"Wait, that still doesn't explain where all that stuff went." Jess pointed out as she realized we had gotten off topic.
"Magic." I said as I wiggled my fingers at her.
"Can you be serious for once?" she asked rolling her eyes.
"You wanted to know and I told you, not my fault you don't believe me." I said with a shrug.
"Magic isn't real, everyone knows that." She said with a scoff.
"You'll see, probably" I say not wanting to argue.
Soon enough though we tramp up the metal stairs that creaked and groaned under our combined weights but held in the end. They led to a suspended hallway with a single door at the end with an intercom box next to it. I pressed the button to talk through it with a grin.
"I've got a large Italian sausage with olives here for a mister ass, first name rude." I said in my best pizza delivery impression.
"Ha ha. Took you long enough smoothskins. Behave yourselves, i'll be watching you." Chris snarked over the speaker as we heard the door unlock and open.
There on the other side was a balding middle aged white man mean mugging all of us like we owed him money while simultaneously having kicked his cat.
"God, but are you all ugly! Get upstairs and talk to Jason before I throw up just looking at you." he said with a disgusted look.
"First Boone is a prime specimen. I mean look at him, peak male performance right there. Second you can't even see my face so meh. Finally we don't judge Jess for her looks, that's shallow. Also rude." I shot back while puffing my chest out.
"Hey!" Jess exclaimed offended.
I pat her shoulder reassuringly "It's okay, not everyone can be a chad like Boone." I say helpfully.
Her eye twitches and she looks like she wants to punch me but barely holds back.
"Why did you want us to come here?" Boone asked taking charge of an increasingly hostile conversation.
"You'll need to talk to Jason about that. He's upstairs. Don't think about wasting his time. He's very important. You should feel lucky to be granted any of it." Chris said before rudely turning and walking away.
The hallway we were in was nothing special, crumbling concrete walls and tile floors. Barely functional lights with most just flat out broken and a thick stench of decay hanging in the air.-
"Ah that was fun. Man you should have seen you guys faces. I kinda regret not having a camera." I said with a chuckle.
"I can't believe you, are you a child or something!?" Jess said exasperated.
"Or something. You can't play dicks like that's games, gotta show them you aren't easy to bully and what better way than to turn their mockery on it's head?" I said with a grin.
"You agreed with him! Literally made it sound like I was hideous!" Jess said angrily.
I nod sagely "and you saw how thrown off he was. I successfully showed him!" I said proudly.
"You sounded like a mad man!" she hissed.
"I prefer the term unbound thank you very much." I said matter of factly.
"Oh god you are ACTUALLY insane!" she said horrified.
"Minor details. Now then to this Jason person!" I said pointing forward.
"It's not boring at least." I heard Boone mutter as we started heading through the hallway.
One thing my companions quickly came to understand is where all the feral ghouls came from. This entire area that was clearly a research lab with all the machinery and chemical set ups was also inhabited by dozens of robed ghouls and one that was in a messed up brown suit that was of the Glowing one variety.
"And you must be Jason." I said purposefully putting myself between my companions and this glowing ghoul as the ambient radiation around it was several times higher than was good for your health.
"Hello wanderers. Please forgive us of our humble surroundings. Our true home awaits us in the Far beyond. Have you come to help us complete the great journey?" the literally neon green glowing rotting man said with a voice that somehow echoed slightly as he spoke.
"We're here about the feral ghouls wandering into Novac actually." I said calmly.
"And they've been shooting them down like animals, haven't they?" he said with a sigh but didn't seem surprised.
"Friends of yours I take it?" I asked casually.
"Those ghouls were members of my flock. Even after the madness consumed their minds. We never let them wander free. We kept them safe on the first floor. We kept them contained. The demons must have let them out, somehow. And now they are lost forever, denied the salvation and healing glow of the Far beyond. Please, wanderers. Bear in mind that every feral ghoul you spare now is one that we can save later. Once the way is clear, our feral brothers and sisters will accompany us on the Great journey. If there are any left." he said pleadingly.
"So break their legs instead of killing them, got it." I say seriously.
"I would be most appreciative if they remained entirely unharmed but understand that may be too much to ask. It is unreasonable to ask you not to defend yourselves." he said reluctantly agreeing to that concession.
"Stupendous. Now then what this about demons?" I asked curiously.
"The demons appeared from nowhere. Except it might be more accurate to say they never appeared at all. The demons are invisible. Where one of them stands, the most one sees is the air shimmering. Like sunlight on water. They set upon us as we were on our way to worship one morning. We had just entered the basement. My flock fought bravely, and killed a few. But at such cost. Nearly half of us died or went missing. The rest of us retreated up here. One of the demons raved at us, but they have not tried to attack us since. Still, their demonic presence brought all progress towards the Great journey to a standstill." he spoke like a true religious victim.
"Right and that's sad and all but you've got some things wrong. First those "demons" are actually just the product of mutation because of a certain virus and a certain Master. They are called Nightkin. Their invisibility is because of the stealth boys they wear. Here watch." I said taking out a stealth boy and activating it.
"So they aren't demons then? I suppose that it doesn't matter really. They stand in the way of the Great journey and clearly the creator has seen fit to bless us with three more humans that shall prove our salvation." he said calmly.