The 10th chapter of Rokushiki vault hunters, people! also, story hits 30k words! over 2400 views!

I'm also 1 day late. *Gets shot with multiple BB rifles* I'M SORRY!

The fluff from last chapter got some positive feedback, so more of that in the future! :3

IMPORTANT?!

In any case, my school starts on the uhm… 12th day of the next month? I think so, atleast. But I'm not sure… anyhow, when it starts, I'll sadly have to extend my updating time into 2 weeks, as I can only write on weekends then… Stupid school.

Anyhow, onwards with the story.

Jay's P.O.V

We entered Bloodshot stronghold, and soon came to a small area with vending machines and a huge Dahl sign on the wall. 'So this is the part in the game where we get to when entering the stronghold.' I thought to myself as we made our way towards the vending machines. Soon enough, everyone but me and Dante started refilling their ammunitions and such.

What I didn't expect to happen though, was Maya getting me one of Zed's 'Health Now!' packs, and for Gaige to get Dante one too.

"Somebody got hurt?" I asked, tilting my head to the side slightly out of honest curiosity. Maya's lip twitched when I said it though. "You did, idiot!" she said, pointing at my hand, where a bullet had went through. Gaige reprimanding Dante, because he had the same reaction as I did when Maya gave me the Health Now kit.

"It's a hole. In my hand. How is a small injection of medicine going to help me at all? And besides the wounds small, so It won't be a hindrance or anything." I said and started making my way to the other vault hunters, but before I could take a second step, Maya spun me around, injecting the Kit around the bullet wound in my hand. To my surprise, the wound quickly grew shut, leaving me astounded, not that I'd show it on my face.

"Well, it did help, so there." Maya said walking towards the others, her hips swinging temptingly from side to side with each passing ste- 'What the hell am I thinking?' I thought to myself, slapping myself mentally and hiding my… growing problem, so to speak.

"You're in? Great. Roland should be around here somewhere. I'm sure y'all can handle yourselves, but if anything happens to Roland… Make sure nothing happens to Roland." Lilith's voice came through the ECHO communicators as we made our way up a staircase, with me trailing behind the group as my problem was persistent.

There was two routes which we could use to enter. The first was immediately in front of us as we got to the top of the staircase, and the other was on the other side of a few metal beams. "Hide." Dante said as we noticed a bandit psycho come closer to the first entrance, but not coming into the area we were at.

"How about this? I, Jay and Zero will sneak up on them using the other entrance to the area, whilst you five keep them pinned down, so that we may get behind them and assassinate them?" Dante spoke up after the psycho passed the entrance, going to the right, where the other entrance was located.

Axton was thinking about the plan and soon approved of it. The five others started firing in the room, with Krieg going mad with his buzz axe as i, Dante and Zero crossed over the metallic beams. As we entered the room, the bandits in the room were all concentrating on killing the five vault hunters by the first entrance, and not even looking our way. Dante and i used Soru whilst Zero used his Deception skill to move, being unseen to the regular human eye.

I came to a stop behind a regular Nomad, Dante was behind a psycho and Zero was behind a marauder. There were 3 other bandits we'd take out after these three were killed first. Taking the hilt of my Blood-red katana, i watched as the beautiful blade digistructed onto the hilt, and with one swift move, i had beheaded the Nomad. By the time The Nomads head was on the floor, the other five bandits in the room were already dead, mainly from stabbing and beheading, but also from bullet wounds. And one had been mutilated by Krieg's Buzz axe.

Soon enough, Flanksteaks annoying voice came from the ECHO communicators and i was forced to listen to him trying to get Hyperion pay for Roland. "Look here Hyperion - I'm not askin' much for Roland! A million bucks! Hello? This thing on?"

Quickly after that, we entered another of the many rooms still to come in this stronghold. This was empty, but the next one wasn't. It was the room with the sewer-like pipe leading to the place where you could do the quest to kill the four 'Mutant ninja turtles'. I always liked that easter egg.

"You handling the Bloodshots alright? They've been trying to take Roland out ever since he kicked their asses out of Sanctuary. I shoulda seen it coming." Lilith's suave voice flooded through the ECHO communicators after Flanksteak went silent.

"This is going to take awhile..." i muttered to myself, just now remembering how big the stronghold actually is.

*45 minutes later*

Lots of fighting, wound tending and going through the too GOD-DAMN BIG STRONGHOLD we finally arrived in the room where the cell's were located at. And once more, Flanksteaks ever-so-annoying voice came through the ECHO communicators. "Somebody stop those Slaggunds from springin' Roland! We lose him, we lose our payday!"

A few psychos came our way, but they were nothing new. Or hard to fight against for that matter. Except the last one, he seemed more controlled, stronger. wiser. 'There's something about this Psycho...' i thought to myself, watching as the other's killed the other two psycho's, whilst the last, third one stayed back. Narrowing my eyes, i used Soru to appear in front of him, poising my leg for one of the offensive abilities of the Rokushiki.

"Rankya-" I started saying, my leg already moving in an arc, when the psycho moved at speed equal to Soru, getting inside of my guard, diverting my Rankyaku over his head with his left leg, and punching me back a few feet. All in a span of one second.

Skidding back on my feet, i felt myself come to a stop just as the psycho sat down on a box near one of the cell doors, keeping his posture seemingly calm, but i knew better. "Jay, why didn't you kill the last psycho?" Dante asked and i could feel an aura of confusion coming from him and the other vault hunters, too.

"...He diverted my Rankyaku." I said lowly, but everyone heard it. Only Dante realized how bad that was. "...Excuse me? I hope i heard wrong. The only way for anyone to divert Rankyaku, is to be completely caught up to a Rokushiki users speed and strength, which is near impossible in the first place." Dante said, his voice ranging from disbelief, to shock and into excitement.

Now the other vault hunter's realized how odd it was for the psycho to divert a Rankyaku of all things.

"As if your measly Rankyaku's could actually damage me... Dante. Time's ticking. 12 days." The Psycho said with a voice deeper than Salvador's, and darker than anything i've felt before, his first sentence pointed towards us, and the second towards Dante. As he finished speaking, his head exploded in a pool of blood and brains, amongst other things. "...Dante, what'd he mean by t-" I asked, but stopped as i noticed Dante standing still, frozen on spot, with his skin as pale as snow.

"From the many years i have been friends with Dante, i immediately know that he's in a state of shock. He's never that pale unless in shock..." i muttered to myself and lifted propped him on my shoulder, his glazed eyes staring at the ground. "What happened to Dante? And what did that Psycho mean?" I heard Gaige shout from behind me. "Dante froze from shock, and what that psycho meant... that's Dante's story to tell, not mine." i said. I was the only one who knew how Dante lost his eye and got his three scars, and Dante had imitated Ripper's voice rather well to me... and that Psycho sounded near identical to Ripper.

"If Dante wants to tell you what happened between him and... the thing that was possessing that psycho, he will tell you. But DO NOT under any circumstances ask or pester him about it. I don't want him hyperventilating right after he gets out of his shocked state..." i said, muttering the last sentence, and walking towards the cell where i saw Roland resting on one of the beds, but earlier i saw him observing us killing those psychos.

"Shocked so easily/Pale as the snow, like a ghost/Traumas of the past?" Zero's monotone robotic voice asked from about a foot behind me. "yes." I said simply, finally reaching the door to Roland's cell, even though there wasn't much walking anyway.

"Vault hunters! Good to finally meet y'all in person. Hell of a job fighting through all those Bloodshots-" Roland said as he sat up on the bed he was resting on, but he was cut off as the wall next to him exploded and a Hyperion loader walked through the wall. "This'll just take a second." He said, tacking the loader and ripping out it's - what i assumed to be a powercore - and throwing it at another loader that was just about to come through the hole, causing it to explode. Then, a BUL loader rammed Roland into the door of the cell. The loader approached Roland to finish him, but Roland ripper an electric machine gun like weapon out from the first loader he had killed, and shot the BUL loader down.

"Well - That's that. Now, let's see about getting out of here." Roland said, rising from his spot on the ground and turning towards us, and all of us - except Roland - Saw W4R-D3N, the huge blue-ish constructor appear behind Roland and shoot these blue beams at him.

"Vault hunters! you've gotta stop this thing!" He shouted as W4R-D3N shot the beams at his legs, then at his hands, effectively pulling him onto W4R-D3N, and the constructor then proceeded to trap him in a blue-ish glowing prison of sorts, probably made out of electricity to keep him suspended.

"Let go of me, dammit." Roland shouted and Asshat's voice came through our ECHO communicators. "And that's how Handsome Jack pays ransoms. Long time no see, Roland!" He said as an EXP loader came through the hole, crashing against the Cell door and blowing it open. "Soldiers, this way!" Rolands voice came through the ECHO communicator's and we saw him being taken away by the blue constructor.

"Son of a bitch! They're taking him to the top of the dam! - Get there, quick!" Lilith's voice said through the ECHO's and we made our way after the Blue constructor that captured Roland, whilst fighting against Loaders and bandits respectively, as we entered the Bloodshot ramparts after about five minutes of combat.

*40 minutes later*

Finally, we arrived in the area where the W4R-D3N was waiting at, with Roland still in his blue cage. Soon enough, all hell broke loose, as the six others kept the Loaders at bay, i and Dante, who was now back in action, kept bombarding the Constructor with Rankyaku's and Shigans. At one point, we even used Geppo to get high in the air above it, and then use Tekkai and drop on top of it with huge strength.

Pretty quickly the Constructor was down, and Roland was free, helping us kill the remaining loaders, when there was only one badass loader left.

"Let's kill this thing and leave." Dante said darkly. He was still shaken by Ripper's visit in the psychos body, and he shouldn't be fighting after that shock. "You rest, we'll handle it." i said quickly making a Rankyaku and cutting off the huge loader's other hand/gun thing.

"I can do something..." Dante said, being too stubborn for his own good, and used Geppo to get upon the Loader, then used Tekkai to make his body hard as iron, and let gravity take it's toll as he fell down on the loaders head, crushing it partially. "Told you." He said to me after that little spectacle. But the loader was still moving, and it took aim at Dantes back. "MOVE!" i shouted as the loader shot a series of rockets into Dante's back.

There was a warying amount of reactions as Dante was shrouded in the smoke created by the explosions of the rockets, but mainly everyone was scared at what might have happened to him. Except me. 'Lucky idiot, didn't realize to let his body revert to it's original state...' i thought to myself, recalling that Dante never removed Tekkai's effects.

Soon the smoke dissipated and we noticed Dante standing on top of the now crushed loader. Apparently he had destroyed it whilst under the smokescreen provided by the rockets exploding. "Sheesh. React faster next time. You're seriously getting rusty, man." I said as we settled down after Gaige went into worry-wart mode and pestered Dante about being alright and such.

"Tsk. Blame Ri- The thing. I wouldn't be like this if not for IT." Dante said with hatred lacing his every word. He also nearly slipped out Rippers name to the others. Not something that happens everyday.

"Well, i'm not sure what those odd skills you two used were, but you two are strong, that i know... But anyway, Meet me back at Sanctuary. I have a plan to stop Jack, but it won't work without all of you." Roland said, running to the one-way only Fast travel station and digistructing out of the ramparts.

"You saved Roland! This planet has been waiting for heroes like yourselves. Oh, thank god Jack didn't send Wilhelm." Angel's voice said through the ECHO communicators and i suddenly got an idea... An idea i had to try. "Hey, angel?" I asked tentatively.

"Yes?"

"Could it be possible of you to give me your DNA?" I asked, keeping my voice blank as the question was slightly odd, creepy even.

"Why?" she asked after awhile, and the other's were giving me odd looks.

"I have my reasons, but let's just say... you'll appreciate it." I said with a small smile.

"Very well. I can't give you my DNA directly, by any means, but i can make it so that my blood vessels are transported in a tube to the Sanctuary. Is that alright?" She asked and i gave a small 'Yes' as an answer. She then cut the connection with us.

"Why do you need her DNA?" Maya asked me after we were closer to the fast travel station.

"I don't need it, per se, but there's something i want to try. And for it, i'll need her DNA." i said, laying my hand on top of the Fast travel station and Digistructing to Sanctuary with the other's close behind.

Soon afterwards, i, Dante, Salvador and Axton went to have a few drinks at Moxxi's bar. The four of us had become drinking buddies a day or so after we arrived at Sanctuary. 'And i'm sure Mordecai will join our group of four once we get him to Sanctuary.' i thought to myself as i downed the last of my Vodka.

10th chapter, people! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

i'm happy nao. Sorry that it's a day late. ( or 2 days late for some, i guess.. )

and... 30k words! ( nearly. :p )

Also, there's something i'm going to do with Angel's DNA. Can you quess what, though? :3 Review me your quesses, people!

Also, i'm not sure if i can update this week, because i'll be veeeeeery busy for some time. sowwy. :( But that's a huge 'Maybe'. Not sure yet.