Part 12: Attila the Hun Boss Fight

12. Attila the Hun Boss Fight

Snake and some MSF troopies armed with muskets (with their combat webbing retrofitted to hold additional shot and powder) approach the city of Attila's Court, a strange mish-mashed shanty town made of assembled junk from throughout the centuries. There are no civilians to be seen anywhere. A voice crackles over Snake's radio, but quieter than normal…

Welcome to my city, little slithering snake. A world of plunder deserves a monument to it, don't you think?

…why aren't you shouting any more?

Because I can see it will take more than words to frighten you. Perhaps deeds will do, then.

Snake, be careful. When I was on my sneaking mission there I found all sorts of stuff they pillaged--some of it is even from the 20th century. There are even salvaged highways they've used to pave some of the roads.

That's good, right? More stuff to repair Mother Base with. I mean, there's no way these lunkheads could figure out how--

There is a distinct sound of a motorcycle engine in the distance.

Oh, you're kidding me.

INCOMING!

Gunfire erupts from down the dusty streets towards Snake and his soldiers! They hit the dirt and run to cover instinctively. The sounds of motors and hooves merge--Attila is riding down the main street with a troop of his best horse archers, leading the pack astride a motorcycle and wielding a Skorpion submachinegun in one hand.

How do you like my new horse, Snake? It's beautiful, isn't it? AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

SCATTER! VANISH!

The MSF split up immediately and all begin running down the alleys in various directions as the horse archers loose a volley of arrows. One MSF soldier tosses a primitive black powder bomb to use as smoke screen to cover his escape.

Chase them down. Snake…is mine!

Ah, crap…

Musket in hand, Snake hauls ass towards a crumbling parking structure. Attila revs up his bike and pursues him into the dusty darkness lit only by slits of sunlight. Snake crawls between rusty hulks of cars.

How the hell…

You think me a mindless fool, Snake? I don't care about worthless things like reading and writing, but when it comes to things that matter…things that bring me power, then, I am the best student in the world!

Attila approaches a dark lump between two cars and readies his weapon.

I'm not a complete monster, Snake. I've spared towns that begged on their knees for mercy. I even spared Rome, when their holy man--frail and old as the city itself--pleaded with all his heart.

He raises his gun and aims at the lump in the darkness.

Swear to serve me, share with me your wealth of gold and steel and weapons…and you and your army without borders shall find a new home. You fight for whoever can pay you, yes? Even if you have no other reason to exist, you fight…just like me. Serve me, and I will give you all the reasons you will ever need.

Go to hell.

Attila fires on the dark lump--which explodes in a massive cloud of debris. Snake hangs down from the next level up, aims his musket hanging upside down, and fires! The musket ball grazes Attila's shoulder, and the man, already stunned and in pain, shrieks and drops his weapon.

AAAUUUGHHH! SNAAAAKE!!!

No time to reload--Snake tosses the musket aside and flips onto the floor in a dead run for the Skorpion. Attila revs his motor and roughly rams into Snake to keep him away from it--both men and the bike go tumbling and skidding across the floor and the gun flies away underneath some other junked cars.

GRRRuuggghhh…

Ugh…

They groan and shake their heads, but Attila recovers first and, with strength beyond his size, reaches out for his motorcycle and lifts it clear off the ground! Snake wobbles to his feet, but Attila CHARGES at him, pinning him to the wall with the back wheel of the motorcycle dangerously close to his face.

And who are you fighting for!? The people of this land despise you, Snake. A collection of conquerers, with you pretending to be better than them all…but you can't lie to me. I can taste the blood on your soul!

He revs up the motorcycle again, intending to use its tire to scrape Snake's face off.

Last chance, fool!

Snake says something, but it's drowned out by the noise of the engine. Attila leans in closer to hear him…but Snake headbutts him right in the nose. The instant Attila reacts to the pain and pulls back, Snake's right arm is free, and plunges forward with his knife, stabbing Attila in the face!

I said, you've got bad breath.

Attila falls backwards with his motorcycle pinning him to the ground, and its engine dies with him. Snake pulls out his radio quickly.

Kaz, Attila's down. The troops, how are they?

Doing surprisingly well. The horse archers are devastating on open ground, but they're terrible for urban combat and they're not trained against stealth operatives, even ones with only single-shot muskets. The city will be secured very shortly.

Good…I want this place intact, Kaz. Attila let it slip that someone trained him to use that bike and that gun… I want to know who and how. We've got another damn puppet master on our hands…

To be continued…