(A bit shaken from the hallucinations, Nico exits the cave, and he heads back to the cathedral. He holds the punga seeds in his hand and rings the intercom)
Nico: I have completed your test
(The gate opens and lets Nico inside)
Jimson: Congratulations. You are welcome to our tribe. Truly, the mother punga has bestowed her wisdom upon you, and your mind has been expanded! Your body may bear the scars of the ritual, but your mind will be forever strengthened by the experience! You are now welcome within the cathedral. You may enter, enlightened brother!
Woodrose: Another member? What, are we offering a special? Punga may have offered this man her wisdom, but it looks like it's still going to be a while before he really learn to accept it
Nico: Who are you two?
Woodrose: I'm Woodrose. The tribe mother. And that's Jimson. He serves as our doorman. Our leader is Jackson. A man of great wisdom. He's off meditating right now
(Nico looks around the tribal grounds and he finds a young woman matching Nadine's description)
Nadine: Looks like another newbie made it into the tribe, and he's still able to string together whole sentences. Ain't you the lucky one? Welcome! My name's Nadine
Nico: Nadine. Your mother asked me to find you
Nadine: Look, it's not that I don't want to go home or anything. I love my ma, even if she does make me want to claw my eyes out sometimes. It's just, I came out here to find a fortune. To make my mark on the world. To be able to bring something with me when I come back. If you ever see my mom again, let her know I'll be coming back eventually. Just not quite yet
Nico: One more thing. Where's "Jackson"?
Nadine: He has some kind of meditation cave under the cathedral. Pretty hard to find. Here's a key, but I have no idea how you'll be able to use it
Nico: I'll find a way
(Nadine gives Nico a key, and he explored the cathedral until he finds a graveyard. A few feral ghouls rise up, and they start running at Nico)
Nico: Not again...
(Nico pulls out his pistol and shoots each ghoul in the head one by one, until they all fall dead)
(He goes to the edge of the graveyard, and he finds a cliff, and it leads down to some water. He also find a small boat)
(He hops in the boat and rides down the side of the cliff like a sled, but then it hits a rock, sending Nico flying into the water, but he lands safely)
(Nico gets out of the water, wrings out his shirt, and he walks towards an entrance to a cave)
(Inside the cave, he finds a bunch of huge crab-like creatures called mirelurks)
(The mirelurks run at Nico, but he hits them all in their front sides with rounds from his plasma rifle)
(A man must have heard the gunshots, so he ruses out to investigate, and Nico is met face to face by Jackson)
Jackson: Hello there. Are you a fellow seeker of higher planes? What brings you here?
Nico: I come seeking wisdom
Jackson: How wonderful! Perhaps you shall be the one who can clear the holy land of it's disruptive presence! The transcendent master will want to hear of this. And as one so obviously led by visions, it is your right and honor to tell him yourself! After all, it is he who makes all of the true decisions about the spiritual growth of our tribe, including the decision to cleanse the mansion
Nico: You mean you're not the one in charge of the tribe?
Jackson: Ha! I only wish I was so wise. No, the true leadership of this tribe belongs to the higher mind of the enlightened one. Although his mind has moved beyond the need for flesh, his consciousness still returns here to guide our people. I merely interpret his wishes. He manifests here, high on a ledge in the great sea cave's well. Perhaps if you are fortunate, he will choose to share his wisdom with you
(Nico walks over to a holographic projection that looks like a brain, and it starts talking to him)
Calvert: So, you're the mouse that was scurrying around here? You're not much to look at, but at least you're not drooling all over yourself. I can work with that. Now then, perhaps you can be of more use to me than that simpering spiritualist and his tribe of idiots
Nico: Useful how?
Calvert: At the moment, the tribe is of no use to me at all. But I have very few options. They can't even seem to remove a single ghoul from a house
Nico: What quarrel do you have with that one ghoul?
Calvert: More than you could possibly imagine with that squishy pink mind of yours. But the only pressing matter right now is the device that is in his possession. A jamming device. That jammer limits my projection range to this cave. Remove that jammer, and I can extend my reach much further. The ghoul's name is Desmond, and killing him would be a nice bonus, but I'm sure we can get around to accomplishing that later
Nico: What can you tell me about Desmond?
Calvert: Desmond... That bag of bones and bile will pay dearly for his trespasses! Were it not for his interference, I would still have a body! Even still, it's absence has only honed my brilliance, so perhaps I owe him my thanks. An appreciation I'll show in the form of a quick and messy death. Now, away with you!
(After his conversation with Calvert, Nico heads back to the mansion to talk to Desmond. He tells him about his interaction with the disembodied brain, and the tribals)
Desmond: I knew it! I knew that little bastard was behind all of this! After all these years he's finally stuck his head out, and this is my chance to cut if off! Well, figuratively speaking of course
Nico: Who is that brain thing?
Desmond: My old rival. For centuries we've played this game. So close to his family home. Only he would be so stupid. He once was a man named Professor Calvert. The Calverts owned half of Maryland. Back when there was actually a Maryland to own. The members of the Calvert family were influential figures all over the world. They practically owned a deed to the U.S. government
Nico: Really?
Desmond: You better believe it. In their best days, there was no less than three Calvert family senators, seven members of the house, and two governors. They even had a top candidate for president, until that little scandal with the dog forced him to drop out of the race. I was particularly proud of that one. It's not a matter of hate, it's just a matter of destiny. He is my enemy, and I do not suffer any bastard who opposes me to live. I knew he was here, and it's my intent to find him, and call down a righteous hammer on his head. Figuratively, for obvious reasons
Nico: Where's Sarah?
Desmond: The half-wits were getting messages from the professor, so he's off somewhere broadcasting to them. But without those buggers to do things for him, he can't do much for himself. We cut off his ability to talk to them, and I can find the squishy little worm and finish him off for good. Your friend should be back any minute now
(Nico gets back into his power armor, and Sarah comes down the stairs)
Sarah: I put the jammer on top of the ferris wheel. The professor is officially on the block list
Nico: Sarah!
(Nico sprints towards Sarah and picks her up in a hug. She can't help but let out a tiny laugh)
Sarah: Nico, you just saw me a couple hours ago. What brought this on?
Nico: I'll explain later. For now, I'm just thankful you're here
Desmond: Excellent work
(A faint beep is heard in the background)
Desmond: SHIT! EVERYONE GET IN HERE!
(Desmond opens the hatch to a panic room and climbs inside. Nico and Sarah follow, and they shut the door as the mansion explodes)
