Chapter 14: But Your Sister is in Another Slave Camp! (*KILLAP*)
From the journal of Carlos Vargas, Shield of Hope, 22 December 2242:
"We goed to Slaver Camp where Sulik seester is hopefully are.
"We arrive in cover of la noche. There is una casa here and two slave pens. The slaver cholos in la casa not think we their enemigos and let us look around.
"So the one in charge is named Don? That would make him Don Don. But now is not time to make chiste. We here to free Sulik seester!
"There not as many slavers here as in Den, but they look tougher. Bigger armor, maybe better guns. Don Don wearing metal armor and carrying combat shotgun. Cuidate, I tell myself. Wait for right time to attack. We move through la casa. The slavers look at us with mean ojos, but they not make move.
"We leave and look at slave pen to left of la casa. There lots of slaves here. Two guards here.
"The slaves suffer muchisimos, but I try stay cool. I look at Sulik. He shake head no; he not see his seester here.
"We go to other slave pen, to the right of la casa. There is one guard and his perro walking around it. While they not look, I walk into pen. Slaves here are behind a fence. I talk to first slave I see, a young tribal woman.
"Perrocarne y yo run outside of slave pen and try to take guard by surprise. We both attack, but not make much damage because we so much in rage. But then Sulik calmly aimed shotgun and...
"Hey Zeus Cristo, Sulik! Glad you hit slaver and not the hombre standing next to him. I never forget squishy sound of when metal armor not hold in organs anymore. (It kinda sound like when you chew day-old morcilla.) After slaver fall down muerto, Perrocarne go after slaver's dog and kill it muerto.
"Then there was gunshot in distance and Sulik got hit in shoulder. One of slavers from la casa was shooting. We take cover on other side of pen and wait for him to come. He come running around corner and we ambush him. This trick work every time. He was using a big pistola (Desert Eagle .44), but that is a gun for a real man, and slaver is not real man. His aim was bad, and when he hit, it only hurt a little. He even mess up and lose all his ammo. Perrocarne just chew his ankles until he lose too much sangre and died.
"I search his body and find out why he not good pistolero; he only a hardener! He have hardening tool. In English, I think it called a hedge trimmer.
"My spear getting dull and not good weapon anyway, so I replace it with hedge trimmer and hope it is better for both hardening and killing.
"We wait for more slavers to arrive, but they not come. They think wimpy hardener took care of us. We sneak up to guard in front of la casa. I attack him with hedge trimmer and miss twice. I almost laugh at self; it be a long time since I use hedge trimmer. But Sulik hit him with shotgun.
"Then everyone come out of la casa, including Don Don with his combat shotgun. It like big welcoming party for fiesta. Don Don shoot at us, but he mess up and drop combat shotgun. I run over and pick up shotgun so he no could use it. Then I swing hedge trimmer at him...
"¡Joyas! See how far he fly? Using hedge trimmer is skill you never forget. But Don Don is tough hombre, he not stay down. He get up and come at me. I trim him, he fall down and get up again. I trim him again, this time he stay down.
"Besa a tu mamá en el infierno, Don Don!
"Then I go help Perrocarne and Sulik with the other slavers. During fight, Perrocarne fight so hard that he got crippled in both left leg and left paw! Pobre perro!
"I hit one slaver with hedge trimmer, noticing too late she was a woman.
"That not matter. I here to save one woman. If I succeed, I forgive self for hurting other womans. While slaver girl was down on ground, Perrocarne use his right leg and right paw to jump onto her. That look pretty funny until he bite her neck in half.
"Next slaver I fight was also woman, and she use hedge trimmer like me. Another hardener! In better world, maybe we be friends. But in this world, we are luchadores on opposing sides. She a pretty good hardener too, knock me off my pies.
"But I more experienced hardener, and I kill her in the end. I laugh at what I become, using hardening tool to make muerte instead of help life grow.
"All the slavers at la casa were muertos, so it was time to kill the guards at the other slave pen. There were only two, but they had guns that made loud, strange sound. I find out later these guns called assault rifles. We attack from side so they both not get good aim at us. Perrocarne not with us since he walk too slow on only right legs. Sulik run out of shotgun bullets, so he use sledgehammer. It was muy peligroso fight, but we hold out. Even Perrocarne finally catch up with us and help. In the end, both guards die, their guts and bones tangled in the fence.
"With all slavers dead, time to free slaves. How to unlock fence? Perrocarne was digging at one of the slaver bodies; I thought he was just eating it, but he find the keys on it and bring them to me. Bueno, Perrocarne, muy bueno! Not gonna save a crippled pet from becoming his master's meal, but bueno! I use keys to free slaves
"Then we head back to other pen where Sulik seester is. Along way, I loot the slaver bodies. I give the combat shotgun, Desert Eagle, and assault rifles to Sulik. There is one thing I keep for myself: some kind of big, black glove.
"I think it is a cooking mitt. Bueno, it come in handy for when I make Perrocarne quesadillas. And maybe it better for hand than using spiked knuckles, which all bent inward now because I use so much.
"I use key to get out Sulik seester, whose name Kurisu.
"We take her back to her home in Primitive Tribe right a-quick.
"Whole village have fiesta for safe return of Kurisu. I let Sulik go so he have fun and spend time with familia. He deserve it.
"I use Doctor's Bag to heal Perrocarne's legs. He deserve it, too. Then I find quiet place in trees near entrance to Primitive Tribe and meditate like Hakunin teach me. While my hurts heal, I think what must do. Before I go to Vault City to look for HECK, there something else I want: información. Información is sometime the most peligroso thing to look for.
"I think about what Kurisu say about Sulik. If Sulik really like me that much, he follow me no matter how dangerous the situación. But what I about to go through, I can't put him through. That not what amigo does to amigo.
"Next night, I tell Sulik, 'Sulik, I gotta go away for a while. Take care of Perrocarne if you not gonna eat him.'
" 'Carlos?' he say, 'Wherever you be going, the dog and I be your shadow.'
" 'No, ese. This I gotta do on my own. What I about to do, I no can ask you to risk your vida for. Otherwise Kurisu never forgive me. This between me and inmigración.'
" 'But--'
" 'I promise I come back if I not die. Then we go Vault City together. But for now you stay with familia. Entiendes?'
"Sulik not say nothing, he look like feelings hurt. I give him big abrazo and move on to other amigo.
"You not worry about me, Perrocarne. While away, I always think how good your meat will taste when I get back, and that thought gonna keep me alive.
"I take off my armor and leave it and all my other cosas--weapons, dinero, stimpaquetes, marijuana, everything--in a hut in Primitive Tribe. I start walk south toward mountains, wearing only my blue work uniform. With every step I take, I say prayer to tribal god...."