//------------------------------// // Iron and Stealing // Story: Queen Of The Wasteland // by Jest //------------------------------// Twilight panicked for a moment, unsure of which direction to go and running half heartedly off to the right. Her confusion cost her dearly, as a missile slammed into the road only a few metres from her left, knocking the deathclaw off her feet. Sent airborne by the explosion, Twilight hit the ground hard, though the actual damage was minimal due to her scaly hide absorbing the majority of the attack. As the launcher wielding drug addict reloaded, Janey emerged from cover and fired several shots at him. One clipped his shoulder while the rest went wide, prompting the jackal to duck further behind cover as he stuffed another explosive into the tube. His allies quickly covered for him, peppering the courier’s location with shots while a particularly brave woman ran screaming at Janey with a knife held high over her head. Cursing to herself, Janey fell back behind cover before awkwardly shuftling to the other side of the barrier. There she peeked out, and put a bullet into a gang banger’s head, dropping him to the ground like a wet sack of potatoes. She foresaw the ensuing hail of bullets and ducked back behind cover just as the psycho user sprinted around the corner. “Bugger,” Janey cursed. Twilight was blearily dragging herself into a stand, her ears ringing, and her vision spinning. She was dimly aware of the fact that she was being shot, repeatedly, so she tried to continue her dash. Only to end up akwwardly tumbling through a short brick wall and nearly crushing the man who had been using it as cover. Yelping in surprise, he aimed down and unleashed the rest of the bullets he had into Twilight's midsection. Thankfully for the deathclaw, her attacker was using a very small calibre pistol which was primarily made out of rusty pipes. Even still, it wasn't a pleasant feeling and though none broke through her scales, Twilight knew she was going to have some new bruises. She tried to get rid of the man by back handing him away, but her eyes had yet to stop rolling around in her skull and she hit thin air. By the time Twilight was able to see straight once more, the man had pulled out what looked like a sword, though it roared like an engine. He seemed intent on using it on Twilight, though he never managed to do so as a missile slammed into the nearby wall. The sword wielding man was pulped by the ensuing spray of rust colored shrapnel which similarly pummeled Twilight. Her scaly hide protected her a little better then the ratty set of road leathers her opponent had been wearing. This time she could tell a few of the sharper bits had managed to pierce her scales, but she ignored that for a moment. Janey didn't have the luxury of ignoring anything in that instant, as she was forced to use her revolver to deflect the sharpened kitchen knife. Still half crouched in the dirt, Janey tried to escape the psycho’s range but wasn't faster than the still screaming woman. Who swiped repeatedly, her attacks wild but quick, and carried a remarkable amount of weight given how thin she was. “Damn druggies,” Janey muttered to herself. Using her revolver’s barrel like a knife, Janey managed to deflect what she couldn't dodge but found herself unable to offer a counter attack. Growing desperate now that she was being pushed out of cover, Janey clumsily swung the butt of her weapon at her opponent. Though she nearly lost a finger due to the woman’s block, Janey was able to pull out her second pistol and unlead three rounds. The drug addict stumbled forward, blood gurgling out of her mouth even as she leveled another swing at Janey’s face. The attack was much slower and Janey side stepped before putting another bullet into the other woman in the process. When the jackal dropped to the ground Janey leaped back behind cover just as a few of the psycho user’s freinds began to fire. This time they had slightly better trigger discipline and immediately stopped firing the second Janey ducked. Unfortunately, they then turned their fire to the one enemy they could see, which at that moment was Twilight Sparkle. Seeing the deathclaw stumble away from another explosion, Janey cursed her luck and leapt over her cover. As her companion was charging the distracted jackals, Twilight was busy trying to regain her bearings for a second time. It didn't help that someone hit her in the chin with a large pipe almost immediately however. Nor did the rain of bullets aid in Twilight's efforts to remain upright, and not receive a dozen new injuries every second. It was at this point that her concentration cracked, and the angry instincts which had been roaring inside of her took over. Gone was all the logical thought, and careful planning that made Twilight, Twilight. Replaced instead by raw animalistic aggression and earth shattering rage. The change was signalled with a powerful roar so loud that nearby attackers clamped their hands over their ears. This gave the beast just enough time to disembowel her pipe wielding foe before they could hit it over the head. With that enemy down, the beast sprinted across the road, making a beeline for the missile launcher wielding jackal. Who, thinking themselves safe on the second story of the ruin, prepared to line up a shot on the deathclaw after it ran around them. That didn't happen however, as the beast slammed into the sole remaining support with all the strength it could muster. The aged brick construction was no match for nearly one ton of angry deathclaw, and collapsed, having offered barely any resistance. The man atop reflexivily pulled the trigger on his weapon, sending a missile firing straight up into the sky. Janey pulled the trigger, removing the head from a distracted jackal who had been following the deathclaw’s charge. The courier herself couldn't help but wonder what was happening just beyond the brick wall only a few meters away. The ensuing screaming did much to fill in her imagination however, and she soon moved onto the foes not currently being eaten. Whatever her companion was doing had evidently shaken the remaining jackals who numbered only eight. Mostly gathered across the road, they seemed to be weighing their odds and were inspecting their remaining weapons. Three pistols, a rusty assault rifle, a pair of caravan shotguns, a man with a sledge hammer, and finally a jackal who had a laser pistol. Not a bad arsenal if they were facing anything other than a deathclaw, and even the clearly drugged up raiders knew that. Janey decided to push her advantage and stepped out of cover, firing two rounds into the man holding the assault rifle. He managed a wheeze before crumpling to the ground, clutching his chest and trying to plug the hole in his lung. “Give it up or I’ll let my friend here eat you alive!” Janey shouted. Before the still living jackals could reply, the beast emerged from the ruins, a human arms in its jaws and blood covering its entire upper half. Though clearly injured, and currently sporting a thick layer of brick dust, the deathclaw was far from out of the fight. In fact it seemed ready to continue the slaughter, and started to charge the jackals, but didn't make it far. After a few steps, it stopped, and the bloody limb fell from its mouth. “What just happened?” Twilight muttered, looking around in confusion, her gaze landing on the terrified gangsters huddled before her. “Oh good. You’re not shooting me.” “Relax,” Janey whispered in a low tone. “These guys are ready to surrender. Isn't that right?” The jackals nodded like a pack of terrified bobble heads. Twilight stood back up and breathed slowly, glancing over her shoulder to the ruin behind her. She couldn't remember what had happened there, but she quickly assumed that it had been a misfire of some kind given the chunks of raider splattered everywhere. She also didn't know why she tasted blood, and spat out as much of it as she could, choosing to ignore the nagging thought in the back of her mind. “You alright?” Janey asked. “You got a bit crazy back there.” Twilight raised her hands and shook her head, doing her best to assure the courier that she was okay. “Okay then. Now I’m going to round these guys up. You keep an eye on them,” Janey exclaimed. “W-wait. What are you going to do with us?” asked a terrified jackal with a deathgrip on his pistol. “Princess here probably wants to take you back to the NCR, and honestly I’d prefer to take you back behind the woodshed, but at this point I’ve learned not to argue,” Janey continued. Twilight snorted diresively, urging Janey to return to the topic at hand. “Right,” Janey cleared her throat and lifted her revolver. “Here's what's going to happen. I’m going to handcuff you all. Then I’m going to tie you all together. After that I’ll lead you back to the NCR outpost while Princess here stands behind you and eats any who try to run.” Twilight snorted a little more forcefully, and shook her head in an effort to tell the others that she wouldn't do that. An effort that was completely wasted, as nearly everyone had seen what happened to the explosives expert among their ranks. “Any objections?” Janey asked. The remaining jackals all looked from Twilight to Janey and then back again before shaking their heads. “Good, now hold still and don't try anything funny. I doubt Princess has eaten her fill quite yet,” Janey added in a tone too quiet for Twilight to hear. The deathclaw stood off to the side, and watched the prisoners get tied together in short order. None complained, nor did they even really speak, just standing there, too terrified to do anything but hold their hands in front of them. Once they were all tied together, Janey frisked them, scrounged up all the dropped valuables, and began to lead them away. Twilight took her usual position at the back of the pack, observing the group as they began to walk towards the outpost. After a few minutes the injuries Twilight had sustained began to flare up, the adrenaline finally fading away. Pain stabbed at her sides, and a good section of her torso, along with one entire half of her body. Though not severe, Twilight could tell that she was going to need a little more than just a stimpack this time. She’d require more dexterous hands to pick the shrapnel out of her hide, and to help clean her many wounds of debris. A realization that made her begin to dread the conversation she knew was coming. I wonder how much asking for Janey’s help will cost me. Twilight ruminated. She kept that thought to herself the entire walk back, merely watching the prisoners or occasionally glancing at the moon overhead. No enemies approached them, and no animals were spotted, though Twilight thought she saw a scaly dog for a second. It zipped out of sight before she could truly lay eyes on it however, so Twilight put it out of her mind. Arriving back at the NCR outpost, there was a brief flurry of activity before everything settled down once more. A familiar clerk appeared with an annoyed set of guards who glanced expectantly at the prisoners. “And here I thought I’d be able to go a day without handling more of them,” he muttered bitterly. “You know the deal,” Janey remarked. “I do, and don't worry, the princesses’ donations will be more than enough to cover these new additions,” exclaimed the NCR clerk. Twilight nodded, and was about to ask Janey for a hand when a familiar face appeared. “Well would ya look at that,” Cass exclaimed, pushing her hat up her head and scratching her scalp. “Ya’ll bagged a whole mess of them.” Something about the word mess made Twilight feel a bit disgusted, and she shuddered. “That bad eh?” Cass remarked. Twilight nodded, and pantomimed someone shooting a rocket, and then it exploding nearby. “Oof, yeah those things can really pack a wallop. Nearly lost my leg to a raider lugging around one of those things. Thank goodness he loaded the next shot backwards,” Cass replied. Twilight chuckled to herself despite how morbid the entire situation was. “Need a hand?” Cass offered. Looking around, Twilight soon found that Janey was gone. Twilight nodded slowly and knelt down, pointing at a particularly unpleasant shard of brick sticking out of her side. “Don't worry. I’ve picked a fair share of shrapnel in my time,” Cass exclaimed. Twilight crouched silently as Cass pulled the hunk of stone out of the deathclaw’s side. Though she groaned miserably, Twilight remained motionless, her expression distant. Her mind lingered on her injuries for only a few seconds before they turned to darker things. Such as the growing number of holes in her memories, a topic which she was increasingly worried about. “So did ya get ambushed?” Cass inquired. Twilight put her thoughts aside and nodded down at the human woman. “Damn. Well, you can't say I didn't warn you,” Cass muttered. The ex merchant leaned in close, and ripped off a bent scale, causing Twilight to bite down, resisting the urge to scream. That temptation passed quickly, though in its absence, a growing curiosity remained. Searching around, Twilight tried to locate something to talk with but soon realized that it wouldn't help much without Janey around. “You’re probably wondering why I’m so nice to ya all of a sudden,” Cass reasoned. “And frankly the answer’s simple. You’re good folk. Real good.” Twilight sat quietly, merely watching as Cass pulled a bottle from somewhere and splashed a bit on one of the deathclaw’s open wounds. Though it burned, Twilight remembered the brief survival lesson Janey had given her around the campfire. Alcohol of that strength would clean things out well, even if it stung like an angry hornet. “See I talked to some of them guys you took in,” Cass continued. “To be honest I had written them off but after speaking to you I struggled to feel justified. After getting to know them though… well things change I suppose.” Twilight watched Cass clean or otherwise remedy nearly all of the deathclaw’s wounds. “It's still a little hard to think of a deathclaw as people, but well. I’m working on it,” Cass muttered. “I’d even offer to join ya on the road, but that Janey girl… I don't know about her. She's got danger tattooed on every inch of skin she’s got.” Twilight snorted, unable to contain her urge to chuckle at the comment. Cass took a step back and put her hands on her hips. “Whelp, that's about all a washed up caravaner can manage. I’d suggest you sleep on it.” Doctors orders? Twilight thought to herself with some amusement. “Oh and hey. If you ever find yourself out this way again, don't hesitate to give me a holler. Maybe by then I’d be able to pay you back for what ya did,” Cass exclaimed as she walked away. Twilight felt the urge to follow after her friend, but a wave of exhaustion nearly knocked her from her feet. Worse yet, the ground had suddenly started looking a lot more comfortable than it had a few seconds ago and Twilight turned to find a better spot. She found the perfect location not long after, the wide, but shallow divot making for a fairly decent bed. Or at least Twilight hoped so. Plunking down in the dirt, Twilight made sure to lay down on her less injured side. Then she tried to find a somewhat comfortable spot before settling in for the night. Her wandering mind stopped her from falling into the blissful embrace of unconsciousness though. She couldn't help but wonder about those small, barely noticeable holes in her memories and what they might contain. They all seemed to be triggered by some manner of violence, though that didn't always seem to be the case. Think in the morning. Twilight told herself. Night brain is stupid brain. With that reminding firmly in her thoughts, Twilight closed her eyes and released a long sigh.