19 Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones

The Runners' engine roars, echoing among the wreckage of the Scrapyard as the Vault Hunters advance. The border between Rust Common and Scrapyard, however, reveals an unexpected obstacle: a gang of local psychos.

Surprisingly, instead of attacking immediately, the Psychos block the way, watching with wild curiosity. Among them, one figure stands out, Dam-Dam, a Psycho who seems to lead the group. She approaches Roland's Runner, casually placing her foot on the bumper as she does so.

"Visitors, huh? They call this one Dam-Dam. You've come to a toll. Pay up, and you can go on your way," she declares with a mixture of savagery and calm, surprising the Vault Hunters with her unexpected approach.

Roland used to facing hostilities, exchanged glances with the other Vault Hunters before heading towards Dam-Dam.

"Tolls? What we want is on the other side. We're not here to play games," says Roland, maintaining a firm stance.

Dam-Dam lets out a guttural laugh, revealing a more human side under the psycho mask. "Nothing comes for free, darlings. Show that you have what it takes to get by. A little treat for us, after all, keeping these ruins clean of beasts has its costs."

Tension hangs in the air as Dam-Dam awaits the Vault Hunters' response.

Kid doesn't back down in the face of Dam-Dam's challenge, responding to her demand with a confident stance.

"How much?" asks Kid, his voice resonating through the tense silence. His question makes the psychos' masks turn towards him, but the blond doesn't show any sign of intimidation.

Dam-Dam, scratching the back of his neck with a Torgue revolver, lets out a guttural laugh before answering. "Dam-Dam doesn't ask for much, just 1,000 greenbacks apiece."

Roland's decision to pay the toll shows a prudent approach to the tense situation. The Vault Hunters, after a brief exchange of glances, decide to make the transfer with their ECHO, handing over the 5,000 dollars demanded by Dam-Dam.

The blue gleam in the psycho's eyes reveals confirmation of the transaction, and the money falls into her wallet. Dam-Dam, surprisingly courteous, leans over, and the surrounding psychos burst into hysterical laughter as if enjoying the situation peculiarly.

"It's a pleasure!" proclaims Dam-Dam, showing an unexpected side of civility. The Vault Hunters, now free to proceed, resume their journey through the Scrapyard. As they walk away, the psychos begin to murmur amongst themselves, some making peculiar comments:

"These strangers have money to burn!"

"1,000 greenies, I would have asked for more!" 

"It was a good idea to accept payment by card!"

The gate leading to the Scrapyard creaks open, and the vault hunters then speed off in their vehicles, not wanting to see if the Psychos would change their minds.

...

The Scrapyard stretches out in front of the Vault Hunters, a desolate scene of wreckage and ruins. The air is impregnated with a nauseating mixture of morph, rusty machinery, animal excrement, and Psychos corpses.

Fortunately, Crazy Earl has chosen to make his home right next to the entrance to the site. The Vault Hunters face a few skags along the way but are soon knocking on Earl's door.

"There's no one," shouts Crazy Earl from inside the house.

Lilith, with a mixture of determination and anger, knocks on the door several times. "Don't make us blow up your door. We've been through a lot to get here and we'll only get back with the second piece of the Vault." 

"Ah, so now that bitch Tannis wants that stick of alien crap, huh? And you're her helper? Bah! And they call me 'crazy'! What have you done for me, apart from cut a hole in my back fence?!" Crazy Earl doesn't take any crap and, opening a small hatch in the door, yells at Lilith.

"Fence? What fence, you idiot. Who would have known those containers were your fence?" Lilith retorts, her patience wearing thin at Earl's harsh style.

"Calm down, Lilith. Let's try the diplomatic approach first. Crazy Earl, what can we do to get the key?" Kid asks, keeping a milder tone.

Crazy Earl, for his part, replies with his characteristic quirkiness: "You want a favor from me? Well, wipe my nose and I'll wipe yours, as the saying goes. I've got trespassers crawling all over my property here. They've got their eye on my treasure. You get there and start exterminating the intruders. Then we'll see what you want." 

Lilith looks at her companions, they shrug, after all, it was either do what the man asked or blow up the old man's house and look for the key in the wreckage. Lilith, still with a suspicious expression, agrees, realizing that it's better to solve Earl's problems, they wouldn't be taking any chances now.

After several minutes of explosions, gunfire, and distant cries of pain, the Vault Hunters returned to Crazy Earl's house. Their costumes were torn and stained with blood, although most of the crimson liquid didn't belong to them. It was a grotesque sight, but determination remained firm in their eyes.

Lilith knocked on the door once more, but this time it lacked the vigor that characterized her previous entrance. The intense battle had sapped much of her Siren energy. Crazy Earl opened the hatch, looking at them with his characteristically grumpy face.

"What the hell do you want? You'd better not take anything of mine. Did you kill all the invaders? I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't see any intruders." 

Lilith's eyes narrowed. Pulling out her SMG, she put the barrel of the gun to the hatch and shouted, a few drops of saliva flying from her mouth. "Look here, you old shit! Don't try to play ignorant. Where's the fucking key?!" 

Ignoring the barrel of the gun and wiping the saliva from his face, Crazy Earl demanded: "One more thing. I'm completely out of booze. You have to-" 

"Go to hell!" Lilith shouted angrily, her finger pressing the trigger, but Kid held her hand.

Crazy Earl, seeing the opportunity to protect himself, quickly closes the hatch, trying to hide. Lilith, however, has an evil smile growing on her face. With a graceful movement, she uses her Siren powers, and her body then becomes invisible and intangible, she then passes through the door as if she were a ghost.

The inside of the house is filled with painful screams and the sound of bones breaking. After a few minutes, silence overtakes the place, and a few whispers can be heard from Crazy Earl.

Lilith reappears outside the house, a subtle smile dancing on her lips. Her companions watch her with a mixture of surprise and curiosity as she wipes her bloodied hands with an ECHO handkerchief.

"Is he still alive?" asks Brick, with an expression of disappointment at not being able to punch the old man.

"Maybe, or maybe he'll catch an infection and die alone," Lilith replied, putting the handkerchief back. "Anyway, the old man revealed that he was robbed by a bandit called Krom. He resides in Krom's Canyon, northeast of here. All we need to do is follow the river north and pass through Flood Lock."

"We have no time to lose. The quicker we get there, the smoother our return will be," declares Roland, his voice firm and decisive. Roland's remark is the cue for the Vault Hunters to return to their vehicles, ready to make their way back to Rust Commons West.

The machines roar to life, their engines echoing among the wreckage of the Scrapyard as the Vault Hunters accelerate at high speed, not hesitating to run over anything that dares stand in their way. Dust rises behind them as they leave the Scrapyard behind.

After a few minutes of driving at full speed, they reach the old Rust Commons East bridge. Following the banks of the river, the old abandoned Flood Lock comes into view. The sound of running water provides a constant soundtrack for the journey, while the sun slowly sets over the horizon, tinting the sky with warm shades of orange and pink. Dusk announces that there are only a few dozen hours until complete darkness.

Some iron gates were preventing them from passing through, forcing the Vault Hunters to continue on foot. However, their walk is abruptly interrupted when, in the distance, they spot some automatic Gatling guns. Laser lights patrol the area, looking for invaders to pierce with their projectiles.

["Leave it to me."] Guardian Angel makes his appearance at the best possible time and, without explaining anything, performs some kind of intervention on the machine guns. A short circuit runs through all the weapons, causing fire and electricity to come out of them before they start burning.

The bandits guarding the entrance to Krom's Canyon are caught off guard. The group of Vault Hunters, seizing the opportunity, move in quickly before the situation stabilizes. With the element of surprise, the bandits had no chance to fight back, they were killed like flies.

Krom's Canyon opens up before the Vault Hunters like a rocky, sinister gorge, cutting through the arid desert landscape. The reddish stone walls rise abruptly on both sides as if the bowels of the earth had been forcibly ripped out. Steep rocks and pointed stone pillars characterize the terrain, creating a treacherous and labyrinthine environment.

The ground is rough and uneven, covered in a fine layer of dust that rises with every step. Here and there, skeletons of wrecked vehicles and metal structures corroded by time bear witness to past conflicts and the erosion of the unforgiving desert.

The sound of the cutting wind echoes off the canyon walls, creating a constant murmur that resonates in the air. As the Vault Hunters advance deeper, the silence is punctuated by sporadic noises: the rustling of nocturnal creatures hiding in the shadows and the distant squeals of predatory birds.

As the Vault Hunters advance through Krom's Canyon, they face fierce resistance from the residents, a diverse collection of bandits whose identity as Psychos is visible through the varied forms resulting from the mutations they have undergone. After overcoming ambushes and intense fighting, they finally emerge into an open area that resembles a large chasm in the canyon.

The "Arena" unfolds as a series of suspended platforms, each situated at different heights and connected by unstable walkways. The edges of the platforms offer dizzying views of the precipice, revealing the vastness of the abyss stretching out below.

Natural stone columns stretch from the bottom of the abyss to the top of the "Arena", providing a rudimentary structure. On these pillars, some of the Psychos watch wildly, eager to witness the next confrontation.

At the very back of the place, Krom was waiting, standing out as an imposing figure among the Psychos with both arms crossed, his silhouette shrouded in dimness, but it was still possible to see that the man was bare-chested, displaying scars and battle marks, testimony to countless confrontations in the merciless deserts of Pandora. his arms, however, were covered with black gloves, along with the lower half of his face partially concealed by a mask. In the background, a rusty, grotesque machine, its sinister presence adding a mechanical element to the rocky environment.

Krom says nothing and makes a gun gesture with his hand towards the Vault Hunters, Krom's gesture, imitating a gun, resounds through the place like a sinister prelude. The silence that surrounds him amplifies the tension in the air. The Psychos, picking up on their leader's suggestion, react immediately, grabbing their improvised weapons and taking aim at the Vault Hunters.

The metallic sound of guns being cocked echoes off the suspended platforms, while the Psychos' wild eyes reflect a bloodlust that transcends insanity. The atmosphere becomes dense, charged with the imminence of imminent conflict.

Krom, now positioned at the rusty machine in the background, watches silently, his eyes glowing in the darkness. The machine shakes slightly as it is activated, emitting metallic creaks and groans as if it were alive in some distorted way.

"I hope it all pays off" As the chaos unfolds around him, Kid, deftly twirling the barrel of his revolver, lets out a sigh. A smile begins to form on his face, a mixture of excitement and slight apprehension. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, and the fear of falling and being swallowed up by the abyss was like the very hands of death squeezing his fragile heart.

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Sup? I'm working and this will affect the release of chapters, but I want to finish this fanfic. Thanks for understanding, have a great weekend and end of the year!