a while..." It still hurt a bit to speak, so I had to go slowly. The Madre had left its mark on me, and I've simply had to live with it.
"Oh my gosh, have you gotten any help? Prescriptions?" She finally let go of me after it was clear I could stand on my own.
"I've never met someone who's... 'Qualified' to treat it..." I rubbed my throat.
"Hm, well, I might have a suggestion for you." She smiled a bit.
I shook my head a bit to get back to my senses. "Well, I'll take what I can get."
"There's a place called 'Eientei' over in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost where you can get medical treatment."
"Hm. Well, where could I find this place? I haven't exactly been around Gensokyo much." I showed her my Pip-Boy's map and gestured for her to show me.
"Should be riiiiiight... Here!" she pointed to a little area that didn't seem too far from here. I placed a marker and put my arm down.
"I guess I'll be heading off, then. I needed something to do today, anyways." I began walking away, but Keine grabbed my wrist.
"Actually, I have a little request, if you don't mind."
"Depends on the request."
She walked into another room and came back with a small package in her hands. "I'd like you to deliver this to one of my friends over in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. I hope it's not too much to ask, since you're sick and all."
"I'm a courier, Ma'am, I think I'll be fine. Could I get a description of the person I'm delivering to?" I took the package from her hands.
"Ah, right. She has long, white hair. She wears an eye-catching red and white outfit, and she can manipulate fire, if that helps. Her name is Mokou."
"Good enough. I best get going then, if I want to get there before having a fit like that again." We began walking to the front door.
"Yes, yes, I understand. I wish you good luck on your journey!" She waved me off after we got out the front door.
"Thank you, Miss Keine." I waved back and began walking off.
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I made it to the front gate, but was stopped by the old guard from yesterday.
"What, are ye' leavin' already?" He chuckled.
"Nah, I just gotta go to a place called 'Eientei' to deliver a package and get some medical treatment for an issue I've been having."
"Well, good luck to ya then. Be careful of youkai on your way there, though I don't think you need to hear that." He stepped aside and opened the gate.
"Yeah, I will." I began walking out. "I'll see you when I get back."
"Here's hoping." He saluted and chuckled to himself before walking off.
"Whew, alright, let's get going." I got into a steady jog away from the gate and towards my destination.
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It'd been about twenty minutes, and I'm only about a fifth of the way there.
It seems there's going to be a delay though, because I see a silhouette up the road with a familiar set of green hair.
I slowed my jog down to a fast walk as the distance between us closed. That eventually turned into a normal walk when there was about 20 feet between us.
Once we got close, she stopped walking and spoke up. "I didn't expect to see you out and about, since you only arrived yesterday." She smiled, but there was something off about it.
"The matter is urgent, so there's no time to waste." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't a truth either.
Unfortunately, when I tried to walk past her, she put her parasol in front of me, blocking my path.
"Oh, really? And what might that matter be?" Her smile got a little wider.
I decided there was no real point in trying to get out of this. "I've got a pretty substantial medical issue. I'm going to Eientei to have someone check it out."
Her smile shrunk a bit at that news, which felt odd, but I didn't bother thinking about it. "Really now? And what about that box you're carrying under your arm?" She pointed to Keine's package.
"I'm delivering this to someone in there. She's a friend of Keine's, who I'm assuming you know."
"Well of course I do. You're talking about Mokou, correct?" She stepped closer, and our height difference became a bit more obvious.
"Yeah, I guess. I suppose it's good to meet new people, so I didn't see the harm." I tried to take a step back, but Yuuka took two steps forward after.
"Well, a word of advice from someone who's met her before..." She leaned in until our faces were only a few inches apart. "I'd try not to trigger her temper. I've heard that it's very... unhealthy." She leaned back to her normal position and laughed a bit. "It's so entertaining seeing you humans getting scared over the simplest of things."
I let out a breath that I didn't realize I'd been holding. "You're not funny."
She laughed again. "Oh, I believe I am." She began walking away. "I was being serious with what I said, though. Beware her temper."
"Hm..." I continued my jog down the path, seeing that our conversation ended.
What a weirdo.
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Well, good news and bad news.
Good news is that I'm about halfway to my destination.
Bad news is that I'm currently surrounded by more of those wolf youkai.
They had apparently caught wind of what I did to their friend when I first got here, and were reasonably pissed.
"Listen, listen, guys! Is it really my fault when I was acting in self-defense?" I backed up and tried to calm them down.
"It doesn't matter what you were doing! You killed him, and that's all that matters!" A big burly one spoke up. He seemed to be their leader.
"Well, what else was I supposed to do? He was trying to kill me you know!" My back hit a tree.
"You should've laid down and DIED like the TRASH you are!" A younger woman spoke.
"So... I can't avoid this, then?" I laid Keine's package on the floor next to the tree.
"DAMN RIGHT! I'M GONNA RIP YOU TO SHREDS!" One of them yelled and charged at me.
"Yeah, okay bud." I got into a stance, prepared to counter.
He tried to throw a punch once he got close enough, but I dodged by simply tilting my head to the side. I responded by grasping his wrist and kneeing his stomach. He grunted and tried to play it off. I then used my other hand to grab the shoulder of the arm I was holding.
"I'd just like to let you know that this is your fault."
I proceeded to tear his arm clean off. He didn't even have time to scream before I delivered a punch to his face that made his head pop like a melon.
"You... You BASTARD!" The young woman from earlier began to run at me.
"Not this time." I pulled a custom .44 Magnum named 'Sweet Revenge' out of storage and proceeded to fan the hammer. Most of her body had exploded before the last bullet landed.
We kept up this little game of them charging at me, and me promptly shooting them for about 5 minutes. Soon, only the big burly brute remained. At this point, I was absolutely covered in the blood of all his friends, yet he seemed unfazed.
"You're gonna pay for this... You PIECE OF FUCKING SHIT!" He ran at me, though much faster than the others.
I put sweet revenge into storage and put my fists up. "C'mon, big guy. Show me what you can do..."
He began by throwing a punch directly at my chest. I used both hands to catch it, but there was still an incredible amount of force behind it. "Heh, so you are strong. Good. I was getting bored with all these weak guys charging to their deaths." I proceeded to lob him over my head and sent him a good 10 feet away. I held my arms out to my sides and taunted. "Come on, is that all you got? All your friends died to try and kill me, and this is all you have to show for it?"
"Gghrr..." He growled before looking to the sky and letting out a bellowing roar. He ripped his shirt off and got into a stance.
"Now that's what I like to see! Come at me!" I got into my own stance.
He charged forward with a roar and tried to tackle me. I rolled out of the way and kicked him away before he could recover. After that, he threw a hook that I blocked with my forearm before I jabbed his face and used my other arm to deliver a powerful blow to his stomach. He jumped back a bit after that to refill his lungs. I rushed forward and attempted a dropkick, but he dodged away last second.
Before I had a chance to get up, he grabbed my leg and swung me over his head and into the ground. "Ow! Asshole!" I responded by using my free leg to kick his face. His grip loosened and I slipped out. I used that opportunity to sweep his legs out from under him. He hit the ground with a thud, and I used that chance to climb on top of him and begin to deliver blow after blow to his face and chest.
He eventually grabbed my waist and threw me off of him. As I was trying to get up, he slammed his fist on my back, causing me to fall back onto the ground. He then grabbed my collar and picked me up. He used his free hand to punch my face repeatedly. I blocked his fifth punch and broke free before headbutting him right on the nose. I didn't let up and began to deliver countless blows all across his upper body. I finished the combo off with a {Ranger Takedown} that sent him flying backwards.
As he laid on his back, I began walking over. I brought Maria out of storage and held it in my hand. I stood over his beaten body and raised the gun to his head. "I'd absolutely love for this fight to go on longer, but I have a delivery to make. So sorry that things had to turn out this way."
He simply glared at me with hate in his eyes.
"Vale." I cocked Maria.
*BANG*
I walked over to Keine's package and put it back under my arm before continuing my trek to Eientei.
"I hope that's the worst of what happens on my way there..."
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Surprisingly, it was.
The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful. I saw some people fighting in the distance, and one of them looked like Marisa, but I didn't bother to investigate. I had other places to be.
I arrived on the edge of what looked like, as promised, a bamboo forest.
"So, do I just... Walk in? Might as well." I slowed my pace down after entering because of the thickness of the bamboo.
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I don't know how long I walked for, but it was a long time. I now knew how this place got its name.
"God... pant damn... pant IT!" I shouted.
As if on cue, I heard something behind me. I whipped around to see a woman standing there. She fit Keine's description of Mokou pretty well. Oddly, she wasn't talking.
"Oh good... So, are you Mokou?" I had my hands on my knees to catch my breath.
She looked a little shocked. "Who's asking?"
"Miss Keine asked me to give this to you." I held out the package.
"You know, it's kind of odd when a blood-soaked man shows up out of nowhere and wants to give you a suspicious package." She crossed her arms.
"Just take the fucking package, lady. I almost broke my spine trying to get it to you." I kept holding it out to her.
"Hmm... Well, if you're lying, I'll just burn you." She took the package.
"Fair enough. Now, can you show me to Eientei? Miss Keine said you could." I stood back up straight.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just follow me, and don't look away from me or you'll get lost again." She began walking away.
"Aye aye, captain." I saluted and followed after her.
"Shut the hell up or I'll leave you behind." She turned around and looked annoyed.
"Aye aye, captain." I saluted again.
"Oh, good lord, come on." She continued walking.
"Aye aye, captain." I saluted a third time.
She twitched a bit but didn't speak. I had a massive smile under my mask. This is fun.
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After around 5 minutes, we suddenly arrived at the front of a building in the middle of the bamboo.
"Here you are. Just walk that way and you'll find your way out." Mokou spoke dryly before pointing in a direction and beginning to leave. "And... Uh... Thanks for the package."
"You are very welcome. And thank you for guiding me here." I did an exaggerated bow.
"Yeah, sure." She then promptly left.
I turned back to the big building that was supposedly Eientei. I inhaled and walked inside.
As I walked through the door, the room before me grew silent. I was surrounded by what looked to be... Rabbit... People? Quite odd, but not shocking considering where I am. Another thing is that they're all staring at me. Must not look good for a blood covered man to suddenly walk in your front door without warning.
"Hey, uhh, I'm looking for a doctor, or something similar?" I spoke after a long silence.
After a second of silence, a purple haired woman walked out of the crowd. "Uh, hello, sir. If you would come with me, I can show you to Miss Eirin." Strangely, looking into her eyes directly made my head hurt, so I opted to just avert my gaze.
"Yeah, sure." We began walking through the hallways. "Sorry I couldn't clean up before getting here. Had a pretty bad run in with a few youkai."
She turned to me and looked surprised. "You fought multiple youkai? At once?"
"Yeah, but they did that thing where they come at me one at a time, so it was pretty boring." I shrugged. "By the way, I never caught your name."
"A-ah, right, my name is Reisen Udongein Inaba. Please, call me Reisen." She bowed.
"Cool name. I'm Courier Six. I'd be pleased if you just called me Six."
"Uhm, cool name?" It sounded more like a question.
"Don't worry, everyone's reacted the same way so far. It's pretty common, actually."
"Ah, well, will you look at that, we're here." We stood in front of a door that looked the exact same as all the rest.
She knocked. "Miss Eirin, we're coming in." We then walked into the room.
There was a woman with long silver hair and gray eyes sitting in a chair next to a desk looking at us. Her eyes met mine for a moment. "You are certainly looking worse for wear."
"I've been worse, but I'm not here for flesh wounds." I took a few more steps into the room.
"Hm? Then what might you need me for?" She looked somewhat confused.
"Miss Keine said you could help me with a... sickness I've been dealing with for the better part of 2 years."
"Hm. Keine sent you. Reisen, you may go." She shooed her off, and Reisen promptly bowed and left. "So, what does this sickness entail?" I now had her full attention.
"Well, it's mostly coughing fits that leave me unable to move. They happen at random with no pattern."
She began writing on a paper. "Hm. Is it spreadable?"
"I don't believe so, at least not by normal means. However, I can think of a few ways that somebody could get it from me."
"Hm. Okay, do you know how you contracted it?"
"Well... It's a long story, but the short version is I went to a place I shouldn't have, and it was filled with this red-cloud-mist-thing that would basically melt you from the inside if you inhaled too much. It seems I caught one too many whiffs of it, because it's stuck with me ever since I left that godforsaken fucking casino."
She put down her pen and stood. "Come over here, and remove that helmet. I need to see in your mouth."
I sighed. I knew it was unavoidable, so I didn't bother. I removed my helmet and set it on her desk.
She turned back around from getting her tools and jumped back a bit. "Oh... Oh my, what happened to you? Ah, sorry, I don't mean to be rude."
"A lot of things, ma'am, a lot of things. Just get this over with, please." I always feel vulnerable without my helmet. I hate when people see my face, but it takes less priority here.
"Okay, okay, say 'ahhh'."
"Ahhhh..." She prodded around inside my mouth, before I could feel her reaching farther back.
"Oh dear..." she began pulling her tools out, and with it came a small, red-orange clump.
"Hm. Looks like cloud residue. Was all over the place back in the Madre."
"'Madre'?" She questioned.
"It's the place that I got this stuff."
"Hm, okay. Currently, I believe there is not much I can do. However, with some research on this... thing, I can probably bring some results in." She turned to me. "I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait a while, and maybe provide more samples later on."
"Fine by me, I'd do anything to get this stuff outta me." I placed my helmet back on. "You won't tell anyone, right?"
"Tell them what?"
"What I look like. It's very personal to me."
"Of course not, if you don't want me to."
"Thank you, ma'am. I believe I should get going, as it'll be dark soon." I walked to the door.
"Hm. Goodbye, then. I'll contact you if I need more samples or I get results. Have a safe journey back." She waved.
"Thank you, goodbye." I left and eventually made it back outside.
I wandered a bit before eventually showing up outside the bamboo.
I stretched a bit for the jog back home. Oddly, it felt as though the day was not yet done, despite it being dusk.
I had a dreadful feeling that it was going to be a long night.
Boom, baby!
Hopefully the next chapter will come faster than this one.
As usual, please point out any spelling or grammatical mistakes in PMs or reviews.
There's nothing else to say, so see you soon! (Hopefully)