Somewhere in Northern Tundra
Lucky Six inspected the makeshift snare trap. "No catch" he mumbled to himself as he sighed disappointedly. He walked past the snow-blanketed building suffering from extensive damage from the giant black crystals lodged into it. Quite the sight if it wasn't the common sighting here. As he hummed I don't want to set the world on fire he made his way into one of the few still-standing tall buildings.
The entrance was pried open with force. He pulled the uneven door open. Walking inside, his boots echoed on the broken tiles. Climbing up the stairs, passing through the empty apartment rooms. Reaching the second floor he stood next to the room in the middle. The weak metal sheet door was fortified with other scrap metals, making it look intimidating compared to frail neighbors.
He pressed into the fortified door inserted a key of sorts into one of the holes and twisted it. With a loud click sound, he pushed the door open. With a terrible sound of metal scraping on the concrete floor a warm but still chilly air greeted him.
The room he entered looked like a mess from all the makeshift repairs that were made. The chaotic assortments of exposed wood and metal in the walls and roof made it look cramped despite the expansive exterior.
A makeshift furnace stands next to the door, with dim fire still smoldering inside. A simple makeshift shelf stuffed with basic building tools and materials that were either found or cannibalized from other furniture lined the wall. One of the shelves had various samples of crystals, under the shelf there were recently made scorch marks. Nearby a bed constructed from layers of a carpet on a stiff mattress placed on top of a wooden frame separated it from the cold floor below.
In the corner was a table with cardboard, mapping of surrounding mountain ranges drawn with great detail, with a broken bottle representing the city and a hand-sized crystal next to it. On the wall, the star constellation is drawn with markings of the date it was drawn. Many scribbles of the line were written on each star constellation, with the last one having written in frustration 'Where is it?'
Six walked next to the table next to it with a plate with a single piece of MRE bar chopped apart with its plastic wrapping. He took the last piece and placed it under his mouth, savoring the last piece of the mish-mash of grounded down fat with minerals with a little bit of Rad-X lingering as an aftertaste. Under the table were various assortment of black and shimmering orange crystals, capsulized in glass containers.
Six left the room and continued to climb up to the rooftop. He sat on top of the edge of the roof with his one hand resting on his knees. Gazing at the rest of the landscape below him, the rather bleak city ruin reaches miles afar blanketed with snow. The melancholic state the ruins took almost made him think he was back home but the sharp black crystals impaling into the ruins from the skylines kept him anchored to reality. The black crystals shimmered with dark orange from the sun's gaze, making the ruins look as vibrantly alive.
As he continued to gaze at the horizon as the sun sailed high above he chewed on the plastic wrappings of MRE as he hummed music. For a moment he thinks about heading back inside and stocking the fire so he can warm up.
[PERCEPTION 8] his eyes noticed a movement, reaching out to his binoculars further enhanced with the eye optics he continued to observe the movement with keen interest. It was approaching the northern part of the city. He repositioned himself and gazed upon the sun, doing a few rudimentary calculations in his head he angled the glass shard.
As cold air settled on his face he saw it was around thirty men in a group alongside some armored beefed up hound moving along.
They wore thick black coats of sorts under a protective vest and carried swords and spears. As they got closer he could see features better, some of them had crossbows. And the spear he first saw was a lance of sorts by how it was grabbed by the wielder. He got to see they wore a piece of protective equipment. And in front of them what he assumed was a leader distinguished by wearing a red-colored armband.
Angled glasses shard he set shot a glint to him. He lowered his binoculars. 'Seems like local scavs are coming here to set up a shop. Not sure if it is worth setting a shop here, there aren't even damn roaches to eat here.' Deciding to greet the new compatriots he went downstairs.
Some time later
He stood on the outer edge of the northern side of the city outskirts by what was left of a wall. 'First contact protocol, be as friendly as possible' He dusted off his duster and fixed his clothing.
As he places his hand on his helmet to take it off he hesitates. He wasn't looking to look intimidating on first contact. He instead removes the Radii over his head 'Tribals usually don't approach when I have a floating thing on my head due to superstitions. But settlers or scavengers alike just give me weird looks. Better off looking more human than extraordinary.' as he senses the group getting closer he clears his throat and does his best to imitate a warm and friendly voice. He walks out of his cover waving his hand.
The group before him was ragged in their black gray coats walking in a carefree manner as they strode by the dirt road. 'Looking past the wear and tear it seemed like the coats were military issued clothing by how standardized it is'. The leader of the group was the first to notice and react to his appearance by raising his hand to stop the entire group on their track.
"(English with a southern accent) Howdy there fellas, didn't think I would see someone here. Mind having a little bit of chit-chat?" Lucky Six days he leaned into the wall with a relaxed posture.
as lucky six glanced through his helmet his eyes frowned. His Empathy Synthesizer was picking up increasing hostility from the crowd as they all glared at him as they grasped their weapons with alertness. 'Well fuck, that's one way to make first contact. I have seen legion boys being more welcoming than this lot'
"(Ursus) You! What's your business here!" the leader of the group yelled at Six. Six didn't understand what the leader of the group barked out but he didn't need to know the language to read the annoyance the man in front of him had. He needed to disengage before the first contact became the last one.
Lucky Six shakes his hands as he takes steps back trying to disarm the situation. Caught off guard by the response he quickly picked the closest language to the leader spoke "(German) Woah easy there, easy. Just a passerby" As soon as he spoke in German, his Empathy Synthesizer picked up even more intense hostility from the crowd's body language 'And that was an even worse response from the last one. So much for trying to be friendly.'
Lucky Six judged the group from how readily they gripped onto their weapons. Lucky Six knew what language they now had to communicate with. From now on, he prepares to speak the only universal human language that can be spoken between two parties, of which he was particularly fluent. He repositions his stance toward the leader and readied himself for what would come.
[Quickdraw] As soon as the leader of the group hands near the saber's grip. A loud crackling bang echoes throughout the ruins. A 45 ACP round punctured the leader's windpipe as he fell to the ground and his arms flayed around to his neck, grasping his bleeding throat. Six's Empathy Synthesizer picked up fear and bewilderment from the dying man as he fell thud on the snow painted by his crimson blood.
Perhaps in Six's mind, quickly killing their leader would've made the entire group route and left him alone but that didn't happen. As soon as the leader of the group fell on the ground, one of the Ursus raiders shouted
"(Ursus) RELEASE THE HOU-" Another 45 ACP was blown off the man's jaw before he could finish his sentence but it was all in vain as the group didn't route, they were either too bloodthirsty or perhaps used to fighting without a leader. The standoff quickly became chaotic as everyone in the group started issuing orders they scurried to gain cover as they shouted.
"(Ursus) Enemy caster! TAKE COVER!"
"(Ursus) SURROUND HIM YOU IDIOTS!, RAIDERS CUT HIM OFF"
"(Ursus) Kherkov is dead! Fedor is squad commander now!"
"(Ursus) FEDOR JUST GOT SHOT, FOLLOW ME INSTEAD!"
'Great, fucking great.' Six muttered as he realized despite being off in another somewhat important-looking person the group in front of him didn't even hesitate a little bit instead they started preparing for further engagements.
Six quickly took cover behind the piece wall as bolts flew past him, he fired some random shots at the shooters from the cover, downing one of them as it blew open their gas mask. Putting back the Radii on 'More stubborn than I anticipated' he thought as he ran to another wall and fired off his sawed-off shotgun against a group of war beasts dropping them instantly. The Ursus group was scrambling to mount an assault on him but all it led to was further chaos in the ranks.
Five Ursus saberman broke off the main group and charged toward him, raising their sabers high as they shouted "(Ursus) FOR THE TSAR!" Their reckless charge led to them catching precise shots from Six. One fell to the ground as a bullet caved his forehead in. Another two fell to the ground clutching their throat as they bled, the rest followed their fate soon after. Using the window of opportunity six withdrew from the location to another relatively intact building.
"(Ursus) RAIDERS FLANK, SABERS CHARGE AFTER THE WARBEASTS, CROSSBOWMEN DON'T LET THAT BASTARD SHOOT!" barked a commanding voice.
He heard multiple war beast barks getting louder. 'Seven dogs and twenty-two hostiles to go' as he peeked through the window frame and took out a few of the war beasts charging at the building before going back to cover as crossbow bolts lodged into the brick wall next to him.
The war beast leaps through the window and lunges at Six. Six quickly pulled out his machete, side-stepping the lunge and gripping the war beast by its collar, he drove his machete into its spine. As the war beast howled in death, another war beast came out and bit Six, Six instinctively raised his arm's plating as he let go of the dead war beast and thrust his machete into the warbeast's armored skull as its teeth lodged into armored plating. Just as the machete was pulled out of the warbeast's skull, a Ursus raider charged into the ruin's entrance from the opposite side, as he saw Six he charged as it readied lance for a horizontal slash.
Six side-stepped the slash, letting it glaze past his armored wrist. And greeted Ursus raider by quickly pulling up the sawed-off, trigger went off as a twelve gauge buckshot shell shot eight pellets into the attacker's head, shredding into a red fine mist as it blanked the roof. Six pushing forward as the lifeless body fell to the ground, he fired another shell at Ursus raider who entered after his colleague. The Ursus raider dropped his lance and fell to the ground clutching his head wound in pain, Six efficiently kicked the man into the ground and thrust his machete into the man's skull, 'Suffer no more' he thought to himself as he left the building.
Turning around the corner he saw a Ursus three saberman and three Ursus crossbowmen advancing to his location. Crossbowman aimed their weapons at Six and fired off their volley. In an instant, the bolts were fired Six made a quick roll into the nearby debris. The bolts flew past him as he peaked and fired the last two remaining 45 ACPs at the crossbowman. The first round entered the crossbowman's eye as he sprawled onto the ground and the last round entered the chest cavity of the other crossbowman as he slowly fell to the ground choking and gasping for air. "Lung puncture, gonna be painful" Six muttered out.
He spun his pistol and holstered it, pulling out a combat knife and pairing it with his machete, he left his cover and confronted the charging Ursus saberman. He sidestepped the overhead swing by the saberman, kicking the saberman in his overreaching leg causing the saberman to be off balance. Without wasting time Lucky Six drove his machete into the saberman's gut.
One of the saberman seeing Luck Six could not swing his machete in such a state, Struck with his saber into Luck Six's general direction in instinct. Lucky Six quickly let go of the machete and directed his attention to the other saberman's strike as he redirected it barely in time with a strike from a combat knife.
Lucky Six presses forward, not letting the saberman recover. Delivered a forceful blow into the middle of saberman's chest knocking his air out. Using the opening Lucky Six thrusted saberman in his throat.
Just as plunged the combat knife into the man's throat. He noticed another bolt was on trajectory to him. 'Already another bolt? That was quick' he thought. He quickly repositions the man as a shield against a bolt. A barrage of bolts penetrated the man thoroughly as it almost went through. Lucky Six whistles at bolts poking out of the man's chest. "Serrated head? Nasty." Lucky Six discards the meat shield by a side.
His eye narrowed at the crossbowman, who was reloading his crossbow with a new magazine frantically. 'Auto crossbow?'
Before he decided whenever he should reload and shoot or engage in melee by weaving through the cover, the last remaining saberman's charge was interrupted by a conjuration of fire between him and Lucky Six. Saberman's attention snapped at the fizzling fire stopped on his track and instinctively tried moving away from the conjured-up fire as he yelled profanities in Ursan.
Lucky Six also decides to do the same as random fire appearing is rarely foretelling of a good fortune to come. Such superstition was proven correct with a fiery detonation of the surrounding building following moments later.
"(Ursus) Did we get it?!" someone yelled from afar
Audible groaning can be heard from the direction saberman retreated "(Ursus) YOU PISS DRINKING MARES, EVER HEARD OF FRIENDLY FIRE!"
"(Ursus) Eh if you have the energy to still run your lousy mouth you are in one piece." the same voice yelled from afar. Which was followed by more curses from the wounded saberman.
Lucky Six used the banter to move toward the direction where people were yelling from. He quickly reloaded his pistol as he used the uneven terrain created by the explosion to stealthily sneak past them.
The Crossbowman quickly dropped his crossbow and grabbed hold of the crossbowman gagging on his own blood "(Ursus) ANTON IS BLEEDING, I NEED HAND TO APPLY THE BANDAGE" as he frantically tried to stop the bleeding.
The same voice from afar "(Ursus) Hey drunkard, make yourself useful and see if that Lateranon bastard had anything good on it." a different voice interjected "(Ursus) Wait, the smartarse that shot the commander wasn't a Laterano."
Lucky six peeked from the broken wall of the second floor of the building. There were eight or so people. Four of them wearing a cape over their head didn't have any weapons on them other than a knife holstered on their vest. While the other Four was a crossbowman.
The caster looked at another caster with antlers as he spoke "(Ursus) You stupid? A bum damned nowhere village of yours didn't teach you that all Lateranos have a halo on their heads?"
Lucky Six raised an eyebrow 'Did he say Latin?' He quickly dismissed his thoughts and prepared his VATS.
Taking offense to this the caster with antlers angrily responded "(Ursus) Oi you damned barbarian watch your mouth! That bastard clearly spoke in Leitha-" A rapid succession of .45 ACP rained down into the eight-man group. Leaving all the caster's in the ground as Lucky Six finishes his VATS execution the surviving crossbowman took cover away from the building as he reloaded his pistol.
"(Ursus) HE IS IN THE BUILDING THERE!" "(Ursus) *Ursan profanities* GRIGOV! CASTERS ARE WIPED OUT." they yelled out in panic.
Soon enough one lancer and eight saberman arrived at the scene crouching behind the covers they could find, quickly followed by the surviving crossbowmans. With them, it was quickly bolstered to a twelve-man group.
The last surviving Ursus raider "(Ursus) THE FUGITIVE WILL DROWN ON HIS OWN BLOOD! READY YOUR WEAPONS COMRADE. FOR THE TSAR!" Lancer led the charge into the buildings as the rest followed him with renewed vigor "URAAAAAA"
Lucky Six peeked from his cover and unloaded his sawed-off into the charging group before taking cover from the incoming bolt barrages behind the wall. He switched to his pistol and five-shooter revolver as he dual-wielded them in each hand. Ursus Raider made it to the second floor charging with his lance toward Lucky Six.
.45-70 Gov't cleaved the Ursus raider's head effortlessly. Lucky Six cycled the shot between his pistol and revolver as the saberman's continued to charge into the gunfire with bloodlust. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and last of the saberman joined his comrade as he fell to the ground. "Eight" Lucky Six said out loud.
Lucky Six peaks out of the window and mops out the remaining crossbowman outside in similar manner. Before back tracking counting the dead. As he checked off that everyone he counted was dead, he released a sigh in relief. "Fucking hell. Run back to a frying pan did I?" he turned around and looked at the carnage surrounding him.
After he finished updating his pip-boy statics he approached one of the deceased and started looting it. From the pocket he found a food bar of sorts, Lucky six immediately took bite out of it and he immediately spitted the starch out. "Raw oat bar? What's the point. Jesus" Lucky six quickly pocketed it away. He then found wallet. Opening it he found the local currency. After that he inspected the clothing. He really could use something in weather as days are getting colder and colder. He reached out for the winter helmet the dead wore.
Just as he took the winter helmet he saw the dead man had... pair of bear ears?
"What in the god damn" he muttered out. He touched the ear, it soft and warm. He placed the a winter hat on top of his helmet and went to the next dead man and pulled out his hat. It was same. He continued to remove hats and helmet with same result. The caster with antlers hat it's antlers growing out of his head and the other one had bear ears.
"Well. Damn, I mean i guess this is most normal considering I am not on earth anymore. But fucking hell" as he performed a autopsy on the dead ursine man. "Holy damn"
Next thirty minutes was one messy autopsy as Lucky Six examined the extra characteristics with curiosity.
Many hours later
The Apartment room he was in before was now full of a looted weapons, with each weapon forming it's pile. On the tables laid a set of arts units the casters wore being dismantled. The makeshift furnace now had a makeshift grill on it, next to it were butchered warbeast with it's meats in process of being prepared.
Lucky Six sat on the apartment's roof wearing a coat made from several other Ursus coats as he smoked a cigar he found from one of the raider, sitting like he owned the place. Next to him was a plate with a half eaten roasted warbeast's leg. Lucky Six continued to look over the horizon with his pair of binoculars as he had a feeling about he might've just stirred a hornet's nest, bear's nest?
And from horizon he saw a flying drone emerge. Followed by more people dressed in similar garb as ones he fought today marching in unison as they held a flag with a two headed falcon. He slowly lowered his binocular and muttered.
"Fair enough"
well that's chapter 2. Oh welp... there were like like exposition at start but it wasn't needed. For some reason I write when i am sleep deprived so yeah, upload quality and upload rate is gonna be sparratic like my sleep schedule.
It was kinda jancky to write a guy reacting to two moon so i just... tried doing the "Show and not tell" thingy by time skipping. Not sure it worked.
Let's see the reviews...
hm yeah seems normal. Not much to say.
Welp here is AU snippet where he didn't end up in militarized zone that is southern tundra. (lucky six in arknight but i am lazy)
Somewhere in south of Ursus
Lucky Six exited the truck with rather big backpack as he waved goodbye. "What a good folk, even hired me a truck to bring me out here" he pulled out a decent quality map from his coat.
"Hm so if the map is right , I am in Ursus and Leithanien, so from here i should head to the one of the Leithanien 'Nomadic city' and join the convey to Victoria" Lucky Six turned around as he looked his surrounding and spotted a village far in the trees "Well I should alteast meet the locals here and see if they know where the nomadic city is at"
And so he hummed "Jingle Jangle Jingle" as he strode along his path.
That's all, good day