3 years ago
Nikolai had finally made it to the Red Forest. The Red Forest was one of the few viable routes to Pripyat. The other routes entailed fighting his way through Monolith outposts.
Monolith... The one group that was truly insane. They worshipped the zone to a fanatical degree. They kill outsiders on sight and were really well-armed. Besides Duty and Freedom, they were the best well-equipped faction. While Nikolai knew a confrontation with them was inevitable he wanted to put it off until he arrived at his destination.
That didn't mean the Red Forest was any safer. A luscious green forest with clear rivers and the occasional unmutated deer would make you think it was paradise in the zone. But it was far from it.
The Red Forest was one of the few places where Bloodsuckers were prevalent. Bloodsuckers, an almost mythical creature in stalker lore. Few had seen them and even less survived an encounter with them. For all intents and purposes they were the apex predator of the zone.
Invisibility, overwhelming strength, inhuman endurance, and hunter instincts made them one of if not the most dangerous prey around. Anomaly detectors would go off when one of them approached. After that... You better pray you get a lucky shot...
To make matters worse a sizeable bandit force had taken over the abandoned sawmill in the northern part of the forest. Clear Sky never stood a chance.
Clear Sky... The most enigmatic faction of them all. For a while people thought they had been exterminated only for them to reappear. Much like the Ecologists, they studied the zone, but unlike the Ecologist who did it for the betterment of mankind Clear Sky's motive were not known.
The hike up north would be a rather grueling one. He would have to pass through a literal warzone to make it to his last stop before Pripyat. The south was help by Duty who had set up shop in a checkpoint leading from Limansk. To the east was Freedom who had set up shop in a small village and to the west were mercenaries. So trotting through the center meant he would have to deal with a warzone.
"Stop right there! State your business!" A Duty soldier yelled from a watchtower. Nikolai saw himself flanked from all sides. Of course Duty would be this paranoid with the Red Forest being so hotly contested.
"Stalker heading to Pripyat" Nikolai said holding his hands up. "Got the all good from captain Ivantsov."
"You know Ivantsov?"
"Helped him clear out a mutant infestation in Limansk" Nikolai said calmly.
"Is that so?"
"Aye"
"Let me radio this in" he said. After a few seconds he looked back at Nikolai and nodded.
"Okay boys, he's clear let him pass" he ordered. The Duty soldiers lowered their weapons as Nikolai walked through the checkpoint.
"Hey kid"
"Yes?"
"Be careful, the recent carnage has attracted more bloodsuckers than usual" he warned him. Of course... Just what he needed... "I'll radio the boys to let then know you're on your way.
Nikolai nodded and got on his way. The trees here were impressive, like nothing like he had ever seen. Some of them had bright colored vines hanging from them, from bright pink to blue. While pretty Nikolai knew better than to touch them. He had heard of them. They were an anomaly, they held an extreme amount of psionic energy. Enough to melt someone's brain if they touch them without the correct protection.
Nikolai thanked God he was able to buy a helmet, it upped his radiation protection as well as psionic one. As he kept walking he could slowly distinguish the sound of bullet fire. While the echo could be heard across the forest now he could identify where the shooting was coming from. He was very close.
In the distance he made out a group of Duty soldiers, they were taking cover behind an old abandoned truck. Before he could even do anything he saw the familiar glint of a scope. Quickly he dove right into a nearby ditch. The shot barely missed him hitting a tree. Slowly he started crawling towards the squad. When he got close enough he sat behind a tree.
"Need a hand?" He asked sarcastically.
"You think?" The man who he assumed was their leader said. "We are pinned down, those damn Freedom fucks!" Nikolai quickly thought of their options, he knew where the sniper was, if he could take him out he could possibly flank the Freedom soldiers.
"Hey, any of you got a mirror?" Nikolai asked, the soldiers exchanged confused looks.
"Here!" A younger voice said. Nikolai was surprised he sounded no older than 20, how did he even get involved with a Duty forward operation at that age? Nikolai caught the small mirror. He slowly stuck his arm out trying to get a visual on the sniper. He saw him perched upon a tree, he was at least five meters off the ground.
"Got a plan?" The leader asked.
"Gonna take the sniper out. After that I'll try to flank. I need some cover fire when I move."
"You got it!" Nikolai rolled to the side and aimed. He saw the sniper was surprised. Thank God he bought that scope. He shot, it hit the sniper square in the head. His body fell backward. He was left hanging by a cable that had him tied to the tree.
"Cover me now!" Nikolai crouched and started running. The Duty soldiers covered him as he felt bullets whistling by. He slid behind a small concrete barrier. He leaned out and took a shot hitting one of the soldiers in the shoulder.
The plan worked out better than expected as soon enough they overwhelmed the soldiers. As the firefight subsided they looted the bodies. Nikolai grabbed the Freedom patches. They sold for a small sum on the black market.
"Appreciate the help" The leader said. "Name's Alek."
"Good to make your acquaintance," Nikolai said shaking his hand.
"We are in patrol so we won't be able to help you up ahead but we can offer you this." Alek handed him a bloodstone. "You loners get more use out of this." Nikolai nodded and bid them farewell."
The rest of the journey might have been the most tense moment in his life. The skirmishes were all around him. Bullets flying past, the sound of death. The smell of blood, it was all getting to him. He had to stop walking to avoid drawing attention. He slowly dragged himself through the mud.
The sun was setting. Nikolai was mentally and physically exhausted. He barely felt his arms, his eyes were heavy. He needed to get out of the forest. In the distance he could see the faint lights he assumed came from the sawmill. He was close to the edge of the forest.
His train of thought was broken when he heard footsteps. He stopped moving and slowed his breathing. He saw two bandits pass by him.
"I hate patrol duty" one of them moaned.
"Stop bitching, better than on the front lines" the other scolded. Nikolai slowly aimed at them till he heard something else. Something he had never heard before. It sounded like clicking.
"The hell was that!?" One of the bandits asked aiming his shotgun.
"Don't tell me it's..." A monstrous growl could be heard followed by more clicking. As a bloodsucker appeared running at one of the bandits, slashing his throat. Blood spurted out as the man collapsed. His partner started shooting as the creature went invisible again.
More clicking... The bloodsucker appeared again. He grabbed the remaining bandit. The bandit screamed in horror as the bloodsucker's tentacled grabbed his face with some of them sticking deep into the man's skin. Nikolai could hear the sucking as the man struggled harder. That was until the creature sank its teeth into his skull. The screaming stopped as the creature drank his blood.
This was the first time Nikolai had seen such creature. It was some sort of humanoid. Its skin was severely discolored, his claws were huge. It's muscles inhuman, its mouth was a jumbled mess of tentacles and teeth. It had no hair at all and its eyes... They were completely blank.
Before he could do anything he heard clicking from next to him. His blood went cold, he planted his face in the dirt. From the corner of his eye he saw multiple bloodsuckers appear. They looked at the bandit camp. Nikolai was trying to remain calm. One move and he would be ripped apart.
They all disappeared again, but Nikolai didn't dare to move. He would pass the night here... Unmoving, till it was early in the morning. Till there was no light. He felt cold, it would be a hard night but... He needed rest. As his body failed him and his eyes grew heavy he could hear the sound of bullets and despair...
Present
Nikolai was floating in the familiar dark void. Again... Nikolai had no clue what this place was, he felt awake but this sure as hell wasn't the real world.
"Nikolai..." A voice called. Unlike previous times it was clear, a female voice he didn't recognize. He turned around and saw a female figure shrouded in darkness. He tried to make sense of what he was seeing.
"I l-" before the female voice could finish Nikolai felt the familiar embrace of darkness take him over again.
Nikolai shot straight up, as soon as he did he felt his arm protest. "Fuck" he muttered. He looked at it. It was in one piece, that shouldn't be. He should have lost it. The only difference from before was the amount of scars that covered it. He pulled the blanket off of him and saw his legs were in the same condition.
"Sorry we couldn't heal the scars" a familiar voice said. He turned to see Puck floating over a sleeping Emilia who was there motionless on a chair.
"Nah, don't worry. Ladies love scars" Nikolai said sarcastically. He frowned at Emilia's position.
"She used all she had to heal you" Puck explained. Nikolai stood up. His legs gave out as soon as he tried. "Are you okay?" Puck said worriedly. Nikolai shakily tried again. With all his might he pulled himself up.
"I... Will... Not be put down" he said gasping. He slowly picked Emilia up and with what he had placed her on the bed, pulling the blanket over her. He looked at her, she looked so peaceful. He stroked her hair and smiled. "She's saved me twice, I really am in her debt..."
"It's the other way around actually. You saved those kids, considering you are her knight the opinion of her has greatly increased" Puck explained.
"How are the kids and Rem?" Nikolai asked worriedly. Rem had taken one hell of a beating and the kids were not in the best shape.
"The kids are alright, me and Beako removed the curses. As for Rem, she's okay. Her demon physiology makes her heal faster than a normal person."
Nikolai whistled, so that was what he saw? So she was a demon? It was strange, back where he comes from demons were bringers of the apocalypse not maids in skirts. "I guess demons are different here."
"What do you mean?"
"Demons, where I come from, are incarnations of evil. Creature's who's only goal is the destruction of humanity."
"Yikes... Yeah, demons here are much like humans, the main difference is the horn which boosts their physical capabilities."
"I see..." Nikolai slowly walked towards his suit. The armor had seen better days. The arms were torn to shreds. The legs didn't look much better. Thankfully he saw his guns all neatly placed on a nearby table. He readied up before he left he walked to Emilia and smiled. "Sleep well..." He smiled and walked outside.
Nikolai didn't expect the amount of love he was receiving from people. Many of them gifting him stuff like apples. Considering how hungry he was this was a godsend.
He directly headed to the forge. Seeing this world's Tanya in such a state had made him suffer flashbacks of times gone by. He didn't know why she looked so similar, why she had the same name. It was all too strange... But nevertheless he felt like fate gave him one last chance... To finally say goodbye how he had wanted.
Once he approached the forge he saw Gunther walked to him. He was surprised when Gunther pulled him into a big hug. The older man sobbed.
"Thank you, sir knight" he said. Nikolai felt the crushing strength of the man choking him out.
"No worries... But please... Let me go I can't breath."
"I apologize" he said letting him go scratching the back of his head. "Do you need something?"
"May I see her?" He asked.
"Of course!" Gunther guided him into his house. The small shack was next to the forge, it was a bit cramped but it somehow felt very homey. Nikolai saw a blonde woman sitting next to the girl. She looked up to Nikolai and started bawling her eyes out. Hugging him tightly.
"Thank you for saving my sweetheart!" Nikolai smiled and returned the hug.
"It's okay miss" he said softly. She let him go, Nikolai kneeled down next to the bed. He felt his heart tie into a knot.
"я ніколи не прощався" he began saying a tear running down his cheek. It hurt so bad, all the things he thought he had left behind coming back again.
"ти тепер живеш у мирі. я сумую за тобою, мого сонця" he finished. A crushing weight lifted from his shoulders. He slowly stood up and gave her a sad smile.
"What did you say?" Gunther asked.
"I told you she reminded me of a fallen comrade. I just said the goodbyes I never had the chance to" Nikolai said sadly.
"What was her name?" The woman asked.
"Marie" he lied.
"Would you like something to drink?" The woman asked.
"I-I would" he said softly. The glass of water felt like pure bliss. Even though he would never get a second chance with Tanya. He felt happy, he gave her a goodbye he never could. Even if it wasn't her it felt... Like he had one last talk with her.
"So what do you plan to do now?" Gunther asked.
"I... I'm planning on building defenses in the village. I don't want any father to have to go bury their child. I'll come back tomorrow, and then we will discuss my plan. Are you okay with that?" Nikolai asked. The idea that a village was protected by only a few crystals was laughable. These kids... They deserve better, with the extra incentive he had now he would make sure no one would ever hurt this village again.
"I am! I'm sure all the village is! You can count us all in! I'll tell the others" Gunther said smiling. He walked to the door. He opened it and saw a small girl standing in front of it. Nikolai took a look and saw a familiar blonde standing at the door.
It was Beako. He rarely saw the reclusive girl, she seemed... Okay... She stayed out of Nikolai's way and he did the same.
"Is Nikolai here, I suppose?" She said.
"Uhh... Yes" Gunther said. Nikolai finished his drink and thanked the family.
"Is there something you need Beako?" Nikolai asked.
"It's Beatrice for you I suppose!" She chided. "But yes we need to talk I suppose." Nikolai was not accustomed to her way of speaking yet so he did to hold back his laughter. He simply nodded and followed the girl. She took him to a secluded part of the village away from prying eyes.
"Is there something wrong Beatrice?" Nikolai asked.
"You're dying I suppose" she simply stated.
"Cool beans. So where are you burying me?" Nikolai asked nonchalantly. Beatrice's expression was priceless. The sheer shock on her face was great.
"Why are you so calm I suppose!?" She asked practically yelling.
"Simple, it either has a fix or it doesn't. If it doesn't then I'll die no matter how much I cry" Nikolai explained. He would do all in his reach to stay alive but if there really wasn't a way of fixing it then maybe he would return like last time, if not... He would welcome death like an old friend.
"You're right I suppose. You've been cursed, normally I or Bubby would have taken care of it. But you have multiple curses after your encounter with the mabeast. Much like a tangled mess, we can't do anything. The only way you can save yourself is by killing the mabeasts that cursed you I suppose."
"I thought I killed them" Nikolai said confused.
"You killed some but after you passed out you were attacked by more before the maid could get you out I suppose."
"Very well I'll be heading out" Nikolai said heading to the forest.
"The blue-haired maid is already trying to kill them I suppose." Nikolai froze, the hell was Rem doing!? He really didn't need someone else dying! Didn't she see he literally took the jit for her!? Were she to die she would render what he did pointless... He was disappointed, he thought she was better than that.
Nikolai shook that thought and walked to the same part of the fence as last night. When he got close he saw a familiar face... It was Ram.
"Do not try to stop Ram" she said climbing over the fence.
"Not going to, I'm actually going to bring Rem back" Nikolai said doing the same. Ram looked at him shocked.
"Why?"
"Well I did take the hit for her so I think my willingness to sacrifice myself was clear. But if nothing else... I'm not willing to let another coffin rest on my conscious." Nikolai kneeled in front of the tracks, they weren't as fresh as he would have liked. It looked like it had been a few hours at the very least. "Let's go."
Nikolai was followed closely by Ram, he took the situation very seriously the last thing he needed was another chomp. His train of thought was broken by a mabeast jumping at him. Quickly he dispatched it as the creature fell dead in front of him more of them popped out. One by one they all died as Nikolai calmly dispatched them.
"Quick question. Why don't you? You know... Use your horn like Rem?" Nikolai asked, the girl looked a bit saddened, she broke eye contact with him.
"Ram lost it..."
"Wait can you fight?" Nikolai asked worriedly. Why would she come if she couldn't defend herself?
"I still have my wind magic" she said.
"Good, save it. Only use it if we get overwhelmed. I want to save it until it's necessary."
"Very well."
The tracks slowly faded out. Nikolai did her best to follow them before they disappeared his nose was hit by a familiar smell. The smell of blood, death, and much more. Without a word he ran towards the smell. Ram followed closely behind. When they got to the source of the smell Nikolai was shocked.
A body sat against the tree. That in itself wouldn't be of notice. The forest was dangerous, Nikolai would expect people to die here. What made it noteworthy was what it was wearing. The body was wearing an exoskeleton.
Exoskeletons were the best that there was to offer when it came to bullet protection. They were rare, most of them going for a really high price in the black market. The only real downsides were that it didn't provide much protection against radiation and anomalies and that it made you slow. The upsides were also obvious. They boosted the user's strength to ridiculous levels making you able to kill a man with a single punch. It increased your weight carry by a huge amount.
The body had taken his helmet off which let him see the decomposing face. He saw Ram running back to vomit. Nikolai didn't mind the smell as much as he had grown accustomed to it. If he were to guess the body was probably two weeks old. He checked his arm to check what faction he belonged to and felt his blood grow cold. The familiar insignia of Monolith adorned his arm.
"What the hell was a Monolith nutjob doing here?" Nikolai mumbled. The body had a familiar rifle in his hands. It was a Vintorez a common rifle among snipers in the zone. Nikolai saw a sack next to the body. Carefully he checked it out. It looked like the holy grail of loot. Guns, too many guns, ammo, meds, explosives, vodka! He also noticed an old notebook of some sort. He would need to come back for this after saving Rem. Nikolai grabbed the explosives and a bloodstone he saw just in case and zipped the sack by up.
"We need to save Rem" Ram said still disgusted by the body.
"And we will... But, after we do that we need to take the sack and body back to the manor."
"What!?" Ram asked.
"These things are from my land. I need to take them back, try to study them. Find out how he got here." Their talk was interrupted by the sound of an explosion. They both turned to the explosion. They saw a dust cloud rising up. They both ran towards the origin of it. They saw a bloodied up Rem fighting with all her might against a horde of mabeasts.
Nikolai saw the same puppy just watching from the sides. Almost as if this was some sort of game.
"We need to help her! If she keeps this up she will lose herself!" Ram said.
"Okay how do we pull her out of that state?" Nikolai asked.
"A good hit to her horn should knock her out" Ram explained.
"Can you do it with that air magic of yours?" Nikolai explained.
"Yes."
"Okay here is the plan. We go down, you knock her out and run like hell" Nikolai said calmly.
"What will you do?"
"I will kill the mabeasts" Nikolai said confidently. He grabbed the bloodstone and wrapped it with two grenades he has picked up. "Little known fact. Once I throw this you better pray you are far enough."
They both jumped down. Quickly Ram did her job as she picked her sister up Nikolai covered her exit with his Kalashnikov. As he saw them get further away he drew more attention from the mabeasts.
"Come get some you sons of bitches!" Nikolai hollered shooting at them. He needed time, they needed to get away. As the fight continued he felt his body slowly failing... He did his best to keep it up.
He stumbled to the ground, one mabeast jumped on him, he blew its head with his shotgun, he shot the next one.
"Not... One... Step... Back!" The puppy slowly started to mutate, the thing grew larger and larger. There was no more time left, 10 minutes should have been enough. He pulled the pin from the grenade and threw it at the dog. He ran and dove into a nearby ditch. He brought his hands to his ears and it happened. A blinding light flashed and the ground shook, a huge explosion engulfing the area. Nikolai had learned that bloodstones and explosives didn't get along well when he saw a monolith base blow sky high after a stalker he was tailing showed him.
After a few seconds Nikolai looked out the ditch. He only saw a scorch hellhole. The mabeast had been burned to a crisp as well as some of the nearby trees. He chuckled softly, if was done. He would not die now... Or so he hoped. He headed back to the corpse he had found. He tied the sack to his back and dragged the body.
It was hell, this was extremely heavy and Nikolai's body was already giving out. He kept dragging until he saw the village. He saw Gunther go over the barrier with some men. Without even questioning it they took the sack off Nikolai and dragged the body to the village. They told him Rem and Ram had arrived an hour ago. He thanked them and walked back with them.
The sun was already setting and Nikolai was looking forward to be back in bed. He headed towards the house Emilia was sleeping. But before he could even make it in he heard a scream.
"Nikolai!" A familiar voice yelled. He felt Rem tackle him like a train. He fell backward, he then felt something soft... Something way too soft. When he opened his eyes he saw he was face first in Rem's breasts. He felt his cheeks heat up.
"God... Thanks" he said softly.
"Why!? Why!?" She asked crying. "Why did you do all this!? Why did you risk your life for me!? After all I did!?" Nikolai could hear the sorrow, the regret in her voice. He slowly stroked her hair and chuckled.
"I did it because... The kids deserve a better life they don't deserve to die. They deserve better than what I had... And when it comes to you? I coudn't bare to see another comrade die. You might have hated me, and possibly planned to kill me. But you are important to Emilia and... We are all in the same boat. I am willing to give you another chance...
"But please don't cry... A face as beautiful as yours shouldn't be tainted by tears" he said. He had been put through hell, he might as well tease the hell out of her now. She got up and blushed madly.
"Okay!" She said giving him a bright smile. He patted her head. Softly.
"Let go check on the others."
Nikolai had been given an earful by a worried Emilia. He never thought someone scolding you could sound so sweet. After that Nikolai was given a nice bowl of soup courtesy of the village. After a few hours a familiar character arrived.
"I came back as sooon I heard there was trouble" Roswall said. Nikolai didn't care what excuses this poor excuse of a lord had. If it wasn't for him and Rem those kids would be dead.
"Too late if you ask me" Nikolai said bitterly. "The protections were flimsy these kids could have died!"
"I knoooow, this is completely my fault" Nikolai noticed the faintest of hints of remorse. "Buuuuut regardless you've done another great service to the Mathers Estate therefore ask and I shall deliver."
"Very well, let me set up whichever defenses I want for the village. You foot the bill and let me make this place as safe as I can" Nikolai said calmly.
"Weeeeell you have a heart of gold don't you? Veeeeeeery well I grant your wish." Roswall said politely.
Nikolai stepped out for a second. He had checked the Monolith's personal belongings and found a box of cigarettes. He had promised to stop smoking way back but hell... Today really made him need one. He lit one up and puffed. He grabbed the diary and sat down outside the house.
The moon shined bright and Nikolai could feel the wind blow. He noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was Rem...
"Need something Rem?" Nikolai asked.
"Ughhh Rem wanted to see how you were" she said a bit embarrassed. A far cry from the professional Rem he first met. .
"I'm okay, I'm just reading the diary I found on that corpse" Nikolai said puffing smoke.
"Can Rem join you?" She asked shyly.
"Sure!" He said patting next to him. She sat next to him a bit closer than he expected.
"What's that?" she asked pointing at the cigarette.
"A cigarette, something from back home" he explained.
"Can Rem try?" She asked.
"No, this is bad for your health" Nikolai said.
"Then why do you use cigarettes?"
"Smoke, and well I had stopped smoking a while back but... It's been overwhelming as of late... I needed something go relax. Anyways it's just a box and after that I'm out of cigs again."
"Rem- I'm sorry" she said softly.
"Don't worry. Water under the bridge. How about we start again from zero? Wipe the slate clean" Nikolai asked smiling. He saw a small tear run down her cheek as she gave him another big smile.
"Okay!"
"Well I'm Nikolai, what's your name?"
And cut! Another chapter done! As always feedback is always welcomed!Anyways Ukranian lesson time!я ніколи не прощався: I never said goodbyeти тепер живеш у мирі. я сумую за тобою, мого сонця: you now live in peace. I miss you, my sun...UltimateMetroMan out!