OOC: Welsh and Albatross i hope you do not mind this little character interaction?
Corr had called back his chief lieutenant, as he needed him for other duties, not pursuing one lone human.
"Korr why in hell did you call me off of the pursuit of this human"! Krogan roared at his commander.
"Because i need you to organize the harvesting of Mexicali in our next step towards Nevada". Korr Replied.
Krogan thought for a minute, as he wanted more than anything else to kill this human who, even if a skilled warrior, had killed his brethren.
Didn't you say that our main mission was to get prisoners who are worthy of 'dipping'"?
Korr did not like where he was going, but was unable to prevent it. "Yes i did, why"? But he fully well knew what Krogan was going to say.
" I think this human i have been pursuing is the only one we have seen that is worthy of the honor to dip. Look how easy he has killed the rank and file. He even killed one of our armored warriors in Hand to Hand combat." Krogan said hoping that his commander would give the green light to continue the pursuit of this human so he could kill him, not dip him.
Corr thought on this for a while. He knew his second in command, and knew he would not bring him back without orders.
"Krogan, you are right, this has been the most worthy human so far, i want you to bring him back ALIVE! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME"?
Krogan looked like he had just swallowed a giant roach, "yeah, i understand you, but can i at least injure him"?
"Only if the injuries are NOT permanent, is THAT understood"?
"Yeah, Korr the orders are understood".
I will give you one warrior, yourself, and 1 week to find this human. After that you are to meet us in Arizona at the next stopping point. Is THAT understood"?
Again, Krogan looked like he had swallowed a huge roach, as he just realized he had been outmaneuvered by his commander. All the restrictions on him made it clear that this Human is to be brought back alive and in fully functioning condition, if not found he was to proceed to Arizona.
Thor ran for his life. Never before had he felt such fear. Not fear of death, but fear of meeting something he wasn't sure he could kill. Thor was one of the deadliest men alive. A knifeman without peer and an expert in long combat but against this Mutant he was not sure he would survive. He could hear the lead mutant's harsh breathing behind him, closing fast. He fired over his shoulder, but heard the bullet smack into a tree trunk. Realising guns were useless now, he holstered them clumsily, his speed making it difficult. Thor sped through the trees, a pair of mutated killers following close behind him, and it dawned on the sniper just how flawed his plan had been.
"Well fuck it', he thought. He was about to skid to halt and face what he was beginning to consider the inevitable, when his unnaturally sharp vision allowed him to see the thick branch hanging about ten feet up, some fifteen feet ahead. He had to make it. His brain would not accept anything less now and he ran. Leaping up and grabbing the branch, he felt something whistle past his neck, disturbing the air. Swinging up and over the low bough he dropped to the ground in a crouch, landing easily and drew his K- Bar with his right hand. Fear had held him in its grip long enough. Thor watched the mutant skid to a stop and turn to face him, its bestial face twisting into a look of fury. This mutant had its turn, now Man would take a swing. Thor charged.
Krogan held back, surprised by the turn of events. He had been pursuing this human for 5 days now, and he had run a good run. But was evidently tiring, as he had made the mistake of doubling back, as Krogan had anticipated by his previous actions. They had run him for the last 4 hours, when all of a sudden the human jumps into a tree and catches his companion by surprise. He would give this human the honor of facing him 1 on 1 if he survived the encounter with his man.
The huge mutant met Thor's charge, though the odd courage its prey displayed gave him momentary pause. A pause that just became an opening for the ferocious and desperate human. All doubts vanished. Poppa was right, think you will lose and you will. Know you will win and you just might. Still didn't quite sound fair but that's life. The mutant roared as it swung a mutant sized club at the charging human, expecting that would end the struggle as it had done so many times before. Meeting only air, the heavy club continued its course, pulling the overextended mutant into an unintended step forward, desperately trying to compensate and keep its balance.
Shock hit the mutant's brain like an anvil as it felt an impossible sensation. Excruciating pain, lancing through its abdomen. Thor withdrew the K- Bar, continuing his roll that had taken him under the mutant's deadly swing. The mutant tried to turn to face the unbelievably fast human but the shock of the wound and the slippery loose soil slowed the normally quick mutant. Thor swung the K- Bar down into the mutant's kneecap, kneecapping the howling mutant. snarling obscenely, the mutant started to go down but it slammed a hand down on the ground and righted itself, lashing out with its other hand. Dodging the hatred filled swipe, Thor closed with the Mutant and sliced it across the belly, transecting his previous vertical cut. Steaming innards slopped out of the mortally wounded mutant, but its brain had never learned the concept of defeat and the mutant powered forward, using its one good leg and swung the club at Thor's head.
Leaping back, only a second before his head vanished into a spray of bone and brains, the mutant's club swished by, it missed him by a hair's breadth. The mutant's stone hard head pounded Thor's chest, and his breath was smacked out of him when he fell back to the ground. Kicking up at the looming monster he snapped its head back, then using the momentum of his moving leg, he rolled backwards out from under the mutant as it toppled to the ground like a felled tree. It growled defiance even as Thor made it to his feet and leaping astride its back, Thor slammed his K- Bar deep into the dying mutant's skull, twisting the blade, destroying the mutant's brain matter. Finally convincing the mutant it had lost. A final shaky breath escaped the dead mutant and then it was still.
Krogan was impressed, as this human had bested one of his best melee men in hand to hand combat. This would be so enjoyable, he thought to himself.
Thor sagged back on the fallen mutant's broad back, and took the deepest gasp of air he had ever taken as the the triumph of his survival hit him. I didn't expect that to happen, he thought. A low level laughing made him leap off the carcass, dragging his knife with him, and he stood poised above the dead mutant, ready to hack it to pieces before he realised the noise came from the undergrowth towards the he had came.
"Luck will only get you so far." he muttered under his breath. "Damn, no one will ever know about this mutant threat till it is too late”.
Pride never went away. Never. He could see the mutant coming through the shadows towards him. Its gangrenous green hide made it stand out, from the brown foliage. As it stepped into the light he could see it was the mutant with the human heads!!
"You want some of this too?" he called to the Mutant, which had now realised he had been spotted and was advancing more confidently. The sight of his fallen brother stopped him for a moment but he soon continued towards him.
"You have fought well, a true and skilled warrior, you will make an excellent addition to the new growing mutant army"! Krogan said, full of confidence of his ability to defeat this human.
"I will never join your vile army"! Thor said in full defiance.
Who said you would 'volunteer', i am on a 'draft' call, and you have been drafted. Krogan said with a laugh as he advanced towards the human.
Thor could tell this one was smarter. It respected the human, having seen what he had done to the overconfindent mutant. They circled each other, both combatants looking for the ideal moment to strike. Thor knew it was pointless, he could maybe avoid the first few attacks and land some good blows, but the mutant would win in the end. The depressed human suddenly noticed dust rising in the distance, heading from the way he was going. The mutant noticed Thor's momentary distraction and charged. The sniper dived to the side but even as he did so he saw how impossibly fast the mutant was. He knew he wouldn't make it. "Arhgg!" he bellowed as the mutant's axe raked his side, tearing through the thin side armor and slicing his flesh. Rolling away, his mind clouded by the sudden, incredible pain as he smacked into a tree trunk. The mutant made a strange rasping noise and Thor realised with disgust that the Mutant was laughing at him. Anger flowed through him, filling his blood with renewed tenacity and strength. Forcing himself to his feet, Thor squared his shoulders and held his blade ready to attack. The mutant cocked its head in surprise. The human was its toughest prey since as far back as the mutant could remember.
Filing this little fact away at the back of it's brain, the mutant decided it was time to finish the fight and it charged again. Thor parried the mutant's axe with his K- Bar, slashing two long fingers from its huge hand. Ducking the other fist he then stabbed forward with the K -Bar, but the horrified Mutant swayed away from the thrust and kicked out at the crouching human. Thor tried to launch himself into the air somersaulting out of range, but the mutant was too fast. The kick propelled him across the clearing, and the landing jarred his wounded side and the human staggered. Losing his balance and dropping to his knees. So close, he thought. No one has ever managed to butcher two armored mutants, not up close. He prepared himself for one last desperate assault. He was going to cripple the monster no matter what. Thor vowed that the mutant would remember this battle until the day it died. Rising to his feet, he twirled the K - Bar in his right hand, and swung his arm testing his shoulder. The mutant was opening and closing its mutilated right hand, staring at the severed joints. The two warriors turned to stare at each other, and as both tensed for the final act the day became impossibly loud and bright. A grenade had gone off between the pair and showered them in shrapnel, both fighters reeled back in pain.
The mutant screamed in frustration, and scurried away into the trees. Thor dropped his weapon, and covered his side moaning in agony. He fell to the ground and rolled in the dirt, praying for the pain to end. He opened his eyes, but he could only see the faint outlines of trees and his dropped blade lying in the dirt. He realized that he must be getting ready to pass out from shock and blood loss, as he crawled unsteadily towards his weapon. Snatching it up he used a tree to help him stand, and he leaned against the trunk trying to calm down and catch his breath.
"Fucking grenade had saved my ass", he thought. His eyes were beginning to fade as he could barely see, everything was too dark. Before he passed out he managed to get 2 stimpaks into himself to help with the bleeding, but did not know if it had stopped it. Off to his right, irregular flashes of flame and the sounds of angry shouts. Crap, someone else is out here. Thor thought just before he passed out.
