Chapter 10: Treacherous Road and Sanctity of the Dead

I apologize for the long wait; I have been somewhat unmotivated recently with this story, but luckily I managed to find the motivation to pump out at least this Chapter. Also some good news, this is nearly finished. Like full honesty, there is only like 4 or 5 Chapters left of this story, and we will be finished here! So please be prepared for that!

I do not own Fallout New Vegas, that belongs to Bethesda and Obsidian

"So this is the last mission for us, huh?" Cass inquired, interest evidence in her voice.

The Courier slowed down, before turning to face Cass. "Yeah, this is the last mission." Charlotte responded. "Just gotta clear out these White Legs, and then we can head off and find that map of the Grand Staircase."

"Thank fuck, can't wait to get outta here." Cass muttered. "No offence meant, but I'm kinda missin' the Mojave. Mostly cause there isn't any whiskey out here; what kind of so called paradise doesn't have any booze?"

"You do know booze isn't the solution to everything, right?" Charlotte chuckled, shaking her head slightly. "Heck, it can be the cause of problems."

"Yeah maybe, but it's still fun to drink." Cass retorted. "Anyway, you only say that cause you can't handle your liquor."

The grin on Charlotte's face grew even wider, as she chuckled at her girlfriend's words. The good mood didn't last, as the duo finally reached their destination. In the distance there appeared to be some kind of structure, made of wood. Or at least there was a structure, as it was currently being burnt to the ground. Thick black plumes of smoke rose from the burning buildings, as White Legs busied themselves with destroying everything in sight. Pots were being smashed, wall paintings were being shot at, and wood was being set on fire. But to make it even worse...there were bodies visible, people of the Sorrows tribe. At least four different corpses laid scattered across the floor, their bodies having been mutilated and destroyed.

"Hey hun, you okay?" Cass inquired. "You've got this look in your eye, and it's worrying me."

"This is a burial site; this is where the dead rest." The Courier muttered. "And the White Legs are fucking desecrating it."

Before Cass could say anything, Charlotte lifted her Medicine Stick and fired at the White Legs. The sound of the gun firing reverberated throughout the area, as the bullet found its mark. One of the White Legs' head snapped back, blood spewing everywhere, as he crumpled to the ground into a bleeding heap. The rest of the tribals quickly fell silent, before the shifted their gaze over to Cass and Charlotte.

"Shit." Cass muttered, as she got her brush gun out.

Boone examined the bridge around him, before nodding briefly. The White Legs had been dealt with, as well as the traps they had left on this bridge. It hadn't even been a particularly hard task; the White Legs, while equipped with some heavy weaponry, were lazy and sloppy and didn't seem to understand basic tactics or strategy. It proved easy to confuse and disorient the tribals, with Waking Cloud and ED-E attacking at close range and the NCR sniper picking off random White Legs at a distance. It had been a bloody fight, but it was over quickly. Only thing left now was to head over to that cave and find the map. ED-E was currently leading the way to said cave, with Boone following behind; the robot had been given the locations of everywhere they needed to go by Charlotte, and Boone trusted the robot to lead them to the right direction.

"Katu Veo, Boone of the Mojave." Waking Cloud announced, walking besides Boone. "We are finished her, yes?"

"Yep, we're moving on." Boone responded, "So, what's Daniel like?"

"Daniel is a wise man, and a great friend to the Sorrows." Waking Cloud answered, a smile on her weathered face. "He taught me to speak the language of New Canaan - the English from the holy books."

"Hmmm." Boone grunted. "Known him long?"

"Six years. He attended the birth of my third child. It was a hard birth. The River nearly carried my water to the Father, and my child's with it." Waking Cloud responded. "Daniel knew the ways of New Canaan's medicine. He stepped in and saved both of our lives. After the birth, I asked Daniel if he would teach me what he knew of childbirth. He agreed, and so here I am."

"Interesting." Boone stated. "Thanks for telling me."

"But I am curious now, Boone of the Mojave." Waking Cloud said. "I have told my stories and the stories of others, but yet you seem to refuse to offer your stories. I would like to hear your stories, and learn about you."

The NCR sniper stopped dead in his tracks, his body tense and his eyes staring straight ahead. ED-E soon stopped as well and turned around, letting out a serious of confused bleeps.

"Did I do something wrong?" Waking Cloud inquired. "If so, shooha."

"No, its fine." Boone answered, turning to face Cloud. "Just not a fan of talking about my past."

The tribal woman stood there for a few seconds, before she slowly reached her hand towards Boone's face. The NCR sniper flinched at the sudden contact, but soon forced himself to relax. Waking Cloud gently grabbed at Boone's sunglasses and removed them from his face, exposing his eyes to the tribal woman. Boone grunted a little and began blinking heavily due to the sudden exposure to sunlight, but managed to adjust to the new level of brightness.

"The Father in the Caves said that looking into the eyes reveals the soul. I have looked into your eyes now, and can see you for who you really are." Waking Cloud answered. "You have many demons in your past, monsters and evil that haunt you. It's a pain that you must carry every day but...it's a pain that seems to be sleeping. It still is there but it no longer hurts you as it once did. It is like a scar; it reminds you of the wound you suffered, but no longer does it bleed and hurt."

Boone stood there stunned, before lowering his eyes and averting Cloud's gaze; that hit way too close to home, and the sniper was definitely not comfortable with how right Cloud was with her guess. The two stared at each other, neither one wanting to say anything else, as if seemingly afraid to break the silence. After what seemed like an eternity, Boone took his sunglasses back from Waking Cloud, and put them back where they rightfully belonged.

"Yeah, that's about right." Boone stated, adjusting his sunglasses. "You can thank the Courier for healing that wound. Anyway, we gotta go now; got to get to that cave."

"I understand." Waking Cloud answered. "But also understand that you are a good man, Boone of the Mojave. You have a good soul, even if it has been tortured and scarred."

"I know." Boone stated simply

"I do not think you do." Waking Cloud responded, a mournful tone to her voice. "But I hope you will."

Joshua Graham had very few pleasures left in his life, especially after the Battle of Hoover Dam. Many of his memories were now tainted, the joy he had once felt now buried under a mountain of shame and guilt. His burns also didn't help matters, as his every movement caused pain to wrack Graham's body. Even the act of sleeping caused the burned man intense discomfort, as his burnt skin constantly rubbed against the bandages and caused irritation.

One thing Graham could still do though, was watch the sun rise. That was an activity that could never be taken away from him, as long as he still had his sight. Today's sun rise was especially beautiful, as it washed Zion Canyon in a warm glow. The former Legate found it…peaceful, as if it brought calm to the guilt and anger that brewed within him.

"Goddamnit, Jeb!" A feminine voice shouted, her voice reverberating throughout the camp site. "Don't these tribals got something that can deal with this damn pain!?"

A tired sigh escaped Graham's burnt lips, as he slowly shook his bandaged head. It would seem that peace would once again escape the former Legate's grasp. This woman Stella, who Jeb seemed to care for deeply, was...difficult, to deal with. She had an anger to her that was hard to placate, an anger that was as plain as day, if you viewed the scars and burn marks that vined around her lower body.

Graham looked up, his icy eyes moving towards the tent that Stella and Jeb were currently residing in. Jeb, the trader from Happy Trails, appeared to be tired, an exhausted air practically smothering the man. Stella, on the other hand, looked more awake than ever; from the way she scratched at her bandages to the way her eyes kept shifting everywhere, it was obvious the injured woman was itching to move. Joshua knew why she was itching, of course; Stella was anxious for revenge. She wanted to get revenge on the White Legs, for scarring her and killing her friends. Graham admired that fire to Stella, that hungry flame that craved for blood and vengeance.

"Filthy profligate slut, look at her." A dark voice whispered in Joshua's head. "Have her tongue sliced out; show her that she does not deserve the pleasure of speaking."

Joshua quickly shook his head, mentally pushing away that dark voice. As much as Graham wanted to admit otherwise, he couldn't deny facts; The Malpais Legate wasn't dead, but rather laid dormant within the Burned Man's mind. The fire and tumble from Hoover Dam had silenced that dark side to Graham, but it wasn't permanent. Those dark thoughts still existed, whispering poisonous suggestions to Graham and urging him to spill blood.

It was…hard, to ignore them. Graham had managed to fight those dark urges and keep them at bay, but he wasn't sure how long he could keep this up. It was a situation that brought anxiety to Graham and he knew, deep down in his twisted heart, that the battle with the White Legs might be the tipping point and will decide on who will win this battle of wills; Joshua Graham or the Malpais Legate. And Graham could only pray that he had the strength to fight that darkness, on that day.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Joshua Graham muttered, reloading his .45 pistol. "Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me."

And Chapter 10 of Seeking Redemption is done and dusted. I'd like to thank Alexeij, Fanfictionfan3601, Mandalore the Freedom and Starship King for all of their support and reviews. Anyway, I hope to see you folks at the next Chapter!

Love,

The Desert Dancer