The Dam begins to hum to life as the reactors activate, and a faint 'clanging' sound could be heard East of the Dam... Not that anyone would notice it over the gunfire, bombs, and shouts of soldiers.
Afton was made aware of it by Nyx just as Veronica and Christine arrive next to him, behind the plant plough. "Looks like the mission is a success. Now all that's left to do is remove the obstacles." he states, turning his head towards the nearest NCR trooper who seems to be cowering behind cover. "Oi! Soldier!"
The man looks up at Afton and gives a trembling nod, "YES SIR!?"
"Sorry!" he shouts, pointing a revolver at the man's head with his free left hand. The trooper attempts to sputter out a response but has his brains blown out before he gets the chance. With that, he sends an order to the rest of his army that'd just arrived at the Western side of the Dam. "Execute Operation; 66"
Screams erupt behind him as Securitrons, Ultimo-Bots, Cyberdogs, Deathclaws, and Bulwark soldiers start decimating the NCR forces. The attack took them off guard as they weren't expecting their reinforcements to start firing at their naked backs.
If the Legion's numerical superiority and brutal tactics weren't enough to route them before, this abrupt betrayal definitely was. All troopers aside from the Veteran Rangers immediately broke ranks and started fleeing... Unfortunately, there were only two places they could viably go... East, towards the Legion where they'd be crucified or enslaved... Or the West, towards the Bulwark army that'd just betrayed them and were slaughtering their brothers and sisters.
Most chose the latter option, due to the exit being closer and the fact death was preferable to torture and death. The Veteran Rangers turned their Anti-Material rifles towards the Bulwark forces, but found their bullets to be almost completely useless against Saturnite plating... The only thing's they could viably harm were the Cyberdogs and Deathclaws, as everything else was far too armoured to damage.
Veronica and Christine were forced to fire at the Rangers as they tried to target them, Afton of course continuing his own fight against the Legion as they tried to breach, scale, and destroy the plant-plough they were using for cover.
*CRaaash!*
A blue-tinted blade cuts against the plough, confusing Afton momentarily due to the fact they were being attacked by a Saturnite blade... "The fuck!?"
Lanius of course was on the other side, fighting off the vine tentacles sprouting from the plough. "ARRGHAHAHAH! SHOW YOURSELF COWARD! ET NON MORIERIS!"
A few other Legionaries who are encouraged by Lanius's rather suicidal charge join him in destroying the vines that continue to hold them off... Unfortunately, there's only so much mass Afton can lose before his abilities start losing their effectiveness.
Afton detaches the Plough from his arm and jumps atop it, looking down at Lanius and his men. "Of course it would be you, Lanius, the so-called 'Blade of the East!'."
Lanius gives a bloodthirsty grin beneath his helmet and points his blade at Afton, "I KNOW IT IS YOU, PARKER! THE GREAT CAESAR SPOKE A GREAT DEAL ABOUT YOU!" he says and awaits Afton's response... It wouldn't be honourable to attack him before their verbal spar had ended...
*Bang!*
Both Afton and Lanius turn towards the sheepish-looking Legionary who'd just fired a shot at Afton's head... A shot which had bounced off as if it were a blank.
"You." Lanius growls, swiping his blade backwards at the Legionary, beheading him in an instant. "THIS IS MY BATTLE! NO ONE SHALL IMPEDE IT!" he roars before turning back to Afton, "WILL YOU HIDE BEHIND YOUR MEN? OR FIGHT ME LIKE A TRUE WARRIOR!?"
Afton shakes his head, "I don't know if you're just stupid or brave. Before I tear your head from your body, where did you get that armour!?" he demands, wanting to know if there was another source of Saturnite he wasn't aware of.
Lanius laughs, "It is made from the body of that weapon you left on our doorstep! As will my next helmet, which will be adorned with your skull!"
Afton glowers and concentrates on the man, he didn't need to check his Karma as Lanius was about as evil as a human could get. He was responsible for as many cold-blooded murders, rapes, and other crimes as was humanly possible to commit. No, he instead uses [Living Anatomy] to check his stats.
[Legate Lanius]
Health : 97%
Stamina : 80%
DT : 55
Strength : 12
Perception : 8
Endurance : 10
Charisma : 6
Intelligence : 6
Agility : 10
Luck : 5
Ailments :
[Blood-Rage] : Increases Strength by 2 while in the midst of battle. While active, causes a slow deterioration of the body, leading to eventual death.
Afton's eyes widen at the fact Lanius had breached the human limit... Though, it was obviously a temporary thing, he idly wondered if Lanius would just slowly die if locked in a prison and occasionally hit with BB gun pellets.
"Well!? Will you run like those cowardly men wearing the symbol of the Bear!? Or will. You. FIGHT!?"
Afton can only nod, he knew Lanius would die at his hands so there wasn't really a point of denying the fight. If anything, it'd lend further credence to his might, and demoralise the Legion by having their greatest combatant defeated in an honourable duel.
He takes his helmet off and places it on the ground, along with his other weapons. His Ultra Chainsword, revolvers, rifles... Everything apart from the Range Finder that was safely hidden in an armoured compartment on his leg.
He cracks his knuckles and looks at Lanius, "Use your blade if you wish, I'm going to curb-stomp your ass regardless." he states, wondering if Lanius was aware of his Plant arm.
Lanius shakes his head though, stabbing his blade into the Dam to keep it upright, taking his helmet off and rolling his shoulders. "It is you who will perish this day." he says, locking eyes with Afton, though still occasionally glancing at Afton's more unnatural features... The visible black veins around his eyes in particular.
Afton glares at the man, to be honest, he was surprised by his face... He looked more like a gay-stripper than an elite warrior, with those sideburns and porn-star beard... He had no scars on his face, either due to his skill or due to his thick helmet.
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
Kingsprovince
Michael Jarrett
Nazlican Erdem
Justin David
Shameful69
JayJonnaJamison
Tamia stands in her scorched, dented, scratched, and worn Power armour just outside of the facility her enemy was supposedly hiding in. She was exhausted, but she'd finally reached the end, where she could put a stop to whatever the man had planned.
By her side, the single remaining Cyberdog that was looking as ragged as she was. It'd somehow survived the trials and tribulations the Divide had thrown at her, though, not completely unscathed.
Those flayed men had been utterly relentless, and their ferocity only seemed to increase in fervour the closer she got to this facility. It was as if they were trying to stop her from reaching her target... That, or they feared what was held behind those doors.
"Come on pup, we're almost at our destination." she mutters as she steps inside, pressing the button that opens the heavy metal doors. Inside, she's greeted with another familiar military base, metal walls, floor, ceiling... It also looked completey desolate and abandoned. Trash was scattered around the place, and she couldn't help but notice the many supplies just sitting there, waiting to be taken... Yet, no one had grabbed them.
The reason for this is quickly found as she steps into the hallway and spots a flayed man wearing NCR armour nailed to the wall. The corpse was fresh, at least, as fresh as skinless ghouls can be. She searches it for anything of use but doesn't find anything, eventually making her way forwards again.
"SOUND DETECTED, SEARCHING." a harsh robotic voice announces from behind a nearby door, causing Tamia to retreat back to the room to observe what it was. The doors open and reveal a heavily armed and armoured Sentrybot rolling down the hallway, straight towards her... Though, it hadn't noticed her or her Cyberdogs presence yet.
...
She waits for a moment, and once it's close enough she springs from cover, stabbing her Proton-Greatsword into its sternum where the power source was likely stored. The blade easily cuts through the robots plating, entering its chest and exiting from its back. "H-O H-O-O-OSTILE DE-TE-TE-TE-TE-TEeeeoo" the malfunctioning robot says in a distorted force before shutting down.
Tamia breathes a sigh of relief at its defeat. She'd seen how powerful Ultimo-Bots were, so the idea of facing a similar kind of robot made her far more fearful than she'd like to admit...
"HOSTILE DETECTED!" another loud voice states from the room where the first had come from. Another quickly rolls out and points its weapons at her, just as the first defeated robot begins to heat up and spark... It looked like it was going to... "Self destruct!?" she mentally exclaims, giving a reactionary kick at the self-destructing robot which sends it careening down the hallway and smashing into its ally.
She picks up the Cyberrdogs and throws herself in the room as the explosion envelopes the hallway, flames lick her armoured feet, but she's sure she managed to escape the explosion unharmed...
She glances down at the Cyberdog in her arms and breathes a sigh of relief at seeing that it was okay... It'd be pretty shit if it died because of her, it was her last companion on this journey, along with her ticket out once she dealt with the mysterious man on the radio.
Tamia steps into the hallway again, ignoring the now scorched walls and floor before entering the next room... It was a control room of sorts, but most of the machinery had been trashed for some reason. The terminals were destroyed and the controls inoperable... She wasn't sure if this was a good thing, to be honest, she had half a mind to make sure the military bases she'd stumbled upon in the Divide were all permanently deactivated... Nothing good could come from keeping them on.
She continues venturing through the facility and eventually finds herself standing before an elevator. Judging by the message 'YOUR LAST CHANCE TO TURN BACK' spray-painted on the wall, this was her last stop.
She pats her Cyberdogs head and presses the button to call the elevator down, "Not long now pup, let's see what this madman wants from me." she mutters and steps into the elevator as the doors open.
Soon enough, the door open again and reveal a massive chamber. Her eyes widen as she observes the place, spotting many large nuclear missiles waiting in their silo's to be launched. At the end, was a man. He wore a sleeveless leather trenchcoat that had the old war flag printed on its back, he had tanned skin and long dreadlocks, but she wasn't yet able to get a good look at his face. The face of the man who'd hunted her, baited her, and trapped her in the Divide, all for revenge for a crime she didn't remember committing.
"Long way from your new home, Vegas lies in the other direction, yet you still came here looking for answers... Well, here I am. My name is Ulysses, former Frumentarii and a Courier like yourself, the one who was originally supposed to be carrying that Chip..." he states as he turns around, revealing a weathered face covered by a gas mask that concealed the lower half of his face.
Tamia tilts her head in confusion, "How do you know about the Chip?"
Ulysses chuckles, "The same way you learned about it. At least, before you got shot... Caesar... I was unavailable at the time, trying to crawl out of the scorched earth you left behind. I wonder, was the destruction of the Divide only to guarantee you got that job? Its completion would grant you Caesar's boon... Maybe even status above your gender." he states.
She shakes her head, "No chance. As far as I remember, I was forced to serve the Legion in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised if I actively sabotaged their efforts while I was working for them." she determines vehemently.
Hope you bois liked the chap, if I missed anything please let me know. Thanks!
Also, thanks to my patrons for their support :
ShinAmazake
Kingsprovince
Michael Jarrett
Nazlican Erdem
Justin David
Shameful69
JayJonnaJamison