The two went back and forth trying to shoot the thing until the old man managed to synch the win by a hair.
"Ha ha, damnation boy did you have to make it so hard?" the old man complained while gasping for air.
I shrugged "Not much point in a contest if theres no challenge right?" I said with a grin.
"Got a point there." Mordy agreed nearly just as out of breath as the old man but recovering far faster due to being younger.
"Hmph! How'd the visit with the little lady go?" the old man changed the subject with a snort.
"Excellent, practically had to peel her off of me to leave." I said with a chuckle.
"Good then, women can be frustratin but once you find the right one you'll wonder how you ever lived without her." he said with a look that told of experience.
"Anyways I'm just here to grab these two before we head back to Pandora." I said pointing at Brick and Mordy.
"Bout time! That ones about to eat me out of house and home!" the old man said exasperated with an accusing finger at Brick who was coincidentally chewing on a loaf of bread.
"What?" he asked confused since he clearly wasn't paying attention.
"Not a thing mate, we are about to go back to Pandora." I said trying to hold back my laughter.
"Oh, okay." he said before stuffing the rest of the bread loaf into his mouth like a fucking squirrel causing his cheeks to bulge as he chewed and swallowed it.
I chose not to say anything and just opened up my house and walked in after saying goodbye for now to the old man. Once everyone was in my house I activated the teleporter to take us back to Pandora, Fyrestone specifically. As I, my friends and Ladon stepped out of my house we were greeted by a very off putting sight. Hundreds of midgets camped out in this segment of the arid badlands.
"THE GREAT GOD DEMON IS HERE!" One of the midgets with a Rakk strapped to his head screamed when he saw me causing my face to twitch beneath my mask that I had put on.
I didn't need any explanation to figure out what had happened to bring about this result.
'Well this definitely escalates things a bit.' I thought feeling a headache forming.
As if to prove my theory correct a hulking bandit in a very familiar outfit waded through the crowd of midgets to kneel in from of me.
"Great god demon! Vater has done your will and spread your glory to the tribes and have collected many followers for your grand design!" Vater said reverently.
"I can see that. I feel it necessary to ask but why are you all camped out here in particular?" I asked calmly while the gazes of my friends practically drilled a hole through the back of my head.
"This one learned through the remnants of the Sledge's tribe that this was the location you first stepped foot upon this realm. A holy site." Vater said with a tone practically begging for praise.
"I should have guessed. You aren't bothering the folks of Fyrestone are you? They are under my protection after all." I said seriously and he shook his head.
"This one wouldn't dare to harm those under the protection of the great god demon! Your followers have claimed this area for you and guard it with our lives!" he said seriously.
"And what do you call this following?" I asked curiously.
"We are the demons hand though the heretics call us the little league." he said and I had to resist the urge to laugh.
"A fitting name." I said not specifying which one I meant on purpose.
"Until now we have gathered in your name but await your decree to proceed." Vater said seriously and waited.
This gave me a headache as I hadn't thought this far ahead and if anything fully expected this guy to die before things got to this point. Now that it had however I needed to give him and the rest of these midgets a direction.-
After some thought I spoke firmly "Across this world there lies many old ruins of mysterious power from the age of gods. Seek these places out and excavate them. I will elevate those deemed worthy through this effort!" I said loudly so the entire crowd of midgets could hear me.
""""""FOR THE GREAT GOD DEMON!"""""""
The entire crowd of midgets shouted eagerly after I spoke and without hesitation started to scatter.
"By your will!" Vater said firmly before getting up and joining the rush to find Eridian sites.
"So "great god demon" huh? Is it everything you hoped for?" Lil asked teasingly once all the midgets cleared out.
"Gonna be honest I seriously thought that guy would get gunned down before now." I said helplessly.
"That's Pandora for you, things rarely work out the way you expect here." Mordy said with a chuckle.
"Yeah I know. Still at least I have people helping me find Eridian stuff now so theres that at least." I said trying to look on the bright side.
"What will you do when and I do mean WHEN, not if, they actually manage to find something of value? Will you actually "elevate" them?" Roland asked seriously.
I shrugged "Yeah? I mean I get making bandits stronger is not exactly fucking great but like so long as I only do a few it won't upset the balance or anything like that, probably." I said without really caring to much.
I wasn't worried about this coming to bite me on the ass since I was not directly responsible for anything the group did beyond my actual directive. They went and made a nuisance of themselves and they were free game for anyone who wanted to kill them so long as they didn't come at me as well.-
With that done I put away my house and we set off for Fyrestone proper. Vater was apparently telling the truth as the folks of the town didn't seem bothered at all about the hoard of midgets that had moments before been camped outside the town. If anything they actually seemed MORE relaxed by their presence which I suppose made sense. The little league(yes I'm calling it that) had been a protective force as far as they were concerned if a bit unhinged with the whole animal headwear situation.-
The towns population had even grown a bit as people migrated here to take advantage of the safety the little league provided.
'That reminds me but I should work to start setting up an official base here.' I thought seriously.
Living out of my house was fine and all but it would definitely be a good idea to set up a stable base for me and my friends to operate out of. I definitely wouldn't fucking stay over by New Haven or Old Haven as the stench was inhumane. The arid badlands were better since there was a lot less population there but the fact it was straight deserts for the most part ruined it.-
'Sanctuary might be a good spot since it's both a ship capable of flying after some repairs as well as a very centralized location on this continent. The inhabitants are rather problematic though, I'll get back to this later.' I thought as we walked up to Zed's clinic.
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https://www.pa treon.com/user?u=81578854#:~:text=pa treon.com/pa treon_loskro
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Alexander Drake
Lifeforce: 897,116
Integrated Traits: [Clever mind-Rare grade],[Enhanced senses-Epic grade]X2, , [Supreme armored hide-Epic grade]X2, [Energy projection-Legendary grade], [Superior vitality-Epic grade]X3,[Lesser dragon breath-Epic grade],[Regeneration-Epic grade]X2, [Disease resistance-Epic grade],[Amphibious lungs-Uncommon grade], [Thermal sensing-Uncommon grade], [Water resistance-Common grade],[Active camouflage-Epic grade], [Eridian engineering expertise-Mythical grade], [Efficient lungs-Rare grade]x2, [Biometallic bones-Epic grade], [Quick thinking-Rare grade], [Minor spatial awareness-Epic grade], [Siren(Phaselock)(Altered)-Mythical grade], [Adrenal rush-Rare grade], [Mechanical engineering expertise-Rare grade]X3, [Gunsmithing expertise(degrading)-Common grade]X3, [Mechanical Savant-Epic grade], [Embodiment of destruction(partial)-Mythical grade], [Siren(Phasetrance)-Mythical grade], [Supreme body-Legendary grade]X3, [Martial mastery-Epic grade], [Tinkering instinct-Rare grade]
Stored traits: [Agelessness-Legendary grade], [Beautiful form-Rare grade]X3