บท 234: Mad House

The duo leaves the room and Klaus seems pleased by their looks. Perhaps he didn't know hat Anja was female? Or maybe he just didn't care in the first place. At his side was a floating Mister Handy that was currently holding a saucer that had a cup of tea atop it... Where Klaus managed to acquire tea is beyond Afton, but that's what it appeared to be.

"Y-you both l-look wonderful... M-Mister Handy c-could you perhaps start preparing a meal with our guests?"

The robot answers in the affirmative and floats away into another room, Klaus himself stands up and waddles towards different door than the robot had entered. "C-come with me."

They follow and are led through a hallway covered in photos, paintings, and other things you'd not expect to see nowadays in the wasteland. All of which seemed to be related to this house... Why could Afton infer this? Well, because all of the pictures and paintings were set on the porch of the house he was currently in.

The strangest thing was the fact that Klaus seemed to be in every one of them... Using VATS to stop time, he looked through them all and determined that Klaus looked healthier the older the photos and painting were. In fact, all of the people around Klaus seemed to be deteriorating as well...

Afton was struggling to wrap his mind about how this had come about, he must have somehow had the art and photos made years ago, there simply wasn't any other answer to it. Though, if he wanting to put his conspiracy hat on, this could also mean that Klaus was somehow immortal, or had a very, very long lifespan... Considering the house in the oldest painting had green foliage around it meant that it was either based on pre-war, or made during it.

He stops VATS and continues walking, not letting Klaus know he'd noticed something odd about the paintings. The next room they enter seems to be some sort of dining room, immediately Afton noticed that the number of chairs set outmatched the number of people Klaus had in the oldest painting.

He and Anja sat down at the opposite end of the table to Klaus as the man pulled an old-looking bottle of wine from the cupboard, "W-would you like some? I-It's a vintage."

Afton shakes his head and Anja copies him, despite eyeing the bottle of wine hungrily. She'd gained a sense for what's valuable and what's not during her time on the run, and she could certainly see just how valuable that bottle was.

Afton taps the table impatiently while going over what he knew about the man, before eventually realising he had exactly the Perk that could help him out here... [Living Anatomy].

Quickly, he enters VATS and uses it, gaping at what he sees.

[Klaus Seidel]

Health : 99%

Stamina : 80%

DT : 1

Strength : 2

Perception : 5

Endurance : 3

Charisma : 4

Intelligence : 9

Agility : 2

Luck : 5

Ailments :

[Hunchback] : Reduces charisma by 3 and agility by 4.

[Stutter] : Reduces charisma by 1.

[Insanity] : Causes the afflicted to act in unusual ways, can cause self-harm and other self-destructive behaviours.

[Ghoul Variant] : Reduces the stability of the mind as time passes, causes physical disabilities as time passes, grants biological immortality, grants immunity to radiation and the ability to absorb it, grants immunity to most diseases, viruses, parasites, etc.

[Ghoulification] : Depending on the will of the person afflicted they will slowly become more feral as time continues, eventually rendering them a mindless creature that only acts on instinct. Ghoulification at 70%.

Afton's eyes widen at the information before him, Klaus was a Ghoul? Not only that, a Ghoul who doesn't have necrosis ravaging his body. Though, that wasn't the most striking thing about the information before him... Klaus was insane! Literally!

Afton was currently going or whether or not it'd be correct to just shoot the man now and save them all the trouble of fighting... He shakes his head, the man might be insane but, maybe he isn't bad enough to start indiscriminately attacking passersbys... Right?

Deactivating VATS, Afton makes a show of looking down at his Pipboy and frowning, "Ah, sorry Klaus, seems like something urgent has come up. We need to see to it now, Anja." he says, his companion following his direction.

Klaus raises a brow, "T-that's a P-pipboy 3000 is it not? I-I thought all reception aside from radio waves h-have stopped working?" he says, causing Afton to still... Yeah, this guy knew what was up.

Afton shakes his head, "If you put it like that then I'll have to be impolite. I don't feel comfortable and want to leave, is that fine with you Klaus?"

The man sighs, slowly standing from the table, "I-If that's what you want to do, a s-shame the f-food I have p-prepared will go uneaten." he says, walking towards the door on the opposite side of the room from them.

Anja breathes a sigh of relief, walking towards the door that'd lead to the exit, though, as soon as she tries to open it, a loud *Clank!* could be heard, and almost immediately after the ground she was standing on opens up and allows her to drop through. Anja managing to yelp in surprise as she'd funnelled down the metal shaft.

...

Afton is so surprised he's almost stuck in place, fortunately he'd learned his lesson from his last near-death encounter and unconsciously activates VATS in time for him to regain his composure... Sure, Anja had literally just been dropped through a Scooby-doo-like trap, but he was 60% sure she'd be fine. Mad scientist types like Klaus tended to lean towards the James Bond death rays compared to the swift end of a bullet.

While time's stopped he turns and spots Klaus shutting the door to the next room with a sadistic grin on his face, Afton resumes time and fires a couple shots at him, but all of them spark off of the door... It was made from metal but painted to look like wood?! Afton wondered what else in the house wasn't as it seemed.