I got back in my bike and tore off down the road back towards Ernest's place. As the wind ruffled my clothes one of the bandit runners drove up next to me and I casually put it as a target before letting the turrets on the badger rip the vehicle apart. I grinned at the satisfying fiery explosion as I continued on my merry fucking way. As I approached the fenced gate to Ernest's place the gate opened automatically to allow me entry. I slowed down and entered with a right turn before parking in the Catch-A-Ride.-
Lucky was sitting on a chair of questionable stability while Ernest was still leaning on his doorframe when I walked up.
"Alright what do you have for us?" I asked curiously.
"You see all these giant bones?" he said gesturing at the many abnormally sized bones all around his area. "I dug them up myself. I thought these creatures were extinct until down at Wellspring Bluff I came across a Skag larger than any I had ever seen! It's diet of cesium cactus, Runner fuel and, of course, human flesh, seems to have endowed it with incredible mutations. Truly Skagzilla is a marvel of adaptation and survival. So I want you to acquire some bait, lure it out and kill it!" Ernest said eagerly.
"You had me at incredible mutations! Quick question before I go a murderin though. You don't actually want the body right? Cuz we're definitely gonna have a conflict of interests if you do." I said seriously.
"Would have liked the bones but I suppose I can settle for just the head." Ernest said with a shrug.
"I can absolutely leave you the head, I only need the rest of the body for my powers anyways. Assuming this thing is as hype as you make it sound that is." I said before heading back to my bike and hitting the ramp out of his area again.
Earnest was gracious enough to at least mark where I could go to get the bait on my map so I headed straight that way once I landed. I waved at the others as I drove past them while they hunted the bandit Runners that had clearly learned to flee at the sight of them. Brick in the turret of his and Mordy's Runner was the only one to wave back though, rude.-
As it turned out the "bait" Ernest mentioned was a whole ass Alpha Skag that had been skinned, gutted and skewered over an unlit fire. The bandits who prepared this bait were quite reluctant to part with it and a little aggressive negotiation later(I killed them) I made my way to the oddly arena like scrap metal structure around the lair of this Skagzilla. I slung the Skag corpse over my shoulder and walked across the Osha violation bridge before dropping into the fenced in area that had skeletons scattered about from past "meals" of the beast.-
Said bones cracked underfoot as I approached the mouth of the huge dark cave entrance. "RAAAAAWWW!" a loud Skag cry came out of the cave. It was loud enough that it shook the stone of the caves entrance as the dust that fell could attest. This only made me more excited rather than less as I jogged over to the two metal spikes next to the caves mouth and skewered the Skag corpse on it before dashing over to the other side of the arena and waited. Skags were opportunistic hunters and with the fences blocking this things ability to hunt I very much doubted it would pass up on a free meal even if it knew something was off about it.-
There was another loud roar from the beast before it emerged from mouth of the cave and I was quite impressed by what I saw. Skagzilla was easily twelve feet tall from sharp clawed foot all the way to the rows of armored bone plates on it's back. It's length was not much shorter but that didn't mean it was awkward looking proportionally however. Surprisingly despite it's clearly highly mutated form the thing looked like a normal Alpha Skag that had been scaled up dramatically. -
It's relatively small eyes located on the sides of it's head zeroed in on me immediately after it left it's cave and I didn't need anything else to know it was more interested in eating me that the corpse of the other Skag. The mouth of the beast split open as it roared at me and I wasted no time at all firing three shots into that big weak spot only to grin when it more or less shrugged them off. Not that it didn't take serious damage or anything but that it ignored it.-
To my surprise a beam of misty looking pinkish white energy shot out of it's throat at me and hit me before I could dodge. The impact was honestly the worst of it as it felt like someone had taken a hammer to my chest. The energy itself however seemed to be a mix of fire and electricity so my resistances to it nullified that aspect of the damage after it broke my shield. My jacket was ruined though which was annoying and I was forced to store it for repairs later. -
"My turn bitch!" I yelled with a savage grin as I unloaded my gun into it's face.
The beast screamed in rage and pain at this however which made sense as it likely wasn't used to things just shrugging off it's ultimate attack like nothing. It started to run towards me and I patted myself on the back for not trying to give Ladon a [Gigantism] trait as this thing like all unnaturally large creatures I had encountered(minus that fucking bug) was slow as shit. It's "Run" was like looking at a creature move in slow motion with how quick it was.-
"Well nobodies perfect." I say with a shrug before firing my gun a few more times at it's face.
To my surprise the beast leaps a good twenty feet into the air and slams down right where I just was sending out a shockwave as it does as I dodged. It then spread open it's mouth parts and I see the dim glow building in it's throat and immediately leap up and towards it's back since like all Skags the thing can't tilt it's head very far upwards. The beam passed right under me as I felt the kick of my gun jerking me slightly in the air as I fired down.-
I landed on the beasts back and immediately it started to spin and buck to try and get me off and failing it dropped to roll on the ground which worked as I jumped away. I unload my gun into it's face and the beast screams as the damage has started to accumulate dangerously. This song and dance continues for a good ten minutes before the beast finally succumbs to the literal dozens of bullets I had filled it's head with. Many of which were of the cryo damage type since my shield was hit by it's beam initially.-
{Skag(mutant)
Lifeforce: 12,319
Traits: [Omega body-Rare grade]- 7,000 units, [Supreme Armored hide-Epic grade]- 32,000 units, [Omnivore-Rare grade]- 7,000 units, [Powerful vitality-Rare grade]- 7,000 units, [Energy projection-Epic grade]- 32,000 units, [Hard bones-Common grade]-1.000 units, [Gigantism-Uncommon grade]- 2,000 units, [Minor regeneration-Epic grade]- 32,000 units}
"Oh you were SOO worth the effort!" I said genuinely amazed at the traits this thing had.
I put in the work as promised and cut off the head before grabbing [Omega body], [Supreme armored hide], [Powerful vitality], [Energy projection] and [Minor regeneration] for a heavy price of 117,000 units of lifeforce or 104,681 after counting in the lifeforce I got from the corpse. -
Losing that massive chunk of my lifeforce stores kinda sucked ass but it was worth it with how useful those traits were. I left the arena after that and hopped back into my bike after killing the two bandits who were fighting over who got to steal it. Ernest was thrilled to be presented with the beasts head even if he was a little upset at all the bullet holes it had.-
"Magnificent show! I'm going to have it mounted on my dens wall!" he said happily.
"Hello! There are new missions at Lucky's bounty board!" A Claptrap units voice sends through my echo right after I get paid by Ernest.
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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: 250,948
Integrated Traits: [Gun expertise-Uncommon grade], [Clever mind-Rare grade],[Enhanced senses-Epic grade]X2, [Omega body-Rare grade]x4, [Supreme armored hide-Epic grade]X2, [Bone regeneration-Uncommon grade], [Corrosion resistance-Uncommon grade], [Energy projection-Epic grade]x4, [Superior vitality-Epic grade],[Flame breath-Uncommon grade],[Regeneration-Epic grade], [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, [Fire resistance-Epic grade]X2, [Elemental body(fire)-Legendary grade], [Shock resistance-Epic grade]X4, [Energetic sustenance(shock)-Epic grade]X2, [Radiation resistance-Epic grade]X3, [Energetic sustenance(radiation)-Epic grade]X2, [True omnivore-Rare grade], [Biometallic bones-Epic grade],[Elemental body(shock)-Rare grade]X3,[Quick thinking-Rare grade], [Hyperflexibility-Rare grade], [Strong circulation-Epic grade], [Minor spatial awareness-Epic grade], [Buzzaxe expertise-Uncommon grade], [Siren(Phaselock)(Altered)-Mythical grade], [Pugilist expertise-Uncommon grade], [Adrenal rush-Rare grade], [Mechanical engineering expertise-Uncommon grade], [Gunsmithing expertise(degrading)-Common grade]X3
Stored traits: [Fire resistance-Uncommon grade]X5, [Omega body], [Supreme armored hide], [Powerful vitality], [Energy projection], [Minor regeneration]