A noise of pleasure and delight escaped Yang as she chewed her food "This is amazing."

"Thank you." I said, piling another piece of flat bread with rice, meat and cheese "Wish I could take credit for it, but it's a recipe Raul made a couple of times. Tay-coes Ass-ada."

"I've never heard of it, but I know you're saying it wrong." Ren said snidely, picking at his meal.

It was a good meal really. Raul only made it handful of times, but I paid attention. Meat left to marinade in sugars, salt, and acid with herbs, spices, and aromatics. Then seared to completion and sliced thin. It was a pain in the ass solely because everything had to be gathered and prepped by hand. Including the flatbread it was served on, tortillas from dried maize.

But, given my present locale, I had room to improvise and substitute.

After a day of marinating, it made for tender and flavorful food. It could be cooked just about any way you want as well. Provided you could get the dry heat needed for a good sear. I could've done it in my skillet, over the hot plate in the dorm room.

But where was the fun in that? Food tasted better around a campfire anyway.

No, I was not looking for excuse to eat outside again, do not insinuate such things.

But I figured that having a chance to cook and eat outside, in such beautiful weather, would be a treat. A nice way to shake up all the meals we'd been eating together recently. It wasn't quite the same as the last time we'd done it, but it was close enough. I'd cleared out a little space in my garden, setup some space for sitting, and pulled it all together with a little help from everyone.

Zwei certainly appreciated the change in scenery at least. He seemed to prefer lying on the grass over the dorm floor. My teammates and JNPR were more than comfortable themselves too, sitting on logs, stumps, and whatever we could pull around the fire. I had more than enough bramble and brush to burn too after all the grounds work was done. They had to be burned or composted anyway, and the ashes would make good fertilizer, so Peach couldn't complain either.

A perfect storm of conditions if ever there was one, as far as I was concerned.

Early evening was beginning to settle in, as I stoked the campfire. Throwing on thicker branches and dense clusters of bramble to keep the temperatures up. The knots of bramble would burst into flame almost immediately, and help the thicker firewood along. A little fanning and corralling with a fire poker kept it controlled.

"Mmm- ok, so what are we going to talk about tonight?" Ruby asked animatedly, pulling out a stringy piece of meat and feeding it to Zwei "More Weapons… please?"

"Sorry Tiny, but not tonight." I said.

"Aww." Ruby whined.

"Hey, we didn't talk about weapons last time either." I reminded her "In exchange, we got to learn about princess-"

Blake shot me a silencing look.

I chuckled at her.

"How about the second part of the Joshua story?" Nora asked "C'mon, I'm still waiting for that!"

I pretended to consider her suggestion for a moment. "Hmm… No."

Nora looked at me shrewdly for a moment, then bit down into her tay-coe.

"I would actually like to hear a bit more about that story as well." Weiss admitted "You left it at an uncertain point."

"That's the point of cliffhangers." I said snidely.

"Well… I would still like to hear it at some point as well." Weiss snipped.

"Noted, snowflake." I said.

"Then… what are we going to talk about?" Jaune asked "You covered a lot of stuff, and each time it just gets crazier."

"Well, I mean, yeah." I said "If I sprung all the crazy on you at once you'd think I was lying. If I don't ease you through it, you won't believe me when I say something like: The molerat-men are real and they want to steal away our young women with riches and fancy mud mansions, equipped with all the latest designer products."

"…" Jaune looked at me as though I'd lost my mind "… I… What?"

I smiled, and did my best to suppress the giggle it caused me. Playing it off as a cough. "Nothing." I said "Just something a friend told me once… I wasn't lying about the molerat-men though, they're real."

"Oh…" Jaune said, scratching his head in confusion. A sentiment shared, and then quickly brushed off by everyone else present. They knew the drill by now. Real or not, I'd address them in time.

I noticed however, that as she brushed off the silly notion of gold bearing rodent-people, Ruby began staring intently at the campfire. She chewed her food slowly as she seemed to mull something over. "… Hey, Six?"

"Yes?" I answered.

"Do you remember that ghost story you told us?" Ruby asked "That one from the last time we all ate outside."

I thought about it for a moment. "…You mean the one about the girl lost in the Sierra Madre?" I asked, trying my best to remember the specifics.

"Mhmm." Ruby nodded.

"What about it?" I asked "I couldn't tell it to you again even if I wanted to, it was kind of an off the cuff thing."

"You said it's based on a real place though." Ruby said "That the…Sierra Madre? It's real." She said, pausing to make sure she said the name right.

"… Yeah, that it is." I said "One of the most dangerous places in the Wasteland, and what was supposed to be a preeminent casino and resort before the Bombs fell. What about it?"

"Well… You said you've been there, right?" Ruby asked "You've got things from there, and you've said you'd been there."

I nodded, though a bit reluctantly. "That I did."

"So… at least some of what you told us had to be true then, right?" She asked.

I didn't answer that question. Instead choosing to poke at the fire, keep it burning good.

"If there's any of these places you should really be able to tell us about, wouldn't that be one of them then?" Ruby asked.

"… Are you saying you want me to talk about the Sierra Madre?" I asked, pointedly. Less out of malice than aggrieve-ment. There were a list of reasons I had to not want to talk about that place. Most of them just relating to the fact that I had enough nightmares about the time I'd been stuck there. It was too personal for me to be comfortable talking about.

But, Ruby didn't know any of that, and was just asking innocent seeming questions.

Ruby, in keeping with that shrugged. "Maybe. I mean, we are outside again, and it's kind of like how it was the last time we talked about it, y'know?"

"… and if I were to tell you no?" I asked.

Ruby looked at me curiously. "I- um… I'd probably ask why?"

"Then I'd tell you that I'd just rather not think about the Sierra Madre." I said "I… have been there. I could tell you all about it, the things that happened there. That while most of it is not of personal consequence to me, the idea of explaining some of the things that happened in that place is a heady and frankly tragic topic."

"Because nothing you've said so far has been tragic at all." Yang said.

"Not in the way the Madre is." I said, pausing before blowing out a long breath "… If you really want to cover this, I… suppose it's not so personal a thing I couldn't do it… But you need to decide if you're comfortable with that yourself."

Ruby nodded and mulled the decision over for a moment, not anywhere near long enough in my book. However, when next she looked at me, I could see that determined look in her eyes. A familiar, resolved gleam of silver. "I want to know."

"… Ok." I said, throwing a little more wood on the campfire. "… I suppose then, that the best way to start this explanation, is how I got involved with it. Try to walk you through it the way I did."

Ruby nodded, and everyone leaned in close.

"… It started, after I'd just come off of another job." I said "I'd just finished aiding some associates I'd had, at the time, root out some trouble in their midst. It turned into a big mess, but we got through alright. A little scratched and bruised, but alright."

"What was that job?" Nora asked "Were you delivering packages or-"

"Unimportant." I said, cutting her off. If I gave her too much room to build steam, she'd try to weasel something out of me. "The point, is that I'd just finished a job, and was alone. I'd asked, Boone, who'd been with me at the time, to head home and have someone else meet up with me. Give him a chance to rest while I figured out what we were doing next."

Weiss looked at me curiously. "You were giving people orders?"

"Sort of." I shrugged "We were all companions, and if anyone had something they wanted to do, or handle, we supported each other. When it came to work, I just tended to take point."

Weiss's eyes widened slightly "So, you're saying you were the lead-"

"Again, that doesn't matter right now." I said "The point is, I was alone and working on getting a direction for us. While I was working my way towards one, however, my Pip-boy picked up an unfamiliar radio signal. That might not seem strange, but there's only a handful of places in the Wasteland capable of actually making those broadcasts. Having a new one pop-up out of nowhere wasn't a common occurrence."

"So you listened to it." Weiss surmised.

"Yes." I nodded "It was an uncommon frequency, in the Ultra Low range. Reserved for emergency broadcasts… But it wasn't one. It was an Invitational broadcast. To the Opening Gala of the Sierra Madre Casino and Resort."

"…" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, and inhaled sharply.

"You received a mysterious invitation over the radio, and you followed it, no questions asked?" Blake asked, incredulous.

"… When you put it like that, you make me sound like an idiot." I said "Firstly, yes, I was aware of the danger, and knew the odds of it just being a trap. Probably some raiders or bandits who'd cobbled together enough garbage to bait in careless travelers and caravanners. However, I was not only aware of what to be on the lookout for, but knew I was going to have people on my trail looking for me. Plus, the location given on my map had me going in the direction I was already heading. It was easier to investigate on the way than not."

"… So you walked into a trap, knowing it was a trap, and got caught anyway?" Blake pressed.

I fixed her with a flat look. "If you keep asking questions, I can stop talking now and never cover this topic again. Or you can accept the fact that I'm human and capable of making mistakes, and we can move on. Your call."

Blake gave me a catty grin, but said nothing. Perhaps letting her catch-up on sleep had been a mistake.

"-But, yes, I did walk into it. If for no other reason than it was the first I'd ever heard of the Sierra Madre at the time." I explained "It's important to understand: despite being a very real place, very few people talk about the Sierra Madre. Those that do, treat it like a myth, or urban legend. An oasis among the Mojave's sands, free of radiation and ripe for prospecting. But despite those rumors, there was a very clear fact everyone who knew about the Madre kept to the front of their mind. Those who go to the Madre don't ever come back."

"Just like in the story you told us." Jaune said, with a look of child-like fright.

"Yes." I said "However, I had never heard of the Madre. Maybe I knew about it, before receiving a lead lobotomy. But I didn't at the time I went looking for trouble. So I followed the signal, out into the middle of nowhere. To an abandoned Bunker, once marked as belonging to the Brotherhood of Steel."

"Brotherhood of-" Ruby said before pausing and thinking "… The guys that act like knights, right? One of your friends is with them."

"Was with them." I clarified "But, close enough. Veronica left them after a falling out."

"What did they want with the Sierra Madre?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing, actually." I said "I think the bunker had belonged to them at one point, but they'd abandoned it. NCR and the Brotherhood had enough bad blood that they'd had to do that with a lot of their safe houses and hideaways. The person who'd claimed it after them had just never bothered to change the signage. Though it certainly helps that said person was once a member of the Brotherhood as well, but that's not important right now."

Ruby nodded, accepting the answer for now.

"So, alone at the time, I came across the bunker." I explained "I, in my infinite wisdom, went in alone to try and scope it out. I was pretty well versed in how those types of situations went, and the bunker was ultimately a small one. There wasn't enough room for anyone to hide, and I made sure to check every corner before going in. The place was devoid of life when I got there. So, naturally, I assumed it was safe enough to poke around a little more thoroughly. I wound up finding where the signal was coming from: an old radio. Of a style I didn't recognize. It was setup in a main room, in a display that was so obviously a trap, it would've taken an idiot not to see it. Being that I was alone however, I decided to approach it and take a look."

"It was booby trapped." Nora said.

"It was…" I gave Nora a sharp look

She gave me a childish smile.

"… Yeah, it was booby trapped." I said, sighing "Booby traps aren't uncommon in the Wasteland. Setup a few land mines, bear traps, string-up a bouquet of grenades if you're feeling especially mean, or just rig a shotgun to fire when someone walks through a doorway. A couple clever ones even rigged computer terminals to explode when someone tried to use them. But by far the most effective one I've ever encountered was the one in that bunker. Not because it wasn't obvious, but because there were few others like it, and it was damn effective."

"Language." Snowflake muttered, trying to figure out how to eat her taycoe without making a mess. The moment she bit into it, juice and liquid squirted out the back of the taycoe. She grimaced, as the liquid rolled down her arm.

"The most obvious way the radio could've been booby trapped was that it was rigged to explode, like the terminals." I explained "However, that's not what happened. The moment I entered the room, the door slammed shut behind me, and I was hit with a flash bang. It kept me disoriented long enough to make sure I couldn't escape, and the room was pumped full of gas. I couldn't tell you what kind, but some sort of anesthetic. Really, I guess the miracle of that whole thing was that it didn't kill me. If too much had been pumped into the room, it'd have been real easy for me to O.D."

"… They booby trapped the whole room?" Yang asked incredulously "Like, the whole room?"

"Yep." I nodded "Probably only got away with it because they knew the bunker as well as they did."

"Seems overkill." Ren said.

"It was, but the trap was meant to be open for any idiot who wandered in, and hold them until they could be collected. A larger trap is better for that, but more obvious." I said "And, ultimately, I was the idiot who sprung it that time. I got put under, lost track of time, and just about everything else. When I finally came to, I'd been dragged to the front gates of the Villa. The resort town that surrounded the Madre proper. Which, I suppose, is where the real explanations begin... How much do any of you remember about the Sierra Madre, from the story I told you?"

Looks of thought and concentration fell over everyone. Though I noted Jaune's and Ruby's were tinged with a most childish degree of discomfort, if not fright.

"I think… There was mention of a fog hanging over everything." Weiss said, cleaning up the mess on her arm. "Also that it was isolated."

"There's also the monsters." Jaune said, trying to sound more resolute than he looked "The- um… ghosts."

"And treasure." Nora noted brightly "Apparently there was lots of treasure."

Her teammates, and mine, looked at Nora in confusion.

"… What?" Nora chirped indignantly "People had to go and die there for some reason. It had to be pretty good."

"Well, you're not wrong, none of you are actually. Though you're all a little vague, I can't blame you for that, because I was trying to be vague." I said, looking into the campfire as embers rode the updraft into the evening sky. "To start with: there was a fog hanging over everything, though I think the exact word I used was gloom. One of the most pervading elements of the Sierra Madre, was the dense, crimson cloud that filled its streets and hung over its rooftops. It was so thick; you couldn't tell whether it was day or night. Everything would be dyed this shade of bloody crimson color. It was caustic and toxic as well, and even in the lightest concentrations you could taste it in the air. Coppery, and smelling of solvents."

"What was it?" Weiss asked "It had to serve some sort of purpose, correct? Why else would they fill the streets with it?"

"That's just it Snowflake, no one knows what the Cloud, as it's known, was." I explained "Even with all the time I was forced to spend in it, I have no idea what it was."

Which wasn't a lie. I knew it was part of the experiments Sinclair had running with Big Mt. to bankroll the casino, but that was it. In the months after settling at the Dam, I'd visit the Big MT, in a drunken stupor, to search for paperwork related to the Madre. Try to get some closure on it. I found some things related to a few of the projects. The Saturnite foundry, the Holograms, and one of the Hazmat suits the Ghost People wore. There were documents for most of them, but none that explained much of anything to me.

There wasn't anything for the Cloud. No work orders, no plans, not even so much as a document about its chemical composition. Whatever the Cloud was, they made damn sure it stayed secret. I don't even know for certain if Sinclair was aware The Cloud was one of the experiments he signed on for. Many of the notes made it seem as though Sinclair hadn't been paying attention when he signed off on them.

More than likely, he hadn't been.

"So… you don't know what the Cloud was?" Snowflake asked.

"No, I don't." I said "What I do know, however, was that the Cloud was deadly. You could stay out in it, for a time, as long as you stayed to the more open areas of the Villa. Most indoor locations were safe from it. The lack of air flow caused it to condense on the walls into a thick residue. However, staying out in it for more than a few hours was lethal, and sleeping in it was a death sentence. On contact with your skin, it would slowly begin… eating you, in a sense. It would strip the oils out of your skin, then begin breaking it down slowly. It would have the same effect on your lungs, but was slowed down by the moisture and mucous of the human body. Instead, it would steadily fill your lungs with a thick, rust colored mucous, and try to drown you… Plus it would hang in the back of your throat, like post nasal drip. And burn your eyes like tear gas on Buff-Out. Just a generally unpleasant experience."

"Oh, no, it sounds like a gas, really." Yang said,

"… Yang, seriously?" I asked.

Yang shrugged "It's a habit."

"… Yeah." I shook my head "Well, there was nothing pleasant about the Cloud. It was everywhere in the Villa, and made even being present at the Madre a test of survival. Worse, there were pocket of it that were densely concentrated. Just passing through it could be lethal by comparison, and it was always in places that were less than ideal. Probably the worst part, however, was that respirators and gasmasks were ineffective against it. The Cloud would force its way through them regardless, and poison the user. I'd been stripped of my belongings, when I got dragged there, so I couldn't test that myself. But there were enough notes and things still around from before the War. The crew hired to construct everything had to order an experimental Hazmat suit to try and counter it. The results were mixed, from what I found."

"Mixed how?" Blake asked "Some lived, some died?"

"No, because most of them are actually still around." I explained "Remember, as Jaune mentioned, that there are monsters in the Sierra Madre?"

For a moment, no one said anything, and the only sound in the air was the crackling of the campfire.

"The Cloud… turned people into monsters?" Ruby asked.

"… Sort of." I said "I… don't know the specifics of how it happens, but the Cloud has to play a part in it somehow."

"… How?" Weiss asked, looking at me sharply.

I shrugged "Again, I have no idea… The story goes, that the Cloud just began to appear one day. Seeping out of the vents and pipes of the Villa's infrastructure. No one knows for certain where it came from. Only that the people responsible for building everything were catching the brunt of it, trying to avoid it. But, after the construction crew started getting sick because of the Cloud, they needed a solution. They couldn't figure out where the Cloud was coming from, or what was making it. They also couldn't just go damming up every place it leaked out of either, because most of those points existed for a reason. All they could do was work around it."

"Wouldn't that mean that the cloud would eventually just build up and poison anyone who… Oh." Ruby said, realizing how events played out.

"Yeah, oh." I said "The point stands, the construction crew wasn't in charge of what happened after the place was built, they were just the labor. They left the big problems to the people who would own the place. Instead, they got hold of the aforementioned Hazmat suits. Supposedly, the suits would work against the cloud, but came with a host of issues. They were cumbersome, and would grow stiff the longer they were exposed to the Cloud. The suits had poor ventilation, which made them hard to breathe in, and were even harder to communicate in. Worse, getting in one was far easier than getting out. The latches that actually sealed the suits shut would wind up rusted and corroded by the Cloud. Trapping the wearer inside, and requiring the suit to be cut open to get them out. Also, the supposition that the suits could handle the Cloud, can you take a wild guess at what that was?"

"A lie." Ren answered.

"Bingo." I said "The suits could handle almost any toxin or element thrown their way… except the Cloud. The one thing they'd been ordered to protect against. If anything, it would trap the workers inside of them with the Cloud. There were a lot of 'work place accidents' and fatalities because of them… but that was only the beginning."

"Of course it was." Weiss said, somewhere between horrified and disgusted.

"Believe me, that's not even half of it." I said, nodding "The Cloud… it did something to the people trapped in those suits. I don't know what. I wish I could explain it, not because it would make it better but because it takes the punch out of it. Explaining things makes them understandable, even when they're still dangerous. It means you know enough about how they tick to combat them better, smarter. There's no explaining what the Cloud did to the people who would become those creatures… the Ghost People."

"Is that what they're called?" Nora asked, looking at me intently.

"I know it sounds childish, but the name, much like Deathclaws, is an apt one." I explained "They're the Ghosts of the People they once were, still wandering the Madre, haunting it. But they're not human anymore. Whatever the Cloud did to them, it twisted them. The only sign that there is any life in them, and they're not just some animated nightmare is that they're still breathing. A horrible rasping noise that echoes off every surface-"

"Please, don't." Jaune said suddenly "I only just got over the nightmares."

"Lucky bastard." I said "… But they're not stupid either. They can use tools, they make weapons, they set traps and ambushes, and they can even communicate to one another. Some crude form of sign language they cobbled together. Most of the monsters in the Mojave are dangerous purely because they are fierce and vicious. The Ghost People are that, plus intelligent, devious, and scarily hard to kill."

"How hard?" Ruby asked, voice soft and thready.

"Very. Like trying to take down a brick wall with a carpenter's hammer." I said "The Cloud, with whatever it'd done to them, rendered them almost functionally immortal, and I mean that. I don't think they age, I think the Cloud and the suits chemically preserve them or something, like human pickles. But they shrug off life threatening injury with contemptuous ease… The first time I ever had to hold my ground against one, it almost killed me. I did things to it that would've killed almost anything, even supermutants, twice over. But it kept coming after me like I was pricking it with a needle and…"

I looked at Ruby at noticed she was going a little pale.

"… You ok tiny?" I asked.

"Y-yeah." Ruby said, still visibly pale and uncomfortable "It just… it sounds…"

"Scary?" I asked.

Ruby nodded "I used to have nightmares about stuff like that."

"… Well, I've had to be in it." I said "You'll never encounter them, but my advice: run. Run like hell and don't stop until you've got a couple miles between you and them. They're not unkillable, but they're more dangerous than fighting's worth. If you have to fight them, go for the head, or the legs. A Headshot will kill, but you have to thoroughly destroy the brain, or decapitate them. Anything less, and they'll keep moving. They don't move normal either, they're erratic, and lunging. They don't have super speed or anything, but on flat ground and a straight shot, they can run down most normal people. They're monstrously strong too. Can't say they're stronger than an aura, but I wouldn't be surprised if they can match one."

"You're really not making me feel any better." Ruby said.

"Same." Jaune said.

"Sorry." I said "There's really not much to feel 'better' about with them… Go for the head, run, or take out their legs and then run. Removing their legs just makes sure you have better chance of escaping. In a group, you're basically asking to die. They're easily the most proactive of the Madre's problems, though not its only ones. But I can get to the rest of them in a moment. There's probably some other things I need to address first." I turned and looked to Weiss. "You had some questions about its location?"

Weiss nodded "You mentioned that it was in a remote location. I assumed that helped keep it from being some place people would settle. But having heard about the things that apparently already live there, I'm realizing it's not as important."

"No, its location actually is important, and plays a part in everything." I explained "its location, in a valley between the mountains and mesa helped keep it remote. It made it unlikely that radiation, fallout, or any of the bombs would wind up striking it. It also made it unlikely that looters or survivors would come knocking because it was so remote."

Weiss started to say something, then caught herself. Her eyes widened a little. "… Was that planned? Did the person who built the resort build it specifically to avoid the war?"

I nodded. "Yeah, the guy who owned it did much of what he did with that in mind. Built it where he did so it'd be nestled outside the blast radius. Planned the Villa out so it'd be too narrow for vehicles, only foot traffic. Made it so the whole place was safe, secure, and self-sustaining in the event that war broke out."

"Which it did." Weiss said succinctly "… But it didn't work. With everything you've said, all the efforts put in ultimately failed."

"Not for the reasons you may be thinking either." I said "However, The Villa itself was built on the cheap and with as many corners cut as possible. The only reason it's even still standing is due to the Madre's isolation and the numerous other dangers prowling it. Had it actually worked as intended, the whole thing would've rotted within a decade, much less a few centuries."

"But… why?" Weiss asked "Why do all of that?"

I shrugged "The answer's complicated. It doesn't really matter either, as it ultimately failed. The Madre is nothing but a giant Old-World tomb, ready and willing to accept anyone who wishes to add themselves to its interment list. There're more than a few who were willing to take the chance as well, to plunder a place as untouched as the Madre."

"How would it be any different from any other place?" Pyrrha spoke up "Though it was clearly home to some strange things, I can't imagine there was anything there that would make it more attractive. Why would they risk their lives in such a way?"

"Because of the rumors and legends." I said "The resort proper sits above the Villa, bathed in almost Golden light. That the place is basically unreachable, and the Villa is so intact, means it is ripe for the picking. Literally, if scavengers could just work the Villa over, they'd come away with quite a haul. But the Madre was a temptation too great for most. If the Villa alone was so full, what about the actual Casino?" I prodded the fire, making sure it kept burning good and strong "But even if that wasn't the case, there were things in the Villa and Madre that are both worth more and far more dangerous than you can even begin to imagine."

"Like?" Nora asked.

"Well, vending machines, for one." I said snidely "Real useful when food is scarce and you could use a quick snack."

"... Seriously?" Blake asked "Vending machines?"

"Yes, actually, the vending machines were perhaps one of, if not the most important innovation at the Madre. Because they didn't work like normal Vending machines." I explained "They didn't have a set amount of items in stock, or even a display for them. Instead, you'd select an item, drop your casino chips into the machine, and the machine would spit it out."

"… That's how a normal vending machine works." Weiss said flatly.

"True, but most vending machines can't produce nothing from thin air." I said "That's what the vending machines in the Madre do."

Everyone's eye collectively popped open.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"The vending machines in the Sierra Madre did not hold stock." I explained "They converted the matter placed into them, the casino chips, into the item requested. Rearranging the atomic structure of the material to create the materials requested."

"… They what?" Yang asked.

"I… I think he's saying the machines made the items." Weiss said "From… the casino chips?"

"Correct." I said "The chips contained a high quotient of potential energy. They'd fuel the machines, which would use the raw materials to make whatever it was the buyer selected. Everything from food, to medicine, to clothes and armor, or even weapons and ammo."

"… The machines turned pieces of metal into food?" Weiss asked.

"… I realize, now, that you seem a little stuck on this." I said "… Well, aside from converting the chips into items, the machine could also do the process in reverse. Converting whatever items you placed into it, back into chips."

"How does something like that even work?" Weiss asked "That's, that's just-"

"I don't know, it's too far above my pay grade." I explained "I just have some idea of how it functions, the guts of how the machines actually work are beyond me."

"But they could convert anything?" Ruby asked "Like, make anything?"

"Well… yes and no." I said "They required the power from the chips to make anything, but they were also limited. You needed special codes to unlock certain options for purchasing. If I had to guess, for an item to be made, an atomic 'blueprint' would need to exist for it in the machine. So it's not like I could just put some chips in and ask it to make, I don't know, a car or something."

"That… that's impossible!" Weiss shrieked "That makes no sense- that is literally magic!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Welcome to my world." I said snidely.

"But- wait- if your world had machines that could literally transform materials into other ones, shouldn't that have solved everything?" Blake asked "Why not just- make more resources?"

"Because, as is so often the case, it wasn't that easy." I said "These machines were rare, and only just started to become viable just before the bombs fell. The Sierra Madre is the only place I've ever actually encountered them. But even that aside, the machines still required energy to work, specifically the potential energy stored in the casino chips. Matter, and by extension energy can neither by created, nor destroyed. Only transformed. While in theory these machines could've been used to create raw materials from others, they would still require the energy to do so. More so if you were trying to, say, convert lead back into something like uranium."

Which ultimately just brought further tragedy to the Machines' existence. That they existed, and could do what they did, should've been a miracle. If they could've been coupled to a more potent, or inexhaustible energy source, they could've changed everything. Maybe they couldn't have stopped everything. Maybe they couldn't have produced enough material to meet demands. But they could've helped stem the tide.

They were a gift unparalleled, given by people who were mentally and morally insane. If they'd existed sooner, who knows, House might've bought out Big Mt. altogether. Put their work towards something he deemed 'greater'. Assuming the government didn't beat him to it, or some similar cloak and dagger drama destroyed everything.

"That… seems so insane." Blake said.

"I know, and that's only the start of the strange things the Madre had." I explained "The owners apparently made a deal to field a whole host of crazy thing in the Madre, for the sake of making sure everything was bankrolled. The Vending Machines were one of them, and the Hazmat suits that, unfortunately for everyone, created the Ghost People were another. Whether or not you could slot the Cloud into that deal is open for debate, but there were more semi-benevolent experiments as well."

"Like what?" Weiss asked sarcastically "Medical robots that overdose you on painkillers or Perfectly Preserved Five course meals that give you Food Poisoning?"

"Well-" I said, then paused a moment "… Did you just try to make a joke?"

Weiss's face flushed "Never."

"Uh huh." I said, noticing the snickering of our teammates "Well, for your information… yes and no. There were medical robots, of a fashion, but they didn't… intentionally O.D. someone on painkillers. If there was any food intended to give people Food Poisoning, I wouldn't know. Any food I found was actually perfectly preserved, and if I got sick it was because of the Cloud."

Weiss fixed me with a serious look "… That doesn't sound like no one died."

"I never said they didn't." I retorted "… But, keeping on track, of the experiments the Sierra Madre was supposed to field, there was a type of medical robot fielded. You all recall what an Auto-Doc is, correct?"

"Robots meant to perform surgery and check-ups!" Nora chirped.

"Correct." I nodded "The Sierra Madre was fielded with a number of them. However, they were advanced models compared to any other in service at the time. Capable of performing more fine-tuned operations, more smoothly and efficiently than previous models. Even slowing deteriorative conditions, albeit only for a short while."

Weiss flashed me a satisfied smirk.

"Don't let it go to your head." I said "Aside from the Auto-Docs, there were two other major experiments of note. One of them was less technically sophisticated, but still impressive. They were a series of kitchen knives called cosmic knives, and they were… well, honestly they were just really sharp kitchen knives."

"… really?" Ruby asked, narrowing her eyes at me "… Nuh uh, I don't buy it. What else did they do?"

"Nothing, they were just a series of really high-quality knives." I said.

Ruby, however, didn't budge and continued to look sharply at me. Something Zwei, apparently sensing his Mistress's scrutiny, mirrored by looking my way.

"… Seriously, that's it." I said "They were made of a special material, and survived in the Cloud for nearly two centuries with minimal damage. As in you only need to brush the residue off them and they're good as new. But they were just really good knives."

"… How good?" Ruby asked, deadly serious.

I shrugged "I found notes of the kitchen staff cutting through their cutting boards and nearly losing fingers. The workers would even use them to cut their Hazmat suits off. Speaking from personal experience, they cut bone like fresh fruit."

Ruby continued to eye me seriously. Like a silver-eyed puppy convinced that today is the day they chew a hole in that tennis ball. But then she smiled, and let it go. "Ok, it's kind of cool. Wonder what made them so special.

"The material for sure." I said "The knives themselves were terribly designed. The handles were uncomfortable because of this weird, flanged design they went with. They didn't come to a good point, but had a weird chisel tip instead. The design sucked, but their absurd cutting power made up for it. The Ghost people would stick them on the ends of pipes and sticks to make improvised spears. And they were scary effective. I'm pretty sure I remember seeing one of them sink it into solid stone. Like a dart."

"… Ok, yeah, I can see how that's kinda cool." Ruby said, shrinking as she nibbled at her Taycoe.

Which Zwei then began pawing at her for a piece of food. She crumbled and fed him some strings of meat.

"Minor side note, the material also has absurd heat retention and structural integrity." I explained "I heated it until it was glowing orange. It stayed that way for hours, while still being sharp enough to split hairs."

Yang looked at me funny "How did you split hairs with it if-"

"Figure of speech." I said "Anyway, the last big thing that the Madre had going for it was by far the one people feared the most. You all might actually be somewhat familiar with them, as they exist here as well: Holograms."

"Holograms?" Ruby asked "You mean like the ones they use for street signs?"

"Yes and no." I said "You're familiar with the concept, but the application is completely different. In essence, the base hologram is the same: an array of lights used to create a three-dimensional image. However, here, you use them for largely commercial means. Communications, advertisements, and basic signage to name a few. Holograms in the Madre however, were made to function around a different purpose."

"Such as?" Weiss asked "They're holograms, there isn't much they can do since they can't touch anything. They're made of light."

"Of course, but they could still fill other rolls, albeit not as well as intended." I explained "For example, they could replace vendors and basic staff, in a pinch. As long as the automated systems were available, you just needed someone, or something to ensure the cash was being collected. The same goes for Casino staff. They could function as your dealers and croupiers as long as some automation existed. They could even work as individual pit bosses too."

Weiss looked at me as though I had a screw loose. "That- how does that even remotely make sense? What's to stop people from just stealing what they want!?"

"And wouldn't automated casino games mean that the casino has already rigged everything?" Jaune asked

"Oh, Jaune-y, the games are rigged before you even walk in the door." I said "The phrase 'the House always wins' means that, one way or another, everything flows one way. Even when you win, all the money you spend winds up in the casino's pocket anyway. They'll just find a way to swindle it out of you with food, drink, and accommodations that cost them a pittance." I then turned back to Weiss "In some ways you would be right, Snowflake. Holograms would be terrible vendors and casino staff if they were the same as over here. They're not, however, the same. They're similar is some respects, but not the same. Largely because of one major factor: The Madre's Holograms were repurposed to function as security for the casino. A job which they are so terrifyingly effective at that even the Ghost People steer clear of them."

"… Seriously?" Weiss asked, cocking a curious eyebrow at me.

"Deadly." I said "The Holograms themselves are usually referred to as Ghosts because, much like a theoretical ghost, you can't touch them. But they can touch you, and will do it with bolts of light that cut to the bone and don't give two shits what you're wearing. They're not incredibly bright, being simple machines set to perform fairly simple tasks. But when the task is: patrol a set area and fry anything that's unauthorized, they can be really efficient."

"How could they not be bright, they're made of light." Yang said snidely.

"Har har, pull the other one." I said "But in all seriousness, they are incredibly dangerous. Most would be projected from an emitter located somewhere nearby. As long as they weren't shielded, you could typically destroy them and remove the Hologram. When you couldn't do that though, things got dicey fast. Coupled with the Cloud, the Ghost People, and a certain other factor, it made traversing the Madre extremely dangerous."

"Ok, but why are they called Ghosts though?" Nora asked "Having them named Ghosts and Ghost People is confusing."

"Which is why I just call them Holograms." I said "Other people only refer to them as ghosts because, technically, they look like ghosts. Being flickering human shaped projections that resemble dead men probably helps."

That last sentence seemed to catch everyone's attention.

"Dead… men?" Ruby asked "So… they're, like, actually ghosts?"

"Not really… it's complicated." I said "Y'see, the holograms need to be based off something, otherwise they default back to an otherwise blank slate. The people who designed the Holograms, instead, used the actual staff of the Madre as a basis for what the Holograms look like. That way they would come across as slightly more personal, and less menacing… in theory."

"And since most of the staff would be long dead, that makes the Holograms their ghosts." Ren said "The last thing showing they ever existed."

"… Yes." I said, a bit grimly "Sad as it is to say, those Holograms are all that remains of a lot of people who are long dead and gone. Given how things went, I can guarantee, they didn't pass peacefully either."

Silence fell over everyone, as they mulled that grim knowledge. No matter what way you sliced it, the Sierra Madre had nothing but bad history to it.

I was glad I never had to go back.

"… Well, I think this is my stopping point." I said, dusting off and getting up "Got a flight to catch, put out the fire when you're-"

"NOW HOLD ON THERE MISTER MAN!" Nora squawked, shooting up from her seat "You're not done yet."

"… I'm not?" I asked.

"No you're not!" She squawked again, giving me a beguiling grin "You never finished your story."

"Story?" I asked "What… Oh, you mean my story."

"Don't think you'll get away that easily." Nora chirped "I wanna know how you got out of there."

"Who says I did?" I asked "Maybe I'm a spooky ghost man here to haunt you all with sarcasm and bad food."

"…" Nora looked at me blankly. Then, she took a piece of her Taycoe and threw it at me. I let it bounce harmlessly off of my helmet, and onto the ground. Zwei immediately bounded over to enjoy the spoils. "… You seem pretty real to me."

"Funny." I said.

"I would like to hear this as well." Pyrrha spoke up "You've told us a lot about the world you're from. Yet you rarely talk about your own journey. To have traveled between worlds, surely you've lived a strange life."

'More than you know. Literally.' I thought.

"I've got stories, but most of them are pretty standard for the Wasteland, and don't seem so big here." I said "And I've made it clear I'm not going to talk about the things I don't want to talk about. Myself is just one of those things I don't feel comfortable talking about."

"Oh, and you think we are?" Blake asked.

"… Point conceded." I said.

"We don't want to make you uncomfortable Six." Ruby said "We just want to know more about you, you're our friend… alsoIreallywanttohearhowthestoryends."

She said that last part really fast.

I stood there in front of the campfire look at all of them. I could see the way their faces were lit up, both by the campfire, and by interest. For the most part, this was something they all seemed to enjoy doing. It wasn't a history lesson to them. It was a strange wanderer sharing tales from the road about a world they hopefully would never need to experience.

I won't lie, it was infectious.

"… Alright, just this once." I said, settling back down by the fire "But we need to keep this moving, because I really need to catch that flight."

"YEAH!" Nora squawked, flopping back onto her seat.

"But, before I go any further with my own story, I need to address another." I said "One that pertains to the Madre as a whole. The story, of Fredrick Sinclair, Vera Keyes, Dean Domino, and the wicked game run between them.

(…)

Once, long before the bombs fell, there were two men. Fredrick Sinclair, and Dean Domino. One, a business man. An entrepreneur, tycoon, and romantic of the highest degree. The other a rogue. A lounge singer, actor, and charlatan unparalleled. No one is quite sure how these two met-

"Do you really need to make a story out of it?" Weiss asked "You could just tell us-"

"Shush!" Nora and Ruby shushed.

… *ahem* No one is sure how they met. Only that they did, and at first, it was an ambivalent affair. Both regarded the other with a degree of geniality and camaraderie, and it needed not to be any more than that… However, that all changed one day. Sinclair… slighted Domino, in some way. No one's really sure how or why, but it was likely unintentional. Domino was a diva, narcissistic enough to believe the sun getting in his eyes was the sun's fault, not his for looking at it. Some believe that it was purely because, despite some hardships, Sinclair was simply a happier man, than Domino.

Whatever the reason Sinclair, in Domino's eyes, had snubbed him. He would not simply let it go. So, Domino began to plot the best way to go about destroying him. How best to ruin the man for the slights perceived against him.

Enter Vera Keyes.

A young starlet and singer, whose career had struggled to take off. A country girl, from a town in the middle of nowhere. Destined to have her story end the same as untold others like her, with large dreams and high hopes. Vera, however, was a beauty. With luxurious black hair, vibrant green eyes, and a voice that sang so sweetly, she made Snowflakes sound like crows.

"Hey!" Weiss whined, giving me a sour look.

It was those features, that caught the eye of Domino. In an act imperceptible charity and kindness, he took the starlet under his wing. Helped her to make her dreams come true. Let her star in movies alongside him, Helped her sing to sold-out clubs and lounges. He gave her career the desperate shot in the arm she needed. Allowed her to become famous, and catch the eyes of those she desired.

But charity and kindness were the furthest things from Domino's mind.

The truth of it, was that Domino had bolstered Vera's career for his own ends. He intended to use Vera to get close to Sinclair. Use her as an instrument in his quest to ruin Sinclair's life. Something he set in motion when, during a 'chance' meeting at a party, he introduced the two.

Sinclair was instantly taken with Vera, and the two set off into a whirlwind romance. Lavish vacations, luxurious locales, and every exotic delight the man could muster. Anything, for the woman that had captured his heart. In so far, that he began to make strides to protect her. For you see, Frederick Sinclair saw the looming war on the horizon. The one that would bathe the world in nuclear fire. Wash away everything man had done, and wipe the slate clean.

He would not let it claim his love.

To that end, for his love and almost obsession of Vera, he began work on a fortress. One of self-sufficiency, and nigh impregnability. Safe and secure from the fires of war, where all he cared for would be sheltered.

The Sierra Madre Villa and Casino.

Construction and furnishing the Madre took years, and placed a strain on Sinclair's fortune. Troubles compounded by his own decisions, as well as Vera and Domino. For you see Domino, ever lurking in the shadows, took every opportunity to undermine Sinclair. Silently taking control of the company constructing the Madre. Allowing Sinclair's money to line his pockets, as he ensured the instability of the Madre. Finding every way he could, to corrupt the staff and workforce Sinclair had so meticulously arrayed. Something made easier, through Sinclair's own decision to ban any outside items. Contraband, including everything from food and clothes, to Chems and Weaponry. It made Domino's work all the easier. As for Vera, her part in things was far less maliciously driven. For you see, regardless of Sinclair's actions, Vera's time was short, far shorter than any could desire. She was ill with a disease that ravaged her, left her in immense pain. Forced her to rely upon pain medications that only further ravaged her, left her addicted and unable to be free.

But Sinclair did not know this. Did not know his actions would only cause her more pain.

As the years of construction dragged on, Sinclair struggled with the Casino and the Villa. Mismanagement led to hemorrhaging, and he cut corners every way he could. Knowing the damage it would do, but uncompromising. He sought only to protect Vera. Above all else, that was what mattered to him. The love he would not Let Go.

For you see, Sinclair knew that Domino meant to betray him.

He had known from the beginning that Domino only meant him ill. That he sought to destroy Sinclair thoroughly and utterly. Sinclair had predicted the ways Domino might try, as they were few. Domino was the only one to know, beyond Vera, what hurt him. So in turn, Sinclair made a plan of his own.

Domino sought to steal Sinclair's fortune, and destroy the happiness he held.

So Sinclair laid a trap in the vault of the Sierra Madre. A trap that, once sprung, would ensure his 'friend' would never again be able to hurt him so again. It was all going according to his plan.

Until, he discovered, how Domino truly intended to destroy Sinclair's happiness: Through Vera.

In a bitter fit of Pique and wrath, Sinclair altered his plans. Turned the Madre, his haven from the nuclear holocaust, built almost solely for Vera, into a deathtrap. One that would see both his love and former 'friend' dead.

His new trap laid; Sinclair bided his time. Waited for the casino to be finished. It was not long then, before the Sierra Madre was ready to open. A luxurious resort and casino, for all the rich and affluent to enjoy.

A grave, for Vera and Domino.

But then the day of the Opening Gala arrived. Sinclair approached Vera, to see that she was ready, that all could go forward.

Then, once more, everything changed.

Vera, utterly remorseful, told Sinclair everything. About Domino's plan to destroy him, about how he'd intended her to break his heart. How Domino had coerced her, through his connections and the knowledge of the medicines Vera used to keep herself alive. How Sinclair would've misconstrued why she used them.

She told him everything.

Sinclair's heart broke once more. He had allowed his anger to blind him to the truth.

Fearing what he had done, Sinclair descended into the vault of the Sierra Madre. Determined to alter the trap he had laid for his two saboteurs. But was unable to do so. The work was done, and to undo all of it would take more time than he was capable of giving. But he did what he could, and made to return.

But then, fate chose to twist the knife in one final, cruel act.

As that day, before the gala could begin, Humanity took the plunge.

The bombs fell.

The Great War began.

Sinclair was, most likely, the first to perish. Having stumbled off one of his own shoddily built platforms, falling into a Cloud filled crevice. Either breaking his neck or losing consciousness, and perishing to the toxins.

But he was not the last, his foolish decisions ensured that.

The security censors within the Madre detected that the bombs had begun to fall, and the system went into overdrive. The Holograms began to sweep over the Madre and the Villa. Indiscriminately slaying anyone and everyone, worker or not. The only few to escape, would go on to haunt the Villa as the Ghost People.

Except for Vera Keyes, and Dean Domino.

Domino vanished. As the Holograms scoured the Madre, Domino took his chance to disappear. His chance at the Madre, its treasure, and quest, ruined.

Vera, however, could not escape. She had been within the Madre when the bombs fell. The security protocols sealed the building tight, locking out everything and anything. While also trapping Vera within.

Completely and utterly alone. Save for the holograms, that she feared greatly.

For hours after the bombs fell, she tried to escape, to get Sinclair's attention to 'Let her go'. But Sinclair, dead, could not answer.

It was then, that Vera's story came to an end as well.

Illness ravaging her body, freedom truly beyond her grasp, and inescapable isolation her only companion, Vera made her choice. Gathering all of the pain medication she had available, Vera scrawled her final words. Then allowed herself to drift into the unknown.

With her, the Madre fell still, and then silent.

Save, for one final message. Broadcast on a frequency reserved for emergency communications.

An invitation, to the Sierra Madre Opening Gala.

Spoken by none other than Vera herself.

(…)

I looked over everyone. "That's the story behind the Sierra Madre, in as simple terms as I can put them."

"… Holy cow that is dark!" Nora squawked "Why can't people where you're from just be nice to each other?"

"Because clearly you're all sunshine and roses over here." I said.

"Well, it certainly explains a lot about the place." Weiss said "The whole place was a giant cage. Meant to keep one person safe, at the cost of everyone else."

"I can't help but feel Sinclair just made everything worse." Ren said "There had to have been a better way to handle everything."

"Agreed." I said "Really, while I empathize a little with Sinclair, I feel more for Vera. In the end, while she aided Domino, she was coerced through the whole thing, and from everything I found was genuinely innocent. She didn't want to betray Sinclair, and is honestly the most tragic victim of this whole thing."

"The innocent workers notwithstanding." Blake said.

"Believe me, fewer of them were innocent than you'd think." I said "Their deaths are in no way diminished by Vera's either. Just that, in the end, the whole thing was a tragedy. Brought about because two men couldn't let go. Domino of his bitterness to Sinclair, and Sinclair of his obsession with Vera. With everything the Madre had going for it, he could've easily made it rival Vegas. With all the self-sufficiency he pushed, he could've even surpassed it."

"But that doesn't explain why you were taken there." Ruby said "Why would somebody set up traps to knock people out and drag them there? They couldn't even get inside, right?"

"No, no they couldn't. But the temptation was there." I said "Which is ultimately why I was brought there: to crack open the Madre, and steal everything of value."

"… They kidnapped you, to help with a heist?" Yang asked.

"Not just a heist." I corrected "A heist for the centuries. To break into a place that'd been protected for nearly three hundred years, and walk out with everything I could carry."

Everyone looked at me, either skeptical, or completely amazed. Because if I wasn't lying, as I so claimed I wasn't, then my being there meant I'd done it.

"… So what happened?" Ruby asked "C'mon, don't keep us in suspense!"

"Easy, Tiny. A little patience goes a long way." I said, reaching down to give Zwei a belly rub "… After getting gassed, and blacking out, I woke up at the gates of the Villa. The gate wasn't locked, so there wasn't anything physically barring from walking out. Except that, the person who'd had me kidnapped, a man calling himself Father Elijah, had strapped an explosive collar around my neck. Threatened to take my head off if I stepped out of line."

"… You had a bomb strapped to your neck!?" Ruby squeaked.

"Yep." I said.

"Were you scared?" Nora asked.

"Nope." I lied.

"You couldn't just figure out how to take it off?" Weiss asked.

"Have you ever had a bomb around your neck?" I asked.

"… fair." Weiss answered.

"Honestly, for how long I was forced to have it on, it could've been worse." I said "The threat of it wore off after I realized it wasn't just going to suddenly and randomly go off. At least it did, until I walked to close to some of the radios hanging around the Madre. Their broadcasting frequency had decayed over the centuries, and matched the one meant to trigger the bomb. If I stayed too close to one, the collar would start to beep, and would eventually go off if I didn't back up."

"… Ok, that sounds pretty scary." Ruby said.

"I got used to it." I said.

"So, he kidnapped you to help break into the Casino." Pyrrha said "What then?"

"Well, after getting dropped off at the gates with a barebones explanation, I was left to fend for myself. Told that there were other people, spread throughout the Villa who would were needed to break into the Madre. Elijah, at least, had a plan. The stage had been set centuries before, after all, to open the Madre to the world."

"… The Gala." Pyrrha said, recognition passing over everyone.

"Bingo." I said "The Gala had been written into the programming of the security protocols. When triggered, there would be a brief window when the Madre would open her gates for people to enter. Originally as part of the celebration, and the Casino would then open again in the morning. But because it never happened, the Gala became the only means to override security long enough to slip into the building. Otherwise, you'd be banging against an almost unbreakable structure while un-killable monsters burned you to death. If you missed your window? You'd have to start the whole thing over again."

"That doesn't seem so hard to do." Weiss answered "If all that needed to happen was for the Gala to trigger, then why had no one gotten in sooner?"

"Because of the amount of legwork involved." I explained "Because the Villa was crumbling, and because everything needed to happen in quick succession, it wasn't something easily done. Not by one man at least. Which is why Elijah had to forcibly assemble a team that could do it. He didn't do it on the first try either. In the time I was forced to spend there, I got to see a good number of the people Elijah had offed trying to get everything in motion. Those collars really weren't for show."

"So then, you managed to trigger the Gala?" Ruby asked "You all worked together and managed to get inside?"

"Barely." I said "None of us enjoyed working together for the most part, and it took a lot of teeth pulling to make it happen. Then, even after we set everything right, the Gala attracted the attention of every Ghost Person hiding in and underneath the Villa. Setting it off wasn't a cake walk, but trying to get to the gate while being chased by those things was tantamount to suicide… But we made it through, and into the Madre. There was a little more trouble after that. A matter of actually cracking into the vault and dodging security. But compared to everything else it was a cakewalk. There was just one teensy problem: a few loose ends Elijah had to worry about tying up."

Ruby's eyes widened "He was going to kill you?"

"He certainly didn't much care about me to begin with. I was little more than a tool to him, the same as the other people he'd collared." I explained "He certainly tried to kill us, but he didn't succeed. Outsmarted him, right at the end. We had to, there was no way in hell we could allow him to succeed."

"… Why?" Weiss asked, clearly confused "It was just money, what good was it going to do him?"

"It wasn't about the money, it was about the Madre." I said, leaning towards Weiss "Tell me Snowflake, with all of the things I've told you about the Madre, what do you think was the most valuable thing there? The money?"

"Of course not." Weiss said "Honestly of all the things you told us about, the things that sounded more important…" Weiss trailed off, as the pieces fell into place. It was interesting, seeing the way the light changed in her eyes. "… What did he plan to do?"

"… He planned to unleash the Madre's technology on the Mojave." I explained "Use the cloud and holograms to scour the region, kill anyone who fought back. The Collars ensured people would obey him, be compliant. The vending machines would provide food and necessities. He would crush the Mojave under his boot, and keep it that way. Make the whole world go silent."

"He could do that?" Ruby gasped.

"He could with the Madre." I answered "If I dropped even one hologram in the streets of Vale, hundreds of people would die before they even realized how to deal with it, much less destroy it. Elijah would've had hundreds of them at his command, plus the Cloud, and possibly even the Ghost People. If he could figure out how to control them."

"… What did you do?" Ruby asked, clearly beginning to grasp the magnitude of the situation I'd been in.

"What I had to." I explained "When I was done, I took everything I'd earned and walked home. The collar fell off not long after, being so far away from Elijah, it lost its connection and went inert."

"… You killed him." Yang said.

A look of understanding swept over my teammates, though JNPR seemed far more off-put. They'd missed our blow-out about the subject.

"… I've told you, there are things I don't regret doing." I said "Elijah caused a lot of people, including my companions and myself, untold pain and suffering. He was insane, and was going to kill countless more people. He got exactly what he deserved."

"I'm… not gonna touch that." Yang said.

"Which then leads back to here." I said "In the end, I walked away from the Madre, scarred but still alive. There's not much to really take away from it. Besides the obvious: be smart, avoid obvious traps."

"And getting a fact check about who's working for you." Weiss said.

"But the bigger thing you can take away from the Madre, and something everyone will struggle with at some point, is the importance of letting go." I explained "The place is a testament to what happens when you allow yourself to become obsessed with something. Allow it to erode and destroy you. Domino and Sinclair, Sinclair and Vera… Elijah, and the Madre. Even as everything crumbled around them, and it became clear that cutting their losses was the better option, they refused to."

I stood up and surveyed everyone. In a number of ways, I could tell they were paying attention to what I was saying. Which was good. If they could understand the importance of the story of the Madre now, they'd save themselves some heartache in the future.

"It's important to remember, it's never too late to begin again." I said "Because beginning again isn't the hard part… It's letting go."