Just a Guy and a Gate to the Multiverse - Chapter 6 (Patreon)

Chapter 6 - Concord Funtime

Preston Garvey POV

Those damn raiders. Their little group of ragtag survivors was completely outnumbered. They were almost through the door, and Preston was the only one with a meaningful weapon. Those small 10mm handguns just weren’t going to cut it in a serious fight.

All he could do was keep more of those raiders outside from joining their friends in the Museum they were in. But Preston didn’t see how they were supposed to get out of this situation. They were completely trapped in here.

The power armor on the roof, their only slight chance for survival, was completely out of juice.

“What are we gonna do? Everything is lost!”

And fucking Marcy wouldn’t shut up.

“We are working on it!” Preston shouted as he took another shot at one of the raiders trying to sneak into the museum building. He couldn’t let any more of them in, or they would be done for.

Yeah, he got it. They were in a stressful situation and at the end of their ropes. But going all Karen about it didn’t help anybody here. While he didn't know what a Karen was, the term seemed strangely fitting.

In fact had half a mind to shoot her himself. He didn’t think the others would be too opposed to it. Although poor Jun would probably break completely with his wife gone too. He had only recently lost his son and was already a completely useless mess.

Since that hellish Quincy Massacre, everything had gone to shit. The last true company of the Minutemen under the command of Colonel Ezra Hollis had been reduced to only a handful of members, now led by Preston Garvey.

During their escape from Quincy and their search for a new home, they had lost more and more members until only five of them remained, with Preston Garvey being the last true member of the Minutemen.

It seemed like the Minutemen would fall here today. It had been an honor.

“Sturges, how does it look? Any progress with that terminal?” Preston asked as he took cover from another salvo of the raiders’ return fire.

“Sorry, Preston! Look... I fix stuff. I tinker. Bypassing security ain’t exactly my forte. All I can do is keep trying. We still need to somehow get that core from down below,” Sturges replied awkwardly while he kept trying to crack the security on that terminal.

That was the truth of the matter. Even if that old Pre-War T-45 power armor and that Vertibird minigun were their best bet for survival, they had no chance of safely getting the fusion core they needed to power it.

Even if they cracked the security, that fusion core was still in the basement of this building, which was filled with raiders. It would be a suicide mission to get it.

Not to mention, the moment they cracked that security, any of those raiders could take it before them.

Man, they were truly fucked.

All Preston could do was focus and fight. There was no point in giving up. Death would be upon them soon enough.

They would need a miracle for any of them to make it out of here alive, but at least he could still take some of those raiders out with him.

As he took aim at another one of those bastards, the whole street suddenly started to glow. Before he knew what was happening, it blew up in a massive explosion, taking every last one of those raiders out.

“Holy shit!?”

“What’s happening out there?”

“Was that a mini nuke?”

Preston could only shake his head in disbelief. “No, it was far too big for a mini nuke… I have no idea what that was. But the entire surrounding area of Concord must have felt it.”

Entire buildings all over the remaining street were collapsing. A mini nuke would only take out a single building at most. He had seen them before.

Out from behind the dust of one of those buildings stepped a young man, staring at the scene in admiration. Or whatever that experession meant. He was wearing strange black robes with a symbol on his back that Preston couldn’t place, along with a Pre-War military helmet.

Did he cause that? How? Was he some kind of new monstrous mutant in human shape?

Sure, they were no stranger to unatural forces. Mama Murphy and her sight were the best proof to it, but something like that? That's on another level.

Then Preston managed to think clearly again. They needed to get out of here. Raiders would be the least of their worries now.

———

Matt POV

Oops, that may have been a bit overkill.

Furtunately those raiders are completely gone. Good thing I didn’t actually see them die, or I would be in a bad mental state right now. I just won’t think about it.

They were murderers, human traffickers, and the scum of society. There is no need to grieve for them. All I see are mobs, not even NPCs. At least I try to tell that to myself.

There is also no reason to grieve over the destruction of their equipment. They had leather gear at most, along with some makeshift weapons I could transmute at any time.

But maybe I let myself get a bit carried away. That was actually the first time I tried Kimblee’s Explosion Alchemy while also using Alkahestry to sense the geothermal energy needed to power it.

I figured out that, with enough time, I could make the explosion area much bigger. What a Philosopher’s Stone could do in an instant only took some Alkahestry and time. And it worked out far better than I expected.

Well, good to know for ambushes, but useless in the middle of combat.

“Hey, up here! I’ve got a group of settlers inside! The raiders are almost through the door! We need to hurry! Uhh… maybe grab that Laser Musket. I don’t think the building will survive whatever you just did there,” Preston Garvey shouted from the balcony.

Nice, at least that Laser Musket survived. I tried to keep the explosion on the street and away from the museum.

“Sure, no problem. Don’t worry, I won’t blow you up.” Unless you try to send me on your annoying quests, making me your errand boy while indoctrinating me into the Minutemen.

Grabbing that Laser Musket and its ammunition, I couldn’t help grinning madly.

My first laser gun without going into some space-based universe. Although Fallout lore heavily implies that laser weapons are based on alien technology.

But who cares? All I care about is that it’s mine now. I am going to get more of them and study them. There is so much cool technology in this universe. Some of it is even more advanced, or rather more overpowered, than technology in some space-age universes like Star Wars, Star Trek, and so on.

LEVEL UP (1)

And there’s that, too. My move just now must have been enough to push me to the next level.

Now, let’s see. Should I put a point into a SPECIAL stat? I don’t know if I will be able to tell if anything changed. It could be so subtle that I would just be imagining things.

Maybe a perk, then? One that directly tells me if I can actually level up by using a Pip-Boy, or if all of this is just a bit of text on a screen that does nothing.

Something that only raises damage, gives me resistance, or makes things last longer would also be hard to notice.

Hmm, the most obvious choice would be a perk that directly gives me knowledge. Or at least, it should. It would make studying and understanding all the new technology I came here for a lot easier.

Let’s see. Navigating through the perk screen, I stop at the Intelligence section and select the sixth perk.

[Science!]

The moment I accept the perk selection, my brain burns for a moment, caused by actual knowledge burning itself into my mind.

It really works! I can actually level up, making this world more valuable than I originally hoped. Seems like I will have to spend some time here getting to level 272. After all, I want everything I can get out of this world.

My main reason for coming to this universe was the technology. It should have given me enough stuff to study over the next few decades while traveling through the multiverse.

But with these perks, that time will be considerably shorter.

While the [Science!] perk is described as: [Take full advantage of advanced technology with access to base level and Rank 1 high-tech mods.], it manifested in the form of a full basic scientific education from the Fallout universe, along with several practical applications in the form of weapon modifications and machine blueprints.

And that was just the first level. I had been considering attending a university in some modern Earth universe in the future, but who even needs that? These perks will bypass that level by far.

The loud noises from inside the Museum of Freedom fortunately reminded me why I was here. I needed to save my free labor force and get my Power Armor~

After storing the Laser Musket in my backpack, I switched back to my Flame Alchemy gloves and stepped directly into the building.

Explosion Alchemy is nice and powerful, but too destructive. It works by destabilizing matter, causing a volatile energy imbalance that results in an explosion. That will always destroy the structure of the matter turning it into dust or small sharpnel.

Flame Alchemy, on the other hand, while deadly and potentially destructive, can be far more controlled. After all, I manipulate concentrated oxygen around a target and set it ablaze with a spark.

I can simply do that around the upper body of my target without affecting too much of my surroundings.

There are other forms of alchemy I could use in combat, but I need to get closer for them to be truly effective. And I am honestly not too confident in closing the distance between me and my opponent while guns are being fired at me.

These are still deadly weapons we are talking about, and my body is not that of a game character. Only this world operates under video game rules as much as it can.

But with my Flame Alchemy, those raiders stood no chance. As soon as I spotted them, they were burned to a crisp. Fortunately, while in the middle of a fight, I didn’t think too much about the implications of killing them.

It's do or die.

Or am I already becoming numb to killing? The Wasteland is a lawless place where you kill or get killed, after all. I am fully aware of that.

I made a short stop at the basement of the museum to get the Fusion Core from the generator. Actually, that is my fourth one already. I made a few stops before coming here.

And Fusion Cores are a resource I want to get as many of as possible, as fast as I can. Not only because I need them to fuel Power Armor, but because I have an idea for them.

To be honest, I could have made my way directly to the surviving settlers without taking a detour around the entire museum, since I could simply repair the holes in my path with alchemy. But I chose to clean out all of those raiders.

It wasn’t much of an effort, and I soon arrived face-to-face with five dirtied people who seemed like they had gone through hell. And based on their fearful expressions and the weapon aimed at my face, I had clearly left an impression.

“What are you?” asked the man I recognized as Preston Garvey, who was also aiming his own Laser Musket at me.

“Obviously, I am a human. No need to be scared,” I replied calmly, my hands raised unthreateningly in the air.

“Yeah, right! What kind of human sets raiders on fire with a snap of his fingers? Or blows up an entire street without any visible weapon?” the dark-haired woman, who must be Marcy Long, asked hysterically.

“That is just a bit of exclusive advanced technology belonging to me,” was my simple explanation. I don’t want to share too much information here. After all, there is a synth among us.

Synths are artificial humanoids created by the Institute, one of the major factions in the Fallout universe, especially during the events of Fallout 4. Their third-generation synths are so advanced that they are pretty much indistinguishable from real humans.

The only direct difference is that there is a Synth Component planted inside their heads, which controls their memories. That is something you will only figure out after cutting them open and finding it. Of course, there are some long-term differences, too. Synths don’t age, and they can’t have children.

They are used as laborers, soldiers, and, most importantly, spies by the Institute. For some unspecified reason, the Institute spies on the entire Wasteland by replacing real humans with identical-looking synths. Isn’t that scary? Perfect spies.

And humanoid synths are not the only spies the Institute uses. They are also able to create perfect animal replicas, which they use to get live footage from all over the Wasteland.

Sturges is a synth, even though he never showed any hint of it in the game. The only way to find out is by cheating or checking out the Game Files. Whether he is a spy or a synth who escaped the Institute is unclear. Yes, some synths escape their creators. They are, after all, like real humans with their own emotions, at least the third generation ones. Even if they were assembled from biological components like a robot and the Institute doesn't want to admit it and treats them like robots.

With Sturges present, I prefer not to give too many details about my abilities or plans in general, even if he is an escaped synth. I don’t know how much information an escaped synth sends back to the Institute.

All Lore about the Institute is a bit unclear, if not outright contradictory.

“Yeah? And what kind of technology looks like magic?” Sturges interjected, making me wonder even more if he was an Institute spy. They would also be interested in my ‘technology’. “I know my stuff when it comes to technology and engineering, but I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Any advanced enough technology looks like magic to those who don’t understand it. It is mine, and I will keep it that way,” I said, shutting down any attempt to inquire further. “Isn’t there something more pressing we need to do? Like getting you guys out of here safely? As far as I can tell, you were as good as dead without my help. So why threaten me now? Please lower your weapon.”

“You are right,” Preston Garvey sighed as he lowered his Laser Musket. “I’m sorry about that. We had a few rough weeks and lost many people. It made us too nervous.”

“It’s fine. So, do you guys have any place in mind I can escort you to? I don’t think those raiders are going to come back.” Being blown to bits must have scared the shit out of them.

“No, we are looking for a new home. We hoped Concord would grant us shelter, but it doesn’t seem to be safe either,” Garvey replied, sounding downcast, a sentiment that seemed to be shared by the others.

“Hmm, then this may be your lucky day,” I announced brightly. “I was actually planning to found my own settlement up in Sanctuary. I will provide the infrastructure and work. As long as you pay the surplus production to me as tax, you can stay there!”

My free labor force! These people are the ones who will produce my fresh food and trade goods. There is no way I am going to farm myself or eat any of that mutated shit. While I like cooking and trying out new things, those mutated animals and plants are a hard pass for me.

They want safety, and I want free labor. It’s an ideal deal.

“That sounds fine,” Garvey admitted hesitantly before adding, “But I am not so sure we will get out of here safely. That large explosion you caused earlier may have scared the raiders off, but it will attract larger things. There is more than enough stuff out there that doesn’t fear death.”

Just as he finished speaking, a monstrous howl echoed from outside the museum.

I stepped toward the balcony of the museum. “Give me a moment.”

Standing on the balcony, I immediately spotted it, or rather, them. Garvey was right. I did attract larger things. I was expecting one, like in the game.

But raging through the devastated street were three Deathclaws. Those reptilian horned monsters with massive claws looked like demons or something out of Doom or Diablo. And people here actually eat their meat?

I couldn’t help but shudder at the thought.

With my Flame Alchemy, I didn’t even need to go down there. I gathered an extra-large amount of pure oxygen around those monsters, especially in their mouths and digestive systems, then snapped my fingers.

Boom

All three of them started to burn from the outside and the inside. But for good measure, I repeated the process a few times, just until they stopped moving. Maybe a few times more to be safe.

Honestly, Deathclaws are no threat to me as long as I keep my distance. Raiders and anything that can shoot are far more dangerous. One headshot, and I would be dead.

Stepping back into the museum, I was greeted by five disbelieving gazes.

“So, where were we? Ah, right. Sanctuary. How about it? Work for me, and I will give you safe infrastructure, work, and even my personal protection as long as I am around. What do you say?” I smiled invitingly at them.

"That reminded me of how I killed a Deathclaw with just a gun and a single bullet-"

"Not now Mama Murphy," Garvey glanced at the others and took a deep gulp before replying, “We agree.”

“Nice! Welcome to the team. Pack your things, and let’s head out.” I said before spotting the figure sitting on the desk. “Oh, and one of you, pack that Bobblehead too. Don’t make me touch it. Just take it with you. I will tell you where to put it once we reach Sanctuary.”

As long as I don’t touch it, I shouldn’t activate its effect. If I remember right, this Bobblehead permanently gives me one Perception. I will use it once I max out my Perception through leveling.

Seems like I will actually grind in this world too.

Now then, let’s get my first baby! Eh, I mean Power Armor!

[ End of the Chapter ]