“Shit!” He screams before slamming his hand over his mouth, the yell echoing alongside the ion shot.
A moment passes as the shot and scream echo through the empty city. Domitia snatches Kade’s rifle from his hands preemptively, moving so fast Dell is barely able to cling onto the Bellator's power armor. Domitia looks over the kid as she tosses the rifle aside, panic stealing any focus he might’ve had. Domitia picks up more movement as more jumpsuit wearing sentries make themselves known - taking up cover in the empty buildings.
“Yo! Chill!” Dell stands up on Domitia’s shoulder, holding his hands up, “We didn’t start...” The sound of thumps from within the fog causes Dell to trail off, “Anything...”
The two bounty hunters turn around, in the gloom, a large figure stalks toward them. The first thing Domitia can make out is its shape: a boxy silhouette, the positioning of its arms and the bend in its legs gives the impression of a predator about to pounce. The slate grey carapace blends into the blank, empty buildings, its movements slow and purposeful as it draws closer. Its arms end in vicious looking claws, its torso houses a massive opening that appears to hold a grinder in it.
“The... fuck...” Dell whispers, “The fuck is that...”
Domitia is about to give some answer when an internal scream wells up in her to pull back. The Bellator follows that instinct, dodging just in time as another drone slams into the pavement, arms failing to catch the duo. Domitia answers in kind, blasting the drone in the shoulder, shredding the kevlar sleeve around its joint, Dell unloading his SMG into it.
“Warpigs!” Domitia curses, she squeezes the trigger of her shotgun, slamfiring into the drone.
The fusillade first breaks the previously hit arm joint, causing it to fall limp at its side, then strikes its hull with enough force to penetrate it, finally causing the Warpig to ignite in a yellowish flame. Yet it doesn’t die; instead its body pivots, bringing its good arm around to try and devour its prey, the mashing grinders in its maw whirling to life in a terrible roar. Domitia responds in kind by drawing her maul, lighting it up with energy and smacking the serrated combat arm away. The Bellator brings the maul back around and knocks the Warpig back. Its joints reverse to keep itself upright, but it gives the bounty hunters enough space to escape its grasp.
At this point the scavengers join in as Domitia and Dell retreat. Their ion rifles lay into the already damaged Warpig. Ion rounds glance and burn the hull of the drone, and as it tries to chase after the bounty hunters a lucky shot finds its way into the wound Domitia made. The iron beast topples forward, flames shooting from every crevice of the drone. Two more take its place, leaping from the buildings flanking the road, the one already in the street charging forward, stomping over its fallen kin.
Domitia reloads, pumping the shotgun ready just in time to dodge and fire into the Warpig, the slug shattering across it, shredding kevlar and carving scars into its hull. It lurches forward, trying to catch the Bellator in its grasp but misses. Domitia blasts back in reply, this time catching one of its optics. Dell scurries across Domitia’s armor, finding a grenade and throwing it right in its maw. A brief flash of light lights up the Warpig, and it stumbles back as it tries to correct itself. More ion bursts scorch its hull as Domitia and Dell continue their fighting retreat.
“Get to the ship!” One of the scavengers yells as they motion to fall back.
More thumps in the fog, more shapes in the gloom, more Warpigs charging toward them. Domitia now understands why the city lacks any organic life - Warpigs eat anything, having been used in the past to clean up after Ravenous infestations. Using them to secure a prefab mega city is wholly irresponsible, and Domitia would’ve wrung the neck of whoever made that decision. Yet she knows no justice can be found here, not now anyway.
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Kade helps up the konii he wounded and pulls him along, desperately trying to escape the coming onslaught. The other scavengers fire at the charging drones, but one Warpig manages to land among a pair of them, crushing one under its feet, pulling the other into its mouth, the grinding maw drowning out the sound of the man’s screams as he’s turned to mulch. The remaining scavengers open fire on the machine, sending charged shots into its hull. Both scavengers pump whole clips into the iron beast and it slumps over, catching fire as the rounds slice through its hull. One of the scavengers screams and drops his rifle, his hand scorched by the charged shot, brandishing a pistol from his hip.
Domitia shoots one in the knee and the Warpig’s charge turns into a stumble, its kin blasting by it, knocking it over as it does. Domitia slam fires the last three rounds into the voracious drone, falling back just as it slams into the ground, burning up as it does. However, the consequences of slam firing have now made themselves known as the firing mechanism fails. Wordlessly she drops the shotgun and produces a pistol and her kinetic maul.
Dell slams another mag in, “Think we’re in trouble.”
“We need to get in the ship,” Domitia says as she smacks a Warpig back with her maul, “They won’t be able to process that much metal.”
“Right.”
The pair of bounty hunters make it to the ship, finding more scavengers there, taking what cover they can and opening fire at the coming drones. The Warpigs are relentless in their advance, grinding maws roaring as they close the distance to the ship. Domitia spies a scavenger at the door, the top of her jumpsuit undone, allowing her back mounted cyberarms to work at the panel. Another aug comes rushing towards Dell and Domitia, his duster billowing out behind him, revealing extensive synthetic muscles. Bounding forward he pulls out a SMG, sliding beside Domitia and Dell and opens fire at the nearest Warpig. The high velocity ammo causes him to slide back a bit as he dumps his mag into the drone. The Warpig is torn apart by the sudden burst from the SMG, torso splitting into multiple pieces, yellow flame consuming its internals.
“I only got two more of these!” The aug says, his voice crackling with static, “We’re waiting on Lady to get the doors open.”
Dell looks over to the door, “I can help,” He taps Domitia on the helmet, “Toss me!”
Domitia doesn’t hesitate, she holsters her pistol and flings Dell toward the door in an underhand throw. The grumlian rolls and pops up on his feet. Dashing to the door he gets to work, pushing the scavenger aside and making his way into the panel.
“You just toss your partner like that?” The aug asks, slamming another mag into his SMG.
“He can handle it.” Domitia replies, smashing a Warpig.
The drone is sent stumbling back, a quick burst from the aug’s SMG catches the underside of the iron beast, sending it tumbling back, fire sparking from the bullet holes like blood from a wound. Yet as it dies, more arrive - rushing down the street, leaping from nearby buildings. They won’t last here, not at this rate. Domitia and the aug stand their ground, going toe-to-toe with the immense beasts. The aug’s SMG unleashes one last defiant burst before its barrel begins to glow red and warp. He tosses it into the maw of a Warpig before his right forearm shifts, synthetic muscles revealing a grenade launcher which fires at the incoming drone, sending it onto its back.
“Doors open!” A scavenger announces.
The remaining scavengers pull back, racing inside, Domitia and the aug following behind as they cover the retreat. Once inside Dell is already at the ready, activating the panel again, and the doors shut closed with a great thud. A moment passes before Domitia turns, the aug now staring her down, handcannon pointed at her head.
“Who the fuck are you?”