Chapter 361 - Bull Brutality

Silas Vincent, a newly recruited Legionary soldier sighs as he shovels dirt over the newest grave they'd been forced to dig. The life he was currently living was far away from what he'd wished in the past... His tribe had been subsumed by the Legion, and he'd been drafted into service with threats of harming his family if he didn't.

His superiors acted like craven animals, this grave he was currently digging was for the most recent death of one of the people they'd captured. Silas simply couldn't wrap his head around the sheer brutality of them...​​

They'd captured a few NCR caravans and taken the resources for themselves, along with taking any 'valuable' captives. Of course, 'valuable' meant 'not male' to his superiors, and Silas wasn't sure whether it was propper Legion procedure to commit such acts in the line of duty.

This must've been the tenth grave he'd had to dig in two or three weeks. And to be honest, he was getting fed up with it. Hearing the screams of their victims as he slept in the tent along with his fellow Legionaries.

He'd asked what his friends had thought about it, and they just shrugged and gave the same answer, every time... Survival of the fittest. He sneers to himself, if that were true, then wouldn't it be within his rights to sneak into their tents at night and execute them? In all honesty, the only reason he hadn't done so yet was because of the threat to his family.

Then again... If his family was being treated how their captives were, he'd rather die fighting the bull than doing their dirty work while they stomp on everything he and his tribe believes in. SILAS VINCENT WASN'T EVEN HIS REAL NAME! They stole his original one while giving him one 'more suited' for their Legion.

He growls and throws down his shovel, "That's it!" he quietly mutters, finally making his choice. DAMN THE CONSEQUENCES! HE'D BRING JUSTICE TO THOSE THIS BARBARIC CIVILISATION HAS HARMED! NO ONE WILL STOP-

*BZZCH!*

In internal diatribe is abruptly stopped when a strong sound makes itself known, he tries to turn his head but finds himself unable... Instead, his vision stumbles slightly before falling forwards, rolling midair and revealing his newly decapitated body, along with a man wielding a glowing weapon he'd never seen before.

Ah... Shit.

Afton POV :

He grabs the body before it can drop to the floor and quickly drags it away out of sight. He'd targeted the further Legionary from the camp that seemed to be digging graves, not a good sign in his 'honest' opinion.

Regardless, he glances over at a raised position where Boone was stationed not too far away. He'd be covering him and Anja while they slowly dismantled the camp. Anja herself was patrolling the outskirts of the camp with ED-E to kill off any Legionaries that manage to escape his wrath.

He looks back towards the camp and observes it, the typical red tents that the Legion employs were rather numerous in their number. If he had to guess, there should be around thirty or fifty soldiers here, though, he was unfamiliar with Legionary tactics, so it could be completely wrong for all he knew.

Nearby he could see many brahmin roped up to a large pile of scrap metal, likely having previously belonged to the caravans they'd raided. In the middle of the camp was a much larger tent than all the others, and despite it being midnight, he could hear faint sounds of screaming and most discouragingly of all, laughing.

Deciding to see who their captives are before reducing the camp to a smouldering pile, he activates his Stealthboy and sneaks into the camp, Nyx's quiet, helpful suggestions making it far to easily to infiltrate the place.

Once the coast is clear, he lifts up the makeshift cloth door of the tent and steps inside, his nose immediately scrunching at the obvious scent that punches him in the face. If there was a smell he hated more than anything it was this, along with the blood, and other impurities he could smell along with it.

He could see people bound with ropes over at the side, most were women, but he noticed a few 'boys' as it were aswell... In the middle of the tarp were a few barely clothed Legionaries rutting with dishevelled and obviously unwilling women. Most were trying to fight them off, but a few had blank faces and looked limp and lifeless.

"GET OFF OF ME! I'LL KILL YOU ALL! CASTRATE YOU AND SKIN YOU ALIVE!" A familiar voice roars, and Afton immediately recognises them... Cass. She was as fierce as he remembered, and the only thing that prevented her going on a rampage were the five men struggling to hold her down.

Finally having enough, Afton deactivates his Stealthboy and loudly draws Lucky and The Fallen Ranger Sequoia. Quickly, all eyes turn to him the Legionaries immediately realising what was happening and scrambling to find their discarded weaponry.

*BANG!*

A single shot kills one of the Legionaries, causing all of them to pause and look at him in fear. "Which of you is the leader here?" he asks unempathetically.

No one answers so Afton just kills another, after this the rest point at a single incredibly scared-looking man. "What's your name?"

"J-Julius." they stutter out, eye darting around the room for something to protect themselves with.

Afton nods and looks to Cass who was slowly getting to her feet, she dishevelled, barely clothed, and covered in bruises and cuts. He calms his emotions and addresses her, "Cass."

"Afton?" she asks, but her surprise is quickly replaced by anger. "Lend me something, will you." she asks, and he already knows what she wants.

Still keeping a vigilant eye on the Legionaries, he activates a Proton axe and tosses it at her. She eyes it momentarily before swinging it at the nearest Legionary, the situation quickly breaking into violence.

The Legionaries try to overwhelm Cass first to acquire her weapon, but quickly find themselves cut to pieces when they near her. Afton himself decides to deal with the Legionaries personally, holstering his weapons and brutalising them with his fists.

The captives just watch on in surprise, awe, disgust, and hope. Even as spatters of blood splash against their faces from the carnage.