Vengeance Cuts Both Ways (A post-Fallout2 Fan fiction by wildfire)
Prologue:
Byron Wyndgard swept the night landscape with his infrared binocs from the Verti-bird slowly going towards the target. There, he saw, a bunch of buildings and 4 big laser turrets. Their target. The headquarters of rebels of the vast corporation he worked for, The New Enclave Protectorate, formed by ex-Enclave members who literally jumped ship and did not want to work for the Chosen One. The headquarters of the newly formed rebel faction Dragon's Wrath. He lowered the binocs and looked over to the rest of his team. Like him, they were clad in Metal Armor MkIII and carried HK G11Es, dual Pulse pistols, and 4 plasma grenades each. They were 5 good warriors and his best buddies from training. He yelled over the roar of the Verti-bird engines, "READY TO ROCK AND ROLL?" Tom and Harry, his two closest buddies, yelled back, "WHO ISN'T, CAPTAIN?" Byron grinned and snapped down his visor. His other team members did the same. They were all part of the NEP 's law enforcement arm, the
57th 'Silent Wings' Eradicators, and they had been sent to neutralize these rebels. This seemed to be no problem, as the team of six had already cleaned up most of the offending parties in the Wastes. This was a routine exercise, Byron thought. Easy as breathing or counting 1,2,3. He strapped on his parachute and gave the ready sign, to have it returned by all his team members. Then they jumped out of the Verti-bird all at the same time.
Chapter One:
The task force of 6 touched down still 200 yards away from the outermost fence and just outside the laser turret's range. They all activated their Stealthboys and silently ran towards the fences. The laser turrets, newly liberated from the now NEP-controlled Vault City and just hotwired for the time being, didn't detect them. A mistake, thought Byron, one that would cost them dearly. They ran over to the guard shack and spotted the controls behind a guard dressed in normal leather drinking a mug of post-war coffee. It would be his last. One shot from Tom's HK G11E broke through the glass and pegged the guard right between the eyes, killing him instantly. Harry immediately went in, gun up, and disabled the turrets. They would cause no trouble for the team anymore.
They deactivated their Stealthboys and began shooting at whatever they could find. Buildings, vehicles, guards, whatever. Their bullets cut a swath of destruction in a tight arc around the team, tearing apart whatever opposed them. Suddenly, the soldiers retaliated. The AK47 Assault Rifles they carried were superior to the HK G11E submachineguns, but their skills weren't up to par. As the team continued their destruction of the headquarters, a person came unseen out of the shadows and, with a deft blow to the spot between their helmets and their armor, snapped one of their teammate's necks before they even knew he was there. The rest turned around at the snapping sound, and the guards tore apart one more of the team, his armor riddled with 7.62mm bullet holes. Byron dropped his gun, turned around, and swung a haymaker punch towards his assailant. It was blocked, and in the moonlight, he briefly glimpsed his opponent's face. Byron couldn't believe his eyes. It was Jacky
'Rock' Howard, his old Hand-to-Hand combat trainer at NEP HQ. He barely had time to think before a spinning back heel smashed into the side of his head.
Dizzy, he came up and lashed out with his leg, just like how Jacky had taught him, years ago, and Jacky backflipped away from him. He barely made it up before he heard a FWOOSH and saw the concentric blue ring of a Gauss projectile coming towards him and his team. His team dodged the projectile, and it hit Byron full force in the gut, punching through the armor like it was made of tissue paper. He fell to the floor with a thud, and he barely had time to register Tom and Harry retreating. WITHOUT HIM. That was the last thought he had before he fell unconscious.
Chapter Two:
Byron came to in a bed. A nice warm soft bed, not like the bunk he had back at NEP HQ. He tried to get up but he couldn't. The pain in his gut was bad. So bad he couldn't move that well. Plus, he was feeling kind of sleepy and dopey. Probably from medication, he thought. A gentle female voice said, "Don't do that, you might injure yourself even more." He turned his head and saw the most beautiful girl in his life tending his wounds.
"Whoa... am I still dreaming?" Byron mumbled.
"No. You are in the Dragon's Wrath med center. My name is Tifa, Tifa Lyanne, and I guess I'm the official 'medic' here."
"You're very pretty..."
"Why thank you." Tifa blushed. "You should really get some rest, you know."
"That'd be a good id..." Byron fell asleep from fatigue and sedation before he could continue.
When Byron regained consciousness, he was standing alone in the middle of the NEP training facility. Suddenly, Tom and Harry came out of the shadows. They wore midnight black cloaks and had hoods on their heads that shrouded their features, making their faces impossible to see even in the best of lighting. Byron couldn't see their faces, and yet they seemed different. VERY different from when he had known them. He tried to move but he couldn't. He tried to speak but he couldn't do that either. Tom and Harry then started talking to him in a grating metallic voice.
"Byron, we are very disappointed in you."
"You left us. You, the high and mighty captain of the Silent Wings. Now we have been turned into... this."
They cast aside their cowls, revealing metallic visages and eyes without pupils. Horrified, Byron looked at what his two best friends had become. Laughing maniacally, the two cyborgs opened panels on their bulky armor, revealing built in machine guns. Byron willed himself to move, but he couldn't. Still laughing, the pair opened fire on Byron.
He woke up just as the two cyborgs started to open fire. He was covered in cold sweat. He would take that dream as an ill omen towards the NEP and then he decided he didn't want anything to do with them. He then decided that he would join up with Dragon's Wrath for now, seeing as he was presumed dead at NEP. It wouldn't do to have dead agents walking into headquarters. He sat up. The wound had healed completely. He looked around him. His rent armor wasn't there, but a suit of Combat Armor his size had been put there. He donned the armor, and finding none of his weapons, walked out of the med center. His old mentor, Jacky Howard, was waiting for him outside. They shook hands, and Jacky said,
"Nice to see you around these parts, Byron."
"Same to you, sir."
"Alright, now go to the Main Hall. I'll take you. Everyone is waiting for you there."
Byron followed Jacky to the Main Hall. He studied Jacky. He was a bit older, but still as thin and solid as he had been, and he moved with the same lithe precision he had when he was his coach. Soon they had arrived.
"Byron, you go over to that group of new recruits standing there." Reluctantly he did, and Jacky took his seat at the head of the hall.
Byron scanned the faces up at the center table. Jacky was one of them, and there were 2 others. He recognized one as Kingsley 'Dragon' Duke, the ex-chief of all of the Eradicators, presumed MIA after he disappeared in a search and destroy mission. Short and muscular, he was another Hand to Hand expert and good with guns, but he was best at throwing. Shurikens, darts, rocks, grenades, and chakrums especially, he could throw. VERY well. The other, he could not quite put a name on, but he had definitely seen him around the NEP HQ somewhere. He wasn't part of the Eradicators though. Maybe an admin? he thought. Then Kingsley began speaking.
"Welcome to the Dragon's Wrath Headquarters Main Hall people. My name is Kingsley Duke, but just call me by my codename, Dragon. I hate formalities." Quite a few people cheered at that. "Now, in order to oppose the New Enclave Protectorate, we need squads. Highly trained squads, like the Eradicators. Only we will have 3 of them. Each one of the founders of Dragon's Wrath will have a squad and will lead them in training and battle." he gestured at the table. "Now each of you. Pick up a PIPBoy from the far table. They are name coded and you will find out who your team leader is. Now go."
Byron scrambled to the table and quickly found his name. He grabbed his PIPBoy, put it on his wrist, and activated it. The word 'Judicator' popped up. Judicator? that didn't ring a bell... but still...that should mean that his leader was the last person at the table. He walked up and joined the group of people in front of this 'Judicator'. Suddenly there was a commotion outside. All the new recruits rushed out to see what was causing it, Byron included.
He saw his old buddies, Tom and Harry, yelling for them to bring Byron out. When they saw him, they yelled, "C'MON BYRON! COME BACK!" They were not cyborgs, as his dreams had lead him to believe.
Byron stopped for a moment, conflicting emotions registering in on his face. There they were, his friends. They were not cyborgs out to kill him. They wanted him back. But they had left you for dead, a small voice in the back of his mind argued. The voices argued for a few more seconds, and Byron spoke, and so sealed his destiny.
"NO! YOU LEFT ME WHEN I WAS WOUNDED! YOU DIDN'T TAKE ME BACK!"
"YOU FUCKER! DON'T MAKE US HURT YOU!"
They ran towards Byron, hands balled into fists, when 'Judicator' stepped in front of Byron and took both punches in the gut without armor. For the first time, Byron saw Tom and Harry paralyzed with fear. "T...Tim?" Byron suddenly knew who the mysterious 'Judicator' was. He was Tim Valentine Jr., son of former Enclave Black Watch agent Wildfire. Like his father, he had worked at the Old Enclave/New Enclave Protectorate, and like his father, he had apparently seen the light. Tall and muscular, with a long brown ponytail and wearing pre-war mirrored sunglasses with the words 'Oakley' on them, he carried an aura of authority and justice. He was the renknowned ex-head of the NightStalkers, the assassins of the NEP. The NightStalkers were masters of Hand-to-Hand, throwing, and guns, even more so than the Eradicators and the Black Watch. Also proficient in the art of assassination, sniping, traps and disguise, they were the elite of the elite. He was the match of any warrior.
Dressed only in a leather jacket, a T-shirt, camo pants, and combat boots, he had taken both HARD punches like mosquito bites. Now he returned the favor by lightly kicking first low, then to the torso, and then finally a heavy front kick to the head that sent Tom flying back several feet, his jaw broken. He then sent a reverse backhand at Harry who blocked and retaliated with a wicked uppercut, just like Rock had taught him years ago. Judicator, however, expected this and dodged. As he fell, he caught Harry in a scissors hold and did a backflip, sending Harry headfirst into the ground behind him. Judicator then picked up Harry and flung him towards Tom as if he weighed as much as a baseball. Tom had just gotten up and again he was knocked over. The two, wishing to avoid further punishment, ran for the gates and were gone.
Taking a deep breath, Judicator turned to Byron. "Your friends?"
"Yes."
"Alright, now time to go back in to meet the rest of your squad."
Chapter Three
After Judicator and Byron had gone back in and assembled the rest of the squad, they set off for Judicator's quarters. It turned out to be a small place, with the basic living necessities and a big conference table in the middle of the 'living room'. While the squad was looking around, Byron looked over each of them. There was a young man of Asian descent, wearing battered and hardened homemade Metal Armor, and carrying a HK MP5 9mm submachinegun, a Desert Eagle .44 magnum, and a combat knife. There were two twin sisters, both looking exactly the same, down to the leather armor, but one carried a selection of throwing knives, stars and darts, a big Ripper sword and only a Plasma pistol, while the other carried dual Beretta 9mm pistols, a HK G11-an older version of Byron's gun- and a short Ripper sword, more like a long knife. There was a VERY tall man, who carried himself and his big Barret .50 cal sniper rifle very confidently. He also carried a M3A1 Grease gun, and he
carried a Ripper blade and was wearing travel-worn Combat Armor. There was also another big guy, and this one had an Avenger Minigun slung across his back. He also carried dual Colt .45 pistols, and he wore Leather Armor MKII with an additional loop for his HUGE Ripper sword across the back. He also wore a chem belt, which bulged with Psycho, Jet, Afterburner and every other drug imaginable. There was a small, slight and very cute girl, who had a med pack/doctor's bag on the back on her Combat Armor, and she carried two Laser pistols, and another gorgeous girl with the lithe body of a gymnast. She wore armor that showed off as much of her body as armor would allow, and carried dual Ripper swords and had 2 PowerFists on her hands. She also carried a .223 pistol. The last two were attired identically, dressed in Combat Armor without the helmet, and armed identically, with 2 Wakizaki blades strapped to their hips and 2 sawed-off Shotguns strapped across their backs. Overall
they looked very capable of defending themselves in combat. Adding him, there would be 10. Adding Judicator, there'd be 11. Perfect.
Everybody sat down at the big conference table. Judicator gestured to each of them and said, "Please, introduce yourselves."
The young Asian man said, "My name is SzeHo Wallace. I come from old Shi-Town. I came here when NEP Black Watch spies started corrupting the Shi government and started causing bickering and strife and the government to virtually split apart like the Chinese dynasties of old. I come to stop the NEP so that one day the government will be as great as it once was." There were quite a few cheers at that.
Next came the twins. "My name is Rosie McClure." "My name is Regina McClure. We are the daughters of the late Councilman McClure. We come from what used to be the Vault City Dominion, and we were in charge of the local guards until they all got slaughtered by NEP soldiers and Vault City taken. We were supposed to be made into cyborgs to serve the NEP, but we fought our way out. We have been wandering the wastes ever since looking for mercenary work. Now we hope to get our revenge."
The very tall man said, "My name is Sean Edwards, and I'm a merc wandering the wastes. I used to be a bodyguard for Kingsley 'Dragon' Norad, but he split so I was left without a job. I was supposed to become a cyborg, but I guess I didn't want that, so I jumped ship. I joined up so I could have a steady income, but then I learned Kingsley went and founded this, so I guess it's loyalty."
The other tall man just grunted and said, "My name is Leonard Clayton and my reasoning is the same as Sean, but I was bodyguard for the head scientist, Ryan Monterey." Byron nodded.
"I remember you two well," said Byron. They both looked at him and nodded.
The slight and cute medic said, "I'm Mandy Stillman, and I used to be medic for the NEP 83rd Eradicator squadron, the Stormbringers. That is, until they all became cyborgs and my talents were worthless with them. So now I hope to be medic to you guys."
The gorgeous melee/HtH fighter said, "I'm Adrienne Darkin, and I came here because I was the only survivor of a raid on my family's farm." She shot a dark look at Byron, and continued, "I can only assume the Eradicators did it because I recognize this guy here," she gestured at Byron, "but I'm willing to ...forgive and start again. I'm glad I'm working with this squad." She finished and winked at Judicator.
The last two each started at the same time, but then one of them decided to speak. "My name is Aaron and his name is Yikwah. We're twin brothers and our last name is Everett. We've been wandering the wastes-" "And then we decided to join up here for the money." Yikwah interrupted.
Last of all, Byron introduced himself. "My name is Byron Wyndgard, and I'm the ex-captain of the 57^th Eradicators `Silent Wings' squadron. More I am not willing to say." Judicator nodded at him.
Judicator leaned back in his chair and he said, "Alright, so I suppose you want to learn a bit about me. I'm Tim `Judicator' Valentine Jr., and I used to work at the NEP as head of the NightStalkers, the elite of the elite. You know First Citizen Joann Lynette of former Vault City? I whacked her." Judicator grinned. "But enough for today. You all ought to get some rest. You know where your quarters are?" Everyone nodded, and Byron thought he would follow one or two of them. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow. Dismissed." Everyone filed out of Judicator's quarters, hoping for a good night's rest.
Much later that night, Dragon, Rock and Judicator were all in the middle of `town', each drinking a beer.
"So, Rock, Dragon, how are your squads?" This came from Judicator.
"Not bad, I have a lot of specialists. They are all as combat trained and experienced as our scouts said." Rock answered.
"All of mine are very, how should I say, battle-hardened. Let's hope they... survive... their first day of training, especially when it's Hand-to-Hand." said Dragon. All three men laughed.
"Amen to that, brother!" They chugged their beers and each went their own way to await the new dawn.
Chapter Four
The following morning came, and all the new recruits woke up at first light to a loud announcement over the PA system. "New squad members report to the mess hall in 10. Dismissed." Not to be outdone by his roommates, SzeHo, Sean and Leonard, he quickly sprang up, brushed his teeth and dressed in the provided Combat Armor from yesterday. He then raced SzeHo, Sean and Leonard down to the mess hall, which he easily distinguished from the other buildings by the sheer amount of people milling around the entrance. He and his three roommates jostled their way in with considerable difficulty, and they found Judicator already seated at a table. He gestured for them to sit, which they did. Soon, everyone from his squad from yesterday had come in and seated themselves at the table. Then Judicator started to speak.
"'Morning all, hope you had a good night's sleep." He eyed the others at the table, some of which were stifling huge yawns. "Today you will start formal training. But first, everybody needs a call sign." He looked around the table now. "I will name each of you, whether you like it or not. Byron, your call sign is Wyvern. SzeHo, yours is Wizard. Sean, you're Scope. Leonard, you're Ox. Adrienne, yours is Vision. Mandy, you're Nightingale. Yikwah and Aaron, you're Lock and Load, respectively. Rosie and Regina, Cloak and Dagger. Understood?" Nobody disliked his or her name. "Alright then, go and get some breakfast. Report to the main hall at 8:00. Dismissed." Having eaten his breakfast well before first light, Judicator set off in the direction of the main hall. Byron got his breakfast from the counter and scarfed it down. He was hungry. He hadn't eaten a thing in, what, 2-3 days. As an added bonus, this was better than the shitty excuse for food they served back at the NEP
mess. He got up, put his tray back at the counter, and headed out towards the main hall.
The two hours came and went. During that time, Byron freshened up, took a quick nap, and found his gear missing from yesterday in his locker when he awoke. At 8:00, all 30 new recruits gathered in the main hall. Dragon came out to speak. "'Morning new recruits, today you will start training. On today, and the next months, agenda will be the various forms of Hand-to-Hand combat. Hopefully in a month you'll be fighting very well, as Judicator and Rock are going to demonstrate."
Judicator and Rock looked at each other and nodded. They then settled into two vastly different fighting stances, Rock in a kickboxer's stance and Judicator got into an unorthodox boxer's stance, one hand up protecting his face from potential harm and to be ready for quick punches, and the other kept low but not in the way of most boxers. Suddenly, the two men lashed out as one. Judicator's dashing hard right was deflected by Rock's outward circling left kick, and Judicator swung a reverse backhand at Rock even as Rock landed on his left foot went into a ducking right high kick. The kick caught Judicator in the chin and he was launched into the air. Rock jumped up, spun around, and landed his heel into Judicator's sternum, sending him airborne, and finally crashing into one of the pillars and making a mark on it. To everyone's surprise, Judicator got up and grinned. He then flung another dashing punch towards Rock. Most people thought Judicator foolish to do that move again,
but Byron, one of the most perceptive of the whole group, thought the balance of the dash looked strange. And it was. Rock blocked high but then suddenly found himself on the floor, because Judicator had gone into a spinning sweep kick. Judicator then grabbed Rock by the arm and tossed him up into the air. He then leapt up, did a front flip, and brought his foot down on Rock's stomach so he hurtled to the ground, hit, and actually bounced up. Judicator finished by landing as Rock bounced and slamming him to the ground with both palms. He then backflipped away from Rock, and astonishingly Rock got up and gave Judicator a high five. They then returned to their respective positions beside Dragon as the new recruits all stood in awe, too stunned to speak.
Dragon then said, "You too can fight like that... someday. Now, squads! go to your respective trainers and training will commence. Dismissed."
Byron stood, along with the rest of his squad, and gaped. Never, even in his wildest dreams, had he come CLOSE to seeing what the two trainers had done. Lightning quick changes of direction and attack height, immunity to pain, and the works. That most likely only came with the most intense training. Then again, he thought to himself, these guys were the best of the best. Should be able to teach us young pups some tricks.
Judicator walked up to the front of the squad, and said, "Alright you guys, I need to know all of your fighting skill levels. So. All of you against me, any way you want. I'll give you a few minutes to strategize."
With that, he turned and walked out of the hall, and was gone for several minutes. During that time, everybody in his squad huddled and discussed their strategy. It was quickly determined they would attack in pairs, with Wizard and Nightingale going first, and then Cloak and Lock. Load and Dagger would follow them, and Ox and Scope would pair up. Finally it would be Echo and Vision. They finished just as Judicator walked in with the BIGGEST Deathclaw they had ever seen. Fully 9 feet tall and weighing about a ton, it had razor sharp claws and scars all over its body. Judicator then spoke in a low voice to the Deathclaw, who nodded and stepped away into the shadows of their corner of the gym. He then turned back to the group and nodded. Then he settled into his fighting stance.
It was a different fighting stance than the one he had used when he fought Rock, Byron saw. He curled his fingers up so that they resembled a tiger's claw and put his left hand further out while keeping his right tucked near his chin. He crouched low, and leaned most of his weight on his right leg, which was at the back. He nodded at the group, and they sprang into action.
Wizard rushed in first, a rush of dashing punches that Judicator easily evaded and blocked. Then he countered with the leg up front, a weak kick that SzeHo dodged easily. Then up came the right leg, momentum swinging it until it matched the speed of a bullet. It smashed SzeHo in the chest, and he went tumbling back onto the floor, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, Nightingale lashed out with two kicks, one high and one low, and Judicator, who was busy with Wizard, caught both, one in the knee and one in the chest. He didn't even flinch, and he just jumped and put a hand on Nightingale's shoulder and had flipped up over her head. He then invoked his inner chi and focused it into a dashing elbow that just hit Nightingale lightly in the back but sent her sprawling onto the ground and sliding several feet.
Judicator then turned around and blocked an assault from Cloak and Lock. Cloak came from up high, while Lock attacked from below. Judicator blocked both of them and backflipped away from them. He started sprinting and then leapt, angled his body until it was horizontal, and then planted his feet firmly into Lock's torso. Lock fell back 10 feet and desperately tried to get up. Cloak then started a roundhouse punch, but Judicator, moving like quicksilver, caught her wrist and directed her over his shoulder, turning his arms around like a windmill as he did so, sending her flying. Load and Dagger then dashed in from either side. They both swung hard dashing punches towards Judicator, when he flipped up into a handstand and evaded the two attacks. The punches thrown came within inches of meeting the other person's face. Judicator then spun on his palms and `crouched' while upside down, so his two feet hit Load and Dagger in the torso and then swept them off their feet. He sprang
back up, just in time to be assailed by Ox and Scope. Ox just picked him up and threw him in the air. Scope was already waiting for him there and did a two handed overhand smash into his stomach, sending him crashing into the ground. Judicator lay there and didn't move. Ox went over, to check to see if he was unconscious or not. When he came within a foot of Judicator, Judicator moved. He got up and caught Ox in the chest with a two handed palm strike infused with inner chi. So much inner chi, in fact, that he careened into Scope, who at the time was just landing onto the ground 20 feet away. Both the big men smashed into Wizard, who was just getting up. Nightingale, Cloak, Load and Dagger had all gotten up and came in to attack together with Vision, who decided to join the fray. Wyvern elected to stay and watch. Ox and Scope were still on the ground next to Wizard, groaning.
Nightingale and Dagger closed in from both sides with kicks, while Vision and Cloak attacked from up front, Vision with a crescent kick and Cloak with a palm strike. Judicator tried his best to block all the attacks, but only succeeded in deflecting Cloak's palm strike and Dagger's kick. The other two attacks hit home, and Judicator was sent reeling. Load followed the attacks made by Vision and Nightingale with a flying elbow to the chest, and Judicator went crashing to the floor, stunned. He sprang up, and Vision met him with a snap kick to the chin that he blocked. Judicator then threw a straight jab, hoping to catch her by surprise, but Vision anticipated the move early, backflipped, and blocked the jab with her foot whilst airborne. She then landed and planted a spinning right back heel into the side of Judicator's face. He reeled back, rubbing his jaw, then suddenly stopped. Looking over at the Deathclaw, he simply said, "Spektre, help me."
Chapter Five
At this, the massive Deathclaw that was sitting in the shadows got up and made his way towards the group. Spektre spoke in a grating tone, "Judicatorrr... that was dissssappointing... you have gotten lazy." Judicator just grinned and replied, "I could still kick your ass and have it for breakfast any day, Spektre." Spektre nodded. "We sssshall ssssee..." with that, Spektre glanced at the group, snorted, and then quite suddenly charged straight into them. Judicator was right behind him.
The new recruits steeled themselves for this new onslaught. Unlike Judicator, however, Spektre did not believe in finesse; he just bowled them over like shrapnel from a grenade. "Fuckin' hell, this bastard hits hard." Dagger grimaced painfully as she was sent flying into Lock, and both of them tumbled to the ground. Spektre looked almost BORED as he swatted aside Wizard and assaulted Ox and Scope.
Meanwhile...
Judicator had walked up to Wyvern, who was watching the fight. "C'mon Byron, bringit." Judicator put both fists up in that same boxer's stance he had used to fight Rock. Wyvern just looked at Judicator, grinned, and settled into a fighting stance, the one that was taught at NEP, with both his knees facing forward, his left fist at his right elbow, in a right angle across his chest. The two looked at each other, and they exploded into action.
Wyvern had already blocked Judicator's overhand left with his right hand, but even as he swung his left around to counter, he found himself on the floor, his chest throbbing from the lightning quick side kick Judicator had given him. Judicator just grinned at him, waiting for him to get up. Wyvern took this opportunity to backflip to his feet, catching Judicator under the chin in the process. Judicator reeled back, and Wyvern landed, coiled up, and leapt, jumping towards Judicator in a flying armbar. It connected, almost sending Judicator to the floor, but Judicator just steadied himself and smiled. "That almost hurt, Byron. Try harder." Byron just shook his head and launched a flurry of lightning fast punches and kicks that even Judicator was hard pressed to block. They continued sparring for a few more minutes, but while Wyvern was tiring rapidly, Judicator seemed just as fresh as when he started. The truth hit Wyvern as he stopped to take a quick breath: Judicator wasn't
even trying his hardest.
Prologue:
Byron Wyndgard swept the night landscape with his infrared binocs from the Verti-bird slowly going towards the target. There, he saw, a bunch of buildings and 4 big laser turrets. Their target. The headquarters of rebels of the vast corporation he worked for, The New Enclave Protectorate, formed by ex-Enclave members who literally jumped ship and did not want to work for the Chosen One. The headquarters of the newly formed rebel faction Dragon's Wrath. He lowered the binocs and looked over to the rest of his team. Like him, they were clad in Metal Armor MkIII and carried HK G11Es, dual Pulse pistols, and 4 plasma grenades each. They were 5 good warriors and his best buddies from training. He yelled over the roar of the Verti-bird engines, "READY TO ROCK AND ROLL?" Tom and Harry, his two closest buddies, yelled back, "WHO ISN'T, CAPTAIN?" Byron grinned and snapped down his visor. His other team members did the same. They were all part of the NEP 's law enforcement arm, the
57th 'Silent Wings' Eradicators, and they had been sent to neutralize these rebels. This seemed to be no problem, as the team of six had already cleaned up most of the offending parties in the Wastes. This was a routine exercise, Byron thought. Easy as breathing or counting 1,2,3. He strapped on his parachute and gave the ready sign, to have it returned by all his team members. Then they jumped out of the Verti-bird all at the same time.
Chapter One:
The task force of 6 touched down still 200 yards away from the outermost fence and just outside the laser turret's range. They all activated their Stealthboys and silently ran towards the fences. The laser turrets, newly liberated from the now NEP-controlled Vault City and just hotwired for the time being, didn't detect them. A mistake, thought Byron, one that would cost them dearly. They ran over to the guard shack and spotted the controls behind a guard dressed in normal leather drinking a mug of post-war coffee. It would be his last. One shot from Tom's HK G11E broke through the glass and pegged the guard right between the eyes, killing him instantly. Harry immediately went in, gun up, and disabled the turrets. They would cause no trouble for the team anymore.
They deactivated their Stealthboys and began shooting at whatever they could find. Buildings, vehicles, guards, whatever. Their bullets cut a swath of destruction in a tight arc around the team, tearing apart whatever opposed them. Suddenly, the soldiers retaliated. The AK47 Assault Rifles they carried were superior to the HK G11E submachineguns, but their skills weren't up to par. As the team continued their destruction of the headquarters, a person came unseen out of the shadows and, with a deft blow to the spot between their helmets and their armor, snapped one of their teammate's necks before they even knew he was there. The rest turned around at the snapping sound, and the guards tore apart one more of the team, his armor riddled with 7.62mm bullet holes. Byron dropped his gun, turned around, and swung a haymaker punch towards his assailant. It was blocked, and in the moonlight, he briefly glimpsed his opponent's face. Byron couldn't believe his eyes. It was Jacky
'Rock' Howard, his old Hand-to-Hand combat trainer at NEP HQ. He barely had time to think before a spinning back heel smashed into the side of his head.
Dizzy, he came up and lashed out with his leg, just like how Jacky had taught him, years ago, and Jacky backflipped away from him. He barely made it up before he heard a FWOOSH and saw the concentric blue ring of a Gauss projectile coming towards him and his team. His team dodged the projectile, and it hit Byron full force in the gut, punching through the armor like it was made of tissue paper. He fell to the floor with a thud, and he barely had time to register Tom and Harry retreating. WITHOUT HIM. That was the last thought he had before he fell unconscious.
Chapter Two:
Byron came to in a bed. A nice warm soft bed, not like the bunk he had back at NEP HQ. He tried to get up but he couldn't. The pain in his gut was bad. So bad he couldn't move that well. Plus, he was feeling kind of sleepy and dopey. Probably from medication, he thought. A gentle female voice said, "Don't do that, you might injure yourself even more." He turned his head and saw the most beautiful girl in his life tending his wounds.
"Whoa... am I still dreaming?" Byron mumbled.
"No. You are in the Dragon's Wrath med center. My name is Tifa, Tifa Lyanne, and I guess I'm the official 'medic' here."
"You're very pretty..."
"Why thank you." Tifa blushed. "You should really get some rest, you know."
"That'd be a good id..." Byron fell asleep from fatigue and sedation before he could continue.
When Byron regained consciousness, he was standing alone in the middle of the NEP training facility. Suddenly, Tom and Harry came out of the shadows. They wore midnight black cloaks and had hoods on their heads that shrouded their features, making their faces impossible to see even in the best of lighting. Byron couldn't see their faces, and yet they seemed different. VERY different from when he had known them. He tried to move but he couldn't. He tried to speak but he couldn't do that either. Tom and Harry then started talking to him in a grating metallic voice.
"Byron, we are very disappointed in you."
"You left us. You, the high and mighty captain of the Silent Wings. Now we have been turned into... this."
They cast aside their cowls, revealing metallic visages and eyes without pupils. Horrified, Byron looked at what his two best friends had become. Laughing maniacally, the two cyborgs opened panels on their bulky armor, revealing built in machine guns. Byron willed himself to move, but he couldn't. Still laughing, the pair opened fire on Byron.
He woke up just as the two cyborgs started to open fire. He was covered in cold sweat. He would take that dream as an ill omen towards the NEP and then he decided he didn't want anything to do with them. He then decided that he would join up with Dragon's Wrath for now, seeing as he was presumed dead at NEP. It wouldn't do to have dead agents walking into headquarters. He sat up. The wound had healed completely. He looked around him. His rent armor wasn't there, but a suit of Combat Armor his size had been put there. He donned the armor, and finding none of his weapons, walked out of the med center. His old mentor, Jacky Howard, was waiting for him outside. They shook hands, and Jacky said,
"Nice to see you around these parts, Byron."
"Same to you, sir."
"Alright, now go to the Main Hall. I'll take you. Everyone is waiting for you there."
Byron followed Jacky to the Main Hall. He studied Jacky. He was a bit older, but still as thin and solid as he had been, and he moved with the same lithe precision he had when he was his coach. Soon they had arrived.
"Byron, you go over to that group of new recruits standing there." Reluctantly he did, and Jacky took his seat at the head of the hall.
Byron scanned the faces up at the center table. Jacky was one of them, and there were 2 others. He recognized one as Kingsley 'Dragon' Duke, the ex-chief of all of the Eradicators, presumed MIA after he disappeared in a search and destroy mission. Short and muscular, he was another Hand to Hand expert and good with guns, but he was best at throwing. Shurikens, darts, rocks, grenades, and chakrums especially, he could throw. VERY well. The other, he could not quite put a name on, but he had definitely seen him around the NEP HQ somewhere. He wasn't part of the Eradicators though. Maybe an admin? he thought. Then Kingsley began speaking.
"Welcome to the Dragon's Wrath Headquarters Main Hall people. My name is Kingsley Duke, but just call me by my codename, Dragon. I hate formalities." Quite a few people cheered at that. "Now, in order to oppose the New Enclave Protectorate, we need squads. Highly trained squads, like the Eradicators. Only we will have 3 of them. Each one of the founders of Dragon's Wrath will have a squad and will lead them in training and battle." he gestured at the table. "Now each of you. Pick up a PIPBoy from the far table. They are name coded and you will find out who your team leader is. Now go."
Byron scrambled to the table and quickly found his name. He grabbed his PIPBoy, put it on his wrist, and activated it. The word 'Judicator' popped up. Judicator? that didn't ring a bell... but still...that should mean that his leader was the last person at the table. He walked up and joined the group of people in front of this 'Judicator'. Suddenly there was a commotion outside. All the new recruits rushed out to see what was causing it, Byron included.
He saw his old buddies, Tom and Harry, yelling for them to bring Byron out. When they saw him, they yelled, "C'MON BYRON! COME BACK!" They were not cyborgs, as his dreams had lead him to believe.
Byron stopped for a moment, conflicting emotions registering in on his face. There they were, his friends. They were not cyborgs out to kill him. They wanted him back. But they had left you for dead, a small voice in the back of his mind argued. The voices argued for a few more seconds, and Byron spoke, and so sealed his destiny.
"NO! YOU LEFT ME WHEN I WAS WOUNDED! YOU DIDN'T TAKE ME BACK!"
"YOU FUCKER! DON'T MAKE US HURT YOU!"
They ran towards Byron, hands balled into fists, when 'Judicator' stepped in front of Byron and took both punches in the gut without armor. For the first time, Byron saw Tom and Harry paralyzed with fear. "T...Tim?" Byron suddenly knew who the mysterious 'Judicator' was. He was Tim Valentine Jr., son of former Enclave Black Watch agent Wildfire. Like his father, he had worked at the Old Enclave/New Enclave Protectorate, and like his father, he had apparently seen the light. Tall and muscular, with a long brown ponytail and wearing pre-war mirrored sunglasses with the words 'Oakley' on them, he carried an aura of authority and justice. He was the renknowned ex-head of the NightStalkers, the assassins of the NEP. The NightStalkers were masters of Hand-to-Hand, throwing, and guns, even more so than the Eradicators and the Black Watch. Also proficient in the art of assassination, sniping, traps and disguise, they were the elite of the elite. He was the match of any warrior.
Dressed only in a leather jacket, a T-shirt, camo pants, and combat boots, he had taken both HARD punches like mosquito bites. Now he returned the favor by lightly kicking first low, then to the torso, and then finally a heavy front kick to the head that sent Tom flying back several feet, his jaw broken. He then sent a reverse backhand at Harry who blocked and retaliated with a wicked uppercut, just like Rock had taught him years ago. Judicator, however, expected this and dodged. As he fell, he caught Harry in a scissors hold and did a backflip, sending Harry headfirst into the ground behind him. Judicator then picked up Harry and flung him towards Tom as if he weighed as much as a baseball. Tom had just gotten up and again he was knocked over. The two, wishing to avoid further punishment, ran for the gates and were gone.
Taking a deep breath, Judicator turned to Byron. "Your friends?"
"Yes."
"Alright, now time to go back in to meet the rest of your squad."
Chapter Three
After Judicator and Byron had gone back in and assembled the rest of the squad, they set off for Judicator's quarters. It turned out to be a small place, with the basic living necessities and a big conference table in the middle of the 'living room'. While the squad was looking around, Byron looked over each of them. There was a young man of Asian descent, wearing battered and hardened homemade Metal Armor, and carrying a HK MP5 9mm submachinegun, a Desert Eagle .44 magnum, and a combat knife. There were two twin sisters, both looking exactly the same, down to the leather armor, but one carried a selection of throwing knives, stars and darts, a big Ripper sword and only a Plasma pistol, while the other carried dual Beretta 9mm pistols, a HK G11-an older version of Byron's gun- and a short Ripper sword, more like a long knife. There was a VERY tall man, who carried himself and his big Barret .50 cal sniper rifle very confidently. He also carried a M3A1 Grease gun, and he
carried a Ripper blade and was wearing travel-worn Combat Armor. There was also another big guy, and this one had an Avenger Minigun slung across his back. He also carried dual Colt .45 pistols, and he wore Leather Armor MKII with an additional loop for his HUGE Ripper sword across the back. He also wore a chem belt, which bulged with Psycho, Jet, Afterburner and every other drug imaginable. There was a small, slight and very cute girl, who had a med pack/doctor's bag on the back on her Combat Armor, and she carried two Laser pistols, and another gorgeous girl with the lithe body of a gymnast. She wore armor that showed off as much of her body as armor would allow, and carried dual Ripper swords and had 2 PowerFists on her hands. She also carried a .223 pistol. The last two were attired identically, dressed in Combat Armor without the helmet, and armed identically, with 2 Wakizaki blades strapped to their hips and 2 sawed-off Shotguns strapped across their backs. Overall
they looked very capable of defending themselves in combat. Adding him, there would be 10. Adding Judicator, there'd be 11. Perfect.
Everybody sat down at the big conference table. Judicator gestured to each of them and said, "Please, introduce yourselves."
The young Asian man said, "My name is SzeHo Wallace. I come from old Shi-Town. I came here when NEP Black Watch spies started corrupting the Shi government and started causing bickering and strife and the government to virtually split apart like the Chinese dynasties of old. I come to stop the NEP so that one day the government will be as great as it once was." There were quite a few cheers at that.
Next came the twins. "My name is Rosie McClure." "My name is Regina McClure. We are the daughters of the late Councilman McClure. We come from what used to be the Vault City Dominion, and we were in charge of the local guards until they all got slaughtered by NEP soldiers and Vault City taken. We were supposed to be made into cyborgs to serve the NEP, but we fought our way out. We have been wandering the wastes ever since looking for mercenary work. Now we hope to get our revenge."
The very tall man said, "My name is Sean Edwards, and I'm a merc wandering the wastes. I used to be a bodyguard for Kingsley 'Dragon' Norad, but he split so I was left without a job. I was supposed to become a cyborg, but I guess I didn't want that, so I jumped ship. I joined up so I could have a steady income, but then I learned Kingsley went and founded this, so I guess it's loyalty."
The other tall man just grunted and said, "My name is Leonard Clayton and my reasoning is the same as Sean, but I was bodyguard for the head scientist, Ryan Monterey." Byron nodded.
"I remember you two well," said Byron. They both looked at him and nodded.
The slight and cute medic said, "I'm Mandy Stillman, and I used to be medic for the NEP 83rd Eradicator squadron, the Stormbringers. That is, until they all became cyborgs and my talents were worthless with them. So now I hope to be medic to you guys."
The gorgeous melee/HtH fighter said, "I'm Adrienne Darkin, and I came here because I was the only survivor of a raid on my family's farm." She shot a dark look at Byron, and continued, "I can only assume the Eradicators did it because I recognize this guy here," she gestured at Byron, "but I'm willing to ...forgive and start again. I'm glad I'm working with this squad." She finished and winked at Judicator.
The last two each started at the same time, but then one of them decided to speak. "My name is Aaron and his name is Yikwah. We're twin brothers and our last name is Everett. We've been wandering the wastes-" "And then we decided to join up here for the money." Yikwah interrupted.
Last of all, Byron introduced himself. "My name is Byron Wyndgard, and I'm the ex-captain of the 57^th Eradicators `Silent Wings' squadron. More I am not willing to say." Judicator nodded at him.
Judicator leaned back in his chair and he said, "Alright, so I suppose you want to learn a bit about me. I'm Tim `Judicator' Valentine Jr., and I used to work at the NEP as head of the NightStalkers, the elite of the elite. You know First Citizen Joann Lynette of former Vault City? I whacked her." Judicator grinned. "But enough for today. You all ought to get some rest. You know where your quarters are?" Everyone nodded, and Byron thought he would follow one or two of them. "Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow. Dismissed." Everyone filed out of Judicator's quarters, hoping for a good night's rest.
Much later that night, Dragon, Rock and Judicator were all in the middle of `town', each drinking a beer.
"So, Rock, Dragon, how are your squads?" This came from Judicator.
"Not bad, I have a lot of specialists. They are all as combat trained and experienced as our scouts said." Rock answered.
"All of mine are very, how should I say, battle-hardened. Let's hope they... survive... their first day of training, especially when it's Hand-to-Hand." said Dragon. All three men laughed.
"Amen to that, brother!" They chugged their beers and each went their own way to await the new dawn.
Chapter Four
The following morning came, and all the new recruits woke up at first light to a loud announcement over the PA system. "New squad members report to the mess hall in 10. Dismissed." Not to be outdone by his roommates, SzeHo, Sean and Leonard, he quickly sprang up, brushed his teeth and dressed in the provided Combat Armor from yesterday. He then raced SzeHo, Sean and Leonard down to the mess hall, which he easily distinguished from the other buildings by the sheer amount of people milling around the entrance. He and his three roommates jostled their way in with considerable difficulty, and they found Judicator already seated at a table. He gestured for them to sit, which they did. Soon, everyone from his squad from yesterday had come in and seated themselves at the table. Then Judicator started to speak.
"'Morning all, hope you had a good night's sleep." He eyed the others at the table, some of which were stifling huge yawns. "Today you will start formal training. But first, everybody needs a call sign." He looked around the table now. "I will name each of you, whether you like it or not. Byron, your call sign is Wyvern. SzeHo, yours is Wizard. Sean, you're Scope. Leonard, you're Ox. Adrienne, yours is Vision. Mandy, you're Nightingale. Yikwah and Aaron, you're Lock and Load, respectively. Rosie and Regina, Cloak and Dagger. Understood?" Nobody disliked his or her name. "Alright then, go and get some breakfast. Report to the main hall at 8:00. Dismissed." Having eaten his breakfast well before first light, Judicator set off in the direction of the main hall. Byron got his breakfast from the counter and scarfed it down. He was hungry. He hadn't eaten a thing in, what, 2-3 days. As an added bonus, this was better than the shitty excuse for food they served back at the NEP
mess. He got up, put his tray back at the counter, and headed out towards the main hall.
The two hours came and went. During that time, Byron freshened up, took a quick nap, and found his gear missing from yesterday in his locker when he awoke. At 8:00, all 30 new recruits gathered in the main hall. Dragon came out to speak. "'Morning new recruits, today you will start training. On today, and the next months, agenda will be the various forms of Hand-to-Hand combat. Hopefully in a month you'll be fighting very well, as Judicator and Rock are going to demonstrate."
Judicator and Rock looked at each other and nodded. They then settled into two vastly different fighting stances, Rock in a kickboxer's stance and Judicator got into an unorthodox boxer's stance, one hand up protecting his face from potential harm and to be ready for quick punches, and the other kept low but not in the way of most boxers. Suddenly, the two men lashed out as one. Judicator's dashing hard right was deflected by Rock's outward circling left kick, and Judicator swung a reverse backhand at Rock even as Rock landed on his left foot went into a ducking right high kick. The kick caught Judicator in the chin and he was launched into the air. Rock jumped up, spun around, and landed his heel into Judicator's sternum, sending him airborne, and finally crashing into one of the pillars and making a mark on it. To everyone's surprise, Judicator got up and grinned. He then flung another dashing punch towards Rock. Most people thought Judicator foolish to do that move again,
but Byron, one of the most perceptive of the whole group, thought the balance of the dash looked strange. And it was. Rock blocked high but then suddenly found himself on the floor, because Judicator had gone into a spinning sweep kick. Judicator then grabbed Rock by the arm and tossed him up into the air. He then leapt up, did a front flip, and brought his foot down on Rock's stomach so he hurtled to the ground, hit, and actually bounced up. Judicator finished by landing as Rock bounced and slamming him to the ground with both palms. He then backflipped away from Rock, and astonishingly Rock got up and gave Judicator a high five. They then returned to their respective positions beside Dragon as the new recruits all stood in awe, too stunned to speak.
Dragon then said, "You too can fight like that... someday. Now, squads! go to your respective trainers and training will commence. Dismissed."
Byron stood, along with the rest of his squad, and gaped. Never, even in his wildest dreams, had he come CLOSE to seeing what the two trainers had done. Lightning quick changes of direction and attack height, immunity to pain, and the works. That most likely only came with the most intense training. Then again, he thought to himself, these guys were the best of the best. Should be able to teach us young pups some tricks.
Judicator walked up to the front of the squad, and said, "Alright you guys, I need to know all of your fighting skill levels. So. All of you against me, any way you want. I'll give you a few minutes to strategize."
With that, he turned and walked out of the hall, and was gone for several minutes. During that time, everybody in his squad huddled and discussed their strategy. It was quickly determined they would attack in pairs, with Wizard and Nightingale going first, and then Cloak and Lock. Load and Dagger would follow them, and Ox and Scope would pair up. Finally it would be Echo and Vision. They finished just as Judicator walked in with the BIGGEST Deathclaw they had ever seen. Fully 9 feet tall and weighing about a ton, it had razor sharp claws and scars all over its body. Judicator then spoke in a low voice to the Deathclaw, who nodded and stepped away into the shadows of their corner of the gym. He then turned back to the group and nodded. Then he settled into his fighting stance.
It was a different fighting stance than the one he had used when he fought Rock, Byron saw. He curled his fingers up so that they resembled a tiger's claw and put his left hand further out while keeping his right tucked near his chin. He crouched low, and leaned most of his weight on his right leg, which was at the back. He nodded at the group, and they sprang into action.
Wizard rushed in first, a rush of dashing punches that Judicator easily evaded and blocked. Then he countered with the leg up front, a weak kick that SzeHo dodged easily. Then up came the right leg, momentum swinging it until it matched the speed of a bullet. It smashed SzeHo in the chest, and he went tumbling back onto the floor, gasping for breath. Meanwhile, Nightingale lashed out with two kicks, one high and one low, and Judicator, who was busy with Wizard, caught both, one in the knee and one in the chest. He didn't even flinch, and he just jumped and put a hand on Nightingale's shoulder and had flipped up over her head. He then invoked his inner chi and focused it into a dashing elbow that just hit Nightingale lightly in the back but sent her sprawling onto the ground and sliding several feet.
Judicator then turned around and blocked an assault from Cloak and Lock. Cloak came from up high, while Lock attacked from below. Judicator blocked both of them and backflipped away from them. He started sprinting and then leapt, angled his body until it was horizontal, and then planted his feet firmly into Lock's torso. Lock fell back 10 feet and desperately tried to get up. Cloak then started a roundhouse punch, but Judicator, moving like quicksilver, caught her wrist and directed her over his shoulder, turning his arms around like a windmill as he did so, sending her flying. Load and Dagger then dashed in from either side. They both swung hard dashing punches towards Judicator, when he flipped up into a handstand and evaded the two attacks. The punches thrown came within inches of meeting the other person's face. Judicator then spun on his palms and `crouched' while upside down, so his two feet hit Load and Dagger in the torso and then swept them off their feet. He sprang
back up, just in time to be assailed by Ox and Scope. Ox just picked him up and threw him in the air. Scope was already waiting for him there and did a two handed overhand smash into his stomach, sending him crashing into the ground. Judicator lay there and didn't move. Ox went over, to check to see if he was unconscious or not. When he came within a foot of Judicator, Judicator moved. He got up and caught Ox in the chest with a two handed palm strike infused with inner chi. So much inner chi, in fact, that he careened into Scope, who at the time was just landing onto the ground 20 feet away. Both the big men smashed into Wizard, who was just getting up. Nightingale, Cloak, Load and Dagger had all gotten up and came in to attack together with Vision, who decided to join the fray. Wyvern elected to stay and watch. Ox and Scope were still on the ground next to Wizard, groaning.
Nightingale and Dagger closed in from both sides with kicks, while Vision and Cloak attacked from up front, Vision with a crescent kick and Cloak with a palm strike. Judicator tried his best to block all the attacks, but only succeeded in deflecting Cloak's palm strike and Dagger's kick. The other two attacks hit home, and Judicator was sent reeling. Load followed the attacks made by Vision and Nightingale with a flying elbow to the chest, and Judicator went crashing to the floor, stunned. He sprang up, and Vision met him with a snap kick to the chin that he blocked. Judicator then threw a straight jab, hoping to catch her by surprise, but Vision anticipated the move early, backflipped, and blocked the jab with her foot whilst airborne. She then landed and planted a spinning right back heel into the side of Judicator's face. He reeled back, rubbing his jaw, then suddenly stopped. Looking over at the Deathclaw, he simply said, "Spektre, help me."
Chapter Five
At this, the massive Deathclaw that was sitting in the shadows got up and made his way towards the group. Spektre spoke in a grating tone, "Judicatorrr... that was dissssappointing... you have gotten lazy." Judicator just grinned and replied, "I could still kick your ass and have it for breakfast any day, Spektre." Spektre nodded. "We sssshall ssssee..." with that, Spektre glanced at the group, snorted, and then quite suddenly charged straight into them. Judicator was right behind him.
The new recruits steeled themselves for this new onslaught. Unlike Judicator, however, Spektre did not believe in finesse; he just bowled them over like shrapnel from a grenade. "Fuckin' hell, this bastard hits hard." Dagger grimaced painfully as she was sent flying into Lock, and both of them tumbled to the ground. Spektre looked almost BORED as he swatted aside Wizard and assaulted Ox and Scope.
Meanwhile...
Judicator had walked up to Wyvern, who was watching the fight. "C'mon Byron, bringit." Judicator put both fists up in that same boxer's stance he had used to fight Rock. Wyvern just looked at Judicator, grinned, and settled into a fighting stance, the one that was taught at NEP, with both his knees facing forward, his left fist at his right elbow, in a right angle across his chest. The two looked at each other, and they exploded into action.
Wyvern had already blocked Judicator's overhand left with his right hand, but even as he swung his left around to counter, he found himself on the floor, his chest throbbing from the lightning quick side kick Judicator had given him. Judicator just grinned at him, waiting for him to get up. Wyvern took this opportunity to backflip to his feet, catching Judicator under the chin in the process. Judicator reeled back, and Wyvern landed, coiled up, and leapt, jumping towards Judicator in a flying armbar. It connected, almost sending Judicator to the floor, but Judicator just steadied himself and smiled. "That almost hurt, Byron. Try harder." Byron just shook his head and launched a flurry of lightning fast punches and kicks that even Judicator was hard pressed to block. They continued sparring for a few more minutes, but while Wyvern was tiring rapidly, Judicator seemed just as fresh as when he started. The truth hit Wyvern as he stopped to take a quick breath: Judicator wasn't
even trying his hardest.