With my pups named, I showed them a good bit of affection before I pulled out some treats, i.e. their favorite fried chicken. One would've thought after eating the generous portions of food I fed them already they wouldn't be hungry in the slightest, but these five pups immediately charged forth and began devouring their favorite food as soon as I set it on the kitchen floor.
We're gonna need to work on training some more… Tomorrow.
Fully knowing they wouldn't leave even a scrap of food behind, let alone a crumb of breading, I left the five rascals to it and ventured off down to the basement to retrieve Claptrap and get this show on the road. When I cleared the steps, I found the small robot with an assortment of mostly compact arms ranging from submachine guns and revolvers to shotguns and sniper rifles.
"That's not a bad set of guns to roll with given your size, Claptrap."
"I concur." The little guy agreed while making an attempt to nod, which was pretty much impossible given his body was just one solid piece.
Paying no mind to the awkward and somewhat comical action, I decided to give him a better piece of kit. "Here, instead of using that bolt-action sniper, use this | Rare || S&S Munitions | 6xOPT Enhanced Liquid Thunder Sniper Rifle."
"Ohh, this is magazine fed." My mechanical friend said before he started going through the firearm's various mechanisms with his small mechanical hands. "Thank you, friend."
After getting my companion set up with a range of weapons, we grabbed him a basic classless class mod that boosted his substantial shield capacity by a couple hundred points and an Ashin transfusion grenade mod to go along with that. Just about set to go now, I stocked him up with plenty of ammunition, climbed the stairs with Claptrap in hand, and headed out the door. And as I was locking the front door, my thoughts went to the major problem my friend and I would face once we traveled beyond the relative safety of Fyrestone's walls.
When I clear the town's gate, what are we going to do to cover the large distances between the various locations… I have no desire to be roaming around in a massive dump truck when it doesn't even have a second seat for Claptrap nor possess any real means to defend itself beyond me hopping out and gunning threats down and the thick metal that makes up the industrial mining vehicle. Yeah, this is a dilemma we're gonna have to solve before we can go on our missions because there is no way in hell I'm going to be wasting time running from point A to point B again and again on foot.
Whilst I was brainstorming, the two of us began strolling to the rear gate I had come through when I first arrived in town. My increased intelligence from my badass rank increases assisted me in these efforts and a mere 10 steps from my front door, I thought of the idea of either hitting up my new friends in the town guard or turning my attention to Bone Head to retrieve the primary Digistruct Module he jacked from Scooter's Catch-A-Ride station just beyond Fyrestone's walls.
Hmm, those are my only two real options unless I want to pack Claptrap into the truck's cabinet… He'll probably throw a fit if I do that, so I'll pass on that headache. Let me ring up Trev and see if he has an Outrunner I can borrow or something comparable.
Doing just that, I gave my new buddy in the guard a call. "Yo, Trev, sorry to bother ya, but do you happen to own a vehicle by chance?"
"Don't worry about it, and yea, I got an Out Rider I took off some bandits a while back, why do you ask?"
"I need something that's a little smaller than a 50-ton dump truck to get around for a bit, can you do me a solid and let me borrow it?"
"Haa… I wish I could, Vic, but you see its engine block got riddled with holes when a group of Nine Toes's bandits decided to raid the town a wee bit ago."
"That's a bummer."
"Although I might not be able to lend you a means of transportation myself, I might know someone who can."
"You don't say."
"Nmm, do you mind telling me exactly why you're looking for a ride?"
"I'm going out to do some bounty work, so I was hoping I could secure a means of travel through you instead of roughing it on foot."
"Oh shit, you're already looking to tackle the bandit problem."
"That's the plan."
"Okay, gimme a second. I'm going to make a call and see if I can't make something happen. Also, before I disappear for a bit, do you want us to come along? I mean, we may not be the best combat force ever, but we can hold our own in a fight."
"I appreciate the offer, but I got it handled, Trev. It won't be long before the difficult situation Fyrestone has been facing is turned around and heading in a positive direction."
"I sure hope so… Well, let me know if there's anything else I can do to help when I ring ya." Trev said last, not minding my statement that would've been considered arrogant coming out of any other asshole's pie hole.
The call between the head guard and I was put on hold temporarily, so I kept moving towards the gate with Claptrap, and a handful of minutes later my ECHO communicator began ringing.
"Alright, I've managed to pull a few strings with my guys on guard and get ahold of a Speedster for you."
"Damn, you're fast, Trev."
"Hmph." My buddy on the guard sounded more than happy to take the compliment.
"Just one question: what's a Speedster?"
"Uhh, it's sort of like one of those retro combustion motorcycles early human civilization used to drive around for sport mainly."
"Does it have space for two, cuz I need to bring my robot friend as well."
"Yeah, it can normally fit two on the main seat, but luckily for you it also has a sidecar, so your big ass can take up the driver seat comfortably whilst your partner mans the sidecar."
"Gee, you thought of everything, huh?" I shot back before the both of us broke out in laughter.
We joked around and shot the shit for a minute or so over the call and eventually returned to the topic at hand. "Where should I go to pick up the bike?" I asked.
"I'm working the rear gate as per usual, so you can come pick up over here."
"Okay, I'm already making my way there, so I'll be there shortly. Thanks for getting me out of a tough spot, Trev."
"Don't mention it."
Ending the call there, Claptrap and I shifted into gear and started making a beeline for the gate, intent on getting out here and rounding up bandit scum, hunting down dangerous wildlife, and fixing up the Catch-A-Ride station good as new for the residents of Fyrestone as well as myself. Our increased pace cut the usual trip time to the gate by more than half, so we showed up there not long after I hung up the ECHO communicator with Trev.
"Oh, you got a new weapon too for the adventure?"
"Yeah, I couldn't resist when I saw Marcus's shop had one in stock."
"I can't blame ya."
"So... Where's the ride at?"
"Right this way and don't forget to thank Josh the next time you see him since this Speedster belongs to him."
"I'll be sure to return the favor and treat him to a night on the town this week then."
"That's mighty generous of you. I'll let him know the good news when I see him tomorrow." Trev stated as he led the way.
Eager to depart and get this show on the road, I followed him out the gate and quickly laid eyes on the vehicle that would be getting me around... At least until I secured something that wasn't a massive piece of heavy mining machinery. What sat parked just outside the walls of Fyrestone was a rough and weathered but still very functional chopper that was a mix of old-world combustion motorcycle aesthetics thrown together with the sci-fi style of the Borderlands universe, and on the back of it was a large exhaust, that looked like it could be used for boosting the vehicle's speed to a ridiculous extent.
I wonder how fast this puppy can go...
*Whistle*
"Sweet ride." I commented.
"It sure is; sadly, it ain't mine."
"Well, I'm sure you can afford one when things get better."
"Mm, the only problem is, from whom am I going to buy one from." Trev nodded before asking. "Where's that friend you're taking along with ya? They running late or something?"
Not even a second later, my energetic mechanical companion came chasing after us through the town's gate. "That's me!"
"..." My new friend on the guard froze for a moment before slowly turning to me. "You recruited Claptrap of all things."
"Yup."
"..."
"Haa, good luck, you're going to need it."
"He's not that bad. I'll be fine." I responded unbothered to the pity I was receiving.
"If you say so." Trev commented, obviously not confident in my abilities to handle the eccentric bucket of bolts, let alone anyone for that matter.
I shared a few more words with him and got handed the keys. "Don't get yourselves killed out there."
"You too." I responded as I loaded Claptrap into the sidecar and straddled the bike.
Waving Trev and the rest of the guards lining the top of the gate goodbye, I plugged the keys into the ignition, pressed start, and gave a twist to the throttle. The instant I hit the red faded red switch and gave the bike some gas, it came to life with a sound that was a mix of a hum as well as a rumble.
Ready to set off and start piling bodies, I accelerated simultaneously as I planted my feet on the pegs, and took off to the right and began traveling down the unmaintained dirt roads to visit the location of my first target of elimination, Bone Head.
[ Loot Acquired ]
Ammunition: 3,627
[ Loot Changes ]
Guns: | Rare || S&S Munitions | 6xOPT Enhanced Liquid Thunder Sniper Rifle (-1) - | Uncommon || Tediore | RDLS Cheap Explosive Matador Shotgun (-1) - | Uncommon || Torgue | Hostile Iron Submachine Gun (-1) - | Uncommon || All | Revolvers (-1)
Grenade Mods: | Uncommon || Anshin | Transfusions (-1)
Shields: | Epic || Tediore | Impenetrable Panacea Shield (-1)
Class Mods: | Common || Generic | Basic Classless Class Mods (-1)
Ammunition: -1,000