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Hunter and Prey

The Best Locations To Find Deathclaws in Fallout 76 [https://thenerdstash.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/ss_5e2d136759e0ff4e0d74940fffc9c64e8cdcd833.1920x1080_1280x720.jpg]

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If you had thought things were moving too fast before, things seemed to kick up an extra notch with you being forced to carry their new prisoner back outside with the help of Tessa. The talkative ghoul, constantly reminiscing about the old world as though they were old friends as they swiftly exited the warehouse into the cool night air, where you could finally breath again. The mute boy, Loraq reappearing like a ghostly apparition as all eyes fell upon the two parked vehicles outside. One of the buggies, painted red with a grinning black skull on the side door and the other pink with flowers that bled broken hearts, both of them armed with machine guns up top, and seating four people.

Motioning for them to get onboard, Cassidy wasted no time, and divided them up into two groups with Jernald, you, Loraq, and Tessa, in one group, and the rest in the other. Which was quite a tight squeeze with the power armor taking up much of the back seat. The uncomfortable feeling of being squished into the torn leather seats, making you think of a mouse slowly being crushed death underfoot. While Tessa took the wheel with Loraq riding shotgun beside her.

Her deft movements as she switched the engine on with a roar was like being in a massage chair with everything shaking underneath you as they took off into the barren wasteland at great speed. Cassidy in the lead vehicle, and Tessa following close behind as they raced across broken roads, past toppled over ruins, and small patches of brown vegetation that struggled to survive. It was everything you could have possibly imagined and more.

Hours passing by, and with the warehouse left far behind you, you felt yourself beginning to feel comfortable, relishing the wind that whipped into your hair, taking in the wildlife that watched them, and found yourself falling asleep to the rumble of the engine. (Resting moment.)

Stirring as you heard gunshots, you drowsily wondered if you were still dreaming, when you looked around to see a whole herd of deathclaws giving chase on all fours, teeth bared, and claws outstretched before them. Jernald, struggling to lift up his minigun from his seated position as he fired his 10mm pistol with one hand and roared, "get on the machine gun."

All thoughts about going back to sleep drowned out by a sea of fear as yellow unblinking eyes stared back at you, tongues lolling out between razor-sharp teeth like dogs, and black horns that made them look like the devils itself. The terrain, rocky and pitted with craters as they bounced up and down between shattered trees. The old world and new world battling each other as life tried to persevere.

(Big guns skill 30%.)

Heart beating rapidly as you pushed yourself up the small rungs that lead to the machine gun that was attached to a circle of steel, you grabbed hold of the weapon for dear life, and surveyed the area. Deathclaws left and right prowling like wolves out on the open stony plain as they spread out all around you, pounding forward on powerful hindlegs. Their chilling roars and quaking footsteps, forcing a nervous swallow of saliva at the back of your throat as you tried to control your bowels. However nothing had prepared you for the sight of dozens of these hulking monstrosities that reminded you so often of dragons as they quickly converged on all sides.

But just as before, the knowledge of how to use the machine gun became a part of your mind, and you cocked back the lever as you fired. The thundering roar shredded into thighs, heads and legs as they tried to swerve, and shy away from your gun. However, with a little practice, you managed to bring down several of the beasties and drive off the rest, when smoke began to filter out from the buggy's engine.

(Big guns skill 0%.)

Heart beating rapidly as you pushed yourself up the small rungs that lead to the machine gun that was attached to a circle of steel, you grabbed hold of the weapon for dear life, and surveyed the area. Deathclaws left and right prowling like wolves out on the open stony plain as they spread out all around you, pounding forward on powerful hindlegs. Their chilling roars and quaking footsteps, forcing a nervous swallow of saliva at the back of your throat as you tried to control your bowels. However nothing had prepared you for the sight of dozens of these hulking monstrosities that reminded you so often of dragons as they quickly converged on all sides.

Hoping against hope you knew what you were doing, you cocked back the lever, and tried to fire. The thundering roar spraying up dust and rock into the air as you tried to keep control, before finally managing to bring the gun on them as they swerved, and shied away, easily evading your aim. With one of them taking a swipe at you that sliced open your arm.

-3 HP.

Gritting your teeth at the pain, you managed to bring down two of the beasties just by spraying wildly and drove the rest off into the hills, when smoke began to filter out from the buggy's engine. And felt your heart tremble.

Looking back over your shoulder, you could see Tessa cursing loudly, and punching the steer wheel as they came up to a guttering halt, leaving you breathless as they waited there in the middle of a crater. Not knowing when or where the next attack would come as you stared around at the hills that could conceal any number of them.

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(Stay on the machine gun.)

Fearing what would happen if you left the machine gun unattended, you tried to keep a lookout, while Tessa scrambled out of the vehicle as she called out, "watch my back." The tension in the air mounting each second that passed by as Jernald still in his clunky power armor that you no longer envied tried to get a better position so he could fire, when they all came. Streaking out from every crevice, nook, and cranny in the hills on all fours as the two in lead stretched to their full length and roared.

(Big guns skill 30%.)

Familiar with the hierarchy of deathclaws, you immediately swung the machine gun around to target the alpha and matriarch who both charged towards you.

The seconds it took to fire, catching the breath in your throat as you listened to their heavy footsteps, and seeing the looks in those yellow eyes that seemed far too intelligent, before gunfire rained down on them from behind. The second buggy skirting the edges of the crater and circling as you gritted your teeth, waited till they got closer so they could not avoid you, and fired a stream of rounds. Hot lead ripping into their bodies as they slumped to the ground and Tessa barked, "get ready!"

The spry old ghoul, leaping back into the buggy, switching gears, and tearing out of the crater at full speed. All of them panting for breath as they left the creatures howling far behind.

(Big guns skill 0%.)

Familiar with the hierarchy of deathclaws, you immediately swung the machine gun around to target the alpha and matriarch who both charged towards you.

The seconds it took to fire, catching the breath in your throat as you listened to their heavy footsteps, and seeing the looks in those yellow eyes that seemed far too intelligent, before gunfire rained down on them from behind. The second buggy skirting the edges of the crater and circling as you gritted your teeth, and fired a stream of rounds hoping to hit one of them. Hot lead ripping into the ground around them, when Jernald stepped up onto his seat, Minigun ripping into them as Tessa barked, "get ready!"

The spry old ghoul, leaping back into the buggie, switching gears, and tearing out of the crater at full speed. All of them panting for breath as they left the creatures howling far behind.

(Repair the vehicle. Repair Skill 30%.)

But again, against your better judgement, you knew you had to do something rather than wait, and swiftly hopped out of the vehicle. The rocky ground underfoot, cracking as you raced to the back of the buggy, and immediately saw the problem. The part of your brain that activated recognizing it as an overheating issue, and shouting orders to a surprised Tessa.

In minutes, you had the buggy up and running again, although temporarily, and jumped back in.

The spry old ghoul, switching gears so fast that they tore out of the crater at speed as deathclaws closed the trap, encircling them from all sides as you fired the heavy pounding machine gun to clear a path through them. All of them panting for breath as they left the creatures howling far behind.

Finally after driving for at least a dozen more miles when they could be certain the deathclaws couldn't catch up to them, they linked back up with Cassidy. The middle-aged weather-beaten woman with red and gold hair, coming up alongside them as she pointed to the outskirts of what looked to be another city that you did not recognize. "We'll stop there for the night!"

Her voice floating across to them on the breeze as they continued to race across barren landscape, passing overgrown tangles of bushes, brown grass, and dead trees that refused to die. With the sun slowly sinking in the blood-red sky.

By midday they had reached the City of Colfax, a name provided to you by your pipboy, when they stopped just outside a retirement village, Cassidy waving her arm in the direction of a nearby derelict mall.

After driving a little while longer, they parked their buggies out front one of the superstores, and trudged all the way back. The chill night air seeping into your bones as you wondered why they had left the buggies behind?

Boots scraping on the welcoming mat of the retirement home, you glanced around the common room seeing the years of laden dust collected on the tables, abandoned wheelchairs, and shelves, and felt a pang of sadness. This place which was once used to cater to their elderly, in all likelihood would never be used again. Wastelanders never had much use for anything that slowed them down.

Sneezing as dust filtered into your nose, most of them headed further inside, while Jernald took up watch at the entrance, the approving nod he shot your way, almost a comfort considering the dark looks you had been getting lately. But what had you really expected? You were a stranger, in a strange world, who could be as much a danger to them as to yourself.

Crossing through hallways strewn with bones that had aged, they finally ended up in a wide dining hall with a kitchen, where Cassidy motioned for you to follow her aside as the group settled down, and chatted with each other. The thought of food causing your belly to rumble as their prisoner was strapped to a chair.

Green eyes staring into yours with a face made of steel and an intensity that made you shiver, you could tell Cassidy was worried as spoke softly, “I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, rookie. I’ve seen good soldiers die quickly despite years of experience. I’ve seen behemoths taken down by children. I’ve seen the worst of the wasteland keep on surviving, despite the fact they should be dead. But never in my life have I seen someone move the way that you do. At first I thought you had to be a vault dweller, despite that piss poor excuse of a story you told us back there. But the way you learn, the way you do things any untrained scavver would get killed doing, doesn't seem to faze you. So I’m going to speak it straight. Are you a synth?”

Mouth gaping open in shock at her accusation, you felt stunned. Was that how it looked from the outside? You had no idea. But what were you supposed to say?

Heartbeat suddenly thrumming, you wanted to open your mouth still not sure what you were going to say, when she held up a finger. “If you’re afraid you’ll be killed. You don’t need to be. You don’t need to deny who you are. Tessa and Loraq used to be a part of the railway before it disbanded, and as for me. So long as you keep holding up your own weight, we won’t have any problems. But you will tell me the truth. I can’t say having a courser on board will be a pleasure, but the old fights are done with, and I need to know the truth.”