"So, we don't got a lotta time 'fore shite gets bad, do we?" Zane asked Lilith. The group stepped off the Maliwan ship and back into Sanctuary, heading to the bridge so they could find their way to this mysterious planet, with a name Zane could not spell for the life of him. "Cause...I don' see us gettin' an ETA 'fore that thing wakes up and cracks Pandora like a Rakk egg."
"No," Lilith sighed. "I have no idea how long until the Destroyer gets released, but when it does, it'll be a nightmare. And, if somehow Tyreen manages to leech it, it'll be cataclysmic."
"Well, shite," Zane thought over that, trying his best to figure away to stop it. "and what stops us from goin' for Tyreen and killin' her 'fore she gets it?"
"Because now we don't know where she is," Maya chimed in. "She could be anywhere on Pandora, or in the system for that matter, considering she still has Lilith's power. She could easily just wait until it comes out, teleport across the system, and leech it before we can stop her."
Zane frowned at that. "Shite…so our only option's ensurin' that thing doesn' get free. How're we gon' do that?"
"That's what I'm hoping Typhon can solve. Tannis said she found a way there and charted a course into the ship, so we're gonna have to hope he has something, or all this was for nothing."
"Just…still hard to believe Nekrotafeyo's real…like…what else is real, then?" Ava seemed to be havin' a damn existential crisis. "Is fucking Santa real, then?"
"Nooo, but Skag Claws is. Saw him meself when I was a kid."
"…and?"
"He's a fuckin' skag with a Christmas hat." Zane deadpanned. "I'm half convinced me dad did that to fuck with me…may explain why the Easter Bunny, too..."
"Let's focus, and hope Typhon has a plan...also yeah Skag Claws is real; think he spits up presents or something." The mere moment they were all in the bridge the ship shot off, kicking into warp speed en route for the planet.
"So, I'll be the first to say it." Zane glanced over to Moze, who seemed more or less trying to not lose her shite. "This is WAY above what we signed up for…like…murdering a cult of wackos is one thing, but stopping the literal end of the galaxy? Maybe the universe? That's…fucking nuts."
"Yeah, but if we pull this off, well…who's gonna fight someone who helped stop a literal God, hmm?" Amara mused.
"That, and if we do not, who will?" FL4K added on. "As it stands, we are the only ones capable of delaying the Destroyer's awakening and preventing the end of everything. So, let us not think on ifs and maybes, but on will."
"Tinman's got a point." Zane agreed. "We ain' exactly got a 'worst case here' to scrape by with, so let's shoot for the best. On that note, while we're waitin', the fuck's up with the planet anyhow?"
"Well, it's supposedly the Eridian homeworld, the origin point of…well ALL of this." Tannis informed him through ECHO. "And Typhon DeLeon vanished decades ago in search of it, but was presumed to have failed. Seems we were VERY wrong…or at least everyone else was, and not me."
"So, it's the origin of the Vaults, then?" Amara asked.
"Its creators, at least. And considering how many ruins and relics are scattered across the galaxy, who knows how many worlds they visited, and how many Vault Monsters lay dormant. If Tyreen were to gain the powers of the Destroyer, then leeching them would be, I suppose, like eating candy."
Not a pleasant thought at all.
The ship lurched as it exited hyperspace. Zane glanced over to it and, visibly, flinched.
Why the FUCK was there a huge…crack in the planet?! Fact, he wasn't even sure what to call it. All he knew was the planet was a strange, almost surreal sight, and for once, he was at a loss for words at the sight of it. Nothing in his career could have prepared him to actually look at the origins of everything...
…he needed a stiff drink.
"Axton will drop you four off on the planet," Lilith said. Her voice made it clear she was perturbed as well from what she saw. "From there, follow whatever you can, find Typhon, and let's hope he's got a way to stop the Destroyer."
Zane nodded and turned to get moving. "Welp, let's go, people. It might be nice to meet the first fuckin' Vault Hunter…let's just hope he lives up to all the hype, and ain' like a hobbit or some shite."
"That's oddly specific."
"I have a weird hunch…"
[A teaser of the final arc of this. I had planned to make this longer, but I was caught up making Halloween plans, and lost track of my time. Apparently, I need to work on wording things better, and getting confirmation for events in months' advance. So, here's a prelude to the end, so to speak. A teaser to the last two chapters of this story, with the possible third being an epilogue or something along those lines. Hopefully, this doesn't disappoint. I'd rather give a taste of what's to come than leave everyone in the dark once again.
So, reviews.
To Oni seven: Might've been a typo on my part. They didn't shoot her in the head. At least not at that moment. She was on the ground, with guns trained on her. The "plan" was to let Lilith get her powers back, then FL4K planned to pop Tyreen's head like a grape. Then the Destroyer got woken up, and the distraction gave her an opening. Not perfect, but it beats just…thinking she died, like in the game.
To Dovahkiin795: Probably the same way. As said, Maya played a minor role in it. The only main difference would be Krieg being made aware that she's no longer a Siren and very much alive. Nothing drastic.
To Re-Router: I may have had a typo or two. Tends to happen; need to hire an editor one of these days. But, still, thanks for the words of encouragement. Salvaging the later stages of the story's been a challenge, as it's where things sort of got screwy.
Have a Happy Halloween everyone. Sorry it's so…different, but as long as we're scaring one another and enjoying the holiday, we'll be fine.]
