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True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
   |
Posted - 2015.06.09 22:47:00 -
[1] - Quote
* facepalms
((Would have RPed anywhere but the ******* Mojave..... Oh well POST INCOMMING!))
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.10 21:27:00 -
[2] - Quote
Chamber's couldn't help but snort into his Sunset Sarsaparilla as another travel worn soul who appeared deep enough in his cups that he probably should have keeled over rather than taken another swig. Rather than interrupt he returned to his conversation with Trudy asking around for work and paying her a kind word or two for her help.
The grimy bottle of Sarsaparilla was lukewarm but refreshing and better than nothing as he had come to understand from many long weeks on the road drinking little enough but slightly irradiated Dirty Water. His saving grace during that time had been the small rations of Rad-Away he'd managed to acquire from one of the traders for almost all of the caps he had on him. However those had come back to him in a full karmic circle as the poor bastard had been dragged underground thrashing, screaming, and covered in ****.
"So how'd a beautiful woman like yourself end up running the bar in a town like Goodsprings?" He asked in an offhanded fashion warily keeping an eye on the newcomer with the Laser Rifle slung over his shoulder. The people who carried them usually couldn't be trusted to watch out for a man on the road, more than like to be the ones doing the ambushing.
"Not sure if beautiful is the right word...... but...thankyou. I've been here...." She continued. ".....not really sure what else to be doin these days. Giving a traveller a cool drinks as good as anything else."
"Ayuh it is Trudy. Beautiful and kind, couldn't get myself something else? A vodka maybe?.....still it's a wonder more men like myself aren't in here hanging on for your attentions."
She scowled at Chamber's two small dots of red dawning on her rosy cheeks, an expression that did not exactly mean she wanted him to stop but wasn't used to casual flirtation, before moving back behind the bar.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He'd forgotten how nice it was to be around people again, even simply talking with them in a very simple manner was nice and made him feel like a person again. He twisted himself on the barstoo draining the last of his Sarsaparilla and leaning back against the bar. He was 'fortunate' enough to have caught the last few moments of a self righteous lecture.
"Pal" he replied. "Might want to easy up on the moralising. Gun for hire's a clean a work as any....certainly more so than ranging these wastes bringing 'your justice' at the barrel of a gun. Most folk's blood who'd stain your hands likely earned themselves that bullet because they came running at you desperate or starving... needing some kind of aid....but that's not your business is is bud?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.10 23:26:00 -
[3] - Quote
The wasteland surgeon jumped slightly in his seat as the second armoured man almost reaching for the .357 hidden in the waist band of his pants. He stopped just short. Old-world tech was unstable. Just as unstable as the fools who went looking for it or maintained a complete knowledge of its inner workings.
He found the Ranger's words distasteful. Very rarely was the world so black and white, especially these days, especially in this place. The people of the wastes always had someone claiming to be on their side though usually their 'protection' usually did them little good and left their homes a soldering pile of cinders. Despite this he found the irony of his own road-way philosophy intensely sardonic despite its accuracy and pragmatism.
"Whatever...... let's just drop it." He said flashing Trudy a smile as she poked her head around the bar with a concerned expression on her face. "Better things I could be doing with more companionable people than arguing with you two."
He returned to his drink flicking a couple of caps into the bar to pay for his drink. Sure he could trade away a few things but most of what he had on him he needed......the Fission Battery though could probably make him twenty caps or so if he was lucky but he was loath to part with it. This town had a Doctor, didn't look like any dust ups would be going down any time soon, and there was little he could do but hunt and skin Gecko for his evening meal.
"Hey pal. You said Nipton right. Came right on through there on the journey West. Godawful looking place but for a few caps I'll keep you stitched up if you need it. Though might we worth waiting till tomorrow..... I have...er..... plans tonight."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.11 01:08:00 -
[4] - Quote
" Yeah up yours too pal." He mumbled turning back to face the bar and Trudy who was pouring him a drink of Vodka.
The liquor was absolutely tasteless but went down like a treat in the small serving glasses arranged before him. Two in fact. He glanced up at Trudy pouring herself a serving of the freshly distilled alcohol refilling his own glass and leaving the bottle on the counter top.
"So. You've been asking about me all evening. Fresh in off the wastes with not a word about yourself, not even your name. Charming as you are I like to get to know my client's before they are like to become regulars."
She'd turned up a broken down old radio behind her which hummed with white noise for several moments, a quick patch work fix of poorly soldered wires and chewing gum holding the machine together, as it began ironically playing 'It's a Sin to tell a Lie'
He chuckled briefly enjoying the music, the first he'd heard in weeks. His radio was a piece of junk barely even worth scrapping down for the metal fragments or copper wiring. "Quite the musical tastes you have there Trudy."
"And quite the evasive man you are proving to be. I knew it was coming on. They play the same thing on loops everyday....frustrating as that is I figured this would be appropriate."
He drained the small glass of the misty liquid, blinking as his eyes began to water, gesturing for another, and wincing as she stopped short of pouring another until he placed a cap on the counter top. Even then she still eyed him with an expectant look.
He sighed deeply. "Fine. I'm Chamber's.....not my real name but it's what people always called me. Ask away."
So she did. For several hours in between seeing to the evening rush as the town locals piled into the bar yelling and jostling for another round or telling lavish exaggerations of the the Gecko's they'd seen in the hills nearby. Gecko's he'd seen on his journey North that hadn't even reached full maturity and likely wouldn't for another dozen seasons.
It was close to closing time when he saw her again looking thoroughly worn out. A thin sheen of sweat gleamed across her forehead, the grease stained apron smelt of seasoned Gecko steaks, a single lock of brown hair slick against her forehead, cheeks the most attractive shade of rose pink.
"So a Tribal? You'd think the spear was a bit of a give away." She joked offering him an appraising sideways glance, wandering back over, polishing the glass of a cracked and chipped pitcher. " And a surgeon to boot. From out which ways?"
"East. Spent a great deal of time with the Church of the Road." He replied, noting her confused expression at the foreign term. "Small group of travellers. Spend most of their time trying to organise safe communes for people, travelling to one far off place or another. That's how I got to be with them and learning medicine."
He grinned cheekily.
[Lady Killer] "As for being a Tribal.... there's certain.... stuff you pick up living in the Tribe. Uncivilised stuff....I'd be more than happy to show you."
"Really now? She replied coyly. "We to be truthful I do have something a man of medicine might be able to help me with.....an itch that can't rightly be scratched..."
[Medicine 40] "An itch? Beneath the epidermis. Do you have rash like symptoms of contusions on the skin? Bites? Sores? Are they weeping? Sometimes even acute allergic reactions are the cau-..." He cut off suddenly understanding the inflection. Her eyebrow was raised as if to ask if he even wanted this at all.
He flushed a bright red his tone apologetic. "Sorry....uh.....been on the trail a long ti-"
"Whatever Tribal. Settle your tab and let's go." As he tossed the last of his caps on the counter, grabbing the half empty bottle of Vodka and his spear, stuffing the rest of his belongings into his pack.
[Lady Killer] "Y'know what I most love about Vodka." She shrugged."It's easy on the eyes, tart, and tastes wonderful...... like I imagine you do." He laughed as she rolled her eyes.
The following morning he awoke a little before noon completely refreshed, Trudy having already left, setting him a pail of cool water to scrub himself down with in the bathroom of her rather modest home. He didn't bother dressing for this, wasn't even sure where his clothes were, the house was quiet and there was no sign of people save for the pleasant snores of an old hound. He spend the time checking over his pack and the oiling the spear and .357 revolver ensuring the small pouch of rounds for the weapon hadn't been whetted.
Preparations completed he found his clothes carefully folded on the top of a broken chest of drawers. He quickly dressed happy to see the blood stains on his shirt had been scrubbed clean and were barely visible, and that the small pouch of medical supplies remained untouched.
He'd grown quite fond of the woman over the last few hours. Promised himself he'd be back one of these days to return the copy of 'The D.C Journal of Internal Medicine she'd lent him. A clock in the kitchen caught his attention.
12:30 PM.......
He practically stumbled out of the shack, almost tripping over his own feet into a dense patch of cactus, catching himself with the haft of the spear. Ahead of him the two armed gunmen waited, glaring at him impatiently.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.11 02:14:00 -
[5] - Quote
((MOAR. You writing a scene for Doc Mitchell's house/the following morning?))
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.11 03:57:00 -
[6] - Quote
Typical, the surgeon thought as the Ranger strode away from the injured manhis rifle hoisted over one shoulder. The mighty never cared, not for the small people.
He quickly moved over to the injured man supporting his easily with a shoulder and gently pulled him over to the side of the road sitting him down on a boulder. From there he pulled out the bottle of purified water the Ranger had given him and offered it to Ringo.
"Two sips. No more." He said tersely reaching for his pouch of medical supplies extracting a silvery tray, a gleaming scalpel, and a single sirette of Med-X placing them on top of the boulder next to the man, needle and scalpel on top of the tray.
[Medicine 30] He glanced down at the wound. Blood had pooled around the thigh staining his trousers and leaking down the leg staining it a bright red. Pale, breathing erratically, suffered notable blood loss, not mention of poisoning or allergies to pain relief, his assessment was brief and analytical but without examining the wound itself mere speculation.
He picked up the knife explaining to the wounded man that he was a surgeon and was merely intending to examine the wound and cut into the fabric, the sharpened blade passing through the material with ease, exposing the wound. Chamber's cleared away the hot rivulets of blood streamed down the outside of the leg from several tough tears and contusions in the skin observing jagged metallic objects protruding from the flesh.
" I want to take him to the town Doc." He said hurriedly to the other gun slinger knowing that field surgery would likely do more harm than help in this case, the wound could potentially become infected if sand or grit managed to get in. "What's your play hero?"
[Medicine 40] Despite the caravanner's mewling Chambers continued to treat the wound, cleaning the wound with a linen rag so that the wounds could be easily identified, slipping the surgical tubing out of his hair creating a makeshift tourniquet tied just about the thigh. Assured that his work would hold the short journey through the township he injected the Med-X into the wounded area.
[Survival 30] Despite having seen to the wounds the mention of the Radscorpion concerned the surgeon greatly. He momentarily began searching around just off the roadside, returning a second later arms full of buffalo gourd seeds which he paired with strips of linen bandaging.
"If you are going to go take one of these to the Ranger. Handing the Mercenary the materials for two Snakebite Tourniquets. He'll know what to do."
Then he returned to his patient. The affected limb quickly lost all feeling in it limply dragging across the ground as the doctor carried the man's weight on his back towards the clinic.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.11 21:42:00 -
[7] - Quote
As Chambers and Ringo stumbled through the door to Doc Mitchell's clinic a single shot rang out from the edge of the wastes drowning out all noise. While gun shots of course were a common sound in the Mojave one so close to the town of Goodsprings was a dreadfully disturbing thought for the citizenry.
Through one of the heavily dusted windows the small faces of a moustached balding man appeared staring out through the web of cracks which gleamed in the noonday sun.
Before the surgeon could even knock on the door the burst through the open door taking the patient from him and drawing him off into one into the surgery and placing him on top of one of the operating tables. He noted the tourniquet and cleaned wounds and turned and expectant eye to the young tribal.
[Medicine 35] " I inspected the wound and used a clean linen rag to clean and a length of surgical tubing to tourniquet the wounded area. Also applied a moderate dose of Med-X for pain relief...." He stated, surmising what he'd been able to achieve in the short time given to him. "Patient was running on the wound, said Powder Gangers had been chasing him, and a Radscorpion... looks like shrapnel wounds to me."
Chambers shuffled uncomfortably hiding the Buffalo Gourd Seeds behind his back feeling rather foolish for having resorted to superstitious tribal medicine he'd learned from the village Elder but quickly reconsidered. Medicine was not the place for ego, either something could be done or it couldn't. You had to known when to give up.
I don't even know if the man was stung, he thought to himself, but if we rely on this he could die.
"Hmmmmmm. I see. You didn't want to attempt field surgery?" Doc Mitchell's questioned absently as he prepared to operate on the limb.
Blood rushed to the surgeon's face. Oh he'd truly wanted to try his hand at removing the metal shards but so close to town with proper medical facilities the option seemed less preferable in his opinion. " I didn't want to risk infection..... also I prepared this Snakebite Tourniquet just in case. I couldn't find any sting wounds but without Antivenom this was the best I could do....."
The Doctor said nothing only waved for him to leave which he did. An hour later looking slightly more worse for wear Doc Mitchell's stepped out of surgery, made himself a whisky and nuka, and returned to the hallway where Chambers had slumped up against a bookcase snoring softly.
"Y'did a fairly good job young'un" He said with a slight tap of his boot. "Cleaned and bound the wound. What'd you have done if you'd been out on the trail though?"
The younger doctor was silent for a moment as he considered the question his brow furrowing. He pushed himself out of the tiny alcove where he'd been sleeping with a groan stretching his cramped muscles. "I'd have done what I could. If anything at all."
Mitchell's shook his head disapprovingly taking another sip of the dark alcohol causing Chmaber's to take out his own half bottle of Vodka and take a long draught with a shaking hand. "When it comes to doctorin' young'un you gotta keep your head. Could of sterilised the wound with that. If you're in a pinch you might not have time to clean the wounds out like you did nor can you afford to give up on a man...."
Chambers looked ashamed.
"Either way young'un you were part of that Ranger's company. Might want to mosy on outta town. Locals are likely to pick you as the varmints that shot poor Ringo."
The Wasteland surgeon nodded slipping on his worn cap in the same motion and grabbed his spear from the wall. He thanked Doc Mitchells and made for the door to go and look for the other two gunslingers whom he suspected were likely engaged in one form of butcher or another. Though the lack of subsequent gunshots of flash of laser rifle fire was a comfort as he opened the door. As he did so he noted a rusted old shovel by the door and when he asked if he could have it the old Doctor replied in the affirmative.
He snatched the tool up slinging it over his other shoulder and made back for the road passing by the Ranger and Mercenary who seemed to be no worse for wear than before.
"The poor bastard you shot." He asked coldly. " Where's his body cooling?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.12 02:09:00 -
[8] - Quote
Chambers raised an doubtful eyebrow at the Ranger. The words that he spoke nothing but abstract nonsense sounding more like the psychotic ravings of Jet addicts he'd usually have council to seek psychiatric help rather than trusted with a long rifle. Still the promise of caps and perhaps at least some companionable talk with a stranger, or god help him, the mercenary was too strong to resist.
"It's Revelations. 21:6 from the King James Bible..... if I recall it correctly. The Church of the Road always used to spout off scripture like this. I never really took to it. Far too busy learning to operate from the camp Doc."
This would be a long journey he reflected with a sigh allowing the shovel to drop from his shoulder where it then clattered against the asphalt. At least no-one was dead yet, and more to the point at least he didn't have to dig any graves in the baking hot wasteland sun.
The surgeon turned to face the armoured mercenary flicking his eyes up to the stock of the laser weapon nervously, then on to the horizon where the snaking lines of the road seemed to disappeared into the rocky landscape in a malignant haze. Water would be important here, unlike the East the climate here was arid and it defied and confused the senses leaving the lips parched and the head spinning..
Still he hated admitting the ranger was right. He'd need more than his share of it with the sterilising Vodka barely worth passing around the evening camp fire. He'd need more before the journey was done. His often ended up being the comical tale of the perpetually broke doctor too freely giving away his medicines for few enough caps. Perhaps the Ranger wouldn't mind giving him a loan.
He nodded his support of the Mercenaries suggestion. It was time they left.
"We need to hit the road. Since it seems our pal over here ran off the Gangers perhaps we can make some good time to Primm or the I-15 turn off."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.12 02:56:00 -
[9] - Quote
He'd filled his weather beaten canteen and the small plastic bottle the Ranger had given him at the Source noting the strangely metallic taste of the tank stored water keeping his pack light. Ranging he had found had afforded him a particular knowledge of his own metabolism and careful watering could make a small pack go a long way.
As the party set out on the trail the surgeon found himself perplexed by the slow pace of his companions deciding that their plodding pace was due to the weighty armour they both were clad head to toe in. Rather than try to push out ahead he simply relaxed falling into position next to the mercenary whistling the tune of 'Civilisation', a popular song out on the East Coast from some Old World singer Danny Kaye and the Andrews Sisters.
He spent the better part of an hour on the road making up wild fantasies about the inscrutable look written across the mercenary's face finally giving up after alien cyborg from before the bombs fell became too much for him to bear causing him to laugh out loud. After several moments of uncontrollable chuckling and wiping several tears from his eyes be finally tried to initiate a conversation with the enigmatic man.
"Hey....buddy. You said a while back in the bar that you were a mercenary right. You must have a good story or two for the trail......Y'know something filled with excitement, gunfire, and plenty of women. Don't spare any detail on the women okay. This trips going to be long enough with 'Cap-a-dozen Proverbs' over there."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.14 00:14:00 -
[10] - Quote
Chamber's chuckled heartily as the mercenary finished his story. Hearing of new places was one of the few joys of conversation that never seemed to truly grow old. Each man had a perception of the same place which made the telling of new stories all the more enjoyable.
It had passed the time and the sun was low in the sky by the time they finished the small company continuing into the onrushing night. Ahead in the distance they spied a small shack which the mercenary proved capable of gaining access to using a pair of bobby pins to pick the lock on the door.
The interior was dingy and his eyes required some time to adjust to the gloom. A pungent smell of mold was evident but it's source was not evident amongst the rusted machinery and dented pre-war lockers. Here he found a few hours of uncomfortable sleep unwrapping a cold grilled gecko steak and devouring in three bites before finding himself a corner to lay down in.
Hours later he was woken by the sounds of scuffling. He rose eyes bleary, blinking in a surprised manner fumbling in the dark for the heavy spear, trying to pierce the darkness for the source. As his eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness he could see the Ranger, crimson eyes glowing malevolently, his knife pressed up against the throat of stranger in a white travel stained lab coat with an equally curious symbol emblazoned on the breast.
He raised the spear and pointed it at the stranger. A man who approached by night was one not to be trusted until his motives could be determined of he proved himself a danger. It seemed from the Ranger's words that the man was something called a Follower, and from the strangers own words a scientist, engineer, and doctor like himself.
"Hey. Ranger!" He hissed through the darkness. "Let me check his supplies. If he's a doctor like myself or whatever he says then he'll carry instruments, tools."
He crawled over.
"Hand em over pal. I certainly won't hurt you. It was just poor luck you ran into these two first. Brutish, no finesse. Just want to verify your story and if you are telling the truth we can talk this out."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.14 00:41:00 -
[11] - Quote
Chamber's quickly took apart the Follower's pack laying out the contents on the grounds carefully taking stock of the contents with a keen interest, especially those drugs and stimulants that could be of medical use. This man was a walking bounty of medical supplies without enough to supply the wasteland surgeon for weeks if he rationed them carefully or did not encounter a particularly far gone patient. He also noted the small number of energy cells and the lack of the energy fire arm which only served to heighten his distrust of the self proclaimed doctor.
Simple thing to do in the situation would be to kill the stranger. He'd come to them in the night, apparently unarmed, but who knew who else could be waiting down the asphalt to ambush them on the morn. He glanced up at the ranger who'd removed his helmet for the first time revealing a young man, not some wizened grandfather, just a few years his senior.
He sighed, leaning back.
"He's clear. Tools, Stims, very apparently lack of weapons. But I don't like it.....you don't just bed down for the night after it gets dark. That's just plain dangerous."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.14 12:47:00 -
[12] - Quote
With the Ranger dozing off and the mercenary taking he night watch outside the shack Chambers found himself unable to sleep and instead spent his time keeping an eye on the Follower of the Apocalypse from his corner of the dingy shack. At first it was simply enough to watch the man, keeping tabs on him and ensure that he remained fixated on his book, but eventually found time to prepare himself for the long day ahead.
Sleep mattered little to him at that point having already managed a few hours earlier that evening. He'd traveled further for longer than the days jaunt down the I-15.
He removed the .357 revolver from the waistband of his trousers cocking the hammer and flicking out the chamber loudly so that the mechanical noises of the firearm was impossible for the scientist to ignore before setting it down at his side. He then took out the small pouch of medical supplies and instruments before taking stock of what remained before setting down to polish the bloodied scalpel and tray that he'd used earlier with a vodka soaked rag.
The process was slow and me made sure that he was meticulous polishing them several times to ensure that they were as sterile as they could possibly be. He periodically checked on the Ranger and the Follower to ensure nothing was amiss passing the time until the first rays of light appeared through the cracks of the shack.
"Perhaps......" the surgeon mumbled doubtfully still concerned about the strangers sudden appearance stretching out the cramps in his muscles that had formed overnight. "We didn't have our throats slit in the night so I consider that 'no worse for wear' indeed."
With the Ranger awake he stepped out of the shack shoving the revolver back into the waist of his trousers and walked passed the mercenary to relieve himself behind a boulder. The sky was pink with wispy clouds streaked across the sky.
When he returned he stopped by the mercenary.
"Not much happening I take it?" He said. He leaned down to tighten the laces on his boots. " Guy doesn't seem all that bad. I'm from out East so I don't know much about these parts yet.... still the ranger seems at ease for a change. Know much about these Follower people?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.14 20:56:00 -
[13] - Quote
Chmabers shrugged.
"He seems more or less harmless to me as well." He admitted leaning against the side of the shack running a hand through his dishevelled hair to straighten it. "Seems our guest has a soft spot in him for pre-war books. Did little else but read."
Stifling a yawn he squinted southwards following the asphalt as far as could be seen shivering as the cool morning air touched his exposed skin. A slight smile coloured his features as the Ranger broke character for a brief moment abandoning the sanctimonious metaphor laden speech and using something more informal. Had he not known any better be might have assumed this was the man's typical manner of speech.
Suddenly the door opened and the Ranger strode out in the morning air, the shack door obscuring the Abbey member from sight. Max had obviously not been paying attention when he exited the shack and began speaking about him oblivious to his presence behind the door of the shack that had just opened. Not a morning person, he thought to himself, best I let it go than make something of it.
"Hmph. Here I was thinking I was a Good Natured and well adjusted wasteland surgeon. I've still apparently have a lot to learn" He stated loudly from behind the door, a note of humour in his voice.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.14 22:40:00 -
[14] - Quote
Chambers looked up from his Gecko Steak his interest piqued. He'd been eating in silence, his expression glum, less so brooding about what the Ranger had said and more about being ignored completely. Still the words from the newest member of their company seemed reassuring enough and the possibility of sharing a conversation with another trained doctor would be very informative.
"Heya pal we'll get on fine then. You can call me Eddie Chambers....all of you can. It's not my real name but it's what the chose to call me in the Abbey." He said shuffling closer to the small fire holding out a hand. "Sorry about at that.......unpleasantness before. Just a bad habit from the road. I mean an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure right?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
|
True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.14 23:45:00 -
[15] - Quote
Eddie had spent a great deal of time picking through the remains of the abandoned gas station they'd located just off of the I-15 pawing through the remains of an Old World convenience store that was the Nipton Road Rest Stop looking for anything valuable that stood out to him.
They'd initially had some trouble wresting control of the blasted ruins back from the radscorpions that had infested them however the mutants had soon be taken care of. He'd not even needed the .357 for that blinding one with a throwing knife before running his spear through the chitinous shell. He was careful to avoid the largest of the mob weaving through the scuttling limbs and threatening stingers crippling any limbs that came into his spears range.
He smiled to himself as he pushed a heavy steel door one, the rusted hinges groaning with effort. Two dead and not a single shell wasted. He was looking for the stores first aid kit. Perhaps in all the time travellers had passed along the I-15 few had dared brave the rest-stop long enough to ransack it.
As it turned out someone had. The valuable supplies were missing and only a few lengths of surgical tubing, an ancient blood pack, and a few small empty syringes still in their sealed packaging. He also made sure to cut the poison glands our of the dead radscorpions storing them as well as they either proved effective in crafting antivenom solutions or at securing him dinner.
Content that he had what he needed Chambers caught up with the rest of he group at the base of the highway leading up to the Mojave Outpost somewhat astounded at the sight of the Ranger statue. He was when Max began to speak bitterly of the effigy but didn't show it.
"We going on up or pushing East?" He asked, keen to move on, a frown appearing on his face as an altogether too familiar smell reached his nostrils. " We've barely covered any miles at all today and I don't fancy standing in Brahmin dung for another afternoon."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
|
Posted - 2015.06.15 00:11:00 -
[16] - Quote
"Not sure Ranger Rick." He replied jingling a small pouch with caps. "Haven't seen him since you went up on the roof. Been in the hills looking for Bark Scorpions and talking with the caravanners for the most part. Only just got here myself."
He'd not had any Nightstalker Blood on him at the time so the glands did little enough for him other than fetch a handful of caps, most of which he'd then spent again on a pair of stimpacks and a few dosages of Rad-X. What few caps remained would have to suffice until he could find another pre-war sight to scavenge.
He'd kept one of the glands though and spent a good twenty minutes just off the path near to where the lines of merchants were starting to form collecting venom from the immature Bark Scorpions eventually amassing enough to create a small vial of Silver Sting poison. He'd then joined a pair of merchants around their small hot plate and brewed up the concoction chatting amicably with them.
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.15 00:22:00 -
[17] - Quote
Eddie glanced around looking for Jason, unsure if the man was even there. He was continually perplexed by the Ranger's strange behaviour. Gruff and philosophical as he was it was slowly becoming more obvious that the fellow was more than capable and comfortable alone on the open range albeit poorly suited for travelling with companions.
"Jason!" He called tentatively. "We'd best get along.... before he kills someone."
He caught up with the Ranger outside catching up with the armoured man quickly.
"What the deal then Ranger? What did your Ghost say to **** you off so much?"
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.15 01:12:00 -
[18] - Quote
History.
Eddies jaw dropped as the Ranger stalked off. It more or less told him nothing that he probably couldn't have already guessed. The bitterness in his voice was enough to let him know not to dawdle.
He caught sight of Lucas making his way back to the road, Laser Rifle held at the ready before him so that the merchants would know to make way. Jason on the other hand appeared lost until Eddie tapped him on the shoulder pointing out the mercenary picking his way towards the Ranger.
" It will be soon....." He said off handedly grinding the butt of his spear into the dirt by the road side offering the Follower a cynical grin.
"Seems we're off for a little tumble down towards Nipton, stupid call really but our Ranger's got some radroach on his back as sure as you have your's...and it apparently is messing him up more than he'll admit. Except unlike you and me he's not smart enough to rationalise it out as one ****** up thing in a long a series of ****** up things, and unlike you he's just hard enough that he can try to live through it without screaming his lungs bloody. Come on. We'd better catch up to them."
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.15 01:36:00 -
[19] - Quote
"You're not the only one pal." He mumbled and set off after the others.
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.15 02:46:00 -
[20] - Quote
As the night wore on it was becoming increasingly apparent to Eddie that their party would not be stopping until they reached the outskirts of Nipton, a trip that we was becoming convinced would take the better part of the night at their current pace. Ahead of them, barely visible apart from the glow his helmets eyes, the ranger stalked at a pace Chamber's was pretty sure he could match having the distinct advantage of no encumbrance from either armour nor a heavy pack.
That being said he had little desire to walk in silence behind a man who barely spared him a passing thought. Despite this he felt compelled to at least hear what the Ranger had to say....if he had anything to say.
"I'm going to try and get a read on our friend up there." He said pointing before jogging up the road.
Beside the road was the crumbling ruins of a small two storey building he'd travelled past on his journey to Goodsprings, thanking Trudy for advising him not to travel north from the small township and instead skirt around the more dangerous central regions of the wastes. The night seemed calm and placid but for the chattering of a small ant colony off to their left in the salt pans of the Dry Lake and even the air seemed calm with a small breeze barely kicking up any dust from the road.
Perhaps it was because he was already on edge or perhaps it was something on the air, Eddie still wouldn't know quite what it was later, but several day old memory was recalled into his mind with a vivid clarity.
[Survival 30] A dry wind, sun beating down upon his head, carrion eaters circling o'er head, the Outpost nothing but faint lines on an unforgiving horizon, he faint smell of mesquite suffusing the air mixed with something earthy. Something smoky. Intimately familiar. The barely smouldering remains of a hastily kicked out campfire.
Something that ultimately would not have been out of the ordinary in any other circumstance, on any other road. Except this road led nowhere now. Nipton was dead, he knew that and the nearest settlement he'd encountered was Novac some miles far North. The building itself was isolated, the landscape around it exposed and flanked by two Dry Lakes, cut through by a single arterial road.
He kept his pace covering ground, slowing would let anyone watching know he might suspect an ambush. Eyes scanning the crumbling walls for signs of movement flicking occasionally back to the Ranger who seemed to lost in his own musings. The last few meters between him and the Ranger were open group, solid tar seal with good footing. His hand behind his back where he tried to wave frantically warning the two lagging behind him of his suspicions then dropped to the .357 concealed in his waist band, he struggled to loosen it.
His pace slowed but a moment.......all hell broke loose.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.15 04:54:00 -
[21] - Quote
Flat repetitive cracks of a 10mm Pistol were his world punctuated only by the irregular snarling from the barrel of a lever-action repeater. The highway was wreathed in fire, a maelstrom of smoking iron barrels and charges of raw energy whose mere touch commuted all to ash.
Eddie scrabbled across the flat top abandoning his pack spear clutched in his left hand thrusting himself into cover as rounds tore chucks from the highway.
He had barely a moment to react as a shuffling from around the back of the building drew his attention away from his companions. He had little time to prepare as a few fevered shouts from the far side of the building sounded and the heavy footfalls sounded close by.
A leather armoured raider stepped from the around the back of the building and rushed him wielding a heavy iron pipe. She swung it with a rough grunt, dust fountaining from the impact, where his hand had been mere moments ago before heGÇÖd had the sense to withdraw it. Her skin was pock marked and bore the signs of prolonged exposure to radiation, lips were a cracked mess of half healed scabs, hair a mangy orange in patches.
He raised the .357 revolver supporting himself against the shattered wall trying to slow his breathing and steady his shaking arms. The pistol was heavy in his hands. Heavier than it had been in a long time. The cool caress of gunmetal shattered his moment of self-reflection however. He steeled himself raising the barrel, the revolver roaring.
The bullets took the grime covered woman in the chest slipping through her leather armour and ribs with ease at the short range and blowing fist sized craters out of her back in a spray of fine blood and gore that covered the crumbling brick work like gossamer.
More footfalls as another man stumbled around the side of the building wielding what looked to be a 10mm pistol tripping over his predecessorGÇÖs corpse. A horrified look dawned across his features as he realised the surgeon staggering to his feet had the drop on him.
Eddie fired again.
Nothing but a slight metallic click of the hammer on a dun shell.
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.15 23:04:00 -
[22] - Quote
Something changed in the raider in the moment his panic replaced with a triumphant gap toothed grin as he raised the fire arm to point it at ChamberGÇÖs heart. He felt an ice cold chill run down his spine and his breathing caught.
GÇ£Yer bastards.GÇ¥ The raider screamed. His voice hysterical. Spittle flying from lips which quivered erratically. He looked to be a middle aged man, chin covered with a scraggly beard, head shaved but for a few missed tufts that stuck out around the sides and back. His eyes were a little too pressed together and his nose bore the makes of repeated breaks and trauma. GÇ£You was supposed to be me traders. Gonna kill at least one of you and then weGÇÖll be back. IGÇÖll be back for ye friends.GÇ¥
His finger tightened on the trigger.
He was fast. Eddie was faster. His arm was a blur and the .357 completed two full revolutions through the air striking him in the fore head, barrel first, the bobbed sight cutting the skin open.
The bearded man recovered quickly brushing the small line of blood from the wound dropped his hand to loosen the slider pulling back with a grating click and raised the weapon again.
Eddie was already in motion. He pushed himself off of the wall with all the strength he could muster. He kept his head low he covered the short distance between them before launching into a rough full bodied tackle that took the raider by surprise.
The large calibre pistol sounded angrily and a red-hot line traced itself over his shoulder and down his back.
The tackle drove the pair over the small embankment and down into the Dry Lake below, the long spear clutched in Eddies hand being torn free of his grasp as he struck a , skittering away across the hard pan into the night.
His vision pulsed as his head struck the stem of a dense patch of mesquite. He could taste blood and dirt as he struggled to rise. His back was aflame and his breathing laboured.
Something glinted off in the darkness beyond his reach. His spear. Behind him a thick accented cursing and sound of 10mm rounds piercing ant chitin as one crawled to close to his foe. Eddie seized his chance rolling towards the spear.
GÇ£YouGÇÖre ****** now.GÇ¥ He hissed from the darkness his voice steadied but guttural and animalistic in such a manners that he barely recognised it.
The spear and the tribal were already in motion before the raider had a chance to cry out spinning under the pistolGÇÖs barrel and striking at the manGÇÖs torso exhorting a tortured scream. The large automatic dropped to the roadside as his hands rose to clutch at a wound in his gut where his thrust had cut deeply into the area where his kidney should have been.
Eddie dropped into a defensive crouch, hefting the spear over his shoulder so that the tip pointed down towards his foeGÇÖs legs. Eddie side stepped a blind sweep, striking back ferociously with the butt of the spear, hammering another blow into the abdominal area driving his foe to his knees and laying the tip of his spear against the wounded manGÇÖs chest.
The raiders final look of surprise said it all. The run would be easy heGÇÖd probably been told. Nothing but easily cowed traders and their Brahmin. No Rangers. No Old World rifles. No jagged length of steel to be protruding from his chest.
Eddie pressed the spear head forwards and the man died.
He stumbled back towards the highway where the gunfight had devolved into a melee. He stopped suddenly. Wasn't right to leave the raider for the ants. Shouldering the spear he grasped the raider by his boots and dragged him back up onto the road.
((Lol I was thinking of bringing in a character who was going to be a ghoul. The other character I really wanted to RP was a talking Deathclaw or a Ghost Person. Also lol Spade how many punches is that going to take for your puny arms?  ))
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Posted - 2015.06.16 00:04:00 -
[23] - Quote
((I kinda want to retconn being a surgeon...... such a redundant T.A.G at this point.......))
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Posted - 2015.06.16 00:21:00 -
[24] - Quote
Jakar Umbra wrote:True Adamance wrote:((I kinda want to retconn being a surgeon...... such a redundant T.A.G at this point.......)) ((Here's what I'm getting from these characters. If we run into a mechanical lock or anything requiring explosions. We're ******. If I'd known doctor would be so popular I would've gone with my Brotherhood of Steel or travelling swindler characters.))
(( Pretty much the same. I've never run a character whose used melee weapons in game, or tagged medicine. I'd probably have gone with one of the other more kooky characters I've drummed up. Could have done an Argyle from out east with a penchant for the EAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGLLEEEE CLAW! That or an escaped Android from the Institute.))
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Posted - 2015.06.16 01:26:00 -
[25] - Quote
Eddie stumbled back onto the high way looking confused. His back awash with pain. He stumbled forwards still dragging the body using the brickwork of the collapsed building as a support.
He looked around, boots scraping across the loose earth, emerging onto the road. He tried ignore the corpse of the woman he had shot, four small holes in her leather shirt illuminated by the light of the moon, her eyes now pale and glassy continued to stare, and her face was twisted in the most unnatural snarl of shock and rage.
Lucas he could see was dispatching the last remaining raider looking little worse for wear while Jason was hunched in the cover of the foundations of an adjacent building and seemed to be mumbling to himself. The surgeon was glad to see he was alive, and frankly surprised, he'd not took the man for particularly fast on his feet or capable in a gunfight. The Ranger was the only one missing.
He blinked twice trying to pierce the gloom and finally spotted the Ranger standing stationary on his own almost a dozen meters from where he'd gone down after the ambush.
"We all okay." He asked mutedly realising he was still dragging the body of the bearded raider and loosening his grip. He counted nine. Nine dead in half so many minutes. It had been a massacre. The thought made him nauseous " Anyone hurt? Need a....... a needle."
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.16 04:17:00 -
[26] - Quote
The brown haired youth barely noticed when the Follower began speaking to him. He nodded absently leaning against the spear as if it were a crutch for support . His dust covered face was pale and he felt winded, his breathing laboured broken only by intermittent coughs, but despite that he managed to offer Jason a relieved smile.
"Yeah. I think so." He said patting himself down wincing as his fingered scraped over the wound on his back. It came away sticky, the blood dark and mixed with grit. "I don't know about you but I could use one hell of a bath."
The wound it appeared was nothing more than a graze but the path of the bullet had scored a line down from shoulder almost down to the waist.
He reached for the metal clasps on his first aid kit, the medical supplies would come in useful, but his hands found nothing but air. The small leather pouch had come away from him in the gunfight and lay a small ways from his pack a smoking hole punched through the centre of the red cross and contents splayed across the ground. He gathered what he could find, dusting off the needles making a mental note to sterilise before use.
He stumbled back over with the pack and his supplies clutched in his hands wandering first to Lucas and then the Ranger offering them treatment for any wounds they may have sustained. He noted the Ranger's leg where the .38 round had slipped between the cracks of the pre-war armour.
"Come on Ranger. Give us a look at that. Stimpacks will seal the wound and keep you on your feet but won't deal with the underlying problem. Especially if the bullet is still in there....Hey where are you going?!"
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.16 23:58:00 -
[27] - Quote
'Thank you Ranger." Breathing a sigh of relief.
He'd come pretty close to receiving a bullet in the head or a knife in the gut for his concerns but he didn't feel like he'd done the wrong thing. If anything he saw this as an affirmation that stopping the Ranger before he could have hurt himself had been the correct course of action even if it did slow their progress slightly.
He stalked off into the Dry Lake with the Ranger's Bowie Knife returning after a few minutes with a small armful of mesquite branches and began to kindle a small fire in the ruins of the collapsed building so that the light would be less visible from the road. The kindling would burn long and hot so theyGÇÖd not want for warmth. Here he beckoned the group over all the while setting his instruments on the Gecko pelt he carried with him, polishing each one and soaking a clean rag with the last of the Vodka.
He nodded as Jason came and promised to look at the wound and have his own looked as once the more immediate difficulties were taken care of. He steadied his hand reassuring himself that the fighting was done.
[Medicine 50] As the Ranger sat down beside him Eddie removed the man's boot and rolled up the slim trouser leg to inspect the wound. It was both fortunate an unfortunate it was a leg wound.
Fortunate because it likely would be simpler to treat.....unfortunate because leg wounds proved to be the area in EddieGÇÖs knowledge that he was most lacking in, but he decided to keep that to himself. The leg awash with blood he cleaned carefully revealing a small mound of puckered pink scar tissue that looked to be freshly healed despite the dark blood that oozed from around the wound.
He checked the leg thoroughly testing it for fractures putting pressure on it attempting to gauge the physical reactions in his patient's stoic demeanour. The exit wound was the worst of the RangerGÇÖs injuries where he suspected the bullet had slowed against the bone and where he could observe the bullet poking out of the back of the leg.
Grimacing he stared up at the ranger. He had one last usable application of the military grade painkiller in his pack.
GÇÿAssess, Sanitize, Treat.GÇÖ The same three words heGÇÖd been taught always echoed through his head as clearly as they day theyGÇÖd been taught to him during a treatment. GÇÿYou can be worried about them Eddie. No you should be worried about them. Means you care enough to keep trying.GÇÖ
He reached down into his chem pouch and fished out the last usable syringe of Med-X. He glanced down at it with a grimace. If he used this now heGÇÖd have none left for the road.
Without complaint he injected the dosage into the RangerGÇÖs left and began heating the Bowie Knife. Stimpaks did a wonder to keep you on your feet despite your injuries but often left knotted scars where traditional healing would have sufficed. He cauterised the entry wound his nose wrinkled as the acrid stench of burning flesh and blood stung his nose.
From there the procedure was much simpler without the concern for blood loss. Gunshot injuries usually caused the affected party to go into shock from blood loss than suffer long enough for infection. But again the Ranger didnGÇÖt need to know that. He cut around the protruding bullet and levered the projectile out with a deft flick of the scalpel, before stitching up the wound with a line of surgical silk.
Eddie leaned back on his haunches. HeGÇÖd cleaned the blood from his hands and checked on Jason's wound. It looked superficial enough but the surgeon was not likely to underestimate the killing power of the dirty blade. One time had been enough.
He queried the Follower about any disinfectants he might have on him and accepted a small bottle of alcohol. The process of cleaning and dressing the wound was much more simple in this case but no less important.
"All done." He said quietly. He looked exhausted. GÇ£If you can just clean it I'll trust a few stimpaks to seal it up right quick."
Having completed his this back to the Follower, removed the tight fitting shirt, grunting as dried blood pulled away from his skin. His torso was a tangled mess of scar tissue composed in equal parts of claw marks and puncture wounds. The small fire flickered in the night and Eddie's face was an inscrutable mask.
As Jason worked he turned to the Ranger, still seated around the fire.
GÇ£One thing Ranger. Before you try to push us on. While your wound isnGÇÖt severe it IS bad. Unless you can get something seriously potent to help your body heal youGÇÖll be putting undue stress on your leg. Might not hurt at first but sooner or later itGÇÖs going to be like walking with a hot poker in there. And not be be snarky pal, we know youGÇÖre tough, but it could cause irreparable damage. I can try to mix up an old Tribal recipe but itGÇÖll leave you a bit stiff for a few daysGǪ.or I guess you could try to have Jason come up with something like Hydra. Up to you.GÇ¥
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.17 03:33:00 -
[28] - Quote
"Thank you Jason. I appreciate it, Ayuh I do."
Eddie yelped as the Follower bandaged his shoulder grinding his teeth together as sharp jolts of pain shot down his back. He listened to the curious Ranger's story nodding slightly where he could understand the context and keeping his mouth shut. Once he was done Eddie leaned back staring into the fire leaving his blood soaked rags next to the fire closing his eyes.
He'd known old Witch Doctor's in his Tribe who'd spoken like the Ranger. Perhaps why he'd found the man so infuriating initially. Trying to argue modern medicine with a wise man who believed Broc Flower was a miracle cure from the spirits was like to induce and aneurysm.
"You know Ranger" He said as Max began to oppose his clinical opinion. "Pain tolerance for superficial injuries is one thing but pushing yourself into a situation where you harm yourself even more without giving yourself some time if foolish. That Super Stimpak might do you right, still wouldn't hurt if we could scrounge up some Hydra though."
He realised he couldn't stop the man despite his best efforts even if he wanted to. His job was to heal the hurts of those in need and from there try to explain to them how they could best take care of such injuries in the following days or weeks.
"Just take some advice for once. Take the safer option. Won't cost you but a day or two if you keep off the leg and we find a way to mix up some chems. Look at it this way, we found your mark, now you just have to wait it out for the right moment."
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.18 01:11:00 -
[29] - Quote
Eddie understood little about the Legion, being from the East beyond the Great Divide, but had picked up enough of what Max had said to have a passing understanding of the Legion and it's ruler.
"A hard people then these Legion, ayuh. Sometimes I wondered what it would have been like if the Abbey had taken over our Tribe, raised us all. Not just me...... Perhaps this Caesar [si-Éz+Ör] was right Tribal life was not kind. Still I'm glad they didn't. Life in the wastes is hard enough, same everywhere you go East Coast included. Same movers and shakers with the same plans. In the end it's the small people who can't catch a break that pay for these ideals with blood. Seems these days man's existence is conflict."
'Find much out there Lucas?" Eddie asked weakly as the mercenary came and hunkered down by the camp fire. When the mercenary displayed a few hits of Psycho the surgeon felt relieved. The field had not yet been stripped of all it's valuables. He made a mental note of where the 10mm pistol had fallen down in the Dry Lake, he'd have to return for it later.
While the thought of pawing through the belongings of the dead disturbed him greatly his general pragmatism counselled him against holding to such scruples. The road was never forgiving enough that he could pass up the opportunity to gather valuable resources, especially with their destination so close at hand.
He rose. Unsteady on his feet and wandered over to where his .357 had fallen in the skirmish. He dusted the scarred revolver off and ejected the dun shell spitefully grinding it into the dirt with his boot. He checked the woman he'd shot, then the man, slotted the rusted length of metal pipe into one of his pockets and began to rummaged through their pockets and boots trying to be as respectful as possible.
The surgeon would have taken the leather armour from her two if he'd had the courage but decided to leave the dead woman be for propriety's sake. Likely the clothing would not fit either way. He found nothing on the woman but a few bottle caps and a butter knife which he tossed aside. The bearded man on the other hand had a magazine for the 10mm with four rounds.
The next area he checked over was the far side of the building where the Ranger had returned fire upon the Raiders. As he skirted around the building his foot entered sticky patch of dirt which turned out by the light of the moon to be soaked through with fragments of bone and brain.
Eddie retched, unable to control himself and emptied his stomach. After a few minutes he returned to the headless corpses, keeping his eyes fixed on his hands so that he did not have to look upon the thick coating of brain matter the Ranger had given the wall. Very little on the two dead raiders, a small battered .38 revolver, a playing card the 9 of Diamonds which he tucked in his pocket, and between then maybe a dozen caps.
Finally he covered the short distance to retrieve the 10mm from the base of the Dry Lake before returning to the fire with his bounty to store in his pack. He genuinely felt bad as he checked over the weapons attempting to determine their condition or if any had jammed or been damaged. He had little enough knowledge of fire arms beyond how to maintain them....but repairing them was beyond his knowledge.
"Ranger...this one's yours if you want it. Looks to be the slug thrower that buried that shell in your leg. Ask and it's yours."
Content he'd done the right thing he flipped over the Gecko pelt and unrolled it like a bed mat and settled in to sleep on his side so that he did not re-open his back.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.18 02:36:00 -
[30] - Quote
Eddie had long since fallen asleep and was pleasantly dozing in the warmth of the fire. The stimpack having accentuated his body's natural healing processes due to his knowledge of the chemicals and where best to inject the syringes contents. His eyes fluttered slightly, his dream almost lucid.
Almost lucid because Eddie was well aware that there was not way he could have been fortunate enough to find himself in a position long enough to take a real, hot bath that being said it was the purpose of a dream was it not and thusly he decided not the question the scenario.
He groaned in pleasure and he slipped into the steaming waters of the immaculately clean bathtub. "Yeah. That's the stuff." He mumbled to himself. It was so real that around the camp fire and coinciding with Jason asking about the 9mm Pistol that his dream manifested as a quiet. "Mmmmmm yeah."
More importantly Trudy was there. From that point onwards the dream took and unexpected turn that I don't feel like sharing with you all...... Well? What what did you expect perverts? I don't write trashy novellas for angsty teens and middle aged women. Not all all.
[Huzzah fourth wall breaks]
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.18 21:30:00 -
[31] - Quote
Eddie awoke the following morning to the sounds of ants chittering across the Dry Lake and the faintly distorted sound of the Ranger's scornful voice through the pre-war riot armour. His back was stiff, the wounds having sealed overnight due to the miraculous manner by which the stimpaks accentuated his body's natural healing properties, however it pained him greatly as he rose to a sitting position.
When he returned to camp the mesquite fire was still smouldering gently within the small hollowed out depression he'd constructed it in and the radiating heat given off by the ashes would allow him to cook up the last serving his Gecko Meat.
The company only just appeared to be rousing themselves from slumber so he still had time. He poked his head around the immediate area and found what he was looking for with not too great and effort before returning with a small yucca fruit which he paired with a dessicated jalapeno pepper from his pack. The preparation of the meal was simple. He sliced the ingredients, into cubes and speared the segments through with four long wooden shavings which he proceeded to cook over the fire.
Famished he tore into the kebabs consuming the wasteland bounty and savoured how the fruit and peppers complemented the tough gecko meat. It was invigorating and with his dreams of Trudy and the hot bath having faded from his mind it was the next best thing.
"Wan 'un?" He asked through a mouthful of gecko meat. He'd finished one of the kebabs on his own and probably could finish another few but decided against it because he knew it would be poor manners. He snatched up another one and left the remaining two stuck into the ground over the hot ashes.
"I uh...." He said wiping grease and Yucca juice from the corner of his mouth. "Ranger it's not what you want to hear but..... I want to bury these people. I'll do it myself if I have to and meet you all in Nipton if you are unwilling to wait. If I do it now while it's still cool I should be able to make Nipton by lunch time. If you are pushing on from there then perhaps you could leave a note..... maybe in one of the letter boxes on the main street."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.18 22:10:00 -
[32] - Quote
"They are not unworthy of burial because they tried to kill us. But because they were people we killed for our being careless. Taking life is not sport Ranger, it should never be treated casually."
He stood and dusted himself off as well in much the same fashion Max had. Then began rolling up his bedroll and smothering the camp fire with his boot.
Shallow graves would do he decided. Unmarked and off the road, so that none would ever know of their passing.
"Crush all who complain!"
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Posted - 2015.06.18 23:19:00 -
[33] - Quote
"You know what Ranger we're having a tea party next week, God and I. When I see him we'll have a lovely chat, his plans, my cosmic place in the universe, the fuckin' weather too while we're at it too." He'd replied sarcastically before the company had left gesturing to the corpses.
"Those self righteous moralizations are f....."
Eddie spat on the floor, disgusted, his protestations were falling on deaf ears.
"If you won't help then fine, be off with you. I'll find my way to Nipton later."
He strode away from the group scowling, looking for an open section of ground wide enough and with soft enough earth that he could dig the shallow graves quickly and efficiently. He wasn't surprised. Pragmatism was one thing but callousness was another and more decidedly prominent in wastelanders, in this case only serving to reinforce his low opinion of the Mojave Rangers.
Like all of the other movers and shakers they claimed to care, just not enough to take responsibility for their actions.
He found a spot not too far from the camp, and began to dig.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.19 00:57:00 -
[34] - Quote
It wasn't long before the frustration of his exchange with the Ranger wore off the and the maddened efforts of his digging slowed to a pace be could more imaginably maintain over extended time. As he did Eddie noticed for the first time that the Follower, Jason, had not gone on with the other two as he had previously thought and was aiding in moving the bodies of the raiders towards where the graves were being dug.
Whether it was an act of pity for him or compassion for the death Eddies didn't know, though he liked to imagine it was the latter.
"Thank you Jason." The morning was yet cool but in digging the first of the graves so quickly he'd built up a thin film of sweat. He wiped at it blinking through the stinging haze as several droplets somehow managed to get in his eyes. "For at least caring.......if nothing else I could use the company."
The made quick progress between them and moved the bodies together trying not to look to intently at the blasted forms of the two raiders Max had obliterated with his large calibre sequoia's before moving on the dig the graves. Each being roughly a foot deep and wide enough to fit the bodies if they were lain down knee's to their chests. Soon the merciless sun rose over the jagged hills to the North and the Ranger and Mercenary passed from view cresting the rise several miles down the road. Work was harder then but the Follower and Surgeon persevered burying the last body and stepping back to admire their handiwork.
The graves were yet unmarked but the mounds were concealed somewhat by thin dessicated grasses and Yucca though were immediately obvious if one looked directly upon them. It was wrong though. He went from grave to grave drawing a small cross on each one in the way the Abbey had taught him.
If God was real perhaps he'd take pity on them all.
GÇ£I am a sojourner and foreigner among you; give me property among you for a burying place, that I may bury your dead out of my sight.GÇ¥ He recited altering the wording slightly, thinking of the bounty he had take from them the previous evening.
With Jason's help it had taken half the time to complete the task. They could move on guilt free up the I-15 and regroup with their companions in Nipton.
The last time he'd been through the town he'd wanted to linger. It had been a comfortable place full of everything a road weary traveller could have wanted for but his wanderlust had not adequately been sated until that homely bar in Goodsprings. NCR, Powder Gangers, hell he was sure he'd even seen a few Legionaires stalking around after dark one and all had been welcomed by the townspeople and it had been a thriving settlement. A small taste of paradise in an otherwise lifeless waste.
He returned to where he had left his pack and spear, shouldering them both.
"We are done here. Feeling up to a sojourn of our own?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.19 03:27:00 -
[35] - Quote
GÇ£You try. Try to help them if you can. ItGÇÖs the only thing you can do. Helping comes in many different forms though.....sometimes it's impossible to know how to start.GÇ¥ It was the only response Eddie could muster looking at the row of hastily constructed graves. The mood was a dour one and his words seemed so unconvincing given the circumstances. GÇ£Could they have been saved? IGǪ.I just donGÇÖt know.GÇ¥
He turned away from the graves and back to the road. It led far off into the distance and would eventually split leading him far away from this accursed stretch of highway.
The question Jason had asked was more complicated that simple moralising would allow for. The guilt was there from the killing. He hated it, never seemed right to him, but acting in self-defence had not felt wrong. HeGÇÖd no answer that be believed the follower would accept, just a feeling.
On the horizon the thick plumes of smoke that theyGÇÖd spied that very morning continued to rise from the direction of the Nipton settlement. The very sky seemed to darken.
Muttering with apprehension he set off on the trail of Max and Lucas. If his memory of the road served they only had a few short miles at best to cover before theyGÇÖd arrive on the outskirts of the bustling settlement.
He spared a single glance back at the collapsed building where heGÇÖd killed two people
GÇ£Ayuh, I know they could have been.GÇ¥ He whispered, and put them out of his mind forever.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.22 01:46:00 -
[36] - Quote
Eddie paled.
The sounds of agonised screams rose from the township ahead. The acrid scent of burning rubber.......and flesh. With that his normally affable personality was gone replaced with the gaunt mask of a young child who had witnessed a murder, their innocence being stolen away in an instant. He started forwards at double pace without thinking. It had to stop. Some one had to stop it. His hands were shaking, he could barely keep still of the tribal spear in his hands, threatening to slip his fingers and clatter to the floor. His nerve wouldn't hold if it did, he'd bolt, run, be gone the moment it touched the floor.
God it was heavy.
Ahead of them up the road now fully within view was Nipton. The massive plumes of smoke they'd seen earlier that day rose from three massive indistinguishable bonfires constructed in the centre of town. They belched columns of dark smoke into the air which seemed thick with a nauseating pall.
Most of their view was obscured and lone double story building blocking line of sight to the main street while piled up in some makeshift barrier against the highway gangs were dozens of toppled pre-war vehicles of immense size.
He stopped. Petrified. Paralysed by his own fears. It was the Follower, he'd spoken, said something reasonable, despite his own pale features.
His voice sounded small, far away, as if it had retreated inside him. "I.... I....uh"
The smoke still rose from the town, the fires still raged, and the occasional gunshot that pierced what otherwise would have been silence sounded ominously echoing through the buildings to a sonorous pitch. Already carrion eaters were gathering, their black forms turning wide circles or perched idly on the spindly arms of long dead boughs. Their beady black eyes witness to whatever charnal slaughter was taking place in the streets that had seemed only a few days ago to be a bustling resort for the weary.
No more did he see the road ahead of them, the wastes slowly encroaching over the last and most recognisable remnants of an old, dead world. No more was it the guiding force in his life nor that which he had dedicated himself to so many months ago.
He clutched at his wrist. Clawing at it .Willing the hand to still the involuntary tremors that ran it's length.
He had tears in his eyes he realised. Today had been too much. Hot tears he realised, as his breath caught, a mixture of outrage and grief as they rolled down his cheeks.
"...... Why?"
It was all he could manage.
Eddie flinched visibly as another shot rang out, it had been much closer than the others had been and it's mere sounding was a rebuke to the hopeful naivety he'd only minutes before been showing.
The Follower said something again. This time he recognised the names of the Ranger, Max, and the Mercenary, Lucas. They'd be nearby somewhere, probably crouched into the remains of one of the crumpled remains of the large vehicles or wedged between the cavernous arms of ravine just beyond the outskirts of the town. Comprised mainly of of the frames of pre-war buildings and the long exposed stretch of open ground outside a wire mesh enclosure containing half a dozen camper-trailers Nipton looked a skeletal husk of its former self.
"I.....I don't see them." He whispered quietly scanning the outskirts. "W-what......what if they got caught up in that? We should....."
What, help? No. Could he even help if he wanted to. The trembling wreck he was screamed internally threatening to overwhelm him. A canine found a tender section of his gum and tore into it, drawing blood, allowing him to momentarily reassert control over himself.
They'd not be able to help. Even if he wanted to they'd likely be walking to their deaths if they went through the township. No good would come of that he decided coldly. If they wanted to live they'd have to go skirt Nipton and hope to God to be quick on their feet and lucky beyond all hope.
When he spoke next he was surprised to have found his voice but it sounded foreign through pale lips. "I can't see them......w-we should leave. Quickly and quietly. Around the village, into the hills, back down the I-15 I don't care but we go now."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.22 04:28:00 -
[37] - Quote
The young surgeon grunted as he hefted Jason up on the rocky outcropping on the village outskirts keeping body pressed against the ground and looking down onto the village with bleary red eyes. The scene below was horrific and despite the distance at which the two had skirted the village he could not silence the screams of the gunshots as tiny armoured figures below went about their grisly business.
He turned away feeling disgusted with his own inaction and focused on the work at hand. It was so difficult to know what was right here. He'd preached naively about the merits of'trying' and 'caring' even if nobody else did however there pressed against the jutting earthen ledges he felt quite the hypocrite.
The pair crawled along the cliff faces keeping low and aiding one another to navigate the worst of the rough terrain. Though Eddie was arguably more well travelled than the Follower he was impressed by how well Jason kept pace struggling to clamber up onto the more difficult to reach edges but unwilling to stop. Above them the sun had reached its zenith and was beating down across the Mojave blurring their vision and baking the rocks beneath so that it burned painfully even through his clothing.
Eventually they reached the highest point of the cliff face they were working their way across and began their descent down towards the Nipton-Novac road taking additional care not to rush to quickly or expose themselves to the butcher's in the lower village.
Convinced that the they had managed to make it out of sight of the township Eddie slumped down against a nearby rock face with a haunted expression on his face.
Two figures stood out on the road ahead of them, their forms distorted by the heat waves. Finding a last reserve of strength Eddie picked himself up and approached them cautiously.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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True Adamance
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Posted - 2015.06.22 22:49:00 -
[38] - Quote
"No one deserved that....." The youth whispered as he approached the two figures. His voice was hoarse and his cheeks damp.
Skirting around the township had affected him far more deeply that he was ready to admit and the scenes from below as they had made their desperate climb were etched into his mind as haunting memories that would trouble him for many weeks in the quiet hours of the night. No amount of alcohol, no drug, no woman would blot that out.
The screaming had stopped and a silence of the worst kind had fallen over the Mojave as it's impassivity to the suffering of it's inhabitants seemed to suffuse the air quieting the cawing of the carrion eaters and leaving the four travellers with the horrific task of introspection.
He didn't stop when he reached the Ranger and Lucas. Instead he kept going, using the butt of the spear to support his weight on shaky legs and continue up the winding asphalt into the rough landscape beyond.
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.22 23:41:00 -
[39] - Quote
When Eddie found the will to speak his words were half hearted shadows of what he truly wanted to say. "It doesn't matter.... this NCR-Legion nonsense..... who cares?"
He wanted to scream at the Ranger for moralising the massacre using the Lord's name, he wanted to tell him that this talk of the Legion and the NCR was nothing my self serving ideological nonsense that he was hiding behind, remind the Ranger that behind those faceless ideals were people who were neither good not bad, just struggling. But the whole exercise seemed pointless after what he had just seen. What could a vagrant surgeon from the far East Coast possibly say in the face of such mindless violence.
"The weak ones are those that hide behind that crap. Killing and dying for something that stupid is a chumps game. Give me my caps Ranger and we can be done with this. I'll see you as far as Novac and after that we are done. I won't see you, nor you me."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.23 04:02:00 -
[40] - Quote
Seven Hundred and Fifty Caps!
Despite his dour mood the promise of a third of such a large bounty of the precious wasteland currency was an assault to his senses that he was not prepared for, nor was the rebuke the Ranger, or Legionaire he was no longer sure, offered him as he dropped the pouch. Eddie dismissed the notion that Max had any grounds upon which to complain, the terms of their agreement back in the bar in Goodsprings having been fulfilled completely. The surgeon had both made use of his knowledge to remove a bullet in the man's leg and escorted him to the far side of Nipton.
And for his trouble two hundred and fifty caps, so many he considered testing the pouches weight. They came at a steep price though. Two hundred and fifty would be enough to replenish his medical supplies in their entirety if he skimped on food and rearming himself.
He loathed to admit it but as much as he didn't want to see the Ranger again he felt thanks was in order, and honestly felt as though eventually they would cross paths again. "I'd best be prepared" He mumbled.
He rose slowly, using his knees to steady himself. He tossed the caps to Lucas. "Until we get a chance to split the shares they're likely safest with you...... not much I could do if you decided to 'take' them by force either-."
He cut of abruptly. Behind them Jason had begun to behave erratically. He was mumbling something under his breath, clutching at his head. He suddenly started screaming causing Eddie to start suddenly before stumbling past them and down the road towards Novac. The surgeon gave Lucas a concerned glance before setting off after the Follower.
"Hey Pal!" He said as he caught up with the other Doctor. "Joshua....you all right. Do we need to stop or something?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.23 21:28:00 -
[41] - Quote
He nodded sharply dropping back a few paces behind the ailing Follower with a crooked frown. "I don't want to be caught so close to town with those freaks down there."
He realised the events of their circumvention of Nipton had been traumatic. Though his face remained pale and drawn except for the angry red circles around his eyes he remained more or less lucid and capable of pragmatic thought, Jason on the other hand seemed to have become slightly unhinged though had recovered slightly when he'd be able to take on of the small tablets he usually carried with him.
[Medicine 50, PERCEPTION FAILED] Perhaps they were anti-psychotics of some kind.
As they walked he turned to Lucas really taking a look at the mercenary for the first time since the bar in Goodsprings. He was what Eddie would have called a 'Hard Man', a hardbitten waster who claimed to be from somewhere out further West in California. Between the wide brim of his hat and the reflective surfaces of his Authority Glasses he truly was an intimidating person, that wasn't even accounting for the Old World technology he carried in a sling on his back.
" Lucas I want to get as far away from Nipton as we can go today." He said quietly, recalling the details of his own trip through the area just a few days prior. His spear tapping against the crumbling roadway in rhythmic beats. "There was an armed encampment not too far from Novac as I recall, tough looking guys, practically a fortress, but that might be out of our reach before nightfall. There was also what looked to be farm....though it had watch towers and a large shack at the centre......What's our play?"
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.23 23:45:00 -
[42] - Quote
"Novac then if you're asking me.....but then we travel as fast as the slowest member. I'm concerned about Jason. He doesn't seem..... right any more. If he does has psychiatric issues then perhaps time in a settlement will allow him to reassert control over himself."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.24 01:48:00 -
[43] - Quote
They made good time along the road matching Jason's staggered pace. Shadows seemed to creep in around them as the sun sank beneath the upper reaches of the valley they were passing through still following the Nipton-Novac Road. The decision to not stop at the Farm had been a unanimous one though Eddie still could not help but long for those high sand bagged watch towers. Even one of them perched up there could cover the entirety of the roadway below allowing the broken party even a few more moments notice if Legionaires had stolen a march on them.
However they were almost into the NCR territory if Lucas was right and the armed encampment was a Ranger Station. Despite the protection it would afford them Eddie still housed no love for the NCR though admittedly he knew less than nothing about them......were it not for the Ranger he might have some sympathies for they cause.
It was almost nightfall when they made it to a dip in the Valley. From the path he could now see what Lucas had meant. The High Path and the Low Road.....and beyond them both the Ranger Station. On their left was nothing bull a hilly mass of cacti and Yucca subtly attempting to mask a ruined tunnel system for some ancient pre-war vehicle it's tracks passing alongside their path. On the Right was a massive billboard obscuring the groups view of the High Path.
"I don't know about this Lucas....... It all looks really wrong. Go down and were exposed to every Jack, ****, and Nancy up there with a bottle to throw.......go up" He gulped in an exaggerated fashion, like some comic book side kick caricature. "... and who knows what we walk into."
"Crush all who complain!"
- Arkena Wyrnspire
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Posted - 2015.06.24 22:35:00 -
[44] - Quote
The young Doctor looked at the cliff face thoughtfully then pointed down the road in the rough direction of Novac and the Ranger Station.
"Jason and I will take the Low Road. It'll be quick, easy going, and we'll be exposed the entire time. That's where you come in. We'll wait right here as you get set up in the High Path. Once you give us the okay we start walking. Anything or anyone nearby should see us coming a mile off.......when the do. Zap. You taken em down and we meet up on the other side."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.25 01:12:00 -
[45] - Quote
"Something's wrong..."
Eddie groaned loudly as the reached the lowest part of the roadway. Jason had regained a semblance of his former stability if but for a moment and perceived something the wandering doctor had not.
Today was just not Eddie's day.
He flicked the spear up behind his arm and dropped into a defensive crouch scanning the crags carefully for any signs of danger. He fought the urge to look upwards at the cliff face fearing that he would give Lucas away perhaps catch sight of some snarling face with a rifle, god forbid something worse.
A slight scrapping against the rocky ground alerted him to the presence of a stranger wearing a a motor cycle helmet and suit of what appeared to be leather armour reinforced by additional padding an a road sign beaten into the jagged shape of a pauldron. A makeshift blade fashioned from a Lawnmower Blade was clasped firmly in his hands.
"Really?" was the only thing Eddie could think to say before he stepped forwards to meet the stranger's rush.
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.25 04:59:00 -
[46] - Quote
After the day he'd had Eddie didn't even think. His response to the sudden appearance of more desperate wasteland raiders with instinctive and lacked the former empathy it had once shown.
All of his muscles tensed in a reflexive manner only now just noticing the appearance of a second bedraggled attacked as he stepped forward into the change of the raider bearing the makeshift sword. He shifted into a defensive posture spreading his hand grips along the length of the weapons haft and keeping the blade in a half-stance his his waist. The blade pointed up towards the attacked neck.
His hand flashed to the sheath of one of his long bladed throwing knives where it became a silvery streak through the air sinking in to the exposed flesh between the motorcycle helmet and the reinforced leather, just above the clavicle causing the arm to slump limply.
Eddie ignored the enraged grunt. His eyes simply focused on the makeshift blade as raider shifted the sword to his other hand barely slowing his charge, swinging the sword in an undisciplined fashion. He found it easy to swat aside the the length of steel with the tip of the spear , side stepping another blow, and countering with a precise thrust into the arm pit where the leather appeared to be thinnest.
The reaction was instantaneous. The worn wooden spear shattered in it's hands with a resounding crack showering his hands and chest with splinters leaving the tip embedded .....
[TBC]
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.25 23:53:00 -
[47] - Quote
His eyes widened with horror as he turned to look up a Jason.
At first he thought the Follower wounded perhaps wounded in the scuffling but upon closer inspection he appeared to be unharmed for the most part. Fresh blood was smeared across his cheeks and dripped from both his chin and the axe clasped in his hands. His ghoulish appearance was disturbing on a personal level.
"Jason?!" He exclaimed stumbling back over the corpse of his raider. He couldn't place the name of what Jason was, his mind too sharply focusing on the crimson flecks staining his teeth. " What the hell did yo....."
He stopped short. Perhaps he shouldn't make a big deal of it. He was acutely aware of several splinters in his hands that were were leaking pearls of dark blood.
He stammered back a response without even thinking. "Y-you.....uh.....you look like hell man. A-a-a nap and perhaps something to clean yourself up with......"
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.26 02:31:00 -
[48] - Quote
"Not far I guess. Couple of miles.....so maybe an hour." He reckoned. He was still rather distressed by what he had seen.
Eddie sheathed the sword he'd salvaged from his victim as he finished off covering the body with dirt. He'd managed to carve a very shallow grave from the earth and had just shifted and covered the body with a last few handfuls of scree. When he rose he noticed that Lucas was not in sight. He'd heard laser fire and seen a raider body drop from above onto the road. Was the mercenary alive?
"Luuuuuuuuuuccaaaaaaaassssss!" His voiced echoed off the canyon walls. "You alive? If you're dead youyou don't have to say anything! We understand!"
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.26 03:16:00 -
[49] - Quote
As the Ranger approached a single thought ran through Eddie's mind.
****.
This seriously was not his day. He flinched as the sequoia roared, drew his new found weapon before the Ranger could act, hand dropping down the throwing knives at his belt. He had a fast draw with these things and uncanny accuracy. Would it be enough.
"You seriously need to stop this pal." He growled his trying to be command. "Walk away or I'll cut your ******* head off."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.28 21:01:00 -
[50] - Quote
He sheathed his blade visibly uneasy unwilling to take his eyes off of the Ranger, though he kept his hand on the belt of throwing knives in case he tried anything.
He turned away to follow Jason.
"So long Ranger." He said, grinding his teeth together as he showed his back to Max. "Despite all of this crap thank you. You kept your word and paid us. That at least was honest."
[Sorry it's about all I can think of until we move on.]
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.28 23:01:00 -
[51] - Quote
Eddie left Jason and Lucas as they entered the town. The travelling had drained him more mentally that physically to the point that he actually felt restless. It also could have been that he was terrified to sleep fearing that should he close his eyes he'd be transported back to that abominable cliff side over Nipton to watch the slaughter again.
Instead he explored the small township using the massive green gecko-lizard-thing that was a part of the Dino-D-Lite as a point of reference. Night had fallen and the townspeople were already retreating to their homes or perhaps the diner for their evening meal. For a time he spoke with the mercenaries and a female doctor in a small encampment by the road, sitting with them over their modest meal of **** N' Beans hearing them tell of their experiences further North.
He rather quickly determined by the way the Doctor, one Ada Strauss, spoke and acted that she was no medical practitioner and was more relying on the powerful pre-war chemicals to provide adequate care than any actual skill. She seemed an amicable type. Perhaps he could use that. The chemicals would do more good in his hands anyway.
He also spent some time talking with a grizzled old sociopath the townsfolk called No-Bark Noonan who regaled him with conspiracy theories of Communist Zombies from the Moon, a Chupacabra that stalked a local farmstead, amongst other fantastic stories.
He even spent an hour oiling and acclimatising to the blade he taken from the fallen raider testing it against the reaching arms of some ominous looking cacti pretending for a moment they were the menacing forms of Super Mutants, Radscorpions, or even the fabled Deathclaw.
[Lady Killer] Thoroughly out of breath and shaking from the cold night air he returned to the small encampment to make his heist and successfully stole past the dozing guardsmen quietly slipping into the tent. What happened in there Eddie would never tell another living soul however several hours later he rather briskly walked out of the red-cross tent offer the rather surprised guardsmen a sharp 'evening gents' before disappearing off down the road.
He stumbled into the diner around mid-night before closing time and collapsed against the bar mumbling strange fragments of his experiences, ketamine, a medical brace, something that sounded painful to do with microfusion cells. He'd made off with a few items that were tucked into his pack. She'd never even notice the difference between the already exhausted syringes of Med-X, or question why several of her up until recently fresh blood packs had suddenly turned to a dark ash like substance.
He fell to the though that although what he'd done was fundamentally wrong.....and what Dr Strauss would have done to him was fundamentally wrong on so many different levels.....at least someone out in the wastes would be less likely to die from a bullet wound or a poisoning.
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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Posted - 2015.06.29 03:41:00 -
[52] - Quote
When Eddie awoke he was in a completely foreign place.
His first thought was of pure panic. He was sure Dr Strauss had managed to find him in his inebriated state. His escape from her tent had coincided nicely with an insatiable thirst for whisky eventually leading him to the Diner of the Dino-Dee-Lite where he'd eventually collapsed against the bar. He sat up sharply and quickly patted himself down, checking that everything was where it should have been and that no new scars or more importantly burns having listened to her deprivations marred his body, sighing with relief as none presented themselves.
He glanced around taking stock of his situation for the first time. It was a small dingy room. Red carpet lined the floors, leather curtains kept the blinding rays of the sun at bay, while modest pre-war furniture long since refurbished littered the room. He sat there on the lumpy double bed. His pack had been placed down against one of the walls, sword belt and buckle neatly leaning against the side of the bed frame.
He rose with a groan, clutching at his head, and gathered his belongings. Stepping out into the light of day was like being struck by a train..... Eddie admittedly didn't really understand the nature of the imagery that idiom was supposed to convey. He'd seen monorails before out East but all of those had been rusted hulks that could barely function. Still he felt like ****.
More than likely it had been Jennie May who'd availed himself of his patronage. Who else would have given a ****? He'd have to thank her later and settle the costs of the room if she hadn't herself.
He gave himself some time to adjust to the daylight wincing the entire time as his shaking hand allowed even the faintest of light to filter between his fingers. Assured that he could function somewhat well enough to barter he stumbled over to the Dino Bite's Giftshop offering the owner a half hearted greeting as he struggled to removed his salvaged weapons from his pack.
A bandoleer of .38 shells, two .357 Pistols, one admittedly with a broken hammer, the 10mm automatic, the length of rusted pipe, and an evil looking garden gnome the owner seemed quite taken with.
He exchanged these for an old .45 automatic with a heavy slide, a few magazine casings, two score rounds, and a weapons repair kit. He grinned feeling the reassuring weight of a large calibre automatic pistol in his hands. The .45 was a compact weapon, simple to use, and simple to maintain. Perfect for him, he thought tucking the weapon into the waist of his trousers.
This day had certainly started in a better fashion than the previous one had. He was almost beginning to feel chipper again s he walked out into the open space in front of the motel, glancing around as if looking for the others in the small company.
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
Praetoriani Classiarii Templares
Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
19
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Posted - 2015.06.29 22:25:00 -
[53] - Quote
Eddie had grinned like a madman as Lucas had presented the caps to him.
Three Hundred and Twenty Five Caps. That would be enough for weeks on the road if he rationed it well enough and wasn't fleeced for all he was worth. It occurred to him in a strangely melancholic sense that their group would likely break apart now with no unifying purpose to hold it together, each man going their separate way to fulfil their own separate goals.
It was a shame really. Those two blood bags he'd managed to acquire from the clinic would go to waste now.
"Hey Lucas......uh sorry. I mean can I call you Lucas? He turned to face the mercenary, frowning as he did. " What are you going to do now that the Ranger is gone?"
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
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Posted - 2015.06.30 00:22:00 -
[54] - Quote
[Speech] " Oh that? I'm not even really sure myself to be honest." He lied smoothly. " I couldn't make half a lick of sense out of the man's nonsense if I tried....and believe me I damn well tried."
He shrugged affably before opening the drawstring to the pouch of caps checking them quickly. They all seemed to be there.
"I'm still new here Lucas. I don't even understand half of what you guys talk about with this Legion and NCR stuff. I mean we have creeps like that out east but at least you can tell ours from the average waster by their power armour.... perhaps our Ranger was just shocked that Jason could hold his own. I know I was."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
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Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
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Posted - 2015.07.06 00:03:00 -
[55] - Quote
Two thousand caps. Eddie blanched as the Follower explained the complexities of getting on to the New Vegas Strip. Perhaps he'd thought he could have just waltzed into the city and began poking around without having to jump through any hurdles......but two thousand caps was an enormous sum.
Normally he could have plied his trade on the streets, from the way Jason had described it Freeside would certainly have plenty of people in need of medical care though the whole exercise would be pointless if the Followers of the Apocalypse either became his suppliers, undercut, or even offered treatment for free.
"Ah dammit." He grumbled. " I guess I'm stuck then until I can get onto the strip or find the ruins of the Little Church of the West.....probably one of the only reasons I'm out here. The Abbey likes to collect relics from the Old World.....not the technological kind but at the very least those that might off some comfort to those with faith."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
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Praetoria Imperialis Excubitoris
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Posted - 2015.07.08 00:27:00 -
[56] - Quote
Eddie shrugged and took a seat next to Jason.
"About as far East as you can come from. Originally from a small Tribe near the Connecticut River and when I was with the Abbey we were in Western Massachusetts.....uh...." He flushed a bright red. "That's really I can tell you about the place. They like to keep the location a secret."
The 188 was just how he remembered it. The start of his travels through Nevada and the place he'd severed ties with his caravan after the horrors they'd survived out in the Divide. It seemed as though all of the original personalities were still here. The arms dealers, NCR troopers in salvaged power armour, even the fortune telling kid camping out in the underpass below.
"They Elders of the Abbey seemed to think that the Little Church was some famous pre-war chapel out here. Said that hundreds of people used to visit it before the bombs fell and that if anything was left from before that could be called a relic I should seek it out."
H perked up as soon as Lucas mentioned the monorail. A working pre-war train. God, he'd only dreamed of riding one having seen a few desolate wrecks back east.
"Really?! Oh you have to get us on that thing now.....uh....I guess after we get Jason to Freeside."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
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Posted - 2015.07.08 21:56:00 -
[57] - Quote
Eddie glanced down at the strange boy Jason had been talking to but moments ago, listening as the Follower threw up noisily on the other side of the bench.
"That." He said sarcastically. "Is one hell of a kid...... wonder if the Ranger stopped by? I'd have paid to see him puke his guts up in that helmet."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
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Posted - 2015.07.09 02:45:00 -
[58] - Quote
Eddie glared at Lucas sceptically as he returned from the Underpass looking thoughtful and slightly devoid of a heavy pouch of caps at his waist, raising an eyebrow curiously. He'd not taken Lucas for a superstitious type, nor one to part so easily with hard earned caps but he had to admit the quirk seemed to make the man a bit less intimidating.
"I guess I have to now.... Hold this and don't give it back to me until I puke."
He shrugged once. It was a defeated gesture. He had been planning on spending the last of his caps on a few drinks and a soft bed in Freeside before pursuing leads to the Little Chapel. He sauntered down the short incline passing into the shadows of the creaking Overpass and worked his way towards the youth's modest encampment.
He was surprised to see the boy was already sitting there waiting for him fiddling with some kind of metal contraption on his head that looked more like some archaic medical brace than the tool of a fortune teller. He boy glanced up curiously.
"What do you want to hear me think about? I told your friend but you don't really seem to care what I tell you."
"I dunno" Eddie replied, his tone sardonic. "Things that were, things at are...... you're not to good at this kid. Aren't you supposed to make a big deal of telling my future or something, play the mysterious gift up, or read my life line? Perhaps you wanna start by telling me something mystical about myself."
"You?" He asked as if the question were the simplest thing in the world.
"Yeah me."
The boy stopped for a moment and then slowly and carefully removed the metallic aperture from his head. Immeadiately the muscles in his face seemed to clench as sweat began to bead on his forehead. He paled quickly, began to shake violently, so much so that Eddie thought the child might have gone into shock.
"A Knife with a boy or the other way...can't tell. The sun rises with your strideGǪ. Hides the faceGǪaway from the Long River. RoadsGǪGǪso many roads like veins they take you places against your will. Just never where you want to goGǪ.you triedGǪtraded it in for scars. I see Eight but they do not bring you luck, five chambers in the ground. They looked, some found. Forecast: Sunny with the chance of rain.Gǥ
A Knife. Long River. The Eight....... oh God the kid knew about The Eight.
Eddie looked stunned a moment. He'd not expected the kid to actually say something worth hearing. He rounded on the child who looked equally stunned, grasping him by the shoulders and shaking him violently. "Kid have you ever said anything like that before...... about the Eight or about the Chambers?"
The boy nodded timidly. Just once.
It was as if be could barely remember, as if he was barely aware of his surroundings after the third time 'Thinking' without the aid of the contraption. The boy reached out for it, trashing as Eddie pushed it away with his boot, he needed the Forecaster to answer more questions.
"Who was it? A tall man. Black suit?"
The boy shook his head this time, convulsions racking his tiny frame, hissing with displeasure. Disgusted with himself Eddie left the youth alone to gather his scattered belongings
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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True Adamance
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Posted - 2015.07.09 23:50:00 -
[59] - Quote
Eddie stalked back up the 188 Rest Stop. He's pulled one of the .45 shells from the top of a magazine and was flicking it between his thumb and fore finger as one might have a coin or bottle cap. It probably wasn't the smartest thing he could have been doing, flicking a live round, but he didn't much care.
The Forecasters words had told him all he needed to know. One of the Eight was here in the Mojave though which of them he had no idea and that the man in the black suit was here as well.
He paced about the encampment chatting with the few caravaneers bedding down for the night looking for any information be could find about the man in the black suit or Old World ruins that might not have been picked clean. The merchantmen proved to be poor sources of information and better rumourmongers than Eddie would have even thought the roads men of their kind possible. He also spoke with several NCR soldiers stationed though that avenue proved less fruitful than the first with one the green recruits having a stick up his arse for military doctrine and preservation of sensitive information.
After about half and hour he gave up and took a seat at one of the stalls at the Rest Stop. A brahmin steak, some cram, and two bottles of stale beer later he was feeling much better.
Those who inhabited the small trade stop seemed like an amicable sort except for the woman who sat next to him wearing tattered grey robes with the distinctive metallic bulge or a Power First hidden by the folds. He got the distinct impression that any attempts to flirt with the woman would be rebuffed though he wasn't quite sure why, though she seemed sad and despondent.
In the end he barely said two words to her throughout the entire time they sat together and returned to the small bench where Jason and Lucas sat without even exchanging names dropping his pack and pulling out the worn copy of D.C Journal of Internal Medicine. He wasn't exactly in the mood to read but what else was there to do.
He managed a few pages before flicking through the diagrams. In the end nothing was sticking in his mind and he stored the book amongst his things.
"Lucas you mind if I ask you what that kid said? I mean we've got nothin' but time and I was just curious to know if he said anything.....y'know personal. No specifics or anything needed. Just stuff no-one else should have known."
Em shah tey et naGÇÖemsaer ek rahvi, amarr osedah gasi ubday pahk. Ekin tey vahka ijed div ema ziel. Et tey vamatal em.
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