Finished handling what we needed to with her family, I led the cowgirl in the direction of the town center's main government building, one of the several large buildings we previously passed by on the way to her home. As soon as we arrived at the large building, that was even larger than the mansion we were just at; I opened the large, rustic wood and metal door and directed my companion inside. "Ladies first."
"My, what a gentleman."
Following right behind Mary, I entered the building and performed a quick cursory examination of the scene. What I found was a stereotypical government style interior combined with what I would imagine a modern take on an adventurer's guild would look like inside mixed with an assortment of old western and sci-fi elements all throughout. Filling out that space were several town personnel manning the counters and dozens upon dozens of bounty hunters, explorers, mercs, tradesmen, and wastelanders sitting around the tens of large tables spread about the communal area discussing jobs or surrounding the large jobs board at the right sight of this massive hall.
It's been nearly twenty years since I've last seen this place, but it looks almost identical to how I remember it from Wastelander 3.
Running my eyes over the scenery one last time, I spotted a few patrons zooming in on Mary before transitioning from her to me and looking my armored figure up and down. Something in me told me their looks were a bit odd, so I gave them a stealthy glance to not alert them of my notice.
I know the first band of bandits had knowledge of who Mary was prior to capturing her, meaning it wouldn't be odd if there are forces working in the dark that either have it out for her family or even just the pretty lass herself... My thoughts might be a bit too paranoid, but I know I'm better off living on the side of caution and trusting my gut, especially if my superhuman senses are telling me something is amiss.
Acutely aware that there very well could be hostile and insidious elements at work within this wasteland settlement, ones that had it out for the young woman beside me, I imprinted their faces and figures to memory, employed my perception field to its fullest and used it to keep an eye on the three starkly different looking men. Acting as if I hadn't noticed their observant gazes that continued to remain on us intermittently, I grabbed hold of my fairer companion's hand much to her joy and skipped going to the counter to talk to one of the building's employees in favor of making a beeline for my objective, the town's jobs board.
As I progressed towards the job board with the firecracker, I noticed we were gaining more and more attention from the characters within this modern adventures association. There were even a number of unscrupulous gazes directed towards the beauty at my side. However, most of them were smart enough to retract them when they caught sight of my huge intimidating figure or when I presume they realised whose offspring she was.
And for those few exceptions that were too stupid to realise the danger she and I presented to their wellbeing, a controlled burst of that bloody aura and killing intent I've been cultivating did the trick. The moment following the release of my slaughterer aura and intent, all those I directed it to retrieved their unwanted stares fearfully and immediately put their heads down so as to not draw my ire.
Pleased with the effects my action had, I strode past the occupied tables that had quieted down by a significant degree. And as the professionally dressed employees were looking on curiously wondering what the fuck happened with the atmosphere, Mary and I arrived in front of the jobs board that was more so a literal wall of bounties, jobs, and tasks than a board.
Right as I was about to begin inspecting the extensive assortment of jobs, my system popped up.
[ Ding! ]
[ Prerequisite Has Been Met ]
[ System Upgrade Underway ]
Well, ain't that unexpected, I wonder what sort of changes are going to occur...
Excited to see what kind of upgrades my system was going to gain, I used one of my thought processes to look through the many jobs available as the system underwent its upgrade procedures.
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
[ ... ]
[ System Upgrade Complete ]
The very second the upgrade was completed, I called up my system panel and immediately navigated to the new tab to see if I couldn't find the upgrade details there. Getting right to investigating, I found what I was searching for in no time at all.
Hmm, so my quest section has basically received an expansion. Sweet. It looks like I'll have more avenues to gain exp from going forward.
Ecstatic about the new changes I read about, I swapped from the new tab to my newly enhanced quest section.
〚 Quests 〛
Ready to turn in: 2
Completed: 8
In progress: 17
[ Dailies ]
| Workout | Objectives: Complete your daily workout. Reward: 10 Exp.
[ Bounties ]
...
[ Jobs ]
...
[ Goals ]
| Area 51 | Objectives: Gain access to Area 51 by any means necessary and explore the site from top to bottom. Rewards: Perk | Alien Researcher |, 40 Repair points, 40 Science points, 40 Medicine points, 450,000 Exp.
| Business Tycoon | Objectives: Obtain 10,000,000,000,000 Dollars worth of assets by any means necessary. Rewards: New Perk?, 15,000,000 Exp.
| Exceeding Super Human Limits | Objectives: Reach a value of 101 in every attribute. Rewards: Perk | Evolver |, 100 Attribute Points, 1,000 Skill Points, and 1,000,000 Exp.
| Grandmaster Of All Skills | Objectives: Reach a minimum of 1,001 for every skill you possess. Rewards: Perk | Grandmaster Of All Skills |, +100 To All Skills, 1,000 Skill Points, 500,000 Exp.
| Harem | Objectives: Enter a long-term romantic relationship with at least 3 women. All women must be aware of each other and okay with the arrangement of sharing you. Reward: 5,000 Exp.
| Magic Revolution | Objectives: Reintroduce magic to human kind, build an institution with at least 100,000 students attending it and learning about magic, and have 10,000 humans reach the 5th realm. Rewards: New Perk?, 1,000 Magic, 100 Attribute Points, 1,000 Skill Points, 10,000,000 Exp.
| Nevada Conquest | Objectives: Become the undisputed number one power in Nevada and take control over the state in its entirety. Rewards: Perk | Territory |, 25 attribute points, 250 skill points, 1,000,000 Exp.
| Power Surge | Objectives: Win the battle for Hoover Dam and become the sole owner of it. Rewards: Perk | Power Surge |, 5 attribute points, 25 Repair points, 250,000 Exp.
| Suited Up | Objectives: Open up the armories at Fort Kern and acquire a suit of power armor. Rewards: Perk | Mobile Armory |, 5 Lockpick, 75,000 Exp.
◊ | Take Over The Cyberdynamics Robotics Facility | Objectives: Clear out all hostile forces and set up shop. Rewards: Perk | Certified Roboticist |, 5 Science Points, 25,000 Exp.
| Undegrounder | Objectives: Clear all Nevada metros of hostiles and take control of them. Rewards: Perk | Mole People |, 10 Attribute Points, 1,000,000 Exp.
| Wasteland Conqueror | Objectives: Conquer the wasteland and take over Earth in its entirety. Rewards: ???
[ Tasks ]
| Armament Upgrade | Objectives: Design and build a man portable gauss gatling gun. Rewards: Perk | Mass Driver |, 10 Ballistic Weapon Points, Energy Weapon Points, 10 Heavy Weapon Points, 10 Repair Points, 10 Science Points, 5,000 Exp.
| Metro Connection | Objectives: Connect the nearby metro rails with your places. Rewards: Perk | Apprentice Miner |, 10 Repair Points, 50,000 Exp.
✩ | Not A Force To Be Reckoned With | Objectives: Assemble an army 100,000 strong. Rewards: 100 Attribute Points, 1,000 Leadership Points, 1,000 Skill Points, 10,000,000 Exp.
✩ | Self-Sufficient | Objectives: Establish food production and harvest ten tons worth of crops. Build water production and recycling facilities. Rewards: Perks | Green Thumb |, | Water Jack |, 10,000 Exp.
| The Butcher | Objectives: Reach a kill count total of 10,000 kills. Rewards: Perk | Slaughterer Rank 2 |, 100,000 Exp.
◊ | The Makings Of A New Power | Objectives: Create a military unit that is 5,000 strong, with all the bells and whistles. Rewards: Perk | Supreme Commander |, 50 Leadership Points, 250 Skill Points, 500,000 Exp.
These changes are cool and all, but how am I supposed to take advantage of them when I've only obtained a single daily quest in my entire 18 years in this world???
[ Ding! ]
[ New Dailies Gained ]
Ask and the system shall provide.
Pumped to check out what sort of new dailies I had just gotten, I began examining their details right away.
| Hunter | Objectives: Kill one entity. Reward: 10 Exp.
| Mage Training | Objectives: Perform one session of magic cultivation and cast 10 spells. Reward: 10 Exp.
I was thinking I was going to score a decent freebie from the upgrade, but I guess I was being too hopeful, haa. Regardless it is basically free exp so even if they don't provide a lot in the way of rewards... Like at all, they will still incentivize me to practice my magic and get out there and put those skills I've been developing day and night throughout the years to use at least once a day... Although not very much.
Deflated somewhat by the lackluster rewards provided by those newly acquired dailies, I finally turned away from the holographic system window and directed my focus to actually scouring the jobs board whilst I continued to keep an eye on the three characters monitoring Mary and I. The instant I returned my primary focus to scanning the selection of jobs my system reacted near instantly and began spitting out one system window after the next.
| Put Em Down | Objectives: Find and eliminate 30 canine mutants from the surrounding area and bring back proof of their elimination. Rewards: 6,500 Dollars, 1 Skill Point, 1,500 Exp.
| Vegas Delivery Order | Objectives: Transport 10 tons of cargo to Las Vegas and deliver it to Mr. Miller of Hannibal Associates. Rewards: 50,000 Dollars, 3,500 Exp.
| Iron Ore Request | Objectives: Acquire 2 tons of Iron Ore and deliver it to Mario's Armaments in Crystal Springs. Rewards: 4,250 Dollars, 750 Exp.
| Bandit Elimination | Objectives: Find and remove 10 bandits from the world of the living report back with proof. Rewards: 10,000 Dollars, 1 Skill Point, 1,250 Exp.
| Mutant Exterm...
[ ... ]
Holy shit, that's a ton of quests.
My system kept spewing quest details in rapid succession as I ran my eyes over the plethora of bounties, jobs, and tasks available. And after inspecting every single posting on the quote unquote board, I zoned in on a certain posting.
Look what we got here.
Reaching out, I retrieved the bounty that appeared to be for the bandit camp I eliminated on my way here with the pretty lady beside me. Double checking the parchment, I discovered that this was indeed the bounty I was looking for.
[ Ding! ]
[ New Bounty Gained ]
◊ | Cliffside Bandit Camp Extermination | Objectives: Exterminate the bandit camp residing on the cliffs surrounding Nevada State Highway 318, just north of the wasteland town Crystal Springs. Rewards: 495,000 Dollars, 10 Skill Points, 17,500 Exp.
[ Ding! ]
[ A Bounty Is Ready To Turn In ]
I don't particularly need the monetary reward but who can say no to free money, so I'll claim that, split it with Mary, and hold onto the quest to be turned in later alongside the others when it's time to undergo another mass level up. I honestly can't wait.
"Did you find what you were looking for, handsome?"
"I did."
"Glad to hear it."
With the job I was looking for in hand, I turned around and strolled over to the counters on the opposite of the spacious hall. As I was about to approach the counters and speak to a professionally dressed man in his early 40s, Mary spoke up and redirected me to an elderly woman at the far end corner. "Let's go handle our business with grandma Woren. She'll take good care of us."
"Sure." I shrugged.
Not having an opinion about who handled the bounty procedures, I followed Mary's suggestion and walked up together with her to the old tanned woman's somewhat isolated counter.
"What can I do you for?" The spry old woman asked in a stereotypical southern accent as she handled an assortment of paperwork orderly spread out across her workspace.
Just as I was about to answer her, my prospective partner beat me to it but in a jokingly saddened manner. "No hello or good to see, Grandma? My, I must've fallen out of favor."
Once the elderly woman registered the voice, she looked up from her work with lightning speed, with relief clearly painting her face. "Where have you been, lass? I haven't seen you in days." She sputtered, before coming out from behind the counter and wrapping Mary in a loving hug.
My female companion returned the affectionate gesture and when the elderly tanned woman released her grasp of her, Mary spoke up. "Well, I encountered some trouble when I was out and about beyond the town's walls." She informed the friendly grandmother and, as worry made its way onto her wrinkled features, she kept going. "Luckily, it's nothing to worry about since this big guy over here came to my rescue in my time of need."
"Ohh, that's a relief. You have my thanks Mr..."
"Just Dom is fine Mrs. Woren." I told the elderly woman.
Following my concise introduction, Mary caught the older lady up to speed with her recent experience. "That's quite the adventure you went on, young lady. But it's good to see you made it back safe and sound."
"Nm, it's good to be back." Mary responded.
"Okay, now that you've told me of your event filled tale, what can I do for ya? I don't suppose you just dropped by for simply that alone, right?"
"You're as astute as ever, grandma." My female companion commented.
"Well, I'm here to claim the reward for this." I said, whilst handing the woman the article with the bounty.
"Do you have any proof that you completed the task?"
"Besides a haul of weapons and some other loot, not really, but I do have the mayor's daughter, who was an active participant in their elimination to back up my claims and this." I answered once again using that little medallion gramps handed me back at base.
As soon as the elderly woman caught sight of the small metal object, her interest seemed to have been peaked. "Can I see that for a second?"
"I don't see why not."
Handing the small trinket to her, she began inspecting it and after reading the text; she released an ah-haa. "You're Johns, kid?"
"Grandkid." I corrected.
"My, it's been over a decade, almost two, since I've last seen that old timer. How's he doing nowadays?"
"Honestly, he's been doing better than ever. I'm sure you'd be surprised to see how much energy he still has for a man his age, to say the least."
"You don't say. It would be nice to see and catch up with that old timer."
"I'll let the old guy know you were thinking of him. I'm sure he can swing by to visit an old friend."
"Great, I can't wait." Mrs Woren said happily before returning to business. "Getting back on topic, this alone would've been enough to take your word. However, since you got this gal's word as well, I'm doubly sure you accomplished the task."
"Are you sure that's enough? I don't want to run into any issues later when she and I come by to pick up some work."
"Yea, it'll be fine. The intelligence network will send a scout to confirm the job has been completed."
"Oh." I responded as the elder began doling out the reward for the bandit elimination quest in the way of solid gold and silver dollar coins.
"That's 495,000 dollars right there. You can count it a second time if you don't trust these old hands."
"That won't be necessary. I'm sure you've done this a thousand times before." I commented, having already counted every single dollar as she piled the money high.
[ Ding! ]
[ Monetary Reward Claimed ]
"If that's all the business you have for me, I wish you two a wonderful rest of the day."
"You as well, grandma."
"Pleasure doing business with you, miss Woren."
"You as well, young man. I hope I see you both again soon."
"I'm sure we'll be back in no time."
Having said our farewells to the pleasant old lady who I came to learn was a close family friend of the Gibbens, one who started working here around the time my gramps became active in the wasteland, we wandered out from the establishment.
[ Loot Gained ]
| Money |
Dollars (495,000)
______
That's it for releases I'll be back with more whenever.
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