Gianna of the Wastes

Men of metal, mutants, and fiends, lit the night with spotlights and torches howling to the broken moons and stars. They prowl the darkness on the hunt for flesh and blood, chains rattling as vicious raptors tug at their leashes drawn by a scent. Smoke pours from the exhaust pipes of a moving throne, cobbled together with parts from ancient vehicles this world has not seen built in an era, and carrying a gruesome and frighteningly grotesque cyborg atop a throne of pipes, scrap metal, and bones. His glass visor had a faint red glow, lips peeling back to reveal brass teeth as his hollow voice spoke into a megaphone vile chanting to a mechanical god and promises of power and life to his acolytes if they should spill a sufficient sacrifice of blood.

"I see flesh!" a mutant in the distance howled.

"FLESH!" more began chanting, again and again as they raised their swords and axes high!

Flares went up high, banishing the darkness to reveal a hulking form some hundred yards or so away. Eager to please their hellish master and be granted the gift of machines, they charged, galloping and sprinting they crossed desert brush and ancient debris from a forgotten battle to encircle their surprised prey.

Only the strongest prey will do, because only the strongest warriors are allowed beyond the nexus' gates (as they have been taught). And, oh, how the size of their prey filled them with excitement.

The cyborg leader's visor chimed, speaking to his mind after scanning the prey.

Mutant species identified: HOMO SAPIEN TYRANNICUS
Height: 215 cm
Weight: 130 to 150 kg
Gender: Female

The program, the latest gift this cyborg had recieved, named Bio-Scanner, continue to drone out information, half of it the cyborg's primitive mind did not know and the other he was slowly starting to understand, listened with rapt interest until the end.

Threat Assessmet: HIGH

"Yes," his hollow voice echoed, "The Mechanicus will reward us greatly for her head! Bring Flesh to the Gods of Iron!"

Surrounding her, she stood her ground in the harsh rays of spotlights, towering above most of her pursuers. She wore a magnificent feather headdress that trailed down her massive, musclebound back like a great mane. her body seemed almost encumbered by her bulk, the soles of her boots sinking into the dirt with each step. Her fierce face sneered, revealing sharp, feral canines guranteed to bite through bone if her powerful arms did not do the deed first. There was no doubt or confusion as to what this wandering warrior was capable of, as what scant clothing she wore was mere decoration, leaving her powerful warforged body unhidden. In her arms she clutched a huge rifle, with plenty of ammo wrapped around her hips, along with a brutal hatchet a normal human would not consider weilding without both hands.

Giana was more than a little pissed when these strange bandits unleashed raptors on her. Her machine gun barked loudly, its bullets tearing a few of those reptillian hounds apart. a lucky one lept at her, sinking his hindclaws into her arm as she spun to throw him off. His claws had barely pierced her tough skin, but his fangs flew from his muzzle quite easily when she bashed the butt of her gun into his mouth. The beast's master wailed angrily over their deaths charging with spear only to meet his demise too.

"The fuck is wrong with all of you?" she snarled, dropping her now empty rifle to catch a steel spear being thrust at her, "You weak bastards want to die so badly then you got it!" she punctuated her declaration by pulling the spearman to her and slammed her fist into his face. 

With her hatchet in hand, the mighty warrior found herself fending off attacks from all sides.

She was having such a nice day too! Gianna was just out for a relaxing night stroll, trying to get to the next village for a good time filled with booze and bad decisions, and now blood thirsty, machine worshipping marauders were trying to kill her. Never a dull moment in the wasteland, right?

Limbs flew in showers of blood as she cleaved through mutants. Gunshots sang into the night, but her hide was so thick the most bullet wounds accomplished was making her stumble. A hulking, scaly mutant that stood head and shoulders above her lifted Gianna up and slammed her into the rusty shell of an old war machine. She hacked away at him, cutting deep into his neck but her blade got stuck in his scales; lost it when he flailed away with blood gushing down his chest. She fought taking many blows, cuts, and a knife stuck in her hard, muscular thigh, but she crushed her foes, snapping the last one in half.

Knees hit the ground with a thud as she gasps to catch her breath. You know, maybe tonight isn't so bad. A good brawl's always good for the heart, right? That's what she was thinking... until she heard the cyborg's hollow voice again.

"Yes, you're death is most worthy indeed!"

His steel footsteps thudded loudly as he stepped off his chariot, gears in his joints whirring and clicking loudly with his movements. Wires and tubes snaked in and out of his skin, oversized fingers of one hand clenching into a huge fist, the other arm opeing up into a whirling saw.

"Oh, c'mon. Do you really have to-"

He leaped over the yards separating them and slammed his hammer-like fist into her, pistons exploding with pressure. When Gianna's head stopped spinning, she realized she was a good several dozen feet away and gasping for air.

"Holy... shit..." she wheezed, tying to remember the last time she had been hit that hard.

While she pondered that the cyborg was thudding his way towards her. She was so caught up in her own pain she almost didn't react until his shoulder mounted spotlight blinded her. She lunged out of the way of his next punch and delivered a classic haymaker across his cheek. His skin split open in ugly gashes, seeping blood and oil, but he barely flinched. Meanwhile Gianna was hopping up and down shouting curses and holding her sore hand. He lurched to grab her but she caught his steel arm and flung him into concrete ruins. Sparks flew from his metallic parts when Gianna struck him with steel debris, whatever she could get her hands on. She hefted an I-beam and pinned the cyborg down, but her adversary just smiled. Sparks showered them as his saw ate through the metal.

"Well, fuck," she spat, taking a healthy step back before the saw cut through and turned her into bite-sized pieces.

Gianna found herself being chased through the old bunker smashing through anyhting in her way. The cyborg was content with cutting through it all to get her. They came to a sinkhole that had swallowed half of the building; Gianna skidded to a halt at its edge flailing to keep from falling. Her enemy sprinted forward and took a dive over the edge for his efforts, falling specacularly.

Gianna witnessed him sprawl out on his back and searched for anything of use, picking up a long steel bar. With a wild yell, she lept down brandishing her bar like a spear, skewering the surprised machine man's bare shoulder. He swung his saw at her but she carefully caught his arm, all of her bulk straining as she shoved against his mechanical strength.

The cyborg was straining, unable to free his other arm. Gianna imagined if he still had eyes, they would be wide with fright as the saw blade neared his chest.

"No..." his altered voice groaned, "They... told me they would make me strong..."

Gianna growled as she forced the saw arm down, "Not... stronger... than me!"





She emerged from the bunker, covered in the blood and oil of her enemy. The morning light had just broke over the distant mountains, so she held the cyborg's skull up. It was all metal and wires without his rotting meat on it, the visor glinting a tint of red.

"Could I sell this?" she wondered aloud. Nodding, "Yeah I could probably sell this... or make a kickass hat out of it."







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Art by , check out his stuff/patreon.

This was my first raffle win from EJ and I asked for something Simoun Bisely/Alex Horely inspired. Love what he's done!


EDIT: Edited using win10's photo editor. It was always too light for me so I darkened it. What do you guys feel about it?

EDIT2: now in color! Thanks acidrain101.deviantart.com/art…