POV Rio
We make the journey to Covenant for a few reasons. One was that their operations needed to be shut down; they were close to us, and I could help the Railroad even more by helping a Synth escape captivity. That, and I was hoping to convince Covenant to stand down so that Covenant could join the Minutemen. And at the very least, we could gain another friendly trader to sell our things to. It would also be nice to figure out what is in Deezer's Lemonade, given the distinct lack of Lemons.
We see the tall walls of Covenant first, then the dozen turrets surrounding them, and then finally the barbed wire over the walls. We make sure to approach from the front entrance. I also checked to see if the Power Armor and Vertibird had been looted, but it seemed like our teams had salvaged them. At the front entrance, we are stopped from entering as we need to take the Safe Test.
The guy at the gate gets real nervous when he sees Nick, but calms down fairly quickly when he recognizes him.
"Whew, I thought you were one of those metal men, but it's just you, Nick," Swanson responds.
"It's... Swanson, right?" Nick responds somewhat unsure.
"Yeah, that's me, man, it must be over a year since we last saw you," Swanson responds.
I see Nick's eyes slightly widen and then go back to normal, which I decide to ask about in a second.
"But enough of that, you need to take the SAFE test in order to come in," Swanson says.
I nod and take a seat.
"Ehem, okay, first question. You are approached by a frenzied scientist, who yells, "I'm going to put my quantum harmonizer in your photonic resonation chamber!" What's your response?" Swanson asks.
"I would tell him that he can have whatever fetish he wants, but if he tries to put that on me, I will beat him until he can't see," I respond.
"Really? You know what, never mind, next question. While working as an intern in the Clinic, a patient with a strange infection on his foot stumbles through the door. The infection is spreading at an alarming rate, but the doctor has stepped out for a while. What do you do?" Swanson asks.
"Hmm, that's fairly easy. I would first start with Antibiotics in a shot for quick effect, followed by some pain killers, and if all else fails, I would amputate the leg," I respond confidently, leaving out that I would actually use magic.
"Oh? Are you are doctor?" Swanson asks.
"Yes, I am quite proficient in the healing arts," I reply.
"Hmm, okay, well that is good to know, now next question. You discover a young boy lost in a cave. He's hungry and frightened, but also appears to be in possession of stolen property. What do you do?" Swanson asks.
"I take him to one of my settlements and help him. He likely stole in order to feed himself, which I don't blame him for. Most crime used to be committed because they couldn't survive otherwise," I reply.
"Hmm? Oh? Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Okay, next question. Congratulations! You made it onto a baseball team! Which position do you prefer?" Swanson asks.
"I don't like sports, but if I had to choose a sport, I had to play, it would play air racing. I never raced with my wings before, and I think it would be fun," I respond.
"Oh? Uh, well, I never got that answer before. But the next question. Your grandmother invites you to tea, but you're surprised when she gives you a pistol and orders you to kill someone. What do you do?" Swanson asks.
"Check to see if she is my real grandmother, and if she is, then disable her before checking for poison, mental illness, physical diseases, and anything else that might explain her odd behaviour," I respond.
Swanson pauses and then writes the response.
"Okay, next question. Old Mr. Abernathy has locked himself in his quarters again, and you've been ordered to get him out. How do you proceed?" Swanson asks.
"I assume you don't mean Mr. Blake Abernathy, as I know him and could convince him to come out easily enough. But if it's not him, I could still convince him to come out," I respond.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I forgot that the Abernathys live over near Sanctuary, and they joined the Minutemen a while back. An oversight on my part. Next question. Oh, no! You've been exposed to radiation, and a mutated hand has grown out of your stomach! What's the best course of treatment?" Swanson asks.
"Use the new hand as long as it does not cause mobility issues. But honestly, it wouldn't come to that since I am immune to radiation," I reply.
"Oh, you are? That's... Very useful. Next question. A neighbor is in possession of a Grognak the Barbarian comic book, issue number 1. You want it. What's the best way to obtain it?" Swanson asks.
"Trade for it. And if that fails, then ask to borrow it. And if that fails, then ask to read it while he is watching. And if all that fails, go find someone else who is willing to sell that comic," I responded.
"Okay, last question. You decide it would be fun to play a prank on your father. You enter his private restroom when no one is looking, and..." Swanson asks.
"Okay, I would do this. When he takes his shower, I would sneak in and leave a note saying the following: Hey, Dad, what do you get when you cross bleach with ammonia? And as he is reading this, the said chemicals would be mixing and creating a toxic gas called chloramines. Then, as he realizes this, he tries to leave the bathroom, but the door is locked and he can't open it," I respond with a dead serious tone.
Everyone pauses and just looks at me.
"What? It's just a prank, bro," I say to everyone.
I hold it in for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter.
"HAHAHAHA! Oh, oh, you guys should see your faces! I am just joking! Ah, jeez, you don't think I would kill my own father with a prank, do you?" I ask.
Piper is the first to laugh as she realizes how silly it is to think I would kill my own father like that. Not to mention, I don't even technically have a father in either of my lives. The others join in when they realize they were bamboozled. Once they finish laughing, Swanson lets Nick and me enter, but the others have to do the test as well.
As we enter, I notice something off right away.
"Welcome," says one settler.
"Welcome," says another settler.
"Welcome," says yet another settler.
They all say welcome with wide smiles. But I don't like it. I don't like it one bit. I know smiles, and those smiles, they're just not right. We find a quiet place to talk where I am sure we won't be overheard, thanks to the privacy bubble spell.
"So what did you remember?" I ask.
"I remember getting a lot of reports about missing people from this area. I also remember that the people here act like Cultists. I came here about a year ago, investigating a missing person. In the end, all tracks led to a Raider camp. But the case never really sat right with me. The Raiders had the body but... I don't know. It just didn't fit right. They were too unorganized to take the girl. And they just so happened to be cannibals? It was too perfect. But I couldn't stick around as it was getting colder and colder, and I had quite a few other cases to handle," Nick responded.
"Hmm, I get what you mean. This place gives me the creeps. Those smiles are wrong. Superficial. Like this is all an act. Except the merc in the center of town," I reply.
"Let's go speak with him and see if he knows anything," Nick suggests.
We walk over to the merc, who we learn is named Honest Dan. He says he is investigating the missing daughter of a caravaner named Old Man Stockton. We agree to help, but before we even have to look around, I ask for a description of Amelia. I immediately find her, but I don't tell Honest Dan right away, as I would rather not reveal that I can see that far and through materials. So instead, I quickly sneak into the mayor's office and gather all the data.
I don't go to Dan right away and instead go to the store. I talk to Penny Fitzgerald, the merchant. I browse her wares and pick up some unique gear. The first was a Combat Shotgun called Justice that did more damage and had a chance to stagger an enemy with every pellet that hits. The next was a Combat Armor Helmet called the Destroyer's Helmet. It increased the wearer's Intelligence and Charisma by 1 point. It was also the last piece I needed to complete the set. The last item I got was a strange, small hand crystal mirror. It was odd as it was magical. Not very strong but still magical nonetheless. When I asked where she got it, she said it was sold to her by a caravan that trades with the few tribes in the Northern Territories.
When I put the mirror in my inventory, it told me what it was. It was the Magic Mirror of Envy. It was a cursed item that would corrupt the user of the mirror if they had any mana by showing them their deepest desire. It would slowly transform the person into that desire, but in a twisted way. The mirror would slowly drain the life force from the user, causing them to rapidly age. Then, when the person dies, their soul is stored in the mirror until it is taken out by a demon or dark magic caster. According to the stats, the mirror had 11 souls trapped in it. Needless to say, this thing was a very evil magic item. Which meant I needed to figure out what to do with it.
'I am sure my spellbook has a ritual to release the souls. Then I can destroy it somehow. Or maybe use the item as fuel for a ritual?'