A/N: Hello everyone that has waited for so long. I'm sorry for all this time testing your patience, because I'm just so lazy and acting all that of a domesticated pig and stuff like that, and I really should have planned out this story before I even started the first chapter. But hey, if you're still here, eager to read away my story, then I'm glad you're still on board! And please review if you see anything you're concerned with or just want to motivate me some more; doing either one would be really beneficial! I'll try scooting in about two chapters every month since I kinda have nothing else to do for the Summer except sleeping and filling my gut to the brim. Well that's about it. Enjoy this chapter, if not, do what you will with yourself.
Fear For the Worse Chapter 9
Can you, for the love of all the precious time you've wasted with your slashing and gurgled burps, stop mellowing out and staring at completely nothing? There's the objective in front of us, along with the death-bot and reputable mechromancer. How can you just stop what you're doing at this very moment? But here we go, observing the various sands and pebbles that swirl with the coming breath of bubbling swamp. This is just ridiculous... so ridiculous that even I'm beginning to stare along with my crazed counterpart, clinging onto the mission with tired fingertips because of the thought of the pay soon after.
Nothing could get any worse, nothing could possibly be any better, but that's just the pessimism in me (just me really) pushing its boundaries. And that's to be expected, especially when one faces a gravity defying hunk of iron and destruction, a pubescent but innovative girl controlling the digital-spawn, the damn crystalisk we're suppose to be containing, and last but not least Claptrap's ever so annoying screams; don't underestimate the power of its whine and arm waving.
Speaking of the source, Claptrap sprints right next to us, covering the ground with fresh dust, hiding behind our back and cowering on about how "We're in deep Rakk manure!". Shielding his favorite show of sands tickling the dirt, Krieg's not amused "Leap and squeeze the spluttering meshes and delicate festers of lemon skins, or lick the hollow colon, OR BURN your yearning screams and grotty voices! BURNING of your greasy peels!" In translation: fuck off or fuck off.
"Aeeeiyhh..." it exaggerates it's vocal box, but soon recovers itself to impress his "minion". "I-I mean pssh! They're nothing to worry about at all. In fact, I bet my whole stash of nuts and eridiums that I can beat them all with just sicking my badass slaughterhouse right here at their tails." Wow, this is just expected.
"Neewaha! I smell liver pastries next door from the gory-bread man!" That doesn't remotely fit the setting. I imagine fake hands smacking the center of my forehead. Just end that thing before I hear more unnecessary clutters than now.
I think he misunderstood the order. "I'll be fine, maybe, but absolutely, and I mean reassuringly-" "wham!" goes Krieg's fist colliding the top of his square dome, measured with so much spite that the surface below him formed a complex web with his wheel dead in the center.
I sigh heavily with pure and utter disappointment to Krieg's relentless brute force. Not even a damn scratch. Claptrap must be wearing a pretty decent shield. It doesn't move at first, but it then spins nonchalantly, trying every means to be unstuck. Not even a hint of spark. "You know minion, if you wanted my attention, all you really need do to is ask."
Well, that didn't really kill him, but I, and all that holds dearly to this hope, believe this would keep him shutting up until then. "... I see that you don't need my awesome assistance, so I'll just-uhhh.." he examines the insightful situation in our eye. "... I guess I'll stay here then." You better keep your mouth bound first.
Satisfied and focused, I look back at the canvas, the painful sight of it all; can we resolve this as quickly as possible? Stay focus now Krieg. We're not out of this yet. Ignoring all of my demands like usual, he's still looking down, twiddling this "fascinating" pile of shattered bones with his foot that's probably as interesting as watching running water. Angel, save me.
"I have a camera if you're just gonna stare at whatever you're eying all day." the haughty child interrupts the brief silence as she spit polishes her artificial limb. She seems tired of it all, even Purple's just pounding the ground rather just hitting us with any projectiles. Huh, maybe I'm just overestimating them... I just jinxed myself goddammit.
Faster than I could rant, Deathtrap attempts it's final trick up its metallic sleeves. But Krieg, thankfully more obsessed with the floating terminator than looking at the surface, reacts faster. In fact he was hoping something's going to stir between the two. So it flew straight above us at a height of about 20 meters.
"Wait wait wait! I'm stuck remember?!" Claptrap yells and squirms around to get away from impact. Well too bad for him. "Oh sphincters!" But by pure and utter luck, Claptrap somehow rolls out of the trap and strolls at an impressing velocity, no doubt hiding afterwards.
A split second later, it drops at an accelerating rate, its curved blades on its shoulder plate and concentrated glow of blue vitality pin pointed right on the noggin, but Krieg doesn't falter. "Embrace the cold circuits! Hammer and skewer my dinner plate sternum!" he bellows with arms open, tightly grasping corrosive labeled grenades at each hand. How the- where did you get-! My inquiry never met the any ears as the vile shitty-green fluid ejects from the fractured bulbs in our palms. Why does it have to be shitty-green?
Christ, I feel so much agonizing things revolving me, from my toe to my head. It hurts so much and melts at the skin just like the sensation of fire, but I feel sensation more painful than anything I could fathom. It also lathers our only good eye. Please,at least let me have sight in case I might find her again, please... I then feel our body moving, twirling around actually as the acid flies in every direction. Krieg then flicks the erosive juice apart from our eyelid. Thank you, but don't you ever do that again! Stick with igniting yourself.
After opening our eye, I realized that we've won the incredible quick-paced showdown. In front, the badass looking version Claptrap staggers and fidgets with static flowing out of its armor, looking awful and weakened from the layered affinity element. "The liquid, liquidizing its liquefying goodness, stinging the ever so sins of my lusting rust!" he wheezes out his victory, inhaling and exhaling the dripping toxic substances that traveled down in our mouth from the our previous eye shot.
Unknowingly, Gaige dishes her shotgun, smirking childishly as she madly jumps over Deathtrap in an instant. The idiot couldn't try to silence his war cry when the defeated digital companion disappears back in its place. A real surprise it is, though not so worrisome for me as I recognize that her weapon of choice was a Heart Breaker, Hyperion's incendiary loader. Oh, what a big mistake, one should know better than burn a pysho, especially with him in mind.
I can just read her head so clearly and without skipping the expression's beat. Right there, as if in slow motion, the toothy and thin lipped grin widens and those anticipated eyes gleam a certain light is a face that says 'I can't wait to see you turn into ashes'. I couldn't see more,for that cocky attitude warps into a blackhole; she's going for a head shot. Symbiotic in mind and possibly soul, Krieg knows what's going to hit him, but chews his bottom chops, waiting for the trigger play. Hold on for impact!
An instant "Bang!" punches the punt of the shell. The barrel launches the heart shaped shots, blazing with screeching lead ready to leave me feeling the always intimate heat, so much more foreign compared to any other element. And Gaige, the look on that satisfied expression, was relentless and not the very least merciful. "Bang!Bang!Bang!" she corresponds to tripling her pace on cocking the gun and firing away.
And it was all dead on; she was just a few feet away. Our shield didn't have enough time for recharging, because of my mental case of a companion's reckless usage of explosive green shit that's still trying to shave out our skin and hairs. One by one, the shots made it deeper into Krieg skull, repeatedly lending head-shot after head-shot. Each are coming closer to me. Funny thing is, I want them to come closer.
Huh, there's only one thing, one thing, that I can emphasize with my other self. It's only when we're lit like a candle or in contact with crazy flares. It was warm and soothing every time that happens to me. It was more like an extremely risky high though. Even before this psychotic enigma that currently controls my travels, before I was in possession of the Hyperion scums and even farther back when I was the leader of ungrateful bandits, I always new my best and closest friend is the devouring light. You will be eaten and finally digested by it, unless you let it do so. And who knows, maybe that's why I made "him": the next best thing for a sympathizer and all time idiot.
Pass the point of the shotgun onslaught, I sense the cringe worthy smile creeping up on Krieg's face.
"HNnnnngg!...THIIINKK BIIIGG!" his shouts morphs in a much deeper and harsher tone than before: the mutation's starting.
Unlike other psychos, we can partially exhibit control of our bodily proportions, but temporarily for it takes so much stamina to keep it all together. And there's just so much more that anyone can take once they see my transformation into a one arm swinging abomination. A flaming abomination at that.
"Tch! You just don't wanna play along, do you?" I hear Gaige questions our power to withstand her firepower. Don't worry, we'll be playing around alright. The transition hits us like a freight train, somewhat like the date before we met Maya. Maybe she'll know where she is.
First, all of our blood rushes and stretches to the center of our chest, brain cells included. Second, our right arm shrinks drastically 'til the bones suits a midget appendage misplaced on someone else's shoulder. Finally, our left fist explodes way out its original size, doubling ,tripling then quadrupling beyond accurate measures, the whole limb then follows the growth. I never see a reflection of my appearance, but from Gaige's surprise I know it's not a pretty sight.
"Holy eff'ed up and angry, I got myself a badass up in here!" treading back, Gaige draws out her Rocket Launcher.
Out of anyone's guess, Krieg hops right in front front of her, halting her from unleashing that bombshell that could also bring catastrophe right back at her.
"Hey! Level back a bit butt-head!" she warns him, but she couldn't really do much now.
Krieg, you better do what I think You're doing. He's still shrugging off my very wishes, but without taking our trusty bone-saw at hand, he clenches her mechanical wing that grips the trigger closely.
"Get your bald hands off of me!" a little bit pissed off, she hangs on our hand and heel kicks at our chest. Obviously, it was a useless way to loosen my grip. I know what's going to pick up next. Purple, trying to act all strategic and patient, extends to the opportunity of finishing us off altogether. It thinks it could take us down; that's real cute.
At full momentum, Krieg flings Gaige many yards all the way to the safest looking ground nowhere near any signs of corrosive crusts. As soon as she lands, Krieg then stomps straight towards the patient crystalisk. Unsheathing the saw blade, he aims directly at the limbs, causing as many critical hits and fissures on the crystals. Much to my dismay, it became annoyed and pissed off enough to slam it's front legs on the the cracks to burst open an acidic geyser hole that splashes almost everywhere. Thanks to the new form, Krieg shakes it off and brutally bats at Purple's limbs as ferociously as possible.
"Hhhahahaha! Your volcano vomits out itself!" Krieg growls. As a bonus of the additional strength, the crystalisk's already down to two more weak spots: the hind legs. Of course, it's not giving up its frontal defense, holding still and making sure it will face us.
"Here's your present ya dead whores!" not giving up yet, the crazed engineer aims the cannon right at our direction. She should really give me a break.
Simultaneously, three missiles fly out from the rocket launcher, all of which is seeking only at us and Purple. And once it reaches so close to us, Krieg actually tried to hit them, which has to be the newest record of stupid of all stupid actions in stupid history...
Hmm, I bet it looked amazing if I was't in the blast radius; all I see is a bright light and a powerful force kicking us right in our center of gravity. Whee, I'm flying.
Then comes the rich high pitch gong in my ears, piercing through and possibly expanding our eardrums to the maximum capacity. Of course that didn't end there. The magnificent air lift abruptly stops and I feel our spine smack against a ridged wall, yet we still feel numb. Or maybe the impact cause us to feel numb. I don't really know anymore. Our body, no longer energized, reshapes back into normal. Normal enough anyways.
And I don't care about anything else now. At a distance, I see Purple in the haze of the moment, crippled and probably clinging on to dear life. Just die and hope you don't have to feel any more suffering. I pray it to fall down and admit submission, and right in my sight, Gaige barges into the caustic mist and finishes it off with a solid swing at its remaining weak points. Soon, it does fall and sinks into the bed of hazardous wastes.
"Oh noooooeezz! I have to get it all in one, or I won't have my moneeze." Gaige cries out her sudden realization. Wait, "moneeze"? She had the same objective too?
Her echo communicator patches in, a woman's voice comes out of it. At least I can still hear well.
"Hello ole' girl, I see you got the creature the run for it's money. Unfortunately, I also see you didn't keep it all intact. *sighs* no matter, please bag its residue and come back to sanctuary. I'll dissect its organ and clarify any stains left from all the other rubbishes and plaster on some other body parts for compensation."
"No can do Tannis. It's already below recovering any of its organs right now. But you should see all of this eridium! I'm gonna be one squeaky rich!" Gaige responds the sudden downfall of Purple.
"Well I suppose you should take as much eridium as possible and drag your plated tush right back and-"
"Hold on just a minute lady Patricia," from my echo communicator as well, Sir Hammerlock dives right into the conversation. "I ordered an assistant of mine to take the remains as well. And by no means being misogynistic, I as a gentleman, deserve the right to partake its corpse as well."
"Why you fretting little badger! You'll only sully my plans to stop Handsome Jack from obliterating us all, and why must you dress code yourself to such a degrading appearance. Your hat looks like it ransacked a Bullymong's private-hairs." They're arguing over something that's dead, and I'm just hear laying on my ass, Gaige being no exception.
"I don't mean to insult your stakes madam. I just desire Purple to be part of my luxurious displays in my gloriful shack. Surely you should appreciate my cause. The hunt of it speaks to everyone! Krieg, please co-operate with miss Gaige and carry off as many parts of Purple and come to Sanctuary as soon as ASAP. And sorry for not informing you sooner, if only Miss Tannis and I have co-operated as well from the beginning."
"That's missus Tannis you shoddy, cannibalistic gremlin. My poor husband was a nice and beautiful chair. And a rolling one if I ever do mention."
Soon, the echo communicator closes off. The mechromancer, looking tired and concerned over her spare limbs, turns our direction and walks over. When she was close enough, she knees down a tad and glares at me.
"So you're that psycho guy Hammercock mentioned." sighing she scratches her scalp in frustration.
Shrugging of later she says "Alright, I'll bite. Get up and help me with these eridium shards, Okie-dokie?" And here we go again. Not eyeing at her other than her shoes, he stares back at the floor again, bored out of his mind, my mind especially.
"Hmph, you're gonna help me out whether you like it or not. And you're gonna like it a lot!"
The girl stands up and sprints right to the central gate of the map. And straight after, I hear a strong humming noise and the smell of burning tires fill the air. A split second later, at full spped, I see Gaige riding a bandit vehicles with a turret straddled on top. Krieg, fascinated by the saw dispensing machine of hell attached to the car, jumps right up and commences scrapping up the eridium shards and severed the crystlisk's head for Hammerlock's hunting displays just before its whole body's below 6 feet under. And all this is to get his hands on that deadly baby on top of the car.
"I spot teeth marks on slit traps!" quickly done with what's to be done, we heave up to the very handles of turret, prepared to annihilate many many lives.
"Haha! Don't forget about me minions!" Ah crap, I was just about have no memory of you what's so ever.
"Clappy, sit on the back seats and stay there until we get back to Sanctuary, and no 'buts'." Gaige, always so empathetic to artificial product lines, commands Claptrap in the most motherly way. Motherly is kind of a light term though.
"Okay! Let's go and party!" she nods in response and closes the doors with us being stabled on the turret and the trash compactor dancing with its upper torso. Immediately, Krieg fires away at everything with no regard to other people, typical.
"I'm chewing the best gum bleeders in the galaxy! This track better BLESS ME CRAVINGS!" So we're off to Sanctuary. Huh, I wonder is she's hanging around the place once we get there.
