As The Dust Settles (ZX-MetalMonster x M-jow)

[M-jow]

Name: Nicko

Race: Human

Age: 24

Appearance: Short black hair and a dark shadow growing on his chin. His eyes are blue like the sky. He is a bit above average height for a human male. And his body is covered with tan golden sunkissed skin and old marks here and there.

 

Bio: A lone human who has lived by himself most of his life. Nicko is a might good survivor. He hunts and gathers to keep himself sustained.

In this world no one is a friend and humans are a threaten, even to eachother as resources are hard to come by. Nicko have had a few rare encounters with other humans. But he'd never kill anyone or felt the need to join them.

 -------------------------------

No one really knows why everything came to be. Or how it ended. How mankin got almost whipped out in less that 10 years, cause by a virus attack from a unknown source. Almost 90% of all human kind died, and the suvives was scattered all over the world. That was more that a 100 years ago and in this age today it was hard to tell if there even were that many humans back.

Nicko stood and listen to the quiet sounds of the wind blowing through the old ruins before him. The sad gray block of concrete was almost completly swallowed up by the forest. Moss and vines was crawling out of emty holes where the windows would have been. No door or much to indicate anyone had used it as a shelter in this century.

He wasn't intending to use it either. With all that molt and various debris he could image as inside it was a health hazard for sure. Which was why he always wore a mask to filter out the nasty bacteria when he searched through these ancient homes. One could never be too careful. From what he knew the virus could sleep for many years before contact with humans could activate it again.

After standing around gor a bit he walked over and peeked in through the entrance. He carefully place a boot inside to test the flooring. It seemed alright and he went inside. Now what he was after was junk, preferably metal. He had lost a five arrows a few days ago and now he was down to half. He had tried to land a bear as it had suprised him in the middle of the night. The animal had been curious with his smell. It had wanted to take a bite off him but he had reacted and shot an arrow into the beast neck. Of coures the arrow didn't do much more than piss the bear off. Nicko had to run while lossening arrows behind him. At some point the bear seemed to gave desided that this was more trouble than gain and given up on the chase. Nicko was pissed about lossing his arrow but was a foul to try and go back for them with a wounded bear in the area.

The arrows were made with iron heads and a strong plastic fiber body, that made the arrow light and easier to control. He had the plastic fiber in his back, but lacked the metal.

Nicko was almost half across the room when he suddenly felt the floor jerk under his weight. He stilled instantly but then the ground smouldered under him. The human felt the air fly passed him as his body fell through the floor. There was a loud bang as the concrete hit the bottom before he did. Nicko landed awkwardly on his leg. He felt a jerk of pain going through his body and groaned under a long line of cursed.

"Someone has it out for me, I'm sure..nh fuck I don't need a broken leg right now" Nicko had fallen to is ass and was slowly trying out his hurt leg. Alright it wasn't broken, he could stand on it but it still hurt. Maybe a sprain.. it was better but not entirly great. The human groaned as looked for a way back up. He spotted the stairs and made his way over the fallen flooring. He looked down as something clincked under his shoe. He saw a iron tube around 30 inches and grabbed it with a smile. Now things was going his way he thought as he walked up the stairs without any problem. He struck the tube into his backpack and crawled out of the nearest window. He wasn't gonna try and go over that hole in the middle of the room when there were an easier way out.

 

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[ZX-MetalMonster]

The units first job after landing at the derelict city was to set up a research facility, in truth just a series of tents but all the equipment necessary to study the area would be available inside once everything was in order. Ammunition and weapons were already placed, kept apart from the rest of the base under lock and key. The only armed men at the site were sentries who walked a lazy patrol route around the tents, however they kept their eyes sharp and trained on the thicket that surrounded the camp. The near extinction of mankind predated their arrival to Earth by decades, to expect hostile humans to burst out of the bushes was silly, the sort of thing that happened in fiction. The sentries were on the look out for predators in stead, wild animals having long overtaken the cities soon after the fall of civilization.

Neven was the only anomaly in the camp with a gun holstered to his belt despite not being on patrol and was nonchalantly forcing open crates to collect disparate research tools, intent on going into the ruins ahead of the other soldiers. It was against protocol to go off alone but he had a reputation for being stupidly stubborn and no one was willing to beat their head against the wall trying to stop him.

He'd researched the fallen metropolis well in advance, having a fascination with relics of old Earth and a special fondness for places that once thrived with life and culture. His home across the stars, despite his people's excellence in the field of science, had never become as crowded as human settlements had been before their sharp decline. Walking the streets he could see vestiges of the city's former grandeur under the overgrown vegetation and having studied preserved maps knew where he was going. Rather than practice caution he satiated his curiosity peering through every broken window and down narrow paths that led between the buildings.

Not far away, concrete rumbled and no sooner had the dust settled than Neven arrived at the source of the sound. He crouched and with his arms resting casually on his knees leaned over the edge of the hole left after the floor had collapsed. He inspected the rubble and wondered if something had set off the cave in and perished after tumbling down with the concrete or if the structure was so old and weatherworn that it needed no disruption to begin falling apart. The basement bellow was empty and wholly uninteresting, prompting Neven to stand up straight ready to exit the crumbling building, however he glimpsed something across the pit. From it's bipedal walk and silhouette similar but different from his own the captain knew right away what he had found. Spying a set of stairs in the basement he jumped down, his legs easily absorbing the force when he landed. He wasted no time, taking large strides up the old steps and unholstered his gun in preparation to pursue the stranger.

[M-jow]

Nicko froze in the window as he hear a heavy thud of something soft like boots landing on concrete. The human didn't hesitant with what he did next. He didn't look back to even see who or what was in the house with him. He just jumped out the wind and ran, like dogs was close at his heels. Bitting back the pain that shot through his bad foot. Nicko went for the heavy cover of bushes and trees. Although his mask was becomimg foggy with his breathing, he still managed dodge past branches and other obstacles.

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[ZX-MetalMonster]

Neven hadn't though a human would be so skittish but acted on his own primal instincts and gave chase to the stranger. Being a predator he was well built for running after prey and cut down the distance between himself and the human in seconds. However the man had a head start on him and once he changed course through the vegetation Neven was forced to slow down, his larger body unable to dodge branches as easily.

-"Stop." He called after the human once he lost sight of him, the word mispronounced and wrong when said in his voice. Mankind had left behind enough records for the newcomers to learn some of their language but there was a limit to what Neven could discern from reading old documents alone.

[M-jow]

14 minutes ago, ZX-MetalMonster said:

"Stop." 

Nicko felt a chill going thought his body at the strange sound that cut through his ears. He couldn't hear foot steps behind him anymore ant took the opportunity to throw himself inder the cover of a pine tree with low hanging branches. His bad foot pulsated and his heart beated wildly in his chest to catch out with his breathing. Nicko pressed himself down in the dirt, as he looked out through the small gaps between the pine needles. His eyes fix on the way he had just came from, to see what was stalking him.

When he heard a ruzzle in the bushes. He held his breath and focused on slowing his racing heart.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Neven breathed in long, steady breaths and huffed as he exhaled, sniffing the air by habit though his sense of smell wasn't sharp enough to aid him in finding the human. His eyes were more keen but also not of much help due to the thick foliage the stranger was no doubt cowering under.
-"Come out." Neven commanded, these words like the previous sounded like a twisted mimic of human speech, fundamentally wrong and alien. He walked slowly through the bushes and his tail that in other situations aided his agility now combed lightly through the plants. Leaves rustled softly around him but there was no sign of the human and Neven had to fight to keep his composure. If he'd let the human get away he would never forgive himself. 

[M-jow]

Nicko's eyes were glued to the form he saw coming closer to his hid. He had never seen such a creaturs before. The physic was roughly human but, he had a god damn tail!. The alien looked like a crossbred between a human and an lizard.

Shit, he noticed the gun holster. How the fuck did he have ammunition??  Guns weren't rare to find here and there, but without bullets they were useless.

That thing wore a gun and his built wasn't exactly tiny either. Nicko felt his nerves get more uneasy as the creature approach.

The tail swipped over the ground just infront of him, the person was so close. He could almost see the color of his eyes from here. Suddenly the tail swupped back and hit the side of Nicko's mask. The human couldn't even have dodged it had he noticed it coming. Nicko rolled out from under the tree and would have made a run for it again. If not for the sudden gun pointed right at him

"I don't have anything" Nicko said as calmly.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Never felt a rush of excitement, pleased that combing through the underbrush thoroughly in search of the human had paid off. The situation called for him to appear intimidating but the alien was struggling to keep a broad grin off his face. He hoped the stranger recognized the weapon in his hand and knew to fear having it pointed his way, though Never wouldn't risk killing the human by opening fire at him.

-"Back." Turn around he meant to say but didn't know the right words to communicate what he wanted from the human. He motioned for the man to turn, hopeful that the stranger would understand that if not his command and not confuse him even further.

Neven couldn't have know what he was going to encounter in the ruins and came unprepared to capture a prisoner. However a rope he'd brought for climbing would suffice and he clipped it off his belt in preparation to tie the human up.

[M-jow]

23 hours ago, ZX-MetalMonster said:

-"Back."

Although the word sound strange Nicko still heard that on as something he could understand. But not knowing what The alien wanted exactly he held his hand up in the air to show he was unarmed and took a step back.

Nicko didn't know what the being wanted. His eyes shifted between looking at the gun and him. He didn't know what to expecte, except the worst. So when the aliens tried to lossen a robe tied to his belt. Nicko didn't hesitant and gathered all his strength into his leg and kicked the gun out of the alien's grabs.

There were a 'thud' as it hit the ground, just a few meters beside them. But before the other could do anything, Nicko bounce on him. Throwing the alien off his weight and pushing him to the ground with Nicko on top, hands on the creature's wrists to keep him down.

"There is no way in hell ,I'll let you take me anywhere" Nicko's hiss was mumbled behind the mask. He sat ontop on the other's legs to block him from kicking.

Should he knock him out and escape or tie him? Nicko thought to himself as he tightened his hold o  the alien.

[ZX-MetalMonster]

Having seen firsthand how quick and clever the human can be Neven should have known to watch him more carefully but found himself disarmed on the ground in a heartbeat. Despite his size the stranger held him down with a firm grip, though his tail went unaccounted for, the man likely unused to wresting with someone who had so many appendages. Neven however didn't lash out just yet, in stead resting calm under the human, happy he hadn't tried to run away again.

The hissed words made no sense to Neven but he couldn't blame that on the mask covering the strangers face. Despite the effort he'd put into studying human language there was no denying he could neither comprehend nor speak it properly. However he was willing to give communication one more try, too curious to keep quiet even in a tense moment "Want see." He sounded the words out carefully and with a single clawed finger pointed to the mask hiding the human's face, though he doubted the man would oblige him and remove it. 

[M-jow]

Nicko struggled against the man as he reached up to point at his face. What more the creature spoke again and this time it sounded close to english.

On 12/21/2022 at 2:56 AM, ZX-MetalMonster said:

"Want see."

See.. see what? At first Nicko didn't get it and even tried to turn his head to see if there were anything strange behind him. But there were nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing aside from the creature underneath him.

"No" The human shook his head when he figured out the other was after his mask. Yeah fat chance, he wasn't gonna take his protective gear off willingly. He didn't even know what the creature was or if he would be dangerous.

Nicko looked around gor the robe the other had dropped. Thinking that he really should tie him up, and get far away from here. 

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[ZX-MetalMonster]

Even with his poor comprehension of human speech Neven understood "no" and frowned up at the stranger, having been keen on seeing his face. Though, he had no intention of letting the man get away and knew he would have the chance to study him without the mask obscuring his view soon, after securing his discovery.

Neven took note when the human was distracted, looking for the rope he'd dropped and used the opportunity to swipe his tail at the man. It was an awkward attempt, striking at something in front of him would have been easier if either his hands of legs were free but the stranger had a firm grip. Luckily, his tail impacted with enough force to grant him a momentary advantage and Neven rolled, trying to come out on top of the other man.

[M-jow]

"Kkgh!" Nicko felt the air getting knocked out of him when suddenly the other's tail slamed into his stomach.

The alien took the opportunity to roll them over to gain back the crontrol. Nicko threw a punch out and hit the creature right at the jaw. He felt his knockles conect with the bone and the pain that shot through his arm after. Stil he pulled back to swing it once more as he struggled to get free.

He hear an arrow break in his holder. He was laying onto og his backpack and the iorn tube dug into his back. Nicko grunted as he kicked his knee up, trying to aim for the goins.

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