Chapter LXXIII: Out of the Woods?

 The dust settled down, quite literally, when the final gasps of air left the last dying Sinner's lungs. The three stalkers emerged from the mine, shaken, bloodied and battered, yet alive. Hip was watching them from her vantage point above the old mine elevator, grinning a bit after she saw them. The trio of hunters was reunited after the brief period of hallucination-inducef lunacy.

They started a small fire next to the main building and sat down next to Boris, who was quietly skimming through the papers and PDA files of the dead Sin members.

• I don't seem to understand a sentence on this. Between all the praising of Vyraj and Chernobog, they seem to be quite content in keeping all the details as obscured as possible, all I see are some mentions of Limansk and something called the "Purifier", Boris complained, puzzled.

He raised his eyes from the PDA when silence persisted. Anton was shivering despite the fire. Mark placed his hand on Anton's shoulder. Despite the exoskeleton, the normally massive free stalker looked small and pitiful.

• What is it? Anton, you okay?, Boris asked.

• Not really. The karlik really messed with my head. You see, I left to the Zone because there was an accident at work back in Austria. One of my superiors got caught into some construction equipment and I lost my job because I was blamed for it. I drifted from job to job, but that past accident caught up to me and I lost them all. I have a daughter and wife there, Sophia and Erika, and they needed money, so I came to the Zone since I have some contacts here among the ecologists, Anton explained, his voice weak.

• I see. And the karlik showed you horrible things happening to your wife and daughter in Austria, did it?, Mark asked sympathetically. Anton nodded.

• I have never felt such terror. I can't stay in the Zone any longer. I have a hefty sum stashed up north, and some artefacts which I could sell for profit, plus my gear and exo. It could pay me enough to buy a new life somewhere, I've been thinking of the Baltics, you can get pretty far there with just English and Russian.

• I'll help you with that in any way I can, Boris replied to him. Mark and Hip nodded as well.

• Thank you all, it means a lot. But I'll help you with this Sin business first. By the looks of things, it's gonna be bad, and I'd hate to leave it in a worse shape than it was when I arrived, Anton answered with a dry smile. He seemed to have regained his composure.

• Well, I thank you for that, by the looks of things we'll have a proper fight in our hands. Should we get going? I'd hate to keep Dima waiting, he'll bicker and whine about it if he has to, and don't you guys think that he'll let you off the hook either, Boris joked, receiving a chuckle from his companions.

• I doubt he's having too bad a time in Army Warehouses, knowing him he's stealing cigs and booze from the Freedomers, Hip commented with a smile, to which Boris grunted with agreement. The squad set off, their destination Army Warehouses once more.

On a misty morning, they crossed the border into Army Warehouses. The guards greeted them in the cheery tone of a true Freedomer. Dima was found chatting away with their Freedom associates, Matvei Bayonet and Danya Artist. The initial group now reunited, Hip was eager to continue onwards. Loki needed the supplies she was carrying, and plenty of valuable time had been lost. Boris agreed, and with haste they set off once more. The sheer size of the ambushing Sin group from earlier stressed Boris, it was clear the new faction was a powerful foe. It was best to counter them as fast as possible, especially if Strelok's visions were true.

On the way to Red Forest, Boris and Hip shared their experience with Kolovrat earlier, but neither Dima, Mark or Anton had heard of such a thing before.

• You been hitting the beer too much lately, Boris? I know being a faction leader can be stressfull, but if I wanted to be led by a drunkard I'd join the bandits, Dima joked.

• Like you've got any right to be a critic, your lungs are probably darker than renegade's future, Anton replied, prompting a few chuckles.

• Hey, someday we'll stumble upon the Oasis and they'll be as good as new, then we'll see who's laughing, Dima protested.

Not long after, the intimidating wall of flora appeared in the horizon. The forest was as beautiful and mysterious as ever, red trees reaching towards the sky and shadowing the ground below. The mud and moldy underbrush was not the most welcoming sight however, and there were still pockets of snow from earlier. The squad followed Boris when he used his Svarog and bolts to avoid anomalies, the utter silence of the forest as unnerving as the darkness and desolation.

• Why's it so silent here? No mutants, no stalkers? What's going on?, Dima whispered.

• Hush, don't jinx it. Besides, I might have a hunch on what's going on, keep low and prepare your weapons, Mark said in a hushed voice.

A few minutes of stressful crouch-walking later, they found the source of emptiness. A particularly large pseudogiant patrolled the central opening. Mark's expertize had been invaluable again, and the group prepared to ambush the large beast. From each side, they closed to it from the cover of the large rocks, and when close enough, begun a blinding firestorm. Many rounds broke or ricocheted off its hide, and especially shotgun pellets seemed to do little more than piss it off. It roared in pain and mostly out of rage, turning around to charge the group.

Its first fearsome lunge made it rush into the rocks, having aimed at Dima but gotten outmaneuvred by the nimble stalker. Dima's KS-23 unleashed its dangerous payload into the monster's skin, and this time bloody bits fell off. Yet most of the wounds were superficial, more scars to add to the beast's large collection. In a swift movement, it pounded the ground, scattering and staggering the group.

Boris' Nosorog had shielded him from most of the concussive blast, though his teeth still rattled inside his mouth. Anton had similarly survived thanks to his exoskeleton, and together the big stalkers struck right away. Boris took his RPD out and begun suppressive fire, while Anton loaded a grenade into his M203 launcher. The grenade spun across the air and dug deep into the giant's head, exploding and releasing bloody chunks across the forest.

• Well, that's that then, good riddance big bastard, Hip managed to stammer while getting up to her feet.

• Yup, I hate those simply because they break my budget everytime, Mark replied, similarly getting back up.

The giant dealt with, they were now able to continue on, and the rest of the woods did not hinder their travels. The barriers formed by anomalies were now known to them, although Boris did stop the group once when an artefact lay ahead. Maneuvering carefully between the pulsing and discharging Electro anomalies, he inched his way towards the small blink on the Svarog's radar. Getting close enough, he saw it. A Flash. Boris opened up the LLC he had kept just for situations like this and with careful use of his artefact equipment placed it inside.

The artefact glimmered with unnatural light, almost blinding to look at, and Boris mused that it would make for a nice lamp if not for all the radiation. Some egghead would pay a hefty sum for it, yet Boris did wonder if it could bring him some benefits if kept. Still, it was no time for dillydallying, Stitch was waiting. Boris returned to the frustrated group, anxious to continue and eyeing up the forest. Only Mark was at ease, but his gaze was as vigilant as ever. He took the lead now, and Boris was glad to not be the first to step into danger for once.

The tunnel entrance showed up from the depths of the woodland soon, and it was there Boris and Dima bid farefell to the trio of stalkers. They'd head for Jupiter now, it was time to fulfill Hip's mission. The two Redeemed went inside where Stitch was waiting, clearly stressed yet relieved to see the new arrivals.

• Goddamn good thing you're here! You got the decoder?, he said impatiently. Boris handed him the device.

• Blyat, it's not this one, it's my blood pressure measurement device, Stitch cried out in a disappointed tone.

• Are you fucking serious?, Dima exclaimed, and Stitch's face melted into a grin.

• Just messing with you two. But I've got news from Rogue. And not good ones. Limansk is under siege, the mercs are almost all dead and he's got a handful of men left himself. They'll need you, immediately, or Sin gains a permanent foothold, he explained in a much more serious tone.

• Once more into the breach then..., Boris sighed.