Response to Reviews:
To the three Guests: That final Solution joke is something that always comes up in my head whenever I hear her name and I don't know why. About the radiation, to the guest who went into detail with it, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. It'll be a danger to all who come across lethal doses of it. What Six and Ainz could do with it will no doubt create total annihilation. To the guest who asked if I will do anything with Arche - I'm thinking about it. Though it's not my focus but who knows… she might live.
A Tin Can: Ulysses? In the New World? It would be weird. Haha… no way… jk… unless?
doomqwer: Expect more of Fallout's creatures to find themselves causing chaos in the New World. And maybe some other familiar faces.
"This is perfect. Thanks, bud."
Six stood next to the "young" boy known as Mare Bello Fiore. From the brief conversation he had with the kid on the way here, he had come to curiously, but politely, ask why he wore clothes usually found on girls. It was then and there he found out it was his creator who had willed it to be so. Strange beings they turned out to be so far. After all, he had found out from Yuri that Shalltear's creator made it so that she enjoyed not-so-vanilla kinks such as a whip or a gag. He wasn't one to judge. Far from it. So it didn't faze him in the slightest.
"Y-You're welcome. It was a lot smaller than I thought…"
"Of course. Nothing can compare to Nazarick."
The Courier looked up at the sky and watched as once white clouds had lost their cheery demeanor to a more foreboding one along with the sky. Anyone who possessed a pair of eyeballs could tell that rain would soon fall upon the world.
"We should get going. It'll begin pouring soon and I don't feel like taking shower."
"Is, is there nothing else?"
"Nah, that's it. Hey, Aura! We're done here!"
With those words the sound of four footsteps - or was it pawsteps? - softly but quickly patted against the mushy grass forest dwellers would find pleasant. In the somewhat darkened area, two fierce red eyes finally revealed themselves. The shadowy figure slowed it's run and fully revealed itself. A wolf/dog-like being majestically presented itself to the two in front of it. It's dark green pelt could have been easily mistaken for black, especially underneath these conditions. Excluding its eyes, the most notable thing about this gigantic beast had a strange golden pattern underneath its neck and on its snout. He had no idea whether it was purely aesthetic or part of its abilities.
But there was something missing from it. Specifically, it's master.
"Your sis isn't on Fenn."
"E-EH?!"
To anyone who saw this without context, it wouldn't seem like a big deal for Aura to go off on her own. However, Momonga had specifically stated that they were not to split up underneath any circumstances for many reasons. The biggest being the unknown. Momonga is a careful Supreme Being. To underestimate all of your foes would be the biggest error of them all. They were to stay grouped no matter what. To go against his orders is very well treason.
"Relax, man. She's scouting just a little bit ahead I'm sure." Six looked around himself and regarded the dark forest he stood in as something to focus a little bit more on.
Maybe she's up on these ridiculously tall trees?
He looked above himself and barely caught a glimpse of the moon blending within the leaves unwillingly blocking out its light.
"Stay here with Fenn. Anyone else shows up and you holler. Or murmur as you usually do."
And with those words, the Courier leapt towards the closest tree and began to effortlessly climb and scale with his bare hands. He picked sturdy and wide branches capable of holding him without snapping under the weight as he went up. It only took him 15 seconds to reach the top and fully immerse himself in the white gibbous light.
He scanned his now clear surroundings once more and found exactly who he was looking for. Standing at the very top of the tree, Aura easily balanced herself at it's wooden end, her ears perking up at sounds Six couldn't ever hope to hear no matter how hard he tried. Unless he augmented himself again… could he do that…?
"Found more Nightstalkers?" There was no doubt Aura was aware of his presence.
"No." She turned to look at him. "Just some wolves from what it sounds like. Maybe even a stray dog."
"So no hissing then?"
Aura shook her head. "None at all."
"Good, because your brother just finished hiding the Mummy Lord's tomb. We're good to go."
"Then let's get going." She turned her head away from Six and prepared to jump down below. However, as she bent her legs to leap off, the wooden top of the tree had decided it could no longer bear it and snapped under the pressure.
Of course, this was Aura. She was known for being more than just agile. She could recover without a problem under this circumstance. However, she didn't get the chance to do any of this as Six had suddenly lurched forward and grabbed the back of her shirt before she could plummet any further.
"Aiyaya… that's two times in a row."
"Hm? You've lost balance before?"
Six heaved her on another branch close to himself and watched her flip mid-air and land perfectly on it.
"...Yeah." She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment as her cheeks turned slightly red. She couldn't help but smile a bit as well.
"Nothing to be ashamed of. It was out of your control. Anyway, like I said earlier, we're ready." Six looked below himself and noticed Fenn and Mare watching them from below.
"Right then." Aura leaped from the branch and aimed for her canine-like creature. The familiar tomboy contrasted greatly to her beast once she hand landed a top of it. She leaned to her left so she could get a better view of her brother meekly looking at her.
A soft but impactful poof went off near the dark elf twins who focused on Six. He had landed on the ground with perfect balance, his legs not bending in the slightest. He approached the two and lay a hand on the Fenrir
"I still can't get over how soft this fur is..."
Six gently brushed his ungloved hand near Fenn's back in appreciation at its pelt. It laid on its belly for a moment to allow Mare to easily climb on its opposite side.
"Mm-hm! Fenn can make for a great pillow."
Six hopped on the fantastical animal right behind Mare and placed one hand Lucky just in case they encountered something just like before they got here. It was an action that Aura had noticed. A small frown appeared on her face as she remembered the encounter. And those abominations.
"Are, are you looking f-for more of those…" Mare recalled what Six had told him. "Nightstalkers?"
Abominations are what they are. Everything about them screamed unnatural. The human race once again corrupted the natural world with another genetically modified creation. The combination of rattlesnake and coyote DNA is what led to them. While their body resembled that of a canine, their heads and tails were definitely of a rattlesnake. Six had told them both about how they came to be. And just like all abominations, they attacked on sight. Even a tamer like Aura wouldn't be able to do anything with them no matter how hard she tried. Of course, this didn't apply to newborns. Six had attempted to try and nurse a fresh pup that had hatched only for it to grow up quick and try to kill him. So he told her not to bother unlike she liked being constantly bitten.
"Yep. Though Aura said it's clear, it never hurts to be prepared… A New World but I find familiar faces in it. I wonder…" He mumbled that last bit to himself.
"B-but they weren't that strong, r-right? You eliminated them quickly."
Six then thought back to that event.
...
One quick and ungraceful but effective leap through the air is what the armored man performed as soon as he had laid eyes on the five snake-like hounds that had suddenly appeared in front of them. A faint cloud of dirt appeared as he landed on his feet and faced them.
"Woah! Where did they come from? Sneaky little guys." Aura raised her eyebrows and slightly curled her lips downwards as she realized something. "I've never seen this type before… are they a New World species?"
"They're Nightstalkers." Was the resounding answer that came from the armored man. "As the name implies they usually hunt during the night where their cloaks are most effective."
Aura then and there activated her ability that allowed her to see through invisibility. She turned her head in every direction in search for more enemies but found none.
"I used {Detect Life} a-and didn't find anything else…"
Mare's statement reinforced her conclusion, making her forget about their flanks and focusing solely on the hissing and tail-rattlers wolves in front of them.
"Good. Well, then, I'll handle this." Six reached towards his lower back where his throwing knives lay hidden. He drew three of them in each of his hands and brandished them in front of everyone near him. "Even though I know the answer… maybe you'll be willing to let us by?"
Snarls combined with hissing denied any hope for a peaceful resolution to this encounter. Six studied the enemies in front of him even more. He could easily see their rib cages. They were malnourished. Starving. Of course they wouldn't let them go. Their eyes clearly displayed their wildness but desperation for any source of food they could find.
"Sorry about this." Six whipped his left arm and let loose three of his knives that all met their intended mark. Blood spurted out from the hounds' bodies, some of them dramatically lost limbs in an explosive manner, their deaths unperceived by the rest of the pack as they blindly charged towards their foe. The Courier threw the rest of his knives at the incoming abominations as they all went for venomous and hungered bites. Unfortunately for them, they perished in a similar manner to their brethren save for one who had been sturdy enough to take on one of the daggers.
"Shit." Six whispered the curse to himself at his inability to one shot them all. The creature had steeled through the pain and still managed to complete it's lunge, albeit unsuccessfully. The human it faced was far too fast for it. To further cement this, it failed to see a fist come crashing down on it, causing its head to utterly explode its head in a bloody and gory mess that stained a good portion of his clothing.
Silence reigned throughout the area as Six wistfully sighed. "If only I had food with me. It could have gone differently…" he mumbled to himself as he retrieved his thrown daggers embedded in their bodies.
"Let's keep going." Six said after drying off his daggers on a fresh cloth he kept in his pouch. He almost hopped on Aura's beast before realizing that he had been tainted. "Er… go on. I can keep up with Fenn."
...
"Yeah… they weren't that strong. They were young too. Not to mention especially weak." Six stared into space for a moment before coming back to reality. "Well, whenever you're ready."
"Onwards, Fenn!"
The creature responded to its master's orders as it suddenly took off at an impressive speed. Six held onto his hat as the creature took off in order to make it didn't come off. Just like the ride to their destination, it was silent and awkward the entire time except for a few times there was small talk about. However, this was mostly mitigated by the serene and peaceful areas they found themselves underneath the crescent moon. It was more than a dream for someone like this. To experience this level of bliss anywhere in the Old World was a miracle with no chance of happening. But then again, Six was always kind of lucky. Six savored every fresh inhale of oxygen and took in the nature around him. He almost felt like crying again.
Almost.
When they did arrive in Nazarick, the first person to greet them was none other than the pale-skinned vampire herself - Shalltear Bloodfallen. She wore the same outfit Six last saw her with except this time she held an umbrella in both of her hands that she let rest on her right shoulder.
"You're all back. Did your little trip go well?" The True Vampire stood in place as she mocked and looked down at the arrivals. It was an action she rarely performed due her to short height that Six estimated to be around 140 centimeters.
"You're one to talk about 'little' things, Shalltear." Aura responded with annoyance.
A frown quickly replaced the formal smile on Shalltear's face.
"The same thing goes for you, shorty."
Six slowly got off of Fenn as he heard the beginning of what was no doubt a hostile conversation between them two. He and Mare shared a look that said they shouldn't get involved.
"So that's what reeked of blood." Shalltear's red eyes scanned Six's drenched outfit. He only responded with an "Hm." at her statement. "I only caught your scent seconds ago when you came near Nazarick."
"Sorry about that. We - I got into a fight." He didn't go into further details.
"With who?" Of course, the lack of a specific answer didn't satisfy her.
"Nightstalkers apparently. That's what Six calls them anyway." Aura answered for him.
"...Nightstalkers? Is that a kind of vampire?"
"N-No, they're like wolves b-but with heads and tails like a snake."
"Except they're not natural." It was Aura's turn to frown as she crossed her arms, disdain clearly in her tone. "Six told us that humans were responsible for combining the two in some sort of twisted experiment, for fun no less. It's a crime against nature. Something like that is more than unforgivable."
Mare nodded his head in confidence, agreeing with his sister. "Yeah! Whoever did it needs to be punished." He said with an unusual force in his voice he didn't usually display.
"You do know that Deathclaws aren't natural as well, right?" Six turned to look at Aura.
"W-What?! Really?"
Six nodded. "Afraid so. Sorry I didn't mention that before. It honestly slipped my mind."
"Deathclaw?"
Six let out a sigh. He honestly just wanted to get some sleep. Sure, he could go on for a week and possibly a little more with any rest, but it was always better to be fully refreshed before doing anything.
"Aura will tell you. I'm going to the Ninth Floor to clean up. I'll see you all later." Before he walked away he softly slapped mare on his back and said: "Thanks again, kid." He then focused on Aura and held out his closed fist. It took the girl a second to register what he was going for before meeting his gesture and completing the fist bump - albeit it was with a strange look on her face, one he couldn't identify. "And thanks to you and Fenn." He then turned away from the twins and began making his way inside.
Before he could walk past the pale-skinned woman, he felt an iron grip take hold of his shoulders. He felt Shalltear's sharp nails digging into his skin to the point of it nearly hurting it. He halted and fixed his own indifferent eyes towards her violently glowing ones.
"I better not find you to be the cause of any discomfort from those two - especially Aura. Or death will be the least of your worries." She hissed lowly at him. However, it was obvious that Mare and Aura had heard them quite clearly. They were dark elves after all. Hearing things others would not was only expected. "Are we clear?"
Six stood there for a moment as he processed those words. He didn't believe he had any negative interactions with the heterochromatic twins. But even so-
"Crystal. I wouldn't even think of it. Even if they were trying to kill me."
Six slowly reached out towards Shalltear's hand and placed his own hand a top of hers. "Speaking of discomfort... could you let go of me?" Shalltear stared him down for a little while longer before finally deciding to let go of the cowboy.
"Appreciate it." He stated with his usual authenticity before walking off, not bothering to look back at all.
Shalltear's tyrannical intimidation soon faded at Six's departure. She stared at the door that led to the start of the First Floor before turning back to look at the twins. Her rare worry over Aura in particular was something everyone present had yet to see. It surprised the dark elf girl the most.
"Hey, Shalltear, what was that back there? You looked about ready to kill him." Mare nodded in agreement and let out an "Mm-hm." as he agreed with his sis.
The True Vampire's gaze fell on the kid she treated as a sibling. Though, they weren't actually related of course. But still, that's how the Supreme Beings had designed them. As such, Shalltear looked out for the dark elf.
"What did he do?"
"Eh?"
"Six. What did he do to you?"
"Huh? Absolutely nothing. Where's this coming from?"
"I see it on your face!"
"Y-yeah, I noticed it too…"
An angry glare from Aura directed at Mare made the submissive boy shrink back underneath her frightening look.
"Notice what exactly?"
"U-Um well your ears g-get all red w-when he talks to you and, and that fist bump…"
"I agree with Mare. You quickly became scared when he did that. There's no use trying to hide it so out with it already!"
Aura let out a sigh. "I'm NOT scared of Six." She crossed her arms and shook her head, a smile appearing in amusement. "Honestly, you guys are totally hopeless."
Just then, a frantic gasp escaped Shalltear as if she just came to learn of a horrible truth no one should ever come to know of. This only earned another sigh from Aura. "What now?"
"Could it be? It can't be true… are you?" Aura stayed silent, a brow raised in both curiosity and confusion. Whatever she had 'figured' out was no doubt some strange conclusion she could have come up with.
"You're fond of him! You like him!"
Aura froze on the spot, her face turning red very quickly at the accusation thrown at her.
"NO, I DON'T!"
"Yes you do! You have a, a what do you call it - crush on him! Yes, that's it! Oh... I can't believe this..." Shalltear appeared to be on the verge of fainting. The shock seemed to be a little too much for her. What would her master say? Would there be any sort of punishment? She couldn't help but feel like Aura was in serious trouble.
Mare looked on in confusion at what was happening in front of him. It was the first time he had seen his sister start to lose so terribly against Shalltear in conversation.
"Would you shut up?! He might hear you!"
"So you admit it then?"
"I already told you! It's not true! Stop saying such stupid things!"
"I'm going to go look for Six and have a talk with him. This needs to be sorted out." Shalltear narrowed her eyes in resolution in her newfound task. "He should still be on the First Floor."
"STOP! Don't do that!" Aura nearly stumbled over her own feet as she suddenly raised her voice. She decided that it was time to come clean, otherwise Six would find out about this as well. "Okay okay it's true! I admit it! Just don't tell him!" The amount of desperation in Aura's voice was something Mare never thought he would ever hear.
"...I don't understand. How did this happen? Why do you feel this way?"
"Er, well…" Aura looked away from Shalltear, suddenly finding the floor to be more interesting to look at. She pressed her index fingers together and began with: "He knows a lot about animals, he likes being surrounded in nature, he's kind to everyone, he can keep up with me and…" She trailed off.
"He's attractive." The True Vampire didn't ask. She stated it as fact. It was an obvious thing one would quickly think of when looking at him. He possessed some handsome features sure, but he was more cute than anything - if he didn't have the helmet on and stayed silent. Aura could barely nod at the sentence which only earned a scrutinized glare from her sibling. As much as she hated it, she was utterly at Shalltear's mercy.
"Then it can't be helped. Although, we must report this to Momonga-sama. As his loyal servant, I must let him know about anything new such as this."
"R-Right." Aura couldn't help but feel nervous. What would her master say? Six is an outsider. The feelings she had could be utterly sinful. What would he do when he found out? Would she be punished? Her anxiety began to swell up.
"Then let's go. The sooner the better." Shalltear said and turned around, not bothering to look back at Aura. "Let's hope our master shows you mercy."
Blood everywhere. On his shirt, hat, gloves, and duster. Needless to say, his outfit was ruined. He wondered why sometimes the things he killed exploded so violently. It was ridiculous really. Sometimes it didn't even make sense, like back there with those daggers. How could a blade's impact cause that to even happen? Well, there was no use crying about it now. Nothing to be done. Except for cleanup of course.
I'm going to need a lot of bleach for this…
Six held up his partially crimson stained shirt in front of himself and looked it over. The blood of the Nightstalker he had killed had dried up and turned into a darker shade. The dried blood spot made it appear to be a pattern one could honestly find in clothing stores. That definitely amused Six. He currently stood in front one of many washing machines in the Ninth Floor in his elite riot gear outfit, tossing his shirt within the object already containing his other clothing save for his hat. Next to the washer stood a wide white pristine table with many varying detergents he didn't recognize which didn't surprise him.
He closed the spotless lid (good job Triple E) and turned the knob to the one labeled 'Heavy' and set the temperature to 'Cold'. He then reached for the bleach and the non-descript detergent. He dumped an amount he felt was appropriate into their corresponding areas before closing those smaller lids and pressing the 'Start' button. Immediately, the machine set to work on his clothing.
Once the mechanical humming began, he looked down at the Pip-Boy locked on his left arm and began combing through his Data in search of a good song. After a minute of scrolling, he decided that something nice and upbeat would be best. Seconds later, Puttin' On The Ritz by the Phil Spitalny Orchestra began. This would do well.
As this happened he approached the long white table intended for folding your clothing and pulled away a single simple chair matching the unneeded elegance of the board. He sat down and slouched in his seat and let the music drown out the machine. Five minutes had passed, time went by slowly for the armored man who absorbed every instrument pleasing his ears. Unfortunately for him, he wouldn't get the chance to properly hear end due to-
"Knock knock!"
A feminine voice said those words, but she hadn't actually performed the action.
Since his back was facing the only pearly white door that led to the halls Six turned his head to look at the woman who had suddenly barged in. Her brown skin and gleaming eyes made her easy to spot.
"Hey, Wolf Queen…"
Six turned his head back around and tried his hardest to listen to the song.
"Whatcha listening to?"
"Music."
"And how's that?"
"...Enjoyable. In fact, it's even better when someone isn't talking over it."
"Hmm…"
Lupusregina went deep into thought. There was no doubt she wanted to ask something. She had her finger placed on her chin for a few more seconds until her lips slightly parted from one another but no noise came out.
"...Yes?" Six's tone was of one who seemed exhausted.
"How?"
All of that for just one word?
"How…?"
"You don't have magic at all, right? So how can that thing-"
"Pip-Boy."
"-do something like that? Oh! Maybe you can't cast spells, but maybe you can make things. You a Craftsmen?"
"In general - yeah. Food, Ammo, Armor, Weapons, Drinks, and a lot more. What? You want me to make something?"
"You guessed it! It's like you read my mind."
"Uh-huh..."
"Yeah, I could really go for something with Ham in it…"
"What am I? Your personal chef now?"
"If you play your cards right."
Six scoffed.
"Okay, something with ham then." Six stood up from his chair and glanced at the washing machine and refocused on the she-wolf.
"You'll actually make something?!"
That confirms it. You only came here to annoy me.
"That's right. So is ham your preference because you're a werewolf or is it just a coincidence?"
"Both. Mutton is a close second though."
"Noted. Then let's go. I've got around thirty minutes before that finishes." Six pointed behind himself at the machine as he approached the door.
"Right behind you."
Six nodded and pulled the door open and thought to himself:
Well… at least I got something to do.
To say the Courier was surprised by what lay in front of him would be an understatement. He was absolutely shaken. The amount of food behind the kitchen in the cafeteria where the homunculus maids ate told a particularly cruel joke. One centered around the absurd amount of delicacies all around him and how none of it would ever see the light of day from the Mojave. To list all the items within fridges, counters, shelves and the like within the shining and ridiculously large kitchen would take at least five minutes - assuming you tried to read it all as fast as possible.
"First you attempt to steal my job and now you ogle. Did no one teach you manners?"
The one speaking to him was none other than that fungus - the Sous-chef. The mushroom man wasn't too happy about "the outsider" as he had recently been dubbed by some of the inhabitants he had yet to fully interact with.
"I already told you, I'm not stealing your job, man. Just making something for the wolf." Six thumbed behind himself at the smiling woman patiently but eagerly awaiting her food. Though the Courier couldn't actually see it, it felt as if Sous-chef had raised his eyebrows.
"That's awfully nice of you..."
"Whatever you're thinking - that isn't it."
"So what is it then?"
"Boredom. Sheer and utter boredom."
"And to try and alleviate some of it, you're going to try and-"
"Are you two going to talk long back there? I'm starving~su." A hungry Lupusregina leaned to her right to try and get a better look within the spacious area.
"I'm starting right now!" Six yelled back in response as he turned his head before moving it back to face the other chef. "Bone-in ham. Pineapple, brown sugar, and some ground cloves - you got any of that in the kitchen?"
Sous-chef scoffed in amusement. "Is Momonga the greatest Supreme Being?"
Six didn't answer his rhetorical question.
"Then give me a general idea and I'll set to work."
"Fine. All of the meat is…"
…
DING!
A single bell smack rang throughout the area as the ham weighing around nine pounds cooked in a single instant. Six of course couldn't help but show his surprise. He had done everything appropriately such as setting the oven to 325 and placing the diamond-patterned block of meat within the oven on a platter. However, the moment he had turned his back to it all that sound had gone off. He had sneaked a peek at the mushroom man near him to see if this was normal but was only met with a "what?" kind of look from him. So, he did what his instincts told him to and pulled the down the oven's large lid and looked within only to find it perfectly cooked.
"It smells good already~su!"
Without thinking, he went to grab the piping hot plate holding the bone-in ham and pulled it out, placing it on a nearby counter where the rest of the yet to be mixed ingredients were.
"Well would you look at that. It seems I severely underestimated you. You've got a maxed Cook level don't you?"
There's that word again. Level. Why do they keep saying I've 'maxed' something? I still have to figure this out.
"Don't mean to brag, but yeah."
"But you're still slow! You have yet to finish this dish!" Sous-chef heartily smacked the cooked ham with a ladle he had yet to use. "The Head Chef will be here any moment. We'll need all the space possible for the Homunculus maids. So hurry up!"
"Alright alright." Six set to work as he said these words, mixing the sugar, crushed pineapple, and cloves together into beautiful mush before slathering it all over ham and letting it sink deep into the cuts he had made.
"It's done. Where are the utensils?"
"Top right drawer near the pots and pans."
"Found 'em. Hey, Wolf Queen! Your food is-" Six cut himself off as he passed the double doors. Sitting next to Lupusregina where the rest of the battle maids who only just noticed Six's presence.
"Ah, so it is true. You are a cook as well." It was the blue-eyed blonde who had said this. And she was looking chipper for someone who had been rejected not too long ago. Though Six was no expert, women who made advances towards men and had a door slammed shut on their face didn't react all that well to rejection. He had both first and second hand experience with this. He wasn't sure what to expect from Solution.
"Then if what Lupusregina says is correct, you are also capable of crafting armors and weapons?" The maid with the bun and glasses appeared to be interested in Six's capabilities.
"Oh that looks super good~su! Give it here."
"Would it kill you to say 'please'?" Six placed the platter holding the delectable meat in front of practically slobbering maid. He didn't fail to notice the gleam in her eye as she looked down at it.
"I share Six's opinion. You lack basic etiquette, much less a proper one." Yuri wasn't the slightest pleased with her sister's behavior.
"...I want a milkshake. One with Chocolate, strawberry, and banana." CZ placed her order on Six.
"Yes, a meal does sound appropriate at the moment. In that case I would like something as well. Tender meat is my preference." Narberal put in her request as well.
"Ah, so we are ordering now? Then I would like something as well. Any type of food is fine with me." Solution added in as well.
"All of you…" Yuri's face began boiling in anger as she watched the other battle maids force Six to make something for them.
"Uh-oh, you made Yuri-nee mad." Lupusregina said with her mouth full, an action that only added further to the building and oppressive aura suddenly forming around the Dullahan. And then...
"What about you two? Yuri? Entoma?" Six's words quickly evaporated the negative energy. She looked up at him in surprise.
"Human meat please~!" The bug lady asked, the only one to do so politely.
"Er… hey, Sous!" Six turned around and shouted at the other chef so the mushroom man could hear him.
"What?!"
"Does Nazarick have human meat?!"
"Are you-?! No! What kind of kitchen do you think this is?!"
Six faced Entoma and shrugged.
"Sorry, I can't help you there."
"But you're human."
"...Huh?"
I have no idea why she said that. I'm human - that much is right. Unless… does she mean…?
"Please ignore her request Six." Yuri let out a sigh at the ridiculous implication.
"Yes, I agree. I doubt he is capable of it." Narberal chimed in, accidentally insulting the armored man's pride.
"Oh? That's what you think? Cause I'm human?" Six focused his gaze on the woman with the nearly blank expression. "Well it's time to prove you wrong. Entoma is getting the food she wants."
Here we go.
Six swiftly turned around and quickly walked back to the kitchen like a man on the most important mission of his life. Yuri looked like she wanted to say something but quickly stopped herself and settled on watching him disappear through the double doors.
"What are you doing?"
All the battle maids perked up at the sound of Sous-chef's voice. Something clicked to life in the kitchen followed by the activation of a flame. Afterwards, the echo of a blade being unsheathed came after.
"H-Hey! Stop! You're going to-"
The entire area became quiet. Seconds later, heavy yet light drops of an unknown liquid audibly hit a sink. It sounded like someone had just been stabbed, a hiss of air mixing along with it.
"You crazy bastard…" Sous-chef spoke lowly from the other side and briefly appeared at the center of the two knobless doors before disappearing again.
…
And so, Six created the rest of the food for the Pleiades. Though she didn't ask for anything, Six made something for her nonetheless. Specifically, stuffed beef tenderloin containing onion, garlic, butter, and bacon on the side. For Narberal he decided on making her a rack of lamb that held lemon zest and slices. Since Solution had not specified what she wanted, Six randomly decided on prime rib with herb sauce. The sauce itself was made of many things. Such as butter, shallots, red wine vinegar, flour, pepper, and garlic. CZ's was the easiest out of them all. All he needed to do was blend the milk with the chocolate syrup, banana and strawberries. It came with a straw of course. As for Entoma…
"Last but not least…"
Six delivered the final serving of food no doubt meant for Entoma. If one were to quickly glance at the plate offered to her, it looked no more than typical raw meat that had yet to be cooked. But if you were to look at it for more than two seconds, one could quickly surmise that the flesh before one of the youngest maid was NOT from the typical animal.
"Thank you very much~" Entoma quickly dug into her food. Though most of the blood had leaked away on its own back in the kitchen, a few droplets still fell on the plate holding a generous amount of Six's own flesh. Moments later Entoma began working on her dish, sending minimal amounts of blood weakly spurting in random directions as she eviscerated the meal.
"There was no need to go so far, Six." Yuri worriedly looked up at the man with an unnatural but weak smile on his face. "Was it not painful?"
"...No. Not a bit. In fact, I can't feel anything right now. Hm-hm!" He laughed a little bit and glanced at each dish he had prepared. All of the Pleiades seemed to be enjoying their respective dishes. They hadn't outright refused them, which was great from Six's perspective.
"...What's that on your leg?" CZ asked after she had taken another sip from the straw of her smoothie.
Six blinked once in response before looking down on his left leg. Stuck on his thigh was a needle unfamiliar to the battle who only just now noticed the object as well. Of course, Six knew exactly what it was himself.
"Whoopsie…" Six chuckled. He reached for the object, unhesitatingly pulled it out and stuffed it into one of his pockets.
"Did you accidentally fall and hit your head back there? You're acting all weird~su"
"It must be the side of effects of whatever he injected himself with." Solution focused on the Courier. "What is it?"
The Courier turned apprehensive for a moment before deciding that there was no harm in telling them. "Hmm… okay. It's called Med-X."
"What exactly does it do?"
"...It's an extremely potent morphine. The effects are nearly instant upon use. It's also highly addictive. Even one time use can make a person intensively crave it. Funnily enough, where I'm from, junkies have these more than doctors do."
"That explains your current condition." Narberal chimed in before taking a bite of her lamb.
"Yeah... the euphoria you get from these is unreal. Though I feel invincible, I know I'm not." Six awkwardly stood in place and became silent, his gaze going beyond the women began looking at him with slight concern. Lupusregina was the one to break whatever spell he was in by waving her hand in front of his face. It got a reaction out of him, though it was a very weak one.
"I think I should sit down and wait for this to pass…" Six informed them as he took a seat a good distance away from them all at the same table.
"How long is this going to last?" Yuri asked him as she tried to properly assess his mood.
"...Nine minutes. Around there." Six blinked slowly and showed her his genuine smile. "I'll be fine, teach. It'll pass without a problem…enjoy the rest of your meals." He said as he began to mess with his Pip-Boy in a rather sluggish but joyous manner.
There were many things the former legate of Caesar's Legion hated. First, the legion itself. What he had at first believed to be the beginning of a society underneath one flag quickly turned into totalitarian culture underneath total control by one man. Worst of all he had committed atrocities and worked as Caesar's right hand man, lying to himself that he only did what needed to be done and that it was for the greater good. He was the one at fault. It was because of him that it all happened. He was responsible for it all. The slavery, conscription, murders, rapes, and merciless pillaging. He had been a part of all that. His most intense hatred was for himself. And of course, self-hate only leads to destruction. But it was thanks to a certain Courier that most of it had been quelled.
All of this came flooding back the moment he witnessed a female elf in rags obediently walking along next to a human male holding onto the sturdy chains preventing her from moving her arms, legs and neck properly. His blue piercing eyes met lifeless green ones for a moment as she followed along like a good dog. Though his anger began to swell, he kept himself composed. He wasn't foolish enough to try and set her free. Having the whole city come down at you all at once was sure to get him killed. And he couldn't die here. Not yet.
And so he moved along the busy streets, trying to assess just what exactly he was getting himself into. The entirety of the ground was composed of sturdy and smooth stone brick. Alleys were mostly clean save for the occasional garbage strewn about it. Beautiful and vibrant plants were carefully placed on the roads or next to some buildings. He passed by many carriages and large wagons lead by either one or two horses. However, the roads were wide enough for it to not be a problem. The pleasing atmosphere was hard to take in since so many of the people here stared at him. He had expected it of course but not to this extent. Even guards patrolling the area whispered to one another about whatever they had decided to focus about him. After all, a man wrapped up like a mummy was something one could only gawk at.
"Hey, you, burned man."
And there it was. His first interaction with a another human outside of the tribe. First impressions meant everything and he needed this to go well.
"Is something wrong?"
The guard who had addressed Graham stopped about four feet in front of him, making sure to display his large two-handed battle axe.
"Law states that all those wearing clothing that obscures any portion of the head are subject to searches."
"For what reason?"
"In case of non-humans."
The guard leaned in somewhat and produced a glare intended to intimidate the newcomer in the city. "You're not a non-human... right?"
"No."
"I'll be the judge of that."
Without warning the man had suddenly stepped forward and pried open the bandages shielding Joshua from the painful air tormenting his skin. Though his eyebrows had long been completely singed off it was apparent from the outline that he had furrowed them as he steeled himself.
"Hm..." The guard slowly felt around the ears. The reason for this being that some non-humans such as elves would go to the extreme length of cutting of their to integrate into society. So much so that couples who bore children were more than surprised to find a half-elf newborn. Of course this led to subsequent arrests and slavery on the offending elf. Many fathers and mothers wept as their children were sold off. Or they didn't care and happily gave them away.
"You check out." The guard seemed almost disappointed. "Well? Be on your way then."
Joshua complied with the order and turned around, stepping away and properly rearranging the bandages in order to suppress the constant pain.
The civilians within the kingdom who had been watching from afar had quickly lost interest and went about their business.
Normally, Joshua would've beat the daylight out of someone who treated him in such a manner. But again, this New World demanded he be a lot more patient in general.
As for the reason as to why he was in the capital of the Slane Theocracy, he wanted to know more about his newfound enemy. When he first found out about the Theocracy a few years ago he decided on ignoring them. However, that was before more info from his scouts came. From what he had gathered, this group were the ones responsible for the current state of all the surrounding human kingdoms. The Assassinations, policies, kings, nobles - everything was under control by them.
Of course he couldn't just walk around and begin spewing such conspiracies to common folk. No, he needed proof. And there's nothing more damning than physical evidence. And the only place he would find such things were at the heart of their operations. He was here to spy because there was no other man capable of it. Well, except...
"Where are you, Courier?"
Joshua had a feeling that the notorious man who had defeated the NCR and Legion was somehow here as well. If history is any indication, he would make himself known again. Whether he wanted it or not.
It took only a few more minutes of aimless walking, but Graham finally found himself near what his informers had told him to be the grandiose church where the Six Cardinals met to discuss current events and plans for the future.
The cathedral itself stood taller than most buildings, being about quadruple the size of the average home. Joshua couldn't hope but stare in awe at the beautiful limestone building with just the right amount of beautifully decorated windows. Everything about it radiates a holy aura. It was all so perfect.
However, that was all the time he would get to appreciate it. His admiration for it perished the moment a visceral and devastatingly loud scream came from within it. Though the sound had been short, there was no denying what everyone around him had suddenly heard.
But before anyone could begin gossiping with one another about the strange occurrence, a sudden explosion erupted from inside the church, causing a small but considerable amount of damage to the internal and external structure. Rubble fell and shattered into smaller pieces, kicking up dust in slightly obscuring the area where the explosion had taken place.
"What's going on?"
"Are we under attack?"
"Who let out that dreadful scream?"
"Where in the godsdamn are the guards?!"
Chatter around him had already begun. Confusion and shock were the what the people here shared in common. As the crowd began to grow in size, so did his chances of infiltration.
Joshua followed the group of people gathering near the holy ground. This was it. Now or never.
"Everybody calm down!" One of the nearby guards shouted above the rabble.
"Get back! Move!" Another commanded as he pushed through.
Graham didn't bother looking back as the distracted guards attempted to move back the herd. He went completely unnoticed as he moved between the back of the buildings, patiently waiting to use the stealth boy he had brought along so he could waltz on through the front.
Unfortunately for him, he wasn't the only taking the alleys to hide. In front of him stood a figure in a hooded brown cloak. Next to them lay the bloodied body of a city guard. It didn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.
"Oh? I didn't realize I was alone~ And who might you be?"
Hearing this person speak immediately revealed the sex - a female for sure.
"Did that man deserve to die?"
"Him?" The hooded woman prodded the dead man with a stiletto. "Not really, but his back was turned and I couldn't help myself~"
"I see... May God have mercy on you." Graham reached behind himself and took hold of his pistol by the barrel. "Because I certainly won't."
"Ehehehe~ Would you really harm someone as gentle as me?"
"Your lunacy is obvious. I've dealt with psychopaths like you before."
"Reeeally? Maybe if you knew who you were talking to, you wouldn't be so confident!"
The woman suddenly moved causing Joshua to tense as he prepared himself for a fight. The brown cloak shadowing the female dropped to the ground, revealing the crazed woman underneath it.
Short blonde almost orange hair, red sadistic eyes and delicate features on an hourglass figure made up the female in front of him.
"Like what you see?" She laughed as she drew her other stiletto.
Graham's furrowed brows quickly rested as he became utterly flabbergasted at her 'armor'. "Are you a warrior or do you work for a brothel?"
To Joshua, her armor was no doubt intended to arouse sexual desire. But he is a man of God. And he be damned if he fell so easily to his carnal desires.
"So mean! Are you upset because it doesn't work anymore?" She smiled in her usual deranged manner. "Severe burns like those tend to do that~ Trust me, I would know."
"I doubt my health is of any concern to you. But that's enough talk." Joshua pointed the butt end of his .45 at her.
Clementine grinned as she took a strange low down stance. Without warning, she suddenly dashed forward and closed the distance between the two. She indulged into her sadistic nature and aimed low, attempting to slice at the Graham's tendon.
There is a saying that one should not play with their food. It certainly applied in this case. Her attack had been easily dodged by the burned man who had retaliated by simply winding his leg back to kick in her direction.
He struck true, but it had been completely negated by one of her stilettos. He identified the ability she had used immediately.
"Impenetrable Fortress." He mumbled to himself as the woman backed off by dashing backwards. Joshua made no effort to try and catch her.
This was the first time Clementine had frowned in a while. "What a shame. Looks like I won't be able to play with you. You're stronger than you look."
"And you're more foolish than I thought. Underestimating your foes leads to failure."
"Maybe, maybe... but Clementine-sama won't lose here. Especially to a no-name like you."
The sadistic woman once again went on all fours, her smile widened even further as she began placing buffs on herself. "Pace of the Wind, Greater Evasion, Ability Boost, Greater Ability Boost."
Of course, Joshua wasn't going to just stand there and not do the same himself. Not that he had to. In fact, he could easily dispatch her with a single shot from his pistol but refrained from doing so. After all, it was incredibly loud and that would certainly compromise his mission.
"Shukuchi Kai." Those were the words Clementine heard before she felt the brutal slam of a pistol whip on the back of her head.
Dazed and reeling, she lost her balance and fell to her side. The two barrels near her didn't help her maintain balance as she tried to lean on them, they too couldn't hold themselves together. It was a pitiable display really.
"You have met more than your match, woman." He pressed his foot down on herone hand still holding her weapon. He raised his weapon into the air and prepared to bring it down.
"Over here! I saw that bandaged bastard go this way!" The new but unmistakable voice from the guard he had spoken to earlier came from in front of him.
Though he wished to rid the world of the vile being currently at his mercy, the heavy footsteps of what he assumed to be the city guards became louder. So, with great regret of not just immediately killing her, he holstered his pistol and reached for the stealth boy in his bag. He pulled the device out and quickly began wrapping it around his wrist as he stepped away deeper into the alley.
"By the Gods...There are two bodies here!"
"Hold on, this one's still alive - a woman!"
"Miss, Miss are you alright?"
Clementine weakly began to stand. "Yes..." Usually this would have needed some effort on her part when acting as a damsel in distress. Fortunately for her, the show of feebleness was very much real and made it very easy for her to begin deceiving the men near her.
"What happened? Who attacked you?"
"...It was a man… dressed like a mummy…"
Rage quickly overtook one of the guards. "I knew the sonuva bitch was no good the MOMENT I spotted him!"
"Calm down, William. Anger won't get us anywhere. Miss, did you see where he went?"
Clementine shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. He hit me on the head and disappeared." She laid her eyes on the man she herself murdered. "But he wasn't so lucky..."
William followed her line of sight. "Damn it all…"
The other guard let out a sigh. "We need to report this and put a bounty on this man. But for now, we need to get you to a healer. William."
"I'm on it." The burly guard approached Clementine and gently put her on her own two feet, slinging her arm around his shoulder. "Come on now."
"Thank you…"
Though it had not gone the way he would have hoped, Joshua found himself inside the breathtaking cathedral even more aesthetically pleasing to his eye. Though, he did not have time to soak it all in. He needed to delve deeper within and find something that completely exposed the Theocracy. Just exactly what it could be, he couldn't possibly know. But he needed to try. And so, he set off past the main entrance, beyond the aisles, and past the altar that usually would have been heavily guarded.
"...ko Princess of Earth?" Graham stopped in his tracks as he heard the sudden voice of a single man not too distant from him. Two sets of rapid footsteps coming alongside it.
"Yes, she went mad the moment it was removed - we're the only ones strong enough to stop her."
"And by stop you mean…"
"Kill her. There is nothing more we can do."
As the voices grew closer, he crouched as low as he could and put himself in a shadowy corner and became utterly still. He watched as two men walked past him. The first one he noticed was a human he couldn't quite discern being male or female. This person has somewhat long hair and red serious eyes. The other human next to the red-eyed one he almost mistook for the women he had recently encountered. He bore a strong resemblance to her. He guessed them to be family. What a small world.
"And what of the cardinals?"
"All safe. Though one of them had a close call. Anyway, enough talk. We have to move."
"Yes, Captain."
Captain… Is he the leader of the city guards? And what of this man? Perhaps her brother? Is he aware of that woman's psychopathy?
Joshua watched them walk up to what appeared to be a normal looking wall, only for the Captain to press his against three seemingly random bricks that obliged to his force. Moments later, the floor they stood on suddenly gave in, creating a set of stairs that led deeper below. He watched them descend and disappear underneath seconds later. The set of stairs then retracted on their own, looking as if nothing had ever happened. Graham waited about a minute before proceeding forward and replicating what they had done. After he had pressed all three of the same bricks in the exact order they had done. He cautiously stepped back as he watched the floor react once again just in case someone had been near the bottom where this leads. He waited a few more seconds before proceeding downwards. He went down as silently as he possibly could, praying that nobody else happened to be at the bottom.
Once he did reach the end, he was greeted by candlelight halls. The walls and floors were made of an entirely different material he didn't recognize. The best he could compare it to was obsidian in a purple hue. What stood out to him were the windows that somehow allowed light from the outside somehow within the darkened halls. He assumed this to be some sort of magical spell cast for decoration purposes. He glanced in every direction and strained his ears for any sound that indicated if someone else here.
At random he chose to simply go straight ahead and aimlessly wander within. His Stealth Boy still had around thirty minutes of life before it gave out. Still, he wanted this to be done as quick as possible to increase his chances of leaving here unnoticed. It was only seconds before he encountered his first door. He stopped in front of it and placed his hand on the knob. In a very deliberate and slow manner, he attempted to turn it only to find it to be locked. In response, he reached into one of his pockets and drew a lockpick along with a screwdriver. Though he wasn't a master like other individuals, he was still knowledgeable enough that he felt like he could pull this off without him breaking one.
He inserted the screwdriver first and then placed the thin and pointed piece of metal afterwards. He then proceeded with the tedious process of trial and error with them both, trying to create as little noise as possible. It took him almost a minute to find the sweet spot. Once he did, he pushed the screwdriver even further within and to the left. He became satisfied when he heard a click from the door. He slowly pushed the door open, thanking his luck that hinges weren't rusted enough to create loud squeaks.
He stepped inside and got his first look at what he assumed to be a laboratory of sorts. Beakers, on fine wooden tables, plentiful amounts of books within shelves on opposite walls, and potions strewn randomly about near papers is what finalized the look. He closed the door behind himself and decided he would start on the lone table with an inkwell and began scouring through it all. The first sheet underneath an animalistic skull acting as a paperweight told him that the owner of this room had been performing experiments with alchemical ingredients he had zero knowledge of. He discarded it and moved on to the others.
Potion testing… animal behaviors to certain drugs… request for more materials… a list of ordered books… what's this?
Joshua read what was essentially a diary log of someone's day. For some reason it had been torn out from whatever it belonged to. It also had ink spilled on it, obscuring the top portion of the paper.
...go without any further notice. I don't know who he thinks he is, but he's got to be knocked down a peg or two…
Uninteresting…
He sped through the rest of the read until reaching the bottom.
She's a little unnerving to be honest, it's strange being next to her. She just seems so… bored. Though we have never sparred, it is quite clear as to why she's the world's most powerful. Anyway, I'll send this to you at some point when
It ends there. For some reason, she stopped writing this.
Joshua glanced at the spilled ink.
Perhaps it was when this was knocked over.
CLICK.
Joshua would be lying if he said that hadn't starled him. In his focus on reading through the many sheets of paper, he failed to notice the faint sounds of footsteps outside the door that should have warned him that someone was coming. He quickly backed away from the table and yet again placed himself into a corner and crouched as low as possible, focusing on his own breathing to make sure it wouldn't be audible in the dead quiet room.
The door slowly opened, and from it emerged a young woman with a fashion sense that would give him a headache if he had tried to make sense of it. Where should he start on her appearance? Her white and black hair split in the middle? Her pale white skin? Or her heterochromatic eyes? She was so decorated that he wondered if people in this New World even cared for any sort of practicality.
All of these thoughts were quickly halted once her eyes focused on the same corner he was currently hiding in. In hopes of her looking at an object just past him, he turned his head behind himself to make sure. There wasn't anything else there.
"There's no use hiding." Her words echoed in the room.
Furrowing his brows, Joshua became lenient in his breathing and stood up. He deactivated his Stealth Boy and fully revealed himself.
"A mummy? No… just a burned man."
Joshua placed a hand on his unique commando styled .45 Auto Pistol in case things couldn't be resolved peacefully.
"Do you realize where you are? Nobody but a select few are supposed to be down here. Let alone have knowledge of it."
"I do."
"Perhaps you are an enemy of the Theocracy? To be honest, I don't read any of the reports given to us."
"May I ask for your name?"
"Hmm… I see no harm in it, seeing as I can't let you leave here alive. I'm Zesshi Zetsumei."
"Joshua Graham. It's good to make your acquaintance."
As he said this, the woman in front of him seemed to be searching for something specifically on him. While she did so, he used Sense Weakness and Possibility Sense to gauge this girl's combat potential. The number given to most certainly surprised him.
70% chance of victory… I cannot let my guard down.
Every being he had encountered thus far had usually been 90% to 95%. It concerned him because this woman didn't seem to have all of her equipment on at the moment. If she did…
Still, it's refreshing to find someone capable of fighting me. A shame I cannot indulge in it right now.
"You don't have the Crown of Wisdom. Where did you leave it? Or did you destroy it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. Would it happen to relate from that explosion earlier?"
Zesshi seemed to appraise the man, searching for any signs of dishonesty.
"So you really don't know then…"
"But I do know about you, world's strongest."
The young girl's neutral face soon turned into a frown. It was then that a cross-shaped scythe soon appeared next to her. She swiftly took hold of it, her intent made very clear to the Mormon in front of her.
"I know about your origins, you're the Slane Theocracy's secret - a trump card. Which would explain why you're down here." He focused his eyes on the woman's ears. An action that only deepened the frown on Zesshi's face. "It's interesting to know the Slane Theocracy keeps a Half-Elf down here. I was under the assumption they hated anything non-human."
"There's no point talking to you anymore. It's time for you to die." Without warning the paled girl lunged forward with her weapon and attempted to cleave Joshua in half.
Imagine her surprise when he simply blocked it with his pistol. She couldn't stay in that state of shock as the former Legate attempted to punch her in the face. She swiftly dodged it by leaning back and while doing so countered by swinging low at his legs only for him to leap atop the table to avoid the attack. It was then Joshua realized that his back faced the doorway acting as an entrance and an exit. Without any hesitation, he jumped backwards and turned his back as he bolted out of the room. Wordlessly but furiously, Zesshi followed right behind him.
All the noise they had just caused had finally let Graham forego the use of stealth. It was easier to go loud, but it always left things sloppy no matter what. He rounded the corner of the same hallway he had come from and came face to face with the black-haired man he had seen earlier. The Captain must have been aware of his presence because his immediate reaction was to attack him with his spear. Unfortunately for the Captain, his thrust did not meet its mark. Joshua caught it just behind the blade, though he couldn't counter since the woman had quickly caught up and went to lop off his head. He blocked it with his pistol and shoved her back. The spear user used this as his chance to kick Joshua just behind the knee which did end up forcing the mummified man to lose some form of balance.
"Flow Acceleration." The Legate stated as he suddenly increased his speed in general, avoiding more of their attacks. "This ends now!" He claimed as he no longer held his pistol by the barrel. He aimed his weapon at the Captain and…
BANG!
The projectile shot out from his gun. It tore through the man's armor, striking near his belly right above the kidney. He had gone out of his way to make sure the shot wasn't lethal. The force alone caused the man to suddenly give out as he was sent flying to a wall that caved in. Graham finished up by grabbing the Captain's spear and pitching it towards Zesshi who avoided it just in time. However, she soon became incapacitated as the Legate swept her off her feet with one kick and delivered a blow to her abdomen. But she was far from done. It was at this point she began to take him seriously. But…
"He's gone…"
The bandaged intruder had suddenly disappeared, no doubt aided by the same object he had placed on his right arm. She got back on her own two feet and slowly approached the man who frequently visited her. He was still conscious, but visibly wincing as he clutched his side. He had been effectively incapacitated. Zesshi placed a hand on her abdomen where some of the trivial pain still lurked, but then went a little lower. She had found someone who could potentially defeat her in combat. A genuine smile formed on her face.
She couldn't wait to meet Joshua Graham again.
Author's Note: Well, there's chapter five. Joshua is making moves in the New World while Six cooks a dinner for a family of six. But that's bound to change real soon. Anyway, regarding the whole Aura has a crush on Six thing, if my understanding is correct, crushes are formed on someone you hardly know anything about but have an idealized view of. And so with Six being extremely useful to Momonga so far, she thinks him to be better than he is in reality. Also, I ask those of you who review to tell me if I absolutely butchered it. I'll remove that section of the chapter if it turned out to be terrible. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed the rest of the chapter. I'll see you guys again in the next one.