Chapter 418 - Purged

As Afton stands cross-armed in the middle of the room a notification pops up in his peripheral vision...

[Return to Bunker to install ventilation systems complete?]​​

[Optional quest complete : Defeat the Brotherhood of Steel Elder]

[Title gained! : Steel Waste]

[Steel Waste] : They say it is best to be feared than loved if you cannot be both... Well, after your brutal actions against a member of the Brotherhood fear comes naturally... +50% more notoriety gain, +50% at intimidating members of the Brotherhood of Steel.

[Brotherhood of Steel Rep : Unpredictable]

[New quest : Install ventilation system.]

[WELCOME TO LEVEL 49!]

Huh, honestly didn't expect to level up right now... He shrugs to himself and puts all the points into Lockpick. Unfortunately, he doesn't receive a new Perk due to this level being an odd number...

Regardless, once time resumes he looks down at his Pipboy and checks his status for the first time in a while.

Afton Parker

Title : [Executioner of the Wastes], [Free Sheriff], [Fiend's Fiend], [Goliath], [Steel Waste]

Level : 49

S.P.E.C.I.A.L :

Strength : 11

Perception : 10

Endurance : 10

Charisma : 5

Intelligence : 7

Agility : 10

Luck : 5

Skills :

Barter : 21

Energy Weapons : 100

Explosives : 100

Guns : 100

Lockpick : 64

Medicine : 100

Melee Weapons : 100

Repair : 100

Science : 100

Sneak : 100

Speech : 100

Survival : 100

Unarmed : 100

Mutations :

[Beauveria mordicana symbioticca] : A mutated strain of a very deadly and infectious fungus. Makes possessor immune to all diseases and poisons, grants +1 End, grants regenerative abilities.

[Beauveria mordicana armamini] : Your right arm has regrown and become stronger than before! +4 DT against damage dealt towards the arm and +20% resistance against being crippled.

Perks :

[Trigger Discipline], [Heavy Handed], [Rapid Reload], [Torture Techniques], [Educated], [John Wick Style], [Toughness], [Stonewall], [Sniper], [Bug Stomper], [Lord Death v3], [Spies Guise], [Quick Draw], [Adamantium Skeleton], [Ranger Tactics], [Ranger Targeting], [Ranger Awareness], [Mechanicus], [Jury Rigging], [SuperHot Block], [Solar Powered], [Miracle Maker], [Unnerving Presence], [Living Anatomy], [Agility Implant], [Masterful Movement], [Blur], [Uncivilized Weapon], [Rad Absorbtion], [Tough Guy], [Nuclear Friendly], [Explorer], [Eureka!], [Atomic!], [Grit], [Alertness], [Abominable v3], [Fight the Power!], [Tremble before me!], [Meltdown], [Explooo-sion!], [Lady Killer], [Big Brained], [Reinforced Spine], [Implant M-5], [Implant C-13], [Impant Y-7], [Cure for the Curious], [Perception Implant], [Endurance Implant], [Danger Sense], [A Pool of Dead], [Charisma Implant], [Intelligence Implant], [Luck Implant], [The Cyber Punk]

Companion Perks :

[Old Wisdom]

[Spotter]

[Persistent Escapee]

[Still Jammn']

[Enhanced Sensors]

[Protagonist]

[A Penchant for Fisting]

Afton honestly wasn't sure what to make out of his new title... He didn't really want to be feared by his family but, he supposed this was the consequence of his actions. Speaking of the quest to reinstall the ventilation systems, he doubted he was going to do it.

For one, he wasn't even in the Brotherhood anymore, not to mention the fact that the Brotherhood is likely going to surface relatively soon, meaning they wouldn't need it in the first place... Plus, he doubted whatever EXP gain he'd get would be worth the trouble.

He looks around the room at the quiet crowd and smirks at them while giving a thumbs up, "Looks like I, as well as my friends are free to go. A pleasure doing business with you all!" he says before walking towards his group.

Slowly, people start shuffling out of the room to go back to their respective duties. He could spot a teacher trying to corral his students back into a classroom while a few of the soldiers still sent glares at Afton and his group.

"Afton! You did it!" Veronica happily calls out as his approaches, the rest of his group sending him respectful yet surprised looks.

"Yeah, I didn't think you had it in you..." Josie mutters, walking up and squeezing his bicep, "I mean, I thought you were strong but, not that strong... Why don't you have arms like Grognak the Barbarian if you can fight like that?"

Afton just shrugs, "Because my name isn't Arnold?"

...

"Who's Arnold?" Veronica asks, but is cut off by Tamia.

"No, who's Bruce Lee?"

"Err... It's another name for... Jesus... Yeah, Jesus." he quickly bullshits, preferring not to mention that he's a Chinese martial artist... That certainly wouldn't go down well, especially after they helped nuke the world into... this.

"Afton." someone calls out, when he turns he spots that it's Miles again, though, this time not wearing his power armour.

At his side was a familiar face, Melissa.

"Hey guy-" he's interrupted as he catches the slap headed for his face... Apparently, Melissa didn't appreciate his disappearing act. "If you wanted to give me a hand, you could have at least clapped after I beat Hardin." he jokes.

"You left without saying a word! Now let me slap you for payback!" she shouts, attempting to slap him again.

Giving a sigh, he allows her to slap him a couple times... His Endurance and other Perks made the hard strikes feel like nothing, but he supposed if he were a regular human he'd be left bruised all over. "You done?" he asks after the twentieth or so slaps.

She gives him a glare before pouting, "Yeah, I guess." she pauses and frowns again, "You left the Brotherhood! Permenantly! Why!?"

Afton shrugs, "I didn't really have much of a choice, they wanted to execute a friend of mine. I wasn't going to stand for that... Though, I doubt Hardin is going to stand anymore either." he chuckles.

"Did you have to hurt him that badly? I mean, it's only a Ghoul." Melissa says, clearly displaying how indoctrinated the Brotherhood had made her.

Afton fights to keep the scowl off of his face as he shakes his head, "Despite what you've heard, not all ghouls are feral monsters. Anja is quite nice when you get to know her. You wouldn't execute a child with a deformity, so why treat a Ghoul the same?"

Mellisa looks away, "Deformities are also classified as mutations. You should know that Afton."

...

"What?" he asks, having not heard anything about this before.

Miles shuffles uncomfortably at the side, "You don't know? Children with deformities are... Purged. To prevent it from becoming commonplace, genetic diversity in the Bunker was harder and harder to maintain, so it was necessary." he says, but Afton notices he isn't as nonplussed by it as Melissa is.