To The Rescue!

[MojaveMaster]

The earth slopes up and down in jagged reddish hills, the Mojave Desert soon falling way to a much mightier geological feature, the Grand Canyon. There are cactuses and dried up brush spotting the horizon, jagged cliffs and pools of a disgustingly green colored muck decorating the scenery just as well. On the other side of the Grand Canyon stood a mighty, growing empire, Ceasar's Legion which was more commonly referred to as simply the Legion. A tension buzzed across the whole Mojave Wasteland, loud as the wingbeats of a cazador and as bloody and violent as when one meets their fate at the end of a deathclaw. Legionnaires and New California Republic troops often skirmish along the Grand Canyon, each one seeking control of the powerful hydroelectric dam that resided within. The whole Wasteland was soon to spill red with fresh blood, radioactive waste and hotspots still claiming the lives of many, twisting their minds and bodies into sick mockeries of human beings. Not every insane person comes from the radiation, but rather the cruelty of the world they reside in. Raiders, cannibals, soldiers, robots, the wildlife; everything in the Mojave was gunning to kill the weak, even the bugs feasting on the flesh of the unlucky.

Sometimes though, someone shows a bit of guts, and gets up and says no more to the sinful way the world lives. Someone decides that enough was enough and wants to change it. The Wastelanders liked to call them heroes, but really they were just stupid. No one changed the wastes. War would be war, blood would be spilled and lives would be claimed all in the name of this and that. Only the foolish would dare to stop it, but only the brave would succeed. Perhaps for once, there would be a minor victory. Of course, everyone knows that you can't win the war, but you could win a battle.

[Rin]

Night had fallen across the desert when Rin finally settled down to rest. Most of the day she had spent collecting herbs for later use. The usage of a campfire had always fascinated her, and she hoped she would soon come across another. Going to a previous location just to make a handful of concoctions would suck, and she wanted to only do that if absolutely necessary.

About to settle down for the night, her moment of tranquility in the wastes was swiftly interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Tensed, the teenager reached for her rifle, finger set on the trigger as she aimed in the direction of the noise. Though dark, she could make out the decanus headgear and the shadowy outlines of legionnaire armor. Somewhat panicked, she took a shot before she scrambled to her feet and retreated back from the bedroll she had set. Rin didn't want them to get close; she'd rather be dead then touched by the bastards that stood before her.

[MojaveMaster]

[10 was rolled-decent]

The arc of green energy shot forward and made a blow against one of the soldiers, his left arm disentigrating into a sick slushy pile of green goop. He bowled over, tripping and falling into the dirt screaming in agony as he clutching the glowing green stump of his shoulder. His fellows ran faster, furious and shouting now that stealth was clearly out of the way. One lagged behind, prepping a throwing spear while two others rushed at Rin with machetes bared.

[Rin]

Relieved to see her shot had paid off, she continued her backward retreat from the patrol, rifle lifted to aim and shoot one of the encroaching men. If it came to being up close and personal, she wouldn't fair well with her more-than-poor melee skills, and the thought of being a slave left a sour taste in her mouth. All she could do is keep her distance, pick them off, and hope the spear-chucker's aim was off.

[MojaveMaster]

[Rolled 18 -Epic Win]

The first man's head exploded in a violent array of gore and goo, spraying a nasty greenish red mixture on the second man who screamed at the burning plasma. He clutched his face, thrashing wildly and stabbing his blade out towards Rin when suddenly [Rolled 19- Epic Win] his head also erupted into a mess of gore, bloody parts falling onto Rin as his form collapsed into the red earth. Standing up there on a hill was a woman, a grisly snarl on her lips as brown eyes took in the scene before her. She was dressed in a dusty brown leather outfit, a cowboy hat hiding her messy black curls. With a scowl she pointed her modified cowboy repeated at the last man. The spear-weilder shrieked and took aim at the shooter on the hill, ignoring Rin in his fury.

[Rin]

Face twisting in repulsion as she was splattered with the blood and bits of the soldier. Initially surprised by the head's eruption, she'd seen enough horrors in her life to recover quickly enough to take a shot at the spear-chucker. Considering Rin hadn't been the first victim for the newcomer, she had to assume they weren't foes for the moment. Which she was fine with, as long as the newcomer didn't end up being a raider or a cannibal. God knew she'd dealt with enough just wandering around, like these assholes.

[MojaveMaster]

[Rolled 14-Good]

The shot from the laser rifle hit its mark, disintegrating the man's throwing hand and half of the spear, ash and goop falling to the dirt below. He howled, swears filling the air loudly before turning and rushing Rin with one hand clutching his backup machete. [Rolled 3-mild] Faith's second shot glanced off the thick armor of the man, and she uttered a curse before taking aim at the fast moving target who swung at Rin. He laughed and spat and swore maniacally, hate speaking from his squinted black eyes.

[Rin]

[Rolled 4 - mild]

Unable to dodge the swing in time, Rin felt a pricking pain across her abdomen from where the machete had managed to get through the armor's chinks, and despite wanting to check the wound, she was forced to fire blindly as she sprang back, in hopes to get out of the machete's range. The movement brought the discomfort to a sharp, almost searing pain, and she swore freely under her breath in an attempt to lessen the pain.

[MojaveMaster]

[Rolled 7-Decent]

The man swung after her time and time again, one hand clutching the hilt of the blade while his stump arm that ended in green stabbed towards her, as if he wished to grab her but in his fury had forgotten his hand was gone. Suddenly one of Faith's shots found its mark, a bullet speeding through his other arm, tearing muscle and shattering a bone, and he howled as the machete was dropped to the ground. As he slowly regained his senses, he looked up to see Faith had rushed down the hill and now with a machete she'd picked up from the dead Legionnaires in hand. As she came close however, the desperate man acted. [Rolled 16-Epic Win] Faith grunted as he jumped towards her, bowling her over with his superior size, and bit down hard on her nose, tearing back and twisting in an attempt to defeat her yet. Faith shrieked in pain, struggling to push him off of her.

[Rin]

In close range, using her rifle would be pointless. By shooting at him, she would only miss and waste cells - which she didn't have an abundance of in the first place. The legionnaire distracted now by Faith, it was almost an a temptation to leave the newcomer to her fate, but seeing her savior on the ground, being bitten, brought her to a hesitant paws and, going against her flight urges she snatched the second machete. While inexperienced with melee, she would have a better chance of hitting the man then if she stole a shot, and once close enough to the duo she swung the blade at the side of the man's neck.

[MojaveMaster]

[Rolled 7-decent]

The machete came sharply into the wounded man's face, but when Rin was to pull back it got lodged deep in his skull. He groaned, blood erupting in spurts to coat the blade and Faith who had been unfortunate enough to still be close to him. His body shuddered before going limp, eyes cloudy with death. Faith shoved him off of herself, struggling with his heavy weight, and then got to her feet. Her nose was bloody but not broken, rivulets of blood from her wound and splatter from her assailant decorating her form in a gruesome manner. Her bounty hunter duster was in dire need of a cleaning. Wiping some of the red from her face, Faith turned to Rin and flashed a smile. "Thanks partner," she said, "Ah reckon we're all square?" In a gesture, she held out a hand. "Pardon the mess, ya know how the Mojave gets."

[Rin]

Machete released and the threat annihilated, Rin took a few feeble steps back, with one hand pressed against where she had been lacerated. The wound didn't seem deep, but it would be better to check it sooner rather than later. Infection spread like wildfire. "Square...?" The term was unfamiliar to her, and for a moment she stood in silence. "Sure, I 'spose."

Attention drifting from Faith, Rin looked over the remnants of the legion patrol. Satisfied they wouldn't endanger anyone's lives -- mostly out of them being dead, or by the looks of one, near death, she made her way back over to her bedroll and began to repack, mindful of not getting blood on the fabric despite the quick work. Her wound would have to wait for the time being. The immediate danger had passed, but it was never a good idea to stay in the same place after an attack. Blood drew predators.

Apprehensive about returning over to Faith, she stood again and looked back at the elder female. "What're you doing 'round here? It's not often someone comes as a good samaritan."

[MojaveMaster]

Faith politely stood by, watching the other work, and as a question came of her sudden heroic actions she shrugged. "Ah was lookin' for a place to scavenge, that's what Ah do, when Ah spotted your campfire. Ah reckon them there tribesmen saw it too, and got curious like Ah did. When they attacked ya, well how could Ah just turn my back?" She smiled softly. "Way Ah figure, ah help someone out that's in a mighty fine pinch, they might just help me back. Do good and get good ya know?" She pulled a cleaning rag from her pocket and began to wipe her face clean, and rummaged through a sack that she held on her hip for a couple of bandages.

[Rin]

"The campfire..." It made sense, she supposed, that that would have attracted enemies. She had tried to keep it low-burning, but the embers that remained would have illuminated the ground. A small beacon in the darkness. "You might want to do a little more than just wipe your nose. Legionnaires mouths are filthier then fiends." Tentative, it took her a moment to pull a small bag of white powder from her bag. "Here, this should help. It's healing powder, so it's not that potent, but it'll speed the process a lil'."

[MojaveMaster]

Faith eyed the curious powder, having heard of it before but never really knowing just how to make it herself, though she'd purchased a decent number of the packages before in the past in order to keep herself alive. "Much obliged," she said as she took it, and took unbound the small binding on the healing powder. She sprinkled it onto her bandaged, and began to wrap it around her face, keeping careful watch that she didn't make it too tight. Faith smirked a bit and then glanced about at the bodies. "Well... Ah don't mean to be rude," she said, "but 'bout these here bodies. Whatcha wantin' to do with 'em? Cos Ah reckon they ain't doing nobody no good just sittin' here all dressed up. Might as well relieve 'em of their goods right?"

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