AN: Welcome back to Fallout: Unforgotten! I will be making a very slight change as I plan to expand on it in later chapters. So please enjoy chapter 7: Night of the Nightkin!
"You got a lot of nerve showing up here again." Manny scolded, eyeing the Courier menacingly.
"Ding, ding, ding! You're the 100th person to utter that phrase! Amata tell him what he won!" The Courier mocked.
"Wait a minute, what's going on?" Amata asked as she dismounted from her pack brahman. The trade caravan had just gotten to the outskirts of the settlement of Novac and already the Courier's infamy had triggered a confrontation.
"You said you would clear out the REPCONN test site." Manny argued.
"I recall you requesting me to clear out the ghouls, I don't see any ghouls around. Do you see any ghouls?" the Courier asked the caravan guards and tradesman, to which they nervously shook their heads 'no'.
"And while you were there, did you happen to see any Nightkin?" Manny asked through gritted teeth.
"When you say 'see'…" the Courier trailed off goading him.
"You know damn well what I mean." Manny yelled.
"You know we should really get going, these medical supplies won't deliver themselves." A trader told them as they continue on into town. Amata and the Courier were about to follow when Manny stepped in their way.
"I'm not letting you or your friend enter this town." He told them.
'Why does everyone assume I'm friends with him?' Amata thought as she tried to think of a way to disarm the situation.
"Manny, enough games. Either you let us pass or we step over your bullet riddle corpse, and my trigger finger is really itchy." The Courier threatened. Amata could tell he was serious as his tone changed and his muscles tensed like a viper readying to strike. If she was going to do something to avoid bloodshed she would need to do it quick.
"You won't try it. Boone got my back." Manny retorted.
"Manny you are a horrible liar, its past 6pm which means Boone's up in the T-rex watching for raiders or legionnaires. He can't be watching your back from up there." The Courier countered as his hand started to hover over his ranger sequoia.
"You really want to take that bet?" Manny asked. As his hand perched itself on his 9mm.
"I really do." The Courier sneered, and with lighting fast reflexes the courier pulled his revolver fired a round knocking Manny's red beret off his head.
'I barely saw him move!' Amata thought.
Manny looked like he had just saw his life flash before his eyes. His hand still resting on his pistol he looked at the Courier wide eyed. The Courier looked back with cold calculating eyes as he kept his revolver trained on him. Amata took out one of her 9mm and fired around into the air, the resounding sound snapped the Courier's concentration causing him to flinch.
"Alright you two, break it up." Amata yelled.
"Hey, he started it." The Courier muttered as he holstered his revolver.
"I don't care who did what, can't we resolve this like civilize adults?" Amata asked.
"Well I can, if he can." Manny answered picking up his red beret. He poked a finger through the new hole it had.
"This was my favorite one." He bemoaned to himself.
"Now these 'Nightkin' I'm guessing they're giving you problems?" Amata inquired.
"Yeah they've been attacking in the middle of the night. No one has been seriously hurt but it's only a matter of time." Manny explained.
"What if we took care of the problem? Would that at least allow us to pass through?" Amata asked.
"Hey, I held up my end of the bargain, why should I get dragged into this?" The Courier asked.
"Seeing as this wouldn't had been a problem if you had just been thorough." Amata retorted.
"And I was… with the ghouls. The Nightkin in the basement was something else entirely. Therefore they were not my problem." The Courier countered.
"Nightkin, in the basement?" Manny asked accusingly.
"Why am I not surprise." Amata sighed.
"Look I just want them gone. You get rid of them and we're square." Manny said eyeing the Courier.
"Alright then we have a deal." Amata agreed as she motioned for the Courier to follow.
"You should go on ahead, I need to go say hi to an old friend while I'm here. I'm sure he'd want to see how I'm doing." The Courier remarked.
"Somehow I doubt that, just don't take too long." Amata said as the split up.
'Wait what's a Nightkin?' Amata thought as she headed towards the REPCONN test site.
"Hey, What does a Nightkin look like?" she yelled back towards the Courier.
"Oh you'll know when you see it." He called back.
'Great' Amata sarcastically thought.
A raider was snooping around near the outskirts of Novac checking the place out, probably because he drew the short straw but to the individual looking at him from the scoop of his hunting rifle it didn't matter and in a few more seconds he'll be just another notch on this hunter's tally. Manny had picked off a few during the day and had left his tally as a challenge to his nightshift counterpart. Boone took a deep breath and steadied his rifle. He lined up his crosshairs on the raider's head, and after adjusting for wind and bullet drop he place his finger on the trigger, a signal to himself that everything was ready.
"Simple and clean." He whispered to himself.
"HEY!" The Courier shouted slapping Boone on his back causing him to pull the trigger prematurely. The shot went wild and scared off the raider.
"Damn it, how the hell do you keep sneaking up here like that?" Boone asked annoyed that his quarry got away.
"That's a Courier's secret." The Courier winked.
Boone let out a sighed, "You didn't kill Manny did you?" he asked. Boone was familiar with the Courier's approach to problem solving and when Manny informed him that he'll 'have a word' with the Courier he figure it turn out like most other times people wish to have a word with him.
"No, but he came pretty close." The Courier answered.
"Well I appreciate that you didn't, must've been hard not to." Boone remarked chambering another round and taking up his sniping position again.
"So why are you here Six?" Boone asked.
"I need you to look after someone, she's heading towards the REPCONN facility to take care of the Nightkin." The Courier asked.
"You mean the same REPCONN facility those ghouls were squatting in?" Boone asked as he scanned across the Mojave looking for his next target.
"The same." Six remarked.
"If you had been more thorough she wouldn't need looking after, Request denied." Boone answered.
"Come on, after all the times I saved your ass?" Six countered.
"Counting all the times I've saved yours, I'd say we're even." Boone replied.
"Jeannie May." Six simply said.
Boone eyed a small mole rat off in the distance and put a round into the side of its head before letting out a sigh.
"You're not going to let that one go are you?" Boone remarked as he stood up. "Alright, but after this we're even." He told the Courier.
"Sure and don't worry about your post, no one's going to come near here." Six said leaving Boone alone in the T-Rex's mouth.
The moon was full and was high above in the night sky when Amata was passing a make shift guard station. Heading towards the REPCONN facility the darkness of the surrounding area began to play tricks on her mind. As she passed underneath an overpass she spotted a trash can fire near a statue of a REPCONN rocket. It was strange that a fire would be lit way out here but what was even stranger was that the area around the fire shimmered. As Amata took a closer look she could see that the shimmered area had a distinct shape and were in fact several figures but it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began.
"Well what do we have here?" a voice asked to itself.
Amata quickly whipped around to see who it was and saw no one. On alert she took out her Cowboy repeater and scanned her surroundings, she began to back away down the way she came when she ran into something hard and big. She turned to face what she had run into and only saw a shimmering figure. The figure reached out and grabbed her. From the size of its massive hand Amata quickly deduced what a Nightkin could be. The figured lifted her high above its head and uncloaked revealing a Super Mutant with an unusual skin color.
"Stupid human come where she no wanted." It spoke in its Neanderthal tone.
'This is bad.' Amata thought struggling to free herself.
"Me kill stupid human!" it roared as it began to tighten its grip.
'This is really bad.' Amata thought as she was about to reach for her 9mm a shot rang out and a .32 round went through the Nightkin's head causing it to fall dead bringing Amata along for the ride. After freeing herself from the Super Mutant's grip she looked for the one who fired the shot, half expecting it to be the Courier. Instead she saw an individual with a red beret like Manny's climbing up to the overpass.
"Who are you?" Amata asked.
"Now's really not the time." The stranger remarked pointing towards the trash fire. It took a few seconds for Amata to realize that there were no longer shimmers surrounding the fire.
'Oh shit.'
"Hey that pip-boy got a threat assessment display?" the stranger called from above her.
Amata looked at her pip-boy and saw several red ticks heading towards her and 'danger' flashing red.
'If the pip-boy can pick up on them then maybe V.A.T.S could work.' Amata thought. Time slowed as she quickly went into V.A.T.S but to her dismay the targeting system could only show an outline of her invisible targets with a '0%' chance to hit. Even though she couldn't target them in V.A.T.S, it at least pointed her towards where she needs to shoot. Time reverted back to normal as Amata began to open fire. Most of her shots missed but she was able to knock a few out of their cloaking states giving her mysterious helper the shot he needed. Three more shots rang out from high above her and three Nightkins fell leaving two more to deal with. Amata looked around as the area had fell silent, an eerie feeling began to creep into her mind as paranoia started to set in.
'It's bad enough they're Super Mutants, but invisible too.' Amata thought as she listen for footsteps.
"Will you idiots stop dying?" a voice yelled out from the night. Just then the stranger fell from the overpass and landed roughly on the ground, an invisible force hit the ground next to him. Before Amata could move to help she was grabbed and put into a bear hug.
"Let go of me!" She grunted as she struggled.
A Nightkin decloaked in front of her. He had a wicked scare over his right eye and a rebar club in his hand. What seemed to set him apart from the others was the Brahmin skull he had strapped to his shoulder.
"We have two stinking meddling humans Antler, what should we do with them?" it spoke. Amata guessed it was referring to the skull on its shoulder for advice. After a moment of silence one of the other Nightkin spoke up.
"We should make them tell us where the stealth boys are." It suggested.
"Shut up! Antler is thinking." After another small pause he spoke again. "Antler says we're being rude, says executions are in order." The Nightkin paused again and began having a small side conversation with the skull.
"No, wait that's not right. Are you sure?"
"…"
"Okay, Antler." The Nightkin agreed.
'Oh god I'm going to die by the hands of a Super Mutant taking orders from a skull.' Amata thought.
"Antler says Introductions are in order." It corrected itself.
"I am Anderson, and this is Antler." It gestured to the skull on its shoulder.
"…"
"Antler says hi." Anderson translated.
"…"
"Antler also ask why you here? Are you here for Stealthboys?" Anderson paused to have another side conversation with the skull.
"You're very smart Antler, ask all right questions." He praised. He turned back to Amata as if giving her the cue to speak.
"We only came here because Super Mutants been harassing-." Amata was cut off as Anderson bellowed.
"We are not Super Mutants! We Nightkin! Understand!" he yelled as he drew his face close to her. Amata could still smell what Anderson previously ate for dinner and did her best not to vomit.
"Many apologies, Sir." Amata replied in her politest manner she could muster.
"…"
"You're right Antler. I am too quick to anger, clouds judgement. You're always right Antler." Anderson chatted with 'Antler'.
"…"
"I notice that too Antler, she not like other human. Calls Anderson 'Sir'… Sir Anderson. Has nice ring to it don't you think, Antler?" From the way the conversation was going it seemed that Amata would have to appeal to this 'Antler' if they were going to get anywhere.
"Um, Mr. Antler. We foolish smelly humans only wish to be left alone. We do not want stealthboys and would really appreciate if you let us go." Amata asked hoping Anderson would by it. The other Nightkin looked at each other before looking back at Anderson.
"Antler, this human speaks to you like I do. What do you think?" Anderson asked.
"…"
"Antler says there's no need to be so formal." Anderson translated.
"Understood." Amata answered.
"…"
"He also says don't be so hard on yourself." Anderson added.
Amata nodded her head in agreement.
"…"
"Are you sure? Ok, okay Antler." Anderson stated.
"Antler says we'll leave puny settlement alone, we moving on anyway." Anderson relayed.
"And us?" Amata asked.
"Antler says you and your companion are free to go." The Nightkin replied giving the signal to release her.
"…"
"Antler says it was nice meeting you." Anderson translated as he and the other two began to walk away, soon they were cloaked again and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
The stranger who had decided to help Amata stood up gingerly.
"I think I cracked a rib." He muttered.
Now getting a clear view of the man, Amata could tell it was the Courier. The man was clearly taller and well built. The man took the shades he had in his pockets out and discovered them to be broken.
"Six owes me for new shades." He muttered to himself.
"Who are you?" Amata asked again. Picking up her cowboy repeater.
"Names Boone. The Courier sent me, and that's all you need to know." Boone answered.
'Not the talkative type are you.' Amata thought.
AN: Thanks for reading! I really appreciate all the positive feedback I'm getting. As I'm sure you've notice I've given the Courier a name… well sort of. I don't want to give away too much info so you'll just have to read the next chapter.