Chapter 5: Originium Fever
Date: Indeterminate
Location:...The moon?
Today was not a good day. The Courier had set out on a scavenger hunt for supplies for his rocketship and already he ran into trouble. Or rather caused it. How was he supposed to know that taking that chunk of uranium would've triggered a nuclear meltdown? And now the Ghoulified survivors of the resulting explosion were chasing him across the moon.
"Degeneres sicut tu pertinent in crucem!"
"Interficere pollutor!"
"Nostram pellem tulit! Nunc corium capimus!"
Six looked back at the Legonarries with a terrified look on his face.
[Intelligence 4/8] "I have no idea what in Sam Hill you asshats are saying!"
The cowboy ran-or space-hopped- all the way back to his ship. Eddy the Moon Monkey was waving his tubby arms at him, trying to call out to him. A Plasma bolt sent the Courier flying through the entrance and the door slammed shut behind him. The artificial gravity kicked in and Six hit the floor hard.
With a groan, Six rose back onto his feet and looked around. Neither Eddy nor the chunk of radioactive rock he was carrying was anywhere to be seen. The ship was in complete darkness and he could barely see a thing. He called out for his sidekick but nobody responded. All he heard were the Legionaries banging at his door.
Six wandered in the dark empty-handed. He grumbled about leaving his latest treasure with a cult of machine-worshiping, time-traveling Romans and was about to sit on his captain's chair when an announcement on the intercoms came online.
"Attention citizens! Novac is under Legion assault! Repeat, the Legion is attacking Novac. Please evacuate to the nearest shelter!"
The Courier raised an eyebrow. Novac? Why did that name sound so fami-
The world shifted to the Mojave wasteland. Just outside the town of Novac. Memories came rushing back to him. The people were under siege from feral Ghouls and they asked the Courier to end their plight. The problem was more complicated than he thought, though.
The ferals escaped to town because Demons freed them from their cages. The Ghouls that retained their sanity didn't even want to remain on Earth. They were looking for a new place to call home. The Demons halted their progress, but the Courier was able to reach an understanding with them. They were in search of something and Six merely pointed them in the right direction.
Then he helped the Ghouls rebuild and launch some pre-war rockets. Legion must've noticed his absence and decided to act on it. Well, they're welcome to try. This town was under the protection of the Courier and Eddy. Or at least it was until pods came crashing back down. And rushing out of them were Lord Bright and his followers.
The cult leader was leading the charge with his Plasma Defender. His brothers and sisters wielded laser weapons and fired on the Legionaries, disintegrating their foes. Six joined in on the fray and fired his own Defender at the horde. He ran to Bright's cover and slid beside him. He nearly scared the living hell out of the ancient Ghoul.
"By the Creator!" he swore. "I thought you were one of them."
"Sorry about that," Six apologized. "But I couldn't let your lot have all the fun. I thought you'd be on the moon by now?"
"So did we," Bright admitted. "But the Creator must have other plans."
[Intelligence 6] "Or those rockets were surface-to-surface after all," Six retorted. "You could've gotten yourselves killed!"
"Perhaps, but we are here now. And these people need our aid. It is the least we can do."
One of the Legionaries pulled up a Fat Man and fired a mini-nuke into the air. It split apart into smaller bombs and rained down on the town. Six and Bright took cover just in time to avoid being blown to pieces. But it wasn't a standard nuke. It was just a dirty bomb. What did the Legion hope to accomplish with rads? Their opponents were Gh-
Black spikes began erupting from the flock, creating a twisted chorus of howls and screams. Six and Bright looked at the scene in horror. Some of the followers turned into obsidian statues, others morphed and mutated into malformed blistered shapes. Six and the Legionaries were spared from the bioweaponry due to their spacesuits. Bright, on the other hand, was swiftly succumbing to the plague.
Six caught the prophet as his flesh turned to emerald. Six ejected a stimpack into the ancient's remaining tissue, but it had no effect. Before long, the man turned into another statute in his arms and crumbled to dust. Six could barely process what just happened.
A screech brought him back to reality. He spun around to see himself surrounded by the ebony swarm. The Ghouls were twitching and spasming, obviously in pain yet seemingly incapable of doing anything about it. Someone was clapping their hands behind the Legionaries. The soldiers moved aside for their commander to enter the scene. And he was the horrid thing the space cowboy had ever seen.
The best way to describe him was a sort of cyber-lich. Pearl-white crystals were jutting from his rotting flesh, with several fragments floating behind him. They formed a shape that vaguely resembled wings to the Courier. He had a strange staff-like device in one hand and a dead swan in the other. The latter appeared to be calcifying and in just as much pain as the flock.
Horror gave way to rage and Six rose onto his feet. "What the fuck have you done to them!?" he bellowed.
A cruel smile slithered onto the lich's fanged face. "I have merely freed this flock from the agony of life," he claimed.
The crystalized zombies converged at the Courier, lashing out with teeth and claws. All he could do was power up his plasma cutter and brace himself.
Date: September 29th, 1099
Location: Da Vinci, Siracusa
Six awoke with a jump and looked around. ED-E issued him a greeting in binary. The Courier let out a sigh of relief as he got out of bed.
"Good morning to you too," the Courier said. "Man, that was the weirdest dream I've had in years. You had a good recharge, I take it?"
The robot chirped in agreement.
"Glad to hear it," Six yawned and stretched his arms out some. "Ready for another adventure?"
ED-E bleeped back at him again as the young put on the Manto d'argento. "To earn some caps. Erm, LMD. We've been living off of others' paychecks for the past two days. Time we start writing our own. Maybe we can find a posting or an office for bounties at the market."
The duo left the room and ventured to the subhouse upstairs. Six looked at the counter serving breakfast and got in line. Once it was his turn he grabbed some sausage patties, pancakes, coffee, and what appeared to be an orange. After collecting his meal he passed by Exusiai, who waved at him. Six ignored her and took a seat some distance away from the girl. That didn't dissuade the angel, though. She just left her seat and propped herself at the Courier's table, sitting opposite of him. ED-E emitted some annoyed beeps at her.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my hands to myself," she said to the bot before returning her attention to Six. "So whatcha up to?"
Six shrugged, still refusing to look at her. "Just looking to get some LMDs today. Gonna look for odd jobs or bounties. Preferably bounties."
She let out a short 'naruhodo' and nodded just as briefly. Six didn't understand the word, but he had an educated guess.
"If you're looking for work, you could sign up with us. From what Croissant tells me, you're one heck of a fighter. Even if you don't meet the boss's standards in that field, there's paperwork that needs filling and packages that need delivering. Think about it; action, adventure, apple pie!"
Six stopped eating for a moment. It was rather tempting, he had to admit. People to meet or kill, new places to explore, secrets to unearth. It was the rover's lifestyle. His lifestyle. And as a bonus, they were an intelligence agency too. All of the world's knowledge-science, technology, medicine, politics, history- would be right at his fingertips.
But he shook his head. No. No, he had to find a way back to Earth. To the Mojave, his budding nation. His friends…
He shook his head again. Why the hell was he worried? His mission back then was just to secure its independence. He wasn't in it for House's throne. He was just tired of stupid-ass despots like him and Caesar. The NRC wasn't in any condition to maintain control over the region, so he did the honorable thing and sent their soldiers back home. They can inherit the land when they get the strength and resources of Old America for all he cares.
But he did care about the place. About the people. To leave them hanging like that would be dickish and cowardly. And in many respects, it was the closest thing he had to home in a long time. Even if he had no desire to lead the Mojave, he at least wanted to protect it.
"I'm afraid that I'll have to decline your offer," Six said. "I don't know you or your company. For all I know, you'd just shank or see me out at the earliest opportunity. And even if I could trust you-"
He stopped. "I have friends and a home to look after. Hell, maybe even a nation. If I don't make it back home it might not survive without me."
"You can use your funds to help the people there. The boss pays-"
"They don't take LMDs. Their economy's built around bottle caps. Bottle. CAPS! And you can't just find it on a map either. It's-"
He took a breath and calmed down. He started shoving as much good into his mouth as possible. He didn't bother to finish speaking until after he licked his plate clean.
"It's complicated. You wouldn't understand. Hell, I'm still struggling to make sense of it all myself. And if I tried to tell you, you'd probably put me in a straitjacket."
He rose from his seat and loaded the kitchen's dishwasher. As he walked back by Exusiai, he gave her a look. She picked up a thousand emotions in that face, but she couldn't untangle and make sense of them. The Courier and ED-E left without another word.
Six made his way back to the marketplace. Last night the district was devoid of life. Today it was bursting at the seams with it. At least a dozen stalls were scattered across the area, each one competing for the interest of the people. It was a pain to navigate through the crowds but he finally found a notice board. There were posters and notes pinned on it, ranging from advertisements to job applications. He looked through each one and found one that stuck out.
To all able-bodied individuals.
There is a group of Infected raiders hiding in an abandoned Originium mine east of our current position. They have been harassing, robbing, and assaulting good citizens and visitors of our fine town. Mayor Sanna is offering a bounty for the death of their leader. He can be identified by the ebony-diamond ring on his hand. Bring it back as proof of his death and the returning hero(es) shall be rewarded.
Six scanned and downloaded the poster into his Pip-Boy. As soon as it finished writing the file, though, he felt something tap his shoulder. Six turned his head to see someone right next to him. He nearly jumped out of his skin and stumbled backward, resisting the urge to draw his guns. It was just that blonde bunny lad. What was his name again? Leonhart?
"Jesus H. Christ, you scared the living hell outta me," Six hissed.
The lad just noticed him. "I did?"
"Yeah, you were shoulder-to-shoulder against me. I almost pulled my gun out on you."
The boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that. Say, you're Six right?"
"That's me. You're Leonhart, right?"
"Leonhardt. With a D before the T. Are you a Messenger?"
"Was until I got shot in the head."
"Ouch."
"That's putting it mildly. You?"
"Kinda. I'm a Catastrophe Messenger."
"What's the difference?"
"I scope the area for any potential Catastrophes or the aftermath of them."
"That's the natural disaster that produces magic rocks, right?"
Leonhardt snickered. "That's one way to put it. Mayor wants someone to check out this old mine-"
"Out east?"
The boy gave him a surprised look. "How'd you-?"
"There's a bounty for a bandit in that same location."
Leonhardt blinked and looked at the notes on the noticeboard. Sure enough, they both pointed to the same location. "Well ain't that a coincidence. Guess we'll be partners for today then."
"You know how to fight?"
"Rather avoid fights than barge into them. If the need arises, I can dish out AoE attacks with my Arts."
"AoE?"
"Area of Effect."
Sounds like a goddamn nuke. Six thought to himself. "Just give me a heads-up before you open the gates of hell. Meet you at the garage? I gotta get my gear if we're going into combat."
Leonhardt gave him a nod and an approving smile. "Look out for my bike when you get there,'' he said. "Might wanna get a filter from the Penguin club while you're at it. Don't want to inhale any originium flakes in those tunnels."
Six returned the gesture and ventured back to the sub house's bunker. He quickly switched from the Manto d'argento to his Elite Riot Gear. Then he made his way towards Hoover's repair shop and knocked on the door. The old Liberi opened it to see the younger man.
"Nice to see you've got some manners," he jested. "What can I do for you?"
"Gonna go on a bit of a bounty hunting trip," Six said. "Wanna make sure my helmet's filters can keep out originium before I go. Also wanted to grab some weapons too. Could be a hairy fight up ahead."
Hoover nodded as the younger man plopped his helmet on the table and began dismantling it. While the elder examined the gasmask, Six looked over his weapons. He inspected each one carefully for any damage or tampering. His guns were a little light on ammo, but he found no real changes to the items themselves. Guess he forgot to reload in all the chaos at the mines, or even before for some select ones. The Courier ultimately chose his shotgun, Thump-Thump, and sniper rifle, leaving the rest with Hoover. He kept Wolf's bane for himself, though. Just in case the rifle ran dry.
"Always pegged this as military gear," Hoover noted. "But I don't see any Originium filters in here. Hmm, looks like the insides could use some maintenance. Where'd you find it?"
"Out in the wastes like everything else," Six replied. "Best armor for a gunslinger if you ask me."
"But not the best for hazops."
Six crossed his arms, practically screaming 'so what?' He had Rad-X and Radaway to make up for it. But then again there didn't appear to be any sign of Rads here so far. He kept his mouth shut throughout Hoover's tinkering, watching how his hands hovered over the gear. A thumbs up signaled his completion and Six went to work on reassembling the headgear.
"That should do it," Hoover said. "Want me to look at that armor of yours too?"
"No need, but thanks for the offer. Wish me luck."
Six was about to leave the room when ED-E stopped him. He beeped out a reminder to the hero, causing him to facepalm.
"Shit, you're right," Six noted. "There's no way you'll be able to keep up with his ride. And I don't think that bike can carry you either. Why don't you wait for me in our room? Maybe Hoover can install a booster onto your frame when I get back."
Hoover smiled. "I welcome the challenge," he boasted.
The Courier and eyebot split off and went their separate ways. ED-E telekinetically opened and shut the door with his antigrav module and locked it behind him. The unit went into standby mode, conserving its power and giving some of its systems some much-needed cooldown.
Six had made it to the garage. Leonhardt was waiting for him on his bike, the engine already purring. As the Courier got closer to the cycle, he noticed that most of the loot was missing. There wasn't a single piece of treasure strapped to the back of the machine.
"Sold off everything eh?" Six said.
Leonhardt nodded. "Didn't need most of it. Got some drinks left in that cooler on the other side, though. You're welcome to any of them."
"I'll pass."
Six hopped onto the backseat and placed his hands on the lad's shoulders. Leonhardt floored it and drove out of the garage doors. The tunnels of the mobile city soon gave way to open skies and fields. The duo drove over mounds and hills for the next couple of hours, passing by farms and smaller villages along the way. They've all seen better days from where the Courier was sitting.
At last, they stopped at the remains of another ghost town. Six gave the town a brief look while Leonhardt put on his mask. The buildings were composed of a variety of materials. Rotting wood, worn stone, and rusted metal salvage. Old mining machines were littered across the area, many of which had already been stripped for parts by scavengers long ago. As they wandered around the ruins, though, evidence of life began popping up.
[Perception 7] First thing Six noticed was that some of the buildings' interiors seemed cleaner than others. Not as much dust or cobwebs as others. Then there were the dishes and campfires. The ashes in the latter were fresh, still warm even. That was enough to put Six on edge and make him draw his Plasma Defender. Leonhardt, by contrast, was rather calm.
Six hid behind cover, rolling from one spot to another and peeking his head around corners. Leonhardt just waltzes behind without a care in the world. He got his act together when they heard something pawing at the ground up ahead. The duo crept behind a crumbling store and peered over, spotting a dog. It was the same breed as he had encountered in the mines back on Earth, with black fur and yellow eyes. And much like them, there was a camera mounted onto its back.
The duo waited for it to leave the area before sneaking further ahead. By now they could make out a small mound with a rickety door at the front. A lone guard was leaning against it, clad in biker garbs and carrying a device in his hand. It looked like a handheld radio from where Six was hiding. He turned back to Leonhardt.
"How do you want to handle this?" Six whispered. "Loud or quiet?"
"Quiet," Leonhardt replied. "We don't wanna risk starting a chain reaction with any originium deposits inside."
Six drew out Christine's sniper rifle. "This thing's silenced so it shouldn't draw too much attention. But I am worried about the dogs, though. They've got better hearing than both of us combined. They'll come running if they hear his body hit the floor."
Leonhardt bent down and picked up a piece of rubble. "Think you can handle the mutts while I take care of their master here?" he asked with a smile.
Six nodded and kept watch for the hounds. The kid threw the rock some distance away, hitting a rusty boring machine. This caught the man's attention and he came running over. While his back was to them Leonhardt fired a concussive blast from his spear at him. He flew into the wreckage headfirst and was knocked out cold.
The dogs from earlier heard the commotion. Six targeted the cameras with VATS and took them out. Once they reached the unconscious body he popped some headshots on them. Both went down without so much as a whimper.
After checking for patrols, Leonhardt leaped through a window and grabbed some rope nearby. Didn't take long for him to tie up the bandit. He placed the unconscious body inside the ruined car and threw the radio into the trunk. Six gave him a thumbs-up as they crept to the door.
The Courier gave a quick peek past the barrier for any signs of reinforcements. To his relief the coast was clear, and he signaled Leonhardt to follow. Once inside they were confronted with a labyrinth. Six glanced down at his Pip-Boy, noticing the Local Map refreshing itself.
"That doohickey any good for navigation?" Leonhardt asked.
Six shook his head. "Not on the first visit," he admitted. "It builds up the maps as we move along."
Leonhardt sighed. "Your bounty could be anywhere," he said. "And I don't see any originium nearby either. They're probably on the next level with our luck."
Six looked at the hallways before him. Three of them, one on each side and one directly in front of them. Six pointed to the tunnel on his left, and Leonhardt ventured down the path with him. There were some holes in the cavern's ceiling, shedding some much-needed light into the tunnels. Good for navigation, not so much for stealth. Six was growing claustrophobic with each step he took.
At last, they found themselves in the remains of an old chapel. Six was rather surprised by this discovery, rubbing the lens on his helmet. Leonhardt of course wasn't, crossing his arms and inspecting the place. Most of the furniture was broken, and what little still stood didn't seem sturdy.
There were some bags on the intact benches. Six rummaged through each of them, finding nothing but stale food and rotting scrolls. He did find a couple of gold coins, though, and tossed one to Leonhardt. He still couldn't believe that this world had 'actual' money, or at least bills that are worth anything.
The two ventured forth and peeked through a decaying door, careful not to knock it off of its rusty hinges. They could see two more dogs, with the same equipment as the last pack. Six drew out his sniper rifle and pointed at it. Then he motioned towards the cameras on each hound and back and to the bunnyman. The Cautus shook his head, pointing at his staff- spear?- and then the dogs. He pointed back to the rifle and dogs again. Six got the memo but he had his doubts. He pushed those aside and allowed Leonhardt to fire first.
A small whirlwind hurled itself toward the canines and collided with them, scattering them across the room. While they lay dazed, Six activated VATS and took out each of their cameras. The two allowed the guard dogs to rise back up and sniff the air. It didn't take long for them to be detected and they snarled at the intruders. Two of them charged forth, barking at the top of their lungs.
Six kicked the first one under the chin, crippling its head and bringing Chance's Knife onto its skullcap. While he was giving it a twist, Leonhardt brought his tool's blade down on the second one, slicing its skull in half. He conjured up another gush of wind, propelling the fresh corpse toward the rest of its pack. One unlucky dog got stunned again and Six followed up with a headshot. The remaining hound charged at the Courier, but Leonhardt impaled it through the side before it got too close. A headshot put it out of its misery.
Now they could examine the area. There was a construction light in each corner, all connected to a small generator. There was a desk with an old terminal, also connected to a generator. He could see a weapons cabinet and a bed against one of the walls, the former mildewing and torn. There were some posters on the opposite wall, but Six couldn't read any of them. This must have been the supervisor's office.
The Courier walked over to the desk and noticed a chair behind it. It was crudely crafted from wood, but surprisingly fresh in comparison to everything else. Six plopped his butt onto it and activated the terminal. To his disappointment, he couldn't get into the interface to hack it. Hell, he didn't even know if he could. It wasn't anything like RobCo's. He peered over the screen to see a closet ahead. The Courier walked over to open it, but it was locked. He smiled under his helmet.
[Lockpick 25] Six took out a screwdriver and pack of bobby pins, setting the latter onto the floor beside him. His hands went to work on that lock, prying at it with his makeshift tools. It took a couple of tries (and pins), but eventually, he was able to open that sucker. He went on down to the weapons locker and tried his hands on that. It didn't go as smoothly. Five good pins were wasted before he gave up. He didn't have time for any more attempts. His prey could be escaping at any moment.
He went back to inspect the goods behind door number one. It was a supply closet, housing some rations and tools. Six examined the food and took the boxes that were in the best condition. Leonhardt clapped his hands at the hero's resolve, startling him. Six pressed his fingers against his mask and shushed him. Leonhardt realized his mistake and stopped clapping. The two went back to the entrance room and ventured down the right side this time.
This was a loading bay if the cranes and trucks were of any indication. There were barrels and crates everywhere, gathering dust. Leonhardt went to work on inspecting each one, probably to see if anything valuable was inside. He came up empty-handed and went to the garage door. He motioned for Six to come over and help open it. Despite their combined strength, it refused to budge. The two gave up and ventured into the center tunnel.
The path sloped downward and was littered with old tools. The duo had to tip-toe their way over everything to avoid tripping. Six wasn't so lucky and ended up tumbling down to the bottom. When the world stopped spinning he found himself surrounded by old veins. If he understood his mining correctly then this was a lode. Or at least the remnants of one.
Leonhardt hopped down to Six's and offered a helping hand. Six ignored it and got back onto his feet without issue. Leonhardt's eyes shifted slightly but Six couldn't fully gauge his emotions with that mask on. Seemed disappointed or maybe a tad bit hurt. Hard to tell. Six took the lead and walked down the lode with the bunny-lad.
They eventually found themselves at a t-junction. One seemed to lead into another load while the other rounded a corner. Six was about to go deeper into the mine when his nose caught a whiff of something. It smelled like… beans? He followed the smell to a large cavern and duked back into the corner.
Up ahead was a chamber filled with tables and benches, large enough to seat at least two dozen souls. The smell was coming from further back. Six took out his rifle and peered through it. Sure enough, a man was cooking with an electric hotplate. It was connected to a small generator and he was surrounded by crates of food. Most of it was in cans or packages, like Pre-war food back home.
Some more gangsters were lodging about. Some of them were eating, while others were standing guard. Six lowered it and contemplated a plan of action. They haven't detected them yet so they could just slip back onto the main road. On the other hand, some of them were carrying radios on their belts. If one of the other patrols spotted them, they could call upon these guys to block off the exit. He looked back at Leonhardt.
"What should we do about them?" Six whispered. "Ignore them and press on, or eliminate them before they have a chance to block off our escape route?"
Leonhardt peered over the Courier's shoulders and narrowed his eyes. "Did you happen to see any communication devices on them?" He asked.
"At least two on some big eaters. The guards probably have some too."
They slipped back behind cover and Six pulled out a grenade. "I got some of these babies," He said. "Could take out a few goons with a good throw, or at least trash their comms. Think the walls here are sound-proof?"
Leonhardt shook his head. "Naw, folk downstairs are bound to hear it. Not to mention the risk of causing a cave-in. Let's just leave for now. If they show up for the party, then at least we'll be prepared."
The two snuck out of the hall and into the next one. Like the pathway back there were some lodes, stripped of their minerals. Unlike it, there were some lanterns on the walls, all lit. Someone was definitely in here, and Six had to be careful. This wasn't the Mojave wasteland anymore. This was fucking Narnia.
At last, the two found themselves before a massive cavern. Mining carts and tracks were everywhere, along with elevated platforms and security boxes. Floodlights were scattered across the chamber, lighting nearly every corner. There were some switches connected to the lighting system, each at various points. Some terminals were also present, though they were rusted beyond repair. Several thugs were patrolling the area, carrying shoulder-mounted flashlights.
But what caught their attention were the originium crystals on the ceiling. They were glowing a fiery red, easily lighting up the whole ceiling. Six's eyes were getting sore just from looking at the light show.
Leonhardt placed a hand on his chin. "It's gonna be hard to sneak around here," he noted. "Maybe we can flip the lights off and pick them off?"
"Assuming that they don't notice the change in lighting? Or if one of them's quick enough to raise the alarm?" Six replied.
He took out his rifle and began scanning the area ahead. Plenty of high ground for anyone to fire from, but he saw no snipers around. He did spot some Casters further back, though, if the cloaks and wands meant anything. No dogs to sniff them out, thankfully enough. The guards were spread out too, so he could pick them off without (instantly) alerting anyone.
"I think I can take the guards out before they can raise the alarm," Six said. "And even if they do, we can disable or shoot out the lights before reinforcements arrive."
Leonhardt nodded. "Sounds like a plan," he said. "I'll hang back here while you do the heavy lifting. Call me when the coast is clear."
Six nodded and sped off into the nearest dark corner. The world turned green as he crouched down and peeped through the sniper rifle's scope. He kicked in VATS to scan the area and the patrols. The closest goon to him had a walkie-talkie on his belt, so he was a priority target. The bastard went down without a sound and collapsed. Six sprinted up a ladder and onto another platform, taking aim at the next target.
This one was walking on a bridge and carrying a shield. Could be problematic if he goes on red alert. Six waited for him to turn his back to him before firing. The round pierced the back of his neck and he toppled onto the ground. Six went with a headshot afterward just to be safe (and to end any suffering on the bandit's part).
Unfortunately, the shield slipped out of his hand and tumbled onto the ground level with a loud 'clunk!'. This spooked another guard and caught his attention. Six saw a switch nearby and sprinted to it. As soon as the bandit reached the shield he killed the lights. The raider panicked and popped up his flashlight, spinning around like crazy. Six crept across the platform above him and waited for a moment. When the raider finally composed himself, Six dropped down onto the asshole. This knocked the wind out of him, giving the Courier the chance to silence him.
He heard footsteps to his right. "Hey, who the turned the-"
A flashlight's beam fell onto the Courier and his latest victim. Six turned to see a man with cat ears and a stave. The two looked at each other awkwardly before they drew their weapons. Six went for the Plasma Defender and fired, but the Caster was quicker. Six was knocked onto his back just as he pulled his trigger. The resulting Plasma bolt was sent flying into a light further back. It exploded into sparks as the hot sludge melted it away, sending its remains crashing down.
"What the hell was that!?"
Six cursed under his breath as the Caster ran off. He managed to land a shot into the bastard's back, though, burning through it and into his spine. The Caster fell to the ground paralyzed from the waste below. He called out as he dragged himself across the earth, but his executioner caught up to him. A bullet from Christine's gun put him down.
More lights were heading his way. Six ducked behind a barrel and waited for them to pass by. They stopped at his latest kill and were surrounding it. He was tempted to sneak around them, but there wasn't enough space or darkness to slip by. But they were cluttered together though, so…
Six pulled the pin off of a grenade and rolled it over to the crowd. It bumped up against the heel of a goon, bringing his attention to it. He stumbled back and tried to issue a warning but it was too late. That guy and another gangster were blown to pieces while two more were dazed. Another was shielded from the blast by his buddies though and charged through the smoke. He pulled out a walkie-talkie, bringing it to his face.
"Slayer here," he said. "We've got a rat problem h-"
Six didn't give him the chance to finish. He rolled from behind cover and fired his shotgun at the man's arm. It was ripped apart by the pellets, earning him an agonized cry as the pieces and device fell onto the floor. Some more blasts reduced his head to a red mist. The rest of the gangsters had their chest cavities stuffed with lead.
Six walked over to the handheld device and loomed over it.
"Slayer? Slayer, ya there? The fuck's going on?"
Six's response was to stomp on the device. As he was crushing it under his boot, he heard more footsteps. Six spun around with his shotgun out to see a Caster charging at him, wand burning like a bonfire. A gust of wind crashed into him, sending him flying into a wooden wall. Six ran up to him and finished him off with a couple of slugs. He turned back to see Leonhardt stepping into the shadows.
"Though you were hanging back," Six said.
"I was until you started those fireworks," the bunny-eared lad said.
Six sighed, sheathing his weapon. "One of them spotted me and alerted his boss. He's probably spread word to the rest of the pack by now. We need to get moving."
Leonhardt nodded and took the lead, shutting off each light they came by. Six covered the rear with some Shrapnel charges here and there. Six also inspected the bodies of his victims as they passed by, hoping to find some ammo. The closest thing he got were arrows and bolts. He had no love for their melee weapons and the shields were too heavy for him to lift.
The two traveled down yet another narrow tunnel, though it didn't feel as long as the others. Waiting at the end of it was a moderately sized room, littered with what appeared to be lab equipment. Six blinked and looked back at Leonhardt. He could tell what was going on beneath that helm.
"All this must've been for testing the energy output from the Originium," he said. "Or testing out any miscellaneous materials they come across."
Six examined the room for any loot before continuing onward. No LMDs, no bottle caps, no ammo.
[Perception 5] But his eye spotted a glow coming from a drawer nearby. He walked over to it and pulled it open, revealing a crimson cylinder-shaped object. From the looks of things, it was a battery. He pocketed it and moved on with the bunny-lad. Could be useful later down the line, or net him some money.
The next room appeared to contain a cistern. Buckets surrounded the well, while coolers and other containers were tucked away in a corner. Six peeped inside and noticed some dark particles in the water. Leonhardt gently pulled him away and shook his head. Didn't take a genius to see that the water was contaminated. But then Six noticed an opening in the back of the well.
The Courier noticed the door next to the cistern and knelt down. He looked for a keyhole to peep through but found none. In fact, it lacked any sort of lock at all. He gently tapped the door, opening it ever so slightly. Inside were a forge, workbenches, and a bunch of tools. Not just hammer and anvil, but also power tools. Drills, saws, pickaxes, grapple hooks, even some explosives. Then he heard voices behind the door. Was he spotted? No, they didn't seem to notice anything. They were too busy talking with someone.
Six opened the door further and poked his head out some. There were two goons talking to a couple of folks on their knees. Both were wearing mining uniforms and hardhats, worn and ancient. Their hands were chained behind their backs, faces bruised. One of them grabbed a woman by her shirt and grinned.
Six didn't want to think what he would've done next. He sprung into action, tackling him to the ground and jamming Chance into his throat. The other goon was startled by this and attempted to run for help, but Leonhardt threw him back with a burst of whirlwind. Six melted him with his Plasma Pistol before he could get back up. When he looked back at the hostages, they were mortified by the puddle before them. Obviously, they've never seen someone melt before.
Leonhardt cut off the chains that bound them and helped them onto their feet. As they rose Six noticed something off about them. The woman had a dark spike burst through her right shoulder while the man had the same mineral growing on his cheek. Oripathy?
The woman brewed up the courage to speak with the Courier. "A bit excessive back there, but you have my thanks regardless," she said. "What brings you here?"
"My associate's a Cataclysm Messenger. Me, I'm just hunting for the leader of some bandits. You wouldn't happen to have seen one with an ebony-diamond ring, have you?"
The two rapidly shook their heads. "Do you at least know where the leader is?"
They nodded, pointing to the door ahead. "Bastard holed himself up at the motherlode," the man said. "He's got our friends locked in some cages at the barracks back there too. We'd be obliged if you could free them."
"Not while there're raiders crawling about," Six said. "Best that we exterminate them first. Wait here while we do that."
Leonhardt and Six peeked through the next door to assess the situation. Ahead of them was the largest cavern in the network, and the biggest Originium stockpile Six had ever seen. There were some underground ponds here and there, but nothing like the lake from the last mine. There were plenty of ramps and platforms to climb up on too. Six could see a makeshift throne of scrap up ahead. No brainer as to who that belonged to.
There was a massive man with bear ears ahead, and a Sarkaz man tied up next to his throne. The former was wielding what can best be described as a chainsaw on a stick. Six couldn't decide whether to laugh at the weapon design or admire the locals' ingenuity. He wasn't as massive as a Super Mutant, but he looked like he could give Lanius a run for his money with those muscles.
"That the wanker?" Leonhardt asked.
"Seems so," Six whispered back. "Think you can handle him?"
"Don't worry," the boy boasted. "I've toppled plenty of blokes like him back in Billiton."
"You sure about that?" taunted a voice from above.
The duo barely had enough time to avoid being hacked apart by a set of falling blades. No, not just blades. People. Assassins. They were waiting for them. The bear-man turned to face them with a sadistic grin.
"So, these are the gnawbeasts infesting my hideout?" he said. "Have to admit, I was expecting some suits."
"And I was expecting someone with bigger muscles and brains," Six retorted. At least he isn't one of those Sarkaz mutants.
The bear-man- Ursus? Ursi?- snorted. "Well, you're at straight to the point. Not like those mafia-types, all that dog-whistling. Never a straight answer. Lemme guess; there's a price on my head."
"Well your ring technically, but yeah. Hand it over and I might let you walk with both legs intact."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Ring? What ring?" he said. "Rings are for little girls. Who the hell fed you that crap?"
The chainsaw-spear-thing was revving up now. "No matter. I'll teach you a little lesson in respect, bitch!"
The assassins were the first to strike. One of them managed to get a slash at his back, but his Elite Riot Gear withstood the blow. He grabbed the offender by the arm and pulled them in for a stabbing of his own. They were lightly armored so Chance cut through them like butter. As he dropped the first rogue another lunged at him. He sidestepped the charge and fired his shotgun, crippling their legs. Another slug into their back finished them off.
Several raiders tried to gang up on Leonhardt, but a concussive blast scattered them. One had the misfortune of landing at Six's feet. His shotgun was the last thing he saw. Something flew past his helm. He looked up to see some snipers raining bolts and arrows down on them. He ran to cover and drew out Christine's rifle. Toggling VATS he took aim at their arms and returned fire. He crippled three limbs, even knocking a crossbow out of one goon's hands.
Leonhardt followed up with another blast of Arts, sending the offending party everywhere. Swordsmen charged at them, shield-bearers following behind. One of the former was stupid enough to run straight into Leonhardt's spear, gutting himself. The others were smarter, dancing around the heroes and rolling under Leonhardt's swings. They were too close for him to use his Arts and quick enough to evade his blade. But nothing could escape VATS. Six locked on and crippled their legs, allowing the Cautus to finish them off.
The walking tanks were a real problem. They blocked all of their attacks, even the Plasma Defender. He was tempted to use Thump Thump, but then he remembered Leonhardt's words. That originium stuff already defied science in the hands of the natives. He didn't want to see what it could do without anyone to control it. He ran to another platform and flanked the brutes.
He was about to fire his sniper rifle when something slammed into him. No, not just slam. Shred. Something tried to rip through his armor. The impact threw him off of the platform and onto the ground below. He rolled just in time to avoid being impaled by a chainsaw. Six rose onto his feet and switched to his riot shotgun. He had a couple seconds to reload before the Ursus dashed towards him.
Six ducked under a swipe and sidestepped a vertical swing, firing after the strike. The pellets hit his armor but it held. Six backed up and fired again but the asshole blocked some of them with his weapon. The Courier then punched in VATS and targeted his arms. Three shots crippled one, but he held onto his spear-thing for dear life. It still had an effect on his prowess, though. His swings were more sluggish and easier to dodge.
Then something unexpected happened. He threw the thing to the ground and picked up the Courier with his good arm. He bashed his head against his skull and threw him down too, before stomping his boot on his ribcage. The breastplate was pressing against his ribcage now. His adamantium skeleton withstood the pressure, but he didn't know how long it would last. He stabbed at the limb with Chance's knife, but the bandit hardly reacted.
But he did react to Leonhardt. He slashed the asshole across his back and sent him stumbling back with Arts. He helped the Courier up onto his feet as the Ursus fell onto his bottom and Six unloaded every slug he had left onto him. The raider blocked the blasts with his arms, but that only got the remaining good one and his torso crippled. Six backpedaled to reload and bumped into something.
It was one of the shieldbearers. He tried to grab the Courier but he backstepped and fired at him. His torso took the full blow, staggering him and leaving him open for Plasma bolts. He screamed as the green goo burned through his armor and into his organs. He let out one last gasp of air before dropping dead. Six didn't have time to celebrate, though. Another one smashed his shield against him and sent him flying.
Six slammed against the ramp to the throne in a daze. He crawled up as the world stopped spinning and glanced down at his feet. The walking tank was strutting towards him, taking his sweet time. A 'psst!' caught his attention. He looked beside himself to see the Sarkaz captive. He had dark hair and crimson eyes, giving him a somewhat devil-like look. His horns and tail were navy-blue, like the rags covering his body. There were some patches of black rocks on his arms too.
"You look like you could use a hand," the horned one said.
"Right back at ya," Six replied.
A battlecry broke off the conversation. The shieldguard leapt at him with his hammer, forcing Six to roll to the side. A few shots from his Plasma Defender made him drop the weapon, though. Six backed up and reloaded as the brute swung again. He missed and ended up shattering his boss's throne instead. He dropped the shield and covered his mouth.
"Uh oh," was all he said before Six melted his entire head.
The Courier went back to the Sarkaz. "Sorry, you were gonna say something?"
"Yeah; cut me loose and I'll help you bury those wankers."
Six knelt down and inspected his bonds. Thankfully it was rope instead of chains, so all he needed was Chance. He cut the bindings and the man jumped back onto his feet, stretching his limbs. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Much better! You happen to have a sword on you? Or at least a crossbow."
Six drew out Wolf's Bane and tossed it to him, plus a quiver of bolts. "These work?"
The man grinned. "Oh absolutely," he said.
Six changed the batteries on his Defender while he charged back into the battle. The Sarkaz took up position on a platform and opened fire on the last shieldguard, drawing his attention. Leonhardt broke off from the leader and used the opportunity to hammer the goon with Arts blasts, staggering him. Six followed up with some slugs, blowing off the bandit's arms. The former captive moved on to the swordsmen, pinning them under suppressive fire. Leonhardt sent them flying with his AoE blasts.
Their leader was about to charge at Leonhardt, but then his gaze fell upon his broken throne. His eyes were bloodshot.
"My throne!" he shouted. "You pieces of shit! Do you know how long it took to weld that together!?"
"Long enough for you to notice?" Six taunted.
The man went berserk, screeching at the top of his lungs. It was impossible to predict his moves from here on out. One minute he was going for stabs, the next slashes, and then bulldozering all around the cavern. Leonhardt's concussive blasts had little effect on him during his rampage, and he had already wrecked a significant portion of the hideout trying to squash them. Six and their newfound sniper were running out of high ground too. Then the Courier had an idea.
Six hopped down from his platform and placed a satchel charge behind himself. He whistled and beckoned the bandit chieftain with a finger, followed by flipping the double cheeseburger. That caught the raider's attention and he came charging forward. At the last second, Six rolled out of the way, narrowly dodging his chainsaw. A beeping sound brought the brute's attention to his feet.
His legs were consumed in an explosion, with one of them being obliterated. The leader howled in agony and grabbed what remained of the limb, trying to stop the bleeding. The Sarkaz used the opportunity to pepper him with bolts, pinning over a dozen into his chest. Six followed up with a bullet from That Gun. The combined gunfire put him out of his misery.
The demonic native let out a burst of triumphant laughter. "And that's what you get for treating us like animals, ya bloody wankers!"
Six knelt down at the fresh corpse and inspected his pockets. The man had some snacks, LMDs, bobby pins, and a key. Probably for the cages. Six called the horned one over and tossed the last item to him. He smiled and went to work on freeing his friends. Six went back to looting the body for resources. Some bolts and arrows, but no bullets. Yet when he cast his sights on his hands...
There wasn't a ring anyway. He searched the pockets again. Nothing.
Leonhardt noticed his erratic movement and walked over to him. "What's wrong?" the lad asked.
"There isn't a ring on him," Six said. "The bounty said that their leader was supposed to have a ring on them. How the hell am I supposed to get my payment without it?"
Six placed a hand on his armored chin. "Now that I think about it, the bounty said that they were Infected bandits. But I haven't seen any signs of infection on the one I killed. Did you?"
Leonhardt shook his head. The Sarkaz overheard their conversation and joined in on it after releasing his fellow prisoners.
"Did you say something about a ring?"
"Yeah. Knucklehead here was supposed to have one."
The man frowned. "Was he now?"
The Courier raised an eyebrow as he raised his hand. There was a band on one finger, dark as night. Wait… there was a diamond on it!
"Where did you-?"
Something else clicked in Six's brain. That man was Infected and had the ring. Wouldn't that mean-?
Six drew out Chance's Knife. "You're the real bandit leader, aren't you?" he said in an accusing voice.
The Sarkaz snorted. "Bandit? Is that what the mayor's calling us Infected these days? For trying to survive in this world? For scavenging ruins and chewing on canned meat? I'm many things, but a 'bandit'… hell no. Just because I'm the only decent swordsman among this lot doesn't mean that I'm a marauder. How the hell can I even harass anyone all by my lonesome self? The way I see it, that 'bounty' is the scumbag's means of tying up loose ends."
"Explain."
The demon sighed. "Tell me, did either of you happen to see any Infected back in Da Vinci?"
"[Perception 6] None with visible crystals on their skin," Six recalled. "And none of the patients I tended to had any in their guts either."
The Sarkaz nodded. "The last mayor was tolerant of Infected individuals. His successor, not so much. He ran a revolt against him and us a year ago. The bastard had him and any Infected he caught burnt at fucking stakes. STAKES! And the kicker? He's in bed with the bloody mafia. They have the audacity to call themselves 'Sicilians' too. Bunch of copycats, the lot of them."
Six just stood there, trying to process the information. He turned to Leonhardt for confirmation. "He's kidding right?"
The other young man had a doubtful look on his face. "Mostima did warn us to keep our infection status a secret before we left headquarters. It's not uncommon for innocent Infected to be hunted down by non-infected people. Appalling, but not surprising."
Six growled, balling up his fists. As furious as he was, he wasn't all that surprised either. Bigots and mafia he got, but something was missing.
"Where the hell does the ring fit into all of this?" Six noted.
The Sarkaz shrugged. "It used to belong to the last mayor. Guess the bastard wants it as a trophy or something."
"Let me see."
The man hesitated. Six sighed.
"[Speech 45] So long as you hold it, the mayor will come after you," he pointed out. " Me carrying it around will give them the impression that you're dead."
The man placed a hand on his chin. After thirty seconds he relented and handed the Courier the ring. There were some engravings on it. A vine-like pattern with lilies. Six looked at the inside to see some words on it.
Manuel Ganza. Fierce defender and loyal friend.
There was an emblem in place of the period. It looked like a fox mask. Six showed it to the Sarkaz.
"This symbol ring any bells?" he asked.
The man shook his head. "Nope," he said. "Everybody I showed it to was as clueless as you."
Six pocketed the ring. "Well, at least they'll be off your tail now. Best that you-"
The cave rattled as an explosion went off somewhere behind them. No, not behind. Above. It was coming from somewhere above their heads. Leonhardt looked at the Courier. He could see where this was going.
"One of the bikers must've stepped on a charge," he speculated. "But they shouldn't be that-"
Another explosion rocked the room. This time some crystals and stalagmites were thrown off of the ceiling and nearly crashed atop everyone. Everybody managed to dodge the debris and made a dash toward the forge. The motherlode collapsed in itself afterward.
The forge was empty when they arrived. The hostages from earlier must've made a break for the exit. Six couldn't blame them, considering what just happened. A crimson light was bleeding through the rubble of the motherlode and into the forge. Leonhardt's skin turned pale.
"Move!" he shouted.
Sure enough, another explosion erupted, this time directly behind them. They were flung through the cistern and into one of the barren lodes. One of the Sarkaz's Infected friends had the misfortune of hitting his head against the well. His body was limp while blood leaked from his skull. The demonic one rushed to his side and placed a couple of fingers on his throat's side.
His mournful expression confirmed the fellow's death. They didn't have time to mourn, though, as more explosions erupted from further up. There were a bunch of crashing sounds in the next room, glass shattering. The ragtag team ran through a laboratory in disarray, broken glass and equipment everywhere. Everybody ran past the wreckage and into the next lode.
All of the platforms had collapsed. The originium crystals that dangled on the ceiling had fallen onto the floor. Energy was crackling from the fractured crystals in every direction. Six got blasted by the energy but his armor held up. The others put as much distance between themselves and the originium as possible. Strangely enough, nobody encountered the satchel charges he left behind. Did someone step on them earlier?
Another minute of running like hell and they made it to the fork. Six could see the entrance just ahead but something was wrong. There were some shapes around it. Some of them had a faint red outline while others looked familiar. He recognized the latter group as satchel charges. His charges. A man in a trench coat popped out from behind an old house up ahead. And he had a crossbow pointed at them.
"So long asswhipes!" he shouted.
Six drew out That Gun and toggled VATS, opening fire on the gangster. None of the bullets landed on their target. The thug's bolt hit one of the bombs and detonated it, causing a chain reaction. Before anybody could react the cavern entrance collapsed onto itself. Six barely managed to avoid being buried alive in the chaos. When the dust cleared he got back onto his feet and stared at the goon's handiwork. He cursed and threw That Gun onto the ground, drawing out Thump Thump. He pointed the grenade launcher at the rockpile but Leonhardt got between him and it.
"Oi!" he shouted. "Are you trying to kill us all?!"
"I'm trying to blast our way out, dingbat!"
"Or to bring the ceiling down on us."
Six lowered the grenade launcher, processing that sentence. He sighed and sheathed his weapon, kneeling down to reclaim the pistol. He took a deep breath and collected his thoughts.
"What about the garage door? I can try blasting that instead."
"Hell no."
The Sarkaz spoke up. "I might know of another way out. One that doesn't involve any explosions. Follow me."
The party followed the horned one back to the cafeteria. Six was about to make a snarky quip about hunger when the man threw a shelf onto the floor. Behind it was a gaping hole, big enough for a person to slip through. He pointed at it and motioned for everyone to move. One by one the party entered the hole, with Six covering their rear.
They were in a massive tunnel now, one with puddles and moss everywhere. No floodlights or torches or anything to light the way for them, though. Six flipped on his Pip-Boy's light for everyone, taking position at the front with the Sarkaz. Leonhardt took the rear while the remaining Infected surrounded their leader.
At first, Six thought that this tunnel was natural. But as they marched on he noticed signs of mining. Rough patches of rock instead of smooth stone. Lines and engravings on the wall. He even spotted a pickaxe or two on the floor. This wasn't natural. It was abandoned.
"Have you explored any of this?" Six asked the Infected pack.
One shook her head. "Never got the chance to," she admitted. "Not without working lights. We weren't gonna use torches or lanterns with the risk of gases down here. We have done a fair bit of hunting in whatever parts were lit though."
"Hunting for what?"
"Originium slugs. Their juices help numb the pain from our oripathy."
Six tilted his head. He was about to ask what the hell they were when several rectangles popped up on his compass. Movement. At least a dozen unidentified life forms were ahead. He drew That Gun, alerting the rest of his party. They followed his example and raised their arms.
The dots had surrounded them all, but Six didn't see anything. Was the Pip-boy malfunctioning? Were they invisible? No. No, his gut told him it was something else. The enemy revealed itself, burrowing from the ground and the ceiling. They were small and round, resembling a creature Six had only seen in books. 'Snails', he believed the proper term was.
"Speak of the devil!" cursed the Sarkaz.
The creatures swarmed towards them. Everybody was forced into melee combat, batting or squishing the infected creatures. Most of them produced small limbs and teeth of originium, scraping at their victims. They were glass-jaws in the Courier's eyes, but they had the numbers and the darkness to make up for it.
The group marched on, stomping or stabbing any slug that flung itself at them. Six had armor but the civilians weren't so lucky. They were already covered in scraps, bitemarks, and slashes. Death by a thousand cuts is still death. They had to find an exit and fast.
At last, light shined down on them. Six could see an opening ahead, blocked by several of the native fauna. These ones had hex-shaped stalagmites erupting from their shells and had something oozing out. One of them flung the sludge at a man's face and burnt half of it off. Acid. Six growled. He took out his shotgun and fired at them from a distance. The pellets ripped through them, splattering their corrosive guts onto the ground.
He saw movement ahead, behind some boulders. Another goon- another trench coat? Maybe the same one?- popped and fired a glowing bolt at them. Six took a direct hit to the chest and was flung back into the cave. Another bolt struck the ceiling above him. He attempted to dive back into the open, but he wasn't quick enough. He found himself buried under the rubble and the man let out a cruel laugh.
Six couldn't see anything under the rubble but he did hear an engine roar ahead of him. Wheels tore into the earth and ran off into the distance. He tried to move but he was pinned under all this weight. His armor was holding up but he wasn't sure for how long. Sooner or later it'll crack from the pressure. And when that happens- he didn't want to think about that.
The weight started to fade. No, not just the weight. The rocks themselves were fading. Or rather turning into powder. He also felt vibrations around him. Were the boulders shaking themselves apart? A couple of hands reached through the grains and pulled him back onto his feet. It was an exhausted Leonhardt.
"Huh," he jested. "Croissant was right. You really are headstrong."
"I get that a lot. You okay? What happened back there?"
"Hell if we know," said the Sarkaz. "He just held his hand out and 'poof'! All gone."
The Courier dusted himself off. "What about the slugs?"
"All dealt with. Although..."
The Sarkaz pointed behind himself with his thumb. One of the Infected civilians lay slumped against a wall, covered in bleeding scratches and scars. A woman was clutching a bloody stump where her arm used to be. One more individual was walking with a limp leg, suffering from some acid burn. Six led the survivors out of the cave and examined their surroundings. Once he was certain that they were safe, he set a Doctor's Bag on the ground. Leonhardt looked at him.
"What?" Six asked.
"Aren't you worried about contracting Oripathy?" Leonhardt asked.
"I've got leather gloves on, so no. You?"
"Already Infected."
Now it was everyone else's turn to be surprised. Leonhardt let out a nervous chuckle.
"It's only on an internal level," he said. "Nothing like spikes popping out or anything."
"That honestly sounds worse," Six said.
"Are we gonna help these people or not?"
Six wanted to slap himself silly for getting sidetracked like that. He and Leonhardt split the supplies and went to work patching up the civilians. He disinfected a woman's wounds, injected a Stimpak into her shoulder, and bandaged up where her arm used to be.
"A normie tending to us Infected?" said the woman in surprise. "I must be dreaming."
Six simply shook his head and smiled under his helm. He got up to some more survivors. They were luckier than her, having only scratches. He applied Med-X and stitched the biggest offenders shut, then disinfected the smaller ones and bandaged them too. Leonhardt had already finished with his share by this point and was scouting out the area. He returned a minute later with a frown.
"Couldn't find that trenchcoat anywhere," he said. "Must've driven off."
"What about our ride? Is it safe?" Six asked.
"That I can confirm. Checked it for traps and everything. Nothing's been tampered with. Also found a ride for our new friends."
Leonhardt led the group to an old humvee nearby. It was rusty as hell but otherwise intact. The hood was raised up, exposing the engine. It didn't resemble any that Six had seen on Earth though. He could see wires in the hood but no pipes. It doesn't look as though it used gasoline for fuel. He knew of nuclear engines in certain models but he never had the opportunity to examine one. Those old relics were prone to exploding back home. Could this car be similar to those?
The Sarkaz whistled at the sight. "Lucky us. Just need a battery."
Six reached into his pack and drew out the cylinder he found. "Like this?"
The Sarkaz nodded and took the item from the Courier. He inserted it into a slot and pressed a button on the engine. A crimson light consumed the inside of the hood. The Infected piled into the car, with the horned one in the driver's seat. There was already a key inserted into it, so he just gave it a twist and the whole machine roared to life. The man let out a triumphant laugh and threw a fist into the air. He rolled down his window and looked back at the duo.
"Thank you," he said. "Not many people would give an Infected soul a hand."
"Where will you go?" Six asked.
"I dunno. Out west I think. Maybe to Columbia. But we've got wounded with us so I don't know if all of us can-"
He stopped and looked back at the maimed Infected. Leonhardt tore out a piece of paper from a notepad and wrote something on it. Then he leaned at the window and handed it to him. He spoke in his native tongue ('Billitoner', was it?) so Six couldn't make out most of it. He was able to translate some bits and pieces.
"...Island...east...great...days…care..."
After their conversation ended, the Sarkaz rolled up his window and drove off. He was heading east if Six's HUD was correct. Six walked over to Leonhardt.
"Where'd you send them?" he asked.
"Somewhere where they can get treatment," the bunny-lad replied. "Speaking of which, where'd you learn to patch them up like that?"
"I had some personal experience out in the wastes. And a couple of good teachers. Ready to head back?"
Leonhardt nodded. The two hopped onto the bike and sped off. Six's thoughts drifted to the saboteurs during the trip back. Their attire reminded him of the stereotypical mafioso from those pre-war movies. Where the hell did they come from? Had they followed them? Or were they waiting for them? Why cause cave-ins instead of just gunning them down? Was it just a flair for the dramatic?
Leonhardt could sense the tense. "You okay mate?" he asked.
"Not really, just trying to make sense of today."
"I don't blame you. Learning that the mafia set up a bounty on some innocent folk isn't something everyone can handle."
"That's not exactly it. Did you see either of those people at the entrances?"
The Cautus nodded. "Definitely reeked of mafia back there. You think the mayor sent them?"
"My gut says 'yes', but I can't figure out why. What's the point of causing a cave-in? Why even bother trying to kill us?"
"Maybe they're cheapskates? Don't want to hand out LMD to hard workers like you and me?"
"Maybe, but… something feels off. That bounty post was fresh, printed recently. That Sarkaz said his crew's been at those mines for a year, and yet the mayor chose now to put a price on his head. He didn't seem to consider them a threat until recently. What changed his mind?"
"Maybe he just discovered them the other day?"
"Maybe… I dunno. My guts' not liking any of this. Something stinks."
Leonhardt shrugged. "I think you're just overthinking it, mate. Mafia these days are nothing but petty thugs. The only agenda they've got is extortion and conquest. No complex conspiracies or anything grand."
"I'll have you know that my paranoia has kept me alive since my first attempted assassination."
Leonhardt seemed bewildered by that last detail. "First?"
Six wanted to slap himself for letting it slip. "I have a lot of enemies back home," he explained.
"Geez, and here I thought I was the only one with a rogue's gallery. What did you do?"
"Kick some asses off of some land they were trying to conquer. You?"
"Eh, a rescue mission that unearthed some corporate corruption. That led to a domino effect ending with a riot. Some rich folk got killed that day."
"Wow. I salute you."
"Uh, thanks?"
Six peered over Leonhardt's head. There's Da Vinci but something seems different. Something was climbing over the platform's walls. Was that… smoke? And embers? Six tapped Leonhardt's shoulder and pointed. He could feel the dread creeping into the boy's soul.
"What on Terra…?" he muttered.
The Cautus floored it. Six clung on for his dear life as Leonhardt closed in on the town. They must've been going at ninety miles- maybe even a hundred- per hour. He didn't slow down until they reached the ramp to the garage. When they finally parked inside Leonhardt hopped and sped off to town. Six could barely keep up with him on foot until they got into town.
The two of them followed the smoke back to the subhouse. It and the surrounding buildings were a mess. The subhouse had been blown to pieces while the buildings around it were scorched. Several bodies were lying around, some moving, some not.
Six knelt down beside one and placed a couple of fingers on its neck. No pulse. The attire was a grey trench coat and sunglasses. It looked like it leaped out of the silver screen from where Six stood. In its cold dead hands was a crossbow with a barreled drum, not unlike that of a Tommy Gun. The mafia's been here.
That wasn't the only type of body. There were some civilians too, including office workers from Pengiun Logistics. There must've been a firefight. Six ran into the smoke, shotgun in hand. He nearly tripped over a body riddled with bolts and looked down. It was the Cerato. Six examined it too. No pulse either. His fists balled up and he resumed his search.
At last, he found a living figure among the ashes. Someone was standing over a hole, probably the bunker's entrance. Was that… Croissant? She was motioning towards something. She reached down and pulled something over her shoulder. Another body, this time one of the office workers. They were still breathing.
Leonhardt ran up to the girl. "Oi!" he shouted. What the bloody hell ha-"
Croissant spun around with her hammer and nearly clocked Leonhardt with it, stopping just inches from his face. She reeled back as she recognized him and saw Six approaching her.
"Oh Lordie," she said. "Thank gudness it's you two. Listen. We got hit by some Sicilian copycats while y'all were gone. It's bad. It's-"
Leonhardt placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay lass," he assured her. "We're here."
"But not everybody is. We've lost some good people and-"
She shook her head. "They've got Suzuran, Leonhardt. They've got her. April an' the robot too. I'm sawry."
A/N:
And shit just hit the fan. Hoo boy…
First off, the dream. That was an exercise in humor (or at least the first half was) and a reference to a cut ending for Old World Blues. The second half is less humorous and references some of the more nightmarish stuff in Arknights. You can guess what each piece alludes to. And before you ask, the dream doesn't show his actual level of Intelligence. It's higher than the checks indicate.
So Six's companion of the day was Leonhardt. Another Cautus, another native of a wasteland out west. I drew upon his backstory as inspiration for the 'dungeon' of the chapter. Messed around with some dungeon-making programs while writing this too for further influence.
The assassins that dropped down on the duo are more-or-less Fast Deploys like Gravel or Projekt Red. Too bad they don't have the armor of the former. The boss of the chapter wields a weapon like Blaze's or Specters. And before you ask, yes he would've been an AOE like them.
The Sarkaz in here was based on the Dark Elves of The Elder Scrolls series. He… has as much an affinity to fire as they do. Combine that with his race's swordsmanship and he has the potential to function as a certain enemy type. We'll be seeing more of him down the road. All I need is a bloody name for him. :/
A reviewer on here recently tried to piece together Six's SPECIAL stats. I have been considering posting his (initial) build at some point in this story, but I think it's too early to do so right now. I have left some allusions to his Perks of choice, though.
There'll be hell to pay in the next chapter. Count on it.