Author's note: I'll do my best to update as often as I can but, with me being in college, there will undoubtedly be delays. On to the story.
They followed Claptrap outside, weapons in hand, Gaige held the repeater upward, pointed to the shy. "Well, at least you know basic weapon safety." Axton commented on how she held the gun. "Told you. By the way Leon, why are you called the Cyber-soldier?" Gaige turned toward Leon, as did some of the others. "Oh, uh… It's because of my…eyes." He pointed to his eyes as he changed the color of the iris and dilated and contracted the pupils. The others noticed that he was a bit nervous but, didn't push it.
"Even though Knuckle Dragger blindsided me, I know my way around this glacier. I bet ya we'll find my eye in Frostbite Crevasse." Claptrap spoke as he ran into other obstacles along the way. The Vault Hunters gathered more material from the boxes that laid all across the landscape.
"Stick close to the robot – he will help you get off this glacier and into the city of Sanctuary. That is the only place you will be safe." The projection spoke in its instructive tone, before she could disappear, Carter spoke up. "Wait! I don't know if you can hear us but, if you can, tell us who or what you are." Her image was still present, but didn't say anything, then… "Just call me Angel." She replied warmly, then disappeared.
Roaring could be heard from up ahead. "Ahhh, I hear Bullymong, sic' em, minion! PROTECT ME, SQUIRE!" Claptrap commanded and tried to find a hiding spot. Bullymongs jumped from the top of the ice cliff ahead toward the Vault Hunters. Krieg ran toward the mob screaming nonsense with his buzzsaw drawn, Axton Flanked the group from the right and Zero flanked from the left. Maya and Salvador backed up considering that they had only their bare hands and natural abilities, Carter leaped forward with his Iai blade at the ready in case he is approached, Leon grabbed Gaige and thrusted backwards a safe distance from the battle then drew his machetes. "Shoot them when you get a clear shot." Leon instructed her. She nodded as a sign of understanding.
Krieg stuck Bullymong in the left side of its neck, Axton dodged the swing of a Bullymong's fist then swung his hatchet at the back of its head, killing it, Zero sidestepped the third and plunged his sword into its side, puncturing multiple vital organs, he pulled his blade out and it fell dead. Two Bullymongs busted through a thin ice wall that blocked their path.
"OPEN YOUR VEINS FOR ME MY PRETTIES!" Krieg shouted as he charged the two. Zero also confronted the creatures. Krieg swung his saw at them but they both dodged it, while they were distracted, Zero decapitated one of them. Before the other could attack Krieg, a burst of pops rang through the air, Krieg watched it bled from two holes in its body. He finished it off with a swing to its head. Everyone glanced at Gaige.
"Good shot, kid." Axton complemented her.
"You alright?" Maya asked with sincerity.
"Yeah, I'm ok. After all, It's for survival, right?" Gaige said with a slightly shaky voice. The others moved on.
"Let's go! If we don't get my eye back, we'll never get to Sanctuary!" Claptrap emerged from his hiding spot.
"First kill?" Leon asked as he approached Gaige.
"Erm, not really." Gaige said quietly. "It's not as easy as I thought it would, but it's bearable."
"It's alright if it isn't easy; especially if it's with people, it just means you're a normal human." Leon comforted.
"Really?" She looked at him as he nodded. "Thanks." "No problem."
The ground shook violently as pieces of ice fell from the walls. Claptrap groaned. "AGAIN?! Jack's tearing Pandora apart to find Vault. They say Jack's drilling operations are causing these earthquakes. That, or your mom just got out of bed. ZING!" Krieg, Zero, and Salvador had no reaction to the joke. Axton gave a slight chuckle while everyone else some form of annoyance such as eye rolling, quiet groans, so on.
"You'll need that funny robot's help to reach Sanctuary, the last bastion of the resistance against Jack, and the only place you will be truly safe. Get to Sanctuary." Angel chimed in as stray Bullymongs came out of their dens to confront the Vault Hunters. Krieg ran towards them as usual, the others resumed their positions from last time, this time around, Carter approached the mob, intent on combat. "I'm not missing out this time!" A Bullymong jumped over the others and approached Carter, as it raised its fist, Carter quick stepped toward the beast and slashed through its side, killing it. A trio of Bullymongs ran past him as he was confronted by another. "OH YEAH! VAMONOS, PUTAS!" Salvador yelled with excitement. "Big mistake." Maya stated as she dodged the Bullymong's attacks then used abilities to deliver some Siren powered strikes to the Bullymong's pressure points, Gaige was unloading the gun on the mob of beasts, but one managed to slip by everyone else. As it approached her, Leon stepped between her and the Bullymong as she reloaded "You'll have to get through me first." Leon challenged with a serious albeit cocky voice. The beast roared then jumped at him. Leon jumped up over and landed behind it, before it could retaliate, Leon shoved his machetes in between its neck and collar bone on each side of its head. He pulled out his blades and the blood squirted out of its body. He stomped on its head, crushing it.
"Thanks for that." Gaige nodded toward Leon.
"Any time." Leon nodded back.
"Hey! What's that noise? Are you fighting?" Claptrap yelled with a muffled voice as he was stuck "head first" in the snow. When the last Bullymong fell, everyone regrouped to check on each other.
"Great! Now get me outta here before more Bullymongs arrive." Claptrap exclaimed.
"Here, let me get ya." Carter walked over to him and pulled him out of the snow.
"Many thanks, friend of friends!" Claptrap rolled off into the general direction of their destination. Just then, new voice coined in on their ECHO log.
"Hey, Kiddo. Jack here – President of Hyperion. Lemme explain how things work here: Vault Hunters shows up, Vault Hunter looks for new the Vault, Vault Hunter gets killed. By me. Seeing the problem here? You're still alive. So, if you could just do me a favor and off yourself, that'd be great. Thank, pumpkin." *Signed off*
"Yeah, we'll get right on that." Carter sarcastically commented.
"Oh! My eye just switched back on! I see some tough-looking minion, and an incredibly handsome robot. Which means that whoever has my eye…is very close." Claptrap brought up to the Vault Hunters, saying the last part full of fear. A large Bullymong hopped on a supply container and scanned the area. Once it saw the Vault Hunters, it jumped off the container toward a trashed runner. It was Knuckle Dragger and it was angry. "This is gonna hurt." Axton mumbled under his breath.
It threw the car and it exploded once it hit the ground. He (I'm assuming it's male) landed shortly after and howled at the Vault Hunters. Krieg charged towards him, but it redirected his swings and then punched Krieg in his abdomen and was knocked back by him. Zero and Axton made small cuts into its arms then had to jump back to avoid getting hit. It jumped up on the cliff as Gaige began shooting it, since she now had a clear shot. Then Claptrap screamed.
"Oh God! They're coming outta the wall-sphincters!" "Wait, what?" Bullymongs began to come out of the walls. "Gaige, keep shooting Knuckle Dragger when he's out of our range, then shot the smaller ones as they emerge from the walls when we can hit him. Leon, Salvador, and I will be your defense, everyone else will attack Knuckle Dragger in he comes back down and little ones in the mean time!" Maya commanded her strategy. Everyone gave some sign of agreement and executed her plan. "LET THE BLOOD SHOWER BEGIN!" Was the only thing Krieg said as he rushed toward the emerging mob.
Some Bullymongs flanked around their front and went for the others. Maya tried to use her Phaselock, but was only able to catch a pup. "Maybe, I haven't recovered as much as I thought." Maya complained to herself. Salvador broke the leg then neck of one that lunged at him. Leon slashed at another and slit its throat. "He's coming down!" Gaige informed the others as he landed. It threw an ice boulder at Gaige as she annoyed it with her gun. Leon jumped in the way and jumped in the way of it and took the full blow. He landed on his back and slid for a few feet. "Leon, you alright?" Gaige asked concerned. "Yeah, I'm fine."
Gaige reloaded and shot a Bullymong Brat that lunged at Salvador and it landed at his feet, dead. "Gracias, Amiga!" Salvador thanked her as he ran to Knuckle Dragger as he was the last Bullymong. As he approached it, he leapt in the air and punched it on its forehead, stunning it. Carter and Zero nodded at each other as they ran past the dazed beast, they ran up the ice wall behind it, they ran up ten feet before jumping off toward Knuckle Dragger with their swords at the ready. As soon as they were in range, they drew their blades and decapitated him, when they landed their blades were crossed like scissors. Carter sheathed his blade and Zero undigistructed (I don't know a better way to word it.) his blade. "This is excellent/you are a worthy ally/I thank you, Carter." Zero complimented Carter on his swordsmanship. "And I you." Carter returned the treatment.
"Woohoo! If you would retrieve my eye for me. Oh, and I apologize for saying 'wall sphincters.' I say that a lot when I'm frightened." Claptrap explained to the Vault Hunters. "Here, I got it. Hey, a revolver!" Axton exclaimed as he grabbed the eye and the gun. He looked back at the others then sighed. "Here, you two." He tossed the eye toward Leon and Gaige. "And you should have the gun Maya; being the next most unarmed." He handed the revolver to Maya. "Thanks Axton."
"Got my eye? Great! Now we just gotta find someone to put it back into me. Mush as I'm sure you'd like to jam your fist into my skull, optic surgery is best left to professionals – my pal Hammerlock in Liar's Berg can fix me up! Allons-y!" Claptrap gave as instruction. Gaige and Leon felt a bit neglected and ignored, but humored him anyways. They approached a reinforced door to a barge. Claptrap spoke up. "Liar's Berg's on the other side of this Hyperion barge. What say we cut through it, chum!" He rolled over to the door. "Ha! This door's Hyperion tech – child's play! Aaaaaand OPEN!" The door scanned Claptrap, then…
"Intruder detected. Locking door." The mechanical voice spoke as bar like locks come together. Everyone looked at Claptrap with annoyance, even Zero had a (_) projected in front of his face. Claptrap hesitated, then turned around.
"Well, it was nice knowing ya! I hear getting eaten alive by Bullymongs isn't such a bad way to go." Leon groaned as he was about to take off his glove and then Angel chimed in. "Lemme get that for ya. Executing Phaseshift." The barge door unlocked and opened in front of them. "Now I know why you're called 'Angel.'" Carter complimented as a thank you. "You're welcome." She replied warmly. "Perks of being an Artificial Intelligence. I'm networked into almost everything on this planet. It's a long way to Sanctuary – please take whatever you need for the journey ahead." They all began opening boxes. Salvador opened the big box in the middle of the barge. "Oh yeah! A shotgun!" Salvador grabbed it, checking its specs. "Good, now no one is unarmed. This planet just got less deadly." Leon commented on their current situation.
"Let's go Claptrap." Maya commanded the bot. "Alright minion, to Liar's Berg!" The barge door opened up and reveal a path leading to Liar's Berg.