POV Rio
We spent a few days in Sanctuary before we went East to see if the Gunners had left. It seemed like they had indeed moved on, and the way was clear for us. We went to Lake Quannapowitt and cleared out some Mirelurks. We also found some loot, but just past the lake in the north was an isolated house. The house was in very odd condition. It looked nearly pristine. But more strangely was how cold the area around the house was. So we decided to search the house and investigate the strangeness.
The first floor was normal. In fact, it was like the outside, pristine. It was like the house never saw the war. But it also looked too perfect. It had running power, water, and gas. Which seemed very unusual.
"Where are the residents?" I asked out loud.
We all stopped moving and started to look around ourselves, and noticed something very alarming.
"There's no sign of habitation. It's like this place is a picture. Frozen in time. There's no sign anyone has ever lived here, even the kitchen is pristine. No one has lived here, but somehow no one has looted this place either. Don't take anything. This place could be cursed," I warn everyone.
At first, Curie, like most people, doubted my magic abilities, but after she spent a few days with me, she came to accept it as reality. So everyone knew that if I was alarmed and thought this place might be cursed, it was likely at least magical, and they should follow my lead.
We searched the entire first floor and found no signs of life anywhere. Everything was in the same eerie, pristine condition. Our next stop was the second floor. It was like the first floor working lights and no life to be found. Not even a robot that could explain the good condition of the house. We also searched the attic, but in the end we found nothing but the same. Which only left a cellar. We left the house and walked to the back, where there was a cellar door.
The door was the first thing we found that wasn't pristine, but arguably it was even weirder. The door was frozen shut. Completely covered in ice, and the ground near it was also covered in ice and snow. It was getting close to Winter, but it was still a few weeks away, and even then, the ice was clearly coming from the cellar door and only the door. We decided to have Codsworth use his flamer attachment to melt the ice and then open the door.
Ssssssssssssssssss
Steam continued to rise from the cellar door, and when Codsworth opened it, we were all blown back by the burst of freezing cold air. The powerful wind lasted for almost a minute before settling enough that we could approach. Now, usually that wouldn't be a big deal, but what I saw when using my Magic Eyes was alarming. I couldn't really see anything but a bright beacon of magic. I warned everyone, and we started our journey into the cellar. Codsworth led the way with his flamer at the ready.
It seemed that was a good thing, as a beast appeared out of nowhere and attacked Codsworth. At first, I mistook it for a Deathclaw due to its speed and massive claws, but when I heard its scream, I knew it wasn't a Deathclaw. We shined some light, and what we saw was a shaggy man-like creature with pale blue skin, a few strands of hair, a protruding belly, and massive claws on each hand. Its eyes were nearly pitch black, and its mouth was full of gnarled and crooked teeth and sharp fangs. Its face and hands were covered in blood, the look in its eyes made it clear it was very hungry, and we were its lunch.
We opened fire, and its scream forced Preston and Dogmeat to cover their ears. I was at least able to fold my ears to lessen the impact so I could return fire immediately. Curie shot her laser at it, and I used a shotgun to blast it in the head. Preston recovered and started to open fire. The creature used one of its massive hands to protect its head and the other to swipe Dogmeat out of the way and into a wall. Codsworth tried to use its flamer, but it was damaged, forcing him into fisticuffs, as he calls it.
Thanks to the narrow environment we were in, the creature had little space to maneuver, which meant it was taking more damage than it could dish out. With Codsworth and Curie tanking its hits and Preston and I shooting from a distance, we injured it pretty badly. But just as we thought we might have it on the ropes, I suddenly felt a massive surge of magic and tried to warn everyone to get back, but it was too late.
FWOOOOSH
A wave of ice was shot from the creature, and Curie, Dogmeat, and Codworth were all turned into frozen statues. Preston was also badly damaged, and I took a little damage as I could get farther away. It smashed the frozen statues and caused massive damage to Curie, Dogmeat, and Codworth. So much so that all three were knocked unconscious. Preston tried to shoot the creature, but he didn't last much longer, leaving only me and the creature. It had a lot of bleeding wounds and was clearly not in the best shape, so I just kept firing while charging up a spell.
It kept coming, but much slower than before, and right as it got within 5 feet of me, it lunged at me. While it was in the air, I unleashed the spell. A spear of fire hit the creature squarely in the face and launched it back.
SCREEEEEECH
It loudly screamed while squirming on the ground. I rushed closer and took out my shotgun, which slows time when aiming, and fired two shots point-blank into its face. Its head exploded from the damage, and it went rigid for a second before slumping into a pile on the ground. Once I was certain it was dead, I sat down, and everyone regained consciousness.
"Jesus, what was that thing?" Preston said while walking over to the creature.
"A Wendigo, I think," I said with little confidence.
"A what?" Preston asked.
"A Wendigo, it's a human that was so hungry that it started to eat the flesh of humans. Or someone who fell to their dark cravings and devolved into that creature. You can think of them as an offshoot of a Feral Ghoul, as they can be found leading hordes of Ferals. But these things are mostly found in Appalachia, not all the way north here in the Commonwealth, or at least I thought they didn't," I respond the best I can.
"And they can all do that ice thing?" Preston asks.
"I hope not. That was magic. And pretty strong magic at that," I reply.
"Wait, that was magic? Like real, genuine magic?" Curie asked.
"Yes, and I told you magic was real. Not my fault you didn't believe me until now," I retort.
I get up and we start to search the cellar. It wasn't that hard, as there wasn't much cellar left to explore. We found the eaten corpses of humans in various states of decay. And even many frozen corpses.
"I guess this is that thing's food storage. Scary to think that thing was smart enough to know how to preserve its food. But it's good we it killed when we did, the amount of bones and corpses here indicates it's been hunting for a while. Odd that I never heard about this place," Preston comments.
"And it doesn't explain the house. Why is the house in such good condition with a cannibalistic monster just below it?" I ask aloud.
No one has an answer, and we get to the end, and I freeze. In front of me is a 7-foot-tall mirror on a stand. What really caught my attention was the massive amount of magic the mirror was almost tangibly radiating. It was so strong I could almost taste the magic in the air. This mirror was an artifact and an extremely powerful one at that. I approached it and touched the mirror. The glass was crystal clear and rippled like a basin of water when it was touched.
"Hmm, let me try something. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" I chant.
I wait for a few seconds, but nothing happens, so I recall the incantation and try again.
"Slave in the magic mirror, come from the farthest space, through wind and darkness I summon thee. Speak! Let me see thy face," I said with gusto.
That didn't work either.
"Hmm, uh, well, since it's not on the wall, maybe you have to say something else?" Codsworth offers.
"Hmm, okay, let's try that," I reply.
I get into position and think of what I will say.
"Magic mirror on the stand, who's the fairest in the land?" I chant.
Nothing happens again.
"Well, I only have one other guess, but I doubt it will work, but just in case, stand back," I warn everyone.
They all step back a bit, and I spit in each hand and then give the mirror a tough look.
"Open Sesame!" I shout.
That also fails.
"Well, I've done all I can do," I say with a shrug of my shoulders.
Everyone gives me a blank look, and I try and think of what else to try. But then I feel like I have seen a similar situation.
'Where was that from?'
I stare at the mirror and then think of something. I put my hand up to it and then plunge it inside. I feel a small pull and then pull my arm out. My arm seemed fine, and I noticed another thing.
'The cold is coming from the mirror. And I think I feel cold air coming from it.'
"I'm going to try something. I will tie a rope around me. If I don't come back out after 2 hours, pull the rope and reel me back here. Alright?" I look at everyone, and they all nod.
I get the rope out and secure myself, and then I take a deep breath and walk through the portal.
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Authors Note:
Oh, a Wendigo that has ice powers, hmm. And now, a mysterious mirror that is seemingly made of liquid and has cold air coming from it. I wonder what it could all mean. If you are wondering why Rio is taking the risk and walking into it, well, if he dies, he will just respawn, and he doesn't want to just grab the mirror and leave, as that could mess up the mirror's magic. Or he might not be able to store the mirror at all. Until next time, Ciao.