Description[]
This What If Death Battle will feature Locus from Red vs Blue and Colonel Radec from Killzone. (Off Season Fanon Episode)
The perfect soldier is skilled. Intelligent. Completely merciless. Willing to follow any order without hesitation. It also helps if they've got a badass sounding voice. Either way, you most likely won't see your death coming (literally) if either of these guys want you dead.
Interlude[]
Nova: Hey guys! You ever wonder... Why we're suddenly skipping ahead to another episode while we're still in the middle of a Season Finale?
Alice: Only the writer knows... (Lazy bastard) What does matter is the sudden spark of inspiration in our hearts.
Luther: Hmm. That sounds great. Meanwhile I'm just impatiently waiting to see an awesome sniper duel.
Theodore: Hold your horses, friend! No good soldier ever gets anything done by rushing into situations head first!
Rena: Ahem?
Alice: You're a bit of a special case, Rena.
Rena: That's what I thought. Bitch.
Theodore: Well then, we seem to have pressed all the wrong buttons here...
Luther: If anything, today's combatants are the complete opposites of our local loose cannon in more ways than one. (If ya know what I'm saying. *wink*)
Nova: Well gee, that's a pretty vague hint when concerning Locus, the cold blooded merc.
Theodore: And Colonel Mael Radec, a true symbol of Helghast loyalty.
Alice: You guys are probably familiar enough with us by this point, and it's our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win-
Everyone Else: A DEATH BATTLE!
Locus[]
Theodore: Allow me to tell you the story of a remote planet called Chorus. That's remote as in completely ignored by the rest of the galaxy.
Nova: Oh come on, why would anyone want to ignore this place? Especially when it's filled to the brim with awesome alien weapons and technology?
Luther: I don't think sightseeing would be anywhere on the UNSC's agenda when there's an intergalactic war brewing down.
Nova: Did you not hear me when I emphasized the ALIEN TECHNOLOGY? We've got laser beams, hoverbikes, procreation temples, freakin' Santa Claus and more! That's one hell of a missed opportunity if I ever saw one!
Luther: Whoa whoa whoa, repeat that last one for me!
Nova: What, you still believe in Santa? Granted, he does exist on this planet, but-
Luther: No, I meant the- OW!
Alice: *cough* Regardless of anyone's abounding enthusiasm, Chorus itself only faded into the annals of history, forcing those who remained on the planet to fend for themselves.
Rena: But oh boy did these people screw it up horribly! By that I mean they just started killing the shit out of each other in a bloody civil war!
Theodore: To be fair, it wasn't entirely the fault of the Chorusans. Alas, if not for the nefarious ongoings from behind the scenes, this unnecessary conflict would have ended ages ago! To quote the great Solid Snake: Politics, economics, the arms race – they’re all just arenas for meaningless competition.
Alice: I don't think he's the one that said that... But now I bet everyone's wondering who's truly behind this shit heap, right?
Nova: It turns out that Chrous's alien tech wasn't completely forgotten after all! An obviously corrupt (you can tell because he's completely bald) chairman by the name of Malcolm Hargrove saw a perfect business opportunity... that just happened to involve killing off everyone on the planet. Man, what an asswipe.
Luther: In order to conceal his own involvement, the chairman enlisted an army of space pirates and mercenaries to fuel the civil war long enough for the people of Chorus to kill themselves off.
Theodore: Ah, yes. He who controls the battlefield controls history. I believe George Washington said this line.
Alice: *buzzer sound* Wrong again.
Nova: But none of these men happened to be more effective than a soldier who went by the name Locus.
Rena: Locus? As in the name of the armor brand?
Alice: Indeed. Although not much is known about his past, Samuel Ortez was initially a soldier serving under the UNSC during the war.
Theodore: As the infamous Jack the Ripper once stated, a name means nothing on the battlefield. No one quite knows who or what they are.
Alice: Seriously?! You actually managed to screw up two quotes in one line?
Rena: Oh, I can make up inspirational quotes too! Fighting is awesome, but war is stupid!
Luther: Huh. That was somehow contradictory AND incredibly fitting at the same time.
Nova: Like an unfortunate addiction to drugs, old habits die hard, and Locus struggled to return to a civilian life after his time was over. So he did what any sensible veteran would do and became a contract mercenary alongside his old war buddy Felix!
Rena: Eh, I guess it can't be helped. On the bright side, the duo's sheer badassery was more than enough to attract the attention of a certain bald prick, which resulted in a long, treacherous involvement with the inhabitants of Chorus.
Theodore: Now if you're going to manipulate two warring factions into endless conflict, then you're going to need the right tools for the trade. For Locus, this includes his trademark armor, which was based on the Gen 2 Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor.
Alice: Like any other Spartan suits, this beast greatly augments its wearers physical abilities while allowing a great array of customization options, perfectly complementing any fighting style one would desire.
Luther: Locus's favorite tool is definitely his Cloak enhancement, a device that does exactly what you'd expect. It allows him to remain completely unseen as long as he's not actively firing his weapon. But he can still retain some semblance of stealth if he decides to go in unarmed, so hooray for loopholes!
Nova: Speaking of weapons, this merc's got an entire armory's worth of them at his disposal! You sure as hell can't go wrong when your go to gun is the SAW-
Rena: Locus uses a chainsaw too?! That's awesome!
Alice: No, we mean the Squad Automatic Weapon, otherwise known as the M739 Light Machine Gun. This lovely creation is perfect for close range encounters, keeping foes at bay with its high ammo count and power.
Luther: Cool story bro, but the SRS99-S5 AM Sniper Rifle is clearly the superior gun in my eyes. It's accurate, it can pierce through more than just armor (bow chika bow wow) and Locus is a goddamn MLG pro when it comes to using it!
Nova: I bet he could totally 360 noscope a grenade from across the battlefield.
Theodore: Very impressive, but I have a personal fondness for the Sticky Detonator, a seemingly normal looking pistol that fires off C4 grenades that automatically latch on to any surface!
Rena: Whenever Locus just wants to say f*ck strategy, he'll just close the distance with the M45D Shotgun. He kind of has to, since shotguns are about as powerful as cotton candy from any distance longer than 10 feet.
Alice: I would like to take a moment to point out that in real life, shotguns are actually not hilariously, stupidly inaccurate. Getting shot by one is painful as all hell and does not merely tickle even if you've been grazed from a large distance.
Rena: The more you know!
Luther: Locus even has a powerful magnum strong that's effective from just about anywhere and a goddamn railgun that fires combustive rounds that not even the galaxy's best freelancers can handle! Provided he takes a moment to charge it up.
Nova: You know what they say, no real arsenal is complete without some good old fashioned explosives! Besides carrying around a healthy supply of grenades, Locus has been known to equip himself with a real beauty called the Incineration Cannon!
Theodore: Yes, it's certainly powerful enough to one shot a tank, but the need to reload with every shot is highly inefficient if you ask me.
Alice: Knowing Theo, he'd probably use the damn thing as a bludgeon once he runs out of ammo.
Theodore: You know it!
Rena: Long ranged weapons are undeniably iconic, but there's just a quality that can't be matched by slicing people up close with a blade! So, does anyone remember Locus's good buddy Felix? It turns out he's a total asshole!
Alice: That should have been obvious from the very beginning, but what does matter is that he got himself killed by the show's colorful group of idiots near the end of Season 13.
Luther: Which resulted in Locus calling dibs on his friend's newly abandoned Energy Sword!
Theodore: Well technically, it's the second Great Key-
Rena: Shut up, it's a sword. It stabs people, it cuts through shit, it freakin' glows, it's definitely a sword.
Nova: And as an added bonus, locus is the only one that can actually use this sword! Cause you know, he's apparently the Chosen One now. Go ahead, try and it steal it for yourself! It won't even turn on for you.
Luther: Yeesh, it seems everybody's got some sort of fancy key sword these days. Is the position of Chosen One really THAT special?
Alice: Considering that I just managed to order one off the internet last week, I wouldn't say so.
Nova: I don't think anyone can deny this dude's level of skill, but he's not invincible either. He has been outdone by similarly powered opponents on a number of occasions and as fate would have it, Locus isn't entirely right in the head either.
Theodore: Yeah, war will do that to anybody. It doesn't matter who you are. Solid Snake himself said it best: Unfortunately, killing is one of those things that gets easier the more you do it.
Alice: Theo, would you just stop butchering... Actually, you managed to get that one right. Never mind.
Luther: PTSD is never a pleasant affliction for anyone. For Locus, it turned him into nothing more than a cold monster, which only got worse over time.
Rena: But hey, he finally managed to figure out his personal issues after contributing to his old ally's death, which resulted in him setting out to parts unknown in order to make up for mistakes.
Nova: Coming from a soldier that had no problem standing up to two of the best freelancers in the galaxy in hand to hand combat, I'm pretty sure he can pull off his ol' redemption act in no time!
Locus: I'm not doing this for the reward. I'm not doing this because someone told me to. I'm doing this for me.
Radec[]
Nova: Hey, Sony. Do you think I can ask you something? Why the hell don't we have a proper Helghast campaign in Killzone yet?! They're clearly the good guys of the story!
Theodore: That's... somewhat debatable.
Nova: Oh, somewhat nothing! Just think, any faction with Rico on its side simply has to be the enemy!
Theodore: Okay, that part is rather convincing on its own.
Alice: Well, why don't we wait until after we lay out the backstory before making a verdict? The year was 2357, the Earth was dying after suffering a destructive nuclear war, and humanity was in desperate need of a new home.
Luther: Naturally, the survivors all banded together to make their way to the Alpha Centauri system, but you can bet they royally screwed up the relocation process anyway.
Rena: For starters, the system only had two planets to choose from: There was Vekta, which pretty much amounted to Earth 2.0, and Helghan, an inhospitable wasteland rich in energy resources.
Nova: But everything starting falling to shit when the United Colonial Nations (otherwise known as the UCN) decided to auction off these two planets... Instead of, you know, inhabiting the obvious life sustaining planet and repopulating the human race.
Theodore: At least the aptly named Helghan Corporation was smart enough to take the UCN up on their offer and claim Vekta for themselves... But there was just one tiny problem.
Alice: You see, the UCN didn't exactly like this group, so they settled their personal feud the only way they knew how.
Rena: They resorted to an all out invasion! And the Helghast got their asses handed to them!
Luther: So yeah, the group of Space Nazis were forced onto the desolate planet Helghan while the rest of humanity got themselves comfortable over on Vekta. Ain't that a bitch?
Nova: These circumstances forced them to evolve far beyond the capabilities of ordinary humans just so they could survive. Though on the bright side, that means everyone gets to carry around these cool gas masks everywhere they go!
Luther: What happened to your voice... You didn't actually-
Nova: {Sweeeeet! Everything looks so... red from inside here! Were you guys actually aliens this entire time?!}
Alice: I believer you might have switched on your thermal vision.
Nova: {Oh... I knew that.}
Theodore: Meanwhile, the UCN assigned an organization known as the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA for short) to govern over Vekta. Needless to say, the Helghast weren't exactly pleased with this little trade off.
Luther: At times like this, there is only one action left to take...
Rena: It's time for some good old fashioned REVENGE!
Nova: {Once they fully recovered from their losses, the Helghast wasted no time returning the favor with a bloody invasion of their own!}
Alice: Yes, this would make for a great example of poetic justice...
Theodore: Except for the fact that this fight didn't go so well for them.
Cue Sound & Stop Music
Nova: {Oh... Well that's bullshit.}
Luther: Your plans can't really backfire much more when the people you're warring against take the fight to your own planet. The day is not looking so bright for Helghan now...
Theodore: It seems Helghan needs leadership more than ever now... This planet needs a true hero to fight for its people!
Rena: Enter Mael Radec, a dude SO popular that he was chosen above all other Killzone characters to take place in the annual Smash Bros ripoff! That's one hell of a jump for a mere second in command, right?
Alice: Having been born and raised upon Helghan soil amidst the planet's times of hardship, Radec knew of his world's struggles better than most.
Nova: {Radec joined the Helghast army under the reign of Autarch Scolar Visari, where his ruthless skills allowed him to quickly rise to the rank of an equally feared and respected colonel.}
Luther: As the Autarch's personal guard/hitman, Radec's reputation is pretty damn infamous to say the least. The dude's like the Playstation incarnation of Darth Vader, but without all the jedi powers.
Theodore: Well, he's certainly not afraid to shoot down his own men in cold blood... for violating uniform regulations.
Rena: Yeah! That'll teach you not to look in the mirror before heading to work!
Theodore: But Radec didn't earn his lofty position through rampant team killing. We're not talking about Caboose after all.
Nova {Like any good soldier, Radec has an entire slew of weapons that he can pull out of hammerspace! His personal favorite is a simple combat knife which works great when combined with his cloaking device for scoring some sneaky kills!}
Alice: The StA-3 is a light machinegun that's great for any situation, but it's limited bursts of fire leave something to be desired.
Luther: The StA-18 is a simple sidearm that most Helghast soldiers keep at their sides in times of emergency, but is there really any need to use a simple pistol when you've got a beast like the VC32 on your side? This sniper rifle is sure to blow your head off with just a few shots, as long as your aim's good enough.
Alice: I dunno... I'd like to think that the bigass targeting laser that comes equipped with this gun would be a HUGE giveaway, which only makes matters worse when you consider the weapon's low rate of fire.
Rena: If Radec ever feels like taking a fight up close and personal, he'll give Smokey the Bear the middle finger and bust out a goddamned flamethrower called the VC1! Its wide area of effect is more than enough to ensure nobody will escape without getting scorched.
Theodore: Though on the flipside, Radec seems to have a certain weakness for getting doused with flames.
[Insert nonexistent footage here]
Rena: Iiiiiit's super effective!
Nova: {You probably won't be laughing much longer when he shoots you in the face with a freakin' shotgun pistol, which is a true mark of engineering genius if I do say so myself!}
Luther: It's an undeniably powerful gun, but don;t go expecting him to snipe people from across the battlefield with it, especially when the bullets just straight up disappear after traveling what appears to be less than two feet!
Alice: Once again, that's not how shotguns work in real life, but the same principle seems to be applied to his LS13 regardless. Why carry around one shotgun when you can just whip out two at once?
Theodore: That's a simple manner of efficiency, Allie! What else is he supposed to do after he runs out of ammo?
Alice: Does the term reload mean nothing to you? And please don't say he'll just throw the empty gun at his enemies.
Rena: Well, with the VC21 Boltgun, he probably won't have to! Oh, and before anyone asks, it does not shoot out electricity... Nah, it can do better than that by firing off sticky projectiles that EXPLODE after a few seconds!
Theodore: And to think this creative beast was initially an industrial tool...
Luther: it's certainly better at blowing off heads than making buildings, but would you believe me if I said Radec has a particular fondness for heavy weaponry? We're talking about pieces like the VC5 Arc Rifle, a gun that actually DOES shoot out a stream of electricity, unlike the incorrectly named bolt gun.
Alice: We mean bolts as in construction nails, dumbass.
Nova: {But why settle for a small stream of electricity when you can fire off a river of it with the Arc Cannon? You're gonna have to take some time to charge it up, but the effort is totally worth it when you're disintegrating regular soldiers with a single shot!}
Rena: To top off Radec's personal overkill sundae, he's got a Jetpack that lets him fly around the battlefield like a human fighter jet and an automatic rocket launcher with homing capabilities! I've gotta say, with all this firepower at the guy's disposal, there's no way the ISA's gonna stand a chance in this war!
Theodore: I wouldn't be too sure about that. While Radec's loyalty to his commanding officers is unquestionable, he truly has no other interests than properly destroying his enemies on the field of battle. He's well renowned as a great tactician, but he's more of an on the spot thinker than anything else.
Nova: {Well hey, that's worked out well enough for us in the past, right?}
Alice: It didn't stop him from getting his ass handed to him by the main characters at the end of the game.
Nova: {Yeah... that was also bullshit.}
Luther: Not one to even consider betraying his beloved planet, Radec would rather shoot himself in the head rather than allow himself to be captured by the ISA. Which is exactly what happened after that final boss fight.
Rena: Huh. Bummer. But at least he managed to add an epic duel with some random skeleton to his impressive resume before kicking the bucket!
Theodore: That wasn't canon.
Rena: Does it even matter? You've gotta admit Radec vs Daniel was an awesome fight, right?
Luther: What the hell did they even have in common?!
Nova: {Ah, that's not important. What really matters is that we've convinced the audience that the Helghast were the real heroes of the series, right Theo?}
Theodore: Perhaps we could settle for the deduction that both sides are assholes, regardless the audience's initial perception of them? It's not like the Helghasts's hands are entirely clean either.
Nova: {Yeah, that's actually pretty accurate.}
Radec: {I'm not a very patient man. Do you understand why I'm here?}
Interlude 2[]
Alice: Alright, the combatants are set, let's end this debate once and for all.
Nova: {It's time for a DEATH BATTLE!}
Luther: Do you think you can ditch the gas mask any time soon? That new voice is really starting to throw me off.
Nova: {Hell no! I've gotta stay in character until the episode's over!}
The Battle[]
Pre Fight[]
Planet Helghan: Some Unnamed Palace
To say that Colonel Mael Radec was on edge today would be a rather lofty understatement. You need not look any further than the dead bodies of the poor soldiers who had the gall to snark at their commanding officer for proof of this statement. Rumors had spread of a skilled mercenary that the ISA had recruited to take part in their never ending war against Helghan. The esteemed colonel himself had never looked highly upon such gossip, let alone the concept of mercenaries in general, but the validity of this mysterious newcomer became readily apparent as many of Helghan's most prominent officials were found dead in their own bases.
Perhaps even more worrisome was the overall lack of activity at Radec's current post. The phrase "it's too quiet" became increasingly relevant as the soldier trecked through the palace's empty hallways. It didn't take a rocket scientist to determine that the men under Radec's command had been murdered and that the facility had been infiltrated. The colonel let out a sigh of dismay, somewhat disappointed that he would not be able to reprimand privates for neglecting their work duties. Even so, the man refused to be intimidated by such a cliched scenario.
"C- commander..." A strained voice called out the moment Radec paced by a fork in the approaching hallway.
The colonel's attention was immediately drawn towards a wounded Helghast soldier propped up against the wall. {Report, private!} was Radec's simple response as he cautiously approached the injured man.
"Sir, I... don't know what happened. One minute I was talking with Leeroy and the next..." The underling struggled to relay his story, clutching his chest in an obvious display of pain.
{Continue, private.} Radec impatiently commanded without a shred of remorse.
"Forgive me sir! The lights were just suddenly shut down before the rest of my squad started screamingbloody murder! I couldn't tell you who was responsible for this attack, but it couldn't have been one soldier! I tried to escape the moment we were ambushed but I took a throwing knife to the gut before I could any decent progress..." The private hastily concluded, well aware of his boss's reportedly short temper.
{Well then... I believe you will be of no more use to this army.} Radec calmly stated as he reached for his security pistol.
"Wait, I still didn't tell you-" was all the private could say before his commander blew his brains out with the pull of a trigger. The colonel had no qualms with ending the man's suffering early, especially no that his suspicions had been confirmed. His intuition would only be proven further when the faint sound of footsteps rang in from across the hall.
{It seems our uninvited visitors have made themselves far too comfortable.} Radec maliciously commented as he readied his combat knife and activated his cloaking device...
Meanwhile, just outside the palace
"The perimeter is secure, sir! All hostiles have been eliminated!" came the eager report of a soldier who hardly looked like he belonged to either the Helghast or ISA. No, he had a full set of black armor from head to toe, all topped off with an intimidating helmet that completely obscured his facial features.
"And you're sure you've killed off every last soldier in the vicinity? What about their commanding officer?" was the deep reply of a taller man who seemed to be slowly phasing into existence. Judging from his unique style of armor, it was rather clear that this intimidating soldier was Locus, the leader of today's little operation.
"Uh... No sir. We haven't even seen him. Maybe he's just out for lunch?" the shorter soldier sheepishly guessed, prompting a disappointed facepalm from his commanding officer as he fully deactivated his Cloak. "If it makes you feel any better, we've got troops patrolling the whole base now! There's no way in hell he'll he able to-"
"Private, get down!" Locus suddenly interrupted, much to his underling's confusion.
"What are you talking about, sir?" the private asked, completely unaware of the red dot plastered over the side of his head. Before he could even comprehend the situation at hand, the man's head was splattered all over a series of storage crates in the blink of an eye. Luckily for Locus, the trail left behind by the lethal bullet was more than enough to lead his eyes to the shot's perpetrator, who was steadily deactivating his own form of invisibility.
{Do not bother looking for the rest of your men, mercenary. I've already repaid the favor myself.} Radec nonchalantly informed, making his presence known as he rushed for cover to reload his sniper rifle. Locus did followed suit, clearing himself from the line of fire as he reactivated his cloaking device. This mission just got a lot more complicated than he would have planned.
FIGHT![]
Radec eyed the battlefield like an eagle, ready to put a bullet though his prey's head the moment he retreated from cover. {I do not appreciate any shows of cowardice, mercenary.} The colonel solemnly warned, instinctively rolling away from his position just before a bullet struck the storage crate just behind him. Having easily recognized that the shot was fired off from the east, Radec was quick to return the favor with his own sniper rifle, much to the same degree of success as his opponent.
Locus made sure to keep his cloaking device active as he loaded another bullet into his weapon. If his opponent's reputation was to be believed, then Radec would surely spot the former space pirate the instant he carelessly reared his head unprotected. But the colonel was nowhere to be found the next moment Locus peeked out of cover, which was hardly a good sign in any sniper duel. The mercenary had to tread carefully from this point on, lest he receive an ill timed bullet to the back of the head.
"There!" Locus fiercely growled, immediately unloading a punishing payload to the north with his SAW. Sure enough, he was able to catch the slightest glimpse of his opponent as he slipped behind a nearby crate to avoid Locus's veritable rain of gunfire. (Was that some sort of cloaking device? What the fuck is with this guy?) the mercenary thought to himself as he tossed a grenade in Radec's direction in order to goad him out of hiding. But one thing Locus didn't expect was for a torrent of flame to erupt from the Radec's position, preemptively blowing up the grenade before it could even come close to harming the colonel.
{It seems you want this to be personal.} The Helghast commented, emerging from behind the container with a massive flamethrower in hand. {I must assure you, I can be very personal with my opponents.}
With his target firmly in sight, Radec literally opened fire upon the infamous mercenary, who was forced to scramble atop the storage containers to avoid being burned to a crisp. Locus had little time to mount a counterattack, especially now that his opponent was hot on his trail. It didn't look like that flamethrower was about to run out of fuel any time soon, which is why the mercenary made a beeline for the opposite edge of the crates. Once he had finally reached his destination, Locus skillfully leaped into the air, reequipped his sniper rifle, and defied the very laws of physics to turn his body around so that he could fire a single shot into Radec's flamethrower.
{Damn!} The colonel cursed, immediately recognizing that his foe's bullet had lodged itself within his weapon's fuel tank. He wasted no time in tossing the flamethrower away like an empty soda can before the device spontaneously combusted in midair. All Radec could do now was mentally berate himself for allowing a mere mercenary to gain a tactical advantage, seeing as how Locus had disappeared from sight again. Truth be told, the colonel was getting awfully tired of playing cat and mouse now...
As fate would have it, Radec's search was cut short once he felt an invisible force strike him across the face three times. Acting on pure instinct, the colonel brandished his signature combat knife and swung it forth in a wide arc, hoping to score a clean strike on his hidden opponent. Radec only succeeded in slashing through thin air as he felt every bone in his right arm crumble under the pressure of a firm grip. Locus's presence had certainly been made incredibly apparent at this point, cloaking device be damned.
Even so, Radec was no stranger in hand to hand combat, nor was he afraid to give himself an extra advantage with his trusty shotgun pistol. The colonel hardly missed a beat as he fired off a shot in the general direction where Locus's head may be located. The attack itself missed entirely, but this allowed Radec to gain the slightest glimpse of his opponents body as he swerved his head to the side to keep his skull intact. This was the only sign he needed to deliver an old fashioned pistol whip to the side of the head, forcing Locus to briefly soften his grip on Radec's right arm.
Now that the tides of battle had shifted back in his favor, the colonel activated his own cloaking device, though not before leaving something of a parting gift in his wake. Though obscured by his helmet, Locus's eyes widened in shock once he realized that a grenade had been nonchalantly dropped at point blank. Before he could take any sort of action to dispose of the explosive, the colonel himself magically rematerialized from five feet away with a machinegun cradled in his arms. As the grenade still lingered in the air, Radec needed but one bullet to detonate the device from afar and send Locus flying off the platform he was standing on. The mercenary was able to land on his feet with few complications, allowing him enough time to charge up his railgun, but Radec's next action would force a drastic change of plans.
{I'm finished with you!} was the only warning Locus received before a triad of rockets flew in from over the horizon. Conveniently enough, Locus managed to land right in front of a narrow hallway leading directly into the palace. Thus, with the powerful Carbine-920 firmly gripped in his arms, Locus showed no hesitation in attempting to outrun the heat seeking projectiles. Though not before he took an even riskier option of firing his railgun directly at the tunnel's ceiling, leaving him with very little time to make his escape as rubble began to pour in from above. Even so, Locus was able to dive through the wreckage just before his entrance could be completely barred. Naturally, the rockets seeking after the quiet mercenary were met with a much different fate of ramming headfirst into Locus's makeshift barrier.
"This soldier definitely knows his way around the battlefield... It's only a matter of time before my distraction fails to hold up..." Locus voiced, reactivating his cloaking device in order to mask his position. The faint but recognizable sound of crackling electricity was a sure sign that locus wouldn't have to wait around for his opponent for too long.
The rubble obscuring the tunnel was blown away as if it were nothing more than a sheet of paper as a huge stream of electricity burst into the tunnel, traveling far enough to cover the entire hallway, leaving a thick cloud of smoke in its wake. The only distinctive features one could make out were the shimmering red dots representing the eyes in Colonel Radec's mask. {An impressive tactic mercenary, but you cannot run forever...} the Helghast firmly warned as he cautiously tread through the tunnel.
"I don't intend to." Locus's voice chimed in from an indiscernible location as Radec's vision was flooded with an unmistakable flash of red. The colonel's first reaction was to leap back to avoid the violent series of explosions that followed, but the unfamiliar sound of an energy ignition prompted another roll forward just as Locus descended from above, looking to skewer his target with the fabled Great Key. The mercenary merely embedded his sword into the floor as opposed to his opponent's skull, leaving his flank completely exposed. Radec was able to capitalize this opportunity by throwing a knife directly into his target's back.
The pain Locus felt was practically nonexistent as he instantly whipped around fired off a shotgun round with his left arm. Though Radec swept around the bullets with ease, this gave Locus more than enough time to dislodge his Energy Sword from the floor and attempt to decapitate the colonel. Said attack was only stopped due to the rifle that Radec raised in his defense, which was easily bisected upon contact. Now that he was contending with a completely unfamiliar weapon, the colonel was forced on the defensive as he narrowly dodged another slash.
In the very next moment, both combatants simultaneously raised their respective shotguns and pulled the trigger, resulting in a spectacular series of sparks from the ensuing collision of bullets. Unfortunately for Radec, his tiny pistol was completely outclassed by the proper shotgun in Locus's possession, which allowed a handful of bullets to sneak past the colonel's line of fire and strike him across the face. Now realizing that he was at a major disadvantage in terms of close combat, Radec had little choice but to pull off the same disappearing act from earlier. It wasn't quite as successful this time, now that Locus was able to react in time and slice Radec's surprise grenade in half.
{Do you fancy yourself a soldier, mercenary?} The colonel asked as he nonchalantly fired his boltgun at a nearby wall to the west.
"A soldier? No, I've ceased to call myself one long ago." was Locus's simple reply.
{I see. I must say, that is a rather disappointing answer for a warrior of your caliber.} Radec stated as his projectile exploded, revealing a jetpack that he had secretly concealed within the tunnel. Wanting to buy himself time to actually equip the device, the colonel brandished his service pistol and took aim for an inconspicuous pipe that his opponent just happened to stand by. One bullet later, and the pipe burst into a scalding stream of smoke, obscuring Locus's vision just long enough for Radec to take to the skies. {But your position matters not to me. You are nothing more than another hapless dog waiting to be put down.}
With Radec's speech concluded, the colonel promptly opened fire with his StA-3. Once again, Locus's tactics proved quite unpredictable when the mercenary chose to run along the wall like some sort of human spider, returning the favor with his SAW along the way. What followed was a rather heated chase down the remainder of the tunnel, in which both sides frantically tried to gun each other down. Radec's jetpack granted him an easy solution when it came to evading damage, but Locus was able to keep up with him just as well with by periodically alternating his position between the walls and ceiling, while the Energy Sword managed to come in handy by deflecting any stray bullets that managed to slip past his SAW.
Soon enough, the duo began to close in on a much more open space reminiscent of an abandoned audience hall. By some sort of deranged miracle (or straight up deus ex machina), neither man's machinegun had managed to run out of ammo until this very moment, but it did grant Locus the perfect chance to leap off the wall and fire off a single round from his sniper rifle into the colonel's jetpack, causing the soldier to veer far off his intended course. Having memorized this facility's layout to a tee, Radec was still able to maneuver to a nearby alcove high enough off the ground to stave off any immediate threat from his opponent.
Now that his jetpack had just worn out its usefulness, Radec had no qualms with tossing the malfunctioning device towards Locus as if it were an explosive hot potato, which proved to be a rather fitting analogy when the device actually did explode once it hit the floor. The mercenary rolled away from the explosion with very little effort, but he quickly realized that it would be impossible to mount an approach due to Radec's newfound elevation. The battle had effectively been reset to square one as the two combatants simultaneously activated their cloaking devices.
At least the battle's balance WOULD have returned to a neutral state if it wasn't for the aptly named Incineration Cannon, which Locus showed no hesitation in firing towards Radec's supposedly safe alcove. if Radec had escaped through the doors or dropped down to the ground below, the sound alone would have alerted Locus right away. The colonel himself was now forced to abandon what would have made for an excellent sniper's nest as soon as he laid eyes on the bright red projectiles heading his way, which completely disintegrated the structure as soon as they hit their mark.
Knowing full well that his enemy was skilled enough to catch sight of him the moment he made his escape, Radec wasted no time in brandishing his sniper rifle and opening fire in Locus's general direction. It turned out to be an accurate prediction when another sniper's bullet suddenly burst out from that exact location, which harmlessly collided with the colonel's own bullet along the way. Still seeking the perfect method to catch his foe off guard, Radec fired another triad of heat seeking rockets at the mercenary as he reactivated his cloaking device and delved into the labyrinthian room that lied ahead.
Locus was close enough to another corridor for Radec's projectiles to be redirected into a wall, but this came at the cost of losing insight on his enemy's position again. Little did the mercenary know that Radec himself was lurking just above him, safely hidden inside a strangely placed ventilation shaft. With the VC21 Boltgun in hand, the colonel took aim at his target's exposed side...
Locus grunted in surprise as his left shoulder was suddenly penetrated by a construction bolt, the speed of which was intense enough to forcefully pin him to the opposite wall. The mercenary ignited his Energy Sword in an effort to dislodge the metallic projectile before it could explode, but Radec capitalized on this distraction to leap out from his position and lodge a knife into his other shoulder. With his opponent momentarily disabled, this was the perfect moment for Radec to close in and deliver a wicked clothesline punch strong enough to make a small dent in the wall, which was definitely strong enough to force Locus to drop his blade to the ground.
{Do you have any last words, mercenary?} The colonel politely asked, stooping down to retrieve the fallen weapon.
...
{Defiant to the end? A respectable decision.} Radec continued as he began to raise the weapon up to Locus's throat... only for the weapon to abruptly deactivate midway through. {Preposterous!} was the only word Radec could utter out before his skull was bashed by a violent headbutt. The Energy Sword itself was inadvertently tossed into the air, allowing Locus to easily retrieve the blade so that he could slam the hilt into Radec's mask. The colonel's vision was momentarily set awry from the strike, but he found the strength to swerve back into the fray with another punch, an attack that was easily caught by his quiet opponent.
Radec was well able to duck under the energy slash that followed, even managing to dislodge his knife from Locus's shoulder in the process. It may not be an ideal weapon for this situation when considering the superior range of the Energy Sword, but the splatter of blood the knife left behind would likely ensure that Locus's cloaking device would be easier to pinpoint from that point on. With few options left to fall on, Radec began to steadily back away as he systematically pelted the swordslinging mercenary with shotgun fire, making damn sure to stay out of melee range as much as humanly possible.
The overall confrontation managed to play out quite evenly until Locus managed to slip past one of Radec's bursts and land a clean slice on the colonel's left arm, literally disarming the soldier in more ways than one before pinning him to the ground with a savage football tackle. Even with the overwhelming odds bearing down on him, Radec struggled with all his might to prevent Locus from stabbing him with the Great Key, despite only doing so with one arm.
Knowing that he could not hold his guard up forever, Radec had little choice but to overclock his cloaking device so that he could gain some much needed distance, though not without leaving another grenade in his wake. It was a rather stale trick at this point, so an act of retaliation from his opponent was much anticipated, which came in the form of an old fashioned punt in Radec's direction. The colonel blasted the grenade out of the air with ease, but the sight he laid eyes on next was enough to crush any form of chance of victory that remained in his mind.
{Oh, son of a bitch.} Radec cursed out once he realized that Locus had been given enough time to fully charge his railgun, who was more than willing to cut the formalities in favor of unleashing his full firepower upon the wounded colonel.
Though his vision was obscured by glaring hue of white, Colonel Radec could analyze his situation well enough to determine that he had miraculously survived the railgun blast, though he was stuck inside a wall as a result. To make matters worse, Locus was slowly converging on the colonel's position and his body simply refused to move out of sheer pain.
"It doesn't have to end just yet." The mercenary stated, still keeping his sights on the wounded soldier. "From one monster to another, I know you have information to spare." Locus offered as he closed in on the injured man.
But Radec was not the type of soldier to give in to such demands, nor would he ever dream of betraying his people. Thus, he showed no hesitation with readying his service pistol and raising the weapon to his head. {Glory... to the Helghast.} Radec proudly declared as he pulled the trigger, putting a bullet through his head and scattering blood all over the crater he had been smashed into.
KO!
Locus shook his head in disappointment, showing no real comprehension of his enemy's choice to end his own life. For what purpose would such an action serve? His mission had failed after all. To take one's own life in this situation seemed illogical to the experienced mercenary. Locus could only ponder these questions around in his head as another pressing issue rose to the forefront of his mind. His mission was going to become much harder to accomplish now that his actions had attracted so much attention...
...
"You... That can't be possible..."
Results[]
Rena: Ah, seriously? We're leaving with another cliffhanger?!
Alice: Well whatever that cliffhanger is, I have a feeling it's about to contradict the hell out of the official canon of Red vs Blue.
Theodore: Moving back to the matter at hand now, this was a relatively straightforward battle in hindsight. Not only has Locus shown a much greater degree of proficiency with hand to hand combat than Radec, but his weaponry simply outclasses the poor Helghast in far too many ways.
Luther: What do you expect when you bring a knife to a swordfight? Yeah, Radec's quite skilled with the blade, but-
Nova: It's not how you wield it, but the size of your blade, right?
Luther: You kind of ruined my moment, but yeah, that sounds about right...
Alice: Radec is highly proficient with just about every weapon he's been assigned to, but he's more of an on the spot thinker than a full blown strategist, which works when your commanding an entire platoon of troops...
Nova: But it'll probably backfire when you're up against someone that's always been known for planning ahead. Even with the colonel's vast arsenal in mind, Locus is more than capable of neutralizing or avoiding every last one of them.
Luther: Yeah, as awesome as Radec is when it comes to handling all his weapons, not even he can handle a few headshots from one of the most powerful sniper rifles in the galaxy, let alone a goddamn railgun!
Rena: He can certainly take a lot of punishment, but unless Radec ever survived having an entire ship crash on top of him (granted, Locus did have some help from Felix) there's no way in hell he's gonna beat out Locus's durability any time soon.
Theodore: Need I mention the (rather bullshit) fact that Radec got his ass kicked by two comparitvely normal ISA soldiers as opposed Locus going toe to toe with the two surviving members of Project Freelancer?
Nova: It's a real shame to see such a badass go out like that, you've gotta admit this was a pretty RADECAL fight, eh?
Alice: The Winner is Locus.
