Slightly shorter chapter than normal. This is the last of the setup/introduction chapters and after this is the full exploration aspect similar to the first half of New Vegas.
Some people also asked about whether I planned to have any romance, more specifically between Six and Fouquet. Unlike Twisted Reflections and Looking Glass I'm far less reluctant to add romance so it's definitely a possibility. The way I planned the dynamic was with Six as the dad, Fouquet as the mom and Tiffania and the rest of the kids as the children. Whether that would've been romantic doesn't matter since the dynamic can function regardless.
A couple of days passed with not much happening. As much as he wanted to say that he figured everything out and had a game plan already set, but honestly he didn't manage to do much. Tried to repair ED-E but the little guy was still stubbornly disabled. His implants didn't work either- well, not most of them. Thankfully his heart, spine, eyes and lungs seemed to function just fine, but the more...exotic additions were dead weight. The monocyte breeder, the vision modes, the implanted stealth field...all gone.
...Well, he'd make do. He survived long before he had them.
Six sighed and got up from the makeshift bed. As far as progress was concerned he had jack to show for it, "Shit..." He stood up, cricked his neck and put on one of his spare shirts. He checked his pip-boy automatically before remembering it was also down. Maybe Elijah was right about him being so reliant. Couldn't even remember the last time he'd used an actual map for anything. He'd have to get used to it again. Something told him this other world didn't have satellites for the global map.
He opened the door to the outside and smiled slightly at the bright sun overhead. Almost made it feel like he was back in the Mojave, though the chill was definitely new. Being in a desert you got used to dressing for mobility so you didn't die of heatstroke in the middle of a fight. Now he actually felt underdressed with the cold winds all around him.
One of the kids, a boy who looked maybe 8, was hanging around the communal house and saw him. They looked at one another for a few seconds before Six awkwardly raised a hand in greeting. The boy did the same before quickly scurrying back inside.
Well...that went great. Six sighed and walked near the forest out of sight. He wasn't good with kids. Sure he could calm them down when they were being rescued from a slave camp, but he figured anyone who wasn't threatening to blow them up would get a smile. Without that hanging over their heads he didn't know how to deal with them. Arcade and Veronica were always the ones who were good with the kids. Even ED-E was better, if only because a floating eyebot who chirped was cute.
He cricked his neck again and picked up the axe. So far he hadn't done much but wait and try to figure out how to fix his broken stuff. Between those two he kept himself busy trying to help out around the makeshift village, mostly by doing physical labor. Chopping wood, helping move stuff around, telling them what to pack before they left. Tried hunting too, but the bow and arrow (yeah, really) they had took a while to get used to. Wasn't exactly something he trained with considering the average 10 year old in the wasteland already knew how to fire a gun.
There was a full stack of firewood chopped in neat halfs by the time he stopped. Six sat on the stump and fished out a half-eaten MRE. Didn't taste the best, but he didn't eat it for that. Long as it kept him going it was fine by him.
The food was just barely finished when he heard footsteps, "Who's there?" He stood up and his hands reached for the bowie knife at his back. He was tempted to grab for his .45 first but he remembered that he had to conserve ammunition. Unless someone in this world was manufacturing ammo he couldn't afford to waste anything.
"I think that's my line." The feminine voice countered. Six looked the figure up and down and took a slight step back. A woman, though the thick cloak and baggy clothes made it somewhat hard to tell. Her face was covered by a hood that with the only exposed features being a trace of of her mouth and...was that green hair? Did they have hair dyes in this world too?
They looked at one another quietly for a few more seconds before Six raised up both hands, "Cool it. Not an enemy." He really didn't want to pick a fight today, "You're...Matilda, right? Tiffania's sister?"
Her mouth twitched slightly and she raised her head, exposing more of her face, "You know Tiffania?"
"Yeah, we're...friends, I guess." Saving someone's life counted, right? "Look, if you're worried that I'm some kind of intruder or whatever then don't. Tiffania 'called' me cause she needed help. Her and those kids got attacked by Caesar's Legion and I helped bail them out."
"Legion...when was this?" She reached inside her cloak and pulled out a wand like the one Tiffania had. Not good.
"Two days ago."
"Then what are you still doing here?"
"Cause I offered to help and she said yes." If he remembered right these magicians needed to use an incantation or something. If it came down to a fight he'd still have time, "Hey, I would've left if she said no. I didn't exactly go jumping into portals to other worlds cause I wanted to. You want me to leave? Fine, go tell Tiffania so I don't feel guilty about bailing."
"Other world? What are you-"
"Big sis!" The green haired magician nearly dropped her wand when Tiffania rushed to where they were and stood between the two of them with her arms spread, "P-Please don't fight!"
"T-Tiffa..." She looked between her sister and him and slowly put her wand away, "You know this man?"
"Y-Yes, his name is Six. He saved us from those Legion people a couple of days ago."
"Wasn't lying." Six put his hands down and let his body relax just a bit. This could still end up in a fight, "Like I said, I offered to help, but if you don't want me here then I can go. Just lemme get my things." He learned enough by now to not give help to those who didn't want it.
"What did you mean by another world?" she asked.
"That's...a long story." Tiffania set her arms down and wrung her fingers together nervously, "Let's go back and I can explain."
The info exchange didn't take too long. To her credit, Matilda (that was her name, right?) didn't say anything and just listened patiently while Tiffania recounted everything as they sat around the small table. Six kept quiet too, mostly because he didn't know what else he could add. He doubted they wanted to hear about what he was doing before he got summoned/kidnapped.
"Let me get this straight. You tried to summon a Familiar to protect yourself but instead summoned him? And not only is he a human, or at least looks like one, but he's also from another world." She rubbed her temples and let out a tired breath. Without the hood covering her head he finally got a good look at her face. She looked close in age to him, more or less, with long hair that reached down to her back and wide, amber eyes.
Also round ears, so he could probably rule out blood relation.
"Doesn't make much sense to me either." Six shrugged, "To be fair that's not the only thing. Still don't get how the hell the Legion is here too."
"Are you sure that you're really from another world? You could've just came from the unknown lands to the east," Matilda said.
"Where I come from we only have one moon. And it wasn't blue or red." She opened her mouth to argue again before thinking better of it, "It doesn't make sense to you and it doesn't make sense to me either, but this is where we're at. Point now is we gotta figure out where to go next." He leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees, "We let that Legionairre go after Tiffania wiped his memory, but this place isn't safe anymore."
"You're right." She sighed again, "I always considered the possibility of having to move eventually, but I didn't think it'd be because of a marauding army of raiders. I'd have thought it would be the Royal family that would hunt us." She drummed her fingers against the table, "Of course packing up and leaving isn't as simple as that. We'd need food, supplies, clothes, a place to stay."
"You know this place better than I do. How many places does the Legion control?" He'd been planning to go to Arizona eventually so he guessed this was good practice. At least here he didn't have a reputation for killing the Legion's god figure and general.
"I'm not as much of an expect as you'd think. I definitely know of villages we need to avoid, but for others it's basically a coin flip." She looked at him with narrowed eyes, "Does this mean you're sincere about wanting to help?"
"Sure, if you still want me here. If not I'm still fine with leaving." He shrugged.
"I-"
"He should stay with us," Tiffania said, surprisingly firm. Matilda gave her a questioning look, "If it wasn't for him then the children and I would've been taken by those men. And..." She bit her lower lip, "It's my fault he's trapped here. I took him from his world because I was scared. If possible I'd like to find a way to send him back and make up for everything I've done."
"Hey, I already told you it wasn't your fault-"
"Are you sure about this, Tiffa?" Matilda asked.
"Yes." Tiffania nodded, "There has to be a reason why he was the one that summoned. If he leaves now then neither of us will ever understand why."
"Hm..." She looked to Six again, "And you're certain that her being a half-Elf doesn't make you wary."
"Elves don't even exist in my world, or if they do then they're in some vault somewhere I haven't seen. Trust me, I've seen worse than a girl with pointy ears. Remind me to tell you about super mutants and ghouls sometimes."
"Ghouls? I highly doubt you survived a meeting with a Vampire's thrall."
"Wait, Vampires exist here too? For fuck's..." He pinched the bridge of his nose. Great, he really was in a Grognak comic, "Point is you don't have to worry about that. I've been staying here for a couple days now and I haven't died of fright yet."
"I suppose..." She closed her eyes briefly then focused on Tiffania, "Tiffa, we need to talk. Alone."
"I'll get out of your hair then." He grabed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder as he made his way outside. The door shut behind him with a loud creak and he leaned across the crude veranda. The sun was still high up in the sky but without a watch he didn't know the exact time. Either way he figured they were leaving by today. The longer they stayed here the higher the risk of the Legion coming.
He pulled out a cigarette from the half empty packet and lit it quickly. It was his last pack since he always figured that he could restock when he made it back to the Mojave, "Hm..." He looked down at the engraved lighter with a slight frown. No idea why he didn't get rid of it. Cass always found it morbid that he kept it around considering the last person who owned it shot him in the face.
Ten minutes passed before the door slammed open and Tiffania stormed out. He was tempted to chase after her when Matilda followed, "Leave her." She frowned and leaned across the veranda too, ignoring the smell of cigarette smoke.
"Guessing you had an argument?" He watched her enter the kids' communal house and shut the door behind her.
"Mhm." Her head sagged and she looked down at the grass, "I asked her to consider the possibility that we'll have to leave the other children behind."
"...Hate to say it, but you really should've seen that reaction coming."
She scowled briefly before she shook her head, "Of course I knew that'd happen, but what else could I do? We're planning to travel around the country and we have to keep a low profile in order to avoid the Legion's men. You don't think two adults and a teenager traveling with eleven children won't immediately attract attention? We wouldn't make it past the first village.
"I haven't been here long, but it's obvious she cares about those kids. Seems like she'd rather risk it and stay here over leaving a single one of them behind."
Matilda didn't say anything. Didn't seem like an argument she wanted to have. Six finished off his cigarette and debated taking another before eventually pocketing it again. Since he couldn't get a refill he figured it was better to save them up, "What's the deal with you two anyway?" he asked eventually. She didn't look at him, "Don't mean to pry, but it doesn't seem like you're exactly a 'regular' family." That and she obviously cared more about Tiffania than the rest of those kids. That wasn't just favoritism.
"It's a long story, but the end of it is that Tiffania lost both of our families due to some noble's machinations and we only had each other." So she didn't want to tell him. Fine, he wouldn't press her.
"And the rest of the kids?"
"Tiffania's foundlings." She smiled wryly and brought a hand through her face, "All of them are orphans. Lost their parents or got abandoned, either way Tiffania took them back and they've been here ever since. I suppose it's my fault leaving her in an isolated place like this. A growing girl like her would naturally be lonely and crave companionship. Most children are innocent and they'd take salvation even if an Elf offered it to them."
"Why is she in this place?" The nearest town was at least a couple of hours away. This 'village' was isolated.
"What other choice did I have?" Matilda scoffed defensively. He hit a nerve, "Every single town and village in this wretched country would lynch her as soon as they realized what she was. This was the only option we had. I had to leave for long periods in order to earn money so it was a surprise when she showed up with three kids clinging to her when I got back. I couldn't exactly tell her to kick them out. The isolation must've been too much for her."
"And now you're asking her to do just that."
"That's different. This is survival, not want." She waved a hand, "Besides, it's only practical."
"Practical doesn't mean people agree with you." He'd been on both ends of that argument before.
"What about you, then?" Matilda shot back.
"What do you mean?"
"You said you came from another world, and right now I don't have any reason to not believe you, but that doesn't explain why you're so nonchalant about all of this. Don't you have a home and family to come back to?"
"No family. Friends, sure, but we went our separate ways after we...did what we had to." After the NCR won Hoover dam there wasn't much point in staying at the 38. They all had lives to go back to. Cass went back to her caravan business, Boone rejoined the army, Lily got treatments to fix her head, Raul headed to Arizona, Veronica...well, she was still with the Brotherhood, but a part of him of wondered how long that'd really last in the end.
And Arcade...no, he didn't want to dwell on that again.
"What about your home?"
"The Mojave. It's my home, sure, but I was never one for staying in one place too long." He did want to go back, but he wasn't in any rush. With the NCR and House there it'd be fine without him.
"You're far too relaxed considering what happened to you." She frowned.
Six shrugged, "What can I say? I've always been like that, I think." At least he was ever since he woke in Doc Mitchell's place.
"You think?" She raised a brow.
"Memory's kinda scrambled. Don't really remember anything past a year ago ever since I got shot in the head." He tapped the scar. It was the one thing the Autodoc couldn't fix. Even he didn't know why.
"...You got shot in the head? And you survived?" She crossed her arms and looked at him disbelievingly.
"Sure. Wasn't cause I was some kinda badass or anything, just got lucky." That and Doc Mitchell was a goddamn miracle worker, "Don't really remember anything before that. Don't really care about looking for it either." If he did have any family and friends before that night in Goodsprings then they didn't try and look for him even when people in the Mojave started knowing who he was.
"I can't tell if you're telling the truth or you're crazy."
"Maybe it's both." He grinned, "Either way I'm not in any rush to go back, like I said. Helping Tiffania and those kids seems like a good thing to spend my time on."
"I'm curious as to why exactly you were shot in the head. I imagine that's not normal where you're from."
"You'd be surprised. But no, it wasn't because of anything I did personally. I was - still am, sometimes - a courier. Delivering packages is a good way to see the world. Last package I got had something valuable in it and some asshole wanted it. Guess they never heard of not shooting the messanger." Fucking Benny. Maybe he really should've shoved that lighter up his ass.
"A courier? You?" She looked him up and down, "I'd like to say I'm a pretty good judge of character so when I think that I find it hard to believe a package handler could save Tiffania from a group of Legionnaires."
Six laughed, "Not sure how your world is, but back in my place the roads can get pretty dangerous. Sure it's pretty safe if you're in the civilized places, but a frontier like the Mojave can chew you up and spit you out. Raiders you can at least talk to someitmes. Radscorpions, Cazadors and Deatchlaws don't really care about any of that and just wanna eat you."
"No offense, but your world sounds like a nightmare."
"None taken. It can be pretty shitty."
"And your name. 'Six'. I imagine that's not-" She stopped and her eyes widened.
"What's wrong?"
"Someone or something disturbed the sentries I set up. Over there." She pointed to the northwest. He didn't bother asking how she knew that. Probably something to do with her magic.
"Legion scouting party?"
"Not sure. All I can tell is that there a lot of them."
"I'll check it out. You call the kids and get them ready." He doubled back to grab ED-E and set him in her arms, "Take him with you too. I can't carry him with me if it goes down to a fight."
"What is this thing? A golem?"
"Sure, whatever, just make sure you don't leave him." He jumped down and rushed to the direction she pointed. His grip on the bowie knife tightened and he grimaced at the sun shining above his head. If it was dark out or if he still had his stealth field then this would've been simple. Right now he just had to rely on the element of surprise and hoping that just maybe it was a lost group of villagers.
No luck.
'Shit...' He cursed and hid behind a tree when he saw the half dozen Legionnaires all clustered together. He crouched down lower and debated on what to do. A grenade could take out the majority of them, maybe all of them if he got lucky, but again he wondered if using it was such a good idea to use them all up-
Wait.
He rummaged through his pack and pulled out the heavy iron ball he looted from one of the dead Legionarries. Looked like a miniature cannon ball with a fuse attached to it. He figured it was a grenade or explosive of some kind but he didn't know how effective it was, 'No time.' He lit the fuse and waited till it was halfway burned before he tossed it at their feet.
The explosion was...smaller than he expected. Definitely not as loud as a regular hand grenade, at least. Either way it did it job. Two of Legionnaires were on the ground while the rest were focused on their fallen comrades. Six snuck up behind the closest one now that their backs were turned and jammed the knife into his neck.
He didn't manage to scream, but the sound of the knife piercing flesh was enough to make the second closest turn around. Six grabbed the Legionnaire's flintlock and shot the second one in the throat.
The last two raised their guns to fire. Six hid behind the body to use it as another human shield when two...things came out of nowhere and tackled them both to the ground. They looked like statues made out of stone but moved like they were robots. If it wasn't for the obvious lack of metal he would've thought that was what they were. Either way he had to press the advantage.
He stabbed the third Legionnaire through the head then grabbed the discarded musket and shot the fourth one in his right eye. Quick and...not clean, but good enough.
Six wiped the bloodstained bowie knife on the grass and looked over the dead and dying bodies. Four of them were gone and the last two were gonna join them soon enough. He crouched down on the ground and looked over the dead ones first. He didn't bother looting the last ones he killed but right now that wasn't something he could afford. If he was going to conserve then he needed to frugal.
Reminded him of being back in the Sierra Madre...
At the end of it all he found three more grenades, a couple of flintlocks, a musket, some ammo for both and a holster to hold most of them. He put the slightly bloodstained leather around his waist just as the last two finally expired. He was tempted to search them too but he didn't have a lot of time. Hopefully when he got back Matilda and the rest of them would be ready to go.
He eyed the two statues warily, "Thanks for the help, Matilda." They didn't say anything and just stood there. Creepy.
Shaking his head, he doubled back the way he came and let out a small sigh of relief when he saw Tiffania and the kids already packed up. Matilda was standing not too far away still carrying ED-E, "Thanks for the help." Six said again. He took ED-E from her arms and carried him under his right arm. Little guy was heavier than he looked. Sooner he could get him floating again the better.
"What happened? I couldn't get much from the golems and just gave them orders to help you if a fight broke out."
"It was definitley Legion. Just six of them, so I'm guessing scouting party. Don't worry, I took care of them." He looked to Tiffania, "You and the kids ready?"
"Y-Yes." She nodded, "What about you? Are you hurt?"
"Nah. You can thank your sis for that." He turned back to Matilda, "Not sure how different the Legion is here, but if a scouting party doesn't report back they're gonna come back with a bigger force. We gotta leave right now. Know where to go?"
"Mhm. There's a village I know that's a fair distance from here, but if we start now we should be able to make it by nightfall if we leave now." She looked over Tiffania and the kids again with a slight frown. She still had doubts about bringing them all along but they didn't have a choice now, "I still have some money saved up so we should be able to rent a night at an inn, but we'll have to share rooms."
"We'll burn that bridge when we get there." Six re-adjusted his holster and felt slightly more confident now that he had a gun he didn't feel bad shooting, "Come on, let's head out."
[Perk Acquired: Golem's Bond.
While Matilda is your companion, you gain a 10% increase in Damage Threshold and have a slightly increased chance to succeed in lockpicking and pickpocketing attempts.]
Slightly shorter, like I said, but I got all of the infodumping and introductions out of the way. Next chapter feels more like the typical Fallout campaign of going from town to town solving problems for karma and money.
The writing for Six is going to be different for me. Unlike Twisted Reflections, I'm trying to write a character who's generally nice to people but also isn't afraid to be violent. He's also more self-assured and confident in his abilities since he already went through the base game and all DLC's, which of course gives him a positive view of what he can do. Hopefully he doesn't come across as Mary Sue-ish, though I'd argue it'd be weirder if he was doubtful despite crossing through the Sierra Madre or the Divide.
I do plan to show that this kind of mindset can have its drawbacks, particularly whenever Fouquet is concerned. Hopefully it works out :)
Review Answers:
AWACS Freeshipping - He does mention wearing the Riot Gear, but like with the cigarettes he wasn't expecting to get summoned and losing access to it. Same reason he doesn't have other stuff like the anti-material rifle.
Aoirann - Must've been confusing then :P
RedRat8 - Shame Six didn't bring a recharger gun. As for other characters, slight spoiler but yeah I have plans for more of them to show up. Six isn't the only otherworld transplant like Saito in canon.
Chaosservant - I did go with amnesia for this fic like many other stories do. Sorry if it's a dealbreaker but I figured it would writing some segments easier.
Firebird 0315 - I partially went with your suggestion for the Fouquet perk, though I did add in a DT buff as well since I figured that fit the earth mage part of her character.
Rando Guy that likes FF - Patrolling Halkeginia almost makes you wish for a nuclear summer.
nantono - Yep, like I said above Six and Fouquet function as the 'dad and mom' of the group. Whether it becomes romantic is debatable but that's the planned dynamic so far.