For one, brief moment, the two opponents stand there, sizing one another up, or in the Ravager's case…down. Nina fastened her grip on her blade, gazing at the colossal beast that towered over her. One part, the rational one that wanted to survive, was telling her to try to get out while she still could, that healing herself and getting out of here was a priority over pride. The other half, which had been dominating more and more of her nature the longer she was with the Yautja, ordered her to stand and fight with every ounce of energy she had.
The latter won over.
Having made her honorable first kill already, she was now able to use the plasma caster as much as she pleased; though she didn't intend to use it all of the time for the simple fact that she needed to save face. Still, she was more than certain that the others in the clan would see reason in needing to use it now. Without hesitation, she aimed and fired three rounds at the Ravager, each bolt hitting it in the face or the chest and each one also ticking it off.
Unlike those beneath it, the serpent's thick hide protected it from receiving devastating damage from the plasma bolts, but it would for sure more than hurt. Screeching, it charged at her, breaking away the rest of the arched frame of the hall's entrance. Nina dove out of the way in time to avoid being crushed by a massive, clawed foot. In one, fluid motion, she rolled back onto her feet, skidding backward and firing once more into the Xenomorph's face to distract it before racing forward, activating her wristblades on her right arm. She ran full-speed toward it, barreling forward as she made a scream of defiance.
Suddenly, the large Kiande Amedha turned to face her and, with a hiss, sent its long tongue flying at her. The flexible organ was even longer than the drones and wrapped itself around her waist, lifting her off the ground. The inner fangs bit down hard into her left side and it took all her self-control not to let out a shriek of pain.
The Ravager began to reel her in, toward its huge maw where her entire body would be crushed and pierced straight through by those giant, sharp fangs. Oh no, you don't! she thought with rising adrenaline and rage, I did not go through all of this just to wind up as some chew toy!
By a miracle, she tugged one arm free and grabbed hold of her Combistick fastened to her belt. In an instant she activated it, and at the last possible moment stuffed it in an upright position in between the Serpent's jaws. Catching the Ravager off guard as it struggled to toss the weapon out of its mouth, Nina use the brief bit of time to swing her wrist blades at the inner mouth, cutting herself down to fall and crash upon the stone floor. The teeth clamped in her side went slack and she removed herself from the tangled tongue, bleeding heavily from the new wound.
Nina steadied herself on two slightly weakened legs, looking at the spectacle before her. The Ravager was shaking its head vigorously in attempt to free the Combistick from its mouth. The sight would've been comical if it wasn't also so terrifying. Although there wasn't a doubt in her mind that the Yautja on the clanship were guffawing from her little trick. Well, at least someone would find this situation amusing. Frankly, Nina was too achy to find much enjoyment at the moment.
She searched around swiftly for something that might give her the upper hand. There, about twenty noks away; a large statue that she felt she could climb well enough. Not that she had much choice in the matter anyway. Ignoring the pain, she dashed for the statue, jumping up and grabbing hold of the highest groove with her blade in hand. She lifted herself up and began hiking up the stone figure.
She wasn't even halfway up when the Ravager snapped the Combistick in half with its powerful jaws. Nina heard the defined sound of metal breaking, then the sickening clanging of the separate halves hitting the floor. She didn't even want to think flesh and bone would've wound up as after being crushed like the Combistick had been. The Ravager sought her out, easily finding her within a few seconds, and let out a shrill hiss, flinging spittle all over her form.
The Serpent wrapped a large, bony hand around one of her legs, covering almost the entire limb. Nina was unceremoniously yanked from her position, her blade loosening from her fingers and falling back to solid earth.
With a guttural hiss of her own, she looked up let off a volley of fire at the Xenomorph, not even bothering to find a target. Only angering it further, the creature lifted her up, tightening its hold on her like a vice, and bashed her one, two times into the wall, proceeding the toss her with mild ease across the vast hall where she landed in a heap, rolling away a nok or two before stopping.
Nina laid there for a moment, catching her breath and coughing up blood that merely dripped from her mouth, collected in her mask, and slid down to her chin. In the places her armor didn't cover, she was pretty scraped up. Her chest heaved as her lungs begged and pleaded for a moment's rest.
In tune to the rapid, pulsing of her own heart, she could hear the stomps of the approaching Ravager. Get up, she yelled at herself; hating her own body for its limitations and weaknesses, hating herself for allowing so many mistakes that she felt could've been avoided. Get up now! If you're going to die, then die fighting!
She looked up fiercely and had been prepared to stand when another swing struck her head on. Again, she flew across the hall, her back banging against the wall closest to the door. Her arms shook with the energy it took to try to lift herself up again, energy she didn't really have.
…I…I can't do it, she thought bitterly, solemnly. Not on her own she couldn't. Maybe if she had help, she could fight the Ravager, but in her state, the odds weren't in her favor. And the rest of the clan would still have yet to arrive. Ehawee and Liwanu…who knew where they were. Heck, Liwanu, if he had gotten his mark already, probably either raced to find the Queen or to the main entrance to join the others first.
The fire that burned inside her was nearly put out. Her muscles ached and groaned with pain. She couldn't do this. She was a Yautja. She-
…That was it. That was right. She wasn't a Yautja. In comparison to them, she was hardly any competition in strength, speed, stamina, or agility. Anytime she had fought, in any of her fights before now, she had never used Yautja tactics and training alone. Nina had always used her own smarts and skills, forged from her years under her father's and Dutch's tutelage as well as her experience as a cadet. She had always fought human.
And there lied both the problem and the solution.
The solution, as in, she could incorporate her own moves and techniques that the Xenomorph could find unexpected. How often had she, amongst other humans, proven themselves as fighters not due to strength or speed or stamina, but of cunning? Then there came the problem; some Yautja saw a few human methods of fighting as dishonorable. If they believed so of her moves beforehand they had not made comment on it, but did she really want to push it?
It beats dying, thought the old Nina sarcastically.
The onyx being approached again. It was do-or-die time- literally. Nina stayed still and waited, the gears in her mind formulating a quick plan.
Play dead, she told herself as she felt her body once more being lifted into the air. Her limbs daggled loosely in the Serpent's hold, but behind her mask, her face remind determined and she watched for any opening to strike. The Xenomorph screeched at her in its hold, all pointy fangs showing, and its jaws opening wide enough so she could see beyond what stub remained of the inner mouth.
She took her chances, and fired one plasma bolt past its teeth and down its throat. The shot seemed to have caused more damage than her previous attacks, because the Ravager's head snapped back and it dropped her in what she could only assume was surprise and pain.
Prepared for the drop this time, she caught herself and rolled upon landing. Now on to step two; finding cover, just for a short moment. Ducking behind one of the stone statues, she swiftly yanked her ceremonial dagger free from her belt and tied the wire for stringing up carcasses around the hilt. A scream of anger warned her that her time was up, and she dove out of the way in time to miss the Ravager's massive tail swinging into the statue and sending rock crumbling down to where she had been kneeling.
Nina stood up, and with careful aim launched the dagger from her fingertips and toward the Xenomorph, biting down on her lower lip. Yes! she cheered in her mind as the dagger struck home in what should have been the Ravager's ankle, piercing through the tough exoskeleton.
The Ravager swung one of its arms at her, the "hull blades" aiming to slice through her with ease. She ducked, narrowly avoiding what would have been a quick, but bloody death. Hold on tightly to her roll of wire she ran straight for the Serpent, pushing herself as hard as she could.
Again and again they played this game of swing and dodge. And by the end of it, there was nothing left of the wire for Nina to hold on to other than a few extra inches. Out of breath from her constant running, she looked up at the Ravager, with surprisingly a sly grin creeping on her lips. The Ravager moved to attack once more…
…only to get tangled in the labyrinth of wire that curved around its tail and feet.
Confused, the Ravager tried as it may to get out of the mess. Now was her chance and she dared not waste it. Despite originating from the Su'vi, Ravagers were still typically more intelligent than the average Serpent. Nina ran like the wind for her fallen blade and collected it in one fluid motion in order not to hinder her speed for her chosen destination; the statue.
Once again, she climbed its form. Height would be of most importance for her plan to work.
The Xenomorph cried out, and gathering its bearings, sliced the wire away with its hull blades. It would have her in moments. Come on! She willed herself upward.
As luck would have it, the temple finally began to shift in their area, distracting the Ravager for a short time. Nina clutched on tightly as the statue jutted forward to some new position. Spotting an incoming slab of stone rise in place, she hopped on top of it, running across them as more began to appear. The Ravager backed into a corner and trapped itself in a cube like area.
Just before the cube could seal the Ravager in there for the next little while, Nina jumped.
To land right on top of the Ravager's back.
…
Liwanu and Ehawee continued to search for their human comrade, slaughtering whatever drones or Facehuggers they came across on their way. Finally, their scanners began to pick up a single life form in one of the main halls not too far from them. However, when they got there, they found it sealed off.
And so they waited. After what seemed like twenty minutes, the area path finally opened. They both drew their weapons and prepped their plasma casters upon seeing a Ravager, but froze upon noting that it was lying on its side rather than attacking them. The pair went over to investigate, looking around for any other Serpents in the area.
Liwanu's foot hit against a piece of rumble and sent it bouncing across the floor. Ehawee glared at him behind her mask for his lack of stealth.
Both froze upon seeing a pale human hand, then a human female's body meekly reach up and then climb over atop of the Ravager's corpse. "Hey," Nina said in a small, raspy yet sarcastic voice, "Think one of you can help be drag the skull back to the ship after all of this is over? Or do you think it would even fit on a wall?"
"Dto-Raija!" Ehawee cried in shock, not due to her condition, but what she had gone through to get that way.
The two walked over to Nina helping her to stand. She grunted with effort before brushing them away. Ehawee scanner over her for injuries. Besides the cuts, scrapes, and large bruises, Nina had two major wounds on her shoulder and side that still bled some and a sprained ankle. Her armor and the Xenomorph skull on her back protected her from most other damage, but she had also nearly gotten a concussion to add to the growing list.
Her entire body didn't just ache, it screamed torturously with fatigue. Her blade was ready to slip free from her fingers and collapse with her to the ground should that occur. Her plasma caster hummed silently, not a hair's length away from the overload point, from where she has blasted continuously into the Ravager's constantly stabbed and cut wound on its back, right in a soft spot between armored plates.
Ehawee pressed a hand against Nina to support her, despite the human's preferences for otherwise, "The clan should be here soon. We are planning on heading out to wait for them and make sure the exit stays blocked. We'll get you medical attention quickly." She began to help her move forward.
"H'ko," Nina replied, shaking her head, gritting her teeth, and catching both Yautja off guard, "I'm practically dead weight as of now," she panted out, "I'll heal myself with what I've got…then catch up."
"You're acting foolish!" Ehawee stated with a slight, irritated growl, "You'll be at the mercy of any Kiande Amedha that finds you. Why won't you just accept help for once?"
How could she answer that honestly? How could Nina tell her that she was afraid; afraid of being seen as weak and below worth keeping alive, of being left behind to die or survive on her own without even a reassurance that anyone would come to her aid or comfort? Yautja society was built on strength and if she was a weak link- not including the fact that she was a human, wouldn't they dispose of her so easily? She didn't think she could face being left alone.
She didn't want to go against the world alone, not again…
Her parents had left her alone, in a sense, even though she very well knew it was beyond their control. Then Dutch, when she came home to find him gone without even saying goodbye or where to.
And how many years after that had she spent building up those walls around her to make sure no one else's lives ever affected her own again, only to have that destroyed as well the closer she got to the other Cadets, and Sain'ja and his friends?
Here; sentimentality, mercy against enemies, a lack of will or strength…so much of that could be seen as weakness. And the Yautja, as much as she believed in at least Sain'ja now, could very much well leave her as a forgotten memory without the slightest hint of regret.
"I'll be fine," she said, keeping any pain or emotion that could betray her thoughts from showing on her face or in her voice, "I'll find somewhere safe to recover and keep an eye out. Just go."
Ehawee, with a sigh, nodded in agreement, letting her hand drop to her side. However, she could sense the lack of trust within the human. For what reason, she didn't know, but as not only a hunt sister, but one to share their Chiva with as well, this was a problem for the group as a whole. A team that couldn't work as a unit in the toughest situations typically had much lower chances of success and survival. Still, the choice was Dto-Raija's, and there was little she could do to change her mind.
The trio picked up what of Nina's equipment had been strewn about in the hall; mainly just the dagger and remaining wire that was salvageable. And then they began to split ways. As Ehawee began walking off, Liwanu stayed back.
"Ooman, Dto-Raija," he addressed to her.
Narrowing her eyes, she replied, "What is it, Liwanu?"
He paused for a minute, as if to gather his thoughts, before continuing, "I…wish to apologize for my attitude and doubt toward you earlier. For an ooman, you are as skilled as many other hunters believe," he looked to the body of the Ravager, "Perhaps more so." Liwanu walked over to her and her sore muscles tensed. However, her eyes widened in surprise when he merely titled his head downward in a sign of respect, his dreadlocks swinging forward, then back from the movement.
After a moment's pause, she returned the gesture and that was that. Liwanu simply walked away.
Once they were out of eyesight, Nina hobbled off out of the hall, clutching one side. She needed to rest, but she needed to also get out of that area. She could collect a trophy from the Ravager later.
Not long after, she came to a chamber, and when the next ten minutes were over she found herself locked inside. Good. She made certain no Xenomorphs wound pounce down upon her from the ceiling before sitting down of the ground with her back pressed against the stone wall, the skull of her first kill lying next to her. The cold stone felt nice against her spine.
She stayed like that for no more than a minute, convincing herself that the chamber could easily reopen and Serpents could pour in. By then she would need to be prepared. Nina took out her medicomp and pulled out a health shard, breaking it in two. Removing her chest plate armor, she took a deep breath and plunged the halves into her body.
She couldn't hold back the scream of agony that followed. Most Yautja wouldn't be able to either due to the powerful drugs and medicines within the shards. It was a crossed sensation of being burned alive and the stings of hundreds of hornets. Tears threatened to pour out, but she held the back. A little bit later, the medicine took affect and the pain died down, leaving her feeling numb, but better.
Nina cleansed the major wounds and cuts with antiseptic, and then proceeded to rub a salve on them to help them heal faster and without infection. She wrapped her shoulder and waist with sterile bandages in order to cover the large punctures. She didn't know if those would scar or not.
Removing her mask, she wiped away the blood that had collected in it and on her chin before taking out her flask and gulping down water until her thirst was satisfied.
It was all she could do for now. She would have to wait until the clan was finished with cleansing the temple before she could receive further care. Until then, her duties to also battle the Serpents continued. She donned on her armor and mask again, making sure all her weapons and supplies were in their proper places. Nina hated the fact that she was down one Combistick, but hopefully she wouldn't need it and could do without it. Closing her eyes, she leaned back for a short rest.
The next time the temple switched, and the chamber opened, she was prepared for the Xenomorph that had been waiting on the other side for her. She greeted it with a plasma bolt to the face.
…
Everything was practically silent on deck as the Yautja watching the viewing screens took in the change of events that unfolded so rapidly. One minute, they were for certain that Dto-Raija would perish at the hands of the Ravager. The next, she's back on her feet with renewed vigor, overcomes the monster of a Serpent, and then finally making the killing blow. It was easy to say most of them were dumbfounded.
It was a quick reminder as to way they taught their Youngbloods never to underestimate the Pyode Amedha. They could be very unpredictable; that's what made them so enjoyable to hunt- their cunning and level of intelligence for a prey species.
A sudden roar of triumph rose from the small crowd. Sain'ja felt hands clasp him on the back and shake his shoulder, being responsible for Dto-Raija's training. His upper tusks lifted in what would've been a smile. This was a good sign; for both himself and Dto-Raija. Her future and status should be completely secure in the clan if it wasn't already and he would be given a good word in for those in higher ranks for having taught her. He might be requested to train other Unblooded or Youngbloods.
He looked over to the Clan Elders, who nodded their heads in approval of her. Then to his friends, who were just plain excited with finally being able land and head off to fight Serpents themselves. Finally, he glanced in the direction of whose opinion of Dto-Raija mattered most at the current moment.
His heart skipped a beat when he saw the Arbitrator glaring daggers at viewing screen with little contempt.