The card killer Options

[Lopov]

Inspired by TheChesireKhajiit, who created a separate thread for raider Victoria, I decided to post my latest tale in a separate thread as well. There'll be one story per week and if all goes according to plans, I should post them every Friday. Matching screenshots will be posted after each text, most of them but not all will be taken through the eyes of the main proantagonist.. Some stories will be long, some short, and sometimes you may recognize references of your own characters.

The stories ahead are dark though I'll try to make them humorous at times but most of all I hope you'll like them.

Enjoy.

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I

For the past two hours Lina has been spying on the pretty young guy sitting alone by the burning barrel – not because she’d be after him but because she wanted to be sure that he wasn’t some weirdo. She might have been a rookie in the bounty hunting profession, but she was very good at sneaking and thanks to her PipBoy who showed the [HIDDEN] icon on the top of the screen at all times, she knew that the young guy didn’t spot her.

Not seeing anything that’d make her suspicious, Lina joined him, and the stranger who introduced himself as Clive, gladly offered her some cram and a bottle of Nuka-Cola. Nobody could resist Nuka-Cola except undead and since Lina was very much alive, she gladly accepted the drink. It turned out that Clive wasn’t just pretty, he was also funny – so the more the Sun was setting, the better feeling Lina had about the coming night.

After Clive told her a little bit about himself, Lina revealed him that for the past few months she’s been on the track of the so called ‘card killer’. “In the wasteland it’s easy to get away with almost any crime but this guy or girl, I don’t know, but I think he’s a guy, always cuts throats of his victims, who are always women, then leaves behind a card depicting death. Like he wants to be recognized, you know? After one of my friends got killed, I decided to go after him. Or her, but I think he’s a guy. I pursued dangerous raiders before so I have some experience in tracking people down. Anyway, sometimes the trail would go cold for weeks but then rumors about a new murder and a new card would reach me, and the trail eventually led me here. The Capital Wasteland is just a few miles north of here and I’m sure I’ll catch up with him. Make him pay for his crimes. Sooner or later.”

Lina got a feeling that Clive wasn’t particularly interested in her story, either he didn’t take her bounty hunting profession seriously either he was hoping there’ll be some action between them this night. Well, Lina couldn’t blame him, after all she was also hoping for some action and it wasn’t long before Clive held her firmly in his arms.

***

Pleasantly tired, Lina was getting dressed as she saw Clive throwing her shotgun in the burning barrel. As he was pulling a blood-stained knife from behind his leather pants, his face didn’t seem nice anymore. Frightened Lina realized that she just had sex with the man she was after.

One slash at Lina’s neck was enough to end the aspiring career of a bounty hunter. She died not knowing that the stranger, whose name wasn’t Clive, had intentionally placed a camp in this location, waiting for her. Already down south he put a tracking device in her satchel and thanks to his own PipBoy he knew of Lina’s movement. He also knew that she liked men a lot, and hoped that she’ll stop by.

As ‘Clive’ was walking north towards the Capital Wasteland, he thought of Lina’s words, realizing she was right about many things – he was a guy, he cut throats of his victims, he preyed on women and he always left a card depicting death behind. However, she missed one vital information. Before killing his victims, ‘Clive’ had sex with them.

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Lina talks

Lina has some Nuka

Lina talks again

Lina on top

Lina frightened

Lina is gone

The killer's signature

Leaving

[Lopov]

@Renee - it was kinda obvious that when he was away from the tower, Millicent got pwned, so at least someone had to notice, I think.

@TheCheshireKhajiit - so far these traps proved to be the most difficult encounter for the card killer in the Capital Wasteland.

@Acadian - thanks for editing my post. "As bad as new" - that's a phrase to remember.

@SubRosa - indeed, so maybe I didn't make a mistake after all. What a song! I'm listening to it as I'm pasting & editing the coming story.

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V

Violet was a well-known scavenger in the Capital Wasteland. For two things mostly– the first thing, a minor one was that she owned the yellow army radio headset. There would be nothing special about that piece of pre-war technology if yellow radio headsets weren’t extremely rare, in fact Violet was the only known owner of one such item. She found it together with her friend Sonora Cruz many years ago as they were exploring a ghoul-infested pre-war military base. Each of them wanted it but they agreed that whoever kills more ghouls, gets the headset. Since Violet won the contest, it belonged to her. They remained good friends with Sonora Cruz who was by now the leader of the regulators in the Capital Wasteland.

The second thing for which Violet was known, and a major one, was that she was the only scavenger known to tame a ferocious yao-guai. She saved a life of a baby yao-guai as it was about to drown and since then the two became inseparable. Not only was her pet whom she named Willy, a helpful guardian in dangerous wastes, he was also her best friend.

One morning in October 2277 she stopped by Four-Eyed Patrick, another scavenger who inhabited one of ruined houses west of Fort Independence.

“Hey four eyes, got some missiles for sale? Running out of ‘em,” asked Violet, petting her favorite weapon - the old missile launcher, which she found buried under some rubble pile close to Fort Constantine way up to the north.

“Sure, Violet, sure, just lemme find ‘em,” Four-Eyed Patrick promptly went to rummage for them in the only solid dresser in the ruined house which no longer served its pre-war purpose, instead it was Four Eyed Patrick’s storage of various clutter.

“I see you got some company for the night,” remarked Violet and nodded in the direction of the sleeping young man. Four-Eyed Patrick had some free beds inside (while it was in fact outside because the house no longer had a roof) and gladly allowed wastelanders to sleep on them.

“Ay, some kid from the west,” nodded Four-Eyed Patrick as he was taking missiles from the dresser. “Nice fella. He gave me a ciggie. I’d still prefer if it was a gal, though. A gal that wouldn’t mind that I’m a little bit dirty, he he he.”

“I heard you, Pat” said the young man and raised his head, making Pat blush and Violet laugh.

Cute kid, thought Violet as he was smiling at her, then she started counting Pat’s missiles.

A few minutes later Violet and Willy left Four-Eyed Patrick’s house and headed west.

“Is she a friend of yours?” asked the kid and handed Pat a cigarette who gladly accepted.

“Sure, that’s Violet. And her teddy bear Willy, the only tamed yao-guai in the entire Capital Wasteland, kid! Imagine that? She’s a legend among scavengers. You’ll often meet her on your travels if you intend to stay here in the Capital Wasteland for a while, kid.”

“I doubt it.”

“Eh? You plannin’ to leave soon?”

“No.”

“Well then I was right – you’ll meet Violet and Willy often on your travels, they are drifters, never staying in one place for long.”

“I doubt it.”

“Eh? I don’t get it.” Four-Eyed Patrick was confused.

“Don’t bother,” smiled the kid and stood up. “Here, take one more cig. Thanks for the free bed. See you, Pat.”

“See you, kid.” Four-Eyed Patrick gladly took another ciggie and questions about why the kid wouldn’t often meet Violet and Willy, were already forgotten.

***

But what the kid said, was true. Not he, not anyone else would ever meet Violet and Willy again, at least not alive. Instead of Willy, Violet slept with the card depicting death at her side. But not before the kid whom she found cute earlier this morning, would torture her in an abandoned trailer just a distance west of Four-Eyed Patrick’s house. And why? Because he found it exciting.
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In company of Four-Eyed Patrick and his mutt

Violet & Willy

Showtime!

Willy's end (the yao-guai was actually hit by one of Violet's missiles, directed at the card killer)

Disarmed

Subdued

Helpless

Dead