The moment the stoner posing as a bandit grabbed on and had a good enough grip of the vehicle, I activated the vehicle and made my way out of the annihilated bandit camp along with the other 15 Outrunners.
That wasn't a bad haul of loot from this bandit camp but I don't think I got all of it, so I'll hit it up again when I'm coming back from Piss Wash gully, hopefully after a successful hunt of the Rakk Hive. And even if I don't find too much, it's not that big of an issue since I need to transfer those two bandit Outrunners to my garage in Fyrestone… I think I'ma take the couple of silver chests that are there as well since I'm accumulating gear at a rapid rate and will be needing more and more storage as I venture from area to area fighting and killing my way across this planet.
Whilst I was continuing to think about what I wished to do about all the loot I was taking ownership of, I drove along with the convey and soon came upon the rear gate of Fyrestone, which we were granted immediate permission to enter given who was with us and the injuries some of the freed captives possessed. Once we cleared the gates, a segment of the convoy drove off in the direction of Dr. Zed's Medical Clinic while I and the others continued on to the center of town with a bit of an uproar from the town's folk who managed to survive the bandit raids thus far.
Looks like word has already spread around town.
Immediately taking note of how fast information seemed to travel throughout Fyrestone, I continued with the rest of the convoy, and a short drive later, we arrived at the town center right in front of the town hall where a small but boisterous crowd had gathered to celebrate the return of those who were captured and taken away. I was glad to see the people in a festive mood but I didn't really want to deal with all this crap, so I dumped the stoner who was really just pretending to be a bandit for survival at the town hall with those running the lobby operations, and was about to take off back to my place when I remembered that old man.
Mm, let me touch base with that old dude real quick since I got a good feeling about him and he gives off an air of experience. I don't know if he'll be of any use to me, but the couple of minutes it would take to chat him up won't make any difference in today's schedule and may be well worth the extra time if I end up recruiting him.
Given my grand ambitions and who I would be going up against, I was on constant lookout for potential talent, so I hopped on out of the Outrunner and approached the old fellow as he was getting off one of the many vehicles we brought along.
"Hey, old man, what was your name? I didn't quite catch it earlier."
"Duke." He answered matter-of-factly.
"Nice to meet you, Duke. The name's Victor, or Vic for short."
"Likewise, Vic."
I shot the shit with the man for a few moments as the commotion carried on around us and soon broached the topic that interested me. "So, Duke, do ya mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"That depends on the nature of them; what do you want to know?" He responded as we watched the merriment.
"Well, you've struck me as someone with a rather unique past, possibly military in nature…"
"Oh, you're a sharp one, ain't ya." The old fogey commented as I replied with a simple nod of agreement. "But why would you want to know about that past of mine?"
"Hmm, let's just say I have grand ambitions I wish to accomplish in the not so distant future. However, they require more than just myself to bring to fruition, if ya catch my drift."
"I think I understand what you're putting down, but as you can see, I'm well past my prime."
"I can see that; however, what I'm interested in has to do more with what's up here than your former capabilities." I shot back whilst tapping my exposed head.
"Hmm, you don't say. Well, let me tell you a bit about myself before this conversation goes any further."
"Sure."
"So, I was formerly a merc of the Fire Devil company for a handful of years, and after racking up a load of experience across the galaxy I caught the eye of one of Dahl's recruiters."
I fucking knew it; there was no way he wasn't some sort of military type when he gave off the vibe of a vet with years of experience if not decades of it.
"Was the money good?" I asked curiously.
"Let's just say it was several times better than what I was earning as a veteran merc for the Fire Devils, but that was mainly because I was commanding one of the companies they had stationed here on Pandora back when they maintained a presence here. Since then, I had been acting as the head of security for Fyrestone, or at least I was until, you know, I got captured by Bone Head and his merry band of misfits, the ones you did in a short time ago, thanks for that by the way."
"No problem, and it sounds like you've lived quite the exciting life till now."
"Yup, and still kicking somehow after all these years. So, you got anything else you wanna ask, or is that it?"
"Mmm, I got a couple more loaded in the chamber."
"Shoot." He replied curtly.
"What's the plan now that you've been freed?" I asked, attempting to pick his brain.
"Well, I was planning to return to being head of security for Fyrestone since that was my post prior to this whole incident going down. I mean, it's not like I have any way of getting off this damned rock with my age being as advanced as it is. The lack of a ship also doesn't help, so what else can an old man do besides return to his previous post or keel over and die?" The old fellow answered readily before taking a brief pause. "But it seems like you might have a proposition for me…"
"I may. However, it requires me to get a number of things in order first before I can think of taking anyone else on besides... Well, that little troublemaker over there, since he's happy to work for free."
"Yeah, I'm not much of a charity worker since it ain't gonna keep me fed, clothed, or happy. But that's not to say I don't have my own moral code."
"I don't blame ya; the world does run on money after all."
The both of us went back and forth just chitchatting whilst several groups of residents reunited with whom I presumed to be their families, and after watching the scene play out for a handful of moments, the old fellow next to me spoke once more. "Oh, and thanks again for freeing me and everyone else back there, Vic."
"Don't mention it; I was only doing what I wanted to do."
Blowing off his words of thanks, I shot the shit with Duke for a short while longer, got him to spill a few more details regarding his work history and soon came to learn how truly capable of a military leader he was.
Man, this guy is something. If I were to give him an army to control, I'm sure he would have little issue commanding it and utilizing its forces effectively and with ruthless efficiency... It would be wise to secure him, but I'm still tight on funds at the moment and have little for him to do right now, so I'll have to delay his recruitment. Mm, it's sad, but I'll wait till I'm ready to make my move on the Zephyr Substation and take control of it before I present my offer.
Once I learned how capable a commander Duke was, it came time to end this conversation and drop off my new haul back at home and head on out again to clear the rest of my missions. "Alright, I'ma head out. I'll hit you up when I get things sorted and have a need for someone of your caliber."
"Don't keep me waiting, youngster. I don't got as many years left as you do."
"I'll try not to. Later." I said with a wave before I popped my helmet back on, hopped in my ride, and took off for my home, leaving the mayor and the rest of those in charge to deal with the mess I dropped on their doorstep.
From the town center, I traveled to my home near the rear gate, and as soon as I pulled up, I began unloading all the loot I gathered from my short trip away from the house, along with Claptrap's help, of course. There was a decent amount that needed moving, but it became an even easier task once I used the several storage deck upgrades I gained from Bone Head's camp.
"Alright, that's the last of it. Get back on the Outrider; we're heading to the next bounty." I told my companion as I emptied my entire ammo space and dumped the munitions into an open crate.
"Righty-O." The bucket of bolts chimed, excited to head to the next mission.
I would've fed the skags before we headed out but we hadn't been gone for long before we were back at the house again, so I resisted the poor cries from the pups and left them behind in the house whilst Claptrap and I headed out the door. From the front door to my place, I loaded up the spunky little guy in the gunner's seat at the same time I considered whether we needed this attached bed any longer.
To take the trailer or to not take the trailer... Well, this isn't a game any longer, so I don't think I'll be obtaining anything of value from a dead Rakk Hive other than the bounty posted on its head. Also, there probably won't be too much more loot to find at Bone Head's camp, so a trailer probably won't be necessary, at least on the return visit, since we've got to get those two runners moved. Therefore, it's kind of a waste to be dragging this bed when I won't have anything to load on it. Plus, I'd rather be able to outmaneuver my enemies quickly and speed away if the Rakk Hive poses more of a challenge than expected.
Concluding that the trailer would be nothing but a burden at this stage in the game, I unbound it from the Outrider and left it in the garage. The instant I locked the place up, I got in the driver's seat, and just as I was about to take off for the rear gate, I thought about that hellfire module once more.
Do I want to stop by Marcus's and pick up that Hellfire elemental mod now or wait till after I finish my missions for the day? Hmm, that's a good question... Well, I got the money, so why the hell not? It's not like it's going to cost me too much time.
Unable to wait until later, I performed a 180 and headed for the gun shop instead of going for the exit. The streets had calmed down since my successful return, so I was able to speed through the streets unhindered and reach Marcus's Gun Emporium in no time flat.
"Yo, Vahn, let me get that Hellfire module." I requested right as I walked through the sturdy double doors of the shop.
"...You gathered enough funds that quick?"
"Nn, I went ahead and got rid of Bone Head and his crew and looted their camp whilst I was at it."
"I would be lying if I said I'm surprised, but you made quite the first impression when you walked through those doors behind you, so I expected you'd show up tonight at the latest." The gruff man commented as he went and retrieved the top-tier Maliwan elemental mod.
Several seconds later, I arrived at the counter, and the shopkeep passed the small doodad through the counter window's slot. "That'll be $499,999."
"Already transferred it to the account."
"I see... Will we be handling the rest of the business or are we waiting until later?"
"I'm not finished with my bounties just yet, so I'll drop by later."
"Mm, alright, I'll see you then. Stay safe out there, Victor."
"I'll try, catch ya later." I replied before I passed through the entrance again and hopped in my vehicle.
With another pricey upgrade acquired, I quickly returned home to my garage and swapped out one of the existing 4x explosive mods from my Chopper for the Hellfire module. This single upgrade now granted my heavy machine gun the ability to proc a fire effect every shot, particularly one that deals 60% damage and ignites them every time pretty much no matter what.
The Hellfire's effects were so potent back in the first game that you could literally put down every enemy with ease. It was to such an extent that even fire resistance enemies would succumb to the sheer quantity of flames generated by this legendary weapon's elemental module. Meaning this weapon is strong against virtually all enemies now.
Eager as all hell to test out my upgraded weapon, I grabbed my new and improved unique Vladof machine gun, locked up the garage and ran to the runner. The second I reached the Pandoran combat buggy, I jumped in the driver's seat and peeled out of there and quickly made my way to the rear gate where I got the go ahead to leave right away.
"Okay, I'm heading out to take care of another one of the local nuisances. I'll be back in a bit."
"Good luck."
"Come back with good news."
After receiving a handful of encouraging words from the guards stationed at the rear gate, I wished them goodbye and got back on the road again, heading towards Bone Head's. I was raring to test out my newly upgraded Chopper, so I kept my inner loot goblin that oh so very much wanted to hop on out and tear the camp apart for hidden loot at bay and instead followed the unpaved arid road. Not long into my journey from Fyrestone, I rounded the bend I took when I initially arrived in this portion of the Arid Badlands and shortly thereafter I came upon the bandit checkpoint, the one I decimated on my trip from the Headstone Mine.
It doesn't seem like the local bandits have come to re-secure this position... What a bummer. I was hoping to collect a few more kills before I rolled up on the Rakk Hive, but such is life, I suppose.
Not finding any enemies that needed cleansing, I continued on my way and passed through the wrecked checkpoint, which had its deceased residents' bodies either picked clean or dragged away by the local wildlife, and kept heading in the general direction I believed the Rakk Hive to be. I drove through the arid mountainous terrain of the badlands mostly unbothered, and after roadkilling a few too many skags with my wheels, I acquired the Vehicle Proficiency stat surprisingly, which boosted a few of my vehicle stats, and came upon a hilly mountainous area that had big drops in the terrain and even larger ascents.
This looks kind of similar to the area from the game, though on a much, much larger scale... Oh, and there are Zephyr Substation windmills in the distance too.
As I was taking in the sights of the area and looking down on a large electricity-generating wind farm below from my elevated position, a deep rumbling beastly roar echoed and boomed throughout the landscape followed by high-pitched screeches of dozens upon dozens of Rakks.
"We got company, friend." Claptrap cried urgently just before he started unloading onto the incoming aerial swarm heading right for us.
[ Status Changes ]
Experience Points: +465
Total Experience Points Earned: 112,020 → 112,485
Badass Tokens: 862 → 901
Backpack Space: 124 → 133
Ammunition Space: 4,500 → 5,000
Grenade Space: 35 → 37
Vehicle Proficiency: lvl 3 | Vehicle Damage +6% - Vehicle Shield Capacity +6% - Vehicle Speed +6% |
[ Loot Acquired ]
Ammunition: 50,679
Grenades: 50
[ Loot Changes ]
Guns: | Unique || Vladof | 2.5xOPTLS Strapped 4x4 Explosive Chopper Machine Gun → | Unique || Vladof | 2.5xOPTLS Strapped 3x4 Explosive Hellfire Chopper Machine Gun
Money: 1,781,320 → 1,281,321
______
That's the last of the chapters I have so it's gonna be a bit before another release happens since I'm working on another fan fic at the moment.