Chapter 444 - Up Shit Creek Without Dirt-Hog...

*BOOOM!*

Another Legion tower explodes in a blinding shower of rotten wood, metal shrapnel, and body parts as Afton's Sonic Emitter causes a chain reaction. He'd shoot from the window as he continues to drive Dirt-Hog up the winding road towards the Fort, yet the many defensive placements were beginning to annoy him.​​

"How many of you fuckers do I have to kill before you get outta the way!" he shouts out of the window while firing another sonic projectile at a Legionary, yet again causing an explosive chain reaction via his [Meltdown!] Perk.

Green shockwaves of plasma evaporate any nearby Legionaries and utterly decimate the structure they were standing on. Afton wishes they were able to stick around and watch the fireworks, but they were kind of in a rush... Having almost the entirety of the Legion's forces in the Mojave chasing after you would definitely put a pep in your step, fortunately, Dirt-Hog was more than fast enough to lose them for now.

A few of the better-armed Legionaries attempted to destroy the vehicle with grenade launchers, C4, rocket launchers, and simple make-shift barricades... Truthfully, the only thing that'd damaged Dirt-Hog so far was the barricades they were setting up.

Every time Afton was forced to crash through one, Dirt-Hog's condition got worse and worse. Afton feared that if they were forced to crash through another large gate then Dirt-Hog would be out for the count, something he'd been dreading since the destruction of Dirt-Bird.

Veronica was also becoming more proficient on the turret, though, Afton had to wonder how much ammo it truly had left... They must've killed several thousand Legionaries so far, and yet they continued coming out of the woodwork like ants.

Sure enough, Afton could see the Fort in the distance, meaning that were almost at their destination. Good timing too, since smoke was beginning to billow from under Dirt-Hog's hood... On any other car, this would mean a few non-lethal mechanical issues... But on a nuclear-powered vehicle like Dirt-Hog? A nuclear explosion is the best you could hope for!

*CRACK! CRUNCH!*

Afton drives into yet another Legionary as they stupidly try to block the vehicle, all they do though is just add another red smear to the bonnet and the already heavily damaged front windscreen.

Another couple minutes of driving and they finally reach the Fort!... The only problem though was the large reinforced gate blocking any further passage!

Afton sighs as he speeds up, "Yeah... I saw this coming... EVERYONE! STRAP YOURSELVES IN!" he shouts, giving the group enough time to prepare themselves for another hard impact.

*BOOOOM!*

Dirt-Hog punches through the gate as if it were made of Lego's, yet again sending metal shards flying, some even managing to land inside the Fort itself, causing Chaos to erupt due to the sudden attack... Afton couldn't blame them though, hue metal shards flying towards you at terminal velocity is definitely something to be afraid of!

Afton tries to accelerate again as Dirt-Hog lands, but the vehicle gives off a large groan before shutting off completely... Smoke billows out of the hood as the metal composing it begins glowing red. "Holy fuck!" Afton yelps as he leaps out of the vehicle, "IT'S GONNA BLOW, GET THE FUCK OUT!" he shouts, all the while having the composure to jump up and tear the damaged K9000 off of the top of it.

The gun was incredibly high tech and expensive, so Afton was not going to waste it if he didn't have to.

Fortunately for the group, the second impact seemed to have woken up Karl, the old retired ranger pulls himself out of the vehicle with the rest of the group and runs ahead behind Afton. Of course, the Legionaries were already firing at them, but Afton and Veronica shield the group with their bodies for now.

Karl, Boone, Anja, and ED-E all throw themselves behind cover, not against the Legionaries, but to protect themselves from the catastrophic Dirt-Hog explosion in the making.

The unaware Legionaries who had been following the group from outside the Fort attempt to climb over the destroyed vehicle, but, when one accidentally steps on the hood and has the rubber of the boot literally melt and stick to it, they finally realise something was up...

*BOOOOOOOOOOM!*

A mushroom cloud greets the sky as the vehicle blows up in a mighty explosion. The force of which knocks Veronica onto her back, and if it weren't for the various protections and Perks Afton had against explosives, he'd be on the floor all the same.

The Legionaries near the destroyed gate were all instantly incinerated... The explosion even causes the rest to collapse, preventing any more Legionaries from attempting to follow the group into the Fort... Not that many would be willing to follow, the mushroom cloud was indication enough that the area had become heavily irradiated... Even primitive Legionaries were smart enough to know that was not a good thing.

Even as the explosion occurred however, Afton was already firing at Legionaries up near the Fort. He was firing his Anti-Material Rifle with one arm, all the while shielding his companions with his body while they get back their bearings from the nearby nuclear explosion.

He wasn't willing to fire his Sonic Emitter at them due to his fear that the Chain Reaction would kill everything inside the Fort, killing Tamia, Josie, and Dogmeat while also destroying Houses underground bunker... This is also the reason he used the Range Finder elsewhere.

"Nyx, how many hostiles up in the Fort?" he asks, his hud already marking down the forty or so who were defending from the top of the incline.

"User, I am detecting several thousand... Too many to individually identify. Proceed with caution." the AI warns.

"Will do." Afton says before turning towards his group, "Get a hold of yourselves! We're currently deep up shit creek, so start shooting or at least thrown an insult or something!" he shouts, loading an explosive round into the Anti-Material Rifle before firing, killing a good six people and injuring another eight.