Kai stepped out of the saloon, his next destination set—Primm. But before heading there, he decided to make a quick stop at the Goodsprings' graveyard. Outside, he spotted a familiar sight—a Securotron with a grinning cowboy face displayed on its monitor.
Victor.
Kai approached, offering a casual nod. "Hey."
Victor's screen flickered, his digital expression beaming with its usual cheerful energy. "Howdy, pardner! Might I say, you're lookin' fit as a fiddle."
Kai smirked slightly. "Thanks for digging me out of that grave."
Victor gave a chuckle, his wheels shifting slightly as he adjusted his stance. "Don't mention it! Always ready to lend a helpin' hand to a fella in need."
Kai studied the robot for a moment before offering a genuine, "Still… I appreciate it. Take care, Victor."
"Happy trails, friend!" Victor tipped his virtual hat as Kai turned and walked away.
With that, he set out, heading south along Interstate 15. The Mojave stretched endlessly before him—dusty roads, rusted wrecks, and the ever-present threat of danger lurking beyond the broken asphalt.
Not long into his journey, movement caught his eye.
A man in ragged clothing emerged from behind a rock, waving frantically. "Hey! You there! Please, I need help!"
Kai recognized him instantly—Barton Thorn. A scam artist, known for luring travelers into ambushes with a sob story about a trapped girlfriend. Instead of calling him out, Kai decided to play along.
He furrowed his brow, pretending to be concerned. "What's wrong?"
Barton put on his best desperate expression. "It's my girl! She's trapped up on that ridge, surrounded by Geckos. I tried to get to her, but they almost tore me apart." He gestured frantically toward a rocky path. "Please, you have to help her!"
Kai glanced toward the ridge, as if considering it. "Where exactly?"
Barton pointed. "Just past that broken radio tower—take a right, follow the trail up. Hurry!"
Kai nodded. "I'll see what I can do."
Barton's face lit up with relief. "Thank you! Please be quick!"
Kai turned and started walking, but as he moved, he risked a glance over his shoulder. Barton had already stopped looking distressed—his lips curled into a smirk, certain that his trap had been set.
Kai had other plans.
As he neared the ridge, he crouched and pulled out his Varmint Rifle.
He spotted a few Geckos scuttling near the path. He exhaled slowly, lined up his shot, and squeezed the trigger. The rifle cracked, and a Gecko dropped. Another turned toward the sound—crack, another clean shot.
The noise stirred the rest of the pack. Kai saw them darting toward him, their claws skittering over the rocks. He switched to his Caravan Shotgun, took a breath, and activated V.A.T.S.
Time seemed to slow as he lined up his shots. Boom! A Gecko's body crumpled mid-charge. Boom! Another tumbled, its momentum carrying it a few feet before stopping. The last one lunged—Kai sidestepped and fired, sending it rolling lifelessly down the hill.
With the threat gone, he reached the top… and just as he expected, there was no girl.
Instead, a stash sat waiting—a footlocker, a duffel bag, a fridge, and a long-dead body of some unlucky soul. Kai rummaged through the supplies, finding leather armor, 10mm ammo, food, and an old camera.
Satisfied, he turned back down the hill, but as he neared the base, Barton stepped out from behind a boulder, a pistol in hand.
"Well, look at that," Barton sneered. "You actually cleared them out." He waved the gun lazily. "Thanks for that. Now, if you don't mind, I'll be taking that stash—and whatever you're carrying."
Kai didn't hesitate.
"I'm not sorry for this."
Before Barton could react, Kai drew his shotgun in one smooth motion. The blast echoed through the canyon, and Barton's body crumpled to the ground—headless.
Kai stepped over the corpse and crouched, searching his pockets. A handful of caps, some ammo, a half-eaten snack. Not much, but better than leaving it to rot.
Standing up, he gave one last glance at the lifeless scammer.
"Should've picked a different line of work."
Without another word, he turned south, heading toward Primm.
Kai continued his journey south, the Mojave sun beating down as he trekked along Interstate 15. The wasteland was anything but empty—throughout the afternoon, he encountered packs of coyotes and aggressive Geckos lurking near the road.
The first few were easy enough to pick off from a distance with his Varmint Rifle, but as the numbers grew, he had to switch tactics. When a pack of coyotes lunged at him, he quickly swapped to his Caravan Shotgun, unloading shells into the charging beasts. Blood splattered the cracked pavement as the final coyote yelped and collapsed.
Kai wiped the sweat off his brow, then knelt down to loot the bodies. He skinned the coyotes for their fur and took the meat—survival in the Mojave meant making use of everything. The Geckos weren't much different; their hides and meat would fetch a decent price.
After hours of traveling and battling, he felt a shift—a familiar notification appeared in front of him:
Welcome to Level 3.
A screen displayed his available skill points—13 in total. Wasting no time, he allocated them carefully:
###
Barter – 7
Energy Weapons – 25 (+3)
Explosives – 25 (+2)
Guns – 42
Lockpick – 25 (+5)
Medicine – 25 (+2)
Melee Weapons – 35
Repair – 25 (+1)
Science – 25
Speech – 20
Sneak – 42
Survival – 25
Unarmed – 23
###
With his newfound experience, he also selected two new perks:
Confirmed Bachelor – In combat, you do +10% damage against male opponents. Outside of combat you also became more persuasive with men .
Lady Killer – In combat, you do +10% damage against female opponents. Outside of combat you also became more persuasive with women .
By the time he reached the outskirts of Primm, the sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the desert. It was around 4:00 PM when he finally spotted the scattered buildings in the distance, a sign that he was nearing civilization—if it could even be called that anymore.
As he approached the entrance, an NCR trooper stationed nearby stepped forward, raising a hand to stop him.
"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going? Primm's off-limits," the trooper said, his expression grim.
Kai, unfazed, shrugged. "I can take care of myself."
The trooper scoffed but didn't argue. "It's your ass. Don't say you weren't warned." With that, he turned and returned to his post, letting Kai through.
Kai stepped onto the bridge leading into Primm, immediately spotting something concerning—landmines. He moved carefully, scanning the ground and sidestepping each explosive until he safely reached the other side.
Just as he took in the sight of the ruined town, a gunshot rang out.
Kai barely had time to react before escaped convicts rushed at him from behind the wreckage of abandoned cars and buildings. The Powder Gangers.
With no time to hesitate, Kai dove behind a rusted truck for cover, gripping his rifle. He leaned out, took aim, and squeezed the trigger. The first convict dropped, clutching his chest. Another tried to rush him with a tire iron, but Kai switched to his shotgun and blasted the man away at close range.
The last one fired wildly, missing every shot. Kai exhaled, lined up his sights, and put him down with a clean shot between the eyes.
Silence returned to Primm.
Kai stood over the fallen convicts, looting their bodies for ammo, caps, and supplies before finally turning his gaze to the dimly lit casino ahead.
Vikki and Vance Casino.
He took a breath, reloaded his weapons, and pushed open the doors.
As Kai stepped inside the dimly lit Vikki and Vance Casino, he barely had a moment to take in the old gambling machines and the musty scent of cigarette smoke before a voice called out to him.
"I don't know what brought you to Primm, youngster, but you might want to rethink your plans. Town's gone to hell."
Kai turned to see an older man with a weathered face, taking a slow drag from a cigarette. His eyes held the kind of exhaustion that came from seeing too much.
Kai narrowed his gaze slightly. "Who are you?"
The man exhaled a puff of smoke before replying, "Johnson Nash's my name. Husband to Ruby Nash. Lived in Primm going on eight years now—thick and thin. I'm a trader, for what it's worth with things like they are. I also run the local Mojave Express outpost."
Hearing this, Kai's attention sharpened. "I'm a courier with the Mojave Express."
Nash shook his head. "Well, I don't got any work right now, sorry to say."
Kai crossed his arms. "I lost a package I was supposed to deliver."
At that, Nash's expression shifted slightly. "I'll tell you whatever I can. Do you have a delivery order you can show me?"
Kai reached into his pack, pulling out the crumpled delivery order. Nash took it, his eyes scanning the paper before he let out a low whistle.
"Oh, so you're talking about one of them packages," he muttered. "That job had strange written all over it. But we couldn't turn down the caps."
Kai's jaw tightened. "Some men stole my package. A guy in a checkered suit and some thugs. Did they pass this way?"
Nash tapped the paper thoughtfully before nodding. "Well, now that you mention it… a few nights back, one of the townies was out scavenging for supplies. He said he saw a fella with a daisy suit come through with some of them Great Khan misfits. They were talking about a chip."
Kai's eyes darkened. "One of those men shot me. I need to know the best way to find them."
At this, Nash leaned back slightly. "Well, for that, your best bet is talking to Deputy Beagle. Since those guys came to town, he's been keeping notes on them, sneaking around the Bison Steve Hotel when your pretty-boy friend passed through. He might've heard where they were headed."
Kai considered this before asking, "What about the sheriff?"
Nash chuckled dryly. "Sheriff's long gone, son. But hey—don't go getting yourself shot again," he added as he handed back the delivery order.
Kai took the paper, nodded once, and turned toward the exit. He had a lead. Now it was time to follow it