I don't think I could ever settle down like the others, I'm too twitchy when I don't have anything to busy myself with. Bloodwing was scouting the skies ahead of me as I watched from afar. Just ahead about a mile or two was one of those bandit hideouts and I was being paid big money to clear it out. I was crouched behind a large boulder as if the bandits could see me, I stood, sniper in hand, and took aim at one of the watch men. He was walking without a care in the world across the top of the thrown together wall. Blood screeched as I fired the corrosive round, hitting the man square in his right eye. I could hear his scream from where I stood, laughing. It never got old.
"That's gotta hurt at least a little," I commented to Bloodwing as he rejoined me, perching on my bony shoulder. Sometimes I really thought he could understand me, then other times I knew it was the lack of human companionship getting to me, nevertheless I wouldn't have it any other way. I looked through the scope of my rifle at the three bandits who had replaced the one. Time for the real fun to start. I took aim again, carefully and fired three more round of acid-laced bullets. One bandit died before hitting the floor, the two others weren't so lucky, both getting hit in the chest and convulsing and screaming like the first as the acid ate away at their clothing and flesh. I approached the place slowly, stopping every time more bandits took to the look out.
Thirty minutes of this and I was at the unguarded front gate. A quick peek inside let me know they were waiting for me to make the first move. Well, I never did like to disappoint, I let Bloodwing loose and he wreaked havoc inside the hideout, ripping most of the bandits apart and leaving a few without eyes. "Someone's getting' a treat." I grinned and switched weapons to my Pestilent Defiler (can you tell I like corrosive weapons?), scoped of course, I entered the hideout.
Aside from the few bandits running around without eyes ("Oh my God! MY EYES, WHERE ARE MY EYES?" one of them screamed constantly. The other two just screamed and ran around in circles) it seemed safe. I snorted, safety was a dream out here, there was no such thing. I kept my pistol at the ready and proceeded, avoiding the one bandit that ran in my direction with a knife. I heard him trip over one of his fellow men and impale himself. How clumsy of him, I smirked and continued, ignoring the other two (the one that had been screaming and going on about his eyes was the one that had impaled himself, the other two were now quiet, resigning themselves to their new, blind lives) and kept going. I needed to find and kill the Bandit King, according to the locals (which were two maybe three people at most, this IS the middle of nowhere after all) he was one scary brute. I was willing to bet he was a big soft push-over like the last few "Bandit Kings" I've killed. Whatever, as long as I get paid a ridiculous amount of cash for his head I don't care how tough he does or doesn't turn out to be. Of course he'd make finding him difficult, this jack-off isn't like the others and stays close to his lackeys, oh no, he has to hide from me won't answer my taunts and calls either
I enter what looks like your standard arena, circular in shape and like any other wanna-be King of Bandits, sitting on what looks to be a throne of trash is the man I'm looking for. The big, bad, fully-armored Bandit King. Oh great this guy's bullet-proof. Head-to-friggin'-toe bullet-proof, except, I think, for his ears. Hmmm .how odd, oh well. He doesn't give me much time to come up with a plan of action (not that I would have even if he had given some time to think) as he immediately went to work trying to rid this wasteland of me. I dove behind cover to avoid his volley of bullets and let loose round after round of my own. This is bad, very friggin bad, he's got a bloody corrosive resistant shield, which made anything I use completely useless Damn. I sent out Bloodwing to see if he could get through to this guys skin, he came back with no luck either. Guess the only way to kill this nuisance of a man was shooting him in the ear and for that I needed his attention off of me. I needed a distraction.
As if to answer my prayers someone to my left called out my name, distracting both me and the Bandit King. I looked. Lilith? Wonder what she's doing here. I nod in her direction and turn my attention back to the bandit who let his own attention wander to the Siren. He shot at her and I laughed, mostly at Lilith who dove for cover to avoid her brains becoming part of the d cor, but also at the Bandit King as I took aim and fired. My bullet hit exactly where I wanted it to, it went through his left ear and came out his right, reminding me of fireworks (sort of anyways).
Mission complete and ready to turn in.
"Thanks for the well timed distraction Lilith, I'd have been out here all day without it," I said still laughing slightly as I reloaded my pistol. "Not to mention the amount of amusement I got outta that face you made when the Bandit King nearly got ya."
Lilith stood, holstered her gun, and yelled, "You jerk! I give your ass a break from that meatheads hammering and you laugh at me?" She was red in the face from either anger or embarrassment, or both, as she crossed her arms. I finally managed to stop laughing and grinned to show I meant no offense.
"So what brings the temperate Siren out this far from New Haven?" I asked as we started heading back out of the hideout. I gave Blood the treat I had promised him earlier. She was surprised I knew, it was written all over her face, so I told her how I knew, "I like to keep tabs on those I know."
She nodded slowly before answering my question with, "Nothing to do there so I decided to go on my own little hunt " She shrugged. I nodded and left it at that. If there was one thing I learned about the Siren it was that you never questioned her when she was being vague. Roland and Brick learned the hard way when we had first started hunting for the Vault.
We reached the entrance of the hideout and just to make sure I was left alone after this I ended the lives of the last three bandits. "Mind if I tag along? Me and Blood could use the break But first, mind takin' me to the Middle of Nowhere bounty board?" Lilith motioned for me to take the gunner's seat as she hopped in the drivers' seat. "Time for a nice, relaxing-whoa!" I shouted as she peeled out while simultaneously flooring the gas pedal and switching on the boosters. I'd forgetten just how FAST this woman liked to drive, she loved her speed, especially when getting back at someone for laughing at her.
We seemed to reach the bounty board in no time and before the vehicle came to a complete stop I jumped out and fell to the dusty ground, trying to keep my lunch. Behind me the car had stilled and Lilith was calmly climbing out and laughing, most likely at me. I didn't like going fast, it always made me dizzy bloody female As soon as I was sure I wouldn't lose any of the contents of my stomach I stood, flipped her the bird and ran to the bounty board and turned in the mission. When I returned I made sure to glare at her (not that I was mad, not at all, this was a game we had played during our Hunt for the Vault) as we both hopped back into the devilish ride.
"Where we headed?" I called over the engine.
"Thought I'd start in Fyrestone, it seems as good a place as any." She called back. This time, I was ready when she literally took off like a bat out of hell (though I'm pretty sure she'd smoke anything from hell in a race ).