Chapter XXXII: Operation Giantslayer

 The road to the Outskirts was a long one, but less action-packed. Boris, Hip and Dima used whatever hidden paths they could, travelling through forests and forgotten roads. Only small packs of dogs defied them there, being thrown apart by the concentrated firepower of the trio. They made a quick stop in Army Warehouses, taking in supplies and updating or upgrading their weaponry. Boris switched his AKMN and MP-133 out for more suitable weapons for the task at hand, buying a Remington 870 with a C-More sight and a FN FAL rifle, fitting it with the ACOG scope.

While Hip and Dima refilled their supplies and bought what they needed, Boris went to Lukash to tell him of the fate of Venya. Lukash seemed to still remember Boris from his time with Freedom as a renegade, and while he was agitated by the news, he seemed reassured when Boris told him that Sultan would be dealt with in time.

Boris asked him to not send Freedom units into the Meadow while Dimuha was training the first unit of Redeemed, although Boris did not mention that he was building a faction there. The time was not ripe yet. Lukash didn't seem to be too interested in it, he was just glad Boris had shut down the Scorcher last time he had passed through here. Made the life in Army Warehouses bearable, Lukash said.

The trio moved on as soon as everyone was ready, and Boris continued to tell Hip the story of himself and the Redeemed. Hip did not seem eager to join, but she did appreaciate the idea and the fact that at least some of the local criminals would no longer be a problem for the loners. Hip agreed to stick around until Boris had helped her complete her missions to the local traders, as Boris thought he could use all the firepower he'd get in the fights to come. Hip seemed eager to meet the legendary Strelok as well.

They travelled through the night, passing through Red Forest, which for once was not swarming with Monolith, and Jupiter, which was as quiet as ever. With the first light of the morning painting the forgotten Eastern block cement buildings in red glow, the three comrades entered Pripyat Outskirts. A lone pseudodog howled in the distance, and wails of snorks could be heard nearby. Otherwise no sound could be identified in the dead city. Boris took the lead as always, his large armour being more capable of protecting them if they got ambushed. The city remained as dead as it felt like, only the ghosts of former inhabitants whispering in their ears from time to time, which made Hip glance anxiously around her.

They arrived to the laundromat unimpeded by anyone, and Stitch greeted them as pleasantly as ever. Rogue nodded them in stark contrast to Stitchs warmth. Dima went to discuss the upcoming mission with Stitch and Rogue while Hip and Boris headed to Strelok. Strelok met them with characteristic impassivity, and Boris introduced Hip to her. After some discussions regarding the missions at hand, Strelok asked Boris to help out the other two members of his group while Strelok made final preparations.

Stitch's needs were easy, he needed medical supplies which Dima had already given him. Rogue meanwhile had something trickier. He had spotted a pseudogiant not far from here which could prove dangerous for the mission, and he wanted them to kill it. Boris thought of the time in Yantar when he met one of those massive behemoths in the tunnels, but nodded anyway. Whatever was needed of him, he'd do. Besides, the FAL could be an useful asset when dealing with the giant.

Rogue uploaded the rough coordinates of the thing to Boris' PDA, and they left for the hunt at hand. Hip proposed that they'd lure the thing into a trap involving an IED, but Dima explained that the explosion would draw all hostiles in the city to them. Hip agreed to this hesitantly. Boris meanwhile had realized that the beast would be near the kindergarden, and as such they could utilize the place as a fortified position to pepper it from. He explained his idea of an ambush to the two stalkers and they agreed.

The sun was only reaching high enough position now that the light was not blocked by the largest buildings. In this new, crisp light the city looked hauntingly beautiful, and despite the mission at hand Boris still couldn't take his eyes off the sight. It seemed there could be beauty in the Zone after all, despite all the misery and death. His thoughts were interrupted when firing started not too far away, and a massive roar responded to it. Boris jumped on top of one abandoned vehicle and surveyed the scene unfolding.

Three Monolith soldiers were moving towards the massive hunk of flesh and muscles that was the pseudogiant. They seemed like novice warriors, and their weapons seemed to merely anger the beast. It looked at them with such fury, Boris could see one of the Monoliths take a few steps back until the mindcontrol kicked back in and he started moving the monster again. The weapons fire continued with more desperation as the goliath crunched one of the brainwashed under its gigantic legs, yet the warriors did not retreat.

Another warrior flew across the air when the hulking monstrosity headbutted him, the remains looking like every bone inside his body had been broken and made into paste. Boris observed this fight, squeezing every last drop of information out of it. He looked at where the warriors fired at, where the bullets would bounce off and where they'd penetrate the thick hide. He saw the final Monolith warrior draw a grenade when the beast closed in, yell Vrag Monolita and pull the pin when he was crushed. The explosion wounded the giant, and Boris knew it was time to act.

Yelling orders to abandon the plan and strike swiftly, Boris took the lead and switched to the Remington. He told Hip to cover him and Dima, and Hip nodded, staying on top of the rotting old vehicle. Dima switched to the KS-23 with glee in his eyes, it was time to hunt again. Boris acted as a bait and run at the giant from behind, hitting it in the back with his kukri and making the beast roar as it was surprised. It turned around and faced a spray of buckshot aimed at its eyes, popping them like rotten tomatoes. Extremely angered and blind, the beast let out a roar that made Boris' ears ring, and he dived out of the way when the monster smashed the ground in front of it.

Hip shot round after round of slugs into the beast, wounding it even more, each round sending spurts of blood all over the place. But it was Dima who caused the lion share of the damage, his KS-23 booming like thunder as it smashed enormous amounts of shrapnel into the hide of the abomination. Each shot made the brute scream like nothing Boris had ever heard, and this screaming almost caused Boris' concentration to slip. He was dancing around the behemoth, stabbing and shooting at it while dodging the claws and teeth of the thing.

After minutes of this lethal fighting had taken place, and more ordnance had been used at the beast than most African countries had in their arsenal, the abomination groaned one last time and collapsed, its body almost crushing Boris as it fell down. Boris stood there, panting and sweating. One more obstacle had been removed in the hunt for Eidolon, perhaps finally they could get this mission done.

• You know what boss? I don't feel particularly peachy right now, but at least it isn't burers, said Dima as he lit a cigarette. Boris chuckled.

• You two fight the biggest fucking thing in the Zone for minutes and almost get crushed, yet complain about little dwarf men? Hip asked in a very confused tone.

• I'd rather be back in Chechnya than fight burers ever again, Dima said and shuddered. Boris tossed a can of beans at his helmet, and Dima almost jumped, dropping his cigarette.

• Goddammit, you cause both a PTSD episode for me and make me drop a cig, what the hell man? Dima yelled and made Boris laugh even harder. Even Hip smiled a little. The serenity of the morning might have been ruined by the giant but at least Boris had gotten his good mood back.