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75.59% Steel Waste / Chapter 536: Copyright Right?

Chapter 536: Copyright Right?

Afton quickly but carefully slices through the pile of Ghosts and pulls Veronica out of it... Right into another horde of flaming Ghosts who quickly charge straight at her. She retaliates with a punch, sending one back into the fiery hellscape that Dean had created but is pushed back by the sheer numbers of them.

Apparently, one of the downsides of using fire is the smoke it produces... Combine that with the smoke detectors scattered around the place and you've got a shitstorm coming!

*DUUDUUDUUUDUUDUUDUUDUUDUUDUU!*

"Fuck!" Afton exclaims as more and more Ghosts come crawling out of the woodwork... He was sure there were some even from the bell tower coming here, reinforcing the already sizeable horde!

"JUST!"

*SLASH!*

"FUCKING!"

*CRACK!*

"DIE!!"

"THUDD!*

Three hours of this pass with both Afton and Veronica fighting almost nonstop... Veronica was exhausted and on her last legs, while Afton was mentally tired from the whole ordeal. The fight had gone on for so long that the toughest thing about it was keeping the flames stoked so they could toss the dismembered bodies into it to finish them off.

Dean had already fallen asleep on the top of the roof judging by his loud snoring (which also served to attract more Ghosts), so Afton was left continually chipping away at their numbers...

Fortunately, by now the horde was nearing its end. With only a few Ghosts occasionally crawling out of the vents, sewers, and alleyways, Afton was sure there were none left around this area to bother them.

Though, he was somewhat worried about the burning corpses... They didn't burn like regular materials. Instead of releasing smoke, they released the Cloud when burned... The corrosive fog slowly gets blown away from the area, but it just provides yet another hazard for him to worry about.

He stomps down onto a Ghosts head before tossing it into the fire with the rest of its kin, taking a deep breath while glancing around for more... Only to realise that the earlier Ghost was the last one remaining...

"FINALLY!" he exclaims, causing another hand to poke out of a manhole nearby... With a growl he picks the Ghost up by the scruff of its clothing and tosses it into the fire without even slashing it first, allowing it to toss and turn while still attempting to attack then.

He walks over to Veronica and lends her his shoulder just as she's about to stumble to the floor, exhaustion quickly overtaking her. "You alright? Last time you looked like this we were surrounded by Legionaries." he jokes.

Veronica shakes her head with a snort, "Legionaries don't grow their heads, limbs, and bodies back. Nor are they anywhere near as fast as these things... Let's just hope that's the last of them, otherwise I'm going on strike." she states, pushing off of Afton and standing on her own weakly.

Afton glances around for Dean and notices the Ghoul still sleeping, so he snaps off the handle of an axe that throws it at him, the wooden scrap performing a parabola before striking him clean in the forehead.

"Ouch! The fuck was that!?" Dean angrily yells out.

Afton ignores him though and just pumps his fist in the air, afterwards giving Veronica a high-five. "Oh, sorry mate! Looks like a Ghost had it in for you and tossed something!"

Dean sits up and looks down at the now-empty clearing, "Yeah, looks like it..." he mutters, slowly getting up and climbing down. "Good work dealing with those Ghosts, team." he smirks, "It was a good team effort."

Veronica scoffs, "Team effort huh? I'll remember that if I see someone winning big in New Vegas... What now?" she asks after a moment.

Dean nods his end towards the gated area, still illuminated with a number of rusty electrical switches. "Now, we wait there while one of you heads to the bell tower to activate the Gala... They need to be pulled in a specific order, but I doubt I'm strong enough to do it alone... That's what HE needed Dog for the last time." he states.

Afton shrugs, "It falls on me then..." he says after some easy deduction. Veronica was still tired from the earlier fight, and Dean was required here... Which left him to start the Gala. "You two wait here, I'm assuming it'll be easy to tell once I'm done."

Dean sagely nods, "Indeed, it'll be like a New Years fireworks display, the angelic voice of Vera Keyes will invite us inside, and music will blare from the casino..." he hums with a smile before it drops into a frown... "Of course, the racket will cause every Ghost, Goblin, and Ghoul within one hundred miles of here to head to the casino, so be ready to fight for your entry ticket."

Afton sheepish rubs the back of his helmet, yeah, he'd forgotten that the casino would basically be under siege as soon as the Gala Event started... By the time they collected Christine and Anja, the place would be swarming with them... He wasn't even sure if the defence systems could identify between Ghosts and regular people. Judging by how the Holograms attacked him earlier, he doubted they had such a capability. "Right, well, I'll be off." he gives a mock salute before jogging away at a tame pace.

Once he was out of the clearing he thrust his palm at a nearby rooftop and produced a plant-whip which grappled one of the railings, allowing him to begin to swing across the street like Spider-Man... Obviously, he only had one plant arm though, so he was pretty limited in his 'swinging' ability.

One thing he appreciated though was the plant arms ability to reintegrate material that'd been created, allowing him to suck the whip in and pull himself around like a grappling hook. If he couldn't steal from Spider-Man, he certainly could Batman


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Niggross Niggross

Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!

If you like my content or want to read ahead please go to : https://www.p.atreon.com/Nagross, I'd appreciate it.

Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :

ShinAmazake

Chris Lindsey

Kingsprovince

Michael Jarrett

Nazlican Erdem

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Chapter 537: Gala Event

His small jaunt through the Salida del Sol was far easier now that he didn't have to worry about Veronica or Dean. That said, he had fallen through a couple of weakened rooftops due to his speed and momentum... Fortunately, no one was around to see that, otherwise he might have to silence them...

Soon enough he reaches the church where the bell tower is located. He looks over the rooftop at it and frowns at the cloud enveloping the place... The entire ground floor was covered and most likely full of the deadly substance...

Still, it wasn't like he couldn't deal with this. He fires out a Plant Whip and attaches it to the bell tower, taking a run-up before leaping off of the roof and pulling himself towards it. He's pulled through the air towards the bell tower but accidentally catches too much speed...

*CRASH!*

Once he hits the wall of the belltower he goes clean through the wall, leaving a flailing humanoid shape if himself... He tumbles as he forces himself to stop, eventually skidding to a halt in a grimy dark room with a ladder at one side leading all the way to the top of the tower.

There weren't any Ghosts around, probably due to the fact you needed to climb another ladder just to get to this point...

Afton stands and rolls his shoulders while taking a glance at the wall he'd crashed through. "Eh, I'm, sure the owner of this place will take care of that..." he jokes to himself, and afterwards begins scaling the ladder.

Once at the top he's given the best view of the Sierra Madre town he'd ever seen... He could see everything from here... The Puesta del Sol, Salida del Sol, Medical District, and even the Police Station. He focuses on where his various companions were located... Christine and Anja, Dean and Veronica... Each area still looks relatively free from the Cloud, which put him somewhat at ease.

"Alright... Better do what I came here for..." he mutters while turning to face the switch which looks in the direction of the Sierra Madre Casino. He turns on his radio and speaks into it to confirm that everyone was ready, "I'm about to start the Gala Event... Everyone ready?"

"*Bzztch* We're ready here, just waiting for the light show.*Bzztch!*" Deans voice says through his collar.

"*Bzztch* Ready, Sir. *Bzztch!*" Anja confirms for the both of them, Christine obviously not able to talk.

"Alright... Let's do it!" he exclaims while pressing the big red button on the panel.

*DOOOOoooong! DOOOOoooonnngggg!*

The bell above him begins chiming, releasing loud, slow *dongs* every couple of seconds or so-

*BAAAANG!*

Afton jumps slightly, changing his focus from the bell to the Casino, which had thousands of fireworks going off right now. It honestly felt like a New Years Eve Celebration, but all contained within this single fireworks display.

From the tower he could already see the vast groups of Ghosts slowly shambling towards the Casino, no doubt attracted by the cacophony occurring nearby. Honestly, their sheer numbers were kind of frightening... He'd already killed hundreds of them, but the light produced by the fireworks occasionally reveals the many shadowy walking corpses...

He shakes his head and looks back at where his companions are, deciding it would be best to head towards Dean and Veronica first. They were the most exposed and could help with moving Anja and Christine if something obstructs them. "I'm moving to collect you all, try and stay out of sight while the Ghosts are migrating." he states before jumping out of the bell tower window and using his Plant Arm to soften the impact.

Half an hour later and Afton arrives back at where Veronica and Dean were located... From the rooftop, he could see a couple Ghosts bashing their heads against the locked gate where the duo was waiting for him... Apparently, they'd not managed to avoid all attention.

He jumps down and cuts the Ghosts to pieces, tossing their individuals parts far away from each other before looking through the gate, "Yo!"

"You're back... Good job with the Bell Tower, thought it would take you far longer if I am honest." Dean admits as they open the gate and step out.

Afton shrugs, "Getting you guys cleared here was harder than the tower."

Veronica puts her helmet on and steps out, giving Afton a light punch to his shoulder, "Stop jabbering and let's go get the others."

The group climb back to the rooftops and begin moving again, following the route they took to get here from the Switching Station.

Soon enough they arrive back at where Christine and Anja were waiting... Unfortunately, it seems as if something had occurred during their absence, Christine's crossed arms, straight posture, and accusatory expression said it all...

Afton rubs the back of his helmet, "Er, did something happen?" he asks, glancing at Anja.

Anja nods, "Elijah told Christine about us, or you, to be specific, sir." she states sheepishly.

"Ah..." Afton mutters in realisation.

Christine nods, tapping her collar twice and jabbing a finger at Afton and Veronica's chest plates, afterwards pointing at the Bulwark insignia's printed across them.

"She thinks you betrayed the Brotherhood." Anja adds, hoping to get this misunderstanding sorted so they can get moving. It was difficult to maintain her composure with her new disability and the loud sounds of the Gala Event starting.

Afton scoffs and Veronica takes her helmet off, "Christine, we didn't abandon the Brotherhood, they abandoned us! Do you know that it was Elder McNamara that took Elijah's place after Helios One?" she asks and Christine nods.

She'd occasionally gotten updates about the Mojave chapter while she was training in the Circle of Steel... Though, nothing specific obviously. As far as she was concerned, the Mojave chapter was still hiding underground with McNamara leading them, she was conflicted about it, but wasn't sure what could be done due to the Mojave's current political climate.


CREATORS' THOUGHTS
Niggross Niggross

Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!

Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :

ShinAmazake

Chris Lindsey

Kingsprovince

Michael Jarrett

Nazlican Erdem

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