POV Rio
I was almost level 20 by the time we arrived at Graygarden, and I earned the final experience needed when I passed three Speech Checks and persuaded Supervisor Greene to pay me 300 caps for correctly guessing his vocal programming origin as a game show host, rather than taking the free car. I had been planning where to place my skill points and ended up with the following placements.
Skills:
Cracking: 50 ---> 75
Barter: 1
Energy Guns: 1
Explosives: 1
Guns: 1
Magic: 20 ---> 50
Medicine: 1
Melee Weapons: 1
Science: 50 ---> 100
Sneak: 49
Survival: 1
Unarmed: 1
I chose to boost my Cracking so I could get the ability to unlock any level of lock or terminal. The rewards for level 100 would likely be the inability to fail hacking or lockpicking, but I thought that wasn't needed. Boosting my Magic was just a nice investment given the utility that Magic can give me. Such as Scrying and Healing Magic. I could technically learn this without the point investment, but it would take longer and would be far harder to use. Science was maxed out as it gave me far more options compared to almost anyone else. I had access to technologies that some would never be able to get, and could now upgrade my weapons and armor to the best they can be.
As for perks, I chose the following:
Inspirational Rank 3
Rank 1: Because you lead by example, your companion does 25% more damage in combat, cannot hurt you, and is much stealthier.
Rank 2: Your companion has +50 Damage and Energy Resistance, can't be harmed by your attacks, and can't trigger enemy mines.
Rank 3: Your companion takes 30% less damage, carries 50 additional weight, and does not consume ammunition.
Master Tinker Rank 3
Rank 1: You can salvage uncommon components when scrapping weapons and armor. You can also craft Tinker's Receivers for pipe weapons.
Rank 2: You can salvage rare components when scrapping weapons and armor. Items with favorited components are highlighted while your weapon is wielded.
Rank 3: You gain 50% more components when scrapping items in your settlements. Additionally, you can create and sell specialized toolboxes for profit.
Forest Sovereign Rank 2
As ruler of Thicket, you draw strength from nature itself and lead with ancient wisdom.
Rank 1: Regenerate Mana and AP 25% faster when standing on natural ground or near plant life.
Rank 2 (Level 16): Forest-dwelling creatures (non-bug) are no longer hostile and may randomly come to your aid. (X)
Rank 3 (Level 28): Environmental hazards (poison gas, spores, roots) no longer affect you; instead, you gain a small buff when exposed.
Rank 4 (Level 40): Once per day, automatically activate Gaia's Protection — If you would take lethal damage, you are instantly replaced by a wooden body double and you are transported away from the danger.
Since I was going to travel with Companions, it made sense to buff them and avoid friendly fire. Master Tinker was chosen to increase the amount of materials I get from scrapping items both in and out of Settlements. And with a post-apocalyptic world, resources are very valuable. Forest Sovereign was a perk that just made a lot of sense to grab. Natural Ground was nearly everywhere. I could even get the benefit if I just put some dirt on the ground and stood on it. And the second rank made it so any forest-dwelling creature would no longer be hostile. Which included things like Radstags, Yao Guais, Wolves, Mongrels, Mega Sloths, and other like creatures. It also included places that weren't exactly forests. Such as Swamps, Bogs, Jungles, Savannahs, and basically anything that has trees.
Now I didn't know that to be the case when I got the perk, but I did have the suspicion that it would be the case. Once I was done distributing my perk and skill points, I sold some things to Greene and then talked with Supervisor White. Her task was to go to the nearby water treatment plant and get the pumps working again. On the surface, it seems simple, but a quick look made it clear that the place was under the control of Super Mutants.
'Hmm, I wonder if the Institute placed the Super Mutants here on purpose, or if the mutants just decided to live here on their own.'
Before attempting to attack the plant, I instead took a quick trip to a nearby settlement. Oberland Station. However, when I arrived, it was empty. After looking around, I found some signs of struggle and some long-dead crops.
"Who do you think did this?" I ask everyone.
"Hmm, I think it might have been Gunners. Greenskins would have made a much larger mess and might have even taken over this place. Raiders would have also likely taken the place, or at least left a message. Plus, you can see burn marks. This points towards laser weapons. Greenskins can use lasers, but raiders rarely do so," Preston responds with an angry face.
"Hmm, but look here. This looks melted. Lasers can do that, but it's more likely for Plasma to do this. And almost no one uses plasma due to how hard it is to get the ammo, and its slow firing speed," I say while pointing to the melted material.
"Not sure then. I haven't heard of anyone other than the highest-ranking members of the Gunners using Plasma weapons, but they wouldn't travel to a random settlement and wipe it out or capture its people. Or at least not usually. They would send the new recruits or grunts to this kind of work," Preston says with a confused look.
We decided to leave, but not before I claimed the Workshop. Then we started to circle the Weston Water Treatment Plant to see what the best approach would be. While doing so, we activated the Relay Tower 1DL-109. But we didn't investigate the radio signals until after we were done with the current quest. I also told them that the Super Mutants were likely only found on the outside. And to expect Mirelurks inside. I gave Preston a new weapon that wasn't as slow and weak as the Laser Musket, as he now had infinite ammo for all but explosive weapons. The weapon was an automatic M14. I also gave him a shotgun for close range.
"Okay, I think the best approach would be a 2 pronged attack. Preston, you and Codsworth will attack from the South. You will draw the attention while Dogmeat and I start taking them out from long range in the North. Eventually, the dumb dumbs will figure out what is happening and likely split their forces up. But hopefully by then it will be too late. You can back off to draw them farther away if they start to get close. Any questions?" I say while looking at everyone.
No one has a question, so we start executing the plan. Once Preston starts the distraction, I start taking out the Super Mutants one by one with my silenced M14. By the time only a couple of Super Mutants are left, they realise something is off and try to retreat to the plant. They fail, and the outside is captured with no issues. Preston and Codsworth were relatively unharmed, and as companions, they healed over time, unlike me.
We moved inside, and I thought of an interesting idea. I could activate all the pumps from a long distance using my magic. But then I thought of the issues that could cause. The Mirelurks would cause damage if they lived here for a long time. Or they would leave the plant and cause problems for someone else. I didn't want to make a mess or have to come back here because I didn't do everything I needed to do. So I decided to clear out the plant.
Clearing out the plant was long and a bit annoying. It wasn't just Mirelurks we had to deal with, but also turrets. The Mirelurks themselves were a pain to kill because of their shells and how they hunker down whenever you try to attack them from range. I had to admit they were a well-designed evolution. My bow was made practically useless unless I could hit them right in the soft parts, like their eyes. As for melee weapons. Dogmeat just had to sit back and watch for the most part. At most, he could distract the Mirelurks or hold some of their legs.
I didn't get anything interesting for loot, just some scrap. Once all the pumps were back online, I went back to Graygarden. I was given access to the Workshop and given around 100 caps. By the time all that was done, it was past 1 am. But I decided to do a couple more things while we had the time. I flew up to the overpass and over to the crashed Vertibird. When I got up there, I found a full suit of T-51B Power Armor and some ammo. I got into the armor and then jumped off the Overpass to Preston. I wasn't sure if I should wear it or him, but I decided to have Preston wear it for now, as I intended to look into the Distress Beacon from the Brotherhood of Steel.
I might be their sworn enemy, but I somehow doubted that the Brotherhood could hold the Cambridge Police Station from a massive horde of Feral Ghouls. It just didn't seem feasible.
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Authors Note:
In case it isn't obvious yet, I am using a mod for some of the perks. The mod is called Creative Perks by GraffitiNoise. I am not using all the perks from that mod, but I am using some. Until next time, Ciao.