Chapter 4: Oaks and Elms
Date: Early 2270's(?)
Location: Indeterminate, Wastelands
In the days of America, there was a sense of law and order. Rules written into law, someone to enforce them, traditions and morals of varying degrees ingrained into the people. But there's always some hypocrisy in the rhetoric. When anyone perceived as an outsider breaks a law, their back is broken. But if someone is considered 'part of the family'? A slap on the wrist. And if laws truly kept order, then the world wouldn't have been nuked, would it?
The world today was the wild west. For better or for worse, everyone was free to choose their destiny or try to impose one on others. The NCR and the Legion are trying to bring back the old tradition of law and order, and they've certainly made strides. But order is nonexistent if there's no one to enforce the laws… or if the law exists solely to create strife and paranoia.
The Legion only answers to Caesar and no telling what will happen when he kicks the bucket. The NCR has its fair share of golden hearts and bright minds, but they can be drowned out by snobs and con artists. Such people don't need a majority to stay in control. They just need enough support to rig the game… or simply remove the other players. As much as any citizen likes to boast about how they can defend their families from tyranny, most would quietly bow their heads to anyone with power if it means short-term survival. Some of those monsters prefer to maintain the illusion of civility, while others don't give a damn. Why should they when nobody dares to stand up to them?
Today some pricks weren't feeling generous. A gang of stereotypical bullies was punching away at a kid in the middle of town. Most of the adults were ignoring the commotion. Why should they be concerned with some brat being pummeled into the earth? It wasn't their child. A member of the community, sure, but one of their kin? Nah.
A kid waltzed up to the bullies and tapped one of them on the shoulder. When the other kid turned around, he was met with a sucker punch and a stomp on his ribcage. The other jerks turned their gaze to see who dared interrupt their fun. One of them charged at the newcomer with a wooden bat, but the interloper blocked the swing with his arms. He grabbed the asshole by the wrists and pried the weapon from his hands. A swing to the head knocked him cold.
The leader went on the offensive and managed to land a blow to the head. This sent the kid staggering back into the first bully, who had just gotten back onto his feet. With one arm he restrained him, the other yanking the bat out of his hands. The "alpha" of the pack proceeded to beat the living shit out of his face until the boy spun around and used the second jerk as a meatshield. His leader didn't seem to mind, though. And that was his mistake.
When the bully finally released him, the child punched the goon in the throat and sent him crashing into his boss. Just as the leader shoved his exhausted and bruised minion off of him, a boot smashed into his face. The boy retrieved the bat and started patting it in his free hand. The second bully had woken back up, but he froze as soon as the boy looked into his eyes. That same glare paralyzed his two buddies.
"Leave," He snarled. "Now."
The bullies ran off. The kid's attention was brought to the crowd around him. Some of the adults looked disappointed, furious even. Others seemed pleased, even cheering for him. He shifted his focus on the victim, helping them back onto their feet. They were missing a tooth and had a black eye.
"You okay?" The boy asked.
The other kid nodded. "Head's spinning and my jaw hurts, but I'm still standing," They said.
The boy smiled. "Let's get you to the doctor," He said.
The two went to the local medic of the town. The man's face was blurry now, but he was a lean figure. Holstered on him were a .44 magnum and a bone saw. He looked away from his radio to see the two children enter his office. He smiled at the sight of the boy, but his expression changed at the sight of their new friend.
"Lemme guess," He started. "You stopped another fight."
"Nah," The boy retorted. "This one couldn't fight back. They pounced on him like coyotes. Can you help him?"
The doctor- the closest thing the boy had to a father- knelt and inspected both of them.
"Well *static*, you got a black eye and a broken nose. Looks like there's an open wound on the back of your skull too."
Then he shifted focus to the other child. "Your friend's got a black eye, busted lip, missing tooth. How does the rest of y'all feel?"
The boy patted the back of his head to feel something warm. He reeled it back to find a patch of blood. Weird. He didn't feel like his cranium was busted. Maybe he was as headstrong as some folk say. He shrugged.
"I feel fine," he said.
The other kid didn't feel so great. Their hand was on their abdomen and the other on their shoulder. The doctor sighed.
"Let's get you kids patched up," He said, picking up his bag.
The two each took a seat on the bed and awaited treatment. While the second child was getting his share of stitches and stimpaks, the hero looked out a nearby window. There was a dust storm approaching the town. It was loud and it was moving fast. Wait, that didn't sound like the wind howling through. It sounded more… metallic?
The next thing he knew the building was on fire. The ceiling was crumbling away and he narrowly dodged a piece of debris falling into him. He leapt outside just as the doctor's office collapsed. As the boy rose back up he saw a swarm of men in suits. All of them were carrying some type of energy weapon and they were disintegrating people left and right.
His father-figure was in a firefight against some of the gangsters, his bullets ripping through their armor and flesh. The boy crept around the burning village, trying to remain out of sight. Unfortunately, one of the bad guys spotted him and grabbed him by the neck. He was brought to his eyes' level and he found himself staring at a literal monster.
The best way to describe it was a bipedal Nightstalker. He was wearing the same suit as his fellow mobsters but he had the scales, teeth, claws, and tail of the wasteland creature. He hissed and rattled his tail with a wide grin.
"Well well well," He said. "If it isn't the brat from Big Eight. You and the old man made a messsssss back there. And we're ssssupposed to clean it up. Starting with you..."
The mutant reared his head back and lashed out with his jaws-
Date: September 29th, 1099
Location: Da Vinci, Siracusan Ourskirts
Six awoke with a cold sweat and a short scream. ED-E let out an alarmed beep and flew over to him. After catching his breath the Courier turned to face the robot. He looked around the room, trying to figure out where the hell he was. Then the memories came flooding back to him. The drive-in theater. The cave. Kazdel. The town…
Six shook his head. "I'm fine," Six told the robot. "Just had a bad dream is all."
Was it? For some reason, it felt real to him. Maybe it was just a lucid dream. Or maybe it was a flashback? No way, nightstalkers didn't walk on two feet and talk. Or maybe it was both? Maybe his broken brain was trying to piece together his past again. Wouldn't be the first time.
Six brought up his Pipboy. 9 AM. He unwrapped himself from his blankets and rose back onto his feet. There was a knock at the door. ED-E let out an alarmed bleep and hovered toward the barrier. Six held up a hand and put the trenchcoat over his body, followed by the hat and glasses. He creaked the door open to find a bunny girl on the other side. What was her name again? Was it Amber or April?
"You okay?" she asked.
"Just a bad dream," Six said. "You're April right?"
She smiled. "Yep. And you're Six?"
Six nodded with a grunt. "There a shower down here? Or at least some breakfast upstairs?"
"Yes to the second one. The first… maybe? I'm just as new here as you are. Maybe ask Exusiai or Mostima? Or would you rather have me do that?"
"The second option."
April turned to leave, but Six held up a hand. "Wait," he said. "If you see Exusiai, tell her I said 'thanks'... and 'sorry for the outburst yesterday.'"
April nodded. "If I see her, I'll let her know."
She hopped off into the distance. Six shut the door and took a seat back on the bed. He thought about taking a nap but something told him that he wouldn't have much time. So I decided to investigate the room for a bit. There was a wardrobe near one side of the bed and a desk on the other. He didn't see those before. Must've been too tired to notice them last night.
He went to one of the nightstands and opened it up. There were a number of things in the nightstand's drawer. Magazines, a mirror, books, some travel tissues. He grabbed the mirror and gave himself a brief examination. His face has been growing a faint beard for the past few days. He personally preferred a clean slate over a hairy bush, but it wasn't hairy enough to warrant a shave yet. His hair was a mess but it suited him just fine. It wasn't even that long anyway.
His eyes shifted to the scars on his forehead. These were the remnants of the gunshots that changed him. Constant reminders of a life lost to the mists of time. He furrowed his eyebrows and gritted his teeth. He lost everything that day. His name, his memories… Any evidence of his old self was long gone. Now he only had jumbled thoughts and feelings. The past teaches the present lessons for the future. Those who do not remember it are doomed to repeat it. Then again that saying generally applies to history. Maybe he shouldn't worry about it. Maybe he should.
Six inspected the wardrobe next. There was a hooded bathrobe and some spare pajamas of varying sizes. Even undergarments. He also noticed a laundry bin next to the wardrobe. Six removed his clothes and placed them into the bin. Just as he got his robes on he heard another knock. He walked over to it to see April again.
"Found it," she said. "Just down the opposite hall. Everyone else has already left so you should have free reins over it."
Six nodded and looked back at ED-E.
"If anyone asks for laundry, let them take the basket," he ordered. "If the backpack, give them a warning shot."
ED-E gave him an acknowledged chirp. Six grabbed some fresh clothes and made his way down to the shower room. He passed by the offices and risked a glance. Everybody was busy at their desks again, paying no mind to him or the rest of the world. He found his way to a couple of locker rooms, not unlike those from schools or colleges. The men's room had a private shower away from the rest of the faucets, tucked away in a corner. Six set his clothes down on a bench and hung his robe beside the door.
The inside of the shower was what he expected. It was essentially bare-bones, with a shelf or two for supplies. Drain at the center and a bench for anyone to sit on. The showerhead did have a cord and seemed to be removable. Six took down the item and gave it a brief inspection. He'd never seen a design like this in the Lucky 38, let alone anywhere. Maybe he should make some modifications to the restroom back home… if he ever returned that is.
He placed the hose back up and started washing off. The dirt and grime he built up in the last few days gave way to fair skin and scars. Some of them were from injuries he suffered in the past. Others were from all of the implants he installed unto himself. Veronica and Lily have both expressed concerns about them in the past, but he dismissed them. You either adapt or you die. Arcade and Boone were at least a bit more understanding of that.
A few minutes of washing later and Six got out of the shower to dry himself off. With a new set of clothes, he made his way back to his room. April was waiting for him. What did she want now?
"Something I can help you with?" Six asked.
She shook her head. "Honestly I was thinking that I could help you," she said.
Six resisted the urge to snort. "Really? How?"
"Well you fancy yourself a gunslinger, but bullets are expensive these days. I figured that a scavenger like you might benefit from a little archery lesson."
"Archery? You mean with a crossbow."
She smiled and drew out her bow. "Nah, the old-fashioned way. You're not always gonna find bolts and crossbows that are compatible with one another. Bows and arrows, though, don't need all those fancy measurements or modifications. Plus they're more common in the wilds and easier to craft anyway. Interested?"
Six put a hand on his chin. It would probably save him resources and caps- erm, LMD- down the road. And from the looks of things wood was more common than scrap metal too. The fact that she also mentioned a hunt implied there was game around here.
"Give me a minute to change and I'll meet you upstairs," he said. "I need to grab something to eat on the way out, though."
She nodded. "I'll see you at the entrance."
Six entered the room and began changing into his Ranger gear. The wardrobe had been opened. The laundry bin was now empty. ED-E made an inquisitive beep at him as he put his armor on.
"So you overheard everything?" Six said. "And from the looks of things, the cleaning crew took yesterday's clothes with them."
ED-E let out an affirmative beep.
"You wanna join us? I don't think anyone here will enjoy your wit as much as I do," he joked.
The eyebot shook and let out an irritated bleep. Then it stopped and made its own sly remark.
"Wha- hell no this ain't a date."
Another cheeky boop came from the Duraframe.
"Yay yay, I'm the chick magnet here. Thank you for reminding me. Another comment like that and I'll introduce you to some real magnets."
That got under the skid plate of the eyebot. It let out a disturbed beep and quaked.
"I dunno, I just might at this rate."
The Courier strapped his Pip-Boy back on, the biometric sensors booting all of its readings. Radiation levels, compass, ammo counters, waypoints, IFF markers, motion detector, vitals (health, hydration, hunger, stamina/AP). It was transmitting the data directly into his brain via a neural implant he found at Big Mt. He had to thank Doc for installing it if- when- he got back.
He gave VATS a shot. Time slowed to a crawl as it analyzed ED-E. Six grinned. Good. It was about time he got it up and running again. This was gonna be his personal ace up his sleeve in these lands. The duo exited the room and rendezvoused with April. There was some food in containers out on the counter. He saw meat, eggs, muffins, toast, cereal, fruit, juice, and coffee. They really have everything here. And certainly fresher than the stuff back home too.
Six gorged on a couple pieces of toast and an apple, earning him some startled looks from the workers. He grabbed some bottled water on the way out and followed the Cautus to the garage. Another humvee was running and waiting for them. This one had a turret at the back of it. And in the driver's seat was Exusiai.
"About time girl," she exclaimed. "What took you so- oh."
Now she was pulling at her jacket's collar. Six could see where this was going.
"Look, I accept your apology, ok?" he said. "And I'm sorry about snapping at you yesterday."
That seemed to relieve her some. "Oh, okay. All's forgiven." Her gaze drifted onto ED-E and she did a double-take. She hopped out of the car and made a beeline toward the robot.
"Oh hi there, little guy! What's your name?" she cooed.
ED-E backed up with an unnerved beep. Six snickered.
"What was that about chick magnets?" he whispered to the eyebot.
ED-E retorted with a blast of angry bleeps. Exusiai got her act together and went back to the steering wheel. The party entered the vehicle and the angel drove them out of the city. Six's eyes were glued to the green fields for the rest of the road trip. All that flora, all that food and resources… all wasted in the Great War. Part of him was rather envious of these people. He and every wastelander had to scrape the bottom of the barrel just to survive. Here these guys were swimming in gold.
Half of him wanted to see their world go up in flames, suffering as post-apocalypse America did. But the more rational part shot down those dark thoughts. He wasn't Caesar or the Enclave. He wasn't a monster, not a spiteful spirit like the ones that ruined his home. He wanted to see a world without all that meaningless suffering. It was childish, but he could hope and dream. And such concepts are why humanity still endured in the present day.
The car came to a stop. Someone nudged him on the shoulder and pulled him out of his daydream. He looked to see April, pointing to an open door. Six brought up his Pip-Boy to inspect the time; 12 PM. He closed the device and exited the car, finding himself between a field and a forest. He turned back to the former and saw a small grey shape at the top of a hill. They were a long way from the town.
"So… what exactly are we hunting, if you don't mind me asking?" Six inquired.
"Deer, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, boars," April lists on. "It'd be a good idea to keep an eye out for berries. And mushrooms."
"Any flora and fungi I should avoid? I'd rather not die of food poisoning."
She took a small book out of her pouch. "Some notes of mine. For now, let's focus on finding a nice spot for practice. Ex, guard the ride for us will ya?"
Exusiai gave a salute and an affirmative "hmm!' ED-E on the other hand made a curious- and slightly frightened- bleep.
"You can either keep an eye out for grub and game, or stay on the defense with Mrs. gun-nut."
The angel retorted with a short 'Hey!' and crossed her arms. ED-E didn't find this amusing and flew to the Courier's side. Now Exusiai was pouting like a child. Six resisted the urge to laugh as his company went into the forest.
Now the Courier truly was in alien territory. Trees, shrubs, fertile dirt, mold, moss. It had a strange smell to it too. Something he never smelled before. It must've rained here recently if the fresh mud was any indication. This kind of ambiance seemed… tranquil to him. Calming. Like he could forget about the struggles of the world here.
April let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, wow. Anyone else getting deja vu here?" she asked.
"Maybe…" Six confessed. "Why?"
"This is honestly my first time in this kinda environment. What about you?"
"Mine too," Six said. "Guess neither of our homes has this much flora."
"Guess not… so where are you from?"
Six lowered his head. "I… don't remember actually. Been traveling for as long as I can remember. None of the lands I ventured through was anything like this, though. They were all savannas and deserts and whatnot."
"Ah, sounds like Rim Billiton."
"The Rim of what?"
"Rim Billiton. Most people think of the biggest mining corporation, but it's also a place and country. Lotta Cautus like me come from their turf."
"Where exactly is that on the globe, if you don't mind me asking."
"Southeast corner of Terra. Why? Jogging a memory?"
Six shook his head. "Nope. Pretty sure I came from out west. You do have outdoor experience right?"
April snorted. "Duh, it was part of my job back home. Used to hunt before I became Infected. Moved out because rent skyrocketed after that."
"Damn. What a bunch of assholes."
April shrugged. "At least I don't have to deal with them anymore. Terra's full of jerks, and some in power try to make life as difficult for the Infected as possible. Just have to make do with whatever opportunities we've got."
She stopped walking. There were some rows of old trees up ahead, about their heights. Their upper halves were lying in the dirt beside them, rotting away. Some more logs were also closer to the heroes themselves and seemed sturdier. April set her bag down and took out a piece of chalk.
"This looks like a good spot for practice," she said. "Give me a minute to mark some of these and we can start class."
The girl went to work on the trees while ED-E positioned itself at the logs. Six crossed his arms and waited for a good minute before she was done. He took the time to survey the area some more. There were some animal tracks here and there, mostly the size of a Molerat's feet. There were some birds chirping around them too, but he doubted any of them would make decent meals. Then his eyes fell upon a particular set of tracks. They were big, larger than his hands. They looked like-
April came back before he could draw any conclusions. She reached into her backpack and took something out. She unfolded and fiddled with the mystery item, revealing it to a collapsing bow. The string was missing though, probably removed to make it easier to fold up. She took one out of the pack too and tied it onto the bow. Then she grabbed one of the quivers and handed both items to the hero.
"Arrows and bullets might seem different at first glance, but they do operate under similar rules," April began. "For one they're bound to the whims of gravity. You're rarely gonna get a straight shot with a gun or bow. There's also the wind to account for, so you may need to veer to the side in case the arrow gets blown off course. Putting all of that math into action- especially on a moving target- can be a headache the first time around."
April took out her own bow and arrow next. "But that can wait another day. For now, just worry about landing shots on these targets."
She began firing her bow for the next few sentences. "The first thing to know when using any ranged weapon is composure. Panicking or shaking hands are just gonna make things more difficult for you. So relax, take some breaths, and your arrow should be able to find its mark."
Six nodded and drew up an arrow. He held his breath and fired on a trunk. It missed the white mark by a few inches.
"Try changing your posture,'' she suggested. "Might help with stability some."
"Show me," Six said.
April drew her bow and struck a pose. Six mimicked it to the best of his ability and fired it. This time it managed to land on one of the limbs of the X. Six tried again. The next arrow landed on an exposed corner.
"Eh, close enough for now," she said.
She drew another arrow. "The second thing to think about is speed. Not just the speed of your target, but your own drawing speed too. If you're facing fast prey or a bigger predator, rabid fire is sometimes the best option."
She fires in quick succession. "I'll give you five seconds to hit each mark on the first three trees. When I say 'go', let 'em fly."
Six nodded and drew up an arrow. When she gave the signal, he fired. The first one hit the nearest trunk, landing dead in the center of its mark. Perfect. The next one flew to the one on its left. Landed just an inch off from the center. The last one went onto the one on his right. It hit a limb instead of the mark's center.
"Time's up," April said. "Looks like you've got a quick draw at the very least."
She pulled out one more arrow. "So far we've gone over composure and speed. The last thing I personally worry about is precision. Sometimes you can't get close to your prey without tipping them off, so you'd have to settle for a long shot. This can often be the only shot you'll get before they run off, so make it count. I find holding your breath helpful in such cases."
She fired the projectile all the way to the tree trunk at the far back. "Try to hit the tree marks all the way in the back. Take your time if you need to."
Six nodded and drew out his bow. His first instinct was to activate VATS. To no surprise, it only honed in on 'living' targets like April and ED-E. He was gonna have to rely on his eyes for this. Six decided to try a straight shot first. It arced and nearly hit the ground. He raised his bow up and fired again. Close but not quite. A little higher up and it hit the mark at the center. He repeated the process with the other two tree trunks until he hit their targets.
April clapped her hands. "You're getting the hang of this," she noted. She walked back to her backpacks and drew out another piece of chalk. This one was lime-green and she was marking a select number of trees with it. The marking itself was an upside-down triangle rather than an X.
"Now let's put all of your training to the test," She began. "When I say 'go', you shoot all eight trunks with the green triangle on them. You've got ten seconds. This might be tricky, so don't feel too bad if you have to try again."
Six let out a grunt of acknowledgment. He held his breath and opened fire. He started with the closest ones first to get them out of the way. Getting to the last ones in the back was tricky, though, having to account for the arrow's arc and speed. He only got five hits right the first time.
He tried again. This time he focused his attention on the targets in the back before she said 'go'. When she did, the first arrow flew all the way to the back. From there he moved from the farthest ahead to the closest to him. He was just about to get the last one when time ran out. Repeating the process in the next round brought him a record time of nine seconds.
April grinned. "Great. That concludes today's lesson. Now it's time for the real challenge."
She pointed to some trees nearby. They had ladders and platforms on them. "Lotta settlements set these up for hunters," She explained. "If you're having trouble getting the pounce on some game, use those. Just uh, don't try to leap off of those. I've seen my share of hunters hurting themselves. And not always from the impact.
"Of course, you can also hide behind stuff like trees or shrubs to get the jump on them. Walk softly and slowly, keep your head down, that sorta stuff. If you have to crawl on your belly, then do it."
Six nodded. "Thanks for the session," He said.
"Don't mention it," She said with a smile. "Oh! We should trade numbers before we split up."
Six tilted his head. "Numbers?"
"For phones or radios or whatnot." She said, "You have at least one of the two right?"
"My Pip-Boy fills the role of the latter. Give me your frequency and I should be able to tune in. Also have a mic and radio in my helmet too, so I can have a private conversation with anyone if I want to."
Six brought up his Pip-Boy and manually added April's frequency under the Radio tab. Once she got his, the two split up and began hunting. ED-E stayed close by to amplify his HUD. He was already picking up movement on his motion tracker, and he had his bow out. Sometimes he saw squirrels, other times foxes. He could sell furs from the creatures here for some LMD. He'll have to see April about bartering the price for them, though. Da Vinci didn't seem like a thriving market.
"Unless I say otherwise, do not open fire on any of the wildlife," Six ordered.
ED-E beeped out an inquiry at the Courier.
"Because there's a chance your beams might disintegrate the goods," he said. "Even if you didn't, nobody wants to wash the ashes off of their meat or coats."
ED-E relented with an acknowledged beep. The two came across a river and a dam. Six's first instinct was to run to the body of water and fill up his canteen. But as he got closer, he noticed something odd. A faint warm glow, like a bonfire gleaming through the water. Something was moving onto the surface, and fast. Six took a step back and raised his bow.
A beaver crawled out of the stream and onto the dam. The first thing that stood out was the black spikes on its back and tail. He squinted his eyes and noticed red veins on some of the spikes. Then he looked back at the river and noticed something dark mixed in with the water.
"I've never seen beavers before, but I'm pretty sure they don't have spikes or messed up tails," Six noted.
ED-E agreed with him. Croissant told him that Oripathy wasn't exclusive to humans. Animals can catch the stuff too. Looks like her comments about mutations were true after all. And he nearly drank from a contaminated river.
Six took some steps back and fired an arrow at the creature's torso. The beaver was crippled and tried to limp away but another arrow finished it off. The Forte also said that Infected organisms have a chance to explode once they expire. Part of him was kinda disappointed when the creature didn't. It did appear to be calcifying though. Maybe it goes kaboom after a few minutes? An hour? He wasn't waiting for that to happen though. He had food to find.
Another few minutes and he stumbled across a bush covered in berries. Six took out April's book and skimmed through it. According to this, these were "blueberries". Those went extinct in the Great War, didn't they? He took out a pouch and placed some in it. He could study these later.
His first real prey popped up not too long after. They appeared to be healthy stags, retaining all of their fur. Six hadn't seen many back home, but the ones he came across typically had two heads. Guess this is what they looked like before the bombs dropped. He crouched and drew an arrow, aiming for one's legs. The projectile flew and managed to impale itself through one of them.
But it didn't cripple the creature. The other deer immediately became alert and darted off in different directions. Six chased after the wounded one and called upon VATs again, this time honing in on it. His chances of crippling the legs weren't looking good. He could aim at the center of mass, the torso. At the very least it'd cause some fatigue for the critter.
Six fired two more shots. Both stuck onto the beast and were drawing out blood. He could already see the crimson fluid dripping onto the ground. Nice. He can follow the trail if he loses sight. As soon as VATS ended he launched another arrow. The deer dodged that one and the next.
Dammit. Six thought to himself. It's probably figured me out by now.
He waited for VATS to recharge before fitting again. This time an arrow hit the spine, paralyzing its back half. Six ran up to the creature and jammed his knife into its skull before it could crawl away. He smiled and began cutting the fresh kill apart. The skin he wagered would make some good leather. The meat, well, no explanation needed. He placed the items into ED-E's storage compartment and noticed a platform nearby.
Six climbed a ladder and onto the platform. He took a quick peek with his sniper rifle, trying to find the rest of the herd. One more was hiding behind some trees while another lingered near the dam. Six targeted the first one with VATS, landing a blow on its leg. That slowed it down enough for him to leap off and stab it to death. Then he skinned it and harvested its bounty. That left one more.
The Courier made it back to the river, but in his haste alerted the prey. It ran off into the distance but he got a body shot on it. He followed the trail of blood to a bunch of bushes. He heard something roar as he got closer, though. It didn't sound like a deer at all.
He crouched and approached the brushes. He heard a creature wail and a squishy stabbing sound shortly after. He peeped through the leaves to see the stag being torn apart by canines. Coyotes? No, wolves. They still had fur like their pre-war ancestors. They were gorging on their victim, oblivious to the human's presence. He put a hand on his chin.
Wonder how much the townsfolk pay for their pelts? He thought to himself.
He looked at the nearest tree and saw another ladder. He climbed up to get a vantage point and came across a zip line, connected to another platform nearby. He drew his bow and pulled back an arrow. This time he went straight for the nearest one's head. It ripped right through its skull.
The rest of the pack spun around, sniffing the air. Six leapt onto the zipline and rode to another vantage point. As they closed in on the first tree, Six shot another arrow at the back of a mongrel's skull. The remaining two spun around and saw him. They ran but he fired up VATS and fired a couple of projectiles at one of them. Its left legs were crippled and it limped behind the healthier specimen.
The other wolf got to Six's point first and clawed at the truck, barking like mad. Six leaped down on top of the creature, crashing onto its back. He felt the spine snap under the combined weight of his gear and armor. He slit the wolf's neck and fired an arrow at the wounded survivor. Both dropped dead. He smirked and went to work on skinning their corpses. Four pelts and some fresh meat had been loaded into ED-E's inventory.
He inspected the deer for anything to salvage. The only thing worth taking were its antlers, but he doubted ED-E could fit that into his compartment. So he left the bloodied remains and went hunting for some other grub. After a few minutes of wandering, he found a rabbit lurking around. He pressed his belly onto the ground and took cover behind some brush. Like much of the wildlife here, it retained its fur.
Six licked his lips as he drew his bow. VATS highlighted the creature in orange light and he selected the torso. There was enough AP for multiple shots with the system. He fired at least three arrows at the little critter. The first two missed, alerting the creature. It bolted off before the third arrow got anywhere near it. Six cursed under his breath and chased after it. He followed it to a tree trunk and watched it run into a burrow. Six dropped to his belly and slid across the earth, hand reaching out.
It grasped nothing but air. He swore at the top of his lungs as he got back up. That mound must be pretty big if he couldn't reach the little bastard. Something assaulted his nostrils. Something close. He looked around a bit before his eyes fell back on the trunk. There were claw marks on it, about twice the size of his hand. There were also paw prints nearby and a slight change in tint in some spots. He'd seen those prints before. They looked like-
A roar caught his attention. He spun around to see a Yao Guai standing on its hind legs. No, not a Yao Gaui, its pre-war ancestor. A "bear" as some Ghouls called it. He hadn't seen such a mammal since Zion. And if memory serves, they were the second-worst monster to run into.
Six held up his hands defensively and backed away. The beast either didn't understand the gesture or didn't give a damn, because it charged at him claws first. Six rolled in time to avoid being skewered, but the trunk wasn't so lucky. If anything, the paw seemed to have gotten stuck on it. ED-E disregarded its orders and peppered the bear with laser bolts. All that did was annoy it.
"Forget about it," he commanded ED-E. "We need to go. Now!"
The duo sped off deeper into the woods. The sound of wood exploding and a roar caused him to crank his head around for a split second. Sure enough, the Yao Gaui was chasing them and it was closing in. ED-E wouldn't run out of steam but Six would. And even if he didn't, he wasn't too certain that he could outrun it.
Six skidded to a stop behind a tree and drew out his Plasma Defender. Lasers didn't seem to have much effect on them but blazing hot goo might be more effective. He peered out from his cover and fired a couple of shots at the ursine. Sure enough, it was burning away fur and scarring skin tissue. This briefly caused the animal to stop and back away, trying to lick its wounds.
But that was only temporary. It dashed at Six and managed to pin him to the earth. ED-E fired more blasts at it, but it ignored the eyebot. It lashed out with its jaws, but he managed to catch its maw in time. It was a struggle to keep its teeth from sinking into his neck, though, and kicking its abdomen proved ineffective. He couldn't draw any weapons either, not with the risks before him.
Suddenly arrows appeared on its side. The ursine roared in pain and spun around, sniffing for the offending party. A grey cloud of mist was seeping throughout the area, with more arrows emerging from the fog. These ones were coated in a black streak, almost like Art bolts. Six could make out a shape moving in the mists, but it was hard to keep track of them. He used this distraction to grab an arrow and stab it into the bear's eye.
Disoriented, it reared back and stumbled around. Six pulled himself up and put some space between it and him. He drew his Defender and brought up VATS, targeting its exposed underbelly. Three shots into its chest and the bolts burned their way into its ribcage. It still has some fight left in it, but an arrow to its other eye rendered it blind. The Courier finished it off with some arrows to its cranium, piercing its brain. The beast dropped dead.
The fog dissipated around him, finally revealing his savior. It was April, leaning against a tree with her bow in hand. He was going to say something to her, but he could only groan in pain. Felt like the beast managed to break a rib or two under its paws. He jammed a stimpak into his neck and felt his ribcage being fused back together. Now he could talk.
"Thanks for the save," he said. "Thought I was a goner back there."
April put up a cute smile. "No problem. You managed to get some food?"
"And some pelts. You too?"
She nodded. "Think I'll call it a day. Ready to head back to town?"
Six didn't bother with a vocal answer, choosing instead to start his trek back. April caught up with him and walked beside him and the robot. After a minute or two of walking, Six spoke up.
"By the way, how'd you pull off that shroud back there? Was that some kinda Art?" he asked.
"It's something I picked up before my infection," she explained. "Pretty handy for heavy combat and hunting. And before you ask, no, I don't plan on sharing my trade secrets. Sorry."
Six was a bit disappointed to not learn anything, but he wasn't surprised. Then again he technically didn't need such tricks anyway. Not when he had his Stealth Boys. Some time passed before they reached the car. They were surprised when they found Exusiai chatting with someone. It was Mostima and Fiammetta, leaning against an RV.
The bluehead spotted the pack of hunters and waved at them, followed by Exusiai. Fiammetta just stared at Six as they approached them.
"Did we interrupt anything?" Six asked, tipping an imaginary hat at them.
Exusiai shook her head. "Nah," she said. "Just catching up with each other while you two were hunting. Anything exciting happen while I was on guard duty?"
"Apart from nearly getting mauled by a bear, no."
Exusiai blinked and walked over to him, inspecting his armor. She quickly noticed the claw marks on the chestplate and gave it a couple of taps.
"Sheesh," she said. "You're one tough cookie."
"He had help," April added. "Weren't for me, he'd be a pancake."
Six playfully winced in response to that. "Hey now, no need to rub salt on the wound," he chaffed.
April giggled. Fiammetta got off the RV and walked over to Six too.
"You had quite the collection yesterday," she recalled. "Where did you find all those guns?"
Exusiai perked up at the mention of Six's arsenal. "Yeah, I've been wondering that myself," she added.
Six frowned under his helmet. It was only a matter of time until someone tried to interrogate him. "Some of it I found in the wasteland," he said. "Others I bought from traveling merchants. At least one's from a friend."
"Who taught you to use them all?" Fiammetta continued.
Six couldn't help but notice something flicker behind her eyes. Something he hadn't seen in a long time. Was that... envy? Six had to admit, he himself pondered on that question on occasion. Did somebody train him prior to that fateful day, or was he self-taught? He opted to shrug.
"Can't remember," he confessed. "Amnesia."
"Seriously?" Fiammetta replied as she narrowed her eyes.
"Seriously. Brain damage, to be precise."
Exusiai flinched. "Oof," she said. "I think one of our business partners can relate."
Fiammetta didn't seem entirely convinced by his story. She was about to open her mouth when Mostima put a hand on her shoulder. "As much as I'd like to stick around, Ms. Chainsaw Gal and I need to get going."
Six stifled a laugh. "Chainsaw Gal?" he asked. "That supposed to be an alias or something?"
"Oh for the love of- don't you start with me!" Fiammetta snapped. "I'm not the one that chooses those stupid codenames. And you're one to talk, going by 'Six' and all!"
"It at least rolls off the tongue nicely," Six replied. "[Lady Killer] Don't get why your employers couldn't go with something poetic. Like 'Bombshell' or 'Ghost Pepper'."
"Bombsh-" Fiammetta's jaws locked up as she processed the word.
April and Exusiai giggled as the Liberi's face turned pink. A faint smile curled on Mostima's face when Fiammetta started sputtering.
"You- They- What are you- Argh!"
Fiammetta threw her arms up before grabbing Mostima by the collar, then dragged her into the RV. The bluehead didn't seem to mind that much. The machine sputtered to life and kicked some dust into the gang's face as it drove off into the distance. After the two girls finished coughing and dusting themselves off, Exusiai turned to Six with a grin on her face.
"That's the first time I've ever seen her blush," she said. "I didn't take you for a ladies' man."
"What can I say?" Six said with a smirk. "I have a soft spot for kickass women. Ready to get back to base? 'Cus I could use a little R & R and I'd rather not let the goods go to waste."
April stretched her arms. "Sounds good to me. Got some pelts I wanna sell too."
Everybody took their seats as Exusiai plopped herself at the steering wheel. The humvee's engine roared to life and sped off back to Da Vinci. The trip back was rather uneventful. Exusiai and April were trading banter, but he paid them no mind. His eyes were glued back onto the fields again. He was lucky that Fiammetta was more interested in regular guns instead of his energy weapons. Even more so that she left like that. He dodged a bullet so far, but how long will his luck last. He needed to find a way to Lungmen and back home. Fast.
Once the car returned to the village's garage, everyone piled out and walked back to its surface. Exusiai split off from the main group to do a bit of shopping at one of the markets. Everyone else went back to base to put the food into storage. Some of it went into the restaurant's stock- to the rhino-man's delight- while the rest was to be sold at the market later.
Six made his way back into the room and sat on the bed, while ED-E went into a corner to recharge. He took out his Pip-Boy to check the time; 4 PM. The Courier took out the book Croissant gave him last night and paused. Not everyone in the area knew English, he realized. Sooner or later he would run into a language barrier down the line. If he wanted to survive in this new world, he'd need to brush up on his secondary languages.
Six opened the book and began reading. He already had a decent understanding of Spanish and some Native American languages. He had to deal with traders of both camps in the past, so it was nice to refresh himself with a little review. The other languages on the other hand were a nightmare. French, German, Russian, Italian, Japanese, Chinese. Six fell asleep after an hour of trying to cram that knowledge into his skull.
When he opened his eyes he found himself in a classroom. Well, not one of those pre-war ones. It was just a metal room dressed up as a patchwork imitation. Six lifted his head off of a desk and stood on his feet. The first thing he noticed was its height. It was up to his chest instead of his knees. It took him a minute to realize that he had changed in size.
He was a kid now, in his preteens from the looks of things. Six freaked out and frantically looked around the room. There were maps and books everywhere, but no signs of human life. Six walked out of the room to find an empty hallway. This seemed like an underground bunker. He wandered around until he found a ladder. Hopefully an exit. He climbed up it and pushed open a hatch. He felt a strong wind coming from outside and saw some dust clouds swirling about. Could faintly pick up the stench of ash too. Something about the weather disturbed him.
Reluctantly he emerged from the bunker. He was now standing in the ruins of an old city. The buildings soared into the sky, trying to touch the clouds above. Barely any light shined down on the area, leaving everything in dirty orange light. It filled him with wonder and dread.
The storms began to take shape. One of them formed a demonic head with fireballs as eyes. Two more were molded into electrified claws. The thing snarled as it sniffed the air, the claws raking the earth below. Its gaze fell upon the child and it let out a spine-chilling howl. It flew towards the Courier, hellbent on tearing him apart.
A rotting hand emerged from the hole in the ground and grabbed the boy's leg. He cried out and kicked at it, but it pulled him under. He watched the hatch close as he fell into the darkness. He could hear the beast banging on the metallic door, trying to claw its way in...
Six awoke to hear someone knocking on the door. He got up and creaked the door open to see April on the other side. She was holding a sub sandwich, or at least half of one.
"You missed dinner," She said. "Everything okay?"
Six blinked a few times before responding. "I just dozed off, that's all," he said. "Long day."
She tossed the sandwich to Six. He removed his helmet and promptly stuffed the whole thing into his mouth. April's eyes popped out and she stepped back a bit, stunned. She managed to catch a brief glimpse of Six's face before he covered it back up. He seemed young, maybe around her age group.
The Courier walked past her and into the lobby, partially concealing his face with his helm. He took out a cold drink from a cooler and popped the cap off. With one hand he slipped the lid into a pocket and another held the beverage. He kept his helmet up to just above his lips, sipping big gulps of the liquid. He tossed the empty bottle into a trash bin and finally put the headpiece all the way back on. He was returning to his room when she stopped him.
"If you're bored, why not go outside for a bit? The sky is supposed to be clear tonight."
"Clear as in no clouds or-?" He stopped himself.
This world had a sun and moon, right? That meant they were in a solar system. Solar systems had celestial bodies, planets, stars. He meant to go stargazing last night, but he forgot about it after the brawl. Now was his chance to confirm (or confront) his theories.
"You mean stargazing?"
She nodded. "It's a bit of a hobby of mine," she confessed. "Find the best rooftop and just stare at the sky. You in?"
"Diffidently. Give me a minute to change."
Six shut the door and switched to his silver-grey garbs. He gave the trenchcoat a quick sniff as he put it on. It had a strange fragrance but he couldn't identify it. Some extinct species of flora maybe? Once he was dressed he made his way upstairs to the pub and found the girl just out the door. She had her bow and arrows on her back. She was cautious. Good.
She smiled and waved at him, beckoning him to follow. Six compiled and traveled down the streets with her. So far no one has dared to jump them. But something felt off. He could've sworn he heard a buzzing noise but he couldn't find the source. At the very least it wasn't a Cazador.
At last, they found themselves in a plaza. Stalls surrounded them while a fountain lay at the center. There was a large stone building, about the size of a movie theater. This must be the marketplace. She led him to a ladder on the larger structure and up onto the roof. They were several feet up now, probably high enough for him to break a leg. He tried to avoid looking down as much as possible.
The view was something, though. There was a sort of peace or ambiance right now. A sense of wonder and curiosity. It wasn't exactly a foreign feeling, being an adventurer and all, but it was a comforting one. The night sky certainly was beautiful too. But as he examined it further, he frowned.
The first thing he noticed was the two moons. Not one, two. Something was off with the stars as well. They seemed to be diminishing, fading. Was he even looking at "live" ones, or the remnants of a dead star that went nova? Were they even stars at all or some distant planet? The worst part about it was their constellations. Or rather, the lack of them.
He saw none of the constellations of his homeworld. Not Perseus. Not Taurus. Not Orion. Not even the fucking Emu. If his fears weren't confirmed before, they sure as hell were now. He sighed. He wasn't in America anymore, let alone Earth. He just didn't want to admit it. It was past time he accepted the new reality.
He turned away from the sky. April noticed this and cast a concerned look on his face. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"Just confirmed a theory of mine," Six said. "I have no fucking idea how to get back home. Or if I even have one anymore."
April put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay," She said. "You can always find a new one."
"Can I?"
He turned away again. While it's true that he was something of a rover, he tied himself to Vegas for the past few years. His instincts always told him to leave it behind but his feet remained grounded in the Mojave. He didn't plan on leaving it yet. Not until he was certain that it wouldn't collapse without him.
His mind went back to the people. Boone, Lily, Rex, Ganon, Cass, Veronica, Raul. Graham, Follows-Chalks, Dog, Christine, Domino, 8, Mobius, Ulysses. Joana, Sarah, Michael, Swank, Victor. Bright, Haversam, Jack, Janet, Farkas, Regis, Papa Kahn, Jerry, Melissa, The King. Sunny Smiles, Easy Pete, Trudy, Doc M-
Six stopped that train of thought. As aggravating as running New Vegas could be, he always had a shoulder to lean on, something to talk to. Now all he had was ED-E. Six wanted to close his eyes, telling himself that he was dreaming. But he wasn't going to keep fooling himself. That shit would get him nowhere.
He got up. "I think I've had enough of the great outdoors," he told April. "I'm heading back."
She frowned slightly but gave him an acknowledging nod. "Alright," she said. "See you in the morning. Safe travels."
"Same to you."
Six climbed back down to ground level and started making his way back. He'd bring up the Pip-Boy every now and then to look at the local map. Thankfully it was still capable of writing them up as he walked. That buzzing sound came back, though, and this time it seemed closer…
Six brought up VATS and his head cranked upwards. Up above was a small drone of some form, carried by four small propellers. Six didn't know who it belonged to, but he was certain that it had been following him. Without a second thought, he drew his Plasma Defender and shot the machine out of the sky. It melted into green goop mid-fall and splattered across the road. Thankfully none of the plasma splashed him.
[Luck 3/5] He knelt down beside the goo as it cooled and shifted through it. Nothing that could identify its owner- let alone any salvage worth selling- survived.
Shit. he thought to himself.
Emptyhanded Six left the scene and finally made it to base. ED-E chirped a greeting at him as he undressed and crawled into bed, but he didn't respond. His mind was still lingering in the Mojave, and it went back to the wastelands once he fell asleep.
Outside the subhouse was the same Lupo. In his hands was a controller, now rendered useless. He was still trying to process what had happened just now. That man pulled out a gun and melted the Monster drone. Melted it! He dialed a number on his smartphone and brought it to his ear.
His boss picked up the phone. "Now what?" He hissed.
"Mysterious Stranger is a Caster. Repeat, Mysterious Stranger is a Caster."
"Caster? You sure about this?"
"He just fucking melted my Monster with some glowing gun," The goon hissed back.
"...melted? Shit," The man on the phone was silent for a good minute. "We'll need to draw him out, away from the Pond."
"How? He's practically glued to the Penguins at this point."
A dark chuckle emerged from the device. "I got an idea or two," the voice said. "Now listen up, rookie…"
A/N:
What's this? The Courier has some actual backstory? Well, kinda. I'm still juggling around what constants and variables I want for his backstory. Of course with his brain damage, there is an unreliable narrator angle to take into consideration.
Mostima and Fiammetta leave the party for the time being. My apologies to fans of them, but they must deliver a package like any good courier. Don't worry. We'll be seeing them again soon enough.
April's training course is basically ripped from Angi's unmarked quest in Skyrim. Fell back onto that and a couple of YouTube videos on archery for reference when writing it.