Made some changes to make both Demeter and Six slightly less perceptive and meta in the previous chapter.
Edit1: Also, made some adjustments to perks and their explanation. Shout out to Tony from the reviews.
"So, Demeter, mind if I ask you a question?" Courier asked during the lecture.
"Not at all. What's the question?" She asked.
"Just… what is Falna exactly and how does it work?" He clarified.
"As I mentioned before, it's a tattoo of sorts, sometimes referred to as blessing. What it does is basically unlock the limits on the bearer. So for example, if a strong lumberjack reaches his peak, he can receive a Falna and become even stronger and better at his job," She explained.
"That's… odd. How would that even work? I mean, we all have got physical limits that are really hard to break, a peak so to speak. You can only run as fast, as your body allows it to, so how does Falna circumvent that?" He asked, confused about the very idea of it.
Falna… it almost seemed like a cheat code of sorts or something to that effect. Case in point, his own experience. He did become stronger, faster, more agile over the course of his journey, the result of implants, perks and 'gaining levels'. Levels were an abstract measure the pip-boy used to give him an assesment of his general strength and experience, which he gained by doing stuff.
However, despite it all, he couldn't go over certain threshold, not without outside means. For example, he couldn't be smarter than his brain would allow, nor could his muscles become stronger than a certain point. There were very few ways he could circumvent such as combat drugs, implants and the power armour of course.
"It may seem odd to you, but that's how it works in Orario. By gathering excelia, which can be referred to as 'experience points' for some, the owner of Falna can reach higher levels. They do so, by fighting monsters, brewing potions or engaging in other activities. For example, the current record holder took about a year to go from level one to level two," She replied.
"Wait, so, by doing stuff, anything really, you gather this 'excelia', which can then be used to make you better at doing stuff, such as fighting?" He concluded, while Demeter nodded. "Huh."
Okay, so this Falna and excalia didn't sound that much different from his own 'levels' and 'experience points' thus far. They both could be gained by simply doing stuff, though some things provided way more experience than others, such as doing quests. Also, levelling up in this world took forever.
It only took him a matter of a day or two to reach level two, but the difference was so minimal he barely noticed it. Though, he could definitely gain perks every now and then, by challenging himself. Still, if the difference in time needed to level up was so massive between levels here, it would be fair to assume that level two here would be akin to level five or more of his own world, though it was a very rough estimate on his part.
He could sort of understand how one could improve their general physique as well. Back in the Mojave he had an option to improve his SPECIAL, aka Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Luck. By doing some intense and draining exercises, he could become slightly more physically or mentally capable person. However, it was often more beneficial improve his survival odds by specializing in certain weapons, such as 'Grunt' than raising your SPECIAL by a point. The question was, what was the limit?
"Okay, in that case. How far can a Lumberjack with Falna go? What is the limit of it?" He asked.
"It's hard to say, currently the highest level in the world belongs to Ottar. He is level seven as far as I know," She replied.
"Wait, level seven is high here?" Courier asked, surprise clearly heard in his voice.
"Yes, it's very high in fact. Half of the adventurers in Orario are level one, the next twenty five percent are level two, the remaining twenty five percent are split between levels three and above," She explained. "Why, are levels not common where you come from, Mister Six?"
"Not necessarily, I am more surprised by the fact that they are so low," He admitted with a shrug.
"Oh, care to elaborate?" Demeter asked, her curiosity piqued
"While I can't exactly quote any numbers of the people I met, I know there is at least a range of levels from one to thirty back at my place," He admitted.
"Level thirty? Surely, you can't be serious," She said, even though she knew it was real.
"I'm serious, though, the differences between most levels are quite small, now that I think of it. How about here, how big is the difference between level 1 and 2 and let's say two and four?" He inquired.
"Well, you remember I mentioned that half of the adventurers are level 1, yes? Basically, a level two adventurer is on average at least twice as strong as level 1, twice as durable, twice as fast, etc," She explained. "So level four would be about twice as strong as level two at the bare minimum."
"Wait, so level 1 and level 2 are basically on a completely different level?" He realized. That would explain why there such massive differences between VATS readings all over the city.
"Precisely. What about you, Six. How do levels differ where you come from?" She asked.
"Huh, good question. I guess, the higher the level, the more durable you are, a bit? But, that's about it. Levels are nowhere near as important as perks are," He replied.
"Perks? You mean skills or development abilities?" She asked.
"No, perks, you know abilities that make you more efficient at using weapons for instance or that provide some unique benefit like being able to throw a spear much further than you would normally be able to?" He replied.
"I have never heard of anything like this, most adventurers only have got skills and development abilities," She replied. "Do you have any perks yourself, Six?"
"I might have some, won't say how many though. Say, Demeter, what's the difference between skills and development abilities, in fact, what are they anyway?" He inquired.
"Skills are inherent abilities that can be discovered by those that have received a Falna. They can appear regardless of level. Development abilities are special abilities that a have got a chance of appearing every rank up starting from level 2," She explained. "For example, Blacksmith is one of them, which makes all the crafts better, while Abnormal Resistance prevents poisons from monsters and such."
"Huh, so that's how it works," Courier said, as he took in the new information.
To him it sounded like both skills and development were abilities were basically the same, though the latter one could be obtained by 'levelling up'. And skills were different from his own skills. When he thought of skills, he thought they were the same as Science, Medicine, etc. Basically, a mastery over how good you were at something. Here, they were more like perks. Not to mention, he acquired plenty of perks, that sounded like skills, for example being able to make Sierra Madre Martini.
"So, Six, what are the differences between perks, skills and development abilities?" Demeter asked.
"They are basically the same, if what you say is correct. In fact, both development abilities and skills sound like perks, but combined together to me," He replied with a shrug.
"That's… not what I expected to hear," She admitted. "So, what kind of perks do you have, Six?"
"Miss Demeter, you can't expect me to tell you all of my capabilites, can you?" He pointed out.
"That's fine, I am just curious about the way they differ," She said.
"I see, in that case, let me think...," He muttered, as he tried to recall from the memory all the perks he had, without bringing up the Pip-Boy. "Oh, I know of one perk I can tell you about."
"Please don't keep me waiting, Six," Demeter said, as she leaned closer, while the man grinned behind his helmet.
"Terrifying Presence. From what I can tell, it allows me to scare the life out of anyone that gets on my wrong side. One time, I was asked to bring a companion of mine to a certain place. There, they checked us for weapons, leaving us with only our bare fists. Turns out, it was nothing more but a ruse to get her killed. I should have seen that one coming, but mistakes were made. Back then, I simply said: 'Raise that weapon and I will kill everyone in here'," He admitted.
"And it worked?" She asked, while the man nodded. "It sounds impressive and very useful... you haven't used it thus far, have you?"
"There was no reason to," He admitted with a shrug. "Some perks are more tame, but yeah, that's the gist of it."
Still, he had already come across a number of individuals who were stronger than average, which confirmed Demeter's words. However, he wasn't naive enough to simply believe that Falna was just good without downsides. There had to be a cost tied to an ability that literally removed limits on one's body.
"Question, are there any downsides to having Falna? Like overzealous border guards?" He asked, while Demeter chuckled and nodded.
"A few minor ones. In order to become stronger after gaining excelia, me and other leaders of their Familias need to manually update status of our children. Should I perish, their abilities would get locked until they pledge themselves to another Familia," She explained.
"Wait, so, if you have got one hundred people with Falna and each of them did some work, you would have to go one by one to make them stronger?" He asked, while Demeter nodded. "I see, but what do you mean by 'locking' their abilities?"
"Simple, like the lumberjack I mentioned would revert to his pre-Falna status, if he lost his leader," She replied.
There, that's what he was looking for. Different world had different rules, this Falna being one of them. Still, just as it was in his world, there was always a caveat. Basically, Falna ensured loyalty and obedience from the members of each Familia, if they wanted to keep on getting stronger. It may not have been nefarious in purpose, but it did allow for such cases, should one of the leaders desire. And unlike them, he didn't have such weakness.
"Wait, in that case, let's assume one of the leaders doesn't want to update Falna as you said. Can they leave and find different one?" He asked.
"Not exactly. Unless both leaders agree to a trade, the child of such Familia would still be bound to the one that bestowed the Falna upon them," She explained.
"I see…," Courier replied, slowly piecing together why Demeter invited him to his Familia. If previously he wasn't sure if he wanted to join a Familia now he was quite certain, he would rather not.
"So, Six, do you mind if I ask you a question of my own?" She asked.
"Depends on the question, but go ahead," He replied.
"Now, what can you tell me about Mojave? How is it?" She asked, as she flipped the page on the book in front of her.
"It's a desert, so blazing hot during the day, freezing cold during the night and full of dangers all year long," He summarized. "Not much to say about it."
"How does it compare to Orario?" She asked.
"Well, it's definitely less safe there than here and less developed. Having clean, running water everywhere in the city is not something majority of people can afford," He replied, as he measured his words carefully. "It's a harsh place, but it's home, one that I would like to return to at one point."
"I can understand that notion. Being stuck in a city that you are not familiar with must be quite confusing," She said. "Though, I hope you will enjoy your stay, Six."
"I hope so too, Miss Demeter. Now then, let's resume our lessons," He said, while the woman nodded.
"Though before that, are you fine wearing that armour all this time? Isn't it a bit cumbersome?" She pointed out.
"Eh, you get used to it. It's not the worst thing in the world and definitely beats being ambushed during the night and killed on the spot," He replied.
"You think somebody is going to ambush you here? In the middle of the city? At my Familia's house?" She asked.
"I have never said that. All I am saying is, it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides, I would hate to scar you for life with that ugly mug of mine," He admitted with a chuckle.
"Ugly? I beg to differ, I believe you are quite handsome beneath all that armour," She argued.
"Didn't you hear the lady at the gate? I look horrible to say the least," He said.
"Self depreciating much?" She pointed out.
"Not more than usual. When it comes to my looks, they used to be better. Nowadays? I would rather not have anyone see me naked, just saying," He admitted.
"Hmm… you are making me curious, Mister Six, but I know when to let go off the topic. Let us resume our lessons, shall we?" She asked.
"Let's," The Courier agreed.
This conversation between them was another delightful experience for the goddess of harvest. Even if the Courier Six avoided going into details about his origin and past, she had still learned more in the short period of time than she did over the past decades. It was all very exciting indeed. For example, levels, they sounded way different than the ones given by Falna. In fact, they sounded weaker, but the fact that they could go at least to thirty was astonishing. In fact, she would be surprised if Ottar himself ever reached level ten or nine, while Courier was casually talking about level thirty.
However, it appears that levels played second role to something called 'perks'. These sounded like skills and development abilities combined, something she had never heard of before. The one perk mentioned by the Courier known as: Terrifying Presence was already so different, she wanted to learn exactly how they worked, but alas she couldn't, not without giving Six a Falna of her own.
On top of that, there was Mojave, which sounded an awful lot like some of the deserts she was familiar with. It appeared that the Courier came from a dangerous environment, one that demanded all individuals to be tough to survive, which confirmed her earlier suspicions. Though, the man also appeared to possess fair amount of paranoia, if he was willing to endure wearing such a heavy suit of armour all the time. A testament to his words.
Although, she still wasn't sure how bad he looked beneath it, she could tell for certain that he truly believed he was ugly. In that sense, it made her all the more curious to see what was beneath it. She could hardly contain herself from all this excitement. In fact, she could already see how jealous Freya and other gods would get, if they even learned a fraction of what she had learned thus far. Still, it could wait, for the time being, it was time to study.
As the lesson came to an end, the Courier once again found himself alone in his room, as another hearty meal was brought to his footstep. Demeter kept her word of bringing him stuff to eat and goodness gracious, the food of the Orario was some of the most delicious, pure, non-irradiated meals he had in his entire life. It made the meals on the Strip looked like something that came from the Freeside itself.
First of all, the produce was fresh, freshest he had ever eaten. All the fruits, vegetables were some of the best quality he had ever seen and that's when taking advanced technology of Big Mountain into account. The meat, probably taken from a cow, was also delightful. In fact, compared to both Brahmins and Big Horners of the Mojave, it was on a whole different level. Fresh, savoury and without a trace of toxins or radiation. He knew people who would kill for that type of food in the Mojave.
After eating his meal, the Courier let out a sigh of pure contempt, as he sat on the chair and rested for a bit. While he did learn a thing or two over the two days he had spent with Demeter thus far, he was quite certain, it would take more than a week to master a language, even with a tutor. That's why, he needed to pick up the pace with some of the items he obtained over his journey in the Mojave.
As much as he liked Mentats he needed to exercise restrain, which is why he needed other means of boosting his intelligence than mind-altering drugs. He swiftly brought up his pipboy, as he began browsing through the contents of it. One of the alternatives was Black Coffee, which was worked similar to Mentats, but wasn't addictive, unlike the chems.
Still, he would rather not use it, as his own intellect was above average already. Besides, he had something that worked just as well and all it required was a change of clothes. So, without further ado, the Courier atomized his armour and helmet, before replacing it with a pair of glasses and red scientists scrub outfit, both of which belonged to Doctor Mobius.
He had no clue why or how, but whenever he wore those glasses and this outfit, he felt smarter than he ought to be. In fact, they gave him destructive thoughts and the know-how to act out those impulses. They combined well with Mobius outfit, which made him feel like the smartest man on the planet. Satisfied, the Courier hit the books, which he was going to repeat for the next few weeks if he wanted to master a new language as soon as possible.
So, that's how the next few weeks were spent. He would study during the day with Demeter, burn the midnight oil during the night and sleep for a few hours whenever he needed to, with him cooking some of the Mojave specials for the woman. It was a bit tiresome to be stuck in a small cramped room for a few weeks, but he wanted to get it done sooner rather than later. Besides, it was already better than being stuck in the Sierra Madre, which was the closest that came to hell on Earth as far as he was concerned. That lasted, until one day, Demeter received a visitor, while the two were studying together.
There was a knock on the door, when a guard entered the room and said, "Lady Demeter, Miss Lunoire came to visit, may she come in?"
"Lunoire? Of course. Please, bring her here," Demeter said, while the Guard nodded and the woman stood up.
"An acquittance of yours?" Courier asked.
"More of a former member, a precious one," She replied, while a new person entered the room.
She was a woman in her mid twenties, from what he could tell. She had short hair reaching to her neck and was wearing a rather simple dress, her brown eyes glancing between him and Demeter, as a smile formed on the woman's lips. However, that's not what caught his attention, it was the way she moved. There was a caution in her movement, a practised movement of someone who had experienced combat first hand, which was further confirmed as she briefly tensed upon seeing him in the room, before relaxing in an instant. VATS reading also recognized her as above average person, though what level she could have was a wild guess.
"Lunoire, it's good to see you again, I hope you are eating well and Mia does not overwork you," Demeter said with a motherly smile, as she hugged the other woman.
"I am fine, but thank you for asking, Lady Demeter," Lunoire replied, as she returned the hug.
"I didn't expect your visit anytime soon, what happened?" Demeter asked.
"Nothing serious, I just got a day off and decided to come by," She said and then glanced towards the Courier, who was standing behind Demeter. "So, who is that scary looking adventurer behind you, a new face, Goddess?"
"Oh, my bad, allow me to introduce you. Lunoire this is Courier Six, Courier Six, Lunoire Faust," She introduced him.
"Pleased to meet ya," Courier said in the Mojave twang, tipped his helmet at her and offered his hand.
"The pleasure is mine," She replied and returned the handshake.
"Courier Six is staying with us for the time being and helping out without joining the Familia," Demeter explained, while Lunoire frowned.
"Wait, he is not a member of Familia? Why would you let an outsider inside the Wheat Manor?" Lunoire asked, worried about the potential consequences.
"I assure you, Lunoire, I know what I am doing. He is not a member of any prior Familia, besides, he is not allowed inside the manor itself, merely the adjacent building for the caravans and travelling merchants," She replied.
"But… isn't that dangerous? Can't he just…" She began.
"Betray you?" Courier finished, while Demeter nodded.
"He could have, definitely, but in that case, he would have been stranded in a city without anyone, able to understand him," She replied, while Lunoire's eyes spread wide open. "It has been over two weeks since he arrived, so far, I have got no complaints about his behaviour."
"I understand, just be careful," Lunoire said.
"I know. That reminds me, would you like to stay for dinner? Six knows his stuff when it comes to cooking," Demeter said.
"Really? He knows to cook?" Lunoire asked, while Demeter giggled in response.
"Damn straight I can," Courier huffed.
"I am sorry, I didn't mean to insult you," Lunoire said.
"Six probably cooks better than Mia or May do," Demeter admitted, while Lunoire's eyes spread wide open.
"I don't believe it," She said, while Demeter smiled and turned to Courier Six.
"Six, Lunoire doesn't believe that you are a good chef, care to prove her wrong?" She asked, while the man cupped his chin with his right arm and hummed.
"What's in it for me?" He asked.
"An introduction to some of the finest cusine in a the whole Orario as well as good first impression on the owner of said establishment, my treat," Demeter said.
"When you put it like this, it's hard to say no. Give me a minute or two, Miss Faust, I will have it done in a jiffy," He said and went to the kitchen.
"He is not going to poison us, is he?" Lunoire asked, while Demeter giggled.
"He didn't poison me first time or any other times when he cooked for me. In fact, he said, if he wanted to kill me, he would have done so by now, he said it himself," She admitted, while Lunoire eyes' spread wide open.
"And you really trust him?" She asked, while Demeter nodded.
"Call it a hunch, as well as experience, but I believe as long as you treat Six fairly, he will treat you fairly in turn," She replied.
"I see… it seems like he has been through a lot," Lunoire admitted.
"That I am certain of, I wish I could learn all about him, but he keeps his secrets close to his chest," She admitted with a sigh. "Still, I can wait and slowly build the foundation. There is plenty of time in the world for that. Anyway, shall we sit and wait for him in the meantime?"
"Let's," Lunoire said, while the two sat down on the chairs, making themselves comfortable in the process.
As they sat waiting for the man to come back, Lunoire couldn't help but smell the air, a plesant aroma coming from the direction of the kitchen. Even a short whif or two made her appetite rise, reminding her that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. She found herself anticipating the meal far more than she expected, which thankfully didn't take long before the Courier returned with a bowl of stew.
"Cook Cook's Fiend Stew, as promised," Courier said, as he placed the bowl on the desk and pulled the seat. Lunoire took that as cue, sitting on the chair, while the Courier pushed her closer. "Bon Apetit, Miss Faust."
"Bon… Apetit?" She asked, while the man shrugged.
"It translates to 'have a nice meal'," He replied, while the woman nodded.
"Thank you, now then," She said, took a bit of stew on her spoon, blew on it, before placing it in her mouth. "Mmmm…"
Courier smiled, as he watched the woman's eyes light up from the sensation. He was a damn good cook, if he had to admit. Not only was he able to copy some of the finest recipes of the Mojave Wasteland, he was good enough as a chef, he could cook imitation of the taste of human meat for a party of cannibals! That… didn't sound as good, as he expected it to.
"So, how is it?" Courier asked, the stew basically gone.
"Delicious, you could definitely give Miss Mia run for her money with your cooking," She admitted, while the man chuckled in response.
"Glad to hear it then. By the way, who is that Mia you mentioned?" He asked.
"Mia is an owner of the Hostess of Fertility, one of the best restaurants in the city of Orario," Demeter said, as she gestured to the other woman. "Lunoire works there."
"Is that so, mind showing me this fine establishment? I want to see this fine cusine on my own," Courier asked, as he turned towards Lunoire.
"I don't mind myself, but I have got a few errands to run and I am a bit busy because of that," She admitted.
"In that case, how about I lead Six to the Hostess myself tomorrow? What do you say, Lunoire?" Demeter asked, while the woman hummed for a second, before nodding.
"That works for me. Thank you for the meal, Mister Six, it was truly delicious," She said and gave him a short bow, while the Courier nodded. "Now then, Lady Demeter, Mister Six, I must go, take care."
"You take care too, Lunoire," Demeter said.
"Have a safe trip," Six added, while the woman nodded and left the room. "You two seem to be close friends, no?"
"Sort of, Lunoire is still a member of my Familia, but she partially left and isn't involved in any of the activities," She replied, followed by a sigh.
"Argument or…?" He guessed.
"Work burnout more or less," Demeter replied.
"Ah, I see. That explains it," He admitted.
"What about you, Mister Six, haven't you experienced something like this yourself?" Demeter asked.
"Would you believe me, if I told you that me arriving in the city was a result of something similar?" He said with a chuckle.
"Oh, in that case, I am glad it happened, otherwise, we wouldn't have met," She said.
"Woah, hold your horses lady, this guy ain't for the taking," He said, while Demeter giggled.
"Mister Six, did you just assume, I was hitting on you? Because if so, I must disappoint you," She said.
"You weren't…? Damn… guess that's what I get for getting my hopes up," He said with a chuckle. "Jokes aside, what's next, are we finished with our lessons or…?"
"We should be done today, you have far exceeded my expectations of you and finished in a record time all that I wanted to teach you," She replied.
"I see, that means, it's time for me to pay back your generosity, no?" He pointed out, while Demeter nodded. "So, what will it be? What kind of job do you need me to do to make us even?"
"Hmm… that's a good question. Perhaps, I should ask you first what kind of jobs are you fine with?" She asked.
"I am not picky, if that's what you are asking about. I can help around farms, go into the Dungeon or somewhere else to pick something up, etc. In my line of work, it helps to be versatile," He replied.
"I see, in that case, could you give me examples of the jobs you did back at home?" Demeter probed, while the Courier cupped his chin for a moment.
"Let's see… One time, I was tasked with finding a family of a man, whose family has been captured by slavers. My task was to find them and free them, which I did," He began, gouging Demeter reactions, as she seemed to be listening intently. "Then, another time, I was hired to clear the road from a bunch a nasty critters, as well as learn what happened to a nearby town, from which smoke could be seen from miles. Basically, jobs big and small, some more bizarre than others. You get the idea, Miss Demeter."
"Indeed, you definitely seem like a capable individual, if any of the stories you told me are real," She replied, even though she could tell at a glance they were true, if not very detailed. "That gives me an idea. As you may already know, my Familia specializes in agriculture and providing food for the city of Orario. As you can imagine, there is plenty of work to be done all year long."
"I can imagine that. So, do you want me to fix some of your stuff? Sow the seeds? Feed the cows?" He asked, while Demeter hummed.
"Depends, I may need to think it through," She replied. "Now, we still have got a bit of time, so is there anything else you want to do?"
"Not really, I guess we can end for now. Besides, tomorrow I get to explore a bit of a city, eat some good food and all that in pleasant company," He said, as he glanced at the woman. "What do you say about that, Miss Demeter?"
"Mister Six, are you insinuating a date?" She asked, a teasing smile making itself known on her face.
"Smooth, but no. It's just a casual outing between an employer and an employee, sorry to dash your hopes and dreams against the rocks," Six said, while Demeter gasped in fake surprise.
"Mister Six, and here I thought we had something special between us," She joked.
"Oh, we do. We have got a work contract between us, it is quite SPECIAL, no?" He pointed out, while Demeter sighed.
"You are no fun, you know that?" She said, while the man chuckled.
"Oh, I know that. Regardless, thank you for everything thus far, Miss Demeter. I hope I can repay you soon enough," He said.
"I am sure it won't take long," She said, the room falling silent for a moment. "Well then, I suppose I will take my leave. Take care, Six."
"You too, Miss Demeter," He said, as the duo bid farewell to one another.
Fun fact, this chapter was already 11k words, before I decided to split it in 2. Need to pace myself a bit that gives me some time to spare for making sure the continuity remains.