Another Maliwan troop hit the ground, and Zane slapped a fresh mag into his SMG. They'd been fighting for quite some time, and were pretty much in the thick of it, passing by a number of ancient relics and shite and wasting a shite-ton of Maliwan goons and robots. He still didn't understand why the fuckers were crawling all over the weird Eridian planet, but they were there, and now they were dying, just like all the others they fought.
Honestly, he was surprised they didn't just…pull back at the sight of them. But, then again, Maliwan wasn't big on smart choices, considering the quality of some of their newer guns.
Another soldier exploded.
"Augh…wish I had Iron Bear for this shit…" Moze grumbled, shoving a fresh mag into her assault rifle and pressing on.
Zane frowned. "Right…well, least the hull's 'board Sanctuary." The Operative popped another guy. "You can repair it when we're done."
"Still don't get why you're saying 'when', old man." Moze scoffed. "We're putting a lotta hope into something that might be impossible…just…feels like a big 'if' for us pulling this off."
"Don' say if. If is how ya set yarself up to fail, Mozzy Moze. Say when; that way ya know there's no 'worst case'. Just it happenin'." Zane shrugged. "It's how I do my work. So, don' think if. Think when."
"Augh…I'll try."
"Good. Cause they're gonna try also." Zane shot his Drone out, peppering some reinforcing Maliwan soldiers.
Their murder-spree took them right into what Zane figured was yet another Maliwan base camp…which meant they were making solid progress, at least.
"I've been waiting for this a long time, Vault Hunters…" A voice growled into his ECHO.
Zane frowned. "And just who the fuck are ya, and why do ya got me frequency? Thought I encrypted this shite after those fuckin' twins kept tryin' to talk shite."
"This is General Daniel Traunt, and you're the feckless SOBs who killed my lil' brother Samuel on Athenas!"
"…oh he was yar brother?" Zane wasn't bothered in the slightest, mostly cause he wasn't the one who did it. FL4K did. But, technically, he was involved, so…yeah it counted. "Well, ya wanna come get revenge or some shite?"
"Of course I fucking do! Tyreen said you fuckers'd be arriving here sooner or later. Just…I taught Samuel how to fight, and you fuckers taught him how to die. And, now, I'm gonna teach YOU!"
"…how to what? Die?" Amara questioned.
"Y-Yeah, that was sorta…sorta the message—sounded cooler in my head…" Well, least he cared enough about his brother to avenge him, at least.
"So, another Traunt…hmm." Moze pursued her lips and looted some ammo from a dead soldier. "How many more're out there? Not that I care, just don't wanna hear that dumbass battle cry of theirs…"
"I have no clue, though if we're fortunate, this should be it." FL4K stated.
The team continued fighting through the Maliwan base camp, wasting anyone in their way. What the new guy said, though, made it clear that Tyreen knew where they were, so Maliwan was still taking orders from her. Maybe she promised them safety, maybe she was keeping them too scared to fight back. He didn't know, but Zane made a note to figure out what was going on.
Who knows? Maybe he could get them to turn on her. It'd definitely buy some time.
"Huh, sure are a lotta Maliwan goons here, Vault Hunters. Best send 'em packin'."
Zane ducked behind a crate just as a rocket passed by, one that slammed into a wall and exploded with electrical energy. "Ah shite, they're breakin' the Shock shite out, people! Get to cover, don' get popped!"
"On it!" Moze slid behind cover and yanked up a dead soldier's SMG, checking the mag and sliding it back into place. FL4K gave a wave of their hand and went invisible, no doubt to sneak up on the shooters and get rid of them, and Amara was also behind a crate, popping out to blow someone's head off with her shotgun.
Growling caught his attention, and Zane dove back just as one of their fuckin' Gunwolves slammed down where he was a second ago. The mechanical creature roared at him, and was immediately caught by Amara's Phaseslam, leaving it open to get blown to pieces by her rocket launcher.
"Ha! Keep fightin' those putzes off, Vault Hunters! Area should get clear soon!"
"Grr…those were just scrubs. Let's see how you square up against my elites!" There was Traunt again. Oh joy.
The sound of drop pods hitting the ground made Zane get moving. When several mechs descended upon the area, the Operative slammed his Barrier down and switched his SMG to Corrosive, firing the acid-lined bullets at the newcomers. With their combined fire, each of the "elite mechs" were dispatched, and the area clear.
"…huh…shield's not going away." Moze huffed, still scavenging ammo from the dead forces.
"Might have to take out the generator from the other side. Find some high ground, Vault Hunters." Typhon briefed them yet again. Zane nodded to FL4K and the robot got moving, lining their sniper up with something and firing six times. The force field rippled, and shut down. They were free to keep going.
"Right, just get across the bridge, and—"
Said bridge exploded.
"Ha! Suck on my big brother sized balls, Vault Hunters! TRAUUUUNT!"
Moze cringed.
"Well, what a schmendick. Don't worry—there's another way to the Vault-side, but it ain't gonna be easy."
"Is anything today ever easy?" Moze sighed.
"Nope. Look at the bright side; you get to kill Traunt, and force the bastard to join his brother."
"Augh…silver lining, I guess."
Moze gunned down yet another Gunwolf. They were nearing the "alternative route" as Typhon said, and as the first Vault Hunter warned, it wasn't easy. Maliwan's troops were everywhere, but thankfully, some were mauled by the native wildlife, so…well at least something was going her way today.
"I tell ya, it's nice to have someone to talk to for a change; for the longest time, it's just been me and the bots…and…well…that ain't pretty. Really haven't had another human to talk to in years."
"Well, I can see how that'd get maddening." Moze said. "But, wait, why didn't you just…leave?"
"That's the thing; I crash landed decades ago. Been marooned ever since."
"Then…how did you survive all this time?" FL4K inserted themselves into the conversation. "Considering the…state, of the planet, a normal human would have perished ages ago."
"I'm really smart…aaaaand I'm really small. Plus, let's be honest, I ain't a looker. No one wants to look at ya if ya look like me. Perfect for sneakin', and I do my fair share, too. Ever since Maliwan showed up, I've been nabbin' tech and listenin' in on their ECHOs. Great products, but piss-poor security."
"Amen to that, brother." Zane chuckled.
"Hey, Vault Hunters, sorry to cut in, but Vaughn says Pandora's shakin' like an ice skag with a fever dream. No word from Tyreen, but we got your back—which is my preferred view of ONE of ya." Zane shuddered.
"So, Typhon—if I'm permitted to call you that-, is there a…Mrs. DeLeon?" And there was Tannis being a fucking weirdo again. Moze was half tempted to just cut her ECHO.
"Oh yeah, Leda…she died, though."
"O-Oh…I'm so sorry for your loss." Moze was bad at reading Tannis sometimes, but the way she said that told the Gunner she was excited. Honestly, her opinion of her was so low, she wasn't even angry. Not even disappointed, either.
They reached one of the Catch-A-Rides they passed and, like before, all rode together in a technical. Moze was, of course, weighing over what Ellie said; Pandora wasn't doing too perfect, which meant they were running out of time. It frustrated her, but…she was gonna trust in what Zane said. They were gonna get things handled, and they were gonna save the universe.
"You can't run, Vault Hunters! O-or…you can…but I'll find you. Just…just gonna be clear…TRAUUUUNT!"
…Zane was right, she would enjoy killing Traunt. Least that wasn't an if.
Amara drove her fist into yet another Guardian, sending the Eridian entity to the ground. The alternative route was…well it was something; a chore being the best word she'd use to describe it, but they were getting there. Bit by bit.
A shotgun blast later and another Guardian dropped, and the team pushed on to reach the Vault Typhon was directing them towards. They didn't have too much time left, and Maliwan was doing their damndest to slow them down. Damndest, of course, wouldn't help them.
…Amara also needed to ask FL4K if damndest was a word. Didn't sound like it.
In the distance was a much larger, ancient building, decorated in red glow and with a sinister red glow coming from it. Amara didn't bet very often, but that had to be where the Vault was.
"Your journey ends here!" Something SLAMMED right in front of them. When the smoke and dust cleared, Amara saw it was…just someone who looked exactly like Traunt, so, no doubt, this was this General Traunt who was trying, and failing, to intimidate them. "This one's for Sammy! TRAAUUUUUN—" A rocket struck his chest. Amara casually loaded in another rocket and fired again…and again…and again. She had a deadpan expression the entire time she fired at him, and didn't stop until she was out of rockets…and Traunt was a smoldering corpse on the ground.
"…we don't have time." She stated casually.
"Yeah I agree. Let's just…move on." Moze stepped over the General's corpse and kept moving.
Really, Amara wouldn't have minded fighting Traunt the right way, buuuuut…they were working on borrowed time. Maybe, if he had another sibling, she'd give a fair fight. But, for now, rocket spam.
Still, with the way clear, they kept moving.
"Right, that path'll lead straight to the Vault, where I hid the key! It works, trust me!"
"…weird place to leave it, but…off we go." Amara muttered.
"Alright, just look for the bigass Eridian temple not too far ahead. THAT's your ticket to the Vault." Well, that was useful, but for the moment, they were in a massive, stone hallway, leading somewhere.
Upon reaching a stone platform, Amara saw said bigass temple in the distance. Well…Typhon was right, at least; it wasn't too far ahead.
"By the way, Typhon, how DID you find Nekrotafeyo?" Lilith asked.
"Yeah, Maya always said it was just a story." Ava tacked on.
"HA! So did everyone! Except my wife, Leda. She figured it out. After we got hitched on Pandora, we left to find this place for our honeymoon…and we ended up crash landing. See, I put the thing on auto-pilot, while we got BUSY…that's on me. And so was she!"
"Mental image I could live without…" Amara shuddered.
"Anywho, the ship was kaput, Comm link was kaput. But we didn't care. We were in love. See, Leda, she was whip-smart. AND smart with a whip. Boy, did THAT come in handy on our honeymoon!"
"Fuckin'…don' need to hear that shite, mate."
"Oh it gets better. After we opened the Vault, THAT'S when the real action began! I'm talkin' skag on skag, key and hook, the double Calvin!"
"Just…ew…" Moze sighed.
"What?" FL4K asked. "It's part of the circle of life…but yes. Ew. Who even does those anymore…?"
"Hey! Appreciate the classics! But, nine months later…well…we all know what happens after something like that."
"Usually a night've regret and maybe a pint or six…" Zane muttered.
As Typhon told his story, Amara realized they were wandering through a dense, almost serene jungle. It was almost relaxing, except for the creatures running around. Luckily they were dealt with by the others.
"For awhile, we were one big happy family…then…well Leda died. And I had to raise the kids alone. Heh, I thought opening a Vault would be the hardest thing I've ever done…boy, was I wrong!" Amara heard considerable pain behind Typhon's humor. The death of his wife still got to him, clearly.
"Wait, you've got kids, Typhon?" Lilith sounded perplexed.
"Yeah…two've em. The boy, he got sick all the time. And my daughter talked circles around me! Only time when they'd sit still was to hear about my adventures! Killin' monsters, opening Vaults, being a hero—they couldn't get enough! I filled their heads with all sorts of stories. Even told 'em about the Great Vault…heh, that was a mistake!"
Great Vault…two kids…Amara got to thinking, and she had a firm hunch about just who his kids were, but…well to be honest, she didn't want to admit it. If it was who she thought, she didn't want to tell him about what they did, and more importantly, what happened to one of them.
"Yep…a story can be a dangerous thing in the wrong hands. Cause they might not think it's a story."
Well…that confirmed it. But they were nearing the temple. She…wasn't looking forward to telling Typhon about what happened.
About what happened to his son. No father should have to hear of his son's death, especially from the mouths of his killers.
Their sniper was reloaded and the statues were aligned. They and their compatriots had gone through more Maliwan soldiers, solved a weird puzzle, and collected some crystals, and were now on a lift of some sort, no doubt meant to take them to the Vault that, apparently, Typhon had opened years ago.
"Oh, I forgot, me and Leda went at it on that elevator too; right where…eh…your Gunner friend's standing."
Moze winced and just…moved to the side. FL4K was concerned, yet impressed, someone Typhon's size could…do that so many times.
"So, you made it to Nekrotefayo…slow." And there was Tyreen…of course. Though, this time, there was no Troy to echo her. They found comfort in that. "Always playin' catch up, huh? All that's left on that planet's dust and demons. Trust me."
"Trusting you is sticking one's hand in a beartrap, coward." FL4K coldly stated.
"Hurry up, people; key's just up ahead." Typhon said, no doubt not hearing the words of his daughter.
"You're wasting your time. The Destroyer's almost here, and when I consume it, I'm gonna be a god." She went silent for a moment. "I know you're listening, dad. Are you proud of your little girl, now?"
"Tyreen…starlight…?" He heard her now.
"You weren't gonna tell them, were you? Oops! Well, guess who taught us everything we needed, Vault Thieves? Dear ol' Dad. Taught us everything we needed to know to take this galaxy, piece by piece. Where to go, what to take over, who to control…all thanks to him. Oh, and by the way, Troy's dead. Your friends over there? Those assholes? They killed him. So…have fun with that."
Everyone paused and came to a stop in their walk. FL4K was…well for once at a loss for words.
"Oi, Typhon, I—"
"We'll talk later, Vault Hunters…the Guardians know you're here. Fend 'em off." FL4K complied and yanked their handgun out, open firing with the others. The Guardians weren't too hard to fell, no, but…well for once, their aim was swayed, through duress on their mind.
They relished in murder, yes, and relished in the death of Troy, too, but…Typhon was their friend, and one thing FL4K refused to do is murder those close to friends. That was different.
"Clear 'em out; key should be right up ahead."
The team continued through the massive hallway, reaching the Vault room and mowing down the remaining Guardians. It was a tougher fight than before, but they persisted, and they fought on, and the last Guardian fell dead.
"We're at the Vault, and the area's clear, but we can't find a key." Amara said.
"Don't worry, I hid it. Should be an Eridian device nearby. Get it runnin', and I'll be there, and then we'll talk." That…sounded concerning, but the device was found, and once it was activated by Zane's hand, the short man teleported in.
"Neat things. Before we go on, we should go pay Leda a visit; her and I beat that Vault Monster together, so…feels right." He didn't seem…perturbed.
"Typhon, about…about Troy." Moze began, only for the short man to raise a hand to cut her off. Now, his joyful, optimistic expression fell sullen.
"It's…listen, I know what's been goin' on out there. Their streams, their ECHOs, been watchin' and monitorin' them for a while…I know what they've been doin'." He was trying his best to be strong, but…well he wasn't doing so well. Despite his best efforts. "Troy and Tyreen, my kids…they became monsters. No easy way to put it. And, you're Vault Hunters. You kill monsters. Simple as that."
"Still, he was yar son."
"I know…but it's what had to be done. I'm not sayin' I'm glad my boy's dead, but at…at least he can't hurt anyone else. He wasn' born a monster, no, but…well I could've done more to make damn sure he didn't become one. So, I blame myself, and I knew from the start it had be done. Only reason why I didn't try and talk 'em outta things was cause they found a way offworld without me. Didn't know where they were for the longest time, and they cut off all contact with me."
"But…why didn't you tell us your kids were the twins?" Lilith asked.
Typhon sighed. A painful one. "I wanted to, and I should've…but it was hard findin' the words. Findin' the words to tell ya my kids were responsible for everythin' y'all've had to go through. Like I said, how they turned out, that's on me. Spent so long fillin' their heads with stories and buildin' 'em up to be great, I didn' realize it'd get to their heads. Make 'em think they were the brightest stars in the universe. But, and this is comin' from someone who spent a lotta time adventurin'…stars gotta go out eventually. I'm just…I'm just glad there wasn't a supernova when Troy went out." A wall in front of them rippled and faded, no doubt from a faux wall. "After their mother died, I was scared I'd lose 'em too…so I kept them here. I thought they'd be happy…but…well it was just a gilded cage. They kept starin' up at that sky, full of stars they wanted to reach…wanted to be. To me, this planet was enough; the reward after a long journey…but…yeah." The man carried immense weight upon his shoulders. FL4K still held no regret for the rat fuck's demise, but…well it weighed on their fleeting conscious how much it affected Typhon, but not for the reasons they thought.
They all arrived at the tomb, or rather a grave. Typhon pressed a button on the headstone and the key popped right into his hand.
"You…kept it with your wife?" Amara asked.
"Mhm. She watches over it…even in death. But, it's done. We got what we need…time to finish this all."
"And…what of Tyreen?" FL4K asked. "You know what must be done, right?"
"Yeah…just…lemme try talkin' to her first. May not go well but…I'd like to try regardless."
"…it shall be granted."
FL4K still wanted to murder Tyreen, but they could temper their bloodlust for Typhon. For the pain he carried.
At the very least, she would be given a mercy killing if the time arose, and not ruthlessly mutilated like they sought. They could grant the First of Many that, at least.
[And here it is, one scene we all knew to happen. I did my best to make it more emotional. To make it expertly clear Typhon blames himself for how things went, and wishes things could have been different. Did the game nail his scene right? Not sure, but…well here's my take. For now, reviews.
To BlitzNeutral69: I'm not sure why there aren't many Battleborn/Borderlands crossovers. I may tackle the idea in my future, if I can make time for it in my complicated schedule.
To B.E.A.T.N: The final few chapters will be more focused on taking emotional scenes and such, and making them grand. Including the ending of the game.
To Screams of Terror: Multiverse stuff could be fun. Maybe as a side project. But, who knows?
Thanks for sticking by. We're almost done. It's been quite the ride.]
