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originally posted in:The New Dojo
10/19/2017 4:28:29 AM
1
The fire cleared a path for the old man as he followed the voice, but suddenly a group of bandits that were taking advantage of the chaos jumped in front of Grant, wicked smiles on their faces. Before they could say a word however, the fire seemed to jump out at them, burning them alive and killing them in an instant.
English
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[b]Grant didn't even do much as flinch when the bandits had jumped out at him, and didn't flinch when the flames incinerated the poor men. He'd seen some major shit in the Legion camps back when he was an active member of the NCR. He might be old, but he still had a will of steel. And he also noticed the clearing of the flames. Whoever caused all this wanted him safe. He couldn't think of anybody besides Irina and Panta who wanted that, but perhaps he had a guardian angel. He kept walking and walking, whistling the tune of a Cole Porter song.[/b]
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Eventually he'd find himself in a clearing where everything had been leveled and already burned to ash. The radius was several dozen meters wide and void of any movement. However, in the center he could make out Panta's body, covered in burns and bleeding from several cuts.
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[b]It hurt like hell. He did his best he could to run, but it was more like a fast hobble forwards. There was a plain look of pain on his face. He was so worried. How was she even alive through all this? She'd believed the girl was tough but... Had she caused all of this? Was that what it was? He rushed over to her, and tried to pick her up, only to fall over himself. One of his legs fell completely out of place, and he used his good arm to drag him to her shoulder, and shook it.[/b] "Panta... Wake up... We need to get out of here... You need a doctor..."
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"Father...?" She coughed and turned to look at him. When she opened her eyes Grant saw red hot fire instead of her normal blue eyes. The only thing covering her body was ash and debris, her clothes having been burned off. Her voice was soft, quiet, and distant as if she weren't fully aware. "Death....fire....so much death....it all burns...."
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[b]Grant takes off his duster, covering Panta as best he can with it. He didn't want a light breeze taking away her modesty.[/b] "What happened, Panta? Are you okay? Did... Did you do all this?" [b]There was a heavy tone of worry in Grant's voice. He desperately didn't want it to be her fault. He thought it'd be a failure on his part if it was. He had been raising her. Irina was too, but he couldn't help but put the blame on himself if anything went wrong.[/b]
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Panta blinked and her eyes were suddenly normal again. She blinked a few more times to clear her eyes and rubbed them a little. "G-Grant? O-Oh...." She looked over and noticed all the fire and carnage. Fear instantly took over her as she began to shake and cry.
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[b]Grant put his good arm around her, and the itty bitty stump that was left of his left arm moved towards Panta a little bit. He tried to hug her, to comfort her.[/b] "Hey... Kiddo just... Panta, try and calm down. It's all okay. They aren't hurting me so I'm pretty sure they won't hurt you... Do you have any idea what's going on?"
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Panta sniffled and hyperventilated a little before answering. "N-No....Where are we?" Grant would probably start to notice the fire dying down around them rapidly.
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"We're in Dojoville. I found you laying here. When I was coming to get you... The flames parted. These guys tried to jump me and it just incinerated them... Let's... Get you home. Well... What's left of home. Okay?" [b]Grant rejoins his leg with his stump, and slowly stands up, sheer force of will allowing him to pick up Panta. The duster was very, very large compared to her size, so it easily covered all of her. It was painful, but he could get her home.[/b] "Y-Ya ready, kid?"
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The fire had completely died down at this point as Panta nodded. "P-Please....I'm sorry for losing the clo-Agh!" The girl had just began to finally feel the pain from the cuts all over her body and winced, but the burns she had seemed to heal on their own when the fire died.
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"Shh... It's okay, Panta. Whatever happened is okay... I'll put some healing powder on you when we get back to our house... I'll give you some bitter drink... It'll help with the pain... I... I think I might have a stimpack left..." [b]Grant seemed almost panicked when he was going through his options, like Panta's cuts were immediately fatal and she was about to die. But that wasn't very true. Her injuries weren't that severe.[/b]
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"I-I'm fine, Grant. That's...a lot of blood though..." Panta raised one of her blood covered hands to her face and began to freak out again. She clung tightly to Grant and cried into his duster.
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"You'll be fine... I promise... I... You need to be fine..." [b]Grant was crying as well now, as they neared the house. He kicks the door completely off the hinges, which pushes the prosthetic into his flesh on the stump of his leg. He doesn't even flinch. He just whispers under his breath.[/b] "I can't lose you goddammit... I'm not losing another kid..." [b]He sat her down on the couch, grabbing healing powder and a bottle of butter drink. He hands her the bottle, and begins to rub healing powder on her. Blood was spilling from the place the bad prosthetic had pierced him, but he didn't even seem to notice. He was too determined.[/b]
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Panta gestured at Grant's leg instead of drinking from the bottle. "Y-Your leg....Please take care of your leg."
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"DRINK THE GODDAMNED DRINK PANTA! I... I can't... Not again..." [b]He ignores her words, and keeps on rubbing healing powder into her various cuts. He didn't give a single damn if he bled out then and there, he had to make sure Panta was okay.[/b]
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"I'm okay! Fix your leg!" Panta sounded like she was actually angry for once, raising her voice. "I'm fine! I'll live! So fix your goddamn leg!"
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[b]Grant finally snaps out of his stupor of trying to make Panta better, and takes a look down at his leg. He tears the prosthetic piece out, and screams in pain. He takes and entire pouch of the healing powder, and stuffs it into the wound. It basically acts as a plug. He put so much there that the blood coagulated very fast, and it made a small puck of blood and powder that would harden fairly quickly. He then went back to Panta.[/b]
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"Thank you!...Sorry for yelling...." Rhei sat there quietly for the remainder of the time it took Grant to fix her up, taking a few sips from the bottle here and there.
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[b]After he's done, he hugs her again, crying.[/b] "I couldn't... I can't... I..." [b]He sniffles again, composing himself just a little bit.[/b] "I can't lose anyone else... You and Irina are all I have left... The NCR is... It's gone. Burnt to ash and cinder. My friends... My daughter... I won't even get to bury her..." [b]He starts to cry again.[/b] "You and... You and Irina are like kids to me, Panta... Like my own flesh and blood... I can't lose anymore... Irina can manage on her own but... You're just... You're so naive and sweet... You don't know what's wrong with the world... And I'm here stuck in my wheelchair... I can't even help you... I'm lucky I was able to walk far enough to find you... Just..." [b]He sobs pretty heavily for a second, but Panta can make out a few words between sobs.[/b] "Please... Never... Leave..."
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"I'll never leave you, father." Panta hugged back nuzzled her face against his chest. She was scared out of her mind and had no idea what was going on, but to have someone there for her made it bearable. "I promise."
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[b]He went silent now, but did mutter two words, in a hushed whisper.[/b] "Thank you..." [b]He sniffles, and pulls her to him tightly with his arm. It was a tight hold, but not uncomfortable at all. His eyes were still open, and his eyes read two things. Sadness and determination. He was sad for obvious reasons, but determined to make sure Panta was safe. He would make sure she was safe for every day of his life. He spoke again.[/b] "You have no idea how much it means to me that you said that..."
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"I love you, father. I hope we can spend more time together before you pass away." Rhei leaned back a little so she could look her father figure in the eye. "I don't know what happened, but it obviously scared you even more than it did me."
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"There was fire everywhere... People burning... Buildings falling to ash... This house was the only one I could find that was untouched. Not even a scorch mark. Just soot from other buildings... And there was creatures... Huge, fiery creatures that were destroying everything... Killing everyone... But it all ignored me. The fire. The creatures. All ignored..." [b]He looks her in the eyes now, and manages a small smile.[/b] "But you're okay. That's what matters. And I've got quite a few years left in me if I stay in good health. I'm only fifty-three."
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Panta had a look of horror when he described what had happened, but put on a smile to match Grant's at the end. "Only fifty-three? I could've sworn you've been around since the stone age." She laughed a little, joking.
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[b]Grant lets out a small chuckle, she seemed to be cheering him up.[/b] "Obviously. Totally helped invent the wheel too." [b]He chuckles again, much less pleased with his own joke.[/b] "Are you hungry? I can cook something real quick... If we still have power."
