Just as we were about to check the rooms, a gunshot resonate from outside, before a man's shout was heard. Vito and I quickly made it behind the raiders, only to see them taking cover behind some furniture.
"Bloody hell, those NCR bastards got past our traps!"
"Mike's down! Jacob as we…"
"They killed Ash! Boss, we have to retreat!"
I would have never thought that Hayes would disobey the orders his superiors gave him, and actually start firing at the convicts, then again, he does seem like a nice guy, well, compared to most of the people in the wasteland.
Just as I thought that these guys were about to retreat, their leader, a rather tall and quite muscular guy walked out from within a room, clad in some metal armor carrying in his hands a rather humongous weapon, or at least something that resembled one. As soon as he saw the weapon, Vito's eyes went wide open before he aimed his assault rifle at the back of the man before he turned towards me.
"Dante, see those cylindrical things on his back?"
"Yes?"
"Shoot those, otherwise, this madman would burn everything. That's an incinerator and believe it or not, it would decimate the troopers, especially on open ground."
We didn't waste any more time and as soon as the man was close to the exit we opened fire. Despite not being the best weapons in the world, our rifles were definitely better than anything those convicts and NCR troopers had at this moment. Even though some of our bullets bounce out of the canisters, a lucky bullet manages to penetrate the rather thin metal, and once the bullet went inside, the fuel canisters exploded killing the man alongside every single convict around him. While the two of them only got their faces and hands burnt, they didn't have the chance to run away as Vito launches at them, punching one of them to the ground before smashing his head with his foot. At the same time, I pulled out my knife and stabbed the severely burnt convict in the chest a few times, until the poor man collapse to the ground, not moving at all.
Looking at him, made me sick, almost making me throw up, but I know that I couldn't stop now. Forcing everything down my throat, I followed Vito into the room from where the lunatic carrying the incinerator came out.
Once we walked inside the room, the first thing that we saw was the small campfire that was built in the middle of the room, as well as the rather tiny vermin that was being roasted. Despite being a disgusting creature, some people do love the taste of molerats for some reason, then again, from what I've learned in the past weeks, as long as it fills your stomach it doesn't exactly matter what kind of meat you eat as long as you don't become a cannibal. Thankfully there was no one left in the room, so without wasting any more time, we went to the other side where the kitchen was, only to find a man forced onto his knees with his arms and legs bound.
"Did they send you to rescue me?"
"I'm sorry, but the townspeople thought you were dead since the convicts didn't bother them after the first week."
"T-then would you two h-help m-me?"
I don't want to sound rude, but this guy was scared shitless by Vito's menacing look, poor guy. However, I still went and untied his bonds freeing both his legs and arms.
"Thank you so much. B-but what about the convicts? Where are they?"
"Most of them died, deputy. While the ones that are still alive might be hiding somewhere outside."
"D-d-did you two killed all of those unlawful people?"
"We were helped by the NCR boys, but we did clear most of them when their boss became a living bomb."
"That means the town is finally free. Once again thank you for your help strangers. While I but a simple deputy, you two would always be welcomed in our town. As much as I would like to do it myself, the truth is that I'm not suitable to become the next sheriff of this town. Because of that, I want your help, and while I know that this kind of request is not something a pair of mercenaries would usually do, I hope that you two would at least hear me out before you make a choice. The truth is that I have nothing other than this key to offer you as compensation for finding a sheriff, even after saving me."
I briefly looked at Vito, who shrugged his shoulder telling me that I was the one that should make this choice. To be fair, it shouldn't be that hard to find a sheriff, but at the same time, the sheriff should also be someone trustworthy and willing to sacrifice himself for the people. Because of that, the only candidates I have in mind are Lieutenant Hayes and possibly the protectron that was inside the casino. The little guy seemed quite the sheriff, but I doubt he would be able to catch most of the bastards if they were to run. On the other hand, gaining NCR protection might just transform this place into a real hub of activity, reviving the dying town into a new place where people would stop in their travels or even settle down here.
"Deputy Beagle, despite the lack of let's say proper reward, I'm not a heartless person. To tell you the truth, there are two candidates for this post, but I tend to believe that having Lieutenant Hayes as the sheriff would be the best outcome for Primm, after all, the robot that guards the casino would be quite slow and that would make it rather easy for thieves to steal from the people."
"Hmm, you are surpsirngly …surprisingly smart for a mercenary. If you do believe that the New California Republic is the best thing for Primm, then who am I to say otherwise?"
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