"All right. Send in whoever my new boss is."

Taking Six's statement as his cue, a blond god smirked before walking into the room.

"Hermes," he introduced himself, sweeping his green hat off and bowing deeply, "at your service."

He straightened, smirk never fading as Six watched him warily. After a long pause, Royman spoke.

"Lord Hermes, were her answers to my questions truthful?"

Hermes made a show of feigning deep contemplation, before answering.

"Yep. She didn't lie a single time."

"And Six, the testimony that you gave to my workers earlier, did you deceive them in any way, shape, or form?"

"No," came the curt reply.

"That was honest as well," Hermes supplied.

"How would you know?" Six asked, frowning. "Are you using magic?"

"No," Hermes laughed, "I'm surprised you don't know. Gods instinctively know when a mortal lies to them."

"So, you know I'm innocent. Why weren't you here earlier?"

"Ah, no," Hermes started. "We know you THINK you're innocent. We can't just accept your testimony as the only proof of innocence, especially since you believe mind manipulation was involved. For all we know, you're simply insane. As for why I waited until after you finished speaking to reveal myself, that's easy. When people know their lies will be sniffed out, they get tricky. Their wording, the information they divulge, they do all they can to technically warp the truth. Besides, gods are busy. We can't be here for every question."

Six scowled. It made sense, but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"And now, I'm being sold to you? Why do you even want to take on my debt? One billion seems quite outrageous."

"What's with that hostility? I'm not buying you. I just want to help a friend. I heard about you from Hestia during the Genasha Familia's banquet. I've been meaning to contact you, but I didn't expect all of this to happen."

Six looked him up and down. This was the god Hestia reached out to? He seemed friendly, but he had a glint in his eyes that unnerved the Courier. This man was a schemer. But, if Hestia sent him, he wouldn't be malicious, right? After all, not every schemer was hostile.

"I need to know," Six reiterated. "Sure, Hestia told you about me. But why are you here? Just because she asked? Or something else?"

For the first time, Hermes's smirk faltered.

"Wow, no faith in the goodwill of the gods, huh?" Hermes sighed. "To be honest, I don't blame you. I do have two reasons. The first is simple. I'm just curious about you. Maybe you don't know, but there are a lot of deities who want to snatch you because no one knows anything about you. The other…" Hermes smiled sheepishly, "is a matter of professional pride. I'm the god of messengers, so I just had to meet the one with the audacity to call herself THE Courier."

"The god of messengers?" Six quirked an eyebrow.

"Yep. And, honestly, it's bad for business when the same week my Familia returns to Orario, a Courier comes along and causes mayhem. So, I guess I am here for selfish reasons."

Six believed his reasons were true, but wasn't convinced that he wasn't hiding something, nor that he revealed all of his reasons. Before she could ask anything else, Royman spoke up.

"Well, now that you've met, do you agree to take Six for her probationary period, Lord Hermes?"

"Indeed," was his reply.

"Then I'll allow the two of you to work out a probationary contract, and once I approve it, you're free to take her."

Royman stood, and after bowing to Hermes and giving a curt nod to Six, left the room.

"Now, I'm sure that you have some questions, but let's write out this contract, then we can converse over a cold drink."


Hermes was remarkably generous in his end of the contract, and it made Six wary. After learning that she had experience in mercenary work, Hermes drafted up a contract that allowed Six to be hired by various Familia, her clients taking her guardian's place for the duration of the contract, with reparations owed to both the Guild and the Hermes Familia should the probationary terms be violated, and Six had the final choice on accepting the contract, assuming the Guild approved it. Hermes would not take a cut of the mercenary work unless he set it up, and when he needed her, whatever he paid her would also be matched towards the Guild's fine. If she established a business, Hermes would take a five percent cut of the profits in exchange for support and advertising. The only catch was that she would join the Hermes Familia after her fine was paid, although that was negotiable at the termination of the contract. Hermes would also assist her in proving her innocence to the Guild.

She could see herself being able to actually pay her debt, when she was expecting a contract that heavy handedly dictated what she could do in order to keep her imprisoned for as long as possible. It certainly wouldn't be easy, but a couple of well-implemented businesses could do it. Six looked at the blank space next to where Hermes signed his name in hieroglyphics. The Courier shrugged, just scribbling 'Six' as her signature. If there is some catch, I can escape Orario easily enough.

"Wonderful! Let's show this to Royman, and we can go get that drink!" came the gregarious voice of Hermes.

Following the god led Six to the main lobby of the Guild, where Six watched in bewilderment as Loki and another goddess were arguing with the pudgy elf.

It was late at night, and in the lobby of the Guild building, two goddesses are arguing.

"What are you doing here, Freya?" Loki said, her eyes narrowed.

"Well, I heard about what happened with this Courier. I figured that I could help rehabilitate such a… dangerous element," Freya claimed, "Allen, you can go play with the other Children. Us goddesses need to have a chat."

A short cat man with piercing yellow eyes shot a nasty look at Riveria before stomping over, standing next to the high elf sullenly.

"I'm taking the Courier," Freya stated, leaving no room for discussion.

Loki narrowed her eyes. Earlier that day, she and Freya had a discussion, and now one of her mysterious quarries were revealed. Loki frowned. She knew how dangerous it was to cross Freya, but she refused to simply let her snatch the biggest mystery in Orario right out from under her nose.

"Hold up, Freya! Why should you take her? I was here first, and we're about equal standing to the Guild. It was MY Ais that brought her in, too. By all rights, I have the first claim."

Freya scowled, but before she could respond, the elf in charge of the Guild cleared his throat, reminding the goddesses that he was there.

"I'm sorry, but your requests have been considered," Royman frowned, "The guild has found another god to take this case."

"What do you mean? Who got picked?" Loki prodded, curious and annoyed.

"I demand that the Guild reconsider. Let me negotiate," Freya seethed, the last sentence being equally seductive and threatening. "I'm sure we can come to an… arrangement," she purred. "I demand to take custody of the Courier." She leaned in, whispering into his pointed ear. "I'll make it worth your while, Royman~"

"O-of course, Lady Freya…" he muttered, entranced.

"No fair! You can't do that!" Loki objected, the loud complaint snapping the Guild head out of the trance he was in.

"I must apologize, I do not know what came over me. As I have said before, the decision is out of my hands and final."

"Then you…" Freya's eye finally noticed Six, and the Courier shuddered as they made eye contact. "Never mind, I'll talk with them myself."

As Freya sauntered toward them, Hermes stepped forward.

"Freya! Long time, no see!"

"Hermes. Are you laying claim to the mortal I desire?" The goddess's voice was cold.

"Laying claim? No, no! I'm just handling her contracts! She'll be doing mercenary work, and it's entirely up to her who her clients are! She'll choose who to be around for her whole time with me."

Freya smirked. It's not ideal, but once I hire her, she'll never want to leave.

"Oh, Courier. I hope you'll choose me for your first contract. You'll find working for me can be very… lucrative. You'll work for me, right?" Freya practically whimpered, sauntering towards the Courier until her face was mere inches from the Courier's own.

Six's mind was working overtime. This painfully attractive goddess was making a pass at her. Right? While she normally preferred men, Freya was a perfect beauty. Just looking at her made her mind foggier, and her lust flare. Six was willing to do just about anything to spend more time with her. She almost leaned in to try and steal a kiss, but then froze. She saw the look in the goddess's eyes. A mar on an otherwise perfect face. The same look that Father Elijah had when discussing Helios One, the look that Benny had when holding the Platinum Chip, and the same look that Ulysses had when she confronted him in the missile silo.

Obsession. The desire to take something for themselves, consequences be damned. The ugly urge to destroy anything in the way of their objective. The same look that Six once wore as she crawled through the Mojave.

Shuddering, Six closed her eyes and stepped back from the goddess, clearing the fog that fell on her mind. It was uncomfortable, similar to the manipulation she felt from Dix's curse, and when she looked at Freya again, her voice was cold.

"As Hermes said, only I choose who I work for. If you want me to take a job for you, you better be offering something more worthwhile."

"Why you-!" The short cat man stepped forward, enraged at the Courier's rude dismissal of his goddess.

"Allen. We're leaving. I hope to work with you in the future, Courier Six." Freya spoke, her eyes not leaving the Courier's. Instead of being upset, Six thought she looked even more amused.

Despite her best efforts, Six watched as Freya walked out of the Guild, ignoring the scowl the cat man sent her way.

"So, Hermes is taking you? Better than Freya, I guess," Loki said, being the first to speak after Freya departed. "Yo, Hermes. Let's talk business later. I could use an extra set of hands soon. Let's go, Mama."

Then, only Six, Hermes, and Royman were left in the main room of the Guild building. The old elf sighed, then asked, "I assume you two have come to an arrangement?"

"Yep," was Hermes response.

"Just give me the contract and leave. It's late, and, quite frankly, today has been long. If there are any concerns, I'll reach you tomorrow. Lord Hermes, the Courier's belongings are stored in evidence. There should be a guard to help you there."

After Royman left, Six turned to Hermes.

"So, how 'bout that drink?"


The two were deep in their cups at a bar Hermes led them to. The god tried to keep up with Six's drinking, but being neither a god of alcohol, nor possessing cybernetic enhancements meant that he was heavily drunk, while Six was barely tipsy. Still, the god ordered more drinks for Six whenever her cup was running empty.

They mostly made small talk, discussing the lifestyle of being a courier, and Hermes was regaling her with his more entertaining stories.

"And so, when he opened the package, he got so angry! I didn't know that I was hired to deliver a box full of goblin dung!"

"Uh-huh. It didn't smell?"

"It was rank. Fortunately, the box was well sealed, so it didn't stink until he opened it."

Six just watched as Hermes laughed. Once he calmed himself, Six decided to try to ply information from the drunken god.

"So, why did you give me such fair terms on the contract?"

"Oh, Miss Six? Trying to loosen my tongue?"

"Oh, please. Like you weren't trying to do the same thing."

"Hah, fair enough. How's this, we take turns answering each other's questions honestly. Any question goes."

"Any question?" Six asked, narrowing her eyes at the god. It felt like this was his plan all along.

"Yep! And to be fair, I'll answer your question," he said jovially. "I could point out how a happy worker is a more productive worker, but since we're being honest, I gave you good terms because I want you to trust me."

"Why?" Six asked furrowing her brow.

"Ah-ah! My turn!" Hermes exclaimed. "What do you think about heroes?"

Six furrowed her brow. That's not what she was expecting.

"Heroes? Just a fancy name for fools," Six replied, deep in thought. She absent-mindedly noted how the god frowned, and she continued. "People get called heroes for being reckless, or to justify a needless waste of life. You know how many people get called heroes because they picked a fight they couldn't win? Those heroes die. Other people get put on a pedestal. They suffered, and when they did something because of it, they get called a hero, and suddenly, all the trauma and pain they went through gets pushed away or ignored, because they're a hero. They ain't a hero. Just another broken soul among hundreds, with no one to help them."

Six looked at the god, who was contemplating her answer.

"Why do you care about that?"

"You know, not many gods will talk about this. But since we're being completely honest," Hermes started, "Heroes are important here. Before the gods descended, heroes were the title that people gave to those who stood against the monsters that threatened extinction. They had no Falna to help them. By all accounts, it should have been hopeless. But these heroes, they found ways to fight back.

"Many of them made pacts with spirits to use their powers. Some dedicated their life to learning sorcery. But the greatest among them, they did neither. They fought because they had too, or because they believed in the cause. They drew upon their own excelia without a Falna. They were… self-awakened. They were pushed to the brink, and instead of succumbing, they woke up. They could become just as powerful as an adventurer, but it was much harder. There hasn't been a self-awoken hero since the gods descended. So, my next question is, do you have a Falna?"

Self-awakened? Is that even possible? Six thought. I'm not, I've never experienced an awakening. Pushed to the brink… Her eyes widened. Graham! She didn't fit the bill. She never gained superhuman strength when she should have died. But Joshua Graham fit the bill perfectly. Covered in tar and set ablaze, thrown off of Hoover Dam. No one could have survived. But he did. He lived, and dragged himself back through the desert to New Canaan for three arduous months. 'I lived because the fire inside of me burned brighter than the fire around me.'

Six thought further. Every wasteland legend she fought, those who had an impossible strength. The Burned Man, Ulysses, Lanius, Elijah. Even the reported 'Mysterious Stranger'. While Elijah could have used technology to enhance his abilities similar to how the Courier did, they were all unparalleled in terms of abilities, were pushed to the brink, and zealously believed in something. My running theory was a strain of FEV that they all somehow caught, but this fits almost too well. Even further back, the old stories of Earth. Every legend just potentially became true if-

Hermes cleared his throat, reminding the Courier that she had yet to answer.

"Of cou-"

"Remember, completely honest!"

"Tch. Fine, I'm unblessed. How'd you figure it out?"

"Enough small signs that you left. Absolute refusal to name a former Familia when talking to the Guild. No knowledge of a god's ability to discern lies. And, Royman might not have noticed that you avoided directly answering what level you were, but I did. 'Claimed to be level five'? You're clever. But you left just enough clues that someone openminded enough could make a guess. So, how'd you get your strength? Spirit? Or self-awakened?"

Damn, the Courier thought. This god is much more cunning than he lets on.

"Neither. The secret to my strength? I'm tenacious. I've been nearly killed more times than I can count, so I take every advantage I can to make sure I stay alive." Six looked around cautiously, lowering her voice. "I enhanced my body. I installed as many cybernetic implants as I could." Six noticed the blank look on his face at the unfamiliar words. Sighing, she explained. "I replaced and upgraded my organs to function better. My brain and spine are enhanced. My heart was replaced with a synthetic filter. Many other organs were replaced to enhance my senses, metabolism, wound regeneration rate, subdermal armor. I'm almost more machine than meat at this point. When I ran out of implants, I researched until I could develop my own. Metal bones and photosynthesis."

The god was taken aback. He looked at Six in a new light, one with much more caution and discomfort. Six was suspecting he was much less intoxicated than he was acting, as well. The two sat in silence for a minute, both contemplating the new information they gained.

"Why are you really interested in taking me in?" Six asked, breaking the silence.

Hermes shrugged. "I meant what I said earlier. But really, I heard you were hunting the One-eyed Black Dragon. I have a vested interest in it, and your mission and mine overlap. As well as our… persons of interest."

"I'm not hunting a dragon," Six blinked. "I'm hunting the deathclaw that was released into the Dungeon by the Ikelos Familia."

This time, Hermes blinked. "Hestia was wrong?"

After looking at each other in confusion, the two burst into laughter. Once they calmed themselves, Hermes stood.

"Alright. This was fun, but we should get back before Asfi finds us," the god says, wobbling as he stands. Noting how steady Six was, he commented, "You must be able to hold your liquor well. Makes sense, considering you visited Soma."

Six cocked her head. "You know about that?" The Courier grumbled as she came to the realization. "Oh, did Soma brag during that banquet or something? I don't really care, but I don't want other gods trying their luck."

"What? Soma-" Hermes eyes widened as he parsed her statement. "You and Soma?!"

A lecherous grin spread across the god's face, and Six grew annoyed, Hermes not even bothering hiding the fact that he was imagining the Courier without her clothes on.

"If you try anything, I'll make sure to punish you appropriately," Six remarked, her voice husky.

"Of course, a naughty boy deserves to be punished," Hermes grinned, his hopes rising.

"I'm glad you agree. I'll make your knees weak. You won't be able to walk," Six continued, Hermes enthralled.

"Oh, please do," he said.

"After all, who really needs their kneecaps?" Six finished, fondly patting the handle of her super sledge.

"Oh, not I- Wait, huh?" Hermes flinched; pleasurable fantasies interrupted by the image of broken bones.

The duo left, Hermes sulking as they walked.

"You and Asfi will get along soooo well. Why do you have to tease me like that?"

"Eh, we have to establish boundaries, after all. Can't mix business and pleasure."

"Freya and Ishtar do it with no problem."

Six snorted.

"Yeah, I want nothing to do with Freya, so I'll keep using the business model that's worked for me."

"I've been meaning to ask, what was that with you and Freya?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's obvious that she wanted you. How'd you turn her down? People don't do that."

Six sighed.

"It doesn't take one to know that Freya is a black widow. I guarantee you that if someone sleeps with her, it'll be in her best interests, not theirs. She's dangerous."

"Of course, she's dangerous, she has the only level seven adventurer in Orario in her service."

"No. I mean, you're right, but that's just a tool in her arsenal. I guess you'd have to have seen it to recognize it, but she, herself, is dangerous. I think she tried to curse me. It was hard to think clearly."

"She charmed you," Hermes breathed, his eyes widening. "No wonder. Even I felt like throwing myself at her. How'd you resist it?"

"Charmed?... I see. I resisted it because I've been played before. Something in her eyes told me she wanted to manipulate me, and I just… snapped out of it."

They reached an inn, and Hermes turned to her, his smile wide.

"Well, here we are. Home, sweet home. Pretty fitting for the god of travelers, no?"

"I guess it is," Six said. Noticing he was still grinning, she asked, "What are you thinking about now?"

"That's the last question of the night," Hermes said, "and I'm just thinking about the fact that I've made a very good investment today."


In the tower of Babel, Allen Fromel stomped into the home of the Freya Familia.

"That damn… mailman! Lady Freya approaches you, and you reject her! How-"

"Allen, calm yourself."

The adventurer melted, relaxing as his goddess spoke and placed her hand on his shoulder. How could he display such behavior in front of his Lady?

The goddess continued, and Allen listened.

"She resisted my charm. I could be upset, but I can't be. No one's been fought back like that before. The chase just got so much more interesting."

Despite it being his goddess's desires, Allen could help but be jealous of the attention she was giving to her new prospects.

"Forgive me, Lady Freya… But what do you see in them? Their souls are strange, but the boy is weak, and the Courier seems ordinary enough."

"Oh, Allen," Freya coos, stroking his hair. "I wish you could see them as I do. They aren't strange, they're unique. They deserve my love, just as you, and all my Children do. And I deserve them."

While Allen was still upset, he kept quiet and still, enjoying the rare time where Freya's affections were his and his alone.


The next morning, after breakfast, Six was introduced to Asfi, and, true to Hermes's prediction, the two got along well.

"Since, I'll be staying here, do you mind if I set up a… thing on the roof. It's important that it stays there for a while," Six asked the pair.

"I don't know, ask Asfi. I'm going to the Twilight Manor to speak with Loki. Your first client, if you're lucky," Hermes replied, placing his hat atop his head as he prepared to leave.

With the brief discussion, Asfi cleared Six's project, and hurried after her god, claiming someone needed to watch him.

Now, on the roof, Six frowned. She had finally set up the range extender she brought with her, but couldn't detect the signal from Big MT. The probe sat next to her, its screen displaying a log of incoming and outgoing signals.

The data successfully transmitted when I arrived, and every other time something from Big MT showed up. It's not a range issue.

But no matter how many pings that Six sent, none ever reached the satellite.

Of course not. I'm not on another planet, Six reminded herself. If my theory is correct, we've breached a parallel universe. Six shook her head. I can't believe it. So much power would be needed to cross over. It just doesn't make sense… wait... power.

She groaned putting her head in her hands. Of course, she couldn't reach it, the signal booster only amplified the range, not the intensity of the return signal. Pulling some chalk out of her bag and writing directly on the roof, Six began working out the mathematics necessary to convert the signal booster into a signal amplifier without compromising the integrity of the information being sent.

A couple hours later, Asfi carefully walked up behind the Courier. She looked like a madwoman, scribbles littering the rooftop, and she was fiddling with strange, blinking devices. The device that sat on her wrist played some old tunes, but the songs were drowned out by the Courier's frenetic mutterings.

"-microfusion cells that powered it didn't hold nearly enough power. Of course not. Think Tank's plugged into one of the most advanced reactors ever designed. I bet those idiots didn't set an upper limit on the amount of power the Transportalponder used."

"Six?" Asfi asked warily.

"Yeah?" she grunted in reply.

"What are you doing?"

"Wasting my time, apparently."

Seeing the sun sit high in the sky, Six stood, and pushed two buttons on the probe. It was now set to transmit back a report the next time it connected. Assuming that the Think Tank didn't forget about the recovery protocols, another probe should be sent at the end of the second week.

Dusting herself off, Six turned to face Asfi.

"So, what brings you here? Did Hermes get me the job with Loki?"

"Actually, Loki wanted to talk to you about it. Once she found out that you could make the contract on your own, she kicked Hermes and myself out. What are these… writings?"

"Oh, just some math I needed to do. You can wash it off if you want, but can I leave these here?" Six asked gesturing towards the probe and the newly repurposed signal amplifier. "They need to be here, and I don't want anyone to touch them."

"…Fine. So long as they're not dangerous," Asfi decided, eyeing them curiously.

After receiving directions to the Twilight Manor, Courier Six set off. Now that the streets were busy, Six could feel some tension wherever she went. The crowd parted around her, and she received hostile glares from those who were or had those close to them present at her fight, and wary glances from those who heard the rumors. After the first few minutes of this, Six put on her helmet, hiding behind the emotionless mask and glowing eyes.

Conversations would fall silent when she approached, everyone watching to see what she would do. In the last 24 hours, the rumors had run wild. It normally might not have garnered such attention, but the fact that it happened during Monsterphilia and it was the Sword Princess herself that brought her down, was like kerosene to the fire.

Finally, the silence broke. An adventurer stepped forward. He was young, and angry.

"Why do you get to walk free, murderer?"

Six kept walking.

"You killed those innocent people!"

Six kept walking, and the crowd began murmuring.

"You can't call yourself an adventurer!"

People began shouting, and she kept walking.

She was almost out of there, before the boy yelled again.

"Look at those glowing eyes! You're just a monster, aren't you?!"

The crowd blocked Six, and she could walk no further. Those in front of her refused to let her pass, and the crowd was growing angrier as she ignored the shouts against her.

"I'm a monster?" Six asked, her voice piercing the taunts of the audience, the aloofness unnerving the adventurer that stood behind her.

"You've never seen a monster." As she went on, the crowd grew silent. "Those things in the Dungeon are just mindless beasts, driven by instincts. But monsters, they're the creatures who know that what they're doing is wrong. But they don't care. Or, they revel in it."

At this point, Six turned around to face the adventurer. The young man only now seemed to realize that the crowd had closed behind him as well, and he nervously watched as the Courier approached.

"If I was a monster, what did you hope to accomplish here? Make me angry? Force me to lash out?" Six continued, coming to a stop in front of the scared adventurer. "Or, maybe you think you should kill me. Go ahead. But you better make sure you don't miss your chance, because you won't get a second."

The adventurer stood petrified, flinching away from the crimson eyes of the Courier's helmet. Six cocked her head, before sighing and turning away.

The crowd parted for her again, and she was about to carry on to her destination.

*PLINK*

The Courier froze, and she twisted her head to look at the pebble that was thrown at her. She traced it back to the source, and looked deep into the eyes of a little girl in a ratty dress.

The girl was young, no older than ten. She had long, blonde hair, and what looked like animal ears atop her head. A tail stood ramrod straight behind her, and one hand was slightly outstretched after the throw. The other held another rock, and the girl was on the verge of tears.

Yet, in her eyes, she held an anger, a righteous fury directed at the Courier. She stood her ground as Six approached, never wavering.

The child looked into the eyes of the mask, never flinching, even as the rest of the crowd trembled. Six reached deep into her coat, and pulled out a knife trailing blue sparks. The grip was dark blue, one side was bladed, the other serrated, and ended in a clip point.

Everybody held their breath, watching as the Courier examined the blade. The girl trembled at the sight of the weapon, but stood firm. Seeing this, the Courier chuckled.

A clatter rang out, and a sigh of relief did as well. Six tossed the weapon to the girl's feet, and spoke.

"You got stones, kid. But pick a fight once you're older."

The girl looked up from the knife as Six walked away. She bent to pick up the knife, before staggering as the adrenaline left her, and her tail and ears drooped. She hurriedly left as the crowd turned to make sure she was all right, fleeing back to the safety of Daedalus Street.

She ran her finger over the hilt of the knife, and noticed the inscription on it. Chance. Only one thing was on her mind as she ran to the orphanage that she called home.

I can't let Maria find this.


It would be a lie to say the Courier was unaffected. Six was angry, and viewed it as unjust. 'Innocent?' Dix's henchmen weren't innocent! THEY picked the fight with ME! Thankfully, Six had a lot patience and control over her emotions. Still, it wasn't easy to brush off the crowd's shouts.

Six mentally sighed as she finally passed through the crowd. She wasn't sure why the girl seemed so familiar, but it was over now. Her terrifying presence should have made sure that the people of Orario would hesitate before confronting her, and for the most part, it worked. The furious words died, and silence took its place. And as she paced further down the street, the silence was replaced by an uneasy return to normalcy. She just hoped she never had to deal with that child again.

Finally, the streets opened into a more residential area, and a pair of gates came into view. It was emblazoned with the emblem of a jester that she was told to look for, and behind the gates was the manor that she was looking for. It was a large building that took up most of the small plot of land it was built on. Rather than building out, it was built up, with multiple towers overlapping. To Six, it looked almost like the Hexcrete pillars of the Big MT had grown through a large house. Beside the gates stood a pair of armored guards, who were relaxing until the Courier made herself known.

Standing to attention, the one on the right spoke.

"You must be Courier Six, right?"

"That's my name," Six responded. "Loki sent for me?"

"Follow me."

The man opened the gate, and led Six inside the building. The inside was just as strange as the outside, with many staircases leading between the floors, and twisting hallways that seemed to be built around the rooms.

Arriving at a thick, oak door, the man signaled for Six to wait, and stepped into the room. A minute later, he returned.

"Lady Loki will see you now."

He walked off, leaving Six alone in front of the door. Prepared to talk business, Six stepped into the office.

Loki sat behind the desk, facing away from the door and looking at the window. Next to the desk, the Sword Princess stood stoically, hand resting on the hilt of a sword that she did not have the day before. Relaxed in a chair nearby sat a short man with a large beard. A dwarf, Six presumed.

"You came," the goddess spoke.

"You told Hermes that you had an offer for me," the Courier said, quirking an eyebrow behind her helmet.

"I said, I 'might' have an offer for you," Loki stated, smiling coyly, turning to face the Courier. The two waited in silence.

"If you don't have a solid offer, I'm leaving. I have plenty of offers that guarantee I can get paid," Six challenged, unwilling to play word games with the red-haired trickster. When Six turned to leave, the dwarf guffawed at the look of panic on Loki's face, as she hastily tried to get the Courier's attention.

"W-wait! Don't leave! I have an offer!"

Hearing this, Six turned back, and took a seat across from Loki, and gestured for her to continue. Loki, composed herself, before becoming serious.

"What I'm about to tell you is secret. If this becomes public knowledge because of you, other gods will not trust you. Understand?" Six nodded, satisfying Loki. "Later this month, I am planning a joint expedition with the Hephaestus Familia. We will reach the fiftieth floor of the Dungeon, then we will send the smiths back, along with the lower levelled members of our Familia. Then, we push deeper than anyone has before. Floor fifty-nine."

"And you want me to go with you?"

Loki shrugged. "That's why I said 'might'. I want to hire you based on how well you perform, and if you can work with my Familia. If you are as strong as I'm suspecting, you might be able to keep up with my captains. Your role will probably be to protect the smiths, and escort them back once they hit fifty. In case of emergency, they might have you run messages between them and the surface. You know, because you're a courier?"

Six hummed in thought. "And when will you determine if I'm worth hiring?"

"Well, we recently spent a good chunk of change, and will probably have to spend more if we hire you. So, tomorrow, I'll have Gareth," the goddess pointed to the dwarf, who waved to her, "and Bete assess you. If they approve, then I'll hire you. After that, they'll bring you into the Dungeon, where you'll hunt monsters for their stones and get used to working as a team with them. So, whaddya think? Good offer, yeah?" Loki asked, extending her hand

Six took a minute to mull it over. It was a good offer, and Six was likely to accept. But first, let's see if I can sweeten the deal.

"You said that you were planning on going deeper than anyone has before. I'm assuming this means that there probably aren't any detailed maps of the fifty ninth floor?"

"Of course not. And the reliability and availability of maps drops off dramatically after you get a couple of floors past Rivira. Why bring this up?"

"In the past, I ran some jobs for caravans. One job was to be the navigator through a particularly treacherous canyon and cave systems. You see, I have a device that can make an accurate map from the surrounding area, assuming that I can bring it there to begin with. Almost instantaneous, too." Six ventured, leaving the offer on the table.

"You can make a map of the floor just by exploring it," Loki breathed, her eyes widening. "And guide them through the floors. Do you have any proof it works?"

Six held out her Pip-boy, the screen displaying the map that she was compiling of Orario and its surroundings. Once Loki took it in, she pressed a button and flipped through the maps generated on the Dungeon floors she's explored.

"How does it work?"

These words came from the Sword Princess, who looked at the device, mesmerized.

"The Pip-boy constantly sends out a low frequency pulse with its radio wave transmitter, and when they return to the receiver, it functions as a sonar mapping device. Then, I compile the local maps it generates into a functional world map, circumventing the need for satellite GPS coverage. I can then manually add tags that contain pointers to another map I have stored, allowing me to functionally have a map that can be updated to display tagged locations and expand them into building maps," Six explained, the three stupefied looks reminding her that radio had yet to be developed here.

"Or rather, it works just like how a bat sees. It makes a very low-pitched noise that only it can hear, then generates a map based on how long the sound takes to come back," the Courier simplified. Understanding lit up Ais's face, and Gareth let out a low whistle.

"That's a mighty fine piece of kit then, lass. Where would I get one?" he chuckled.

"Sorry, in all my adventures, I haven't found another working one that's been unclaimed. I do have an empty casing I can switch mine into though." Six chuckled as well, thinking about the "Pimp-Boy 3-Billion" case that Mick rewarded her with back in Freeside. Unfortunately, the gaudy gold- and silver-plated case was left behind in the Lucky 38, its diamond-studded brilliance a bit too eye-catching for the Courier's line of work.

"Now, unless there are any other questions," Six removed her helmet, shaking her hair loose, before firing a predatory grin at Loki. "Let's talk price."


Six strolled toward her destination with a spring in her step. It was a tough negotiation, Loki being much tighter pursed and stubborn than expected. Still, Six managed to weasel a high price from the goddess. 72 million Valis, for services rendered, and maps up to the fifty-eighth floor. Every floor after that was an additional 5.2 million, and Six was to keep the maps past the fortieth floor exclusive to the Loki Familia for six months. Payment would be given once she returned from the expedition, with two million valis up front pending her evaluation with Gareth and Bete at noon tomorrow.

It shined a new light onto Six's debt. It would be difficult, but she might be able to pay her debt. The only problem was time, and Six was sure that much of her free time in the next month would be taken by Loki, who would no doubt try to squeeze her money's worth out of their contract.

In a good mood, Six was hardly ready when she reached her destination. A furious goddess brought her heavenly wrath down upon Six, and a potato found its mark on the Courier's forehead.

Finding the source of the flung foodstuff, Six saw Hestia standing in the doorway of their rundown church, who put up a cold demeanor as she spoke to the Courier.

"Do you have any idea how worried Bell was?"

"What do you mean? What's with the flying food?"

"When we went to the Guild, Eina told us everything that happened! Bell didn't believe you were guilty, and he demanded that we help you, but Eina told us that we couldn't."

The words hung between them for moment.

"You said 'Bell didn't believe I was guilty'." Six sighed. The goddess averted her eyes, looking down.

"I don't want to believe them. I want to believe in you, believe that Bell's trust isn't misplaced."

"But you don't."

"I'm sorry, Six," Hestia whispered. "But I saw his bruises. I learned that you broke his bones. How easy it was for you to put him through that, even if you had good intentions. When I heard about what happened, I couldn't shake the thought that it could have been Bell. If he was nearby when you rampaged, or if you swung too hard while teaching him to dodge."

Silence.

"Please, don't see Bell again."

Without a word, Six left, good mood dashed.

Back in her room in the Traveler's Inn, Six laid down. Not quite needing to sleep yet, she stared at the ceiling. As she waited, her Pip-boy crackled. An incoming signal? Six almost got up to check the set up on the roof before a voice came through the speakers.

"Hello? Miss Six? Am I using this right?" Bell waited for a moment before continuing. "Earlier today, Eina said you were released. She couldn't tell us who you went with or where you're staying, so I hope that you can hear this."

Ah. Right. I gave him the NCR radio.

"I heard about what happened. I can't believe it! I want to help you any way I can!"

Six laid there, unwilling to either respond or switch off the received signal.

"If you can hear me, let's meet up!"

Bell continued to talk, hoping that his messages might reach his friend. But as she lay in bed, the voice of potentially her first true friend tormenting her, she recognized a familiar feeling that she had been missing since she left the Mojave.

Loneliness.