LEGATE LANIUS (MONOLOGUE)

After a rousing fight at my camp's gates, I captured that Dragonborn and got to know her a little better. Almost broke a sweat if it wasn't for my bodyguards softening her up - it can be quite entertaining fighting someone under the effects of drugs. The great bear marches through my camp as I speak, lead by a small team of lesser soldiers. Even in power armour, their blood will soak the sand for years to come, to mark their final moments of crippling agony.

I am overflowing with joy as the famed General Redfield has finally come to my doorstep. Ready to battle. Eager to die. My predecessor suffered extreme consequences, but I will not fail and make the same mistakes as he did so in the past. If I can brush off a Dragonborn's admittedly decent show of force, how hard could it be doing the same to a withered old man and a bunch of grunts?

For the Legion!

Redfield fired at Lanius with everything his BAR could spit out, even though Lanius deflected his .308 rifle rounds, Redfield kept shooting. He couldn't land a good hit, but that never swayed him. Redfield's life depended on his suppression fire, and he was the only one up there to stall the legate.

Lanius charged at Redfield and swung his sword down at his face; he wasn't fast enough to land a strike on him. Redfield dived away and carried on shooting at him. The scuffle tore at his shoulder, but he was able to keep his gunfire focused while he got back on his feet.

Lanius closed the range to Redfield, spinning his sword exceptionally quick. With the speed Lanius moved his sword, he was able to deflect a few lucky shots back at Redfield. The rebound shots lacked the force yet were still able to stagger Redfield when they struck his chest.

In time he was weak enough for Lanius to kick down, it threw Redfield to the ground, landing awkwardly on his waist. Lanius unholstered his revolver and shot at Redfield's thigh. The weak section of his armour gave away, wounding him and putting him on one knee. Lanius refused to let the old man get up.

The blood loss was plentiful. Redfield clutched his suckling wound; the magnum round that went through his left thigh left a deep cavity. Lanius went to swing his sword at him. Redfield was able to block the blade, but Lanius' sheer strength broke straight through his BAR and held enough momentum to cleave into his left shoulder; the bloody pain hit him like a freight train. The tendon and collarbone split in half.

Redfield could only howl out the pain. The damned crude bumper sword left an open wedge on his shoulder, and if it weren't for his BAR, his sword would've cleaved him in two further down the middle. Redfield removed the bumper sword from his shoulder and forced Lanius back, throwing away the sword. Though it wasn't good enough, Lanius backhanded his face to the floor, leaving him battered on the ground.

Lanius scoffed, reclaiming his bumper sword. "Pathetic old man, standing in the way of progress. This Mojave is for the fiery younger generation; this is no place for old men."

"You're as delusional as Graham was." Redfield coughed and sputtered. "I may be old, but I will fight you to my last breath!"

"This is your last breath." Lanius grabbed Redfield by the ankle. "It's only natural it comes to this, General." He walked to the edge of the cliffside, holding Redfield over ledge upside down. He showed him the bleak world from the view of the cliffside. "The sight of the great General Redfield nailed to the Dam's walls ought to sway your weak-minded forces, wouldn't you say?"

Redfield coughed with disgust. "No comment."

"Pity." Lanius threw Redfield away from the cliffside behind him. "I don't want you going limp on me just yet, old man; I've been waiting for this special day for some time."

Redfield unsheathed Sally from his belt and unholstered Red Hare from the holster inside his jacket. He could barely stand. Like he was drunk, he had no control of his legs from the gaping hole in his thigh.

"I am anything but limp..."

"Just so you know, I beat that little Dragonborn friend of yours, so you better be worth my time." Lanius flexed his shoulders. "I'm rather enjoying myself."

Redfield lowered Sally and stood still, questioning himself. "Dragonborn? She really was a Dragonborn... And you… you killed her?!"

Lanius shrugged, followed by a mocking stance. "Yes, I did; died like a little bitch. I had plans with her, but she bored me. Enough talk." He leapt into the air and slammed his sword into the ground with tremendous force; the shockwave threw Redfield off his feet while he was just getting Sally ready. Dust kicked up and curled all over the cliff.

With the clashing of their swords, from hooks, swings, hacks, slices and dices, Redfield held against Lanius's mix of speed and aggression. The swordplay mostly involved the two circling one another, chipping away the weapons and going for sneaky sweeps.

After some minutes of assessing Lanius' movements, Redfield could easily tear his foe into ribbons but to leave himself open for the slightest second wasn't worth the gamble. Lanius countered Sally's strikes and returned them even quicker whenever Redfield tried to thrust.

A kick Lanius delivered forced Redfield back a couple of steps, the strength of the boot was more so than the last, breaking a rib and robbing him of his breath. The blow took him back to his younger days. The feeling of pain was the only real way of feeling alive.

Lanius sheathed his bumper sword and unholstered two revolvers, exchanging bullets with Redfield while he was hobbling on his hind leg. Redfield only had six rounds compared to Lanius' ten, from that they shared the same calibre.

Long ago, Red Hare would pierce the thickest of armours, but the weaker .45-70 Gov't couldn't do the legendary magnum justice. Crafting .475 magnum just wasn't worth the time when the smaller rounds were more plentiful… That, and Lanius wore thicker armour than most combatants...

Before Redfield could come to a reload of his six-shooter, Lanius shot Red Hare clean from his hand; it flew straight off the ledge down below. Lanius discarded his revolvers and drew out two more. A shot rang out, and Redfield stumbled backwards, a bullet between the ribs. He lost his breath momentarily and his vision blurred.

You're dying Zachariah.

Bullets whistled and struck Redfield with remarkable accuracy. He howled and bled heavily with the large .45-70 Gov't rounds striking his chest, shoulders and legs, he couldn't even block them with Sally, and the shots he dared to reflect hit him anyway. Most shots would deflect away though this time he lacked the focus to do so, and instead they struck his body at the worst of times. The worst of places. His handling of Sally was neglected for years, and unfortunately, it showed.

The entire time Lanius mocked him if he was giving up or stating he expected more, in his cruel tone of nature - demoralising him to the greatest extent. Verbally and painfully. The echoing sounds of the large revolvers made Redfield hard of hearing.

A single round that struck his chest bled the worst of all, Redfield couldn't stop the blood from pouring out of him, it only narrowly missed his heart. It left a hole between the armour plates. He barely realised the situation of the fight he was losing as the high calibre rounds tore his flesh from his limbs.

Let me out, Zachariah.

"Giving up?" Lanius muttered. "It seems your reputation was highly exaggerated. For shame..."

Lanius discarded his set of revolvers and unsheathed his bumper sword, swinging it at Redfield's head. The blow struck the forehead of his helmet; breaking the lens and fracturing it down the middle.

Redfield felt the world inside his head crumble. The blow shattered his breathing apparatus to utter shit and launched his battered body to the dirt. Tossing and turning across the dust, he came to a bitter halt. He tried his very best to lift himself on his feet but succumbed to his wounds and thrived on the ground with his blood pouring from his wounds.

The fight ended as fast as it started. Lanius put away his weapons and took Sally into his hands and thoroughly examined the graceful blade. Leaving Redfield to bleed out to his accord, he suffered from organ damage, bone fracture and constant vomiting of the blood. Sally was art, and Lanius needed to examine it.

"What a beautiful weapon you have here, Redfield. Slim, double-edged and surprisingly very light for a one-handed longsword. If I didn't know better, this is the pride and joy of the legendary Phobos himself, which means you're either a grave robber or the long exiled Sarkis."

Redfield choked bitterly. "H… How do you know that?!"

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only son. That whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life."

"John 3:16…"

"That's right, I've seen this binary sword before; it's the same one Christ stole. I only wonder why it was called Sally… Oh, well..." Lanius picked up Redfield by his ankle. "I'll take it as a trophy, something to remember this glorious day."

Lanius heaved Redfield's body into the ground behind him and back over his head twice over, the impact chipped and fractured more and more of his armour and bones. Smashing into the ground wreaked havoc on Redfield's collarbone, spinal cord, his ankles and knees. The pain even destroyed parts of his mind and soul.

You're going to die if you don't let me out! the heavenly voice yelled inside Redfield's head.

Lanius left Redfield on the ground. "Like your lord and saviour, crucifixion would fit you perfectly" He chuckled, impaling Redfield's back with Sally, pinning him to the ground. Redfield barely moved. "Don't go running off anywhere, old man; I need you to send a message."

Lanius turned around and walked the other way, but something was amiss as he heard a voice. "You think you've won, Conquest?" said Redfield.

Unsure of, Lanius turned to see Redfield stood with Sally still unmoved in the ground. Through the broken mask, Redfield's eyes were seen. One gold, the other crimson...

"I have won. I defeated you, Redfield. What else do you possibly have left to throw at me?"

"That was Redfield you defeated," Redfield clarified in his unnaturally soft voice, "Not me..."

"You're joking..."

Redfield raised his head and fixed his cuffs. "Step aside, Conquest, a Demigod stands before you."

"Sarkis... Killing you would be doing this troubled world a service."

"What have I done to stir your ire?" Sarkis replied.

"It's bad enough you revealed yourself, only to die for your transgressions. I admire your bravery, however, it was entirely foolish."

Redfield held out his arm, and his hand lengthened to a sharp point that flew at Lanius. He growled, barely managing to deflect the strike that scraped his right shoulder. He went at Lanius again, and again, and he stumbled from each attack.

Lanius was able to deflect most projectiles with his superb reflexes, but most times it wasn't enough. The dark shards Sarkis fired was slick and sharp - tougher than his armour. Lanius had an idea; he wondered if Sally could cut through Redfield and his darkness.

Sarkis clicked his fingers and summoned flames in the palm of his other hand. He threw the fireball at Lanius, but it extinguished when it landed on his armour; the armour was fireproof. Then Redfield threw another, and another and then a full barrage followed through along with shards of pure darkness.

There was little time to act. Lanius unsheathed his bumper sword and spun it fiercely above his head where Redfield's barrage was descending from. The speed of his bumper sword caught and protected Lanius from the incoming fire; eventually, his blade started to melt. Lanius shook it off and charged at Redfield with full throttle, dodging the dark blurs that whizzed past him.

Once he swung, Redfield wasn't there, the shadows whittled away and disappeared. Then something latched around his neck, Sarkis had some strength and disarmed Lanius; he couldn't break free. Sarkis stood firmly behind him.

"You think highly of yourself, Conquest," said Sarkis, "You're not the first monster that stood against me."

"I proved my determination already," Lanius strained roughly in response, "No Demigod nor Dragonborn will stand in my way."

"I do not doubt your power, Conquest."

Sarkis shoved something sharp through Lanius' back. It ripped through his armour and came out his chest. He cried out, trying to hold back the pain he felt. It was Sally splitting through his chest.

Sarkis shoved his Sally through Lanius' back harder, and he growled as it tore through where the heart was supposed to be. "Hmmm... You're heartless..."

Lanius grumbled. "Didn't need it..."

Lanius gripped the bloody blade sprouting from his chest with both hands and started to pull. Sarkis was strong, but Lanius felt more things encouraging him to rip Sally from the so-called Demigod's grip. He couldn't think about the damage to his integrity, not when he was so close to winning the day.

Once Sally was ripped out of Lanius' chest, he elbowed Sarkis across the face, stunning him long enough for Lanius to kick down with his mighty boot. "My anger and determination burns hotter than your fire, Demigod!"

"I expected as much..."

As Sarkis was about to sit up, Lanius equipped Sally and swung her at him. Sarkis rolled away and whipped his hand; Mustang appeared out of nowhere in a black blur. He fired but Lanius blocked the round with Sally, the loud ring hurt his ears. Then Lanius felt another round hit his knee, staggering him.

"Bloody necromancers!"

Sarkis smiled. "I dabble, mostly."

Sarkis fired again, however, in a bizarre twist, Lanius blinked towards him and took a boot to the chest. The body blow threw him down on his back. To just see it happening was just a motion blur, blink, and it was over.

Lanius leapt into the air and thrust Sally into the ground, hoping it would hit his adversary. Naturally, Sarkis was gone in an instant. After hearing some movement to his right, Lanius ripped sally from the scorched sands and hooked her to his side, impaling Sarkis' gun-hand.

The sounds of Sarkis' howls pleased Lanius while he moved further, grabbing his hand and swinging him over his back. Only the odd grunt would escape the Demigod when his tender body struck into the ground again.

Lanius pressed his boot on Sarkis' head and gripped his wrist - pulling, pulling hard enough to dislocate his right arm. With glee, Lanius cackled. Still pulling, he ripped Sarkis' forearm as easy as plucking the legs off a spider. Sarkis' eyes widened, his face struck with visible concern.

With his hands gripping Sarkis' collars, Lanius picked him up and slammed his head into his. Lanius' terrifying, metal helmet exploded Sarkis' nose in a bright burst of red and broke everything else - the sheer weight of it all was mesmerising. Once left reeling, Lanius threw a straight punch to his face, and Sarkis flew backwards.

Sarkis rose to his feet but slumped onto his knees, not able to fight. "A bitter blow..." He held his bloody stump.

"I was hoping for a challenge..." Lanius walked away to retrieve his bumper sword while keeping his eyes fixated on Sarkis; he didn't move.

"General Redfield... I... I failed you..." Sarkis fell on his face and ceased to move.

"Puny Demigod."

Lanius didn't question what just happened; there were too many to list. One minute he's killing an old man and the next he's fighting an alleged Demigod. He had no more strength to offer, so Lanius didn't think much of it and carried on with the crucifixion. Whoever Redfield was; he was motionless for the time being.

It didn't even take Lanius a single minute to return with a crude cross made of hard oak, some iron stakes and a mallet; the cross was sturdy and big enough for himself. There was no trouble to nail Redfield to the cross from the state of his health.

Lanius hammered iron stakes into Redfield's hands and feet. The blood flow was more than before as the stakes wedged through his veins and ligaments. He placed the cross at the edge of the cliffside, digging it into place for the entire camp to see.

"Comfortable?"

Redfield couldn't even open his eyes, moving in any way possible stirred up some gritty pain. He could only mutter through his clenched teeth in a raspy tone. Blood trickled off his grey beard. His face sagged when he noticed most of his arm was missing.

"In time… the Legion… will fall… and you'll… be the one… to suffer the worst… of them all…" Redfield muttered, "In the name… of good… and right… You will lose... you... you..."

"Savage?" Lanius interrupted Redfield during his outburst. "Poor Zaac, you were never the smart one, were you?"

Redfield hardened with a shocked expression stretching across his wrinkled face, he sputtered and gurgled on his blood and words. "Wait… what? Conquest? Y… You're the lost Horseman… Dorian?"

"In the flesh. Been quite a while since your stupid son ruined my plans and marooned me here."

"Unforeseen outcome..."

Lanius sheathed Sally into his belt and his bumper sword over his back where it belonged. He paced around Redfield. "You delusional old fool, never been the one to admit his mistakes. Like father like son."

"At least... I had a father."

"Never needed one. Ah, before I forget, the surprise visit from Sarkis was a nice change of pace by the way. Did you have to pay extra for that? Turning into a fallen Demigod is quite a juicy perk, even if it was out of desperation."

"Fuck... you..."

"To the grave then... so be it. Oh, well, back to business."

"Must we?"

"As of now, the Legion marches into the Capital and the Commonwealth. Megaton, Diamond City, Goodneighbour, Rivet City and the Citadel… nowhere is safe. All the major cities will belong to the Legion. Just like everywhere else you tread, all hope for you is lost. Get used to it Wesker, I won. Not even Gods can save you now."

"The Legion… will grow… weary of your… leadership… and so will the Wasteland… I… I..." Redfield gurgled, then began to sputter with blistering rage behind. "You will die kicking and screaming you… fucking bastard!"

"History will not see that way, unfortunately."

"You'll… get what's..." Redfield breathed, unable to finish his words. He vomited violently down his beard and chest, then bled slowly from his hands, running down his legs to the pool below his feet. He closed his eyes and fell limp without a sound.

"Zaac?"

Lanius checked Redfield's body for a pulse. The blood loss was too much for the old general to survive; he was finally broken and succumbed to his misery. The satisfaction was too much for Lanius, to finally rid the world of his enemy.

"Goodnight, Zaac."

Lanius spent some more time basking in the glory of outright crucifying the legendary general. Down below, beyond the piles of Legion corpses, everyone was gone, excluding Lyannah and William who were out of commission still. To make heads or tails was damn hard, the camp was dead respectively, all but one person.

"Lanius!" David yelled from behind.