Special Delivery to the Frontier

by TheLandMaster

To Frontier Town rode a stranger one fine day. Hardly spoke to folks around her, didn't have too much to say. No one dared to ask her business, no one dared to make a slip. For the stranger there among them had a big iron on her hip.

3. Chapter 3

…

Apologies

While I did some progress on Discarded Blade… The mojo vanished halfway through, and it became a slog to write for it. Mega sorry to all the readers for it.

Instead, we're going back to the fic listing of before.

It's Courier time.

~O~

It had been a long time since the Courier had traveled somewhere on something with wheels. Vehicles in the Mojave were far and few between, and the few that did function were hogged by the larger factions for their own use. It had been alleviated somewhat thanks to Mr. House repairing and restoring what few cars and trucks had survived the two centuries of wear and rust, but their use had still been quite restricted for civilians.

Obviously, traveling in a cart pulled by horses wasn't really the same as driving a nuclear-powered sedan or her motorcycle, but it was certainly better than walking around on foot.

With the village now saved but needing to recover, the Courier gave them both a fistful of denarii and aurei (something that she quickly realized seemed to be an absurd amount of money for the locals, considering the way the village chief and Noble Knight had gone bug-eyed over them), plus the horse she had bought recently. It was a pity to leave the animal behind, but at least here she'd have a more active use and better care, and the village would have a steed to send messages or call for help. Noble Knight's party had also volunteered to stay behind for now to make sure that no stray goblins or other monsters showed up, and wait for the cart to return and ferry them back.

So instead, the Courier would share the trip back with her newest acquaintance: Goblin Slayer and his traveling companion.

It was an… Interesting experience.

The man had remained perfectly quiet throughout the trip, merely sitting with his arms and legs crossed and lightly slumped against the wooden wall of the cart. His body was still and quiet, with only a few minimal movements of his shoulder giving away his slow but steady breathing, though the Courier had no doubt that Goblin Slayer was just as alert as herself. That one of his hands was hanging over his sword's handle, just as the Courier's own was a twitch away from unholstering That Gun in case of an emergency.

And yet still, the Courier couldn't deny how… Refreshing it was to travel with someone this paranoid. Of the many years she had spent in the Mojave, while some of her companions had been more than well-prepared for the rough, sometimes cruel nights out in the desert, many more had been too blasé over their safety. How many squadrons had all gone to sleep at night, only to be woken by the sounds of their comrades being torn apart by night stalkers, or caught off-guard when a pack of fire ants were halfway done dragging the poor souls down into their nests?

And yet, here was this grungy, medieval, primitive-looking warrior with a name that ridiculous, clearly with more preparation than an NCR soldier unit or a Legion scout group.

His companion, on the other hand, was far more… skittish, for the lack of a better word. From behind her mask, the Courier could see the girl stealing glances from time to time, doing her best to look inconspicuous as she looked over the Courier's prone form. But instead of caution or fear, the girl seemed instead openly curious, taking in whatever small details she could in the Courier as the girl wrung her staff softly.

And speaking of said staff, it was now that the Courier realized what the farmers had meant when they spoke of bringing her to the "Earth Mother temple". Looking at the girl's religious-looking robes and the staff she carried, the place would likely be a literal temple, with perhaps some kind of healing facility located inside.

It still bothered the Courier, however, that Priestess looked so young. Maybe even younger than some of Noble Knight's companions, and even less physically capable than any of them. Granted, she clearly wasn't meant to be a frontline combatant, that role being most likely up to Goblin Slayer, but it still stood to reason that she would have some means of protecting herself.

There would be time for these questions and their answers later, however. Right now, she first needed to understand what would happen.

"Goblin Slayer."

"What is it?"

As she expected, the man had indeed been semi-alert. And likewise, judging by the soft "eep" that Priestess gave, the young girl had not realized that fact or that the Courier was just as awake. Once she was sure the young girl was not scared, the Courier rose herself from the cart and returned to a cross-legged sitting position, both hands visible just in case Goblin Slayer held any possible misgivings over her. "You came to this village to eliminate those creatures from the fortress, correct?"

"Yes, I took the quest to kill the goblins."

"So are you and Noble Knight members of an organization responsible for these missions?"

"Correct."

"Mister Goblin Slayer and I are part of the Adventurer's Guild," piped up Priestess, pulling a small chain from her neck where a small tag made of porcelain hung from. "As official adventurers, we are allowed to undertake quests posted to the Guild, and receive compensation for completion of them."

"I see… If that's the case, then it stands to reason that my interference would cause your payment to be revoked, correct?" asked the Courier in return as she withdrew a small cloth pouch from her coat. Priestess, however, was quick to shake her head as she put her dogtag back into her clothes.

"N-Not at all!"

"The Guild will take your interference into account when delivering payment, provided you submit a report of your actions," added Goblin Slayer, the man still immobile even as his head turned minutely to the side towards his companion. "The fact we also took part in the quest of the previous party will be considered when payment is distributed."

"Then allow me to compensate you both for my interference." And before either (or at least, Priestess) could voice their protests, the Courier tossed the pouch to the armored knight, who deftly caught it out of the air. "I don't know what payment you were offered, but please accept this in exchange."

With a hum, Goblin Slayer took the offered pouch and undid the string keeping it closed, before carefully upending its contents onto his hand. When the denarii stopped falling and he quickly added up the amount in his grasp, the count added up to twenty silver coins.

"Will this cover your reward?"

"Yes, it is more than enough."

Carefully, Goblin Slayer separated ten coins from the pile in his grasp and returned them to the pouch, before handing it over to Priestess, who took it with a mumbled thank you, while the denarii that remained in his hand were stashed away into the pouch secured to his waist. Just then, the cloth at the front of the cart was pulled aside, allowing the three to see the driver holding the leashes of the horses while peering inside towards the adventurers and wanderer. "We'll be arriving in town in about an hour, folks!" he called out cheerfully, giving a slight nudge to a bag lying just behind him and propped against the cart. "There's some bread and cheese in there if you're hungry, and if you need a nap don't worry, it's all smooth riding from here on."

"Thank you."

"Hmm."

And while the Courier returned to her partial slumber, and Goblin Slayer moved to pull some of the offered food from the bag, Priestess pulled a coin from within the pouch and turned it around in her grasp. Not out of suspicion of foul play, however, but out of curiosity. After all, while not fully educated in all there was to the world… she certainly had never heard of a ruler called Caesar.

-O-

In truth, it had been an hour and a half later for the cart to arrive at its destination. Thankfully, the driver had the presence of mind to not shout or yell about their arrival, leaving the task instead to the small jostle of the cart and the last crunch of dirt and gravel to wake the passengers.

In a heartbeat, the Courier was up and moving, the training that drill sergeants and legionnaires alike had beaten into her body and mind helping to push any lingering sleepiness away. As carefully as she could, the woman crawled out of cart, mindful of the still-sleeping Priestess and of the equally awake Goblin Slayer, throwing herself onto the ground with barely a sound. For a moment, she thought of perhaps waking Priestess from her sleep, but after a brief second of thought, the Courier instead opted for another path: gently, and calmly, the Mojave native slid her arms under the young girl's body, raised her from the cart and held her in a bridal carry, while also being careful to remain in view of Goblin Slayer. "I'll follow your lead, Goblin Slayer," she called out as quietly as possible. The knight, in return, gave her an almost imperceptible nod, then turned around and walked towards and through the gate of the walled city.

The sight that met her eyes was one she hadn't witnessed in many years: a bustling town, alive and healthy, and with no sign of destruction in any corner.

The buildings were all built in a clear medieval style, dull white stones and wood used liberally on all the many houses and shops she could see. Trees were planted all around, their tops easily visible as they towered over the buildings with their lush green foliage, and lining the beaten dirt streets that sinewed randomly across the small city, stalls filled with all manners of products were announced by merchants seeking to make their daily profit.

And the people…

They were not dirty, famished or tired. Their clothes were not torn nor cobbled together from assorted rags. There were no drunks falling asleep amidst the street, no constant patrols keeping an eye for ever-present criminals, no piles of refuse and trash… No remains of a war long-gone.

This town… It was so full of life, filled with hope…

Was this how the pre-war world had been like, so many centuries ago? A world filled with the idea of a bright future, of safety… Of peace?

"We have arrived."

"Hm?"

Goblin Slayer's words made the Courier return from her reminiscing, just in time to see that the knight had stopped in front of a three-story building with a large set of oak wood doors, and above of which hung a large wooden plaque with golden writing marked onto it:

ADVENTURERS' GUILD

"You must file a report with the Guild," continued the man, unwise or uncaring to the Courier's relapse of focus, before turning his focus to Priestess. "Leave her with me."

"As you wish, Goblin Slayer."

Carefully, the Courier took a step forward and passed the sleeping girl onto the Slayer's arms, with her only stirring minutely upon touching the colder metal of his armor. With an approving nod, Goblin Slayer secured his hold on Priestess' body then moved around the building, most likely a side entrance with less hustle and bustle. Once she was sure both were gone, the Courier took one last look at the door, then placed her hands onto them…

-O-

"Very well, here are the quest details…"

This wasn't the first party that Guild Girl had received today, and it certainly wouldn't be the last. The same applied to her fellow workers, who diligently did their own best to expedite the process for parties to select, take and depart for quests, though there was only so much they could do.

Oh sure, they would always make clear to list down the objectives and expected dangers, both as protocol and as to make sure the adventurers knew what to possibly bring on their mission: if creatures with venom are expected, antidotes would be a given. If the environment will be dark, torches and lanterns will help to keep sight of the objective… So on and so forth.

But it would not mean that adventurers always listened. Case in point, the fact that Guild Girl was, even if very much reluctantly so, authorizing yet another party of newcomers to enter their first quest: A goblin hunt.

It was nothing new to her, sadly. Goblin-related quests were, and always would be, treated as something completely acceptable for rookies. Some of the more malicious minds out there would say that this was so the number of adventurers would never grow high enough to threaten the nobility or the crown, or even as population control. The truth, however, was far simpler: it was far easier to simply throw as many able-bodied individuals against the more "minor" forces of Chaos as possible, and leave the more veteran adventurers to tackle the more openly dangerous foes of Order, be they servants of the Demon Lord or independent groups. If the first group did not succeed, the second or third certainly would.

It was a simple solution through attrition, really.

And yet… it was such a painful method. Even if she never saw them again, and their faces faded away in memory, Guild Girl still knew that, one way or another, she was the one that allowed those adventurers to partake in these quests. One way or another, she couldn't help but feel guilty over it. And even with Goblin Slayer working fervently to whittle down their numbers, almost with a fanatical focus, it seemed that the number of greenskins would always rise again to undo his work.

It was only when the adventurers had taken their forms and turned their backs to her that Guild Girl allowed herself to heave a sigh of tiredness, slowly sliding back into her seat as she massaged her wrists in preparation for the rest of the day. If only they had more help…

Crrrrreeeeeeaaaaaakkkk…

And it seemed that, truly, the gods were holders of the most curious sense of timing, for barely a second after, a figure opened the doors into the Guild Hall, drawing the attention of every single adventurer present within.

And Guild Girl could certainly say, they were an even more… Interesting figure than even Goblin Slayer.

While no one could tell if there was a man or woman underneath the heavy coat, strange armor and even stranger helmet, they could certainly agree that the figure was imposing. Standing easily at 6 feet, 5 inches in height, their presence was only made more intense by the dark colors of their apparel, and the glowing red light coming from the glass eyes of their strange mask. Every step they took was surprisingly quiet, yet at the same time covering the distance separating the door from the attendant's desk in a surprising burst of speed… and of course, of all people, the figure had gone directly towards Guild Girl.

It was in times like these that the young woman questioned just how unlucky she could truly be.

With that thought in mind, Guild Girl awaited with budding anxiety and bated breath as the figure stopped right in front of her, the only thing keeping the two apart being a small wooden table, and a few adventurers began stepping closer with hands hovering over their weapons, before clearing her throat with an almost strangled cough. "A-Ahem… Welcome to the A-Adventurers' Guild! How… May I assist y-you today?"

"Hello. I am here to deliver a report."

To this day, some of the more experienced adventurers will swear that if one had strained their ears after the figure had spoken those shockingly mundane words with that deep, garbled voice, they would have heard the sound of glass shattering into a million pieces.

"Ah… A… Report?"

"Yes. Due to my interference with an ongoing quest, the parties assigned to them could not complete their assigned mission. I have thus come to report in their stead."

"I… see…"

Unfortunately, the figure did not seem fit to continue their train of thought, instead opting to remain completely silent as they stood in front of the counter, peering down at Guild Girl with that same intimidating red glare.

The feeling of déjà vu was almost uncanny.

After what felt like an uncomfortable length of time, Guild Girl righted her back just a tad before pulling an empty report form and quill in front of her, mentally preparing herself for a possibly-Goblin Slayer-like experience. "Very well… Umm, your name…?"

After a brief moment of hesitation, the figure slowly raised their hands (and from the corner of her eyes, Guild Girl saw more than one adventurer take a step forward in precaution), only to be filled with surprise as the figure removed their helmet and mask, revealing the face underneath the metal visage.

The woman did not look older than thirty, perhaps even on the higher twenties. Her eyes were colored like emeralds, shining brilliant green even in the ambient light of the building's inside. Her hair was the color of midnight, an almost ethereal black, and done in what seemed to be a carefully maintained pattern of dreadlocks, the majority of which were tied into a single ponytail at the back of her head, while the rest hung free from either side, framing her noble-like features and her dark, almost dark chocolate-colored skin.

Truly, the only thing that distracted from the new arrival's own natural beauty was the horizontal, jagged scar that ran from one side of her face to the other over the bridge of her nose, and the strange, faded circular scar upon her forehead.

"I am Courier Six," she spoke in her now natural-sounding voice, a beautiful contralto that seemed to perfectly match her appearance. "Though you can write it down as simply Courier."

"Very well… And your adventurer rank?"

"I am not affiliated with your guild."

There was a faint scratch noise as the quill lightly jostled out of place and slid to the side, splashing some ink haphazardly on the page as Guild Girl turned her head in a flash towards the Courier, mouth agape. "You're… not an adventurer?"

Her expression only grew more shocked in response to the Courier's shake of her head. "But… You said you interfered in the quest!"

"Correct. However, I am not an adventurer. My skills and experience were either self-learned through live-application or taught to me by instructors I've met throughout my life." With her explanation finished, the Courier took a glance to the side, seeing the mob of adventurers watching over her, before returning her attention to Guild Girl. "I do, however, have interest in joining your organization."

For a moment, Guild Girl did not reply, but only for a brief one. Finally, after letting out a long, deliberate sigh, the young worker pushed the scratched report aside, choosing instead to pick up a new one, plus the necessary entry forms and a fresh ink pot.

This… would take some time.

-O-

Goblins were stupid, but they were not fools.

Goblin Slayer was neither of those things.

His master had made sure to beat that lesson into him, literally more than figuratively, throughout their years together. It was thanks to that training that he had survived so many hunts… That, and his ingenuity. They were the things that always bought him one more day.

And they were what now led the armored warrior down to the Guild's forge.

Priestess had woken up not a moment after he set her down onto their room, apologizing for making him carry her.

She did not seem satisfied when he replied that her weight had been acceptable, and that her sleeping had not impaired him.

Still, Priestess had mentioned that she had duties to perform in the Earth Mother Temple, so after her farewells, Goblin Slayer had gone straight to solve a new question that had taken to his mind.

Or at least, one of many.

All focused on the Courier.

Goblin Slayer had gone to the fortress to ascertain that all the goblins had been killed the night they had met, and indeed, there were no signs of any survivors or escapees. Bodies laid where they had fallen, torn apart in ways Goblin Slayer had yet to see before, as if they had exploded from within. The fortress itself had received quite some damage as well, but strangely enough very little burning seemed to have occurred, even with the plume of smoke he had seen rising from the location. He had also found the bodies of the women who did not survive captivity, and though he couldn't retrieve them now, Goblin Slayer made sure to remember their physical appearance to relay to the village leader the day after.

And yet still… there were things about the Courier that made Goblin Slayer curious. Her gear did not seem forged, yet what metal he saw seemed impeccably made. The mask and eye protection were far more complex than what he had seen, and the eyes seemed to glow without magic, something indeed strange. Not to mention whatever weapons she wielded that could cause such destruction in such localized ways.

Could goblins gain weapons like those? Or steal them from her?

These and more questions drifted in and out of Goblin Slayer's thoughts, but right now he did not have the means to get an answer from her. The only one he could answer, however, was the one regarding the bag currently hanging from his hip.

The sound of metal against metal and clinking of tools were good indicators to him that the blacksmith was at his forge, though it certainly would have been stranger if he hadn't been there. Once he walked through the door, Goblin Slayer immediately felt the smell of burning charcoal and metal hit his nostrils, the clanging growing even louder once he was inside the shop itself, before it suddenly stopped, and a muffled grunt replaced the noise instead. "I'm coming, just a sec'…"

Moments later, a man as short and as broad as a barrel walked back into the store's main room, his scraggly grey beard and balding hair a clear sign of his age.

If any were to confuse Blacksmith for a dwarf, there was plenty of evidence to support their mistake.

"Alright, I'm 'ere…" grumbled the man as he wiped his hands on a rag that he stashed into a pocket in his pants, before turning his attention to the newly arrived customer. "Oh, 's you, kid. What you need this time?"

"I need an item ascertained," replied Goblin Slayer as he pulled the pouch from his hip, heedless of the huffing Blacksmith gave in return.

"Do I look like an appraiser to you?"

"It is not appraisal I require."

Clink-clink-clink

The silver coins that the Courier had given to him fell softly on the wooden counter of the shop, drawing the attention of the stocky man away from his complaints and back to the matter at hand. Slowly, Blacksmith reached for one of the coins and picked it up between his gloved fingers, turning the small silver disk over in his grasp before focusing on Goblin Slayer once more. "Where did ya found these?"

"A recent acquaintance delivered them to me as compensation."

"Hmm…"

"Are they forgeries?"

"That, I can't tell ya. Never seen these before," replied Blacksmith as he put the coin back onto the table, a tired huff escaping his lips. "It could be ancient currency, but then again those look too new to be restored works. The silver's real, though, and good quality at least, so the value should be about the same."

With a knowing hum, Goblin Slayer took back the bag and placed it once more beside his waist… Then pushed the silver coins toward Blacksmith. "I'd like to purchase some extra gear, then."

"… Pheh. You cheeky brat… Alright, fine, I can give it a pass."

"You said these would be accepted—"

"I know what I said, just gimme the list."

-O-

Drinking on the job is considered extremely unprofessional behavior, not to mention it could seriously affect work performance, and lead to disastrous circumstances, like mixing up information for a given quest.

This didn't mean Guild Girl was not seriously considering the pros and cons of a decision like that, even as she finished re-reading the Courier's filled-out entry form, while her colleague sat beside her staring at the armored woman with the most bewildered look Guild Girl had ever seen.

She, Inspector and the Courier had withdrawn to one of the meeting rooms, specifically the one reserved for promotion interviews, so that the newcomer could both deliver the report and properly fill out the information needed for her entry into the Adventurer's Guild. Granted, it was not standard procedure to do so, but considering the circumstances it felt the best possible route.

Unfortunately, she had been proven right.

It all started when the Courier narrated her arrival to the old elven fortress and her rescue of the Steel-ranked party from the horde of goblins. That in itself was already impressive, considering the fact she had managed to sneak into the fortress undetected and somehow fight off the horde from overrunning them all, but once the Courier spoke of attacking the fortress by her lonesome and successfully eliminated the entire horde, Guild Girl could not stop herself from glancing towards Instructor to make sure Detect Lie had found something.

To a mix of awe and horror for the young girls, the Courier was NOT lying.

She did not go into detail, but the woman made clear that she had combed the entire fortress, killing any goblin she came across while also making sure to rescue whatever captives had been still alive.

In the end, Detect Lie had found no falsehoods on the Courier's statements, so Guild Girl filed her report as truthful. She was just as thankful, however, for the confirmation that the party of adventurers had survived mostly unscathed. It was always good news when adventurers came back alive, and this was no exception.

However, her moment of respite was quickly put to rest when they began the madness that was the Courier's registration process.

It all started when she presented the fill-out sheet to the Courier, and the woman asked quite directly what she was supposed to fill in. This thus led to the almost surreal moment that was Guild Girl explaining to the veritable killing machine what stat listings, classes and related were, or as best as she could, all while Instructor watched. A few minutes later, the Courier thanked her for the explanation before taking the sheet once more, only this time she also began fiddling with a strange brown object strapped to her arm from time to time.

It was when the Courier began noting things down on the back of the sheet that Guild Girl realized this was going to be the weirdest recruitment session of her life. When she received the sheet back and began reading it over, the feeling was cemented.

It started with the fact that the Courier had stricken some of the Stats and either rearranged or wrote over their names. Instead, the listing went: Strength 10. Perception 10. Endurance 10. Charisma 10. Intelligence 10. Agility 10… And Luck 10.

Was that… Good? Bad?

Furthermore, instead of a law alignment, the Courier had written down her Karma instead, with its measure being a positive 772 score.

It got progressively crazier from there.

Like the fact the Courier did not have any class levels, but instead Traits, Perks, Implants… And there were just so many of them: Friend of the Night, Run 'n Gun, Math Wrath, Solar Powered… All of which had explanations beside them, and all of which made her head spin.

What kind of person had natural eyes that could see in the dark without a racial trait? Or healed wounds just from standing outside during the day?!

At least her physical description was somewhat more acceptably mundane: thirty-four years old, standing two meters tall, with an 82 kilos weight… Oh, and the fact that this woman was apparently level 50, with 575 hit points, and capable of carrying 375 pounds easily.

Also what did Action Points mean?! How could she breathe underwater?! Not to mention the almost surreal list of Skills she had: Barter, Lockpick, Medicine…

And what, in the name of all the gods, was an Energy Weapon?!

These questions and many, many, MANY more swirled through Guild Girl's as she read and re-read the registration form for what was possibly the tenth or eleventh time, and still she couldn't understand quite exactly what this could possibly mean. And yet, she couldn't really refuse the Courier for these circumstances. It would be quite hypocritical of her to accept the fifteen-year-olds who walked through the door constantly, but refuse a clearly seasoned fighter… Gunslinger… Courier.

"Is there a problem?" asked the woman with the hour, her expression and tone still as calm as the moment they first arrived in the room.

"N-No, none at all," quickly replied Guild Girl, a nervous cough escaping past her lips as she placed the form down onto the table, and folded her hands atop her lap. "It's just… the first time I've received an application as unique as… Well, yours, miss Courier."

To her surprise, the woman simply nodded in response, her eyes briefly flitting towards the paper before refocusing her attention onto Guild Girl. "It is understandable. I see that there are many differences in our ways of measuring a person's capabilities."

"Yes… That is certainly true."

Their statements were punctuated by a lengthy period of silence, until the sound of Inspector coughing into her hand caught the attention of the other two occupants of the room. "If I may… There are some precedents for more… Unusual recruitments. If need be, the Guild is allowed to request applicants to take part in a practical test to determine their abilities, provided they are confirmed by a veteran adventurer… If you'd be comfortable with it, Miss Courier."

Shifting herself on her seat lightly was the most subtle thing Guild Girl could find in herself to do as she gave a side-glance to the Courier, who merely stared at Inspector with that same calm, almost unreadable expression… Until she finally nodded, and stood from her seat. "Very well, I will perform these tests. May we begin now?"

"Of course!" promptly replied Guild Girl, quickly rising herself with her now-returned smile. "And I know exactly who could supervise this!"

-O-

When Guild Girl had approached her party asking for help in supervising a practical application test, Female Knight hadn't thought much of it. She had never taken part in one, but all things considered, there were worse jobs to partake in. So without much worry, both her and Heavy Warrior took the request, and headed to the small sparring field set up outside.

Her opinion quickly changed, however, when she realized who they would be supervising.

And of all the weirdos that it could have been, it had to be the figure who had arrived this morning and left everyone on edge. Still, whatever grievances she or Heavy Warrior held over the figure, they had agreed to the job, and one way or another would see it through.

Guild Girl was quick to explain the process of the practical test to them all: the Courier, as the revealed woman seemed to be called, would perform a battery of physical tests to prove her capabilities, and both Heavy Warrior and Female Knight would judge if she was indeed capable of being made an adventurer. Simple and effective, no need for complexities.

First was the strength test: lift a series of progressively heavier metal weights, until the candidate finally reached their limit. As the Courier made her way through the two-digit weights, the Silver-ranked adventurers merely watched.

When she reached the first triple-digit ones, they were impressed.

When she almost crawled her way into the four-digit range, Heavy Warrior couldn't help but subconsciously shift his sword around for reassurance. Thankfully, to his pride's safety, the Courier reached her limit at the eight hundred pounds weight, being unable to lift past that.

Next, the agility test, and that is where Female Knight stepped in. Wielding a wooden sword, the paladin would attack the Courier, and the candidate would dodge to the best of her abilities. And to almost no surprise, the Courier avoided the attacks with surprising finesse, dodging and weaving her way around the wooden blade with ergonomic movements and excellent footwork. Still, Female Knight couldn't help but notice that more than once, the Courier's hands and legs twitched ever so slightly, as if the woman was holding herself back on counterattacking… Nevertheless, the newcomer had proven her skill, so she certainly earned a mark.

When it came time for the hand-to-hand test, Heavy Warrior stepped in, foregoing his weapon of choice for his bare hands, and his personal Ring of Might just for good measure. Overkill, perhaps, but it helped to give a little incentive to the trainees, especially his own party.

He did not expect it to work that well on the Courier, however. The moment Heavy Warrior threw his first punch, the woman became a veritable blur of movement.

Next thing he knew, he was staring at the sky, the Courier helping him up to his feet, while Female Knight furiously tried to hold back laughter.

In the end, the only test truly left to complete was weapon proficiency, with Guild Girl asking the Courier to showcase her abilities with any chosen type of weapon.

They expected maybe a sword, dagger, or even a bow.

Instead, the four Guild members were treated to the sight of the Courier pulling out a veritable arsenal from within her coat… SOMEHOW. And very few of those weapons were recognizable: a knife, a pair of curved swords, a strange katana, a fully metal one-handed sword, a long war-hammer and a glaive were still somewhat reminiscent of weapons an adventurer would use. A few others, like the strange knife with parts that were clearly meant to move, or the fist-shaped device with a block of metal at the front, seemed far more exotic. The rest of them, however, were quite… unique.

Now, both Female Knight and Heavy Warrior were familiar with "firearms", as they were called. The king's army had wielded them en masse against the Demon Lord's army, and the fact they worked almost akin to magic was certainly a game changer… But the Courier's weapons were in a league of their own. Some looked utilitarian, others more artistic in their construction, and others still had shapes and possible functions that neither adventurers nor guild staff could feasibly divine just from observation.

For the sake of brevity, the Courier agreed to showcase only some of her many firearms, particularly some of the more simplistic ones. When asked, she had referred to them as Medicine Stick, A Light Shining in Darkness, Maria, All-American, and the Mysterious Magnum. As for the melee arsenal, the choices had come down to the glaive, the hammer that was apparently named a "super sledge", and the curved swords she called "kopis".

That some of the names felt quite ridiculous was not something Female Knight felt comfortable enough yet to comment aloud.

The test began with her use of the melee weapons against, once more, Female Knight, this time with her wielding her preferred, real weapons, while the Courier armed herself with her chosen melee weapons: kopis sheathed at her hips, super sledge on the back, and glaive in-hand.

"Remember, this is only a training exercise," said Female Knight as she adjusted her grip onto her shield, while her sword was held at the ready on her other hand. "Showcase your moves, but let us be mindful to not cause injuries, is that understood?"

"Yes."

"… Gods, you talk just like him… Alright, let's begin."

With a nod of acknowledgement, the Courier twirled her glaive in a clearly practiced move, before taking up her stance. And already, Female Knight could see the problems.

It wasn't a bad stance per se, but it was clear that the Courier did not have formal training to use such a weapon: her legs were just a bit too wide, the blade was too low against the floor, and her shoulders were squared too tightly to properly bring the blade to bear against an opponent.

If that loud-mouthed brat of a spear-user was here, he'd most definitely be chastising this woman for being too sloppy. For now, however, Female Knight would focus on what she did or didn't know.

With a glance towards both women to confirm they were ready, Heavy Warrior raised his hand in the air…

"Begin!"

And chopped it down.

The second the man had finished the motion, the Courier was on the move, swinging the glaive from below towards Female Knight in a clear attempt to bat her shield aside.

Unfortunately, as the adventurer had predicted, the blow had come too sloppy to properly land, even with the clear strength and fury behind it. Angling her shield just enough to have it deflect the oncoming weapon, Female Knight braced herself and pushed forward, meeting the attack head on with all her strength before batting the weapon aside, still mindful of just how powerful the blow had been, before quickly following up with a side swipe from her sword.

To her shock, however, rather than dodge or parry the blow, the Courier instead chose to grab the blade, and even more shocking was that rather than having her glove and palm sliced open by the edged weapon, the cloth instead held firm, locking the weapon in place just enough for the Courier to twist her glaive around and bring it to bear again, only this time the Courier thrusted the weapon straight towards Female Knight's torso.

Just as quickly, Female Knight pulled her shield close and placed it between herself and the other woman, just in time to intercept the glaive's momentum, before the Courier began to thrust against the shield over and over, each blow pushing Female Knight back a smidge at a time. Just as the next thrust came, however, Female Knight angled her shield yet again and forced the glaive to bury itself onto the ground, then spun herself around and smashed the shield against the Courier's torso.

Credit where credit is due, the Courier took the blow surprisingly well, with not even a grunt of pain in response to a hit that would most likely have broken even a troll's ribcage as she let go of the glaive and backpedaled away from Female Knight, drawing both of her kopis into her grasp and quickly twirling them before shooting forward again in a whirlwind of slashes. And unlike with her attacks with the glaive, these were far more well-practiced, with well-balanced strikes and with just enough strength to allow the momentum to be recycled back into new strikes… But once more, two glaring problems stuck out: her grip on the swords was a tad too light, and her moves followed a pattern… A simplistic pattern.

"Tch… You sure know how to fight with these!" shouted Female Knight as she parried the blows with both her shield and sword, feeling the strength of the attacks bleed into her limbs each time as she waited for the pattern's weak spot… Until it finally came.

When the Courier moved forward for a double slash with both kopis, Female Knight struck her sword forward just as the Courier's blades made to cross together, halting their momentum and forcing both the woman and her weapons to stop. Even though the sheer force threatened to break her wrist or snap her sword in half, Female Knight grit her teeth, and with as much power as she could muster, swung her shield upwards and slammed into all three weapons, making sure to let go of her sword at just the right moment before her attack struck. The result was predictable: all three blades were launched into the air, with the Courier's swords flying to the sides while Female Knight's sword shot straight up, and while this time the Courier was not sent off balance, she was disarmed and open for yet another blow.

In that moment, however, Female Knight made a mistake. Rather than push her advantage with an immediate attack, she opted instead to step back and ready another shield strike. In her own wish to end the fight, the adventurer had created an opening herself.

An opening that the Courier quickly took advantage of, by reaching towards her back and unslinging the super sledge from its resting place, then launching a swing with all her might at the adventurer, who had but a moment to pull back her shield and brace.

Unfortunately, Female Knight did not know what kind of weapon a super sledge was.

At the apex of the swing, the tool's rocket engine came alight and blasted the sledge's head forward, trailing blue flames in an arc as it approached the wall of steel that was Female Knight's shield… And then it impacted.

To the adventurer's mind, it felt like the Rock Eater she had fought so many years ago had just piledrived directly onto her.

To the others observing, they were graced with the sight of a fully armored woman being catapulted back by the impact of a weapon that let out a bang not unlike an Explosion spell. Female Knight tumbled and rolled on the ground, her shield flying off her grasp and crashing against the ground, until finally she skidded to a halt with her back against the floor, limbs splayed out and her head hammering like a landslide was going on inside it. "U-Urrrghh… What… What was that…" groaned Female Knight as she draped one arm over her forehead, only to immediately regret it once she felt the pain in her muscles and joints.

Suddenly, a hand came to hover in front of her face, and a quick glance forward confirmed that yes, it belonged to the Courier, who stood in front of Female Knight with her weapon held to her side. "It was an honorable duel, mistress knight," said the woman calmly, with no hint of superiority or pride. "I apologize for whatever injuries I've caused."

"Hrrm… A warning would be appreciated next time," replied the adventurer as she took hold of the offered limb and felt herself be pulled up from the ground, some dirt still clinging to her hair and armor. "Well… You certainly know how to wield some of your weapons… But your skill is lacking in others. If you plan on getting better with them, ask other adventurers for training lessons."

"Thank you. I'll try and follow your advice, then."

"Well, that was certainly something new," called out Heavy Warrior as he walked towards them, an amused grin in his face. "Hell of a weapon you got there. Where did you find it?"

"I purchased it from a travelling merchant a long time ago, back in my homeland."

With an appreciative whistle, Heavy Warrior gave one last glance at the super sledge, before turning back to Guild Girl and Inspector. "Alright, think we can end this test here, am I right?"

To their credit, the two girls quickly shook off the shock of watching a Silver-ranked adventurer be batted aside so suddenly, and looked down at the papers they had been noting down the results of the examination so far. And, true to Heavy Warrior's comment, the Courier had proven herself just as skilled as some of their more veteran adventurers (even if, by Guild rules, she'd still be assigned the rank of Porcelain), with strength and skills to match.

… And yet…

"Miss Courier, may I ask that you perform one last set of tests?" asked Guild Girl somewhat shyly to the woman. Thankfully, just as before, the Mojave native simply nodded in response as she placed the super sledge onto her back once more. "Thank you! Don't worry, this last test will be a much simpler one! Please, follow me."

After making sure that Female Knight was well enough to begin walking, and giving a moment for the Courier to stash away all of her weapons (yet again, somehow), the group took off towards the outer edge of the city, passing by groups of civilians and younger adventurers that stopped to stare and point in admiration at the two armored adventurers, while others gave confused or curious glances towards the Courier. A few minutes of walking later, the group finally reached the destination Guild Girl had led them all to: on the outside of the town's walls, amidst the green pastures of the sprawling fields, several training dummies had been set up at varying distances, all of them mock-ups of armored soldiers with breastplates, helmets, a wooden sword and metal shield, while a few more were lined side-by-side a much shorter distance away, in addition to a few empty tables near the gate in the wall.

"I see… A marksmanship test, then," said the Courier as she approached one of the dummies, lightly bumping her fist against the breastplate hanging loosely from it. "Do you wish to see a demonstration with all my firearms?"

"Only the ones you set aside before," replied Inspector, already setting her papers, quill and ink pot atop a small wooden table pre-prepared for this occasion. "Once we are sure of your ability to use them, we will be able to write down a proper record of your abilities. Feel free to begin whenever you're ready."

With a nod of agreement, the Courier moved towards the empty tables and set down the weapons she had previously chosen, making sure that each was properly secured and loaded. Once they were all set and ready, she took hold of the Medicine Stick and readied it against her shoulder, carefully taking note of what targets she wished to hit, before letting out a long, drawn-out breath…

And in a quick inhale, she started shooting.

Pull the trigger, cycle the round by working the lever, aim at next target, repeat.

Each shot echoed with a deafening roar, and each bullet tore through the metal breastplates like they were made of paper mâché, bending and twisting the armor before exploding the back in a storm of shrapnel and splinters. After twelve shots, the Medicine Stick's chamber clicked empty, and only then the Courier lowered the brush gun and paced back to the table, replacing it with All-American and Mysterious Magnum.

"WHY, IN THE NAME OF ALL GODS, IS THAT GUN SO LOUD?!"

But not before Female Knight's almost shrill cry drew her attention to the group, who were staring in abject horror at the Courier, and at the targets she had shot.

"It is not meant for stealth," replied the Courier, even as she continued to check up on her next weapon. "And there's no way to make a .45-70 caliber round silent, no matter the method."

The four just stared at the woman in return, as if the answer she had given was a perfectly normal thing… Only to realize that most likely, yes, it was a perfectly normal thing for her to say. With that issue put to rest, the Courier took position once more towards the far-off dummies, and readied the carbine, this time aiming directly at the most distant ones.

Unlike the Medicine Stick, the carbine did not have a deafening roar to its shots, merely a standard gunshot sound instead. The damage it dealt, however, was no less impressive, and neither was the accuracy of the Courier's shots. With every pull of the trigger, a helmet flew off from a dummy, nearly torn in half from the impact of the 5.56mm round traveling at supersonic speeds. This time, the targets were far fewer than the magazine size, and after ten rounds, there were no more targets off in the distance left to be hit. Satisfied with her performance, the Courier stowed All-American away and moved instead to the closer, lined-up dummies. Once she was around twelve steps away from them, the woman drew the Mysterious Magnum from its holster…

Dun dun… Dun-dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuun…

"… What was that?" asked Heavy Warrior aloud as he looked at their surroundings, as if searching for… Well, something. And he was not alone, apparently, for the others were also looking around equally as confused.

"What do you mean?"

"That… Sound. What was that?"

"… I didn't hear a thing. Are you sure you've hearing's fine?"

"… Just… Just forget it…"

After one last pause to make sure none of the group were afflicted by any kind of madness, the Courier gave them a nod, then turned her attention back to the target dummies, her hand lightly squeezing the grip of the revolver as she readied herself to fire.

That is, until an idea struck her.

This test was about her capabilities, yes… But she could also be technical about it.

With that in mind, a "switch" flipped inside her head… And the world slowed to a crawl.

The Vault-Tec Assisted Targeting System, or as the public knew it for, VATS, was something that had only been rediscovered recently by post-war civilization. An immensely helpful tool for any combatant out in the wastelands of the Mojave, it would supercharge the mental faculties of its user to their absolute limit, making the world, and subsequently anything one would be up against, slow to a crawl so intense time itself seemed to halt. This allowed VATS-users to better assess their situation, and thus make more efficient tactical decisions.

It would also, due to the jumpstart of the user's muscles and nerves when the system was closed, allow one to perform multiple simultaneous actions, provided they possessed enough stamina to withstand the strain of VATS' use.

And if there's one thing the Courier had learned after getting the chip shoved into her brain so long ago, is that if nothing else, she was a veritable Action Girl.

The green tint of VATS-vision colored her surroundings, and illuminated all six of the practice dummies with the usual striped markings for targets. And naturally, she had a one-hundred percent chance of hitting them all. Calmly, she marked all six mentally, with VATS helpfully showing her the order of targets as she did so, before finally steeling herself… And deactivating VATS.

In an instant, time resumed its flow for the Courier, and her arm violently shot up as she unloaded all of the Mysterious Magnum's rounds onto the dummies, so fast that they almost seemed to fire off at the same time. And just as the Medicine Stick had done beforehand, the .44 slugs blasted the dummies and their armor apart with deafeningly loud blasts, launching broken wood and metal all around in a storm of debris and shrapnel.

Her deed finished, the Courier holstered the Mysterious Magnum once more…

Duwaaaaaaaang…

"Okay, even I heard something this time!"

This time, it was Female Knight who spoke up, an eyebrow twitching as she looked at their surroundings with a clearly annoyed expression, while beside her Heavy Warrior did the same, but with a far more reserved look. And just as before, all the Courier could offer in response was a tilt of her head. "I still didn't hear anything…" she replied in return, even as she returned to the table and took hold of Maria and A Light Shining in Darkness. "Well, do you wanna continue this test?"

Guild Girl and Inspector, however, seemed to have other ideas in mind, with the latter instead shaking her head as she properly arranged her paperwork and signed it off with a flourish of her quill. "That won't be necessary. You have more than proven your abilities to us, and thus to the Guild… Even if said abilities are somewhat… Unusual."

And so, both girls stood up from their seats, and gave short but polite bows to the Courier. "We thank you for your time, and would like to welcome you to the Adventurer's Guild."

-O-

Two days later…

With a soft thud, the Courier set down the last piece of furniture she needed to move into her new home, that being a wooden cabinet with many drawers, and stepped back, calmly wiping the sweat off her forehead and neck with a towel, to have a better look at the small apartment she had bought with a generous number of aurei.

It was certainly no Lucky 38 or presidential suite, but it was also leagues above the usual hovel that someone living in the wasteland would have. The home was an apartment on a building adjacent to the Adventurer's Guild, apparently built so that adventurers could have a more permanent resting place between jobs, be it through renting or direct purchase, and were available in a number of different sizes and furnishing states. In the case of this one, it had belonged to a small party of adventurers that had disappeared one day when participating in a quest, with the Guild selling what furniture had been inside to recoup some of the lost money. This in turn had left the place ripe for purchase, something that the Courier was quick to do after she received her adventurer's tag and her seat had been made official. It had been a very mundane thing, all things considered: Guild Girl and Inspector had taken the Courier back to the Guild, presented her with a tag made of porcelain and explained the rules and guidelines for supply requisition, quest taking and team ups with other established parties.

In a way, it reminded her of the Ranger ceremony… How long had that been…

Where we walk, where our shadow passes and our gaze falls upon, the people know safety, and criminals know only retribution. By taking up this mantle, you will most likely never return to where you were born, and your home will be the lands you fight and die on. This gun is your badge, your actions your legacy. From this day on, you… are a Ranger.

She still wondered if her choice had been the right one… What would Hanlon have said, had he known what was to come? The Courier quickly squashed those thoughts, however, and instead focused on checking up on the rest of the room, just to make extra sure that all was in good condition.

In total, her purchase had come down to the cabinet, a bed, a dresser, table and chair, a pantry closet and finally, a well-stocked and high-class worktable. All of it had been purchased the day before by the Courier, and though the Guild had been wary of the amount of gold coins she threw at them, she assured them that she would not go poor any time soon. The Legion's coffers were not small nor lightly packed, after all.

Though she wished for a first-floor room, the Courier had settled for a ground level one instead, and thankfully it had also come with its own little benefit: a proper ground beneath the floor on which she could hide her excess equipment. All it had taken was removing some of the floorboards carefully, digging a hole big enough to fit a large trunk inside, and packing all the weapons she wouldn't need at every moment inside, such as Red Glare, Esther, the anti-materiel rifle… So on and forth. The rest, meanwhile, had been placed inside a large weapon locker next to the worktable, and mounted with a specialized lock built specifically by the Courier, just to be sure.

She also made sure to place the four Big MT's Cubes of Eternal Holding! onto a false bottom inside the chest, while also taking the extra precaution of setting up a security measure in the form of a boobytrap bomb filled with compressed Mother Darkness on both the chest and the weapon locker, just in case anyone came snooping where they weren't supposed to. She had also stashed the pantry with as many food items from her world as she could spare, set her weapon tools onto the new worktable, and readied both her ingredients and chemistry sets for poison and medicine production.

Truly, the last two days had been very busy ones, but in the end, it had all paid off: with a new, proper home to call her own, supplies prepared or ready for production, and the tools for her upkeep. She'd need some more materials to properly repair and restore any possible damage, plus the contents of the Cubes from their absolutely sorry state, not to mention commission some proper tools to produce more ammunition, but those were thoughts for the future. For now, the Courier's priority was to properly start on her job… And that would mean taking a quest.

After one last security check up, the Mojave native walked towards her wardrobe and undressed from the tank top and sweatpants she had been wearing, and pulled from within the wardrobe the Elite Riot Gear mk. II, helmet and backpack, quickly putting on the bodysuit, coat, assorted pouches and bandoliers, before finally throwing the hood of the coat over her head and strapping the helmet to her waist, giving a quick tap on the back of her neck to make sure the neural plug was working.

Welcome back, Courier. Everything's still in place, we can sneak around no problem! I'm glad you're alright.

"Thank you, Aura."

Happy to help, Courier.

With preparations finished, the Courier left her apartment (making sure to, once more, ready the booby traps at the door), and made her way to the Adventurer Guild's building, already hearing the hustle and bustle of the adventurers inside. She hadn't had the chance yet to truly visit the building nor check any of its possible services, what with the bustle of purchasing everything for the apartment and guaranteeing security, but today she would be able to properly meet her fellow colleagues. Once more, she pushed through the doors of the Guild, though this time far more gently than when she first arrived, and was met with the same sight as her first arrival: men and women, both young and older, all dressed in an almost surprising plethora of clothing and armor styles, and occupied with several different activities.

Some were discussing among each other while holding several papers in hand, be it maps or (what seemed to be) quest offers, strategizing and planning out their travels and missions. Others stood in front of a large wooden board, staring at the dozens of papers pinned to it with a clinical, methodical gaze, most likely appraising potential jobs, risks and rewards.

But overall, the glut of adventurers were simply sitting in front of tables, talking, joking and laughing away their time, all the while eating and drinking away to their hearts' contents. And with the lack of her helmet, the smells of the many, many cooked foods assaulted her nose like a savage deathclaw… And embarrassingly, eliciting a growl from her stomach not unlike the sounds of the animal itself.

"Well well, looks like someone almost missed a meal!" called out a young and cheerful voice from nearby, and whose owner was revealed with a quick turn of the head. Standing off to the side, holding two trays loaded with food-filled plates, was a young woman with fiery red hair and golden eyes… And with wolf paw-like hands, ears and a tail swishing softly behind her.

This world's curious things never ended, did they…

"Well don't just sit there staring at nothing!" continued the girl, even as she set down the plates for another group of adventurers, then quickly twirled back to the Courier. "Sit down and pick what you wanna eat! I'll be with you in a sec!"

And with that, she was gone, already rushing towards another table while pulling a notepad and a piece of charcoal from her dress, leaving the Courier alone once more… Or as alone as she could be in a building filled with other people. Still, standing around would not help her with her hunger, so the Mojave native decided to instead look for an empty seat. Thankfully, one quickly presented itself to the Courier, just off to the side of the hustle and bustle of the crowds, and which she quickly claimed for her own to sit and await the return of the wolf-like girl.

True to her word, only moments later the girl had returned, still holding onto her notepad and with that same sunny smile on her face. "Alright, here we go! Sorry for the—"

Suddenly, however, the girl's expression shifted to one of innocent curiosity, her ears twitching ever so slightly, before her grin returned ten-fold. "Oh, you're that adventurer from the day before! Hadn't seen you yet here!"

"Sorry, I didn't meant to be rude with my behavior," replied the Courier with a bow of her head. "Other needs and errands took my attention, so I failed to properly introduce myself."

"Heheh, aren't you a smooth talker… Don't worry, it's no biggie. So! What you want for breakfast? Any quest starts with a good meal, and I want your first serving to be special!"

'Aww, dearie, is something wrong? Did those meanie bandits hurt you somewhere? Well, grandma Lily knows just the remedy for that: a good batch of cookies!'

"… I'd… Like to allow you to choose for me, miss…?"

"Call me Padfoot Waitress!" replied the wolfwoman happily, as a playful glint shined from her eyes. "So, whatever I choose, huh? Alright then… I'll be right back!"

And like a whirlwind, she was gone once more, the pep on her step somehow even more intense, and leaving the Courier alone once more. Realizing that her food, whatever it may be, would most likely take some more time to be prepared, the woman rose from her seat and moved with purpose towards the wooden board, some of the other adventurers moving out of her way as she passed them by, until she stood in front of the many papers hanging from the board.

She did not question how she could read the texts on these documents, just as she somehow could read all the texts so far during her stay, like the Guild's entry form and so on. Whether it be from that woman's actions, or perhaps a byproduct of her Intelligence, the Courier could read and understand the posted quests, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

Unfortunately, she was also aware of the limitations brought forth by her rank. Being a porcelain-ranked adventurer, regardless of her many years of experience and admittedly vast set of skills, the Courier could not take any of the higher level, more dangerous quests without partnering up with other, higher or equally ranked adventurers, and they could provide proof of their capability to completing the quest. Still, it would not hurt to see what later jobs entailed…

Her mind made up, the Courier ripped some of the quests from the board and returned to the seat, before quickly splaying her chosen requests onto the table as her eyes perused their contents. And just as she expected, they were all somewhat more simplistic missions: slay giant rats and roaches in the sewers, help clear a cave of slimes, search for a lost animal on some nearby woods…

And goblins.

The last one certainly made the Courier question the difficulty assigned to the quest. Considering what she had seen in the old elven fortress, and what the goblins that lived there had been responsible for, sending a group of untrained and possibly proven rookies to eliminate a creature as surprisingly cunning as goblins felt very much… Ill-advised. Especially when such large groups had given trouble even to Noble Knight's party, who was clearly more experienced. Had that particular quest perhaps been exclusive to higher ranked adventurers only?

Perhaps there was merit to Goblin Slayer's moniker, after all…

"Alright, sorry for the delay!"

Once more, Padfoot Waitress approached the Courier, but this time, she was carrying yet another tray of food in her hand, which she daintily set down onto the table as the Courier pulled the quest papers aside to make room. "Here you go, order up!" she called out happily, giving a light push of the plate towards the Mojave woman, before straightening out her pose and putting her hands on her hips. "Go ahead, give it a taste!"

Surprisingly, the meal was not anything truly unique or special: a plate of large, thick sausages, drizzled with sauce, three baked potatoes, sliced open and with a small dab of dribbling butter atop, and a large mug filled with what the Courier could smell was a drink made of some kind. But the aroma alone was almost overpowering, and the slight smoke wafting from the food was a clear sign that it had just been cooked.

Realizing that it would be impolite to simply stare at the plate any longer, the Courier took hold of the knife and fork beside the plate, and carefully cut into the sausage and potato, feeling them almost come undone as the utensils went through. With a piece of both stabbed onto her fork, the Courier calmly put them inside her mouth.

"…"

"… U-Uh, miss… Courier? Is… Everything alright?"

But she didn't reply. Not through the tears that spilled forth from her eyes and ran down her cheeks to drip down onto her lap, not as a sorrowful but thankful smile spread across her face, and not as she slowly chewed on what was very much the tastiest sausage and potatoes she had eaten in… Forever.

How long had it been since she had gotten a meal, cooked with love and care and with ingredients that weren't mutated by nuclear war? That she had been able to sit in a table like this, inside a building that wasn't a step away from falling into rubble and ruin, surrounded by people who weren't one step away from tearing her throat open with a Ripper knife, and not need to check for poison on every bite? How many years… Ever since she had left the Mojave behind...

Even as Padfoot Waitress continued to watch, thankfully far less worried now and with a contented smile instead, as the Courier ate her food in silence, savoring each bite of the food she had been offered as if it was a treasure immeasurable, even as the tears continued to fall and stained her armor and clothes, until finally all the food had been cleared from the plate, leaving only the mug with the drink, which the Courier carefully but quickly drank to the last drop, letting the surprisingly cool beverage flow down her throat until the mug was fully drained. With a small sigh, the woman set down the mug and rubbed what few tears remained on her face with the back of her gloved hands. "… Thanks, miss…" she almost whispered to the waitress, lightly shoving back the plate and mug as she turned her gaze to the wolfwoman. "I'm… Sorry for this display…"

Waitress, however, merely waved one of her paws as she picked the plate and mug back up once more. "Don't worry about it. If you enjoyed the food, that's all that matters! Just let me know whenever you want something!"

And with a saunter of her hips, the young woman left, already racing towards another table to take their order, leaving the Courier to simply stare at her, before returning her attention to the quests.

She seemed nice. I hope we can get along.

"Indeed…"

Unfortunately, none of the jobs listed seemed particularly adventurous, and it was only now that the Courier realized that were she to take these simpler ones, then this would leave the younger, less prepared adventurers with little jobs to choose from.

What she needed was a quest of just a few ranks higher, enough that she could join up with a party to complete… But which one…

Thankfully, an answer soon revealed itself. Namely, a fairly large party, currently speaking about a quest they had removed from the board, comprised of a red-headed woman wearing little more than metal underwear and hoisting an impressive battle axe, a robed young man with darker skin and curiously pointed ears, a young girl dressed in robes not that dissimilar to those of Priestess, and…

… A large, bipedal lizard, dressed in light leather armor and with a weapon strapped to his waist that looked more the part of a bone chainsaw than a sword.

He kinda looks like a gatorclaw. You think he came from Nuka-World? Ooo, can we visit the park, then?!

Suppressing a chuckle from Aura's comment, the Courier stood from her seat and walked towards the gathered party, making sure to keep her hands visible and her expression friendly as she approached. Once she noticed the oncoming figure, the axe-wielding woman jabbed her elbow onto the side of the lizard man, something that drew the attention of the rest of the party, before she pointed towards the approaching Courier, who stopped just a few steps away from them and gave the group a respectful bow. "Ave, to all of you. I am Courier."

"Hey there!" answered the young woman with a grin as she raised her axe from the ground and leaned it against her shoulder. "I'm Warrior-Priest! These here are Lizard Fighter, Acolyte, and that bag of brooding over there is Dark Elf Thief."

With each name given, their respective owners made a greeting of their own: Acolyte curtsied, Lizard Fighter gave a grin and a nod, and Dark Elf Thief merely grunted, but did not avert his gaze.

"So, what can we do for ya, Courier?"

"I'm looking for a quest to take, though I'd prefer to participate in one with a fellow party," replied the Mojave native, as she pulled her adventurer's tag from within her clothes and dangled it on the air. "Though I assure you, while my rank may be starter, I am more than well-versed with work like this."

"Hoh? A newcomer with claim of experience?" asked the lizardman with genuine curiosity as he crossed his arms and stared at the woman who equaled him in height. "Were you perhaps a mercenary before becoming an adventurer?"

"Merely a wanderer. Though I have faced more than my fair share of struggles and dangers."

Left unsaid was that said dangers involved many adventures that would surely have made her an adventurer twenty times over in this world, two wars, a near-extinction event halted at the doors of Vegas, and many, many other such events. But those were left best shared around a campfire… Well… Most…

"Ah, so you would like to partner up with us in our quest?" asked Acolyte with a tilt of her head and a smile as she swayed on her heels. "Well, you don't need to worry! We're all porcelains as well. We would never refuse a fellow adventurer~"

"Hehe, well if you got spirit like that, can't exactly refuse ya!"

And with an expert twirl of her weapon, Warrior-Priest slammed the butt of her axe onto the floor, before offering the Courier a handshake. "Alright, partners for a quest, then! Welcome aboard, Courier!"

"Here are the details for the quest," spoke Dark Elf Thief in a low, almost annoyed tone, before passing the quest paper over to the Courier. "Still feel up to it?"

With a nod, the Courier accepted the offered paper, but the second she laid her hand upon it, a small noise echoed from her Pip-Boy, one that made the other four adventurers stare curiously at the wrist-mounted computer as the Mojave native lowered the quest report and instead brought her wrist up to her face. After a few moments of silence, the Courier returned the paper to them, unclipped her helmet from her waist and slipped it on, feeling the security latch click shut as she turned to face the party once more.

"When do we leave?"

Quest added

KILLER, THRILLER NIGHT

- Wipe out the skeletons rising from the graveyard, and find their source

~O~

I'm sorry for the delay in delivering the chapter.

Not only did several chores get in the way of writing, I ended up writing up another ending for this chapter, which ended up including a lot more scenes than what I had previously thought up.

Still, here it is, and it even went over the predicted 10k mark! So I'm happy with this.

Now, as to a few more personal reports… As you all know, money problems with me are plenty, but there is a specter of hope hovering over my house… I think. Dunno how legit it is.

However, I also came upon a decision that though hard and not made happily, was necessary: since last week, I have cancelled my theater classes.

The reason for this decision? Simple: I can't pay for it. Hell, I'm even owing one month of payment already, though thankfully they did not charge the latest one (so, I only owe January, February was waived). Plus, the fact that the time of classes clashed with all the job opportunities I got, no matter if I choose the night or morning classes, meant that finding a job was becoming quite unlikely. With classes cancelled, however, I can now look for a job whose shift is in the afternoon, so things are somewhat easier for me.

What this means for writing is uncertain for now, though of course it might mean my output may drop when I start working, whenever that is, but that is for the future.

For now, the plans are to find work so I can either A, save up the money to pay for the last semester of theater classes, quit job, study the last six months then go back to work… Or B, find a job with a morning shift, which would let me go back to studying at night. Whichever comes first/is attained faster. Until then… I'm staying at home.

… Focusing solely on job finding was also spurned by certain… Choice comments made by someone to me last week, but the less said about those the better.

Anyway, with this chapter done, we're now moving ahead to the next chapter of Raise your Hell. Once more, I apologize for Discarded Blade fans for what became a false statement, but try as I could, the mojo for writing for it didn't come.

As always, if you'd like to support my writing, link to my [website whose name I can't even say in FFnet cause they censor it, but you know the one] is available more readily in SpaceBattles and AO3.

Until next time folks, and stay safe.