https://www.artstation.com/artwork/9egmnq

(Don't let your radiation damage reach 100 or you'll die.)

Unable to hide a grin at your victory, you cried out, "let's move!" Time, still very much against them as they looted the dead, your eyes unable to leave the hulking mass that was Big Bastard. Its misshapen body, scars, and dents, had a sort of rugged appeal that reminded you of the wasteland, a sort of perfection in not being perfect. It's inner beauty, ancient and terrible to behold.

Feeling a touch of awe as you strode towards it, your hand moved of its accord to caress its bumpy hide, feeling the warm heat of its engines, its thrumming heartbeat beneath your fingertips, when Tessa laughed warmly from behind you, "it looks like you're in love, child." Cassidy, who had come down carrying a crate, rolling her eyes to the heavens as she hauled gear into an open car with the help of Bull, Wren, and Demarco. The paladin as you were becoming familiar with, staying above to keep watch with glowing eyes that shone in the darkness as you replied, "she is beautiful."

Your gaze lingering on the face of a woman, molded into the side of the driver's seat cabin, a strangely beautiful face with long hair, and piercing dark eyes that seemed to look right through you. "That, dear child, is Bloody Red, Warlord, and Empress of the Beastlords."

"Beastlords?" The name sounded familiar.

Tessa's mouth forming into a sad smile. "That is actually quite the tale, my child. Many tragic years ago, the beastlords were a tribe of cannibals, born with a mutation which gave them psychic powers over the creatures of the wasteland. Once a threat to the people of Quincy, the Brotherhood of Steel put them down in a bloody battle, but it seems that she survived. Her family, her parents, her brothers and sisters, all of them murdered in cold blood, leaving her to fend for herself, when she was adopted by a raider gang. Growing up as she did, she rebuilt her lost tribe, and now it seems she wishes to unify every raider gang out in the wasteland."

"It almost sounds like you pity her."

Lips curled into a thoughtful smile, Tessa pinched your cheek. "Why aren't you a clever, child. Yes, I do pity her. She lost her entire family and now she seeks to replace them with these monsters. How could I not pity her?"

Demarco, his golden skin fixed into a dark scowl, releasing a soft growl, "because the bitch is a crazy fucking psycho that's fucking why. Now are you going to just fucking stand around? Are you going to come fucking help us?"

Tessa shaking her head from side to side as she walked away. "Honestly, I have no idea where he had learned such bad manners," then much more softly to you, "you'd think he had been brought up by tribal savages."

Her wink and smile, causing a smile of your own to form as they got to work loading everything not tied down into the back cars. Cassidy, making the rounds to make sure they didn't leave anything behind including food, weapons, armor, scrap, or ammo that they could sell. When Cassidy finally barked, "alright, everybody, get on board. Rookie, I want you and Tessa up front. Let her know which direction to take. And don't fuck it up."

Her brisk tone, followed by a hand signal that brought Jernald back down with a crash that had Bull swearing at him, the big man rubbing blood off his face from a raider that had been crushed.

Heart leaping with excitement at the threshold of this incredible metallic monster, you crossed the short gap between the platform and train, and breathed in rank odor of decay, before coughing and covering your mouth. Well, it's not quite what you had expected, but it was still impressive with the dim flickering lights that ran down it's length, row upon row of bunk beds to one side, and a table splattered in fresh bloodstains on the right. Limbs stuffed into metal buckets like flowers as you tried hard not to gag on your own vomit.

Tessa, who seemed unfazed by it all, winding her way through the bits of refuse that lay in her path as she opened up the lead compartment. Your first thought as you stepped inside the cozy cabin was that it smelled far too sweet with a sort of altar set up around them, a single painting of Warlord Red surrounded by half-melted candles, and a wreath of flowers to one side.

Tessa muttering in disgust at the buttons covered in dirt, wax, and blood as she began wiping down controls, while you peered through the grimy windows ahead to the railroad tracks that vanished off into the darkness, and into a tunnel. The need to leave this place, almost a niggling worry at the back of your mind, when you thought you saw golden wolflike eyes appear out of the dimness. More of them materializing all around them as you whispered, "please hurry."

Tessa, barely looking up from her work, when she pulled back a lever that unleashed a thick veil of steam, brilliant white lights switching on in front as it began to slowly grind forward. The creatures that formed out of the darkness, humanoid in shape as they loped towards them on all fours, a part of your mind screaming at the train to go faster. And as though in answer, it lurched forward, moving faster and faster, outracing the hundreds of forms that raced to either side.

The moment you released a heavy sigh, making you realize that you had stopped breathing, before wiping the sweat from your brow. Big Bastard plowing on ahead through shattered debris, light piercing into every crevice and nook as creatures and insects scuttled away. It made you feel almost like a miniature god with all these worms, qualing before you, when you let out a relieved laugh.

Tessa, cocking her eyebrow up at you as you took a seat beside her on a torn chair. "You okay?"

Still shaking a little, you smiled back, and replied, "it was nothing." A part of you finally able to enjoy the ticking motion as the train's wheels rolled across the tracks, releasing waves of steam to either side, and jolting you up and down. It had been so long, since you could just breath, and take in this whole world from the safety of thick steel walls. Your geiger counter steadily climbing higher the further they went underground.

+10 radiation damage. (Rads for short.)

Checking your pipboy, you could see the railroad tracks split into two a few miles ahead, one leading to a place called, 'Fallow's Grave', and the other, 'Broken Dreams,' both names sounding ominous.

Turning to Tessa, you asked, "what do you know of Fallow's Grave and Broken Dreams."

The ghoul's pitch-black eyes staring at you in surprise. "I'm shocked you don't know, child. There have been enough rumors about those places. Fallow's Grave is said to be the birthplace of the Freedom Fighters. Men, women, ghouls, synths, deathclaws, and super mutants working together towards freedom and liberty for all. Although rumors say that they have abandoned that place to ferals. As for Broken Dreams, not much is really spoken about that place, but that a terrible beast lurks somewhere down there, guarding a prewar treasure. All who seek it, end up dead or worse. But I wouldn't put too much stock in such rumors, child."