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Post by blackpapermoon on Oct 29, 2012 18:47:43 GMT -5
It was true what they said about Adder of Freedom, she was just like a snake with eyes and venomous words. Shade would have laughed at her attempt to intimidate him if his situation was not so dire. Despite being surrounded by less than friendly people the assassin was clam, keeping eye contact with the freedom woman as she regarded him with anger and disgust. However just as he was going to open his mouth to begin negotiations with the commandant Morak began again with the slurs this time directed at the Freedomer.
“Clearly I would not be here begging for entry if I had other means,” said the bandit ignoring the rookie Dutyer, “Erwin, find some way of shutting him up the adults are trying to talk.”
“In another twenty or thirty minutes a group of very irate Monolithians will be coming to blow up your barrier,” explained the assassin, “they are armed to the teeth with explosives, as well as incendiary ammo and who knows what else.”
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Post by nuclearstorm on Oct 30, 2012 10:59:33 GMT -5
Eirwen checked her packs and eventually found some cloth. She balled it up and shoved it in Morak's mouth as he swore. Shen then backslapped his face. "Shutup you."
Eirwen turned toward the Freedomer. "Also, if fixing my PDA is possible I would appreciate it. Might be able to tell me about what the hell is-"
There was an explosion in the distance followed by a rallying cry. "For the monolith! Destroy the unclean!" The monolithians had come early. They emerged in swarms heading toward the barrier, firing hails of bullets and tossing their new incendiary grenades everywhere. The barrier quickly became an inferno of death as the monolithians attempted to push forward. Pyre revealed himself, his armor and flesh still burnt. "Burn them in the monolith's cleansing flame!" He joined the other monolithians in throwing incendiary grenades between blasts of his dragon's breath shotgun.
Eirwen reacted immediately to the first explosion, throwing her prisoner behind a piece of cover. She drew her AK and began to return fire. As the area became covered in flame and many freedomers were set aflame she began to act somewhat as a medic, going between flaming freedomers and absorbing the heat of the fire, putting them out.
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Post by blackpapermoon on Jan 4, 2013 22:36:18 GMT -5
The assassin did not appreciate that his subordinate was fraternizing with the freedom woman, and thus give the naïve red head a cool glare. He did not want her to get close to Freedom, so that her head was filled with their nonsense anarchist ways. She was his discovery, although raw and awkward once she acclimated to this hostile world she would be a forced to be reckoned with. He hoped to have this power under his command; with it he could extend the bandits control even more.
However from the back a loud battle cry sounded, followed by shouts of zealots and explosions that rocked the very earth. Shades face displayed an expression that seemed to say that this day was far satisfactory for him.
The bandit was at home in the chaos, weaving in and out of the explosions using them as cover. Killing the attackers as he could, trying to get closer to the leader.
Finally he was in range; his mark was in site, carefully he lined up the shot. He pulled the trigger but his pistols clicked empty. Just then the one eye man turned to see him; he didn’t have time to unsling his m16, as he was taking aim at the assassin. Shade jumped into the air just as the Monolithian let lose a burst of flame. The fire harmlessly passed by the assassin as he leapt into the air; his mid-air kick was stopped by the short man’s shotgun who held it above his head as a means to protect his skull. Tosya unsheathe his knives , and went on the offensive. His attacks were fast and relentless, not allowing the other man to do nothing but to block the blades as the assassin attack.
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Post by Basil on Mar 23, 2013 15:43:22 GMT -5
Right after the man known as "Shade" told Adder about the incoming Monolith raiders, the aforementioned raiders showed up. The Commandant swallowed back the sarcasm she was going to give Shade and shouted:
"Incoming raiders! Kill 'em all!"
At least they were punctual, thought Adder, maybe a bit too punctual. She ran to the closest barricade and vaulted over it, just in time to avoid the first shots of battle. The din of gunfire drowned out the swears, shouts and cries of pain.
Steady hands, steady aim, thought Adder as she looked at her shaking hands. After several gunfights, she'd come to realise how easy it could be to die. A random bullet or some shrapnel could snatch a life in an instant, and this made fighting harder and harder for her. Nevertheless, she got herself under control and waited for a lull in the gunfire to pop off a few shots of her own.
Emerging carefully from behind the sandbag wall, she scanned the battlefield with her scope. She immediately saw several zealots firing at Freedom's positions from behind trees and rocks. She lined up one fanatic's head, waited for him to re-emerge when he ducked out of sight, and as soon as he reappeared she pulled the trigger. The heavy subsonic bullet punched right through the man's forehead, and he slumped limply to the ground.
"Bam", she said, before locating another target. A Monolith trooper was in the process of throwing a grenade. He never finished his move, for a bullet smacked right into the side of his head. The grenade fell to the floor and exploded, injuring several Monolithians and killing a few.
Another brainwashed fanatic got a bullet in the shoulder, having changed position just as Adder pulled the trigger. Adder didn't even bother shooting him again and went to find another target. The poison on the bullet would finish the hapless man off soon enough.
"YA SVOBODA!"
Adder stopped and looked away for a moment, wondering where the hoarse battle cry had come from. She soon saw a Freedomer standing a top the hill and taking aim with an RPG. The rocket flew with a characteristic hissing sound and shot straight for a group of entrenched zealots. There was an explosion and the ground shook. Clods of earth and shattered stones rained down upon Freedom's defenses.
"YA SVOBODA!", shouted Adder as she saw the damage done by the rocket. Three zealots were dead, and two others were trying to drag themselves to cover, only to be finished off by merciless gunfire.
"That's what you get!", shouted Adder as the Monolith's attack began to wither and collapse.
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Post by nuclearstorm on Mar 23, 2013 16:05:11 GMT -5
"Retreat! The monolith will deal with this scum another day!"
Realizing that arriving early - and unprepared - gave the holy monolithian forces too much of a disadvantage to over come, Pyre ordered his men to fall back. Although beaten, they had done their damage. Many of the barricades, or at least the ones that were flammable, were burning to ash. Partly charred corpses of the unclean lay about the ground. The monolith would be back for the rest in time.
____________________________________________________
Eirwen took a sigh of relief. She ensured her prisoner was secure and that the area was clear before leaving cover and returning to talk with Shade and Adder. "Perhaps we should move on quickly. If something like this happens again this bastard might get loose."
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Post by blackpapermoon on Mar 23, 2013 17:39:06 GMT -5
Monolithians retreating, not something you see every day. Normal attacks consisted of human waves and blind charges. These seemed unprepared but had been more tactical then other raiders before them. Shade reloaded his guns as fast as he could to pick off any of the retreating fanatics; more fell before him as they returned to the wood from whence they came.
“Please hold your venomous words,” said the assassin returning after the minor clean sweep, “Yes I know of your sharp tongue; last I saw these raiders were when they meet up with a duty patrol. I thought they would have held up longer, but it seems Duty is just faded glory.”
During the fight Morak had worked to free himself carefully he made sure he was not noticed so even when the girl come to ensured he was secure she did not see.
"Perhaps we should move on quickly. If something like this happens again this bastard might get loose.” The freak replied shyly.”
“Oh you mean like this, bitch,” Yelled the young Dutyer springing up from the ground, dealing Eirwen a sharp punch to the gun he disarmed her AK and firing it once at Shade. He then used the surprise to take hostage Freedoms commandant.
The bandit recoiled form the bullet but the heavy ceramics of his suit protected him from any physical
“No one more or your snake eyed leader will need a body bag,” grunted the ex-military stalker, “I’ll let her free for the bandit.”
“I’m truly sorry for you to mixed up in this,” whispered the Dutyer into Adders ear, “but that man, is an assassin; he killed one of my COs, I need to bring him in.”
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Post by Basil on Mar 23, 2013 18:46:27 GMT -5
Adder's breath was knocked right out of her lungs when the Dutier's arm closed around her neck. She felt the cold steel of a gun barrel being shoved into her jaw.
"Today", she said, "is definitely not a good day."
“No one more or your snake eyed leader will need a body bag", said the Dutier before whispering in her ear: "I’m truly sorry for you to mixed up in this, but that man, is an assassin; he killed one of my COs, I need to bring him in.”
Adder glanced at Shade and his female companion, thoughts racing. She raised her hands slowly, dropping her Vintorez in the process.
"Okay...", she said, looking towards Shade. Then, without warning, both her hands shot down and grabbed the gun the Dutier was holding against her. With surprising strength and using the element of surprise, she bent the Dutier's arm away from her then spun around and proceeded to twist it upwards. The Dutier immediately dropped his weapon and fell to his knees.
"I really hate having guns shoved in my face", she said before slamming her fist into Morak's jaw, sending him sprawling. "Now stay down."
Cheapskate moved in and pointed his AK at the fallen Dutier. Adder contemplated the situation for a moment, rubbing her jaw. She could feel a bruise coming on where the gun's barrel had shoed into her face.
"Now", she said, her voice suddenly cold, "take these two in."
Six guns were raised and aimed at Shade and his companion. Adder moved in, eyeing them with intense suspicion.
"You two have some pretty funny business going on", she hissed. "First you come in with a Duty prisoner, then some Monolith freaks arrive and attack us, and then your prisoner breaks free, takes me hostage and calls you an assassin. I would strongly advise you to tell me absolutely everything on the matter, or I guarantee you will not be leaving this place alive."
And with that, she gave the two stalkers a look so cold and reptilian that all her former humanity seemed to have been wiped away.
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Post by nuclearstorm on Mar 23, 2013 19:15:26 GMT -5
The situation had gone from hopeful to utterly hopeless in no time flat. Eirwen sighed, too annoyed to cry or break out in rage. She turned to Shade.
"Dammit man, do you attract this shit like a magnet?"
She sighed again before replying to Adder.
"Well, quite frankly, I have no fucking clue as to what's going on. I woke up a matter of hours ago, alone, in an abandoned bunker, surrounded by corpses, with no PDA and no memories. Of anything. Ever. As to being with this accused assassin, it was simply out of survival. The duty men chasing him were not ready to ask questions and would have killed me without allowing me to say a word were it not for a lucky break."
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Post by blackpapermoon on Mar 23, 2013 20:30:57 GMT -5
“Yes, I’m what he claims I am,” the bandit sighed, he rarely devolved any information but he’d rather walk away without a fight, “I was hired by a member on the Zaton bandit syndicate to eliminate a Duty procurement officer. My mission was successful, but my exit stratagem failed. I was forced to flee to the Red forest.”
He noted that Eirwen had distanced herself from him, a very wise move. After all this all came down on the head of two men, himself and the Dutyer. Depending on how Adder handled his answers the two of them maybe even the girl would be sharing a shallow gave…or a small tree of that matter.
“During my flight I came a crossed the girl and she tells the truth,” He continued, “we were temporally apprehended by Duty forces and they continued to chase both of us deep into the wood. We ran right into the Monolith forces, lucky dumbass over there had a company of Dutyers with him. We made our escape, but he followed us so we took him captive.”
“I came here seeking sanctuary,” Shade said, “I had hoped my enemy’s enemy would give aid. Make your decision on what to do with us fast, I don’t want keep death waiting”
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Post by Basil on Mar 27, 2013 8:45:45 GMT -5
"The enemy of your enemy so happens to be your enemy", said Adder coldly, "we don't help bandits and assassins. Hell, I've had so many assassins try to kill me that I could write a book on the subject."
Adder turned back to Morak, who still lay on the floor. "You're lucky you're a Dutier. Duty and Freedom have a kind of...'entente' going on. I don't want to see it broken, so you'll be escorted to the path to Rostok."
With that she looked back at Shade and the female stalker.
"As for you two, I'm wiping my hands of you. Freedom wants no part in whatever it is you're doing, so we'll just escort you to the Western edge of the Red Forest and leave you there."
Several Freedomers moved in to escort the Dutier and the other two stalkers. As Morak was dragged to his feet, Adder went over to him and said:
"Sorry for the blows. Pointing a gun at me is never a good idea...also say hi to Rurik for me, eh? It's been ages since I saw him."
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Post by blackpapermoon on Mar 27, 2013 19:12:21 GMT -5
“Your good will is much appreciated,” the assassin replied after the woman had made her judgment, he should have known better. But his arrogance got the better him and put him into a very unfavorable position; by all rights that woman should have killed him where he stood. This was a rookie mistake, one such as himself should not have made in the first place.
The Bandit turned on his heels; he had no reason to hang around as he was clearly not welcomed. The last of the Duty forces that had been tasked with apprehending him was being escorted far from his path.
This was not his cleanest get away, but he got away none the less. His next job in Rostok he would have to be extra careful. Still this mission turned out for the best, for had given the bandits a power to exploit. So he let the escorts lead him to the Western edge of the Red Forest.
“I truly hate that man,” said Morak as he watched the Bandit walk away one again out his reach. He was pulled to his feet and Adder spoke to him.
“-Sorry for the blows. Pointing a gun at me is never a good idea...also say hi to Rurik for me, eh? It's been ages since I saw him."
“Understood ma’am,” he remarked still glare at the bandits as they left the area. Shade signed he saw the girl’s rigid walk and stiff face.
“Relax they won’t shoot us in the back,” he said as he innocently bumped into one of the Freedomer and tucked something into his long coat “and if you keep walking like that you’ll they might think you are guilty of something.”
After they reached the very edge of the woods, the Freedomers stopped and made sure the bandits did not return to the Military Warehouses. After a few minutes they had gotten far enough away, Shade pulled out a H&K USP from the his long duster.
“Here use this,” he called tossing the gun over to Eirwen, “can’t have you armed with a piece of crap; now can we.
Meanwhile one of the Freedomer just realized that his pistol was missing. They turned to confront the bandits but they where gone.
“Bastard thief,” he yelled to nothingness.
The two bandits followed the path to Yantar, for once Shade felt happy it was one those rare times he felt the emotion. Normally his mood was apathetic at best not care and cold, or at worsted plagued with paranoia. He soon found himself humming Rachmaninoff with an odd (for him anyway) spring in his steep. Sure he was stuck in his backwater of the world, but things where good right now. It was amazing what some company could do for a man.
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Post by nuclearstorm on Mar 31, 2013 21:46:06 GMT -5
"As for you two, I'm wiping my hands of you. Freedom wants no part in whatever it is you're doing, so we'll just escort you to the Western edge of the Red Forest and leave you there."
Eirwen sighed in relief, but decided to stay quiet, lest anything she say change the snake eyed woman's mind. Eirwen walked with Shade, visibly nervous. She knew nothing of these people and very little about the odd place she now resides in. After all the death she had seen in the past few hours there was no reason for her to expect these people to just let her leave. She continued to work over scenarios of the people around her attacking and how she would respond, increasing her anxiety level, until Shade noticed and spoke.
“Relax they won’t shoot us in the back, and if you keep walking like that they might think you are guilty of something.”
Eirwen sighed again, realizing she was worrying too much. There had been much death, but these were still people.
"Sorry, It's just..." She trailed off, unsure if showing emotions at a time like this was appropriate. She decided it was not. "I'm just on edge, it's nothing."
Shade tossed a weapon toward her. “Here use this, can’t have you armed with a piece of crap; now can we."
Eirwen barely caught the pistol Shade threw as she was distracted in her own thoughts. "Thanks. So, are we safe now? No more running from crazy religious fanatics or over zealous lawmen from duty?"
[CHECK] Eirwen gains H&K USP
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Post by blackpapermoon on Apr 3, 2013 19:58:39 GMT -5
“Safe is a relative term,” Shade replied scratching his chin thoughtfully, “but we should be free of any human hindrance for a while.”
It was starting to get late as dark gloomy clouds billowed overhead, darkening the Bandit’s hopes of finding shelter before the new storm hit. He’d never admit but he looked forward to the campfire warmed canned gruel that severed as a Stalker’s main food source in the zone. Especially after this mission, any hot food would do.
The closest shelter to them would be a nearby cave, but the assassin was not too keen on staying the night resting in dirt. The two still needed some minor medical treatment, nothing that a few artifacts could not fix. The Wild territories would be free of Dutyers and most stalkers due to the local Bloodsucker nest, but Shade knew of a few safe places to hide out in. They would have just enough time to reach the territories before night fall set up camp and gather the artifacts they would need to treat their wounds.
“Come on, we need to get to the Wild territories before night fall,” he stated taking the lead. They followed the trail past the old ranger station and the bridge to Limansk. They reached the tunnel to the dry lake and science base of Yantar. The factory was clear mainly thanks to the Merc stationed there and their constant patrols and sweeps.
The two bandits skirted around the perimeter being mindful of the always watching guards. Tosya did not need some half-witted sheep follower to demand that they halt so that he and whoever now filled the role as the ecologist’s babysitter could chat over nothing.
One eagle eyed Mercenary did manage to spot them but before he could so much as get a shot off, Shade and Eirwen disappeared behind some bushes and old car wreckage, before sprinting to the muddy path that marked the entrance to the Wild territories.
“The tunnel up a head has more fireball artifacts,” Shade said and motioned his head toward the location clearly marked by the jets of hot air and flame, “grab a few if you want, but do hurry.”
Tossing a bolt in front of him he navigated the anomaly, although his suit could easy hand the tempter the girl’s leather coat could not. He stopped to allow her to pick up a few more fireball artifacts, before walking up the hill. A few neutral Mercs watched them from their high perch of on top of the incomplete blinding as they moved to the clasped underpass. The electric anomaly buzzed as Shade went into his pocket to pull out a new bolt. He tossed the object into the anomaly discharging it before climbed onto one of the cars then leap to a crate staying far from the jumping electricity.
“You don’t want to get zapped,” he said after cleaning the anomaly, and setting his pack down. As the girl crossed he pulled out a can of rations and other food stocks before setting up a fire.
Using a knife he opened the can and sat it next to the now roaring fire.
“Stay put and keep an eye on the food,” Shade remarked slinging his rifle over his shoulder, “I’ll be back shortly.”
Discharging the anomaly the assassin left the shelter; he pulled the veiled hood of his suit over his head and activated his night vision. Upholstering his weapon and he followed the old tracks, just up a head he heard the start of a gunfight. A short lived one at that, the sounds of the fire fight was ended by an angry bestial roar. Not wanting to call attention to himself Shade investigated the situation via the use of his scope.
The lumbering form of a bloodsucker was crouched over the sprawled body of some stalker, it’s tooth covered tentacles latched on to the dead man’s neck. Four other bodies lay sprawled about the area, as the assassin took his shot. The round went clear through the beast’s skull and exited out of the back, sending blood and brains spraying.
With caution he approached the site; the bloodsucker lay slumped over its blood drained victim. Shade kicked the beast off the man and went about looking for lootables, after all it might save him from needing to get closer to the Duty camp and all the trouble that it might bring. He took his time look through the pockets and bags of each man, his search turned up more Vodka and tinned meat then he could carry, a few batter gun and just the item he’d been looking for , a small portion of a Slime artifact.
Hastily he stuffed the chuck into his bag and returned to the camp only to find the tunnel dark and strangely cold.
“Erwin,” he called in a hushed tone had something happen when he was away? He followed the routine that he and used to get into the camp. He found the girl near the remains of the fire, acting desperately to rekindle the dead flame.
“What happen? Did something try to enter the camp?”
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Post by nuclearstorm on Apr 5, 2013 19:13:09 GMT -5
Eirwen was glad to be safe, or at the very least without human hindrance. Surprisingly cheerful, she almost skipped the entire time she walked with Shade, humming a tune. Where she had heard this tune she could not say, but it filled her with happiness nonetheless.
Shade said something about reaching an area called 'wild territories,' not that Eirwen had a clue what he meant or where it was. Besides, she was barely listening as she skipped along. Following Shade's lead they managed to get by a mercenary and eventually reached a bridge.
Eirwen heard Shade mumble something, but the words "fireball artifacts" got her attention.
“Grab a few if you want, but do hurry.”
Eirwen grinned from ear to ear with a look you might expect of a young schoolgirl getting a large bag of candy. She hugged Shade, unable to contain her joy before running down to collect some fireballs. The heat, nigh unbearable for most traveling through the area, warmed her soul and renewed her spirit. She picked up as many fireballs as she could before Shade moved her on. Putting four more fireballs on her belt for a total of five and the extra in her bag, she noticed she felt slightly fatigued. This fatigue, however, was not quite so unbearable as the heat from the artifacts allowed her body to recover.
Shortly after leaving the soothing heat of the fire anomalies, they found themselves in front of another bridge. Shade warned her about the electrical anomalies here before guiding her through them. After leaping over a few objects, Shade started a fire and opened a can of food.
“Stay put and keep an eye on the food,” Shade remarked slinging his rifle over his shoulder, “I’ll be back shortly.”
Eirwen nodded and warmed her hands over the fire and the artifacts warmed her body. Within a few minutes of Shade's departure Eirwen noticed the fire dying. She tried and tried to rekindle it, but every time her hand went near it died even more until it was but a partially burnt chunk of wood. Eirwen cried a few tears, realizing that she was unable to control herself enough to run a simple fire. Frozen tears fell on the charred wood, but she regained composure well before Shade had returned. She put the can of food near a fireball so that it would not freeze.
"Eirwen," Shade said in a hushed tone, “What happened? Did something try to enter the camp?”
Eirwen sighed. "No, it was my fault. I tried to keep the fire up... but my hand stole the flame. I'm sorry, I'm useless." She sighed, upset but holding back her depression as well as she could. "Here, I kept the food from freezing at least." She said, reaching for the can before she stopped herself. "Actually, I probably shouldn't touch the food, but it's there for you." She sighed again. "So, we camping here for the night or are we moving on?"
[CHECK] Eirwen gains 5 fireballs
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Post by blackpapermoon on May 31, 2013 22:01:08 GMT -5
Eirwin was much like a child; the bandit could see a mild innocence about her. Despite doing her very best to clean herself up, he could tell that she had been crying. A gentle hand would be needed with her. Biting back any anger he might have had towards her at the moment he came to her side.
“Yes we are staying here the night,” he calmly remarked as he pulled the fire starting items from his bag, “This is a defensible spot and we won’t have to worry about most mutants.”
“Come here, I’ll help you with the fire,” he replied handing her the items, “but first calm down.”
Once she had relaxed enough he took hold of her hands and then manipulated them to start the fire. During this inter action he caught a weft of her hair, it smelled clean with only the slightest hint of mildew. She clearly had not been in the zone a long time maybe a few days at most. Even if she had remembered her past it would not have been of much help giving how short her stay had been thus far. Now with the fire once again roaring, he placed the can of food back near the fire and began to retrieve bandages and other medical supplies from another pocket in his bag. He cut off a small portion of the Slime artifact and let it warm by the fire, he let the strange jellied artifact melt into a semi liquid slurry then removed it from the hot flames of the fire.
“Let me see that arm,” he stated after she’d given him permission, he rolled up the sleeve to her jacket only to find the injury nearly healed, as if it had been a week old. With curiosity the bandit pulled off one of his gloves and placed his bare hand onto the woman’s wound. He could feel the heat from his body leaving, as she absorbed more of the energy. The assassin kept his hand in place for as long as he could, only removing his hand when he had almost no feeling left. His limb had become blue and he had felt like he had just walked out into the Siberian winter. However when he looked to the girl’s injury he found it was no longer there, but in its stead was a small scar.
“Fascinating,” remarked Tosya surely Yorick would like to know of this, he’d or any other egghead might even pay to meet Eirwin. Either way he’d have to wait for things with Duty to calm down first. He’d give it a week or two, before he’d be able to slip past their guards without one raising the alarm. So long as he kept his head down he should be fine.
The rookie’s extraordinary healing having saved him some time and would allow him more time to work on his own injury. After sanitizing his hands he carefully removed the bandaged from around his neck. With the use of a small hand mirror he surveyed the damage, it was much worse than he originally thought. Soaking a clean gauze pad in alcohol and applied it to his raw and tortured skin, hissing slightly at the dull pain. After soaking the needle thread in the melted Smile artifact, he pushed the sharp point of the needle through the damaged skin beginning the mending process. The assassin grunted and gritted his teeth, his face distorted in discomfort and pain. Although it was not the first time he had to treat himself after a mission, for his body was covered with scars but it was the first time he had to treat such a sensitive area. He could have gotten Eirwin to stich up his injury; she had done a very good job bandaging it in the first place. However he needed more skilled and steady hands for this and thus relied on himself.
Knotting the end of the string after the painful and tedious work, he cut the remainder and tossed both the string and the old blood soaked bandage into the fire. He then replaced the dressing with a fresh clean bandage.
Repacking the medical supplies into his pack he then removed a loaf of bread, slicing it down the middle and filling it with the hot caned rations. He cut the sandwich in half giving one part to Eirwin and keeping the other for himself.
“You need to eat,” he said as he handed her the food, “it might help with your amnesia.”
He let her finish her meal before saying;
“Tell me everything that you remember from today.”
As she told her tail he would ask questions on specific details like height, color, scars etc. When she had gotten done he ordered her to repeat everything that she had just told him, he corrected her each time she left a detail out and if she got lazy on a description.
The whole reason for this was to gage just how much she could re call of the specifics. He did not expect her to tell her whole life’s story he just needed a base line to work from. This was the start of her training as well; close attention to detail was key during a hit and just surviving in the zone. One small missed detail could mean life or death or getting paid or not.
“Alright that’s enough,” he stated after her voice was getting haggard half way through the fifth retelling.
The assassin once again went into his pack and pulled out a bottle of vodka, wrenching off the cap he tossed it deeper into the tunnel. Taking a large gulp of the clear alcohol, he then held out the bottle giving it a little shake.
“Drink?” he offered, she took the glass container then drank from it before passing it back to him. It had been a long time since the assassin enjoyed a bottle of booze with a woman, and he had to admit he did enjoy the girl’s company. So the two sat passing the bottle back and forth until it was empty.
By this time darkness had overcome the zone and the only lights where the warm glow of the camp fire and the ambient buzzing of the anomaly. The wind had begun to blow and the rain begun to fall, but the two remained dry and comfortable in their shelter.
“We should get some rest,” he said, “We have a long trek to the Bandit base in Dark valley tomorrow.”
With that he left her, entering the door less shipping container. Sometime in the past a Stalker had put sleeping pads in the container, most likely intending to use the tunnel as a base. He never returned but the mats he had left where still there. Shade pushed one of the mats towards the back of the metal container and propped himself up for the night. With weapon in hand he fell into sleep hoping maybe for once he’d get a good night’s rest.
Around midnight the storm had broken out into thunder and lightning, causing much crashing and banging. Lurking in all the noise and chaos was a short and squat humanoid; this creature had once been human. A life that it had forgotten so long ago, the only vestiges that remained of the time where a pair of out grown boot that it’s feet stuck out of and a coat that had stretched out to cover it. Spying the light in the tunnel it drew near, knowing that a fire meant pray had to be sleeping nearby.
The anomaly was discharged awaking the tall bandit who jumped to his feet only to be greeted by a crate to his chest. The force of the impact sent Shade flying to the back of the wall of container with enough force left over to move the large metal box as well. He hit the wall the wind knocked out of his lungs, landing on all fours he did not have time to catch his breath as the Dwarf sent a wave of energy over him.
Panting heavily he scuttled out of the death trap that was the container, bringing his pistol to bear he fired at the mutant. The beast knew of the dangers of guns and over time had developed means to protect itself. Upon seeing the male human pull up the small weapon it shielded itself from the bullets.
“Move. Now.” He yelled at the young woman, as he pushed himself to get to cover. Yet another crate smashed against the wall barely missing Shade.
From cover the bandit sighed heavily he had hoped that he would not have to resort to this option. In his early career he had used a potent cocktail of drugs and alcohol as a ‘battle stimulant’. But the continuous use of the drugs sent him into addiction and downward spiral. His drug of choice injectable Methamphetamine, fast working and it was a way to avoid some of the side effects of the stimulant.
Taking a deep inhale the assassin pulled forth a syringe from a protected compartment in his suit, rolling up his sleeve making a makeshift tourniquet. Tensing up his arm he forced the vain to pop, then forced the needle into the vain. The stimulant hit his blood stream near instantly; he could feel it working its way throughout his body. He gained awareness and a new found energy and vigor, his heart beat faster, senses sharpened and pain was dulled. More large items flew past as the assassin stepped out of cover his reflexes much faster than before. Both pistols drawn he fired at the Dwarf who fell back to his shields. The spread of the bullets and the rate of fire was much more than the mutant bargained for, it’s resolve weakening. Instead of maintain the shield it dropped them allowing itself to take some damage. It used its powers to lift a crate and throw it at the tall bandit that dodged rolled out of the way reloading his weapons as he did so. Everything in the battle was clear things seemed to move slower than normal.
However the effects were not as long lasting as Shade would have hoped, he could feel the effects wearing off. He would make one last gambit before the drug was gone altogether. Taking hold of his knife, he clenched the worn leather grip tightly the sprang forward into a midair attack, much like a cat on a mouse. The blade struck true landing into the creature’s right eye socket and penetrating into the brain. However the freaks final act was to send a psychic wave into the assassin’s chest. The bandit flew backwards unable to control his fall, the force sent him flying into the electric anomaly. He hit the jumping electricity discharging it causing several hundred volts to jolt his body. The bandit rebounded like a child’s rag doll before smacking the wall and falling to the ground crumpled and unmoving.
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