| “ | My Legion obeys me, even unto death. Why? Because they live to serve the greater good, and they know of no alternatives.
— Caesar
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” |
Caesar's Legion is a faction from 2010 action RPG Fallout: New Vegas. It is an autocratic, traditionalist, imperialistic slaver society and a totalitarian dictatorship modelled after the Roman Empire. Despite its brutal and repressive nature, the Legion is one of the few superpowers of the Wasteland. It was founded by Edward Sallow, better known as Caesar, and Joshua Graham, formerly known as the Malpais Legate.
In 2246 the Followers of the Apocalypse send out a group of nine members to the Arizona wastelands to study the region's tribal languages. The group included Follower Edward Sallow, who met with the New Canaanite missionary Joshua Graham, a specialist in tribal dialects. Not long into their travels, the group was captured by the Blackfoot tribe and held for ransom. At the time the Blackfoot was warring with seven other tribes but were loosing because of their poor tactics.
Not willing to die alongside his captors, Sallow taught the Blackfoot gun maintenance, small unit tactics, explosive improvisation, and military strategy. This earned him the admiration of the tribe who swiftly made him their leader. Sallow renamed himself Caesar, after the leaders of the Roman Empire, and began to reorganize the Blackfoot in what is now known as Caesar's Legion with Joshua, renamed the Malpais Legate as his second-in-command.
The Legion went on to expand westward, conquering and incorporating many tribes along the way until it became one of the most powerful factions in the Wasteland. Eventually, the Legion clashed with another post-apocalyptic society called the New Californian Republic (NCR) in the Mojave Wasteland, an area both superpower wished to control. Caesar's Legion would face a crushing defeat by the hands of the NCR during the First Battle of the Hoover Dam and the Malpais Legate was burned and thrown into the Grand Canyon for his failure to take the dam. Joshua survived, however, and would become known in the Legion as a boogeyman-like figure called the Burned Man. Caesar replaced Joshua with Lanius and settled on the other side of the Hoover Dam, reading the Legion for a second attempt to conquer the Mojave. Either he was sucessful if the Courier sided with him or failed if they joined another faction.
Battle vs. Army of Tuskuru (by SPARTAN 119)[]
Tuskuru: 4500 + 7 heroes
Legion: 1650 + 5 heroes
No one in the wasteland knew how it happened- perhaps it was an accident related to some forgotten pre-war or Enclave technology. Perhaps it was something that came from the mysterious land known as the "Big Empty", or even the work of an alien race. All they knew was that a mysterious portal had appeared in the middle of Legion territory, and that Legion scouts reported a lush, green land unlike anything in the Mojave Wasteland, inhabited by a people they described as "mostly human", save for having animal-like ears and tails, and a technology far more primitive than the Legion's own.
When Caesar first heard of the rumors, he had the first scouts who arrived executed for daring to tell such a ridiculous lie. It was only when he looked on the portal with his own eyes that he realized that it was true... and that it was an opportunity unlike anything in the wasteland. By colonizing this land, seemingly untouched by war, Caesar would have the resources to build an Empire to truly rival that of the Roman Empire of old.
Borders of Tuskuru
Hakuoru stood on top of a timber guard tower one of many along the palisade walls of the Tuskuruan border fortress. Benawi, Touka, and Karura stood by his side. Looking down on the plains below the mountain pass guarded by the fortress, Hakuoru saw them, about 500 of them, clad in red and black, led my a man wearing golden armor. Though the Tuskuruan outnumbered them two to one and held the superior position, they seemed to be preparing to attack...
On the plains below the fortress
Arranged into neat columns and rows, the five centuries of Legion soldiers, about half of them recruits and the remainder more experienced troops stood on the plains below. At the head of the army stood Legate Lanius, the bloodthirsty conqueror of countless tribes, clad in gold-plated armor, with his massive sword forged from a pre-war car bumper, the Blade of the East, in hand.
"Forward!", the Monster of the East yelled as he held his sword forward, "Crush them in nomen Caesar!.
With a roar of countless shouting voices, the Legion armies advanced forward in a perfectly timed march. As they drew within 400 meters of the fort, Lanius yelled: "Rear ranks, open fire on the walls. Forward ranks, Charge!"
The rear ranks of the Legion forces, the 250 or so prime and veteran Legionaries raised their rifles and SMGs and took aim at the Tuskuran defenders and opened fire. The crack of bolt-action rifles, the chattering of 5mm carbines, and the roar of 12.7mm SMGs filled the air as clouds of dust and splinter erupted from the palisade walls and towers of the Tuskuran fort.
Walls of the Tuskuruan fort
Hakuoru heard the reports of the enemy weapon, and then bullets impact the walls, men falling left and right as they were struck by unseen projectiles. As soon as he did, a blurry image appeared in his memory, a figure raising a handgun, barrel pointed directly at his head. Hakuoru did not know what the image meant... was it part of his forgotten memory? All Hakuoru knew was that he was the only one who had seen the weapons before, though he didn't know where. A word came to him from the deep recesses of his mind: gun... firearm...
"Take cover behind the walls!", Hakuoru ordered his soldiers, most of who were already ducking behind the thick timber walls, "Don't get up until I give the command!"
Through the chaos, the Tuskuruan commander struggled to relay the order. Over 100 soldiers had been cut down by the mysterious weapons, and the fire kept coming as the forward enemy force charged towards the fort as the gun men advanced slowly behind them. The only saving grace was that not all of the enemy seemed to have firearms- if they did, Hakuoru know all to well that his army would have been annihilated. This was a foe even deadlier than the massive Avu Kamuu that Kunnekamun has unleashed against his armies.
The timber walls of the fort reduced the casualties on the Tuskuran side, but the were still several dozen more who were cut down by .308 rounds that blew right through the timber walls to strike the men behind them. After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, Hakuoru, who had occasionally took the personal risk of peering through the gaps in the palisade, saw that the enemy were about 200 meters away, approaching the first line- a distance reference Hakuoru had set up along with Dorii and Gura, the commanders of the Tuskuran archer force.
"Enemy is at the first line, give them a volley!", Hakuoru commanded.
"Targets, first line!", Gura ordered as he raised his yumi longbow to the proper angle.
"Draw!", Dorii commanded, as he, in perfect sync with his brother, as though they were both of the same mind. All of the 250 Tuskuran archers had been drilled extensively at firing indirectly at massed targets at the various defensive lines, and all of them raised their bow to just the right angle. "Loose!", Dori and Gura yelled at the same time.
Storm of 250 arrows rained down on the charging Legionary soldiers, mostly recruits, killing over 45 of them and wounded dozens more. Their relatively weak improvised armor provided little protection as the shafts punched through the football and baseball catcher's pads they used as crude armor, and into their flesh.
Even as their comrades fell around them, the Legion armies kept charging, even as more volleys rained down on them. The recruit Legionaries knew full well their was no retreat- like a Soviet penal battalion of centuries past, all that awaited if they fled was the guns of their more experienced comrades, who would not hesitate to mow them down. The only way forward was through the enemy.
With their numbers cut nearly in half, the charging Legionaries readied the crude grappling hooks they had been given, while those of them that had scavenged firearms- mostly double-barreled shotguns and varmint guns took potshots at the Tuskuran archers on the walls, occasionally picking one off, but there were far more of them than there were recruits with guns.
As their numbers dropped to less than 50, the recruit Legionaries fled, only to be gunned down by their more experienced commanders. Lanius hadn't expected the recruits to fail- they were cannon fodder intended to weaken the enemy, nothing more. Raising his sword, Lanius ordered his men to charge.
The Prime and Veteran Legionaries advanced, firing their weapons as they charged to suppress Tuskurans. The incoming arrow fire was far less effective. Arrows bounced off the breastplate and helmet of Lanius' custom armor. Many of the other Legionaries' armor, some which even included pieces taken from Brotherhood of Steel power armor, also survived the ravages of the arrow fire. Only a handful were downed by lucky shots to a weak point.
As the closer ranges, the Legion's guns were proving more effective, especially those Veteran Legionaries that carried PGM Hecate .50 anti-material rifles, weapons taken from fallen NCR Rangers. While their effectiveness was reduced by the fact they could only pause to take aim for a few seconds before continuing the charge, lest they face the wrath of the aggressive Lanius, who was quick to behead, if not crucify anyone he accused of cowardice.
Standing a short distance from the walls, Lanius readied an M2051 incendiary grenade and lobbed the device into one of the guard towers. The grenade exploded into a cloud of white phosphorous, which ignited the wooden tower, as well as the clothing and flesh of the Tuskuran defenders.
Over a dozen Tuskurans fell to the ground, writing one the ground in excruciating pain, their bodies covered third-degree burns. At this point, over 250 Tuskurans were dead, and yet, Hakuoru was far from finished.
"Urutori, Kamyu!", He called to the two "angeloid" Onkamiyamukai among his retainers. Kamyu and Urutori flow into the air, black balls of energy in hand. As they reached a height of several meters, they unleashed their magic attacks, engulfing dozens of Legionaries in balls of gravity magic as they flew around, evading enemy fire.
Then the archers fired again, sowing further chaos into Lanius' already collapsing ranks. Then, it was time to strike the final blow. The gates of the fort burst open, and 200 cavalrymen on woptars burst out, swords and lances in hand. The first few of them were cut down by fire from a 12.7mm SMG, held by a single decanus who tried to hold the line, but in less than a second, the shallow magazine of his weapon ran out of ammunition, and he was impaled on a Tuskuran lance.
After the cavalry charged forth, it was the infantry's turn next. Karura and Touka led the hundreds of soldiers, and Hakuoru himself was not far behind- he always was a general who lead from the front. Every time Karura swung her massive sword, it looked like a grenade went off as she hacked apart multiple Legionaries with each swing, sending severed limbs and heads flying through the air. Touka, meanwhile, had worked her way in amongst the Legionaries, the close proximity rendering the Legion unable to use their guns effectively as her katana sliced across their throats.
Hakuoru, meanwhile, had his woptar shot out from under him, but Hakuoru himself was unharmed. He lunged at the Legionary who killed him mount, striking him in the face with a his tessen and killing him instantly. Hakuoru then grabbed the Legionary's 5mm carbine and fired the weapon in one hand. Hakuoru was no marksman, but he knew enough to use the weapon from the "time before", and at these ranges, he could not miss. Hakuoru shot several Legionaries, before continuing his rampage, occasionally picking up a gun, only to toss it aside and return to fighting with his tessen when he ran out of ammo.
As his men fell around him, Lanius stood firm, his Blade of the East cleaving through spear shafts, armor plating, and men, cutting down at least ten Tuskurans. Then, he faced a woman with odd purple hair and animal-like ears, armed with a blade every bit as massive as his. He swung his great sword at her, only for her to effortlessly block it. When she retaliated, it took all of Lanius's strength just to block the strike, which left a wide notch and crack in the blade of his sword.
A second stroke of Karura's massive blade struck again. This time the Blade of the East gave way, the top third snapping off at the crack created by Karura's last strike. The Legate jumped backward, only barely avoiding the strike, and grabbed an incendiary grenade from his belt- if he couldn't cut down this monster of a woman, surely he could still burn her....
But Lanius never got the chance. Before he could pull the pin, Karura's massive blade came down on his helmet with each force to crush it like a soda can and reduce his Lanius' head to a thick red paste. As their leader fell, the few suriviving Legionaries either were cut down or fled. Those that survived would suffer a fate far worse than a Tuskuran blade or arrow...
Three days later, Caesar's camp
About 40 survivors made it back through the portal after their defeat. When Caesar discovered their failure, he ordered the highest surviving officer, a decanus, be crucified and burned alive. The remaining survivors were decimated, four randomly chosen men being executed by their comrades. The 35 men who survived both the Tuskurans and Caesar's wrath were stripped of their previous ranks and placed in the front lines of the next attack. If they survived and were victorious, they would have their rank restored. If they fell in battle, they would die a glorious death in the name of Mars and Caesar. If they fled a second time, they would meet the same fate as the decanus.
Having seen to the survivors of the last battle, Caesar summoned his three best Lieutenants, Gaius Magnus, Vulpes Inculta, and Lucius, the commander of his Praetorian Guard. Caesar commanded Gaius to ready his forces for battle, while Lucius prepared the howitzer they had restored for their second attack on Hoover Dam to be moved into the portal to support Gaius' assault. Vulpes, meanwhile, was entrusted with a secret mission to weaken the enemy from within.
Tuskuran border fort
Hakuoru stood in the courtyard of the Tuskuran border fortress, watching a group of about 50 Tuskuran soldiers practicing with guns captured from the Legion invaders. Hakuoru was hardly the most qualified teacher- his mysterious intuition meant he knew how a gun worked and the basic idea of how to use one, but he had no experience with firearms. While he had managed to recover about 100 guns from the enemy, the ammunition supply was limited, so they only had a few rounds, maybe a single magazine at most, for each man to devote to training. He was not expecting to train marksmen, but he hoped they could at least provide suppressing fire along with the archers.
In the four days since the battle more soldiers had arrived, specifically 3500 men led by Benawi, including Kurou's elite cavalry. When they were eating, sleeping, or drilling for battle, Hakuoru had his men set up further defense to protect the castle, digging a line of trenches filled with sharpened wooden stakes to slow the enemy advance and piling the dirt up behind the palisade wall to act as a backstop to stop bullets.
Later that night A figure with a humanoid shape and canine ears, dressed in a Tuskuran soldier's armor walked through the courtyard of the Tuskuran camp. This was nothing unusual in this world inhabited by numerous humanoid races, but, while it was hard to tell in the dark, this man was not one of the humanoids of that inhabited Tuskuru. No, he was true human, albeit wearing a Legion vexiliarius' hood, made from a coyote pelt, complete with ears. The frumentarii had found these useful for disguising themselves as one of the inhabitants of this world, even if they could only get away with it at night, and had to avoid interacting with others as they could not speak the language.
Nonetheless, for the disguise for this particular frumentarius, it had worked. The guards paid him no attention as he walked over to the well, and raised the bucket, appearing to be refilling his skin of water. However, as he got to the bucket, he opened a lead-lined package and dropped in the contents, before lowering the bucket back into the water.
The man left as quickly as he could without arousing suspicion, making his way back into the mountains that surrounded the fort undetected.
Legion camp, the next day
"The deed is done, Ave Caesar!", Cato Hostilius said as he reported to his commander, Vulpes Inculta, head of the frumentarii.
"You have done well, Cato", Vulpes said, "Take this, it should purge any radiation you sustained.". Vulpes handed Cato a brew made from various plants, which the Legion used instead of RadAway. He did this not out of concern for his comrade- Vulpes was not above sending his men to their deaths, as he had when he pulled a similar trick in Camp Searchlight, but because if Cato died, he would leave a body, potential evidence of the infiltration.
The water of the enemy had been contaminated with radiation, but that was just the first step of his plan. Now began phase two of the operation...
Tuskuran fortress, three days later
Hakuoru walked across the courtyard of the fortress, surveying the preparation of defense, as well as the digging of a new well. The preparations had been slowed by the outbreak of a mysterious disease resulting in vomiting, reddening of the skin, and in some cases, cognitive impairment.
Hakuoru had finally managed to figure out that the disease was spread through the water, but only after it had incapacitated over 1000 of his men. The progress on digging the well was going along well, but for at least two more days, he would have to send several hundred of his men to bring back skins of water from a nearby mountain stream.
As Hakuoru turned away from the well construction site, everything suddenly went black, and he knew no more. Hakuoru was not truly dead, the spirit of Witsurunemitea still lying dormant within him, however, much like the last time he had been shot, he would be returned to a period of centuries-long slumber.
The Tuskuran soldiers in the courtyard all turned towards Hakuoru as the side of his head exploded and a crack rang out through the air, the telltale signature of a weapon wielded by the mysterious enemy.
Several hundred meters away, Vulpes Inculta stood next to a Legionary assassin armed with an anti-materiel rifle. The Legion had seen firsthand the power of a well-placed gunshot at long range at the Battle of Hoover Dam, and, while Lanius was stuck in his ways of charging headlong into battle, Vulpes was not above killing from a distance, especially when the enemy could be crippled with a single shot.
By the time the Tuskurans found their hiding place, Vulpes and the assassin would be long gone.
A few days later, on the plains below the Tuskuran Fortress
Centurion Lucius, commander of Caesar's elite Praetorian Guard stood watch of the team of men setting up the recently restored 105mm howitzer into position to fire at the Tuskuran fortress, a few thousand meters away. The weapon had originally been intended to be used against the NCR's elite Rangers stationed at Hoover Dam, but after the mysterious new enemy proved surprisingly powerful, the gun was turned against them instead.
Surrounding Lucius and the howitzer were thousands of the Legionaries, led by Gaius Magnus, the new Legate after the fall of Lanius, who had previously been a successful Legion commander who suppressed an enemy tribe with the blistering rate of fire of his 5mm minigun.
The two commanders, along with everyone else in the Legion camp stood at attention as a man in short white hair, clad in armor, walked out of the largest tent at the center of camp. A chorus of over a thousand voices called out Ave Caesar!.
Caesar walked up to the two commanders and asked, "Gaius, Lucius, how go the preparations?"
"My troops are ready to march in to battle at your command. Our guns are loaded and our blades sharp, ready to cut down the profligates as soon as you give the order.", Gaius replied.
After Gaius finished speaking, Caesar turned to Lucius, who reported, "The gun is trained on the profligates' fort and ready to be fired on your command, Caesar."
"Excellent", Caesar said, "Fire the first shot in an hour, and hit the fort with seven rounds. After the fort has been softened by Lucius' artillery, Gaius' forces will march into the breach and caedisti omnes!"
An hour later
On Caesar's orders, Lucius pulled the lanyard on the howitzer firing mechanism. With a thunderous roar, the gun sent a 105mm high explosive shell flying in a deadly arc towards the keep of the Tuskuruan fort. Upon impact, the shell exploded in a flash of smoke and flames and a shower for shattered timber and mangled bodies.
As soon as the crew reloaded, as second shot reduced the gate to splinters, collapsing the two guard towers flanking it and killing hundred of men. The Tuskuran soldiers could only watch helplessly as their fort... and their comrades, were blown to pieces with each successive impact.
As hundreds died around her, Urutori realized that she was the only one capable of ending this madness once and for all. She would swoop in from above, and destroy... whatever it was that was summoning this infernal rain of fire. At once, she flew up into the air, flying as fast as her powers could carry her as she prepared her most powerful.
As she rose into the air, Urutori saw a flash of fire come from an odd sort of tube at the rear of the enemy camp- that had to be source of the bombardment. As Urutori prepared to dive down on the target, she heard a voice that made her freeze in midair.
"I'm coming with you, sis!", Kamyu called out as she flew in after Urutori, her black wings spread wide.
"Kamyu!", Urutori yelled, "Go back the fortress, it's two dangerous!", but her sister doggedly refused to return, flying alongside her. Urutori had no way to stop her while also preparing to make her attack run- she had no choice but to continue.
As Urutori dove on the howitzer, a gravity attack and ready, flanked to the left by Kamyu, she heard an unearthly roaring sound unlike anything she had before as countless smaller flashes of fire like the ones created by the enemy siege engine erupted from the enemy formations. Urutori saw what looked like streaks of fire fly past her, before she felt a sudden, sharp impact on her left wing. It was becoming hard to maintain her flight from the pain. Looking to her side, she saw several unseen projectiles strike Kamyu in the chest, a spray of blood erupting from each wounds.
Though she could not hear the sound over the maelstrom of the enemy weapons, Urutori could read the final words on her sister's lips: "Sister... I'm sorry...."
As Urutori saw her sister's bloodied fall from the sky, as if in slow motion, she hurled her energy attack towards the horde below her. As she saw the energy attack wipe out dozens of the enemy, Urutori felt several sharp impacts, and then... nothing at all.
Tuskuran Fortress
Oboro crawled over to Benawi and Kurou, who took cover in the ruins of what has once been the keep of the fort. Things were looking gri- between the mysterious sickness and the bombardment from the enemy siege engine, over half his forces were dead or dying. He had but one choice left, to order a retreat. The civilians, including Eruruu and her sister Aruruu, had already left...
"As much as it pains me to say this, you have to retreat, we have no other choice...", Oboro implored his friend and comrade.
"And what of you? Would you simply flee and surrender the land in which Hakuoru fell to the enemy, to allow his body to be displayed as trophy by these barbarian!?", Benawi retorted.
"As much as I hate to say, I must agree with Oboro's council. Tuskuru needs you alive- with you leading us, we may yet have a chance, especially if the Onkamiyamukai side with us, as they are sure to- the Oryankaru will not let the death of his daughters go unpunished."
"But what of you, Kurou, and the rest of our men?", Benawi asked.
"I will stay here and hold them off while you escape.", Kurou said.
"As will I. I swore on my eternal allegiance to Hakuoru. If I must follow him into the grave, I will do so gladly.", Oboro replied.
"I'm with you as well. Either my blade finds the neck of those barbarians who killed Urutori and Hakuoru, or I die in the attempt", Karura said.
"An Evinkuruga does never runs from battle, no matter the odds. If my I losing my life will save those of countless innocents, I give it willingly!"
"You honor me with your loyalty", Benawi said, "I suppose I have no choice but honor your sacrifice and retreat with my men. Anyone who wishes to leave the fort and continue the battle another day, come with me. If you wish to stay behind, I will not try to stop you, but know that you will likely die. Think of your families, your friends, and all you will leave behind before you makes that choice."
The road to the Tuskuran capital, at the same time
The column of civilian refugees traveled along the road across the mountain pass to the Tuskuran capital, defended by a small compliment of cavalry and infantry. As they came over the crest of the pass, they came face to a small group of about 30 men.
With a sudden "crack", gunshots rang out, cutting down the seven cavalrymen at the head of the column. As the volley of gunfire continued towards the civilians, however something the Legion assassins sent by Vulpes Inculta could never have expect happened. The mount of a small girl with the the same animal-like ears as all of the other inhabitants of this world lunged in front of the group of civilians, revealing itself to be a beast unlike anything the Legionaries had seen before (remember, a post-apocalyptic resident of the Mojave probably hasn't seen a tiger). It was about the size of a Yao Guai, with white fur and black stripes. Furthermore, the beast the girl rode shrugged off even the .50 caliber rounds of the anti-materiel rifle of the lead assassin without so much as a scratch.
Aruruu's pet tiger, Mukkuru reared up, protecting the girl on his back from the deadly gunfire, before charging forward at speeds greater than any normal beast, right at the Legionaries, not even noticing the bullets as they bounced off his nigh-indestructible hide.
Mukkuru roared as lunged at the nearest assassin, landing on top of the Legionary and ripping his throat out with his powerful jaws. Mukkuru then tore a second Legionary's chest open with a swipe of his claws. Mukkuru tore through the assassins in a flash of claws, teeth, and blood, sending men flying to the ground in bloody mangled heaps with each swipe of his claws, the gunfire from the Legion's weapons having no effect even at point blank range. One of the Legionaries tried to fire his 12.7mm SMG directly Mukkuru's mouth, but before he could squeeze the trigger, his entire hand was taken off by the tiger's jaws.
The remaining five or so Legionaries attempted to flee from the beast, whose ferocity rivaled that of even the Deathclaws of their homelands, only to be chased down the torn apart one by one. Aruruu meanwhile, was covered in the blood of her would-be attackers, but was otherwise unharmed. Her supernaturally strong pet had averted a massacre and cleared a path for Benawi's retreating army, but it would be the only small victory on this day of defeat...
Later that day, Tuskuran border fort
The Tuskuran border fort was in ruins. All of the major structures had been reduced to mounds of splintered timber and cracked stone, and the palisade walls had two massive breaches blown into them. All that remained of the garrison were 200 Tuskuran soldiers, half of them armed with captured Legion firearms that Hakuoru had given them token training in the use of, while the rest carried traditional Tuskuran weapons.
All of them were fully prepared to die, having volunteered to give their lives to protect their comrades, their families back home, and the countless innocents from the slaughter that the mysterious invaders would surely bring. All they had left to do was wait for the inevitable storm of fire and steel to arrive.
Oboro's plan was simple, to stay hidden and quiet in the ruins. Hopefully, they would be be able to convince the enemy that the fort was abandoned until they were right on top of them. When the enemy were as close as possible, they would greet them with a volley of arrows and projectiles from the mysterious weapons of the enemy. Then, they would make their final charge...
About half and hour later
Gaius Magnus stood about 200 meters from the enemy fortress with his minigun in hand, ready to fire if the enemy attacked. From this distance the ruined fortifications looked deserted, but Gaius knew looks could be deceiving- this was not the first time he had seen an ambush.
"Forward ranks, advance!", Gaius ordered.
As drums and horns sounded, delivering the order to the forward ranks, which consisted of poorly armed recruit Legionaries. They were newest soldiers accepted into the Legion. If they succeeded in battle, they would eventually be promoted to the veteran, and finally the elite ranks. If they were all killed, it would still soften up the enemy for the second and third ranks to finish them off.
Even given the poor odds of this first assault, the recruits advanced, as they had been trained almost from birth to serve Caesar. As Caesar himself said, they "knew no alternative". Furthermore, they knew that if they retreated, they would be cut down by Gaius' minigun and the weapons of the other ranks, if they were lucky enough not to be crucified or burned alive.
As the first ranks reached about 100 meters from the from the ruined fort, it became clear that the fort was far from deserted. The crack of gunfire and the whoosing of arrows filled the air as the Tuskurans threw every projectile they could get their hands on at the Legion. Some of them fired guns they had taken from the Legion and figured out to use, at least in a rudimentary manner, while other used more their traditional bows and arrows. The recruit Legionaries' light armor offered no protection- in less than three seconds, over 100 were dead, and countless more were wounded.
Before the shaken recruits could get organized, a great roar of hundreds of shouting voices erupted from the Tuskuran lines as they charged at the enemy, steel in hand. Several of the enemy were far faster than the others, falling upon the hordes in seconds.
At the same time
Oboro's dual ninjato each sank their blades into a different enemy, before he continued to strike down one enemy, and then another. At the same time, Touka's katana cleaved through her foes in a dance of death, while Kurou plowed through the enemy ranks on his woptar mount. By far the most terrifying of the Tuskuran heroes, however, had to be Karura. Every time she swung her massive blade, it looked like a grenade went off, throwing severed limbs and heads dozens of meters away.
Combined with the strength of the 200 regular infantry, the force of Tuskuru had torn the enemy to pieces in less than a minute. But beyond this group lay a second, more powerful foe, the veteran Legionaries. As soon as the Tuskurans finished off their less experienced comrades, the second like opened fire, armed with much more potent firearms, including the high-powered rifles and submachine guns.
As he charged forth at the enemy, miraculously having thus far evaded the hail of bullets, Oboro saw one man clad in heavy plate armor, carrying a large black object advance forward from the rear lines. Holding the object at his hip, the weapons began to spit out flames and create an unearthly roar even louder than the guns the others hand.
Oboro made one final lunge, attempting to strike the armored man with his blades, but as he flew through the air, propelled by his superhuman agility, he felt an sudden impact. Looking down, he saw a gaping wound in his torso, before everything went blurry. Oboro landed at the feet of the enemy and immediately fell to his knees and breathed his last.
Gaius Magnus POV
Gaius Magnus swept his minigun across the incoming enemy force, cutting the enemy who survived the guns of his men to pieces. One of the inhumanly strong enemies tried to lunge several meters at him, but he jumped directly into the path of his bullets. Firing at over 50 rounds per second, Gaius' minigun literally eviscerated him as the rounds swept across his torso.
Gaius's attacker landed several meters from him and fell to his knees, dead, before the Legion commander adjusted her fire to a pair of female attackers who stubbornly tried to keep moving forward in spite of their bullet wounds. The minigun ended their fight too.
In a matter of seconds it was over, all to hundred or so enemy soldiers has fallen. As Gaius' men advanced into the ruins of the enemy fort, they found only ruined buildings, abandoned weapons, and countless mangled corpses. As with so many tribes before him, Gaius has crushed the enemy in the name of Caesar.
Epilogue: A few weeks later
Oryankaru Waabe, ruler of the Onkamiyamukai, was furious as he stood inside the ancient bunker from the "time before" that only the highest ranks of the Onkamiyamukai knew existed. This mysterious knew enemy had murdered both of their daughters. They would pay most dearly for their crimes.
Much to Waabe's fury, the ancient weapon that was the most feared of all the powers of the Onkamiyamukai, was unavailable. A layer of clouds covered the advance of the enemy hordes, obscuring the view of the weapon that people from the before time would have known as the "Amaterasu Orbital Laser Weapons System".
It seemed the Witsurunemitea had seen it fit the grant the enemy a brief reprieve, but in a matter of days at most, the could would clear, and the Oryankaru would unleash his wrath upon the enemy...
Little did the Oryankaru know, however, that the leader of the enemy, an ex-Followers of the Apocalypse linguist, had managed to gain a basic understanding of the Tuskuran language, and had interrogated a survivor of the siege. Before the man with the odd animal-like ears had expired, he found a piece of useful information: that the Onkamiyamukai- those people that looked like pre-war depictions of angels- by far the oddest of the humanoids that inhabited this world- held the power to summon a "light of justice" from the skies that would surely smite his Legions.
Many would consider this to be a ridiculous threat, but this reminded Caesar of something... hadn't peoples said similar things about HELIOS One- the Brotherhood certainly thought it was the key to some kind of pre-war superweapon. Because of this, Caesar granted Vulpes Inculta, whose assassins had failed to intercept the retreating Tuskurans a rare second chance.
He and his frumentarii were to destroy the city of Onkamiyamukai and kill all of the inhabitants, especially the leaders by any means necessary.
And so, a figure wearing Tuskuran peasant garb, along with a coyote skin hood to fake the characteristic animal-like ears of the local, led a wagon drawn by one of the strange "docile Deathclaws" they used as a draft animals towards Onkamiyamukai. This was nothing out of the ordinary- as the supreme religious authority and mediator of disputes in this world, they frequently received tribute. But the contents of this wagon were not gold or silver or crops. No, this one contained a payload of over 100 olive green objects the size of a pre-war football, as many as could be scavenged from the wasteland. Printed on the side of each one in yellow letters were the words, "Warhead, Micro-Nuclear, M46".
The Legion had won the first battle, but the war very much hang in the balance, dependent on the success or failure of this single operation.
WINNER: Caesar's Legion
Expert's Opinion[]
The Legion won this battle in large part thanks to their superior weapons, specifically firearms. While not every soldier carried a gun, and many of them were of low quality, the experts believed they still had enough guns to tip the balance of the battle in their favor, even against the superhuman qualities of some of Tuskuru's heroes. While the expert's conceded that a longer war might allow Tuskuru to find a way to counter them, the Legion would be victorious in this first battle.
To see the original battle, weapons, and votes, click here
Battle vs. Peacekeepers (by MovieStuff65)[]
“Listen – what if Kamala actually doesn’t win California and it actually ends up going to Yang. I’m just saying, take that with how he handled COVID in 2020 as Secretary of-”
Beast throws up his hands in exhaustion as Cfp, clad in a long-sleeved maroon t-shirt, rambles on. “Enough Cfp! We are not re-litigating the Byrd timeline anymore! Pressley won the primary, give it up!”
“Fine!”
He looks around, fidgeting in the comfortable silence. Beast raises an eyebrow, and nods at a black and red folder. “Thinking about coming out of retirement again?”
“I’ve given it some thought.” Cfp says, with a noticeably noncommittal shrug. “As much as I love Ice-T Puppy Incorporated, we’re not nearly as productive as I’d like.”
“Still can’t believe you sold us out for a cushy corporate job.”
“Good God, you’re almost as bad as-”
“Don’t.”
Cfp smirks and gulps back the rest of his beer. He stands and picks up the empty cider bottle Beast had been drinking from, dropping both in the recycling bin by his desk. Cracking his neck, Beast also rises and reaches for his green hoodie. He pulls it over his body before offering his hand to Cfp.
“It’s been nice catching up, but I’ve got a bureau meeting to go to.”
The former bureau lets out a chuckle as he returns the gesture. “That’s something I haven’t missed about this place. The private sector is somehow much more relaxing.”
“Fascist pig.”
“Dirtbag commie.”
The pair laugh, Cfp opening the door for Beast. The latter walks out, nodding his head towards the blonde teenager at the desk. Just as he gets to the elevator, two men in all white armor and black helmets barge forward.
“Stay where you are sir.”
Cfp walks out of his office as Beast and his assistant back away from the Peacekeepers. “What the hell is going on?” The soldiers give a hasty salute at Cfp, before one of the approaches. “Sir, a swarm of hostiles are attacking the building right now. We’ve been ordered to keep you here for safety.”
Cfp barks orders as they walk into his office, taking a position looking out the window to the White Collar district. “We’ll need more guards. Beast and I will be fine for the moment, hurry up and get us out of here.”
The Peacekeepers salute and leave the office. Cfp looks at his assistance and gestures to the stairs. “Mrs. Chase, please escort Beast out of the building at once.”
“A please would be nice.” She says, putting on a baseball cap and disappearing at once.
Beast shudders. “It’s much more surprising to see her do that in person.”
Cfp mumbles a reply.
As Beast joins Cfp by the window, he looks over at the folder again. “Is this..”
Taken aback, Cfp shakes his head. “What? Even I’m not that reckless. Who would stage a fight in the middle of the city like that?”
“Yeah, that’d be dumb.” Beast says with a chuckle as he walks out of the room.
“But anyway, no. No, this is something else…”
In an abandoned building – at least, abandoned now thanks to his frumentarii slaughtering its inhabitants – Vulpes Inculta watches the horde of Caesar’s Legion overwhelm Ice-T Puppy Incorporated. Even if he hadn’t been hired to, the wrath of Caesar would’ve fallen upon this display of corrupt wealth eventually.
A Legionnaire storms into Vulpes’ command post and kneels. “Sir, we have broken through its outer defenses. Our men are inside the building now.”
“Where is Cfp?”
“From what we can gather, he’s still on the top floor.”
Vulpes nods and picks up his Ripper. “Understood. Time to get him out of that office; use the howitzer.”
The Legionnaire nods and sprints out of the room. Vulpes looks one last time out the window, where he knew Cfp was watching the battle same as he.
“Let’s get you down here with the rest of us.”
Six Peacekeepers march into Cfp’s office and stand at attention. The one from before steps forward as Cfp and Beast look at them.
“Sir, they have infiltrated the building. We believe it best for you to stay here until help arrives.”
“Yes, I suppose that’s-”
A deafening blast interrupts their conversation, just as the window of Cfp’s office shatters into pieces. An explosion sends all of them to the floor, looking at the gigantic hole where Cfp’s wall once was.
“Is everyone okay?”
The Peacekeepers immediately stand up, with several going to the window to return fire. The lead officer offers his hand to Cfp, beckoning the two users to the exit.
“We need to leave now, sir.”
Cfp nods, and the group quickly begins to travel down the stairwell. As they walk down floor by floor, the sounds of gunfire and fighting carries on faintly in the background.
On the second floor, a squad of Legionnaires burst into the stairwell on the bottom level.
“Get the degenerate! He belongs on the cross!”
The lead Peacekeeper officer shoves Cfp and Beast onto the second floor, before whipping his rifle around and firing a burst at the Legionnaires. The rounds bounce harmlessly into the ground, and he gestures for his team to move with him.
With a battlecry, the six Legionnaires chase up the stairs after them.
Peacekeepers: 
x 6
Caesar’s Legion: 
x 6
The Legionnaires exit the stairwell and enter the main interior, where office cubicles have been abandoned by their employees. Several small offices split off from the room, and they see the six Peacekeepers digging into form a defensive perimeter.
With a burst of gunfire, the Legionnaires startle the unprepared Peacekeepers. One aims his Assault Carbine at the group, and several rounds slam into the exposed side of a Peacekeeper. Blood bursts out from his crisp white uniform, and he collapses to the ground with a grunt.
The Peacekeepers scramble for cover, one blindly firing his P90 at the group. A Legionnaire lurches as a round slams into his unguarded knee, crouching in pain. Exposed from cover, another Peacekeeper aims his rifle and polishes him off with shot to the neck. Gripping his neck in vain, the Legionnaire collapses, leaving a gradually growing pool of blood on the ground.
The fighting slows to a halt as both sides find adequate cover, with the Legionnaires splitting up into the separate offices while the Peacekeepers kick over desks and cubicle walls for cover.
One Legionnaire unsheathes his machete, nodding at the Praetorian Guard leading them. The superior nods in return, and the Legionnaire activates his Stealth Boy. Practically invisible, the Legionnaire quietly moves towards the Peacekeepers. The remaining Legionnaires provide covering fire, pinning their opponents down as they gradually advance forward.
The cloaked Legionnaire arrives behind the group of Peacekeepers, his machete drawn. He sneaks up behind the rearmost Peacekeeper, and slams the blade into her neck. Gurgling on blood, she collapses as the Legionnaire unholsters his pistol.
Surprised at being outflanked, the Peacekeepers fire towards the source of the noise. The Legionnaire chuckles to himself, as they completely miss him. He smartly fires two rounds from his pistol, the bullets slamming into the face mask of a Peacekeeper. He launches backwards, shards of black glass and blood flying from his face as he dies.
“Dammit, we can’t see him. Flush him out!”
A Peacekeeper, wielding a flamethrower, quickly lets out several bursts of flame. Sweeping the fire all over the area, she let out a satisfied grunt as the Legionnaire decloaked and started flailing around. Screaming, he dropped to the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames. Another Peacekeeper quickly unloaded his submachine gun into him, emptying the remainder of his magazine into the dying soldier.
Distracted, the Peacekeepers were barely prepared for the advancing Legion. The men quickly rushed the death squad, trading cumbersome rifles for their sidearms or blades. One Legionnaire quickly vaulted over a table, landing a swift kick into the chest of a Peacekeeper. The Peacekeeper tosses aside his rifle in favor for his baton, swinging it open and jabbing forward. The electrified tip connects, but the Legionnaire powers through with several vicious machete swings. He tackles the Peacekeeper to the ground, chopping at the hand holding the baton.
He unholstered his pistol, prepared to execute his victim, until the flamethrower wielding Peacekeeper lit him alight. Vicious until the end, he kills the soldier he had pinned as the flames eat them both.
“We have to fall back!”
The two remaining Peacekeepers fall back, one letting out a final burst of flames to cover their escape. The Legionnaires duck down to avoid the blast, blindly firing their weapons at the fleeing foes. Busting down an office door, the Peacekeepers enter the cafeteria. They hide behind counters, waiting for the Legionnaires to join them. The female Peacekeeper tosses her empty flamethrower aside, and draws her pistol.
The Legionnaires enter the room to a hail of gunfire from the Peacekeepers. Two roll out of the way, but the third is riddled with bullets. Both Legionnaires return fire, but one of them runs out of ammunition. He looks at his leader, and pumps his arm against his chest.
“Ave, true to Caesar.”
“Ave, amicus.”
He unsheathes his machete and lets out a vicious battle cry. He charges forward, giving no quarter as he sprints towards the Peacekeepers. The two empty their magazines into him, and he gives one last defiant shout before falling in front of them.
Distracted, the Peacekeepers temporarily look up from their sights only to receive a hail of gunfire. The last Legionnaire peppers the subordinate with his submachine gun, the rounds piercing her helmet and sending her to the ground. .
“Profligates like you belong on the cross! Face me coward.”
The Legionnaire roars as he draws his pistol and machete, advancing forward. Pinned down, the Peacekeeper drops his own rifle in favor of his baton and pistol. He rises up and returns fire, hitting the Legionnaire in a gap in the shoulder, before feeling the impact of another round slam into his wrist.
The bullet tears through his arm and throws the pistol from his grip. Twirling his baton, he shoves the table he’d been using as cover forward. The table barely stops the Legionnaire as he vaults over it, only to get a swift whack in the face. He briefly recoils, leaving time for the Peacekeeper to thrust it forward.
The electricity barely phases the Legionnaire when he swings his machete, with the Peacekeeper blocking the blow with a wild defensive swing. The Legionnaire pushes, shoulder tackling the Peacekeeper.
He falls onto the ground, swinging his baton in horizontally to keep distance from the Legionnaire. Sparks fly as the Legionnaire instinctively leaps back to avoid them, before closing the gap and swinging his machete down.
The fragile blade collides with the baton as it falls, breaking apart upon impact. The Legionnaire looks stunned at his broken baton, before receiving a critical blow across the face. His helmet flying off, the Legionnaire barely raises his arms in time to block another blow from the baton.
Unlike before, the electric tip shocks the battle-hardened soldier. As he jolts in pain, the Peacekeeper lands another firm blow on the Legionnaire’s knee. Collapsing to the ground, the Legionnaire falls after a decisive blow to the skull. The Peacekeeper continues to smash the baton against his opponent, staining his crisp white uniform red.
“I think that’ll do it.”
The Peacekeeper turns to see Cfp glancing out from his hiding spot, clumsily holding the dropped Peacekeeper’s pistol. The soldier nods and puts away his baton. Cfp hands the sidearm to the officer, and begins to walk away without a second glance at the carnage around him. “On second thought, go ahead and make sure.”
Cfp sits at his desk, calmly looking over a white manilla folder. Across from him sits a man in a filthy white t-shirt and military fatigues. Cfp finishes reading and puts the folder down.
“Caesar’s Legion has officially been demoted from White Collar to Blue Collar.”
The man nods. “Looks like those bastards got what was coming to them.”
“Of course Mr. Boone. If you decide that you’d like them to go down further, I can arrange another “match”.”
“I’ll see what I can scrounge up and let you know.”
“Naturally. Craig, it was a pleasure doing business.”
The pair shake hands before the man stands up and walks out, putting his sunglasses and red beret on as he leaves. Cfp trades the white manilla folder for a black and red one. He looks out the window, noting internally the construction that had already repaired his wall and the crews outside clearing the rubble from the battle.
He smiles with content, before a phone call labelled "BC-159" began to ring. Putting the folder down with a frustrated sigh, Cfp breathed in and put on his happy voice.
"Jason, a pleasure to hear from you. I understand your living arrangements aren't quite like Wayne Manor. Why don't you swing by the office and we can discuss what Ice-T Puppy Incorporated can do for you?"
“Why should I except this failure, Vulpes?”
Caesar lashes out with a punch to his subordinate’s gut. In their newly assigned barracks in the Blue Collar district, Vulpes grits his teeth through the pain and stands silent beneath the berating.
“Not only did you fail to take your objective, but you retreated! An absolute disgrace. I ought to let Lanius tear you limb from limb in front of the rest of the Legion!”
“Surely that won’t be necessary…” A voice quietly states from the shadows. Vulpes and Caesar looked to their new ally, flanked by his metallic, blue masked lackey.
“Vulpes is not at fault here.” The man chides, his face a mystery behind his stone mask.
“I have an idea on how to use him yet.”
Expert's Opinion[]
The Peacekeepers, with exception to experience and melee proficiency, were able to surpass Caesar's Legion on almost every level. Whether it came to firepower, speed, armor, or even basic training, the Peacekeepers had the Legion outgunned on every aspect except in a fist fight, which hardly matters in a battle with assault rifles and machine guns.