Closing the door behind them, they searched through the room they were in, looking for anything out of place. The only thing Mason found odd was how quiet the place was. He couldn't hear any wings fluttering, which was odd since they'd been right outside. Making sure his armor was secure, Mason took out his blade, carefully searching the place.
"See anything?" Mason asked Heather as she looked through a locker.
"Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Stay on guard," Mason told her, looking around. "I don't like this."
Finding some ammunition and a dress, Mason put them away before stepping to the door to the dock. Taking his helmet off real quick, Mason pressed his ear to the crack, hearing the sound of clittering go by the door. He gestures for Curie to stay back while Heather points her rifle at the door, putting his helmet back on.
"Ready?" Mason questioned, putting a hand on the handle. Receiving a nod of confirmation, Mason pulled the door open, and Heather opened fire. Looking out, Mason saw a mirelurk on the ground, realizing why it was quiet now.
"Need to clear this place," Mason growled, ducking under acid as a hunter charged forward.
"Need help!" Mason yelled, blocking one of the hunter's claws, causing him to stagger. Kicking up, Mason broke off one of its two mouthpieces, making it screech in pain. Grabbing the back of its shell, Mason pulled himself onto its back, the creature trying to hit him and buck him off.
"One way to distract it," Mason said as the creature turned to ash, Heather and Curie burning it. "Better than the front."
"That was very reckless, Monsieur," Curie scolded, Mason waving his hand.
"Didn't want to get hit by a laser," Mason responded. "Prefer providing a distraction." Before Heather could say anything, Mason heard something pop from the earth behind and turned towards the noise.
"Company!" Mason yelled, running to the dock. Seeing a mirelurk coming, Mason jumped the railing, landing on the shell of the mirelurk. Slamming it to the ground, Mason rolled off the shell, landing in front of it. As it stood back up, Mason thrusted his blade into the creature's eye. Hearing a loud BOOM, Mason turned to see Heather had jumped down, her Power Armor loud.
"Here you go!" Mason yelled, yanking the knife from the eye. Getting beside her, Mason kicked back a mirelurk, the creature trying to attack her from behind.
"Let's go," Mason growled, dropping to the ground and kicking up, sending it onto its back. Seeing it stuck there, Mason was reminded of a turtle with claws instead of legs, amusing him on the inside.
Feeling something hit his leg, Mason looked down to see a hatchling hitting him. Stomping on it, Mason runs to the stuck Mirelurk, ramming his blade into its face.
Seeing three mirelurks, one being a hunter, and their hatchlings coming, Mason got ready to fight.
"Probably about to die," Mason moaned before seeing a heavy sledgehammer leaning against a wall. Putting his blade away, Mason grabbed the sledge, gripping it with both hands. Waiting for them to get close, Mason began taking deep breaths, gauging how hard he'd have to swing. As they neared, he looked at how they were formed, and...
Swinging up, the sledgehammer caught the front one. Sending it flying into its green friend, Mason brought the hammer down onto the hunter, knocking to the ground, shell cracked. "Don't give a sledge to a soldier," Mason growled, bringing the sledgehammer around. Slamming into the side of the hunter's head, the sledgehammer broke the shell, slamming the creature into the boat. Screeching as it tried to hit Mason, he ducked under, dragging the hammer. Gripping the handle, Mason slammed the hammer into the hunter, making it fall back.
Having broken off some of the handle with that swing, Mason turned to see a black Mirelurk trying to attack Heather from behind. Gritting his teeth, Mason gripped what was left, bringing his arm back. Yelling, Mason threw the hammer, sending it straight for the creature. Hitting the creature in the face, it fell back, Mason seething with anger.
"Need a shovel for your corpse," Mason growled, running to grab the hammer. Grabbing the handle, the creature got up, snapping its claws to get Mason. Leaning back as it swung, Mason swung the hammer into the creature's face, pushing it back into the wall. Screeching, it tried to charge forward as he swung the hammer, keeping it in place. Letting the body fall, red smoke coming from its body, Mason noticed it was more of a dark gray instead of black like he had believed. Dropping the hammer, Mason turned to Heather, noticing pieces of Power Armor had fallen off.
"You alright?" Mason questioned, putting the broken metal into a bag. Was going to have to use it to repair the armor.
"I'm good," she responded, the corpse in front of her sliding down the ramp.
Grinning, Mason patted the top of her head before they started searching through the place.
***
Leaving the place, Mason was glad with their haul this time around. They'd collected more than enough meat from the creatures, putting it in a cooler that they strapped to Curie. Not only that, they'd found a magazine, though it was for a tattoo.
"Pretty good haul," Mason remarked as they walked. "Unfortunate about the magazine."
"They're rare. Probably has some use," Heather remarked, making Mason grin.
"I guess. Radioactive skull tattoo. Useful," Mason remarked. "Training yard, not too far from here. Don't know what's there. But there's likely a cache of supplies there. Something good."
"The training yard? It's infested with ferals. Should be easy pickings."
"Alright. Go for the legs," Mason ordered, turning to Curie. "Only shoot if we need support. Don't engage otherwise."
"Is now a good time," Curie asked, surprising Mason. He hadn't realized she'd been trying to say something before.
"Later. Need to get back on the road. Limited daylight, hopefully we can find a place to rest."
Turning to Dogmeat, Mason pet the side of his head, letting him know it was time to go. Turning on the radio, they began following the road, looking for a place to rest.
Seeing a farm, Mason approached the people in the field, walking up to the man who stood as he approached them, noticing him using a crutch to stand.
"We could use your help," the man said, drawing closer to Mason. Looking down, Mason realized the man was missing a foot, wondering why he was out here.
"What's the problem?"
"Got a nest of nasty bugs in an old boathouse. We'll have a real problem if they don't get cleaned out. I know some people that'd love to set up there. If you can make sure the old workshop is still working, rebuilding would be easier.
"What's the name," Mason questioned, knowing he had cleared the place already.
"Taffington Boathouse. Hard to miss."
Putting the name into his Pip-Boy, Mason turned to the man. "Already cleared it. It's safe for them to move in." Writing a note onto a piece of paper real quick, Mason handed it to the man, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Give this to your friend. There's a place to the north, Tenpines Bluff. A woman named Katherine will know what to do with it.
"Seriously?" The settler questioned in disbelief. "That's great news! We'll support the Minutemen for what you've done."
"What's your name, and what's this place?"
"Randolph Stone, General. This place is County Crossing."
"Arthur, we'll be seeing each other in the future. Keep up the good work. May be back in a few days."
Leaving their junk and spare guns with the settlers, Mason letting Randolph know they needed to get to Sanctuary, they began their trek to the training yard.
***
Picking up a signal as they neared the training yard, Mason ignored it, pulling out his rifle as they approached it, knowing the place had turrets.
"Be ready," Mason commanded, seeing turrets on top of the buildings. While unfortunate, Mason doubted the armory was unlocked but hoped the place had a key. If it didn't, he'd have to find someone who could pick locks.
Checking the crates in the back before looking through, Mason found a suit of T-51 in one of the crates and would've jumped in joy if it wasn't behind a locked door he couldn't open. As they neared the armory, Mason heard the barrels of the turrets start to speed up.
"Turrets," Mason yelled, ducking behind a wall as bullets peppered it. As they stopped firing, Mason turned around the corner, firing into a turret. Heather following close, Curie stayed back with Dogmeat.
When Mason went to grab the others, he saw two ferals coming and growled.
"Ferals," Mason yelled, putting his rifle away.
Getting too close for comfort, Mason punched one of the ferals in the jaw, dislocating its jaw. Mason grabbed the first by the throat, backhanding the other one, slamming it into the other one. Stomping on the head of one of them, Mason held the other in place as Heather took them out.
"Doubt they'll all be this easy," Mason remarked, wiping the blood off his hands before turning to Heather. "Said the place was infested with these?"
Nodding in confirmation, Mason sighed, noticing a beeping noise coming from the Pip-Boy. Seeing it was a distress signal, Mason looked to the building.
"Time to clear the place," Mason said, already walking to the front. "There's a distress beacon. Hopefully we're not too late." Disabling some mines at the front, taking out a few more turrets and another feral, they walked in, Mason taking the lead.
Turning off the Pip-Boy, Mason heard the sound of the door creak before slamming shut.
"Be alert," Mason ordered, preparing for ferals. Sneaking forward, Mason gestured for Heather and Dogmeat to follow, Curie staying by the door. Stepping through the doorway, Mason heard a growl and looked up. Seeing a feral fall, Mason ran forward as it roared, grabbing it by the back of its head.
"Alerted its friends," Mason yelled, slamming its head into the ground. Standing up, a ghoul jumped from the steps, catching Mason off guard, knocking him over. Elbowing it when it tried to bite, Mason pushed it off, getting up for a fight.
"Get lost!" Mason yelled, punching it across the face. Punching up, Mason heard its neck snap, turning away as the body fell. Catching another ghoul as it came for him, Mason punched, smashing its face in. Stomping on the leg of one trying to crawl away, Mason grabbed the back of its throat, pulling out his knife.
"Screw off!" Mason yelled, stabbing the feral in the head. Seeing Dogmeat holding down a feral, Mason pulled the blade out before throwing it, impaling the head of the feral. Looking around, the ferals in this area were all dead, Heather having taken care of other ones.
"You alright," Mason asked, one of Dogmeat's legs bleeding. Pulling out a rag, Mason wrapped it around Dogmeat's leg, sighing as he tied it.
"Sorry, bud," Mason said, looking at Dogmeat. "Stay with Curie for now." When Dogmeat whined, Mason looked at him with a sad expression. "Can't risk you dying."
Hearing the beeping on his Pip-Boy go off like crazy, Mason turned the radio off, looking around for the beacon.
"Heather!" Mason yelled, calling her over as he entered a room, seeing a Brotherhood soldier leaned against the wall, not much older than either one of them. "Recognize her?"
When Heather shook her head, Mason checked the woman for any tags.
"Knight Astlin," Mason said, noting the rank as he put the tags in his pocket. "Gotta give these to Danse." Collecting the armor off her, Mason left her uniform on, collecting a holotape from beside her.
"We'll discuss this later. Let's finish the job."
Unlocking the terminal with a password he found upstairs, Mason and Heather took care of some ferals in the area connecting the main building to the barracks. Feeling something was off, Mason gestured for Heather to be careful. Felt like something worse than the ferals were here. Crabs weren't native to the area, so no Mirelurks would be inside, though the possibility of a Deathclaw was there. Slim, but it was there.
Hearing the sound of ferals on the steps, Mason got ready, Heather pulling out her rifle.
"This'll be fun," Mason said, seeing a feral wearing armor standing halfway up the steps. Sidestepping it as it charged, it ran into the wall behind Mason.
Kicking the head into the wall, Mason ducked under another feral jumping from the top of the stairs.
"Morceau de merde!" Mason yelled, stomping its head in. Jumping back, Mason narrowly avoided getting hit by another feral. Kicking one of them away, Mason grabbed the one that tried to go for Heather by the shirt before breaking its back over his knee.
"Careful!" Mason yelled to Heather, holding a ghoul as she shot it. "Don't wanna get infected."
He knew she was wearing Power Armor, but he didn't want to know what these could tear through. Grabbing another ghoul by the neck, Mason pulled back, throwing the ghoul into the debris behind them. Pulling out his blade, Mason threw it into the feral's skull, putting it to rest.
"That was... unexpected," Mason commented, seeing the look on Heather's face. "Let's not dilly dally, bound to be more."
They'd taken care of three more ghouls while upstairs, Mason taking care of one, helping Heather with another, while she took one out herself. Reaching the door to the barracks, the Geiger counter on his Pip-Boy began to go off, putting Mason on alert.
"Take the pill," Mason said, holding some Rad-X up to Heather. "Don't need radiation poisoning."
Feeding Heather the pill and giving her water. Mason sighed. Had to do it for her due to the Power Armor. The downside was that it was hard to do simple tasks, like eating and drinking.
After bringing Curie and Dogmeat to a room behind them, Mason walked back to the door, placing a hand on it.
"Ready," Mason asked Heather, shoulder to the door. Receiving a nod of confirmation, Mason pushed the door open, surprised by how easy it swung open.
Surveying the area, Mason took off his helmet to look around, noticing ferals under the debris, another by a bunk on the other side. Mason was still trying to figure out where the radiation was coming from. Putting the helmet back on, he turned to Heather.
"'Bout to have a party," Mason whispered to her. Signaling for Heather to wait, Mason snuck over to a feral in the debris. Pulling out his knife, it began to crawl, but before it could make noise, Mason plunged his blade into the back of its skull, silencing its moans.
Mason turned to Heather, getting closer to the feral by a bed.
"Fire!" Mason yelled to her, going for the feral. She began going for the ferals on the first floor, Mason charging for the bunk. Ducking under the feral's arms as it swung, Mason cut its leg, forcing it to the ground. Standing up, Mason slammed the knife hilt deep into the skull.
"Got it," Mason yelled, noticing more ferals coming from the kitchen. Running to the entrance of the cafeteria, Mason swung down, kicking the first to come through, knocking its head off. Slamming into the one behind it, Mason stood before thrusting his blade into the head of a third. Dropping low, Mason slammed his knee into the other one, breaking its skull in. Running out to Heather, Mason hears something slamming to the door to the bathroom.
"Merde!" Mason yelled, getting ready to stab anything. When the door broke down, Mason groaned.
"Un putain de brillant!" Mason yelled. "What's next, glowing crabs?"
Throwing a punch when it ran at him, Mason dislocated the creature's arm, Heather firing her laser at it. Hearing the Geiger counter going crazy, Mason growled.
"The source of radiation," Mason growled. "Time to get rid of ya!"
Grabbing its arm when it swung, Mason kicked it back, tearing the arm off the body. Mason swung its arm like a bat, hitting it across the face, sending it sprawling. Covering the helmet when it screeched, Mason was fortunate it had padding; otherwise, he'd have gone deaf. Seeing it release a cloud of gas, Mason saw a previously dead feral come back, making him growl.
"Bringin' your friends back," Mason grunted. "That's a nasty trick."
Running up to it, Mason kicked it in the knee, breaking and forcing it to the ground. Putting his hands in its mouth, Mason tried to force the mouth apart, the creature trying to bite him.
"Stop... struggling," Mason growled, pulling. Grunting, Mason began pulling, forcing the mouth open. The creature roared, trying to hit Mason with its dislocated arm. Pulling apart with a yell, Mason ripped the jaw off, the ghoul falling back as blood began pouring out. Falling to a knee, Mason turned to look at Heather, who'd already taken care of the one that came back.
"Alway... go for... the head," Mason commented, breathing heavily. Catching his breath, he looked up at her. "Don't... let me.. do that... unless... its a glowing one."
Standing up, Mason caught his breath, noticing the Geiger counter shut up.
"You're bleeding," Heather commented, Mason walking up the ramp.
"Where," Mason remarked, looking over his body as he hadn't felt the wound. Not seeing anything, he felt around, feeling something damp on the back of his leg. Looking at his hand, he saw blood.
"I'll go wrap it in the cafeteria. Can you grab Curie and Dogmeat?"
"On it."
Maneuvering around her, Mason went back down, going into the kitchen, setting his helmet down. Mason put a foot on the counter and pulled up his pant leg, cleaning the wound. After placing a folded cloth on it and wrapping it with a bandana, Mason took out a stimpak, injecting it into the wound. Rolling the pant leg back down, being careful not to move the emergency first aid, Mason put his knife away, drinking a bottle of water as he leaned against the counter.
Reading a U.S. Covert Operations Manual as Heather came in, he noticed her look away. However, he was still confused about that.
"Guess you guys are ready," Mason remarked, sticking the manual into his bag. Shouldering it, he grabbed his helmet, holding it with one hand.
"Of course," Curie responded before noticing Mason limp. "Monsieur, you are hurt."
"I'll be fine," Mason remarked. "Been through worse, used a stimpak. We'll worry when we find a place to rest for the night."
Walking out of the place, Mason unlocked the terminal to a gate keeping them in, which he found excellent. Didn't want to go back the long way.
Continuing east, they neared the satellite array, noticing it was full of Super Mutants. When Mason's Pip-Boy picked up a distress beacon, Mason growled, knowing the creatures likely killed whoever triggered it. Taking a deep breath, he put on his helmet, turning to the others, telling Curie to stay by the road with Dogmeat while he and Heather went to clear out the place.
"Kicks are gonna be weaker," Mason informed Heather. "After that injury...."
"I got your back," Heather assured him, grinning. That made Mason feel better, especially since he didn't know how many Super Mutants were in this place, and he didn't want to break his hands.
"Let's clear an array."
Nearing the place, Heather followed a bit further behind due to her Power Armor; Mason got outside of the trailer by the road. Signaling for Heather to wait, Mason knew a Super Mutant was in the trailer and didn't want to alarm the others yet. Sneaking inside, Mason pulled out his knife, getting ready for the creature. Reaching the section connecting the two trailers together, Mason heard a Super Mutant breathing heavily around the corner. Pressing his back to the wall as it came by, it was unaware Mason was there. Stepping closer, Mason got behind it, the mutant oblivious to the human behind it.
Quickly, Mason grabbed it by the shoulder, pulling it down. Not giving it time to react, Mason slammed the knife into its head, blade going through the brain as soon as it hit the floor. Putting the knife away as he stood up, Mason went up to a window, signaling for Heather to come. After disabling a trap, Mason pulled out a scope, surveying the place for Super Mutants.
"One suicider, two mutants, one looks stronger," Mason told Heather, giving a rundown of what he saw. "One butcher and one at the bottom of the stairs. That one has a sledgehammer."
"We got this," Heather commented, making Mason chuckle.
"You get the suicider," Mason told her, Heather understanding how. "When you've fired, I'll know when to start. Your call."
Mason got into a running position, waiting to hear gunfire, moving to the other side of the trailer.
Taking deep breaths, Mason was going for the sledgehammer first. That would make this fight easier. Hearing Heather fire her rifle, Mason charged forward, tackling a Super Mutant that tried hitting him. Pulling out his blade, he drove it through the creature's face, leaving it as he continued towards the brute.
The brute charged at Mason, swinging its hammer wildly. Sliding under the swing, Mason grabbed its ankles as he slid under, pulling its legs out from under it. Getting up, Mason got ready to fight, the Super Mutant getting up. Swinging its fist, Mason blocked it before pushing it away as he drove his fist into it. Ducking under its swing, Mason punched its ribs, punching it in the jaw as it clutched its stomach.
"Stupid human!" the creature roared, charging at Mason. Ducking under its swing, he grabbed the sledgehammer off the ground, getting behind it. Swinging the hammer, Mason broke its knee, making it fall. Mason brought the hammer down onto its head when the mutant roared in pain, breaking the skull in.
"Die!" A mutant yelled, firing a gun at him. Fortunately, it was a pipe rifle, so the bullets' impact wasn't too horrible, though annoying. Mason took deep breaths, climbing stairs to the mutant.
"Not today, chienne," Mason growled, gripping the hammer. Charging forward, Mason swung the hammer, hitting it in the stomach. As it doubled over, Mason pulled back the hammer, swinging it again onto the nape of the creature's neck. Turning, a super Mutant came charging, board raised.
"Kill!" the mutant yelled, Mason blocking the board with the handle. Pushing the board to the side, Mason swung the hammer, breaking off its jaw. Kicking it in the stomach, Mason knocked it off the platform, sending it falling two floors down.
Clambering back down the steps, Mason found Heather on the other side; a Super Mutants back turned to him as it fired at Heather. Getting an idea, Mason ran forward, clutching the hammer.
"Aagh!" the Super Mutant roared, sledgehammer connecting with its back. As it fell to the ground with a broken spine, Mason brought the hammer up.
"Say hi to your brothers," Mason growled, bringing the hammer onto its head. "Keep their attention!" Mason yelled to Heather as she fired at Super Mutants up top.
Running up the steps of the place, Mason held the head of the hammer, at one point jumping back when a body fell. Reaching the top, the leader was hiding behind a wooden wall.
"Morceau de merde!" Mason yelled, staggering closer to it, handle clutched, eyes furrowed, a look of disgust evident. "Let's see how you do against me."
Dropping its gun, the creature roared, grabbing a board as it charged. Ducking under its swing, Mason swung the hammer into the stomach, forcing it to hunch over in pain. Bringing the hammer up, he slammed it onto the creature's back, making it roar in pain. "Now die."
"No!" the creature yelled, the hammer already in motion.
Looking down, Mason saw the head hit the ground, making a pshh noise.
"Well, he's dead," Mason muttered, dropping the hammer. "Gotta find that beacon."
Looking around, Mason knew the signal wasn't coming from there, finding a trunk with a few guns and ammunition. Putting the ammunition and a combat rifle into his bag, Mason noticed a Power Armor frame nearby, making sure to come back for it later as it was too short for him.
Climbing back down the steps, Mason came up to Heather and grinned.
"Got the place cleared," Mason remarked. "Any idea where a beacon would be?"
"That one, maybe," Heather responded, pointing to the furthest satellite from them. "There's a shack, could be coming from there."
"Alright," Mason replied, scratching the back of his neck. "Can you grab the others? I'll go check it out."
"On it."
Turning to the satellite, Mason noticed Heather's face had been red while talking, likely from the fighting that happened. He had turned his head away at one point, though he didn't know why.
Reaching the shack, Mason found the distress beacon, disabling it. Looking at the body beside it, Mason froze. He saw a man, dressed in the same uniform as Haylen. Searching his body, Mason found a holotape and dog tags. Putting the holotape away, Mason looked at the tags, sighing.
"Scribe Faris. Brotherhood of Steel. This is their uniform and rank."
Looking outside, Mason saw Heather walking back with Curie and Dogmeat, took a look at the body, and took a deep breath. Pocketing the tags, Mason walked downstairs, meeting them at the bottom.
"Anyone up there?" Heather smiled, making Mason chuckle.
"A random gunner," Mason responded, lying through his teeth. "Super Mutants already killed them."
"Oh, dear," Curie said. "This is a tragedy. Surely we can find his family to inform them?"
"Gunners would kill us first. If they didn't they wouldn't believe us." Mason informed her. Before they leave, Dogmeat nudges Mason's leg.
"Got something, bud?" Mason asked before seeing him holding a magazine. Mason was shocked, Dogmeat dropping it in his hand. While surprised, Mason began chuckling, pleased by Dogmeat.
"Where'd you find this, bud?" Mason questioned, Dogmeat pointing at the top of the middle tower thing. "Well, who's a good boy? You are!" Mason began to play with him, Heather smiling while Curie looked pleased.
"Almost night," Mason said, standing. "Let's get moving."
Back on the road, they came upon a trailer by a farm. Noticing something in the trailer, Mason figured it'd be a better idea to rest for the night. Before they head to the farm, Mason sees a Mr. Gutsy ahead. Making sure the others had seen it, Mason turned to Heather.
"Need you and Curie to distract it," Mason told her. "Imma go around, sneak up on it. I know machines, and I know weaknesses. It's missing two eyes, can only see forward. Keep it distracted, I can disable it."
When Heather nodded, Mason turned to Curie.
"Curie," Mason said, getting her attention. "Need you to distract the Mr. Handy with Heather. I know you don't like to fight, but-"
"It is alright, monsieur," Curie said, surprising Mason. "I am merely distracting it."
"Alright," Mason said, looking at Dogmeat. "Stay with Heather. She'll keep you safe."
Rubbing Dogmeat's head when he whimpered, assuring him he'd be okay.
Trekking forward, when Mason got to the front, he climbed onto the top of the trailer. Getting into position, Mason signaled he was ready, waiting for Heather to open fire.
As Heather opened fire, the Mr. Gutsy moved forward, moving from the front to the side. Before letting it get away, Mason jumped, weight forcing it to the ground. Taking out his knife as it tried to throw him off, Mason jammed the blade into a gap in the plating, wriggling it in. Bending the plate enough for a hand, Mason dropped his blade, grabbing the plate. Holding the machine down, Mason ripped the top off, breaking metal. Reaching through the top, Mason found the core, ripping it out.
It was built like a Mr. Handy, and it was cheaper to replace Codsworth's parts than getting someone else to. Leaving the machine on the ground, Mason pocketed the core, keeping it as a power source for a future machine.
Almost continuing to the farm, Mason decided to look in the trailer to see what was in it.
"What is this?" Mason questioned, looking at a suit of Power Armor he didn't recognize. The chest piece reminded Mason of a football player's chest protection, the shoulder lined up with a piece on the shoulders, looking like it would hold a cape of sorts. Looking at the lenses, they looked like they belonged to an alien, though Mason was surprised by the lack of a headlamp. Looking at the leg, it looked like it'd belong to combat pants, though this wasn't the case as it was too bulky and made of metal. "Recognize it?" Mason questioned Heather as she looked at the suit.
"It's X-01," Heather informed Mason, surprising him. He hadn't heard of this before the bombs fell. "It was employed by the Enclave when they went to war with the brotherhood."
"Enclave?" Mason questioned, shaking his head. "Nevermind. Odd part is it's my size."
Walking around the back, Mason put his helmet and armor into his bag, strapping it to Curie. Entering the armor, Mason looked at the arm, noticing it appeared to be made of a different material than T-60, feeling the same weight despite being slimmer.
Looking around inside the helmet, Mason found a button for a headlamp, confusing him. Mason pressed the button using his chin, almost getting blinded, the lights coming from the eyes.
"Need to change the colors," Mason remarked, looking around. "Too dim."
"Is that a good idea, monsieur?" Curie asked, Mason stepping out of the trailer. "Surely you wish to help people, not harm them."
"Won't be using the armor at night majority of the time," Mason remarked. "At least not in settlements. Nights are a different story.
Walking down the hill, Mason found a man with a green RobCo t-shirt, gun raised.
"Hey, you!" He yelled, approaching Mason, lowering his gun when he got close. "Oh, sorry, thought you might be a couple of those Forged maniacs, but you don't have the burns. A group of 'em took over the old ironworks, and they'll shoot ya just as soon as look at ya."
That was odd. Did these raiders worship fire or something? "With the Minutemen. What happened? May be able to help."
"Well, I'll be jiggered. Didn't really expect anybody to come." Was there something Mason was forgetting? He didn't remember being told about this place. "That bastard son of mine, Jake, snuck out in the middle of the night to join 'em. He grabbed my granddad's old sword. It's the closest thing I've got to an heirloom. If you really are with the Minutemen and you want to help, well, it would mean a lot to me if you could get that sword back."
"What about Jake? You don't care what happens to him?" Mason questioned, concerned he didn't care for his son's well-being.
"I didn't raise my boys to be raiders. As far as I'm concerned... he's dead to me."
Well, that was cold. Didn't he raise him? If he did, he should've wanted Mason to bring him back.
"Anything about the Forged I should know?"
"They're led by a guy named Slag. Came in from outside of the Commonwealth a few months back and started recuitin'. Mostly, they've just been strong armin' folks, but with how quick they've been growin' it's just a matter of time till the raids get worse."
That was concerning. This was a problem Mason would have to look into.
"What sword am I looking for?"
"One of the old pre-war swords, rigged up to shoot flames from the blade. Probably why Jake thought they'd let him join. So, what do you say?"
Looking around, this was an excellent point to have in the Commonwealth. Decent size, plenty of farmland, and easy to get to.
"Yeah," Mason responded, walking up to the steps of his farm. "I'll wipe them out for you."
"You're doin' me a big favor, and I'll make it up to you as best as I can."
Stepping out of the power armor and taking out the fusion core, Mason grabbed a stimpak and water bottle and looked over at the ironworks. Sticking the stimpak into his leg, Mason hoped the Forged were ready and that they were ready for a battle.