Silence permeated all throughout the room. Not a single being moved from their place nor opened their mouths to say something. Both Claptrap and Nisha just stared awkwardly at the Drako King as he just sat there and waited for them to react in anyway. Like if they were to do the sensible thing and open fire upon their enemy, his shield would hold out against their barrage (Being a boss, his shields and health were significantly higher than his minions, despite his more feebler appearance.) while he summoned his dogs to come and tear the intruders apart. If they were to engage with words instead of bullets, he would have his retorts ready. If the interlopers decided to run instead of fight, all he had to was throw one switch to trap them.
"Well?" The Drako King coughed out. "Do you have something you want to do? Pull out your guns and see if you can hit me before I kill you? Perhaps you want to joust with insults? Or do you want to run? All are good options…"
"He's a Rat Momma?" Claptrap finally spoke up.
"No." The Drako King muttered out half-heartily. "I'm the Drako King. I rule over the Drakos…the things you've been killing in your selfish quest."
"Good to know these bastards have a stupid name, I can relax a bit better now." Nisha sighed as she relaxed her stance and stared down the King. "So, how do you controls these Drunkos?"
"Drakos." The King corrected with a forlorn sigh. "They're named so because of their dragon-like tendencies. They used to breathe fire until they to this swamp and the heavier air removed that ability but instead gave them poisonous saliva….the creatures can adapt to any of the given Pandora environment from what I learned. Thick scale-like skin, guards their nest carefully…and hoards whatever they can get their grubby claws on." The King flashed a smudgy smile towards his unwanted guests. "But unlike the dragons of myth, these can be controlled."
"Hey, Doc." Claptrap activated his coms and got in contact with the absent Doctor Alpha. "Now that you know what kind of creature it is, can you get us the scoop?"
"Drakos…" Alpha sighed before rapid-firing typing away at his computer. "Ah, okay. It's a thought-to-be extinct species that originated on Selena V. A campaign of genocide was enacted, that's how dangerous these things were. Guess somebody saved a few pups and brought them here…and why do I blame Hammerlock for this?"
"Look, I just found them." The King muttered out, losing whatever evil fire he had in his voice for a brief second. He quickly regained the temper and shot back with: "I have no clue as to why you intruded on my premises, but I can assure you that you wouldn't be leaving. You two and that pest from that cult are going to make such poor meals for my pets."
"Cult leader?" Nisha wondered to herself before turning to Claptrap and speaking normally. "Ah, that's right! Not-Jack, the guy we came here to pick up. He was leading a cult…for some reason. We should deal with this nut job, steal his boat keys and go find Not-Jack." She raised her gun and pointed it straight at the King's big face.
"Yes, go ahead." The King waved his right hand before reaching into left pocket with his other hand. He pulled out a key-ring and daggled in front of the two. A quick look, even from across the room, revealed that the boat key was a silly dolphin. "I do have the key for the boat…it's the only way to travel further through the Marshes. But this I swear to you…this is as far as you will ever travel through Tepatorl." And he waved his hands down.
Sharp, haunting yellow eyes peered out of the dark corners of the room. Claptrap pulled out his trusty shotgun and loaded a shell. "Nisha?" He whispered. "This could be our last fight." Nisha grunted in response, Claptrap took that as a affirmative. "So, last words? Anything good, something memorable?"
"Honestly." Nisha breathed out. "I kinda wanted my last words to be: 'I may be out of bullets, but I got a full bottle of whiskey with me at least.' But then I came to Pandora that has bullets in every nook and cranny in their nook and cranny…and I'm out of whiskey."
"Okay." Claptrap sighed as he pointed the gun to the various creatures awaiting in the darkness. "I got a new one for ya. 'I'm going to…Drako you guys into hell with me!"
Nisha wanted to place one bullet in Claptrap's one eye for that pun, but realized that would be wasting a bullet.
The Drakos pounced from the corners. The two ex-Vault Hunters opened fire at the first one that came in their sights before bolting off away from the swarm. Nisha opened fire on every Drako that came close to her, trying to kill them before they got her. Claptrap circled around the area, taking potshots and waiting for his action skill to recharge. Neither focused on the King, who giggled from his throne and occasionally gave orders to go after one target. But soon the creatures started to gain the upper hand; they started to strafe around Claptrap to circumvent his constant circling and went full-on aggressive when Nisha needed to reload.
It really seemed to be the end. A boss character left untouched while his minions whittled away at the Vault Hunters. While they had touched a nearby New-U Station outside the house (Which were thankfully unaffected by Lillian cutting the power) it would still be a long journey back inside…or a longer journey of getting around the swamp without the boat. Either way, their defeat would set them back hours…even days.
But like most stories, there came a sudden miracle. The sudden, nearly anti-climatic miracle. Hopefully not anti-climatic.
Two powerful bursts of energy shot over the heads of Nisha and Jack. The air crackled as the two shots flew; practically burning the very air in the room. The two shots ripped into the King, knocking him off both his air and his footing. This not only stopped the King, but also caught his pet's attention and they turned away to notice their master. Nisha reloaded her hand cannon and fired a single road point-blank into the nearest creature before running towards where the shots came from, grabbing Claptrap and running with him. They were greeted by a man in a tattered grey-green cloak with his arms raised up who then ordered the two to 'follow me.' Even Claptrap recognized the voice and the two arm cannons that poked out of the cloak.
Nisha and Claptrap followed their savior…well, the Doppelganger, pretty much a given at this point…back through the secret corridors until they were outside the mansion at last, this time on the east side. Awaiting was a large swamp boat with two chain guns at the west and east sides with the Doppelganger hopping into the driver's seat. Nisha and Claptrap jumped into the two seats next to the guns and readied them in case of their great friends the Drakos decided to send them off with a great farewell. They did throw a party by swarming outside in a thick crowd in hopes of drowning the interlopers in a sea of claws and poison. Nisha and Claptrap unleashed the spinning terror of their guns and tore down the crowd while the Doppelganger revved up the engine and sped off, getting far away from the mansion and the monsters.
The King watched as his prey ran off. He shook a fist at the boat but called his pets back so they could regroup and prepare for the assault on the cult's base. Their transgressions against his kingdom had to be stopped…and his pets hungered for a real meal. Going by their clicks and chirps, they felt so much powerful whenever they had human meat and muscle in their stomachs….
The Doppelganger stopped the boat about five minutes out from the mansion, arriving at a dock that lead into a solid island with a giant wooden structure poking out of the forest of the dead trees. Nisha and Claptrap jumped off and fell onto the dock, collapsing out of exhaustion. The Doppelganger sighed and went over to them. "Nice to know that the last Claptrap unit in existence is the same exact idiot as he was before. The only real surprise is that you're with him Nisha…and have one arm. Lose that in a poker game, cowgirl?"
"Not Jack?" Nisha sighed before rather politely asking, "You got any booze?"