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[Cafe] 118 β A Space Marine Part 3 (Finale)
🕑 Added 2025-04-18 21:37:44 +0000 UTCUp above the Hoover Dam, Joshua watched as the past representation of himself at the head of Caesar's Legion stormed past the gates of the Dam, following behind the sheer destruction caused by Artor. The superhuman was a beast on the battlefield, cleaving through even the thickest of armor used by the NCR like a knife through brahmin cheese. Everything they threw at Artor did nothing to impede his charge, dozens of rounds from the standard Service Rifles the NCR grunts used, the Anti-material rifles the Veteran Rangers used, and even a direct impact from a Howitzer did little to slow the giant down.
When his sidearm fired, whatever he targeted became a cloud of blood. When he ran out of ammo, he switched to a more on-hands approach, using whatever was within reach, even tearing out an old traffic sign from the concrete and throwing it like a ballista bolt that speared directly through the chest of an unfortunate Desert Ranger atop one of the towers.
Another NCR Heavy Trooper in makeshift Power Armor was turned into paste from a simple backhand from the superhuman Space Marine. The sheer amount of carnage Artor caused broke the will of the grunts of the NCR troops, as many began to flee from the battle, only to be forced into the other half of the Legion's forces that attacked from the other side of the Dam, pinning the NCR troops between two large forces of Legionaries and the Space Marine who tore them apart from the middle.
Legion Howitzers rained hellfire from above, striking the core fortifications utilized by the NCR soldiers that remained, and it didn't take long for the Legion to push the NCR troops down into the Dam itself, where they attempted to make a last stand by utilizing long hallways and corridors, making makeshift traps and barriers using furniture, and whatever else they could scrounge.
Regardless of their attempts to slow the advance of the Legion, their efforts proved futile as the Legion rolled through every obstacle, until eventually, only a few pockets of resistance remained, resistance that was crushed under the fists of the Centurions and Artor.
Stopping the simulation, Artor and Joshua found themselves standing alone in the Simulator once again.
"Congratulations, you are a formidable warrior, but, I am afraid I have but one more challenge for you, you will not win this challenge, but, I expect you to do your best all the same," Joshua spoke out, before summoning the holographic control panel once again and restarting the simulation.
This time, Artor found himself standing alone in a strange, large canyon, howling winds battering against his armor, sounds of distant explosions echoing across the chasm, and far above, what looked to be the remains of a city stood, decrepit, threatening to tumble down into the chasm at any moment.
Joshua's voice echoed into Artor's ear as the explosions continued in the distance.
"Welcome to the Divide, a harsh and deadly place of the Wasteland. You have but one objective: survive. Good luck, Artor," Joshua whispered into the Space Marine's ear, his form nowhere in sight.
With what sounded like a growl, Artor readied his axe...as strange creatures burst out from the ground around him. These Tunnelers resembled humans in shape, but differed greatly in appearance, size, and danger. Their skin was dark, with spots across their hard, leathery skin glowing with a bioluminescent glow, with giant black eyes adapted for low-light conditions. Rows of serrated teeth filled their mouths while vicious, long claws adorned their hands and feet, and their speed led to a dozen lunging towards Artor's form within the span of a few moments.
And so Artor fought, his axe moving at inhuman speeds, chopping every Tunneler that neared in half, while he moved to a more defendable position, eventually finding himself a cave, where he was face to face with a pack of Deathclaws. Deathclaws, which noticed his presence near immediately as they charged into his frame, the first Deathclaw striking him with enough force for Artor's feet to slide across the ground for a few feet while he braced against the charge, stopping it in its tracks.
Before Artor could strike back, another Deathclaw charged into his side, sending him directly into the cave wall. Pulling back his fist, he struck out at the Deathclaw, striking it with full force to its face, making it rock its head back from the sheer force as he pushed forward, knocking the Deathclaw to the ground while its two friends charged Artor, where they met his axe.
The Deathclaws proved to be quite durable and cunning creatures, as the Deathclaw he swung at managed to back away far enough to only get a glancing blow across the thick leather of its chest while the other Deatchlaw took the opportunity to attack, its claws sliding across the chest piece of Artor's armor, not even leaving a scratch across its surface, showing just how durable the armor was compared to the Power Armor Joshua was familiar with where a Deathclaw's claws would shear right through the metal.
Proving more aggressive than the Deathclaws, Artor charged forward and struck again, this time the blade of the axe cutting through the stomach of a Deathclaw, disemboweling it and sending its guts down across the floor. The other two Deathclaws did not take kindly to their kind being slain before their eyes and charged forward to attack Artor together, but Artor met them head-on, his fist rocketing into the throat of one of the Deathclaws while he ducked under the lunge of the other, while the Axe cut deep into the leather of its hind legs, sending it flying into the wall.
In a few more moments, the other two Deathclaws were slain, blood pooling beneath their carcasses and flooding the floor of the cave. Artor briefly glanced down at the Deathclaws before making a decision and chopping the hand off of one of the Deathclaws.
Spending a few moments to carve away at the bone and flesh, Artor was left with a bit of flesh and claws. Taking some of the sinew of one of the Deathclaws, he wrapped the butchered Deathclaw hand around his left fist to provide even more devastating damage to whatever he punched.
Butchering the rest of the Deathclaws for whatever he could harvest, he heard more howling, and yet more Tunnelers sprang out from the ground beneath him.
...
Meanwhile, Joshua watched everything with a keen eye, judging everything he saw. So far, it was clear that Artor was more used to using overwhelming force in all of his encounters. His armor provided immense safety while his axe cut through any problem he had, but what would he do without such equipment? He'd be no better than a Super Mutant Overlord, while quite a dangerous foe, a Super Mutant proved to be inflexible and, once you got the trick down, easily slain even by the weakest of firearms available in the wasteland.
There was much they would need to work through, but Joshua knew that he'd at least be a good example to use when dealing with an unstoppable force.
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Wyatt MacMillan
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