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![[COMM] Extinction Protocols (3/4)](http://d.furaffinity.net/art/retroinferno/stories/1750787245/1750787245.thumbnail.retroinferno_extinction_protocols_iii.pdf.jpg "Click to change the View")
The scavengers finally reach their destination, but something massive also stumbles upon them.
This mini-series was originally supposed to be three parts, but it's now four to give it a more proper conclusion. Due to that and this side project taking longer than originally estimated, I'm doing this third part and the fourth part for the client free of charge.
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Alajas looked over his shoulder with his light machine gun at the ready. “Am I the only one who keeps seeing something huge shimmering in the distance?”
The entire scavenging party stopped in its tracks. Multiple men scanned their surroundings.
“Shimmering? What do you mean shimmering?” Balázs asked, raising an eyebrow. “Talk some sense, Alajas!”
The man in question looked left to right. Nothing but ashes and ruins surrounded him on both sides with a cluttered road stretching before his eyes. “I… I don’t know what the hell it is…” he said, grunting a little. “But every time I look back the way we came, I keep seeing something… fuzzy? It might just be my mind playing tricks on me, but it’s like a giant, fuzzy figure.”
Balázs scratched his chin. “Eh… might be something else.”
“Like what?” Alajas asked, looking straight ahead. “What if we're being tracked or followed?!”
Balázs shrugged. “It could be the weather, background radiation, or… something like that.” He stopped speaking to recompose himself. “So I don’t know. Just keep your mind on the mission.”
Flóra scoffed, rolling her eyes. “And here I am thinking I was supposed to be the one hallucinating giant wolves! I guess I’m contagious.”
Alajas gave her a death stare. “Hey! I’m not saying it’s this alleged giant you encountered, there’s just something weird going on. I swear to god I keep seeing this massive blur somewhere far behind me, and at first I thought it was just my vision with this damn gas mask so tight on my face! So it's definitely not a complete coincidence at this point!”
“Focus.” Balázs said, gesturing in the other direction. “No need for tempers to flare. We’re almost there. We just need to find some shelter and hunker down for a while… get our heads nice and clear. New gas mask filters and all that.”
Alajas let out a sigh of relief. “Ugh. Fine… sounds good to me.” He cocked his head to the right, glaring at Flóra. “What about you?”
“That would be… fine.” Flóra said, looking in the other direction. “We definitely need a break at this rate.”
Soom the scavenging party practically stumbled upon the parliament of Budapest itself. It stood out as the city's centerpiece. The humans emerged like rats from the rubble as they climbed over cluttered cars or through scattered debris, stopping in place once they finally saw the imposing building with their own eyes.
Balázs smiled for a rare change of pace. “Ah, speak of the devil! We’re here already!”
Most of the parliament’s towers remained intact. The entire structure was built like a castle bordering a river, somehow surviving the onslaught the city faced many months before with decimated buildings surrounding it in almost every direction. Yet much like the scavengers themselves, the parliament building persevered against all odds where almost any other would fall.
“It looks exactly how I remembered it…” Flóra said, staring up at it in awe. “And almost just like the pictures!”
Alajas appeared less impressed. “Damn. The least the giants could have done was blow up the government too.”
Balázs scoffed. “Right. Well, we’re not out of the woods yet, especially in a concrete jungle like this. Keep your eyes peeled. Approach the parliament carefully and take things slowly.”
At his words, the scavenging party spread themselves out. They formed a loose chevron formation. Balázs led it at the front and center with Flóra and Alajas on the flanks alongside the other scavengers. Only ashfall obscured their combined visions as they approached the parliament building, much like a solitary fortress surrounded by armageddon.
Only a resounding thud in the distance made everyone stop moving…
Balázs held up his hand for a moment, making everyone freeze in place.
Yet another audible thud and resounding boom made the ground itself tremble.
Flóra experienced a moment of deja vu before her eyes went wide. “Giant!”
“No shit…” Alajas replied under his breath.
More familiar rumbles and reverberations shook their surrounding environment some more. An immense reptilian figure gradually entered their collective visions, then loomed over most of the surrounding structures as she stomped down the streets.
Everyone stared at the titanic alien woman like a deer caught in a pair of headlights.
“Hold your fire…” Balázs said, speaking in a low tone bordering a whisper.
Two horns sprouted from the reptilian's head like a demon. A helmet barely obscured her crimson eyes radiating malice from behind a black visor. White armor covering her large and draconic figure rendered her form like an angel of death, towering over them at over forty meters tall. She carried a similarly massive pistol with one hand and gave the group of humans in the middle of the road a death glare.
Only a single word in an alien tongue escaped her muzzle, almost like a roar.
{VERMIN!}
Balázs’s eyes went wide, rapidly motioning at the parliament. “Quick, quick! Scatter and take cover!”
The practical demon aimed her massive pistol for just a moment, hesitating before holstering it. Instead, she clenched her fists and stomped even closer. Her armored tail brushed against the corner of an already ruined building, dust and debris erupting behind her as her armored tail ravaged the structure. Massive footfalls also caused the ground to shake with each and every step…
Flóra remained frozen in place as others sprinted away. Everything about the draconic figure caused flashbacks to flare up in her mind with the alien’s appearance practically identical to the one she encountered on the first day of the invasion.
“Flóra!”
Balázs’s voice brought her back to reality. She scanned her surroundings, seeing the scavenging party making a break for the parliament building. Meanwhile, the draconic demon rapidly closed the distance with her titanic strides, slamming a foot down between Flóra and the rest of the group.
Consequently, a sudden rush of air and ash wafted over Flóra, almost making her fall on her back. A massive combat boot then caught her full attention. It was made from an exotic and alien material encompassing an otherwise massive, draconic foot. She scurried away from the combat boot while clutching her rifle, going back the way she came with the ruins providing some cover as she ran for her life.
As for the demon, she gave Flóra a glance at most. Her full attention remained on the rest of the scavenging party otherwise. She shadowed the movements of the humans as they sporadically made their way up the stairs of the parliament building in a complete panic, but the draconic woman took her sweet time with a leisurely stroll in stark contrast. When one exhausted scavenger strayed behind the others, she started to hover a single foot directly above their position, creating an outright shadow that blocked the already sparse sunlight.
Another deep, alien vocalization like a rumbling growl echoed down the streets…
{YOU HAVE A GOOD REASON TO FLEE FROM MY FEET!}
With those words, the draconic demon slammed her foot against the ground. Others didn’t even bother to look back. The ground quaked upon impact with only the faint sound of a short-lived scream and a soft crunch obscuring the resounding thud resonating all around the area, almost immediately crushing a single scavenger like a cockroach altogether.
Alajas looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, baring his teeth. “God damn it!”
The draconic woman relished the moment as she shifted her foot left to right, grinding whatever remained of her victim into the concrete with tiny snaps and pops accompanying all the noise. She started to chortle once she lifted her foot, fully revealing the bloody mess now adorning the heel and toes of her exotic combat boot.
Alajas allowed other scavengers to run past him as he dropped his light machine gun in favor of grabbing an RPG strapped to his back. He wasted no time as he popped out the iron sights with a light click. The demon remained unaware as she wiped remains from her boot like she just finished crushing an insect, just for an audible thoom to fill the air with some subsequent backblast erupting behind Alajas’s position.
The result was almost instant.
For merely a second or so, a rocket surged forward. It slammed directly into a heel, making the draconic woman reel as a warhead promptly penetrated her boot and detonated deep within it. She let out a venomous hiss afterward, bringing both feet back to the ground. A small hole was barely visible around her upper boot, and a trickle of crimson blood oozed from a fresh wound.
The draconic woman trembled with rage, clenching her clawed hands into fists. {INSOLENT VERMIN!} she said, raising her voice until it pierced everyone’s ears. {I WAS CONTENT TO TOY WITH YOU, BUT NOW I SHALL EXTERMINATE EACH AND EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF YOU!}
With what amounted to a roar, the practical demon lunged forward once more.
Alajas rapidly retrieved his light machine gun, ascending the stairs in a frantic attempt to catch up to the others. Some tried to cover him with suppressive fire from their rifles. However, the massive woman’s armor rendered their small arms useless as it absorbed or even deflected their puny rifle rounds. Several subsequent stomps also only served to stun and disorient the scavengers. Alajas barely managed to sprint through the entrance to the parliament, right as a draconic foot slammed onto the area directly behind him, then Balázs quickly slammed the door behind him.
“MOVE!” Balázs said, moving away from the door as the demon roared. “Wait… where’s Flóra?!”
Alajas spent a brief moment catching his breath. “I… I don’t know, but I think I saw her run in the opposite direction? Either that or she got crushed…”
Balázs rubbed his eyes. “Damn it!”
A simple kick from outside resulted in immense damage to the heavy door, creating a large and noticeable dent in the metal and wood.
Needless to say, both men stumbled back. They then backed far away from the door without a single word exchanged for several long moments.
“Fight or flight?” Alajas asked, looking left to right.
Balázs took in their new environment as well. Unlike everywhere else in the city, things appeared mostly unharmed... dusty and unkempt at most with all the lights off. It almost masked the splendor and magnificent architecture the parliament building was known for worldwide.
“I don’t know if this one is going to leave us alone…” Balázs said, letting out a sigh. “The dragons go out of their way to wipe us out whenever they aren’t fighting the wolves.”
“I know.” Alajas replied, grunting. “But do we really have to fight? Is it even possible? I mean… have we even killed one of the giants before?”
Balázs gave him a cold stare. “Once.”
Alajas recoiled a little. “Wait… really?”
“It required some sacrifices to be made.” Balázs said matter of factly, shaking his head. “Some I’d rather not make again. Probably doesn’t help that you pissed the dragon off by shooting their foot.”
“What was I supposed to do?!” Alajas asked, looking at the other man in disbelief. “Let them kill us one by one?!”
Another kick almost caved in the door, bending and contorting it until light from outside came through the damaged door frame.
Balázs sighed. “Some dragons just let us go if we’re too hard to track down, but it doesn’t really matter anymore. You gotta play the hand you’re dealt…” He paused and gestured at several other scavengers standing nearby. “On me! We need to get to some high ground!”
Alajas went about reloading his RPG, grabbing and twisting a spare rocket into place. “So we’re still planning on fighting?”
Nervous recruits and stone-cold veterans alike began following the two down an expansive hallway.
Balázs eventually responded with a grunt. “Ugh. I don’t like it, but we don’t have a choice. Enraged dragons are relentless. Best case scenario we hit them hard enough with what we got to scare them off, otherwise it’s going to be suicidal trying to kill one outright.”
Alajas glanced at the ground before looking back up with determination in his eyes. “Let me be the one to do it if it comes down to that!”
Balázs shook his head, letting out another sigh. “It might take two to make it work if we have to pull some crazy stunt…”
Those words lingered in the air as the scavenger group stayed silent, ascending some more stairs as they dispersed throughout the upper floors. Only bizarre alien vocalizations and the ground shaking disturbed the otherwise uneasy silence enveloping everything.
~~~~~
Flóra remained huddled behind a building for the longest time.
She was cold. Alone.
A roaring demon a short distance away only encouraged her to stay put.
Things seemed to unravel in slow motion. Every last second seemed to take its sweet time as her heart raced in her chest, alone with her thoughts as her mind raced at the possibilities. The resulting adrenaline kept her on edge, and she nearly twitched or jumped at every last loud noise or movement as heavy stomps reverberated around the parliament building.
The draconic woman didn’t relent in her assault. She scoured the parliament building and allowed her clawed fingers to ravage the intricate architecture while peering inside the many windows. Her large and armored tail also moved behind her, creating audible swooshing sounds. From there, she made what sounded like a growl before she punched the structure, creating a loud thud and a subsequent dent on a domed roof before the material disintegrated against her armored knuckles.
{COWARDS!} said the draconic woman with a venomous hiss. {WEAKLINGS! YOUR SMALL AND FLESHY FORMS REPULSE ME. SUCH INFERIOR LIFE ISN’T EVEN FIT TO LIVE IN THIS UNIVERSE. BUILDING BY BUILDING AND BRICK BY BRICK, I’LL SEE THIS MISTAKE OF CREATION UNDONE!}
For emphasis, the draconic woman punched the parliament building again, rupturing a small section as rubble and debris fell to her feet.
It prompted the scavengers inside to make their move.
Several emerged from the many windows and opened fire. They focused on the woman’s helmet and visor, rattling it with their automatic weapons. She hissed and stumbled back in response, momentarily stunning her as she shielded her face with an armored hand.
At the same time, Alajas aimed his RPG. He stayed crouched as he launched yet another rocket, which surged forward with a slightly upward trajectory. The draconic woman leaned against the parliament building for support with one hand, grabbing her plasma rifle with the other as the rocket detonated against her shoulder. She remained unfazed as the tiny weapon made yet another small hole in her immense armor, ignoring the constant suppressive fire from what amounted to peashooters failing to do any real damage whatsoever.
{CONGRATS, VERMIN!} she said with a sneer. {YOU JUST MADE ME DECIDE TO WASTE MY PRECIOUS AMMO ON YOU!}
With that, she straightened her posture and casually aimed her compact rifle with both hands.
Most of the scavengers watched on with wide eyes with most pulling back or fleeing.
“Fall back!” Balázs shouted in the distance.
But it was too late. The draconic woman fired her weapon, and her plasma carbine pulsed as it emitted massive energy bolts. The first bolt practically vaporized a scavenger still firing on her from a window, and other bolts scorched undamaged building segments. Parts of the structure even began to rapidly melt. Strained shouts and cries from the humans accompanied all the noise as the demon let loose, letting out a sadistic chortle as she stomped forward and fired her weapon freely.
Flóra watched on in horror, helpless as she clutched her rifle. She shook in place, but then she tensed up and emerged from her cover while muttering to herself. “I can’t just be useless…”
Against her better judgment, she took multiple potshots at the distant alien giant. They all rattled against the demon’s back with a few even ricocheting against her exotic armor altogether.
However, it gave the draconic woman pause. She stopped firing her plasma woman, looking over her shoulder and spotting Flóra a short distance away.
The demon narrowed her eyes. {STILL HERE? SUCH A POOR CHOICE…} Something far more malicious spread across her face as she smiled with her crimson eyes lighting up. {THEN AGAIN, I HAVEN’T CAUGHT ONE ALIVE IN SUCH A LONG TIME!}
Flóra blinked, not comprehending a single word. Just the demon’s body language and a sadistic look from behind a helmet visor told her everything she needed to know. She took off in the polar opposite direction, fleeing from the immediate view of the demon taking a sudden interest in her.
Naturally, the draconic woman started to follow her. She ignored any minor injuries done by the RPG like she got stung by a bee a few times at most, leaving the parliament building behind.
As for Flóra, she ran like absolute hell. She occasionally stumbled or nearly tripped on stray debris, but regained her footing as she sifted through the ruins of the city. Familiar, audible thuds echoed somewhere far behind Flóra, and the footballs only grew louder and louder over time as the demon pursued her.
Flóra’s ears also started to slightly ring, struggling to breathe through her gas mask.
Everything passed by her in a blur.
She just ran with her rifle in hand, moving from building to building. Room to room. One street to another, only occasionally looking to the side to check her new surroundings. The distant sight of reptilian feet and fresh blood smearing the toes of one combat boot only encouraged her to run even faster, outright sprinting rather than maintaining a steady jog.
Something clenched up in Flóra’s chest. Everything became darker in her immediate vision as a shadow began to loom over her general position, cutting off other avenues of escape.
Before Flóra could cross another road, a draconic foot nearly knocked her back as it slammed into a damaged vehicle directly in front of her. It caved in like a tin can, cracking and creaking before a crunch erupted as the draconic woman flattened it underfoot.
Flóra gasped, falling on her rear end. “Fuck, fuck!”
She grabbed her rifle with both hands once more, trying to move back to a building.
However, the draconic woman took another step forward. Her other foot abruptly blocked the only other passage for Flóra to retreat, leaving her stranded between both alien feet as the two remained in the middle of the road.
The demon peered down at Flóra, and her black pupils expanded. {THERE YOU ARE… IT’S ALWAYS MORE FUN WHEN THEY RUN RATHER THAN HIDE! NOW, COME HERE!}
To Flóra’s horror, the draconic woman crouched before reaching toward her with a clawed hand, blocking out the already sparse sunlight. Flóra aimed her rifle with shaky hands, just to relent as clawed fingers sprawled out directly above her position, making her think twice.
Suddenly, several shots rang out. Brief flashes of light accompanied them.
Massive holes erupted from the draconic woman’s torso. Her eyes went wide in shock as she glanced down at herself, freezing as blood gushed from her chest. Something shimmered directly behind her as a massive lupine uncloaked, still holding his gauss rifle as he pointed it at her rear. One final pulse and a flash that briefly illuminated his visor struck the shocked woman around the back of her head, causing her body to slump to the ground in short order.
Flóra braced herself as the giant met her end. Dust and debris surged into the air upon impact, and the ground shook as she fully collapsed onto the road, ruined like the city her kind decimated.
[Am I too late?] said the wolf in an alien tongue, looking over the fresh corpse. Unlike the demon, he spoke in a soft and soothing tone like a guardian angel. [I hope not…]
For a moment, Flóra stayed stunned. Her precarious position still left her between the draconic demon’s legs, even if she was dead. The giant’s fall barely avoided crushing Flóra outright, flattening other random obstacles and vehicles along the road instead.
Flóra cautiously stood back up, emerging with her rifle in hand. She soon saw a familiar pair of icy blue eyes staring down at her, sending chills down her spine once she saw the lone wolf once more. “H-hello?” she said in a low tone, taking in his lupine form and the black armor covering him from head to toe. “Can you hear me? Or… uh… understand me?”
The lone wolf let out a sigh of relief. [Right on time then…] He glanced at the blood still adorning one of the demon’s boots, causing his tail to slump a little. [Or at least I like to think so.]
Flóra shuddered a bit, still in shock overall. The smallest movements, including his tail swaying behind him, only served to stun her from the resulting gusts of air. It only showcased how powerful the giants were compared to a single human. “I… don’t understand you. At least not verbally…”
He looked at her with half-lidded eyes. [You should have come with me the first time I made the offer.] After saying this, he crouched to the ground, presenting his open palm before her. [Here’s your second chance, but I’m not going to force it. Do as you will.]
Even if Flóra couldn’t comprehend a single word, something about his smooth voice only served to soothe her. “You… you want me to… go in your hand?” She paused to shake her head. “Why?”
The lone wolf didn’t respond. He just gestured at his open palm with his other hand, trying to use his body language to communicate instead.
Yet Flóra didn’t budge, staying still in a state of shock and awe overall.
As a result, the lone wolf sighed. [Look… I’m made of flesh and bone like you beneath all this armor.] He proceeded to set his weapon down, using his hand to free the other from a black glove. This fully revealed a fluffy, clawed hand with a padded palm and fingertips almost like a paw. [See? We’re not so different.]
Flóra stared at the hand presented to her for a while, eventually lowering her rifle. “I owe you my life at this point…” She stopped speaking to take several steps forward. “I don’t know what you wolves are doing to people, but I guess there’s only one way to find out…”
With her head lowered and legs still shaking, Flóra approached his open palm, stepping onto it and grabbing a clawed finger to partially climb onto it. She winced a bit once the clawed fingers wrapped around her comparatively small form, and the hand elevated even higher into the air.
Meanwhile, the lone wolf’s tail began to slightly wag. He protectively clutched the human woman close to his chest, allowing his fur to insulate her from the harsh environment. [Good, good… you trust me.]
Something about the fluffy feeling just made Flóra melt. He had large, powerful hands covered in thick fur easily holding her like a bug. The complete opposite of her apocalyptic environment. She finally let her guard down, just sinking into his padded palm and fluffy fingers. She found herself on the verge of tears, overwhelmed by everything as she cradled her head in her hands.
“T-thank you…” she said, placing a stray hand against his index finger to run it through his thick fur. “You… saved me.”
The lone wolf used a clawed thumb to carefully caress her back, and his tail wagged a little more. [Let’s get you somewhere more warm and safe, shall we?]
From there, the lone wolf picked up his weapon and moved cautiously. He remained mindful of his steps and how his movements might disorient the woman, staying slow and gentle as he walked. Although he tried to avoid vehicles and obstacles, the occasional accident was inevitable whenever something shattered or crunched beneath his feet. His free hand nearly cupped Flóra during the process. Despite this, his ears perked up, remaining ready and alert for any potential dangers.
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This mini-series was originally supposed to be three parts, but it's now four to give it a more proper conclusion. Due to that and this side project taking longer than originally estimated, I'm doing this third part and the fourth part for the client free of charge.
Previous | Next
Alajas looked over his shoulder with his light machine gun at the ready. “Am I the only one who keeps seeing something huge shimmering in the distance?”
The entire scavenging party stopped in its tracks. Multiple men scanned their surroundings.
“Shimmering? What do you mean shimmering?” Balázs asked, raising an eyebrow. “Talk some sense, Alajas!”
The man in question looked left to right. Nothing but ashes and ruins surrounded him on both sides with a cluttered road stretching before his eyes. “I… I don’t know what the hell it is…” he said, grunting a little. “But every time I look back the way we came, I keep seeing something… fuzzy? It might just be my mind playing tricks on me, but it’s like a giant, fuzzy figure.”
Balázs scratched his chin. “Eh… might be something else.”
“Like what?” Alajas asked, looking straight ahead. “What if we're being tracked or followed?!”
Balázs shrugged. “It could be the weather, background radiation, or… something like that.” He stopped speaking to recompose himself. “So I don’t know. Just keep your mind on the mission.”
Flóra scoffed, rolling her eyes. “And here I am thinking I was supposed to be the one hallucinating giant wolves! I guess I’m contagious.”
Alajas gave her a death stare. “Hey! I’m not saying it’s this alleged giant you encountered, there’s just something weird going on. I swear to god I keep seeing this massive blur somewhere far behind me, and at first I thought it was just my vision with this damn gas mask so tight on my face! So it's definitely not a complete coincidence at this point!”
“Focus.” Balázs said, gesturing in the other direction. “No need for tempers to flare. We’re almost there. We just need to find some shelter and hunker down for a while… get our heads nice and clear. New gas mask filters and all that.”
Alajas let out a sigh of relief. “Ugh. Fine… sounds good to me.” He cocked his head to the right, glaring at Flóra. “What about you?”
“That would be… fine.” Flóra said, looking in the other direction. “We definitely need a break at this rate.”
Soom the scavenging party practically stumbled upon the parliament of Budapest itself. It stood out as the city's centerpiece. The humans emerged like rats from the rubble as they climbed over cluttered cars or through scattered debris, stopping in place once they finally saw the imposing building with their own eyes.
Balázs smiled for a rare change of pace. “Ah, speak of the devil! We’re here already!”
Most of the parliament’s towers remained intact. The entire structure was built like a castle bordering a river, somehow surviving the onslaught the city faced many months before with decimated buildings surrounding it in almost every direction. Yet much like the scavengers themselves, the parliament building persevered against all odds where almost any other would fall.
“It looks exactly how I remembered it…” Flóra said, staring up at it in awe. “And almost just like the pictures!”
Alajas appeared less impressed. “Damn. The least the giants could have done was blow up the government too.”
Balázs scoffed. “Right. Well, we’re not out of the woods yet, especially in a concrete jungle like this. Keep your eyes peeled. Approach the parliament carefully and take things slowly.”
At his words, the scavenging party spread themselves out. They formed a loose chevron formation. Balázs led it at the front and center with Flóra and Alajas on the flanks alongside the other scavengers. Only ashfall obscured their combined visions as they approached the parliament building, much like a solitary fortress surrounded by armageddon.
Only a resounding thud in the distance made everyone stop moving…
Balázs held up his hand for a moment, making everyone freeze in place.
Yet another audible thud and resounding boom made the ground itself tremble.
Flóra experienced a moment of deja vu before her eyes went wide. “Giant!”
“No shit…” Alajas replied under his breath.
More familiar rumbles and reverberations shook their surrounding environment some more. An immense reptilian figure gradually entered their collective visions, then loomed over most of the surrounding structures as she stomped down the streets.
Everyone stared at the titanic alien woman like a deer caught in a pair of headlights.
“Hold your fire…” Balázs said, speaking in a low tone bordering a whisper.
Two horns sprouted from the reptilian's head like a demon. A helmet barely obscured her crimson eyes radiating malice from behind a black visor. White armor covering her large and draconic figure rendered her form like an angel of death, towering over them at over forty meters tall. She carried a similarly massive pistol with one hand and gave the group of humans in the middle of the road a death glare.
Only a single word in an alien tongue escaped her muzzle, almost like a roar.
{VERMIN!}
Balázs’s eyes went wide, rapidly motioning at the parliament. “Quick, quick! Scatter and take cover!”
The practical demon aimed her massive pistol for just a moment, hesitating before holstering it. Instead, she clenched her fists and stomped even closer. Her armored tail brushed against the corner of an already ruined building, dust and debris erupting behind her as her armored tail ravaged the structure. Massive footfalls also caused the ground to shake with each and every step…
Flóra remained frozen in place as others sprinted away. Everything about the draconic figure caused flashbacks to flare up in her mind with the alien’s appearance practically identical to the one she encountered on the first day of the invasion.
“Flóra!”
Balázs’s voice brought her back to reality. She scanned her surroundings, seeing the scavenging party making a break for the parliament building. Meanwhile, the draconic demon rapidly closed the distance with her titanic strides, slamming a foot down between Flóra and the rest of the group.
Consequently, a sudden rush of air and ash wafted over Flóra, almost making her fall on her back. A massive combat boot then caught her full attention. It was made from an exotic and alien material encompassing an otherwise massive, draconic foot. She scurried away from the combat boot while clutching her rifle, going back the way she came with the ruins providing some cover as she ran for her life.
As for the demon, she gave Flóra a glance at most. Her full attention remained on the rest of the scavenging party otherwise. She shadowed the movements of the humans as they sporadically made their way up the stairs of the parliament building in a complete panic, but the draconic woman took her sweet time with a leisurely stroll in stark contrast. When one exhausted scavenger strayed behind the others, she started to hover a single foot directly above their position, creating an outright shadow that blocked the already sparse sunlight.
Another deep, alien vocalization like a rumbling growl echoed down the streets…
{YOU HAVE A GOOD REASON TO FLEE FROM MY FEET!}
With those words, the draconic demon slammed her foot against the ground. Others didn’t even bother to look back. The ground quaked upon impact with only the faint sound of a short-lived scream and a soft crunch obscuring the resounding thud resonating all around the area, almost immediately crushing a single scavenger like a cockroach altogether.
Alajas looked over his shoulder for a brief moment, baring his teeth. “God damn it!”
The draconic woman relished the moment as she shifted her foot left to right, grinding whatever remained of her victim into the concrete with tiny snaps and pops accompanying all the noise. She started to chortle once she lifted her foot, fully revealing the bloody mess now adorning the heel and toes of her exotic combat boot.
Alajas allowed other scavengers to run past him as he dropped his light machine gun in favor of grabbing an RPG strapped to his back. He wasted no time as he popped out the iron sights with a light click. The demon remained unaware as she wiped remains from her boot like she just finished crushing an insect, just for an audible thoom to fill the air with some subsequent backblast erupting behind Alajas’s position.
The result was almost instant.
For merely a second or so, a rocket surged forward. It slammed directly into a heel, making the draconic woman reel as a warhead promptly penetrated her boot and detonated deep within it. She let out a venomous hiss afterward, bringing both feet back to the ground. A small hole was barely visible around her upper boot, and a trickle of crimson blood oozed from a fresh wound.
The draconic woman trembled with rage, clenching her clawed hands into fists. {INSOLENT VERMIN!} she said, raising her voice until it pierced everyone’s ears. {I WAS CONTENT TO TOY WITH YOU, BUT NOW I SHALL EXTERMINATE EACH AND EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF YOU!}
With what amounted to a roar, the practical demon lunged forward once more.
Alajas rapidly retrieved his light machine gun, ascending the stairs in a frantic attempt to catch up to the others. Some tried to cover him with suppressive fire from their rifles. However, the massive woman’s armor rendered their small arms useless as it absorbed or even deflected their puny rifle rounds. Several subsequent stomps also only served to stun and disorient the scavengers. Alajas barely managed to sprint through the entrance to the parliament, right as a draconic foot slammed onto the area directly behind him, then Balázs quickly slammed the door behind him.
“MOVE!” Balázs said, moving away from the door as the demon roared. “Wait… where’s Flóra?!”
Alajas spent a brief moment catching his breath. “I… I don’t know, but I think I saw her run in the opposite direction? Either that or she got crushed…”
Balázs rubbed his eyes. “Damn it!”
A simple kick from outside resulted in immense damage to the heavy door, creating a large and noticeable dent in the metal and wood.
Needless to say, both men stumbled back. They then backed far away from the door without a single word exchanged for several long moments.
“Fight or flight?” Alajas asked, looking left to right.
Balázs took in their new environment as well. Unlike everywhere else in the city, things appeared mostly unharmed... dusty and unkempt at most with all the lights off. It almost masked the splendor and magnificent architecture the parliament building was known for worldwide.
“I don’t know if this one is going to leave us alone…” Balázs said, letting out a sigh. “The dragons go out of their way to wipe us out whenever they aren’t fighting the wolves.”
“I know.” Alajas replied, grunting. “But do we really have to fight? Is it even possible? I mean… have we even killed one of the giants before?”
Balázs gave him a cold stare. “Once.”
Alajas recoiled a little. “Wait… really?”
“It required some sacrifices to be made.” Balázs said matter of factly, shaking his head. “Some I’d rather not make again. Probably doesn’t help that you pissed the dragon off by shooting their foot.”
“What was I supposed to do?!” Alajas asked, looking at the other man in disbelief. “Let them kill us one by one?!”
Another kick almost caved in the door, bending and contorting it until light from outside came through the damaged door frame.
Balázs sighed. “Some dragons just let us go if we’re too hard to track down, but it doesn’t really matter anymore. You gotta play the hand you’re dealt…” He paused and gestured at several other scavengers standing nearby. “On me! We need to get to some high ground!”
Alajas went about reloading his RPG, grabbing and twisting a spare rocket into place. “So we’re still planning on fighting?”
Nervous recruits and stone-cold veterans alike began following the two down an expansive hallway.
Balázs eventually responded with a grunt. “Ugh. I don’t like it, but we don’t have a choice. Enraged dragons are relentless. Best case scenario we hit them hard enough with what we got to scare them off, otherwise it’s going to be suicidal trying to kill one outright.”
Alajas glanced at the ground before looking back up with determination in his eyes. “Let me be the one to do it if it comes down to that!”
Balázs shook his head, letting out another sigh. “It might take two to make it work if we have to pull some crazy stunt…”
Those words lingered in the air as the scavenger group stayed silent, ascending some more stairs as they dispersed throughout the upper floors. Only bizarre alien vocalizations and the ground shaking disturbed the otherwise uneasy silence enveloping everything.
~~~~~
Flóra remained huddled behind a building for the longest time.
She was cold. Alone.
A roaring demon a short distance away only encouraged her to stay put.
Things seemed to unravel in slow motion. Every last second seemed to take its sweet time as her heart raced in her chest, alone with her thoughts as her mind raced at the possibilities. The resulting adrenaline kept her on edge, and she nearly twitched or jumped at every last loud noise or movement as heavy stomps reverberated around the parliament building.
The draconic woman didn’t relent in her assault. She scoured the parliament building and allowed her clawed fingers to ravage the intricate architecture while peering inside the many windows. Her large and armored tail also moved behind her, creating audible swooshing sounds. From there, she made what sounded like a growl before she punched the structure, creating a loud thud and a subsequent dent on a domed roof before the material disintegrated against her armored knuckles.
{COWARDS!} said the draconic woman with a venomous hiss. {WEAKLINGS! YOUR SMALL AND FLESHY FORMS REPULSE ME. SUCH INFERIOR LIFE ISN’T EVEN FIT TO LIVE IN THIS UNIVERSE. BUILDING BY BUILDING AND BRICK BY BRICK, I’LL SEE THIS MISTAKE OF CREATION UNDONE!}
For emphasis, the draconic woman punched the parliament building again, rupturing a small section as rubble and debris fell to her feet.
It prompted the scavengers inside to make their move.
Several emerged from the many windows and opened fire. They focused on the woman’s helmet and visor, rattling it with their automatic weapons. She hissed and stumbled back in response, momentarily stunning her as she shielded her face with an armored hand.
At the same time, Alajas aimed his RPG. He stayed crouched as he launched yet another rocket, which surged forward with a slightly upward trajectory. The draconic woman leaned against the parliament building for support with one hand, grabbing her plasma rifle with the other as the rocket detonated against her shoulder. She remained unfazed as the tiny weapon made yet another small hole in her immense armor, ignoring the constant suppressive fire from what amounted to peashooters failing to do any real damage whatsoever.
{CONGRATS, VERMIN!} she said with a sneer. {YOU JUST MADE ME DECIDE TO WASTE MY PRECIOUS AMMO ON YOU!}
With that, she straightened her posture and casually aimed her compact rifle with both hands.
Most of the scavengers watched on with wide eyes with most pulling back or fleeing.
“Fall back!” Balázs shouted in the distance.
But it was too late. The draconic woman fired her weapon, and her plasma carbine pulsed as it emitted massive energy bolts. The first bolt practically vaporized a scavenger still firing on her from a window, and other bolts scorched undamaged building segments. Parts of the structure even began to rapidly melt. Strained shouts and cries from the humans accompanied all the noise as the demon let loose, letting out a sadistic chortle as she stomped forward and fired her weapon freely.
Flóra watched on in horror, helpless as she clutched her rifle. She shook in place, but then she tensed up and emerged from her cover while muttering to herself. “I can’t just be useless…”
Against her better judgment, she took multiple potshots at the distant alien giant. They all rattled against the demon’s back with a few even ricocheting against her exotic armor altogether.
However, it gave the draconic woman pause. She stopped firing her plasma woman, looking over her shoulder and spotting Flóra a short distance away.
The demon narrowed her eyes. {STILL HERE? SUCH A POOR CHOICE…} Something far more malicious spread across her face as she smiled with her crimson eyes lighting up. {THEN AGAIN, I HAVEN’T CAUGHT ONE ALIVE IN SUCH A LONG TIME!}
Flóra blinked, not comprehending a single word. Just the demon’s body language and a sadistic look from behind a helmet visor told her everything she needed to know. She took off in the polar opposite direction, fleeing from the immediate view of the demon taking a sudden interest in her.
Naturally, the draconic woman started to follow her. She ignored any minor injuries done by the RPG like she got stung by a bee a few times at most, leaving the parliament building behind.
As for Flóra, she ran like absolute hell. She occasionally stumbled or nearly tripped on stray debris, but regained her footing as she sifted through the ruins of the city. Familiar, audible thuds echoed somewhere far behind Flóra, and the footballs only grew louder and louder over time as the demon pursued her.
Flóra’s ears also started to slightly ring, struggling to breathe through her gas mask.
Everything passed by her in a blur.
She just ran with her rifle in hand, moving from building to building. Room to room. One street to another, only occasionally looking to the side to check her new surroundings. The distant sight of reptilian feet and fresh blood smearing the toes of one combat boot only encouraged her to run even faster, outright sprinting rather than maintaining a steady jog.
Something clenched up in Flóra’s chest. Everything became darker in her immediate vision as a shadow began to loom over her general position, cutting off other avenues of escape.
Before Flóra could cross another road, a draconic foot nearly knocked her back as it slammed into a damaged vehicle directly in front of her. It caved in like a tin can, cracking and creaking before a crunch erupted as the draconic woman flattened it underfoot.
Flóra gasped, falling on her rear end. “Fuck, fuck!”
She grabbed her rifle with both hands once more, trying to move back to a building.
However, the draconic woman took another step forward. Her other foot abruptly blocked the only other passage for Flóra to retreat, leaving her stranded between both alien feet as the two remained in the middle of the road.
The demon peered down at Flóra, and her black pupils expanded. {THERE YOU ARE… IT’S ALWAYS MORE FUN WHEN THEY RUN RATHER THAN HIDE! NOW, COME HERE!}
To Flóra’s horror, the draconic woman crouched before reaching toward her with a clawed hand, blocking out the already sparse sunlight. Flóra aimed her rifle with shaky hands, just to relent as clawed fingers sprawled out directly above her position, making her think twice.
Suddenly, several shots rang out. Brief flashes of light accompanied them.
Massive holes erupted from the draconic woman’s torso. Her eyes went wide in shock as she glanced down at herself, freezing as blood gushed from her chest. Something shimmered directly behind her as a massive lupine uncloaked, still holding his gauss rifle as he pointed it at her rear. One final pulse and a flash that briefly illuminated his visor struck the shocked woman around the back of her head, causing her body to slump to the ground in short order.
Flóra braced herself as the giant met her end. Dust and debris surged into the air upon impact, and the ground shook as she fully collapsed onto the road, ruined like the city her kind decimated.
[Am I too late?] said the wolf in an alien tongue, looking over the fresh corpse. Unlike the demon, he spoke in a soft and soothing tone like a guardian angel. [I hope not…]
For a moment, Flóra stayed stunned. Her precarious position still left her between the draconic demon’s legs, even if she was dead. The giant’s fall barely avoided crushing Flóra outright, flattening other random obstacles and vehicles along the road instead.
Flóra cautiously stood back up, emerging with her rifle in hand. She soon saw a familiar pair of icy blue eyes staring down at her, sending chills down her spine once she saw the lone wolf once more. “H-hello?” she said in a low tone, taking in his lupine form and the black armor covering him from head to toe. “Can you hear me? Or… uh… understand me?”
The lone wolf let out a sigh of relief. [Right on time then…] He glanced at the blood still adorning one of the demon’s boots, causing his tail to slump a little. [Or at least I like to think so.]
Flóra shuddered a bit, still in shock overall. The smallest movements, including his tail swaying behind him, only served to stun her from the resulting gusts of air. It only showcased how powerful the giants were compared to a single human. “I… don’t understand you. At least not verbally…”
He looked at her with half-lidded eyes. [You should have come with me the first time I made the offer.] After saying this, he crouched to the ground, presenting his open palm before her. [Here’s your second chance, but I’m not going to force it. Do as you will.]
Even if Flóra couldn’t comprehend a single word, something about his smooth voice only served to soothe her. “You… you want me to… go in your hand?” She paused to shake her head. “Why?”
The lone wolf didn’t respond. He just gestured at his open palm with his other hand, trying to use his body language to communicate instead.
Yet Flóra didn’t budge, staying still in a state of shock and awe overall.
As a result, the lone wolf sighed. [Look… I’m made of flesh and bone like you beneath all this armor.] He proceeded to set his weapon down, using his hand to free the other from a black glove. This fully revealed a fluffy, clawed hand with a padded palm and fingertips almost like a paw. [See? We’re not so different.]
Flóra stared at the hand presented to her for a while, eventually lowering her rifle. “I owe you my life at this point…” She stopped speaking to take several steps forward. “I don’t know what you wolves are doing to people, but I guess there’s only one way to find out…”
With her head lowered and legs still shaking, Flóra approached his open palm, stepping onto it and grabbing a clawed finger to partially climb onto it. She winced a bit once the clawed fingers wrapped around her comparatively small form, and the hand elevated even higher into the air.
Meanwhile, the lone wolf’s tail began to slightly wag. He protectively clutched the human woman close to his chest, allowing his fur to insulate her from the harsh environment. [Good, good… you trust me.]
Something about the fluffy feeling just made Flóra melt. He had large, powerful hands covered in thick fur easily holding her like a bug. The complete opposite of her apocalyptic environment. She finally let her guard down, just sinking into his padded palm and fluffy fingers. She found herself on the verge of tears, overwhelmed by everything as she cradled her head in her hands.
“T-thank you…” she said, placing a stray hand against his index finger to run it through his thick fur. “You… saved me.”
The lone wolf used a clawed thumb to carefully caress her back, and his tail wagged a little more. [Let’s get you somewhere more warm and safe, shall we?]
From there, the lone wolf picked up his weapon and moved cautiously. He remained mindful of his steps and how his movements might disorient the woman, staying slow and gentle as he walked. Although he tried to avoid vehicles and obstacles, the occasional accident was inevitable whenever something shattered or crunched beneath his feet. His free hand nearly cupped Flóra during the process. Despite this, his ears perked up, remaining ready and alert for any potential dangers.
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Category Story / Macro / Micro
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 120 x 120px
File Size 185.4 kB
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