Heyo!
So, I'm sorry about this chapter, it's really dialog heavy and doesn't differ that much from the story. It's not entirely my fault, I mean, the beginning of the game is pretty heavy with exposition and it's not like I could just ignore it. As a result this chapter does not read as smoothly as some of the others will, there's just very little room for me to put in bits about the Vault Hunters without it seeming somewhat awkward and forced. So I apologize for that. I'll make up for it a little in the next chapter, where we have actual conversations between Vault Hunters and -gasp- character development.
Anyway, this chapter is a combination of My First Gun and the first half of Blindsided. Enjoy!
My First Gun
After catching up with Claptrap, and a few minutes of travel through the blizzard they came to a small dwelling in the side of the glacier.
"Well done!" Claptrap exclaimed. "Your ability to walk short distances without dying will be Handsome Jack's downfall!"
The robot rolled up to the door and it scanned him.
"And open." He said dramatically.
The door opened up and he rolled inside, the Vault Hunters following close behind
The walls inside were adorned with various robot parts and a few corpses that were half imbedded in the ice.
"Just a little added security, gotta keep those bullymongs at bay or they rip your eyes out!"
Salvador examined one of the other Claptrap units lying on the floor. He kicked it and it rolled over into a wall.
"Sorry about the mess." Claptrap apologized. "Everything Jack kills he dumps here: bandits, vault hunters, claptrap units…" He paused. "If I sound happy about that its because my programmers made this is my default tone of voice. I'm actually quite depressed!" He said cheerily.
Axton sat down on a couch next to a dead bandit, Salvador kept examining the deactivated claptrap unit and Zer0 disappeared into a closet. That left Maya as the only one really listening to Claptrap.
"Now," he continued. "The creatures out here are dangerous, none more than this bullymong named Knuckle Dragger, killed everyone I know."
"That's rough." Axton commented.
"Anywho, I keep some guns in the cabinet over there for emergencies, but in here we should be pretty safe.
As soon as Claptrap finished the sentence the ground started shaking and the house shook. A giant bullymong jumped in through the ceiling and grabbed Claptrap as the robot tried to run away.
"Holy shit!" Axton yelled jumping behind the couch he was on. Maya hit the ground and made herself as small as possible, Zer0 peaked his head out of the closet and Salvador ignored everything like it was nothing new.
Knuckle Dragger took the robot, tore out his eye and then jumped back up through a hole in the roof.
"Gah! My eye!" Claptrap screamed in pain.
"You gonna be alright there?" Axton asked poking his head up from behind the couch.
"My eye!" He screamed again.
"Guess not." He said standing up.
"The guns. The guns in the cabinet." Claptrap said weakly.
Salvador walked to the cabinet and opened it up, the others followed behind him. He picked up a small handful of weapons and distributed them to the Vault Hunters.
"Rifle for the commando." He said tossing a Dahl to Axton.
"Much obliged." Axton replied.
"Maliwan for the pretty lady." Salvador said handing Maya an SMG.
"Incendiary rounds, twenty right round clip, low recoil, enhanced sights and a nice paint job. Thanks."
"A sniper for big and mysterious."
"Thank you Salvador/I shall kill many with it/It's swift and deadly."
"And I'll take the rest." He said grabbing the odd remaining handful of assorted weapons.
Claptrap rolled up towards them and blindly tripped over a table, knocking over several other deactivated claptrap units in the process.
The Vault Hunters looked at Axton.
"And he's really supposed to be our ticket out of here?" Maya asked skeptically.
Axton shrugged. "You got a better idea?"
"Once upon a time four vault hunters changed the fate of Pandora but there time has passed, thanks to Handsome Jack." Angel's voice said over their Echos. "Pandora needs new heros. I know that those heros are you four." She cut off again before anyone could respond.
"Is she gonna do that a lot?" Maya asked.
Salvador shrugged. "Maybe."
Claptrap stood himself back up and made his way to the edge of room.
"Aside from the excruciating pain, this is great! I've been waiting for a group of mighty vault hunters to help me reach Sanctuary. I will be your leader and you shall be my fearsome minions!" Claptrap then erupted into maniacal laughter.
"Who said anything about being minions?" Maya questioned.
Axton shrugged. "Just humor him. After all what's the worst that could happen?"
"Death, dismemberment, being eaten alive, getting shot, being tortured, freezing to death… Do you want me to go on?"
Claptrap disappeared through a Claptrap sized hole in the wall and then reappeared in the now opened doorway a few moments later. The Vault Hunters walked through, following the robot. He bumped into a terminal, activating it on accident.
He felt his way to the door and then turned around towards the assembled Vault Hunters.
"Great, just let me get this door open and then we'll hunt ourselves a bullymong."
Claptrap opened up a terminal and started typing something into it. A moment later the door to the outside opened up. Claptrap rolled through and the Vault Hunters followed.
"Onward seeing eye minions. Let me know if I'm going to run into anything."
Claptrap rolled forward directly into a chunk of ice protruding from the wall of the ice shelf.
"I'll just assume you didn't see that." He said.
"So uh... How are you supposed to lead us if you're blind?" Axton asked.
"Simple, I know this glacier like the back of my hand. Even though Knuckle Dragger blinded me, I bet you we'll find my eye in Frostbite Crevasse."
Claptrap rolled forward and into an ice pile, flipping over onto his face. As he was picking himself up Angel's voice came back on the Echo.
"You're going to want to stick close to the robot, he'll lead you to the city of Sanctuary. That is the only place you will be safe."
"Hold on a second." Maya said before the Echo turned back off.
"Uh… Yes?" Angel answered.
"Are you just going to give us two sentences worth of advice at a time and then not talk for another fifteen minutes?"
"I uh… I only present relevant information?" She half answered.
"And what if we need to talk to you instead of you talking to us?" Axton asked.
"Just uh… Just ask for me, I'm always listening."
"That's not creepy at all." Salvador mumbled.
"Are you uh… Are you done asking questions?" She asked.
"Yeah, we're done." Axton said.
"Good, then uh… You know… Follow Claptrap."
The frequency cut off and the Vault Hunters put their Echos back down.
"So uh… Where did Claptrap run off too?" Axton asked.
Suddenly he heard the robot scream from around the corner.
"I hear bullymongs! Sic 'em minions!" Claptrap yelled. "Protect me squire!"
Half a dozen bullymongs jumped down from the ice walls and into the canyon with the Vault Hunters.
"Anyone got a plan?" Axton asked.
"Don't die." Salvador answered.
"And kill them." Zer0 added.
"Fair enough."
Axton dropped down to one knee and raised his rifle up. He fired two shots and they buried themselves into a bullymong.
"Not bad eh?" He said.
Zer0 took a running start and jumped on top of a bullymong, he shot another nearby one with his sniper and then plunged his katana into the bullymong he was on top of.
"Try to keep up." He said to Axton.
Salvador tossed a grenade and it dropped between two of the remaining bullymongs. It exploded between them and both of them fell to the ground.
That left one bullymong.
It took off running towards Claptrap.
"Minions! Protect me!" Claptrap screamed in terror.
"I got it!" Maya yelled.
She pulled up her SMG and pulled the trigger. The gun jumped around in her hand and bullets sprayed wildly all over the place.
"Holy shit!" Axton yelled. "Hit the dirt!"
Axton dove to the ground; Zer0 and Salvador quickly followed suit.
A stray bullet hit the bullymong and a moment later Maya's gun ran out of ammo.
Axton peered up from the ground.
"Is it safe now?" He asked.
"She's out of ammo." Sal said.
"Great, that means she can't kill us." Axton said standing up.
He walked over to Maya, who was fumbling with the SMG, trying to reload it.
He grabbed it out of her hand.
"Hey, what was-"
"Who taught you how to shoot?"
"What?"
"I said, who taught you how to shoot?"
"N-nobody. I read a book about it though..."
"That explains a hell of a lot."
"I-"
"You could have killed us."
"I didn't-"
"You didn't what?"
"I didn't mean to I just... I... I'm sorry. It won't happen again."
Axton sighed. "Just be more careful. I didn't leave Dahl to get killed on a border planet by a siren who can't aim."
"I'm sorry..." She mumbled, trying not to make eye contact.
"It's alright." He said. "I'll teach you the right way to shoot when we get a chance. Until then just do this."
He placed the Mailwan in her hand.
"Hold it firmly and don't let it shake your grip."
He put his hands on top of hers to show her what he meant.
"Now, you ease up on the trigger. Don't slam your finger into it. And fire in bursts, don't just hold the trigger until you're out of ammo. You're liable to kill someone that way."
He let go of her hands.
"You got it?"
"Yeah." She said. "I got it."
"Good."
"Hey, are you two done bonding?" Salvador yelled.
Axton and Maya looked up at the gunzerker. He was leaning against an ice covered wall and looking bored. Zer0 was nearby pulling Claptrap out of a hole in the ice.
"Yeah, we're done." Axton said. "Let's get moving."
Claptrap once again took the lead and rolled his way through an ice arch leading out of the canyon.
Suddenly there was a low rumbling and the ground shook.
"What was that?" Maya asked.
"They say that its Handsome Jack's drills causing the earthquakes. He's been digging like crazy trying to find the Vault. Either that, or your mom just got out of bed. Zing!"
The Vault Hunters looked at one another.
"I was raised by my abuela." Salvador mumbled.
"I never knew my parents." Maya said.
"I'm an orphan." Axton muttered.
Zer0 stayed silent.
"What's the matter big guy? The yellow box hurt your feelings?" Salvador asked.
"Does he have feelings?" Axton asked.
"Leave him alone guys." Maya said.
"Fine." They muttered in unison.
Claptrap kept going, crashed his way into yet another ice pile and then managed to roll his way off a cliff. He landed face down in a snowbank at the bottom. A number of bullymongs wandered up to him and started sniffing and poking him.
"We should probably help him, shouldn't we?" Axton asked.
"We don't have too." Salvador answered. "They won't eat a robot... Probably."
"Ah! They're trying to eat me alive!" Claptrap screamed.
Axton facepalmed.
"Lets go save him." He sighed.
Axton, Salvador and Maya jumped down from the cliff.
"Come get some!" Salvador screamed.
The bullymongs turned towards Salvador and roared.
Before any of them could make a move, two shots rang out and two of them dropped to the ground. Salvador looked up and saw Zer0 up on the cliff with a bright red "lol" on his visor.
Salvador yelled angrily in Spanish and started firing blindly into the bullymongs.
"Should we help him?" Maya asked.
"No I think he's got it." Axton said, watching the bullymongs drop left and right under the fire of the dwarf.
Axton heard a roar behind him and turned around only to see a bullymong staring him right in front of his face, mere inches away.
Thinking quickly, Axton pulled the tomahawk off his belt and swung it at the creature's face. He left a gashing scar across its face and it roared in pain. The bullymong slammed an arm into the commando and he flew back into an ice wall.
The bullymong advanced on him menacingly.
But before it could reach him, there was a burst of gunfire and the bullymong reared in pain and collapsed to the ground.
Behind it, Maya stood holding a still smoking SMG.
She walked up to Axton.
"Are you alright?"
"I've had worse." He mumbled standing up.
Axton looked over to Salvador, the gunzerker was surrounded by dead bullymongs and firing blindly into the air screaming.
"He scares me a little bit." He whispered to Maya.
The siren nodded in agreement.
Zer0 dropped down from the cliff next to Salvador and the gunzerker stopped firing when he realized there was nothing left to shoot.
"Where is the Claptrap?/I saw him fall off the cliff/But where is he now?"
"Minions! Assist me!"
Zer0 turned around and saw Claptrap upside down in a snow bank.
"Could you get me out of here? ...you still there? I don't hear bullymongs anymore, kinda just waiting on you. But take your time. To get me outta here. I know what you're probably thinking, 'Claptrap is such a noble paragon of justice and skill, he can totally get out of here himself.' And normally you'd be right, but right now I could kinda use a little help. And if you don't, I'm gonna have to pull out the big guns and give you the silent treatment."
Zer0 sighed and lifted the robot out of the snow.
"Many thanks friend of friends! Onwards!" Claptrap rolled his way towards an old Hyperion storage supply unit and opened it up.
"Hey kiddos." A voice said over their Echo-Devices. "Jack here, president of Hyperion. Lemme explain how things work here. Vault Hunters show up, Vault Hunters look for the new Vault, Vault Hunters get killed. By me. You seeing the problem here? You're all still alive So if you wanna do me a favor and just off yourself, that'd be great. Thanks pumpkin.
The Echo-Device cut off before any of them could respond.
"Well that was uncalled for." Axton mumbled to himself.
"I'm going to enjoy killing him." Zer0 said.
"You and me both."Salvador muttered.
"Oh!" Claptrap exclaimed. "My eye switched back on. I see a devilishly handsome robot and four fearsome minions!" He paused. "Which means, whoever has my eye... Is very close."
Suddenly Knuckle Dragger jumped down off an ice wall and onto the ground. He picked up a junked car and tossed it over his head towards the Vault Hunters. The car narrowly missed them and slammed into the wall behind them, exploding into little pieces.
"This is gonna hurt..." Salvador muttered.
Author's Note: I started a new game just to make sure that I get most of the dialog correct. Also, it's my excuse to finally play Zer0.