Master smiths

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With a guttural roar that echoed across the battlefield, the massive super mutant raised its weapon, and immediately, dozens of super mutants charged from their hiding spots and defensive positions, rushing toward our lines with uncontrollable fury.

"To your positions! Suppression fire!" I barked, knowing that facing this frontal assault head-on would be costly

Our heavy weapons and antimaterial rifles rang out, tearing through the ranks of the charging super mutants. Yet, the towering leader, clad in steel, barely flinched. Bullets ricocheted off his makeshift armor as he advanced like an unstoppable beast, crushing everything in his path. Each of his footsteps boomed like thunder, and his heavy machine gun sprayed our positions with deadly fire, forcing us into cover.

"Target the giant! Don't let it close in!" I shouted to my men as we focused our efforts on halting the colossus. My best snipers zeroed in on the small gaps in his armor, searching for any vulnerability. Yet, his march was relentless, and with every step, his rage seemed to grow.

"Rocket launchers, now!" I ordered. We couldn't afford to let this beast reach our lines or it would slaughter us all.

The legionaries around me immediately took cover, pulling out grenade launchers and rocket launchers in a desperate attempt to stop the monster. The projectiles screamed through the air, slamming into the massive figure. The force of the blasts rattled his steel plating, knocking chunks of armor loose and exposing bloodied flesh beneath. But the creature kept coming, unstoppable, while his fellow super mutants were ripped apart by the heavy artillery.

"Fall back! Regroup!" I called out, realizing that if we stayed exposed much longer, we would be overwhelmed.

We moved tactically, using the thick smoke from the explosions to cover our retreat, repositioning ourselves defensively. The beast continued to stomp forward, blindly firing its heavy weapon, trying to hit us. Every guttural growl reverberated through the ruined streets, shaking the ground as it lumbered on.

When the smoke finally cleared, we saw him clearly again. Dark, thick blood dripped from the gashes in his armor, but the giant remained on his feet. His comrades, however, lay strewn across the battlefield like broken toys, lifeless from the barrage of grenades and rockets.

"Focus fire on the cracks in his armor!" I commanded. "Don't let him catch his breath!"

The beast staggered but kept moving, each step more labored. We coordinated quickly with another group of legionaries positioned at a nearby intersection. "When that thing enters your line of fire, hit it with everything you've got! Don't let it close in any further," I ordered.

We continued to retreat strategically, staying just out of its range, drawing it closer and closer to the ambush point. The remaining super mutants fired wildly at us, but it was only a matter of time before we reached the intersection where the trap was set.

Finally, the massive beast and its entourage of super mutants stumbled into the kill zone. From elevated and concealed positions, the legionaries unleashed a storm of rocket and antimaterial fire. The explosions lit up the area, enveloping the giant in a cloud of fire and shrapnel.

The monster reeled back, its movements slower and clumsier now. Even with its armor and superhuman endurance, the accumulated damage was taking its toll. But even injured, it remained a colossal threat. That's when I saw the opportunity.

"Drusus, fire at the weak spot on its chest!" I yelled, aiming my own rocket launcher. One of the previous explosions had created a significant crack in its chest armor. That was our target.

Several rockets hit the giant's chest in unison. The sound of the explosion was deafening, and the creature let out a final, ear-shattering roar that reverberated through the city. The monstrous figure dropped to its knees, and with a final gasp, collapsed entirely, kicking up a massive cloud of dust as it hit the ground.

With the beast down, the remaining super mutants tried to flee, but we gave them no chance. The legionaries encircled them with precision, cutting them down mercilessly. Some of the veteran centurions even engaged the last stragglers in close combat, claiming their steel-plated helmets as trophies of war.

"That thing was like a walking tank... How tall is it? It's massive," I said, staring down at the colossal corpse, still covered in its improvised steel plating. It was an intimidating sight, even in death.

"But it fell like the rest. No enemy is too big or small, Legate. We've fought them all, and they've all fallen. The centurions conquer all," said one centurion, pulling a massive sword from the neck of a fallen super mutant with pride.

"Indeed. No enemy is too great if you have enough explosives and the discipline of the Legion," I replied, surveying the battlefield. The ground was littered with bodies, the remains of super mutants, and the wreckage of their crude fortifications. "Reform the squads," I ordered, my voice steady and commanding. "There are still sectors to clear. There might be more of these beasts hiding. We can't lower our guard."

The centurions nodded, quickly organizing their men into recon and assault teams. As the legionaries spread out to secure the remaining areas of the complex, we resumed our methodical sweep of the buildings.

But now, nothing stood in our way. We breached the factories that the super mutants had been protecting. Loud music echoed throughout the complex, and as we entered, we found thousands of human slaves who stopped working at the sight of us. However, the super mutants continued their tasks as if the war was the furthest thing from their minds.

They were welding, forging, and mounting cannons onto new machinery that no longer resembled modified construction equipment. These were fully functional battle tanks. In their obsession to complete their work, they hadn't even realized we had stormed the place.

I fired my gun into the air to get their attention, and at last, the super mutants turned to face me, removing their protective goggles or crawling out from under the tanks, their faces full of surprise.

"What?" one of the super mutants growled, baring his teeth as he shut off the loudspeakers that had been filling the factory with blaring music.

I stood there, momentarily taken aback by their indifference to the chaos happening outside. "We're in the middle of a battle," I said, still surprised by their behavior.

One of the super mutants, clearly larger and more muscular than the others, merely grunted as he removed his gloves. "I'm gonna finish this tank before fighting. The boss took all my steel plates, and I ain't letting you take this tank from me ," he said, putting his goggles back on and resuming his welding as if nothing else mattered.

The scene was so surreal that, for a moment, I didn't know how to react. These creatures, so brutal and deadly in battle, were obsessed with their work to the point of ignoring their own survival.

"Stop," I ordered, stepping closer to the lead super mutant. "Your city has fallen, your boss is dead, and now you work for the Legion. If you want to keep building these tanks, you'll do it under our orders, or you won't live to see them finished," I warned, leaving no room for argument.

The super mutant stopped welding and slowly raised his head, processing my words. A murmur of uncertainty ran through the others, but none of them moved.

"What… you say?" he finally asked, his deep, raspy voice filled with suspicion.

"You heard me," I replied. "I'm offering you a choice: work for the Legion, continue building these tanks under our supervision, and live. Or die here, with your work unfinished."

"And where's the trap? When something sounds too good, it usually ain't," said the most intelligent of the super mutants, his eyes locked on mine, clearly weighing every word I spoke.

"Your task will be to build armored vehicles, tanks for the Legion, according to our specifications. We'll also make improvements where necessary to optimize their effectiveness," I replied, unbothered by his skepticism.

"Yeah, I get that… but what's the catch?" the smarter mutant pressed, while the rest of the mutants watched him, waiting for his judgment.

"You'll need to work eight hours straight on the tanks. I've seen you're using some outdated techniques, which only add unnecessary work without improving the final product," I explained firmly.

"ONLY EIGHT? What if I wanna work more?" growled the big mutant, clearly irritated by what he saw as a ridiculous limitation.

"Yeah... what... if... we do that?" mumbled another mutant, simpler in thought.

"Fine... you're a tough negotiator. You can work as long as you want, as long as it doesn't affect the quality of the final product," I conceded, knowing that keeping them occupied and productive was the priority. The lead mutant grinned, satisfied with my response.

"That's good. My work takes time," he said, his tone more relaxed, while the other mutants looked at him with a hint of admiration.

"One more thing the tanks need to be smaller. I see they're designed for your kind, but we need something we can use," I added.

"But... the 'boys' won't fit..." protested one of the slower mutants, confused.

"We'll be the ones using them," I replied firmly.

The comment made one of the mutants laugh. "Ha, ha, ha... the tin guy... thinks he can fight better than the 'boys'," he said between chuckles, clearly underestimating the Legion.

"I wouldn't be standing here if I hadn't killed your boss," I responded calmly, wiping the smile off his face. The air grew tense for a moment, but the lead mutant spoke up.

"We'll have to start all over," he muttered, glancing at the tanks.

"Yes, and in doing so, we can fix several issues. The armor isn't sloped, which reduces its effectiveness. If we adjust the slope, we can use the same amount of steel and make it stronger," I explained.

"Hmm... Juggernaut always said 'more plates, more plates, more plates'... and that red made them go faster," the lead mutant mused, nodding slowly.

"Well, the vehicle will be better. But, no more eating humans," I added, glancing at the other mutants.

"What we eat then?" asked one of the dumber mutants.

The leader shot me a knowing look, already understanding.

"Brahmin," I answered confidently, knowing it was a fitting solution.

"Ooh... Brahmin much better than humans... fewer bones!" one of the mutants exclaimed, to which several others nodded in agreement.

"Yeah... more meat," added another.

The leader of the super mutants made a gesture, signaling that they would continue their work. "We'll work," he confirmed, turning back to dismantle the tank he had been working on.

I returned to my group, still processing how surreal the encounter with the super mutants had been. "Well… strange, but now they're working for us," I said aloud, still in disbelief at how easily the situation had been resolved. "Get the slaves out of here. Take them to the facilities in Caesarea Mexicanorum," I ordered, directing my men to free the humans from their forced labor.

As I watched the legionaries begin to organize the evacuation of the slaves, I couldn't help but reflect on the strange dynamic between the super mutants. It seemed their hierarchy was entirely based on intelligence; they followed the smartest among them without question. Fortunately for us, the smartest one in this group wasn't a fanatical warrior, but a master craftsman, obsessed with tanks.

There were around four hundred super mutants working diligently on tank production, all of them focused on that task as if it were the only thing that mattered. Only three of them had notable intelligence, though even that was relative by human standards. But I wasn't complaining. Having a willing workforce as long as they had their rations of Brahmin was a good deal for the Legion. It gave us a distinct advantage in the production of armored vehicles.

I immediately shared this information with the priestesses of the Cult of Mars. Their ability to indoctrinate and subdue slaves to Caesar's will was invaluable, and now, with the super mutants, it would be crucial to focus on always identifying the smartest among them. If we could secure the cooperation of the leader, the rest would follow without question.