His name was Todd Baker. Well, that was what his friends and family knew him as. To most of the people in the Wasteland, he was a nut job known as the deathclaw hunter. He made a living killing the most dangerous beast in the wasteland. Most of the people in the Capital Wasteland regarded him as a man with a death wish, someone who simply wanted to die. Todd knew this opinion of him, and he felt it suited him. He sat in Moriarty's Saloon, nursing a whiskey. People around him had no idea who he was. In fact, he seemed fairly normal looking. Weather-beaten face, hard eyes, clothes that had definetly seen better days. Standard in the wasteland. However, only common in certain people, he had a kindness in those eyes, the kind of kindness that only somone who has loved before has ever had. Alongside that kindness was a mixing of emotion, chief among them being a sad despair, mixed in with quite a bit of anger. The sense of someone who has lost everything shined even brighter in those eyes. These were the eyes of the Deathclaw hunter.

Todd finished his whiskey and stood. He always liked to return to civilization after a hunt. Not only because it allowed for more deathclaws to move up from the sewers, somewhere not even he dared to go, but because the odd person might notice that he didn't show up after a while, and at least someone in the wasteland would recognize his passing.

"Will that be all sir?" asked Gob, the bartender with a friendly smiled he saved for those that beared no prejudice to his kind, and who were always civil to him.

The hunter turned and made a small smile "Yeah, that's it Gob, thanks" he said. The ghoul was chief among those who would notice if Baker was wiped off the face of the earth. He dropped some caps on the counter and left the bar. Todd emerged into the city of Megaton, his eyes adjusting to the light briefly before he contiuned down the stairway which led to the ground level. The town had always appeared make-shift to Baker, seem to have been thrown together by some people one day, with little regard to the giant bomb in the middle until they were all done, then regarded it with a kind of 'Oops' attitude. If he had the know-how, Todd would disarm it, and he had spent many nights reading Duck and Cover, but as of yet he hadn't figured it out yet. He walked past the bomb, giving it a wide berth for no particular reason, eyeing it as he brushed the shoulder of Lucas Simms. Baker turned quickly, his hand going to his pistol by impulse, checking his action around the sheriff of Megaton. Instead, he nodded at him in greeting "Sorry Lucas, wasn't really paying attention. How's the day going so far?"

The man smiled at him "Pretty good so far Todd. No one has come into town today, kind of easy on the nerves." He laughed a little bit as Todd looked at him. Simms reminded Baker of himself. He had the same look in his eyes as he himself had. The hunter respected him for that. They exchanged words of parting as Baker headed back up to his home overlooking the Brass Lantern. He walked inside and flicked on the lights, the room filled with the familiar drone of the propulsion engine of the Mister Handy robot. His own robot, Wadsworth, flew down the stairs.

"Good evening sir, can I get you anything?" the robot asked in a robotic mirror of an old english butler.

"Not now Wadsworth, I think I'll be okay for tonight." He replied and started up the stairs. "I'm going to go to bed. Go into Home Security mode." There was a slight clicking and a hiss as the Mister Handy's weapons systems came online. The hunter was a bit paranoid, but he had reasons for that. He opened te door into his bedroom and sat down, slowly lying down, falling asleep shortly after his head hit the pillow.

(OOC: Tell me what you think of it)

Nice to read, due to both your story and your writing style. I'm quite interested in how he'd hunt a Deathclaw (and why aswell).

Adrian

Hmm, I wanted to see a fight scene with a Deathclaw, but it was an awesome story about Todd Baker and Megaton.

His name was Todd Baker, I summed him up in one word... Crawesome. Crazy-awesome, that's him.

(Thanks for the comments guys, heres the next chapter)

Todd's dream that night was a common one. A recurring nightmare, ever since that fateful day. His wife flashed past his subconcious eye, then his son. They were running from something. Something big. His dream self wondered 'Why is it here? So far from Olney!' Todd tossed and turned in his bed, face strained, sweating heavily. The creature was running toward him, seeming to be made of the shadow of his deepest fears. Baker pulled out his rifle and began to fire at the beast. The rifle was only good for stopping a mole rat, not a Deathclaw. He continued to fire until the clip was empty, and he simply threw the weapon at it, bouncing off it's chest. Baker stood in the way, waiting for the inevitable: Sacraficing himself for his family. Then something happened that continues to haunt the Deathclaw hunter to this day, constantly reliving the event in his dreams. The Deathclaw ran past him, merely swiping him to the side. As his dream self drifted in unconciousness from slamming against the buildings of Canterbury Commons, his waking self cried out in his sleep "It should have been me!"

Baker awoke and shot straight up in his bed, reaching for the .44 sidearm he carried. No dice. The hunter always left it on the nighstand, as when he slept with it on his hip the last time, he had shot a hole in the wall in front of him. He sighed and swung his legs out of bed, resting his head on his hands, thinking back to that day in Canterbury. He sighed and stood in the uncomfortable sweaty state with which he awoke from his dream. He sighed and went to change, swapping out the settler clothing for the merc adventurer armor he traveled with. He heard Wadsworth come out of his charge compartment. "Sir, I'm happy to report that there were no intruders last night" the robot said in his metallic voice, seeming to delude the same enthusiasm of a young boy who got his first home run. Todd composed himself momentarily before answering.

"Nice job Wadsworth, you've earned yourself a break if you want one." he said, liking to beleive that Wadsworth could sense the pride he made an effort to put into his voice. Wadsworth was all the family the hunter had, and he treated him very well.

The robot seemed to process this for a while and said "Yes, I believe I am in need of a recharge. Thank you sir."

Baker nodded and headed outside. He was heading out today, to Old Olney, as he had already hit the Deathclaw sanctuary this week. He walked down the winding path from his house to the plaza, walking over to the Brahmin, untying him and taking him back up the very same path up to his home. The Brahmin was his, he had bought him, and now used him to lug his weapons and stuff for his armor repairs. The hunter propped the door open and went inside, opening up his weapon locker and pulling out his flamer before walking back outside and putting it in it's pack on the mutated bovine. Todd went back and forth, securing his mini gun and his gatling laser to the same animal. He also had a missle launcher and a fat man, but they took one shot and then there was the reload. Even if you hit one with it, another one would tear you apart before you even got another one in the chamber. Todd turned to the Brahmin and patted each of it's heads. It had packed on the muscle on their trips from Olney to the sanctuary, and it was used to the smell of a Deathclaw making it the perfect pack animal for the job. The hunter remembered when he tied on a feedbag to each of the heads that he had scented to smell like a Deathclaw. Gave the thing a pretty bad shock, but eventually the Brahmin got used to it.

Lastly, Baker climbed the stairs to his upper level, standing in the front of the other room. He sighed and pulled open the door. There sat his customized power armor, mounted on the all across from the door, just like in every super hero comic you've ever read. Just like the comics Todd's son read. The helmet had the horns from a Deathclaw alpha male attached to it, sticking out from the sides just like a real Deathclaw. The armor had a yellowish tint to it, like the Deathclaw as well, with an insignia on the shoulder of a Deathclaw head with a ripper slicing through it. Deathclaw hands were strapped to his belt all the way around. Todd took the armor down and took it to the Brahmin, strapping it onto the mutated cow's back, and both heads mooed at the weight. "I know, but you've carried more than this before." Before he left, Baker went back into his house and walked back upstairs, to his room where on his desk sat a toy car and a pair of reading glasses. He gingerly took them up and slipped them into his pocket before setting out for Old Olney.

Damn guy, you got style. Good writing so far, although I hope you'll forgive me for saying this, but the lone wanderer without a family bit's been done a quite a few times, especially in Fallout. Given the level of your writing style, I was sort of hoping for something a bit different.


Excellent story nonetheless, the above is my only critique.

Well, it looks pretty good. Keep it up, I say.

I'm with Remir!

(Its been a while, but here's the next part)

Old Olney. Before the bombs fell, it was a town that could have competed with Andale for the best town in America. Now, it was a barren town only populated with Deathclaws. This was Todd's reason for being there. He had approached downwind, so the Deathclaws couldn't smell his approach. The hunter examined his sniper rifle, which he had left on the Brahmin after his last visit. He reloaded it with custom bullets, hollow-point rounds with curves carved into the sides, making it function like a drill when fired, cutting through the tough exo-skeleton and skull of the Deathclaw and filling it's brain with shrapnel. He fired off with this baby before the others noticed he was there, downing their buddies. Todd lied down on the ground and crawled a couple feet with his helmet still on the Brahmin, and took aim. It didn't take long to spot the giant tan creatures, and he moved the target to its head. He took a breath, accounted for the wind, and fired. The bullet worked like a charm, and the Deathclaw stumbled against a building, sliding down the side of it, the killer's body dying along with his brain.

The gunshot ended a good vantage point for Todd as the roaring hiss of a Deathclaw filled the air. Baker sighed and stood, running back to the Brahmin and grabbing his helmet and his gatling laser and slowly approached the town. It didn't take long for him to notice the Deathclaw, running towards him, arms spread out wide with the deadly claws they were so named for apart and ready to tear into his flesh. The hunter aimed, and pulled the trigger. The barrel started turning before the deadly lasers lanced out of the weapon at the Deathclaw. It slowed slightly as the energy weapons rounds impacted on center of mass. The monster kept coming before it's chest finally erupted into a fountain of blood as it was blown backward onto its back.

He quickly reloaded the next electron charge pack as the other Deathclaws heard the death cry of their comrade. The usual feelings filled the hunter's stomach. Fear, Anger, Sadness. It urged him to move a bit faster to face the Deathclaws. They came out from in between the buildings, turning and heading toward Todd at full speed. He stopped running, and opened up another volley. Baker didn't notice, but he was yelling as he fired, all of his pain going along with the lances of energy, smashing into the creatures that had caused him so much pain. Plasma cut through the first of them, slumping to the sides or simply falling forward in mid-stride. However, one of them was closer than the hunter had recognized. It jumped over a Deathclaw corpse, bringing it's claws in an X at Todd. He blocked it with the gatling laser, which was dealt serious slashes around its body, making it useless now. As the thing drew back for another sweep, the hunter reached down amongst the Deathclaw hands hanging from his belt. He withdrew the Deathclaw Gauntlet and shoved it up into the Deathclaw's neck. It gurgled blood and slumped forward. With a grunt, the hunter pulled it sideways and pulled the gauntlet from its neck.

He surveyed the rest of the town, finding no more life above ground. Todd made his way through the town, observing the cracked landscape, relatively the same as it was the last time he had been there. He checked the flamer he had switched out with the gatling laser. He liked to keep his weapons in perfect condition, but he made sure before he got to the sewer system. Baker peered down the dead end alley, ensuring that no more of the demonic beasts were waiting for him. With a long gulp of filtered air, Todd pulled the lid aside and slid down the ladder into the sewers.

simply put, awesome :celebration:

It is awesome. But you're guy is some hunter. Power armor and a brahmin full of weapons jeeze.

I always found a formula for deathclaws. Take them out of their hunting ground. How?

No speed. Dart gun to the legs.

No range. Place mines in your preferred battlefield.

Be fast. Don't get caught in a leap.

Not bad, not bad. I'll be keeping an eye on this.

I like it,but I wish your guy had a better tactic then just "Shoot 'em 'till their dead".

I like keeping my charicters realistic,you should check out my Fanfic some time.They took down a den of yao guai with just a pump action 12 gauge shotgun,a .30/.30 hunting rifle,and a .38 revolver.

Check it out:http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1031172

Thanks for the comments guys! He has a couple more tactics beside shoot 'em up, and a few more I'm still thinking up. He just hasn't used them yet. The character was feeling a good amount of anger in this particular situation, and filling them full of ammo is pretty satisfying to him. And yes, he is a hunter, but he hunts the deadliest creature in the wasteland on his own. He needs to have quite a bit of firepower, and alot of protection in case they score a hit. As for the Dart Gun, thats part of my in-game strategy, but he hasn't built one yet. It'll come into play later on. Just wanted to respond to these comments before I post the next section.

The hunter landed heavily with a rocky click. He had started scanning the area in front of him before he had even hit the ground. He brought up the flamer, tapping part of the muzzle before he started forward. The Olney Sewers branched off to the left and right from the ladder the hunter had descended. The hunter made the decision to go left first. The hunter had most of what he did down to a science. He checked the smaller part of the sewers first, cleared them, and then worked his way to the bigger part. He did it the same way every time he went down in the Olney Sewers. It was part of what kept him alive.

The flamer was the biggest gun he had that was great for close range fighting. If the Deathclaws didn't see him before he started the stream of fire, they couldn't see him through the flames. They'd swat at the warmth until they were roasted alive. The only problem being that the hunter was wearing bulky power armor, making it hard to sneak up on the creatures. And if they did see him, the flamethrower had almost no stopping power. All he had after that was a .44 magnum in his front left holster. From his experience, the Deathclaws were already wounded enough from the flamer. One or two .44s in its skull would end it quickly.

The hunter sidled up to the wall, peering down the path to the right. None of the beasts were in sight. He exhaled in relief, the sound amplified by the power helmet. He didn't have time to curse at his slip. As he turned, he saw the Deathclaw peek around the corner, seeing him and opening its mouth. The hunter saw its eyes glint. His body reacted with adrenaline pulsing through his veins, the very sight of the creature spurring the dwindling supply flowing through him. The hunter swatted the side of its head with all his strength, swatting the beast against the wall. The hunter could see the glint in its eyes fade and cloud over briefly. He felt a smirk form beneath the helmet that had almost killed him. In the Deathclaw's daze, the hunter shoved the nozzle into its mouth. He felt the smirk widen into a smile and he started the deadly stream directly down the Deathclaw's throat. He saw its stomach expand with the flames and he yanked the front of the flamer form its mouth. It slumped to the ground. Now, the hunter took the time to curse a quiet stream of profanity.

The hunter hooked the nozzle of the flamer to the fuel tank. With both his hands he removed the helmet and gulped in the air, ignoring the foul smell in the sewers. After he had taken enough breaths to refill his lungs without broadcasting his presence in the sewers, he pulled a land mine from his explosives bag, a good sized pouch with two pockets, one for a handful of grenades and the other for a couple land mines. He primed the mine and tossed it ahead of him. It landed in about the middle of the right path. It wouldn't do much to a Deathclaw, but the hunter would hear the bang and know to watch his back.