A Valuable Lesson Pt2
Peeking around the bottom of the bluff, Twilight peered up at the long wide slope which led up to a sharp point. The area to the right rose significantly, while to the left it was much more gradual and would be easy to walk up. There Twilight witnessed a rather grisly scene, as an entire pack of the short purpleish skinned reptiles were feasting on the remains of a dead brahmin.
Not only that but they were also eating their own dead, as well as the corpses of two humans who had likely been driving the pack animal in question. It was evident from the position of the dead geckos and brahmin that the traders had hoped to use the narrow rise to funnel in the geckos. There they deployed several bear traps to stop the creatures, only to be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, dying in the process.
Janey poked her head in next to Twilight, along with a nervous Barton Thorn who also gazed up at the rather unpleasant sight. A gecko turning towards the trio made all three of them duck back around the corner and breathe a sigh of relief when nothing happened.
“Did you know there were that many up there?” Janey asked, putting her hand on her gun.
Barton quickly shook his head and raised his hands. “No I swear. I left for a few hours to grab some water from Goodsprings. I didn't know about any of this.”
Twilight snorted derisively, shooting Janey a glare.
The other female frowned, but lifted her hand from her weapon. “Fine. I believe you but this is a little above and beyond our agreement. There must be at least twenty of the things up there.”
“Oh come on, Seventy five was more than a generous split,” Barton whined.
Twilight held up a hand, silencing them both while she pulled out her peice of metal. “Why don't you leave any remaining gear on the traders to us while you get the rights to all the meat, and skins of the geckos. Surely they must be worth something, and we couldn't bring all of them with us anyway.”
Barton breathed a sigh of relief and nodded his head. “That sounds more than fine with me. Maybe I can even swing a deal with a townie to store some food in an open freezer.”
“Thats fair, but I want at least one or two for us. We have to eat too and Gecko meat ain't bad as far as wasteland critters go,” Janey exclaimed.
Twilight nodded, pulled back her hood and extended her claws, making it obvious that she was ready to move.
Janey held up a hand though, stopping the deathclaw before she could move. “Wait. We should discuss a plan. Twilight I want you to take point and run right into the middle of them. Barton and I will remain back and pick off the stragglers while also supporting you as best as we can.”
“I only got eight bullets left, but I’ll do what I can,” Barton remarked.
Twilight frowned, and pointed to Janey’s weapon and then to herself before shaking her horned head.
“I won't shoot you,” Janey stated irritably. “Don't worry.”
Twilight snorted, but nodded despite her disbelief, readying herself for the conflict she knew was coming. Internally she didn't like having to fight, but these creatures had taken down some innocent traders. If allowed to live they may strike again now that they no longer feared what the humans may do to them.
“Alright on three, ready?” Janey began, receiving a nod from both of her companions. “Three, two, one, go!”
Twilight leapt out from behind her cover and immediately began to sprint towards the main group of geckos clustered around the dead two headed cow. Her pounding feat quickly alerted the gathered horde, and when her reptilian prey rose up to defend themselves Twilight immediately realized her mistake. These ones werent like the tiny starving runts they had likely kicked out, and instead stood tall enough to nearly rival Twilight herself.
These larger beasts had spines lining their back while their smaller cousins lacked this feature as well as their brighter coloration. Thankfully there were only two of the larger kind, while the rest were much smaller and kept their distance from the pair. That was until they let out a shrill cry of rage and launched themselves at Twilight, then the horde closed ranks before attacking her in earnest.
Knowing full well that her companions would be unlikely to hold their own against the spined beasts, Twilight chose to focus on them and ignore the others. As she pounded up the slope the deathclaw released a ferocious roar that came from deep in her diaphragm. Immediately the lesser geckos began to scatter, some running away while others plowed through their cowardly allies.
With the majority of the horde now confused at least temporarily Twilight made a beeline straight for the two who werent. As she ran she lashed out with her claws, cutting down one gecko after another before slamming shoulder first into one of the larger variants. For a moment she couldn't help but focus on the fresh blood coating her claws, bloodlust nearly overwhelming her.
Twilight refused to let that happen, and instead chose to keep her mind focused on the battle happening around her. The former pony didn't exactly know a lot about fighting in such a body, but years of adventuring and world saving had given her at least a small grasp on the subject in general. For starters she knew that despite her size she would be overwhelmed by the small horde if she didn't bring down the two larger creatures holding the group together.
To that end Twilight focused on the opponent she had already knocked to the ground, swiping her claws across its face and chest. The attacks were slightly mitigated by the creature’s arms it raised in its defence, though even then it lost a hand and several fingers in the process. Unfortunately Twilight couldn't keep pressing her attack as the second larger one had clamped down on her right arm.
The creature’s razor sharp teeth easily pierced the leather coat Twilight wore, and dug deep into the deathclaw’s flesh. Rage poured through Twilight’s mind, and for a moment she almost felt like she was back in that room, fighting those gang members. It took effort but she kept those dark thoughts at bay, swinging her arm with all the strength she could muster and sending the beast flying.
By the time she had freed her limb a dozen more of the beasts were already clawing away at her however, giving time for the first to rise back up. Most of the diminutive lizards couldn't even pierce her leather coat, but a few enterprising Geckos had managed to slip through and were scratching away at her legs. A firm stomp crushed the head of one, and a gunshot suddenly dropped another which had been chewing on Twilight’s long tail.
A few more swipes and she had either killed or driven back the majority of her reptilian attackers, leaving her facing off against the two from before. This time they eyed Twilight more carefully, though they quickly proved how limited their intelligence was by leaping directly at her anyway. Jaws extended and both tried to bite the deathclaw in the midsection only to miss completely when Twilight stepped out of the way.
The gecko that had lost a hand tumbled forward, unable to stop his momentum and leaving him in a crumpled heap. Twilight wasted no time in stomping his head into the dirt, crushing it like an oversized grape and causing brains to shoot out over the dry desert ground. His ally was a little faster, and more well coordinated, leaping up at Twilight and attempting to bite her in the throat.
Twilight was quicker still though, and with a jerk of her head, swatted the beast aside using a single massive horn. The deathclaw followed this up with an attack of her own, burying one of her clawed hands into the beast’s midsection. It didn't give up even after such a grizzly blow, and even while its guts spilled out in front of it the gecko continued to attempt to bite her.
Powerful jaws clamped down hard on Twilight’s wrist, piercing leather and scales alike before Twilight quickly withdrew the limb. Teeth and blood went flying as Twilight stumbled back, only now becoming aware of the several other small creatures that were still attacking her. Bullets flew, and one of them fell, but still more of the annoying creatures viciously clawed at the deathclaw.
One had grabbed hold of her tail and was biting repeatedly on the large limb before being dislodged when Twilight whipped it into the air. A backhand sent another gecko flying, while a swipe cut one of the beasts in twain. By then the sound of gunfire had slowed, and Twilight’s bloodlust had begun to fade, though it didn't leave her completely.
Not while there were still enemies left to kill.
Looking down, Twilight noticed one of the geckos had climbed its way up her coat and was trying to gnaw through the midsection. She was about to shake the beast off of her when a human form lurched into view, weapon held high over his head. The impact of a pistol butt hitting the gecko’s head caused the creature to let go and fall to the ground, dazed.
Barton wasted no time in delivering a flurry of pistol whips to the top of the beast’s head, only stopping when the beast went limp. Breathing heavily, Twilight noticed the human had several open wounds, though none of which seemed like they would be fatal. The deathclaw was about to turn to the final smaller gecko that had been attacking her only to see the creature sprinting away into the hills.
It didn't make it far before Janey shot it in the back, dropping the animal instantly.
“Damn those things can take a beating,” Janey muttered as she wiped clean the blood from her knife.
The courier seemed a little better off then Twilight and Barton, sporting only a single open cut on her hand. Reloading her weapon, Janey put her revolver back into her holster before stepping up the deathclaw and looking her up and down.
“Ya hurt?” She asked simply.
Twilight lifted her arm, and revealed the bloody holes left by the gecko’s attack. Though rather deep, and quite painful it didn't feel nearly as bad as it looked. The deathclaw wondered if her new nervous system was slightly dulled, or if her sense of pain was simply different.
Either way she didn't feel as though the injury was too bad, and after inspecting the rest of her body she found that they too were insignificant. Only a few scratches could be seen, as well as a couple bite marks on her tail were visible and most hurt about as much as a papercut. The sight of her blood made Twilight stop though, as it had a slightly bluish sheen to it that seemed wrong to her for some reason.
“Ya don't look half bad, does it hurt?” Barton asked, wiping the sweat from his brow before pointing to Twilight’s arm.
The deathclaw shook her head and let her sleeve back into place. She was about to draw her metal sheet when her stomach rumbled noisily.
“Help yourself. To the victor, the spoils,” Bartan exclaimed, gesturing to the small graveyard of geckos that surrounded them.
Twilight’s mind rebelled at the notion of eating something that was still bloody, but the clawing sensation in her belly was growing stronger. As it grew Twilight increasingly felt her gaze drawn to Barton Thorn, and the open gash on his arm. She briefly wondered what he would taste like before Twilight shook her head hard and turned towards one of the geckos.
The first one which caught her gaze was the other larger gecko that had evidently succumbed to its wounds shortly after she had turned away from it. Though a grim, bloody sight, Twilight quickly pushed down the bile which rose in her belly and grabbed one of its arms. A sharp tug tore the thing out of its socket, and even while a small part of her rebelled at her actions, the deathclaw bit into the soft flesh.
Scaly skin and dense muscle parted easily, causing a tidal wave of blood to flow into Twilight’s mouth, nearly making her wretch. This time when she was tempted to give into her more bestial urges, Twilight relinquished herself fully to her more animalistic side. Immediately all sense of decorum vanished as the deathclaw tore into her prey with ruthless efficiency.
Mouthful after mouthful of still warm flesh made its descent into her belly, the former pony mentally recoiling in horror. Her sense of self had been dulled however, her instincts allowing her to keep the food down without throwing up the instant it hit her stomach. In seconds there was nothing left on the arm but bones, which she tossed aside without a second thought before ripping into the gecko’s midsection.
Organs were pulped, intestines removed, and great hunks of meat were swallowed with little chewing happening beforehand. In a minute there was barely anything left of the gecko, and with her belly now full, Twilight felt her senses slowly return to her. As it happened she struggled to stop herself from throwing up, the pony having to remind herself what would happen if she did so.
I don't want to have to do that all over again. Twilight thought to herself, the deathclaw wiping her hands in the dirt and cleaning them as best as she could. That should hopefully tide me over for a while. Though due to my size it will probably be only a day or two before I will need to eat again.
The thought was a grim one, and Twilight didn't look forward to submitting herself to her animal side any time soon. Though the alternative was getting used to consuming the warm, bloody flesh of her victims which was equally as unpleasant.
The deathclaw’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the click of a gun, and looked up to find Janey was pointing her weapon at Barton. Twilight immediately reared up to her full height and walked over to the pair, eying them closely. Both seemed on edge, with Barton holding his pistol like a club while Janey’s eyes burned with hatred.
“Don't shoot him,” Twilight tapped out.
“And why shouldn't I?” Janey demanded, jabbing her gun at the man. “This fucker is a powder ganger. I bet he’ll try to blow us up the second we turn our backs on him.”
Twilight glanced down at Barton expectantly.
The man winced, and raised his hands. “I may have been at one point but that's behind me now.”
“You don't get to just walk away from a life of crime,” Janey spat.
“I hardly even did anything in the first place!” Barton shouted. “Those NCR fucks gave me life just for having the wrong kind of friends.”
“The NCR might be messed up in a lot of ways, but they ain't in the business of locking up innocent people,” Janey retorted.
Twilight leaned forward and gently forced Janey’s gun down before tapping out a quick response. “Let him tell us the whole story so we can understand the situation.”
Janey scowled, but reluctantly pointed her weapon away from the man. “Fine. But if there is even a one percent chance this fuck is lying to us I’m going to blow his godamn head off.”
The deathclaw frowned, and motioned with an open palm to the other human, inviting him to speak.
Barton grunted, and put away his empty gun. “Like I was trying to tell you. My friends started a gang back west in order to stay alive. We never did anything serious, just protected a few caravans, and popped a couple of raiders. Between the bounties and the loot the psychos had on them we were able to carve out a nice little place in this rundown old factory.”
“Then someone got greedy,” Janey remarked.
The man’s shoulders sagged. “Yeah. The head honcho was an old pal of mine from way back in the day. Pretty soon we ate up all the good, honest paying jobs around. So he started doing some less than legal stuff like opening a bar without a license, handing out loans and charging crazy interest on them, that kinda thing.”
Twilight snorted at the man.
Barton winced. “I’m getting there okay? Look, the point is he wanted to do stuff I wasn't willing to be a part of and so I left. It wasn't long before I found out the guy had a bounty of his own at this point and so I sold him out to the NCR for a nice chunk of change.”
“Or so you thought,” Janey interpreted. “Lemme guess, they went back on their deal?”
“Coupla troopers ended up biting it when they attacked the hide out. They convinced the judge I must have warned them the cops were coming,” Barton snorted, and kicked a chunk of dirt. “So there I was stuck in jail with whoever was smart enough to give themselves up without a fight.”
“That must have been quite unpleasant,” Twilight remarked.
“You’re telling me,” Barton bitterly replied. “I’m not sure who hated me more. The guards or the other prisoners.”
Janey sighed, and holstered her weapon. “That was quite the story.”
“It's the truth,” Barton stated earnestly.
“I believe him,” Twilight added.
“And as much as I hate to say it I do too,” Janey muttered, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “So what do ya plan on doing now?”
Barton shrugged. “Try to survive as long as I can out here. It ain't like any town is going to take me in.”
Twilight held up a finger before hastily tapping out her response. “Why don't you offer to give the town the lion’s share of the meat haul in return for accepting you.”
“Then I won't have anything to eat,” complained the man, only to sigh. “Though I guess it's not like I can eat all this before it goes bad anyway.”
“Goodsprings will take care of ya,” Janey exclaimed, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. “But you better move that stuff quickly before the bloatflies catch wind of it.”
“R-right,” Barton murmured. “Thanks Twilight.”
The deathclaw nodded as the human scurried away and began to grab as many dead geckos as he could carry.
Janey frowned as she watched Barton scurry about. “You know that might be a load of hogwash he just sold us, right?”
Twilight raised a nonexistent eyebrow at the woman.
“I know I said I believed him but I still ain't a hundred percent sure he was tellin the truth,” Janey replied.
“I believed it,” Twilight stated.
Janey shook her head one last time before turning around. “Come on. Let's finish looting this place.”
Twilight pointed to the fridge and then to herself before pointing from Janey to the mostly eaten brahmin.
“Fine, fine. Just watch out for traps. I’m pretty sure there are more up there,” Janey muttered before turning around and walking away.
Free to walk around on her own, Twilight trotted up to the fridge though not before stopping to check for more obstacles. Sure enough a couple of rusty bear traps were waiting for her, which she quickly disarmed by tossing a rock into. With those out of the way Twilight opened the fridge to find a small pouch of caps, several playing cards, and a loose selection of ammo.
Tucking all of that into her pouches, she was about to close the door only to notice that one of the fridge’s drawers were occupied. After pulling it open Twilight found several small boxes with images of food printed on them. Sniffing them revealed that they smelled like cardboard, and more preservatives than a thousand year old mummy.
“Dandy boy apples,” Twilight muttered to herself. “Produce of U.S.A. I wonder what they taste like.”
Opening up the container Twilight found herself looking down on two individually wrapped candied apples. Plucking one from its plastic contents, Twilight tentatively bit into it, savoring the odd mix of tastes which danced across her tongue. Which were basically just caramel and cardboard, as all flavor from the apple had been completely removed by all the chemicals pumped into it.
Twilight finished the first apple before putting the box away, deciding to only finish them when she was really hungry. Turning towards the rest of her find, Twilight noticed that they had pictures of meat on them though one was red while the other was a blue color. Her curiosity already stifled by the unpleasant apple Twilight was about to turn away when she noticed something odd.
Slightly further up, on the very edge of the cliff was a table, chair, box of ammo, and a corpse. Walking up to the body Twilight also noticed that four orange balls were laid in a line pointing off the edge. There was also a half smoked cigarette still smoldering in an ashtray, a camera, and a cup sitting on the ground.
Checking the body revealed that the man was long dead, though for some reason he gave off no smell whatsoever. Looking a little closer Twilight found an ace in his hand, four others of which were sitting on the table next to him. Frowning to herself, Twilight wondered what had happened to him before reluctantly choosing to ignore it.
Whatever had killed the man was likely long gone, and for some reason the corpse gave off such bad vibes that she even her animal side didn't find him appetizing. Shaking her head, Twilight grabbed everything of value including the cup and camera before walking away.
This is one weird place. She thought.
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What was AJ when we need her? Wait, can the non-magic ability get transfer into this world at all?
Why am I not surprised that Twi here has the Wild Wasteland trait?
I wonder if Mr. House will be an integral part of getting Twi home.
10656234
doubt that it will probably be the brains in big mountain.
nice, you used the Zybourne Clock reference.
Oh boy, the Wild wild wasteland perk. Boy that teeters on the edge of crazy .
A scum ganger wouldn't have the nerve to run in and pistol-whip a gecko off a not-quite-enraged deathclaw.
You'd be surprised
heh Wild Wasteland. And Twi had found Jonny Ace reference.
I think one ball was down there, on rocks. Or it's physics pranked me to give more meaning. But those balls are relevant to this situation.
Rare Achievement Progression
500G - What The!?
Find all Wild Wasteland encounters
11252702
Wait there was a wild wasteland thing that happened here And I'm pretty sure there are a lot more of them that happened?
11252929
Should've replied sooner. But if you look at the title of the achievement it has progression in it. So there's more to discover
Didn't Twilight puke the last time she ate apples?
11555848
these are simulated apples and even then she only managed to choke down one