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mtreebeardiles · 2 years

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Bonds of Smoke and Steel

idk, I've just been having fun in Fallout 4

AO3

Sanctuary looked different.

The bones were the same, of course, foundations neatly lined in the same pattern they'd had before the bombs fell, but the structures resting atop them had changed drastically even in the three or so years since he'd been here last. The homes that had remained were no longer dilapidated shells bolstered by planks of steel and wood salvaged from the wastes; proper walling had taken their place, shabby exteriors painted over with generous paint in various colors. Wild grasses and flowers that had once called this place home had returned, adding shocks of green and white and yellow where dried, choked lawns had been. The roads were still rough, cracked asphalt and concrete, but some effort to ease the way for pack-brahmin meant they were better than they had been. Power pylons ranged at regular intervals, lines connecting buildings and water purifiers to generators tucked away but still noisy on the other side of the settlement. Even here, though, there were improvements: new structures installed along the perimeter, elegant and sleek wind turbines rising above the rooftops, harnessing additional power to support the less clean sources below.

It was easily the most transformed of the settlements he'd seen thus far since his return to the Commonwealth.

Others would no doubt be getting the same treatment down the line, but whether it was the space or the sentimentality Sanctuary offered it was almost always first in line for restructuring and innovative solutions. He wasn't sure how Maksim did it, what drove him to return here again and again to the site of tragedy -- ground zero for the day his life had changed forever. Echoes of a past long gone, reminders of a future he could never have, and maybe he didn't stay in the home that had originally been his but that hadn't stopped him from renovating it. Preserving bits and pieces even though it must've been painful… or maybe that had been the point. Maybe it was less about grief and more about healing, putting hammer to nail and brush to paint to rebuild from your own ashes something new, something different, something you might not have imagined, once, a canvas not quite blank but still holding some potential within its borders.

Maybe the man found it therapeutic.

Danse wasn't sure; his own past had been a lie, after all.

"Greetings, bud-dy."

Danse blinked, startled, turning only to come face to face with the familiar sight of a…heavily modified protectron unit.

This thing is still kicking around?

He wished he was less impressed than he was.

"Can I interest you in a cold one? Or would you like to hear a joke?"

Phrasing newer and a lot smoother than Danse remembered and he supposed he wasn't too surprised that the unit had been maintained and likely upgraded.

"This thing is amazing!"

"Just leave it -- and there he goes."

A grinning face, hazel eyes alight, and Danse found it harder to be annoyed when the newest Brotherhood Knight was clearly so enamored with the machine as it stepped free from its pod.

"…you planning on sending it to the Rexford, then?"

"Absolutely not." A gentle clap to the bot's chassis and Danse bit back a sigh. He hadn't known Taylor very long, but he was already getting better at recognizing that particular gleam in the other man's eye. "This buddy is coming home with us."

"I sincerely hope you mean Sanctuary and not the Prydwen."

"Bud-dy?"

Another blink, startled this time from his thoughts and Danse shook his head. "Uh, no thank you."

"Oh-kay."

He watched it toddle off, continuing what he strongly suspected was the exact same circuit it had kept since the day they'd brought it here. Home -- Maksim's home, but Taylor's, too, the two Vault Dwellers having crossed paths twice over the centuries. An easier alliance forged, shared history a burden best shared between the only two who could truly appreciate its weight, and of course Taylor had meant Sanctuary all those years ago.

The Prydwen was a command center, steel and heat and noise, not a home Taylor could return to for rest and recovery. The other man couldn't have found solace in it the way Danse had, and Danse shouldn't have expected him to.

What was it he always said? He wondered as he trudged along a rapidly reclaimed sidewalk, pushing deeper into Sanctuary. Don't sleep where you work?

Something like that.

#my writing #late to this fandom too huh #Paladin Danse #Paladin Danse x male sole survivor #MacCready #MacCready x male sole survivor #two vault 111 survivors #canon divergence

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081314 · 2 months

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Book 7: The Ruler of the Abyss – Chapter 7 (Part 2)

Following is part 2 of my translation of Chapter 7 of Book 7: The Ruler of the Abyss. This part contains Episode 7-107 to 7-111.

Main storyline spoilers after the cut.

Episode 7-107

Ortho: Pretty much our only option is to try and convince Malleus-san to bring down the domain himself and let everybody go. 'Cause if you destroy a server, you'll just end up destroying all the data its got inside it, too. How about we do something like go up to the barrier and shout, "Hey, Malleus-san! You're making your grandma cry over here!!" You know, like they do in those old crime dramas.

Chief: …We'll certainly reach out to Queen Maleficia, at any rate.

Head Engineer: I wish it were as simple as just getting an overblotter's family member to talk them out of it, honey. Then Styx wouldn't always have so much trouble on our hands.

Ortho: So what, are you guys saying we should give up?

Head Engineer: Now, now, Or-kun. Did you forget what you just said?

Ortho: Huh? What do you- You mean when I was talking about trying to convince Malleus to let everybody go?

Head Engineer: Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!

Ortho: But mom, you said so yourself, it's not as simple as just talking an overblotter out of it.

Head Engineer: As long as you've got even the slightest chance of success, it's worth a try. Besides… I've already thought of a different approach.

Ortho: A different approach?

Head Engineer: Here, can you tell me what this is, Or-kun?

Ortho: Hm? That's a video of… big brother!? Where'd you even get this from? Waaaait a second… That's weird. Where's my maintenance dock? We kept it in big brother's room even after I enrolled and moved into my own room… No way, is this a video of…!?

Head Engineer: That's right. This is a live feed, direct from Idia's dream.

Ortho: Whaaaaaat!??

Head Engineer: Finding a back door's a cinch as long as you understand the source code. And that goes for magical domains, too! And now that we're inside… We can make contact with all the dreamers without Malleus finding out.

Ortho: I-I mean, I understand what you're saying, but still… That's crazy. It feels like I blinked and you already analyzed the domain and even figured out the address for big brother's dream.

Head Engineer: Heh heh! So what do you think? This is the power of human innovation right here! Just you watch, I'm going to dig up each and every address and make my own admin system right under his nose! Hehhehehe….!

Chief: She's been like this ever since she went through the logs of your fight with Malleus… She's even got the data processing and engineering departments going into over drive.

Ortho: Gotcha. She's probably got a grudge against Malleus for saying her tech was pathetic. Heh, sounds like something mom would do. She and big brother really are a lot alike… But I'm glad.

Chief: About what?

Ortho: Big brother looks like he's having a lot of fun in his dream. I know it sounds weird, but I'm just glad to see him so happy.

Chief: I see. Yes, I understand how you feel.

Episode 7-108

Head Engineer: Anyways, it looks like everybody on that island is having the same kind of nice, pleasant dreams as your big brother. Everyone's fast asleep, getting lots of good rest while they're dreaming… Their magic and strength reserves must be all topped up by now, and that's why I'm thinking they're probably going to get bored of these dreams pretty soon. …Well, maybe.

Ortho: So this different approach you were talking about, it's… We're going to make contact with the dreamers and have them take care of Malleus-san for us!?

Head Engineer: Correct! If we can't do anything out here, our only choice is to fight him from the inside!

Ortho: Whaaaat!? No way, that'll never… Wait, but maybe… If we can make contact with the dreamers, then maybe this really will work. If you give up before you even try, your probability of success will be stuck at zero forever. Even if you have a 0.001% probability at succeeding, at long as it's not a zero, then you've got a chance to take that 0.001% and transform it into a one hundred. So there's no reason not to give it a shot. Okay, let's do this. I'll dive into the magical circuitry, enter big brother's dream, and…

Head Engineer: Hang on there, Or-kun.

Ortho: What's the matter? I'm just going to make contact with big brother, that's all. It's not like it's going to be dangerous or anything…

Chief: I'll take over from here, head engineer. We do have one major concern about your making contact with Idia.

Ortho: What?

Chief: Your brother might reject the truth- …he might reject you.

Ortho: …!

Chief: You noticed how your maintenance dock was gone from his room, remember? I'm sure you understand perfectly well what all that implies. You might just end up getting hurt very badly again, Ortho.

Ortho: …

Chief: We're going to reach out to some psychological experts so we can explain the situation as calmly as possible to him, without anyone having to get hurt-

Ortho: You don't have to worry.

Chief / Head Engineer: Huh?

Ortho: I know my big brother. I know as soon as he sees me he'll go, like, "OMG this bishounen humanoid inside my computer is asking me for help?!? Wait, don't tell me what happens next, I've seen this same thing play out like a billion times before in my light novels!! The time's finally come, right!? I'm finally going to become the chosen one!!?"

Chief: Erm, I'm not sure he'd say all… that…

Head Engineer: Honestly, I can see it.

Ortho: Well, regardless how he reacts, I know big brother will listen to us. He's Idia Shroud, the mad genius raised by the chief and head engineer of Styx, remember? Instead of trying to be amicable here and taking the long way around, I say we take a shortcut, instead!

Episode 7-109

Gloomurai: dude you killed it today

Gloomurai: lets hit up that new tundra map tomorrow~

Gloomurai: k im gonna bounce. ggs!

Idia: Maaan, that dungeon raid today was just… The drop rate was friggin' insane!!! I might be able to max out the armor for both my main and my sub-job now. Come to think of it, I also got three event SSRs in a row for my oshi this week, too… Uh-oh, now I'm getting a bad feeling about this. I'm never this lucky… Just watch, all my stuff's gonna crash so hard tomorrow I won't even be able to recover any of my data.

(Idia gets an incoming call on his PC)

Idia: Huh? Ortho's trying to face time me? Wonder why he's calling my online game account, that's weird. Wait, does Ortho even know about my Gloomurai account? And why can't he just call my phone? …Whatever.

(Idia accepts the call)

Idia: Hey, what's up? You need help with a game or something?

Ortho: Hi, big brother. How are you?

Idia: O-Ortho!? W-What's going on!?? I never knew you were into cosplay!?! Dude, that's like a god-tier setup, I can't process all this-… Wait, did you just call me big brother?

Ortho: You and I haven't met before. At least, not in this world. My name is Ortho. I'm a magical humanoid - an autonomous AI made by you.

Idia: …A magical what now?

Episode 7-110

Ortho: You and me haven't met before. At least, not in this world. My name is Ortho. I'm a magical humanoid - an autonomous AI made by you.

Idia: …A magical what now? O-Ooooh, okay, okay, I get it. You're just using an avatar, aren't you? Man, you nearly gave me a heartattack there. I see you went for the cool bishounen look.

Ortho: *sigh* I guess it's going to take some time for you to awaken…

Idia: Wait, what? Awaken? What…?

Ortho: It's okay, I don't blame you. I'm sure you've got a great life going on in there, don't you?

Idia: Umm, you're losing me here, my guy. Is this about some new anime or something?

Ortho: You need to listen to me. You've already realized there's something "off" about this world, haven't you? So I'll get straight to the point: I need you to help me save the world, Idia Shroud!

Idia: ….!! OMG this bishounen humanoid inside my computer is asking me for help?!? Wait, don't tell me what happens next, I've seen this same thing play out like a billion times before in my light novels!! The time's finally come, right!? I'm finally going to become the chosen one!!?

Ortho: BWAHAHA-!!! I mean! Ahem. That's right, big brother. The time has come. It's time for you to awaken from this dream!

Idia: Dream…? Augh!?

(The room starts to warp)

Idia: Humanoid… big brother… Ortho… No, that's all wrong! My little brother is… A-Auugh! My head feels like it's about to explode…! Ortho goes to Royal Sword Academy… No he…! He goes to Night Raven College with me…. My little brother… On that day, my little brother-…!

(Idia's phone starts to ring)

Idia: Ortho's calling me…!? Shit, my head…!

Ortho?: Big bro!? He's trying to trick you! He's a phoney, he's not real!

Idia: A-A phoney!? …Augh!! Where are all these… memories coming from…!?

Ortho?: That phoney's trying to brainwash you, big bro! Don't listen to him!

Ortho: Argh, I knew this spell would have some sort of countermeasures built into it. Looks like the NPCs are programmed to stop any dreamers when they try and wake up. That kind of autonomous magic is really high-level stuff… Guess there's a good reason Malleus-san is considered one of the top five mages in the world!

Ortho?: You wait right there for me, okay? I'm coming!

(The Darkness appears)

Ortho: W-What's all that black mushy stuff!? Oh no, is it.. Is it blot!?

Ortho?: Sorry I kept you waiting, big brother. I'm here. Everything will be okay now.

Idia: Or…Ortho?

Episode 7-111

Ortho: Don't tell me, big brother thinks that black gunk is "Ortho"? Get away from that thing, big brother! Run!!

Ortho?: It's okay now, big bro. You're just tired from playing video games for too long, that's all. Come over here and rest for a while.

Idia: U-ugh… O-Okay..

Ortho: Crap, he can't hear me anymore. Big brother run away! Get away from theeeeeere!!!

Idia: …Huh!? Why… Why am I wearing my ceremonial robes? And why am I in the courtyard?

???: Is that you, Shroud?

Idia: Eep!

Malleus: So it was you. …What ever is the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost.

Idia: M-Malleus-Shi… why are you here?

Malleus: Why…? Orientation's just about to start, isn't it?

Idia: O-Orientation?

Malleus: …Heh. Are you still half-asleep? You remind me of Silver, a student from my dorm.

Idia: Hold up… Orientation…? That was months ago…

Malleus: What do you mean? This is the first time you'll be attending orientation as a dorm warden.

Idia: U-Uhhh… Really?

Malleus: You're a strange one, you know that? Come, and let us make our way to the mirror chamber. It won't do for two wardens - and two third years at that - to arrive late.

Idia: Man, it feels like I'm forgetting something suuuper important right now… Whatever.

(something thuds in the distance)

Malleus / Idia: !?

Idia: There's a bright light in the sky… The heck is that… I-Is it a meteor!? Uhhh, doesn't it look like it's coming straight for us!? It's coming straight for us, right!??

Malleus: …What on earth is it? I don't… I don't know what it is.

Idia: Dude, why aren't you freaking out right now!? We need to RUN!! It's gonna be game over if that thing hits us. N-No, it's too late!! I need to put up a forcefield-! Uwaaaaa!!

(Something crashes into the ground)

Idia: PLEASE tell me my dead man switch fired and deleted all my shit, please, please, please… Wait.. I'm… alive?

???: Life force resonance tracking was a success. The target has been located.

Ortho: Sorry I took so long to get here, big brother!

Idia: W-Who the heck are you!? Ah! That's the Styx emblem! Are you a new power suit model that mom made? But why are you calling me big brother…?

Ortho: I'll explain later. Now get behind me! There's a scary guy glaring at us.

Malleus: What is the meaning of this, Little Shroud? You are not meant to exist within this dream. Just how did you weasel your way in here?

Ortho: Heh. Don't you remember what you told me, Malleus Draconia-san? You said I'm like a ghost. And a ghost doesn't need any reason to be able to move between dimensions and spacetime, now does it?

Malleus: Heh… Ah ha ha ha! You have my praise, for being able to astound me twice now. However, for you to have the gall to tread not once, but twice into my castle without my permission… You are brazen beyond belief, you little automaton! Stand back, you fools!

Part 1

Part 3

#twst #twst spoilers #twst jp #the ruler of the abyss #malleus draconia #idia shroud #ortho shroud

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