Chapter 1
Sanctuary! Sanctuary!
"Only the dead have seen the end of war."
-Plato
Before I got the deathclaw gauntlets, I spent most of my time inside city walls doing what I could to "raise" money. By "raise money" I mean... take stuff. Not to brag or anything, but I got pretty good at stealing. I did carry a gun until I got the gauntlets. It was your average Five-Seven, but that didn't mean I could hit anything.
That's not entirely true. If there was something important nearby, I'd probably hit that. That's life, right?
Finding two deathclaw gauntlets for sale to be used on both hands was tough, but once I got past the "Why should I sell to you, Cord?" and other nonsense, altogether they cost somewhere around 900 caps. It took months, but I finally got the money together and bought them. By then, I wasn't allowed in most of the stores in town and the sheriff was looking for reasons to throw me out. I'm not bad, but... I needed money and supplies.
I had to start going out into the wastes more. I started to go out pretty often after I found a working Geiger-Counter.
Sometimes I wished I were a Vault-Dweller. They get Geiger Counters installed in their stupid little Pip-Boy things... and then they come out of their little Vaults complaining about how horrible it is in there. I know being underground in an unchanging environment isn't a picnic, but at least you don't have to fight for survival every waking moment of your life.
That's the plus to being a deathclaw. If you're around your own kind, humans and other creatures don't mess with you.
It happened when I was running from battle. I'd been walking for days. I was having a wonderful stroke of luck. The most I ran into while walking the past few days was a mole rat, and I was also finding some good loot. I found some gold rings, pre-war books, and I even managed to find an assault rifle in very good condition. All of the loot I found could be sold for the right price to the right person.
I got greedy. That's why I was running around still. I should have turned back when I had the chance. Instead, I was running for my life. I bumped into an Enclave squad.
...Let's just say they didn't appreciate my sudden appearance. They started shooting at me with energy weapons. The assault rifle I found had no ammunition, and I would never make it close enough to attack with my gauntlets. I had to run.
One beam grazed my leg, but adrenaline was pumping through my veins. I knew these guys were right behind me, and I knew I had to vanish fast... so you could imagine my relief when I found a cave blocked off by a chain-link door. I didn't know where I was going. I just wanted to hide. I opened the doors and leapt inside.
The darkness took me by suprise and I stumbled into the unknown. Somewhere along the line I hit my head. No, I didn't get knocked unconscious, and I wasn't hurting too much... but I did lose my bearings. The caves I entered extended in seemingly every direction. Once my eyes got adjusted to the low light, I stood. I couldn't hear the Enclave behind me, but my curiosity got the better of me. I started wandering deeper and deeper into the caves.
I was staying low and staying quiet. As a human, I tried to stay very quiet in places unknown. I had no idea what was in this cave.
It was around then that I heard movement down further in the caves. I tiptoed further down to investigate the sounds... and I almost passed out.
There was a family of deathclaw just around 50 feet in front of me.
It doesn't look like they know that I'm... what the-
There was worse news. My Geiger Counter was going off.
Now I had two choices: Be gored by the Deathclaws, or die by radiation.
I started to wonder how long my Counter was going off. I'd been so focused on sneaking around that I wasn't paying attention to the soft "Tick-Tick-Tick" continuously sounding from the counter in my pocket.
I turned and started trying to find my way out. I didn't want to die.
Even though I was being irradiated, I had to stay calm and quiet. I wandered through the caves but no matter how far I went, the "Tick-Tick-Tick" wouldn't stop.
I bet if I didn't tumble into the caves, I'd have found the exit in no time. Unfortunately, I was lost.
I actually bumped into a deathclaw while I was walking... but something was strange. I braced myself to fight (die), but it seemed indifferent to my presence. I know it saw me. It was eyeing me. Even so, it just continued walking...
...this was the strangest thing I'd ever seen. Was it one of those intelligent Deathclaws?
My Geiger Counter prevented me from actually investigating, and I continued searching for a way out. By now I'd been through several corridors. I saw some eggs, and I even saw the corpses of a few raiders that must have had the same fate as I. The radiation did a number on the bodies, but from what I could tell, they were here for no more than a day before me. I assumed the Deathclaws were resistant, if not immune to radiation. I saw none of their bodies on the floor.
I wasn't making any progress getting out of the cave. All I was doing was digging myself into a deeper hole. The radiation was becoming intense, and I could feel it burning itself into my skin.
By then, I had been walking through the cave trying to find the exit for a few hours. The radiation started to make me feel strange. I felt... it almost felt like anxiety; like my organs were burning. I felt my muscles straining, and my head started to hurt.
It was too late. I couldn't move anymore and I felt... I can't describe it. I felt strained, cramped... burning...
I collapsed, and lost consciousness.
0.0
I do not know how long I was out for, but I was certainly... suprised that I was still breathing. My eyes remained shut, but I no longer felt the burning of radiation. I no longer felt like I was going to die, but I still did feel very strange.
With great effort I sat up with what was supposed to be a groan. It sounded more like a grunt than anything, but even so... I assumed it was from being irradiated for who knows how long. I instinctively put a hand to my head, but I paused before I touched, and opened my eyes. I let out a low growl and went to take off the deathclaw gauntlet. The last thing I wanted to do was turn out to be immune to radiation (or a ghoul) and then kill myself because I forgot to remove a gauntlet. I went with my other hand to pull it off, but it wouldn't budge. I was... curious, to say the least. I also started to grow concerned, as when my other gauntlet-equipped hand touched the former, I could feel it like it was my skin.
"What the-" I cut myself off. My voice even sounded different; deeper. Dehydration would not do that, and if I were becoming a ghoul, my voice would be raspy or weak. This voice was strong; booming, deep. I started to wonder what happened to me.
Having then noticed that my Geiger Counter was no longer going off, I thought I was out of the heat. I went to reach down into my pocket for the Counter to see if I was safe (safe-ish; there were still deathclaw all around me), but my eyes widened when I realized that I felt no fabric. I was naked.
...Oh, darn...
I wanted to know then just what was going on, so I looked over myself and my heart almost leapt out of my chest and down into the dark cave. My skin was leathery and brown, and I felt like I was built by muscle. I looked at my arms and saw the reason the gauntlets weren't coming off: I wasn't wearing them anymore. My arms looked incredibly strong, and I looked at what I mistook for my gauntlets. They were my hands now; the hands (or paws) of a deathclaw. I gingerly wiggled a few clawed fingers, trying to see if I was just hallucinating or something. After I did that I looked down at my body and saw that I was huge; tall and muscular. I was at least 9 or 10 foot as opposed to my original 5 foot 6 inches (I wasn't the tallest guy you'd ever meet). I looked down at my legs and saw that they were as strong as the rest of my body. I was built to kill now. I realized why I couldn't hear my Geiger counter anymore. It was likely crushed when my clothes ripped off as this happened. I went to stand, but I couldn't figure out how to balance in this form. I opted to dig my reptillian toes into the dirt for support, but I fell back down again and landed on a tail- my tail.
I didn't feel my fall and tried to stand again. I managed, but I had to put a hand (or paw) on the cave wall to avoid falling, especially while my mind was racing the way it was.
I didn't make a peep, but I also felt like my senses were heightened. I could smell the other deathclaw (they reeked) and I could hear them moving around in all other directions.
I was still clutching the wall and I stumbled forward.
"What deathclaw doesn't know how to walk?"
I stumbled until I managed to turn my big frame around and I almost let out a gasp.
There was a deathclaw standing right behind me, arms crossed over its chest with a smirk on its face.
"What, did something hit your head? And sheesh... you found a human wandering around in here, did you?"
I blinked. "Uhh..."
"Wait... no... You're that... You're that dopey human I saw wandering around here a few hours ago!" The deathclaw (which I'd then realized was a female) put a finger to her maw. "Hmm... I can't quite place my claw on it, but there's something... different about you, human..."
I said nothing and she continued.
"Oh, wait... maybe it's the fact that you aren't a human anymore!"
The fact that I could understand this deathclaw made sense, considering I now was one. I wondered if humans could understand my speech...
"Why didn't you attack me like those raiders?"
The deathclaw took a step forward.
"You aren't the only human to wander in here with our hands. You're lucky you're a sneaky human, or else someone would have ripped your head off... well, when you were human, that is."
"Why did this happen to me?" I asked. I was still getting used to this deeper voice. The deathclaw before me almost seemed to smirk again.
"Think about it. You walked in here wearing our hands as weapons -I should have killed you for that- and you were... what do you humans call it... irradiated! Something in our hands merged with your body, and... poof! You're a deathclaw!"
I blinked.
"...Okay, maybe not 'Poof'... it's more of an slow, painful transformation. If you can come up with a word for that..."
"Mutation..." I muttered.
"Hey! That's a good one! Name's Kastine."
"I was... mutated?"
"...Yeah, typically when someone says their name, you're supposed to respond with yours. Soo..."
I shook my head a little and stumbled to the ground. Kastine snorted in amusement.
"My name is Cord."
"Well... what can you do now..."
"I can ask questions."
"You humans always ask so many questions..."
I crawled forward, and she scoffed.
"How pathetic. At least stand!"
I paused. "I can't stay up." She sighed through her nostrils.
"I guess I have to do everything for you... Just stand up, and look straight ahead. Your tail will balance you."
I pushed off the ground with my paws and did as she said, but I fell on my rear. She didn't make a sassy remark, but instead crossed her arms again and eyed me.
I said nothing and tried again, this time managing to get onto my feet. I looked ahead at Kastine and made an attempt at a smile. She responded with a grin.
"Good job! You can walk... like me... and everybody else. Idiot."
"I don't understand still why you didn't attack me," I said.
"Did you want me to?"
I shook my head. "No, I just... want to know. Most deathclaw would kill me on sight."
"Not anymore."
"...will you please answer my question!"
She put her paws out. "Woah! Calm yourself, my grumpy wittle lizard! Fine, I spared you because... I was curious. I knew you were sick and I just wanted to see what would happen to you."
"Can radiation still hurt me?"
She shook her head. "It can only hurt you in extreme amounts, but what we're experiencing now won't do anything; that is, it won't hurt or help you."
I nodded. Now I was no longer relying on the wall for support. I found my balance, and took a few wobbly steps towards Kastine.
"You should be honored, Cord. You're probably the only deathclaw that can actually talk to humans."
I growled. "Yes, but at what expense? I wasn't exactly living the life as a human, but what the hell can I do like this?"
Kastine turned away. "Well, maybe... and I'm just throwing an idea out there... maybe you can use your claws to hunt? No... you can be the first vegan deathclaw!"
I ignored her sarcasm. "How can I get out of here?"
She turned back in suprise. "This is our sanctuary. You should stay here. Deathclaws won't attack their own kind. Usually. Unless they're really pissed off..."
"No, I want to explore, not be cooped up here... no offense."
She sighed through her nostrils again. "Yeah, whatever. Remember where this sanctuary is located, hey. All deathclaws are welcome here. Except ones that annoy me, and you're on the borderline. Yeah, the exit is straight behind me. You were close!"
I nodded. "Thank you. Do you want to come with me?"
Kastine shook her head. "No, I quite like it here... Yeah, come back some time, hey?"
I nodded. "I will."
I walked past her slowly and noticed that as I walked, my paws would naturally want to be held a little in front of me, seemingly for balance. Not all the way out like a zombie, but... Hey, as long as I could walk now, I don't care.
Still, all this stuff was happening too quickly. My mind was racing and still trying to register what happened in that cave.
I found the chain link fence I came in through after a few minutes of walking and growled. If I'd only managed to last a bit longer... but then again, what would have happened if I got out of here... but barely? Would this have still happened?
It took a little time to get the gate open. I was fumbling with the latch for a few minutes. When I finally got it open, I caught the smell of sweat, chemicals, and misery... the Enclave.
I knew I was strong and dangerous now, but I wouldn't last long against the Enclave, especially when I wasn't exactly certain yet how to defend myself or even run.
I know that deathclaws combine their physical strength and speed to take down targets. I was proud that I was able to even walk.
I looked back at the sanctuary I was leaving behind, and then forward out at the unknown. I cringed when I saw a human running and a deathclaw charging after it. I looked down at my feet and then out at the land again and started trying to run. I stumbled a few times but did what Kastine told me about walking: I looked straight ahead. I still couldn't really run so good, but I assumed it was something with my tail.
I sighed. This was going to take some getting used to.
End of Chapter
I forgot to post this chapter yesterday. Again, you'll see where this is going in a while.
Next chapter covers... ah, hell if I know.
