I never thought that I would decide on this. But I do know for a fact that meeting the locals is a dumb idea. If I remember, the Castle of the Two Sisters was still relatively stable and not many visited it. Unless I'm forgetting something. Nevertheless, it's time to move.
Moving further into the Everfree I look down at my pip-boy and see that it's getting late, but not late enough to put a stop to my current plan. That plan is to fortify and make the Castle my own and maybe pick up that shield I left behind. I could figure out a way to modify it to fit my arm better. 'Though with the pip-boy being on my left arm... I might have to figure something out eventually. Shouldn't be too hard,' I think to myself as I plant a boot on a log that is laid across a river, testing its rigidity. Wouldn't want to fall in now would I? That would not be fun to dry out all this armor.
"Seems stable enough..." I mumble, but just to be sure I secure it with a few large rocks scattered about the place. I make it to the other side and continue my hike back to the castle while just haphazardly swinging my machete about the place. I'd really love to get a masterwork sword at some point. Though my machete will do for now if I'm just hacking through stuff. I am somewhat surprised that my physical capabilities have improved greatly. I'm not sure why but hey I ain't gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. I used to be able to only lift things around 230 pounds if deadlifting but now it feels like I can deadlift 500. Which is bloody brilliant. Seems like I'm getting closer according to my map on my pip-boy.
Clearing my throat, I take off my helmet and take a swig from my Vault 13 Canteen. Feeling the wind pass over my short hair feels nice for sure, especially being that it's humid as hell. But I need to push through the annoyance. 'This armor could save my life one day. So I ain't taking it off unless necessary,' I chuckle a small bit at that thought. Makes me sound like a Mandolorian from Star Wars. But this armor could indeed save my life. 'If any of those Timberwolves had gotten close enough...' I shake my head to clear those thoughts. As long as I was cautious and not over-zealous I couldn't be touched. Especially with some help from that amulet.
I had to be careful, though. Who knows how it would affect a human? Definitely wouldn't be good. We are, after all, masters of deception and chaos but also ingenuity and innovation. We can adapt and overcome extreme odds. Though I ain't so confident in my chances here due to the massive Hydras, Chimeras, and Dragons to name a few. The Cockatrice is something I must look out for after that scare earlier. Never again, please and thank you.
It's been about... 4 hours since I got back and I've made decent progress on a few repairs. Well, I say repairs when I really mean I've cleared out a few piles of rubble and moved them to the sections of wall that have been destroyed.
"This is going to take a very very long time..." I say to myself while sighing. I would use the amulet, but I don't want to take the risk unless needed. I'd prefer to do many hours of labor rather than go insane. Sanity is very vital to my survival and I would not like to lose it to some piece of cursed jewelry.
"Well, I've got all the firewood I could want... Enough stones to create a few very very primitive walls to keep things the Hell away from me...," I list off, muttering to myself until I remember something I wanted to do, "Oh, right. That shield. Where was it again?" I ponder aloud as I wander the corridors. "If memory serves me right, it should be around... Here!" Opening the door, I turn on my headlamp and begin to look around for the shield. It takes me a few minutes but I do eventually find it propped up where I left it. No wonder the damn thing was so uncomfortable to hold. The damn strap has come loose and it's made for a pony.
Grabbing the shield I begin to walk back to the throne room, marking the way to the armory with my machete. This will most likely be the way I get around for a while, marking arrows into the stone. It'll dull my blade a bit faster than normal but I should expect that seeing as my machete is my most valuable tool at the moment. I don't want to lose this thing.
"Let's see here," I once again mumble to myself, listing off what I have in my pip-boy storage to modify this shield. The shape isn't an issue. It's just a normal heater shield. The magic must've kept it preserved. I do wonder why this is the only thing to really stay usable in the armory. Eh, I can't be bothered to understand it. Like most things that I ignore I most likely have something better to be doing. Which I do.
Flipping the shield around in my hands, I inspect the coat of arms painted on the face. It's faded, but it does seem to be an eagle. Reminds me of the Austrian Eagle, actually. If I find some paint I could probably touch it up a bit. That is if I survive that long of course. I have no plans on dying early. I will see this damned thing through to the end and go down fighting tooth and nail.
Sitting down I take off my helmet and pull out some scraps of cloth I have in my pip-boy. Looking at the leather strap, it's still salvageable but not usable as a brace. I could however attempt to reinforce it a small bit. So that's exactly what I did. Taking the kevlar-like cloth I had in reserve I began to layer it in a fashion that provided a type of cushion underneath where my arm went. My pip-boy could easily be shifted to fit if the shield was on my arm. Thinking of something else to add, I made a long strap to attach to the buckles on either end of the shield's edge. That way I could wear it on my back. It's starting to finally come together. A few more hours and the reinforcement and modifications will be complete for now. This shield will be valuable for sure.
Finally... It's done. It's late-night now, but the shield is complete. Everything has been repaired to the best of my ability which isn't saying much at all, but it's something. It's made of steel too which is a massive plus and it's quite thick. That means, by my very rough calculations, it should withstand those Timberwolves and most attacks by smaller beings. Maybe even a Chimera. I don't like my chances against them though. So I'll use my .357 on them. Should be able to punch through just about everything in this damned forest. Hopefully.
I'll need to practice with this new weight though. Both strapped to my back and strapped to my arm. I'll need to do some exercises and some more cleaning up with it on. That way I don't find myself off balance in a shitty situation. That would be really bad. As I get up, I adjust the newly created sling on the shield and affix it to my back firmly. Gotta make sure it works properly, eh?
Popping my neck, I begin to do some more cleaning up with the newly added weight. It's not much, but my balance is certainly off. Definitely a good idea to practice. Better yet I get things done while getting used to the shield. So that's a win-win in my book. Any protection I can get is nice at this point. Looking up at the sky, I can see it's getting extremely late. It's almost 2:00 am. Yikes. Moving over to the room I designated as my bedroom, I take off my helmet, shield, but keep my revolver by my hand. Just in case.
Once I make sure to lock the door, even though it's old, more things between me and whatever is in the forest is good enough for me. Opening my pip-boy I take out the Alicorn Amulet and examine it closer. It radiates darkness and power. I feel... drawn to it.
"No! No... maybe not today. Not unless I'm forced to." I tell myself as I put the Amulet back into the pip-boy. I am not taking that risk. But I have a bad feeling that in the future something will force my hand, and reveal my ace.