《Borderlands: Pandoran Warlord》 Chapter 1: Where Am I *Ahhwa-aw* "Damn, that was a great sleep." I thought aloud in the midst of beginning a nice big stretch. As I was flexing and opening my eyes, a completely foreign and unknown scenery entered my vision, one I clearly remember not falling asleep in. "Where the fuck did I wake up at???" What I saw were walls that were made completely of darkish rusted orange fabric that looked to belong to some sort of tent and bare light khaki colored ground with all kinds of random junk strewn about. Examining my surroundings closer in an attempt to figure where the fuck I ended up at, my gaze passed over a large broken mirror fragment hanging right above a red chest, a specific type of chest I''d opened tens of thousands of times before. Not paying any attention to the familiar object, I ignored it and rushed over to the reflection of the strange figure within the mirror piece. ¡­ There''s no way this is happening right, right... Yeah, this has got to be a dream, definitely! I tried to convince myself desperately as I stared into the reflection of an absolutely massive Bruiser who had surpassed at least 7 feet in height. Fixated on the figure in the mirror, I found the extremely muscular caucasian with sun-kissed skin and unique ruby colored eyes mimicking my every action and facial expression. Unwilling to accept what was happening just yet, I moved my thick and callus developed hand and pinched my new but foreign body''s built forearm that had obviously grown both massively and unnaturally under the influence of performance-enhancing substances. "Fuck, that actually hurts." I commented in a voice that was quite a bit deeper than my original whilst rubbing the area I had just pinched for my impromptu test. Knowing the pain I had just felt was way too vivid, it only further cemented the fact that I had somehow ended up taking over a bruiser, a type of elite bandit in the world of Borderlands. If all I had to go off of was the body I was currently residing in, I wouldn''t be so sure of where I ended up. But how could I ever forget the loot chests of Borderlands after opening them up, god knows how many times back in the day. How in the hell did I get here? It''s not like I died or something in my original world or something... At least I don''t think I did and even if I did pass in my sleep, that wouldn''t explain fuck all about how I arrived here in the Borderlands universe of all places. Playing back my most recent memories in my head, I remembered going to bed as usual, noting nothing out of the ordinary. I kept replaying my memories over and over again in a desperate attempt to find out how and why, but no matter how closely I studied what I could recall, I just couldn''t find anything to explain my current circumstances. "Haa, whatever man. There''s no point in even trying to find a reason why I''m here, of all places. It''s not like I''ll be able to do anything with that information regardless, so why bother." Begrudgingly returning to the ratty cot I woke up on, I plopped my ass down again and started thinking. What am I going to do now, now that I''m here with no way of returning home... At least none that I can think of. There are the sirens and their magical powers, I suppose, but I don''t think any of them would be powerful enough nor have the ability to travel to different verses, let alone do it for me a stranger even if they could. That aside, would I even want to return. I mean, it''s not like I was close to my family or anything and life wasn''t anything to write home about back in my previous world. So why bother trying to go back when I''ve acquired a body that''s one hell of an upgrade from my previous 5 foot 7 one. Plus, there''s a world full of opportunity lying out there ready for the taking... Playing with the idea in mind, I thought back to intro cinematic with the arms dealer Marcus narrating about the benefits of conquering the mythical vault of the first Borderlands game. Advanced technology, infinite wealth, fame, power, and women actually doesn''t sound too bad now that I''m giving it some thought. In fact, I think I might just give vault hunting a try. As for where I should start, I guess I should see what I can scrounge up from this bruiser''s possessions. After all, I can''t be venturing through Pandora without a means to defend myself. But before I could get up and begin going through all the crap lying around this relatively spacious tent, a semi transparent holographic screen popped up within my vision, looking remarkably similar to the one from the games. [ Pick A Character Class ] 1. Berserker 2. Gunzerker 3. Hunter 4. Random [Additional Information: All skill trees within a character class must be maxed out before another class can be taken.] I guess conquering the vault won''t be such a monumental task if I get a class and its skill trees to utilize. Pumped that I was going to be able to power up the longer I live in this world, I began deliberating on the options that were presented to me and weighing the pros and cons of them. Random is too iffy for me, hence I''m going to remove that one from the list right out of the gate even though there''s a possibility I could potentially gain siren powers through it. Berserker has a solid amount of health regeneration, explosive and shotgun specialization and the ability to enter a rage that increases melee damage substantially. That''s cool and all, but I''d much rather avoid danger up close and keep my distance and attack from afar, thus I''ll pass on that class. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Hunter could be a decent pick because of the damage dealing bird that can be influenced by elements and the sniper and pistol enhancements its skill trees provides. On the other hand, when compared to Salvador''s Gunzerking class, you really can''t beat the insane sustain it has nor its ability to dual wield two weapons accurately and with next to no recoil. The 50% damage reduction it gets while gunzerking is pretty nuts too if you think about it... Alright, I think I have my decision. Pretty much decided on which class I wanted to go with, I spent a minute more deliberating on it before I decided Gunzerker was the best class for me given what I could choose from. Selecting the class the next second, I pulled the trigger and locked it in and as soon as I did; the screen changed again, this time showing a kind of status page with a plethora of stats and information displayed. [ Status ] Name: Victor Atlas Colt Age: 21 Lifespan: 100 Height: 7 Feet 3 Inches Body Weight: 375 lbs Race: Human Classes: Level: 0 Experience Points: 0/100 Total Experience Points Earned: 0 Health: 1700 Health Regeneration: 1.7 a second Stamina: 1700 Stamina Regeneration: 5.1 a second [ Attributes ] Agility: 4 Intelligence: 5 Strength: 13 Toughness: 17 Vitality: 100 [ Skills ] Actives: | Gunzerking | Passives: [ Weapon Proficiency ] Pistol: Submachine gun: Shotgun: Combat Rifle: Sniper: Machinegun: Rocket Launcher: Heavy Weapon: Eridian Weapon: Alien Weapon: [ Badass Rank 0 ] Badass Tokens Available: 0 | Bonus Stats | Agility: +0 Intelligence: +0 Strength: +0 Toughness: +0 Vitality: +0 Critical Hit Damage: +0% Elemental Effect Chance: +0% Elemental Effect Damage: +0% Fire Rate: +0% Gun Accuracy: +0% Gun Damage: +0% Grenade Damage: +0% Maximum Health: +0% Melee Damage: +0% Recoil Reduction: +0% Reload Speed: +0% Shield Capacity: +0% Shield Recharge Delay: -0% Shield Recharge Rate: +0% This status is quite different from how I remember things, but I''m not gonna to lie, it looks a hell of a lot better compared to what I got in the games. More than satisfied with what I was seeing thus far, I discovered some navigational tabs and changed it from the main screen to the skill tree one just to give it a look-see. Good shit, I already have my action skill unlocked. Let me see if it''s any different from the Borderlands 2 actions skill. | Gunzerking | Go nuts! While Gunzerking you instantly regain 50% of your Maximum Health, gain 50% Damage Reduction against enemy attacks, and constantly regenerate health and ammo. Also, gain the ability to dual wield weapons at all times regardless if Gunzerking is active or not. That''s one hell of an upgrade compared to the vanilla skill. Happy as can be right now, I tried to see if I couldn''t gather anymore information from the system screen. [ Ding! Not Enough Skill Points ] Well, I already knew that, so that''s of no help. Trying a few more ideas I came up with on the spot, like asking the system questions vocally. I found all my ideas bore no fruit and were entirely unsuccessful, so I navigated back to the previous tab and played around with things there before figuring out how to close the aquamarine blue colored screen. Once it had disappeared, I fumbled around and eventually figured out how to recall it after some time. Nice, all I have to do is think about it and it will pop up. Swiftly getting rid of it once more, I moved my attention to my previous task I was about to perform before I was suddenly interrupted. I went around the dark rusted orange colored tent and sorted through the various objects and junk and eventually located an ECHO communications device, which was basically Borderlands''s version of a smartphone. Sweet, another good find. Picking up the blocky electronic that was full of retro vibes, the system came again [ ECHO Communications Device Acquired ] [...] [ Loading H.U.D. Elements ] [...] [ H.U.D. Elements Loaded Successfully ] [ Backpack Unlocked ] Once it was done integrating, I had Borderlands signature H.U.D. appear within my vision along with a few additions like a green bar for my stamina. The moment I was done inspecting each of the elements, I moved my attention to the device in my mitts for hands. I have no idea where I am in the Borderlands timeline, so it would be wise to see if I can''t find out via the ECHOnet to know for sure whether I''ve arrived too late to the party. Wouldn''t want to go on a pointless endeavor hunting down the vault if they''ve already been hit. Set on finding out where I was in the story, I began scouring the ECHOnet, although only once I figured out how to work the device. It took an hour of hard work wading through the overwhelming amount of information available online, but I eventually had a good grasp of where I was in relation to the game events and that was a month prior to the story... I think so at least. I mean Fryestone hasn''t been overrun by bandits just yet, hence I''m certain I''ve made it here before the original vault hunters Brick, Lilith, Mordecai, and Roland rolled up to the bus stop and began their adventure. Besides that, I''ve also discovered where I''m at and that''s the Headstone Mine of all places where the first piece of the vault key is located. Lucky me right, except I have to get through Sledge if I want it, meaning I''m going to have to kill the big bastard to take it. I''ve never killed anyone in my past life, so I don''t know how I''ll react when I do the deed for the very first time. That said, I''ve always been fond of and a subscriber to the eye for eye, tooth for tooth way of thinking, so I don''t believe I''ll have much difficulty nor many mental dilemmas when it comes time to take a life. Putting myself in an increasingly ruthless and vicious mindset that I was certainly going to need if I was going to achieve anything in this crazy and fucked up world, I returned to rummaging through what were now my personal possessions. I waded through the stuff and even though I tried my best in my scavenging efforts, I didn''t find much of value besides rifle ammunition that all looked the same, various types of grenade shells that had a slot for a grenade mod, healing kits, and dollar bills. I was hoping to find a shield but I suppose it makes sense since it would be odd if a bruiser had one seeing how they don''t use them and rely entirely on the toughness of their bodies, stupidly. Throwing what I found into my "backpack" after I figured out how to do so, I looked to the only thing left to loot the fat reddish loot chest. Looks like it''s time to open this bad boy... I wonder what I''ll get from it. Approaching the chest, I prayed to whatever god who would listen and pressed the obvious button located on the midsection of the loot container. The instant I did, the chest whirred to life and opened up, revealing a decent spec Atlas machine gun with five large box magazines, 1 already loaded in the gun and 4 spares. "Not bad, not bad. It definitely could''ve been a lot worse." Picking up the hefty machine gun that was sporting no optic and a signature matt white silver finish, I inspected the weapon from stock to muzzle, unloaded the magazine, and racked the charging handle and looked inside the weapon''s chamber for any jammed rounds just in case. Not finding anything of the sort, I reloaded the weapon with the full magazine I had removed mere seconds ago and sent the bolt forward, loading a round into the gun''s chamber. Content with my find, I moved the spare magazines to the conveniently placed pouches on my worn pants. As soon as I was done with that, I walked back over to the cot and sat down to work on getting myself into a specific mental state. There''s a not so small chance I might need to kill my way out here, so I need to prepare myself. I spent the next several minutes doing that and thinking things over and the moment I was good and ready; I picked myself up and moved for the tent''s only exit, intent on making something of this new chance at life I was given. Chapter 2: Shield Acquired When I arrived at the dark burnt orange tent''s flap, I decided to reside on the side of caution and peered through the slim gap in between the two flaps. Damn, there''s a fuck ton of bandits. I commented mentally as I scanned the area I could see from behind my cover. What entered my vision was at least several dozen bandits going about their lives in a large scale rundown mining complex that some corporate entity abandoned years ago for whatever reason. Watching all the different bandits stealthily and safely from my cover, I found they were mostly made up of your typical run-of-the-mill ones that looked like any ordinary human except rougher in psychical appearance and clothed in various worn clothing of the combat and leather variety probably made from skag leather. And they weren''t the only types I discovered in my observation of the area, I also found psychos sporting their signature masks, bare upper bodies, and wielding circular saw axes being rowdy over by a large burn pile off to the right. Aside from them, I spotted a handful of bruisers that looked similar to myself in stature resting on makeshift chairs around another burning pile of garbage and clusters of midgets, which were basically miniature versions of psychos, rummaging through the various junk piles scattered throughout this facility and dismembering bodies of some sort way in the distance. I expected to find a similar layout and scenery to the game''s version of Headstone Mine but this place is a hell of a lot larger in scale compared to its game''s counterpart. However, I suppose it makes sense for it to be this way since making a world to scale without world generation would be nuts, nevermind getting something like that to actually run on any PCs or consoles. As my mind was running and thinking about what else may have changed in this world versus its game version, I eventually refocused on what was in front and continued scanning the environment around from the small gap I had available. I spent the next several minutes or so examining the surroundings, and once I was satisfied with my initial investigation, I began planning my next move. Alright, I got a good grasp on the general area now and have watched the bandits I can see long enough, so it''s time I''ve made my next move since I can''t remain in this tent forever. Now the question is what should I do... Well, seeing how my goal is to open the vault, I''m going to need to gather all three vault key fragments and since I''m already at a location that holds one I would like to acquire it before I dip out of here and head off into the Arid Badlands. I doubt the leader of the Arid Badlands bandit tribe, Sledge, would willingly hand it over when he''s known for his aggression and physical strength and not his rational intelligence and reasoning. Therefore, if I want to take possession of the key, I''m going to have to take it from him forcefully, meaning I''m going to have to go on a slaughter spree... That''s definitely an impossible task going off the massive number of bandits I''ve seen thus far in this minute portion of the Headstone Mines. However, this is no longer a game, so I can use plans and strategy to overcome the numerical advantage they currently hold over me. ... Remaining by the tent''s only entrance, I started brainstorming and running through different ideas in my head along with possible scenarios I might face a short while from now. I spent the following minute as such and eventually had a great idea come to me. I wonder if I could abuse proximity mine grenade mods and other such explosives to my advantage... There certainly wouldn''t be a cap on them like the games, so I don''t see why not, and if I combine them with other explosive munitions, I could make some mighty fine IEDs (improvised explosive devices). And since I''m currently a bandit privileged enough to have my very own personal tent, I should be able to explore and navigate this mining compound unimpeded... for the most part, I believe. Hence, I don''t think it would be all that difficult to gather up supplies to use for this plan of mine. I''ll just have to figure out how, when, and where I want to use my extra powerful proximity mines. All that said, I want to ensure I have as much survivability as possible so I''m going to want to get a hold of an energy shield so I can''t be taken out by a single round. I don''t know if I would actually go down in one shot given my sizable health pool, but I''d rather reside on the side of caution than take the risk of dying at the hands of bandits. Having said that, I''ll definitely have to do some testing once I get out of this bandit stronghold and find my own safe haven on Pandora. Having pretty much made my mind up on boosting my defense before I start gathering supplies for the bandit massacre I will no doubt have to perform, I psyched myself up, hardened my facial expression, and left the confines of the tent with my weapon at the ready. The moment I stepped foot outside, a few of the nearby bandits looked at me briefly before turning away somewhat fearfully after I returned their gaze. Looks like this bruiser I''ve taken over has quite the fearsome reputation. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Paying no head to the fearful gazes I had attracted on my exit, I began taking in the sights I couldn''t see from the limited view I had in my personal residence. I examined the area till I spotted a much lesser populated area in the distance with many connected large multi-leveled rusted sheet metal structures in the distance. That place should have some loot. With an area of interest located for looting, I moved in the direction of the massive run-down buildings at a not too fast nor too slow pace. Taking one step after another, I slowly began moving away from the noisy bandits and their vile activities I tried to shut out of my mind and before long, I arrived in front of one of the structures. Taking one last look around the area, I only found a handful of bandits that all kept to themselves and paid me little to no mind. Not finding any problem with them, I did the same and started ascending the rusted stairs that led up to a second level of the building I was at. The stairs creaked ever so slightly under my new vessel''s weight, but they nonetheless held strong. Once I reached the top of the steps, I walked along the crisscrossing pattern metal walkway and made it to a door. Hopefully, I can find something useful past this door. Praying mentally that I find something good, I grabbed the handle, opened it up and pushed the door open with a decent amount of force with my machine gun pointed in the direction of what lay beyond the door ready to punch holes into whomever. The instant the beefy metal door slammed into the wall, I noticed the space was completely free of bandits. Still remaining cautious just in case one of them was hiding, I pushed into the place with my rare Atlas machine gun held up and pointer finger positioned right next to the trigger. Stepping into the place, I observed the interior and found myself in a multi-leveled mineshaft with an open core located directly in the middle of the shaft. Curious, I proceeded over the metal railings that were much less tainted by rust and wear due to it being located inside instead of exposed to the elements outside. When I reached them, I peered down into the dark depths that I couldn''t see the bottom of. From there, I moved my attention to the metal cables that cascaded down the mine shaft and followed them all the way to the ceiling of the seventh above ground level. I spent several more seconds observing the portions I could see from my position before turning my attention to the many lockers and other such containers that ran along the walls of the many levels. There is no way I won''t find some loot here. Eyeing the containers like a kid in a candy store, I strode over to the door I came through, closed it and locked it once I discovered how, and bolted over to the nearest locker right of the only entrance of this place I was able to locate thus far. The instant I arrived in front of the locker that looked like a carbon copy from the games, I attempted to open it by pulling the obvious handle, but the thing refused to budge. How do you open this thing? Taking a step back, I examined the container and eventually located the activator, which was the glowing green rectangle on the upper portion of the locker. As soon as I pressed it receded somewhat into the locker''s door and released a clink sound undoing the locking mechanism. Let''s see what I got. With my inner loot goblin filled with a surprising amount of anticipation and excitement, I opened the container, revealing not a fucking thing within the locker except the words fuck you and a poorly scrawled in hand flipping the bird scratched into the locker''s interior. I could get angry but that is genuinely amusing. It reminds me of that door that leads to nowhere in Fallout 3 with the painted on fuck you. Having no luck with my first pull, I tried the smaller drawer below on the same combo locker unit and found a wad of dollar bills. That''s not what I''m looking for, but I''m sure I''ll need it when I arrive at some civilized place on Pandora. Picking up the cash, my ECHO device Digistructed the bills, absorbed them, and added them to the money counter in my system interface. [+105 Dollars] That is a super convenient feature. It would''ve sucked lugging around a ton of cash. Satisfied with my little find, I continued my looting efforts and went to the next loot container and repeated the same process, finding a shield although a very basic model from what I can tell. Messing around with it, I couldn''t figure out how to activate it for the life of me. So rather than waste my time on figuring it out myself through trial and error, I brought my ECHO communication device to my hands and began searching the ECHOnet for the information I sought. It took a minute of searching, but I nevertheless tracked down a tutorial on how to operate personal energy shields via the convenient search engine provided by the Dahl corporation. Now a bit more knowledgeable, I slid a tucked slot open and pressed the hidden power button before closing it back up and securing it on the chain belt running through the loops on my worn, dark gray cargo pants. Once I had it attached, I activated the smallish device and the very instant I did a blue energy covered the entirety of my body. Intrigued, I brought my left forearm up to my eyes to get a closer look and saw an aquamarine blue colored sort of second skin covering every bit of my body. I wonder how tough this shielding is. Wanting to put it to the test before my first fight, I slammed my energy-covered fist that had now transitioned from its bluish color to translucent into the looted locker''s closed door to test how it''ll perform. The result from my little test was my fist caving in the locker''s door and my shielding only dropping 10 capacity out of 100 that shot back up and regenerated to 100% after waiting 4 seconds. I put quite a lot of force behind that strike, so this device has certainly boosted my defenses by at least a few levels, no doubt. Content with my upgraded defenses and survivability, I restarted my looting and went from one loot container to the next. I spent a good while going through everything thoroughly on this level and when I was certain I had scoured and scavenged all I could; I took count of all the loot I accumulated and organized on the floor and within my personal backpack space provided by my ECHO device. [ Loot Acquired ] Weapons: | Rare || S&S Munitions | RDLS Explosive Fury Machine Pistol - | Uncommon || Vladof | LS Shocking Fury Machine Pistol - | Common || Torgue | Stock Carnage Rocket Shotgun Shields: Basic Shield (1) Meds: Minor Healing Kits (10) - Minor Insta-Health Vials (15) - Light Healing Kits (6) - Light Insta-Health Vials (6) - Insta-Health Vials (2) Ammunition: 3,291 Grenades: 17 Dollars: 5,457 Chapter 3: Looting Spree *Sigh* I really wish I had more space in my backpack for all this loot, but there is just way too much stuff for me to bring every little bit of it along. Looks like I''m going to need to locate some SDUs (Storage Deck Upgrades) if I want to carry a ton of equipment and loot for and from my adventures. But in the meantime, I suppose I should set up a temporary base somewhere here in the Headstone Mines to store all my crap... at least till I''m ready to begin my mission of relinquishing Sledge of his precious vault key fragment. Changing up my plans a bit, I briefly looked over the haul I collected thus far before making my way to the metal stairs that led both upward to the higher levels and downward into the depths of the mines below. The moment I came upon them, I stared off into the darkness below the lengthy set of stairs led into and came to a decision. Yeah, I''ll clear the upper levels first before I go investigate the mines below. God only knows what''s lying in wait down there. Preferring to put off exploring what appeared to be abandoned mines that may or may not have creatures lying in wait for me, I stepped onto the stairs that covered many, many levels and climbed them till I reached the next floor. From there I got right to work, opening up one locker and storage container after the next and sifting through the plentiful piles of junk and scrap lying about the floor. Due to my experience on the second floor, I completed my scavenging and organizing on the 3rd floor in record. And once I was good and ready, I ascended another floor and repeated what I did on the previous two floors. Not long after I began rummaging through the 5th floor, I made a surprising find. "That''s not a SDU, is it?" Not believing what I was seeing, I picked up the blocky darkish matte gray object. [ Ding! ] [ Backpack Storage Deck Upgrade Acquired ] [ +3 Backspace ] [ Ding! ] [ New Badass Rank Stats Unlocked ] [ Backpack Space: +0 ] [ Bank Space: +0 ] [ Ammunition Space: +0 ] [ Grenade Space: +0 ] Those bonuses will certainly come in hand in the not so distant future. Although I was surprised to acquire a backpack SDU during my looting spree, I was happy nonetheless. With a bit more pep in my step, I returned to scouring the place with renewed vigor, intent on finding more valuables that will assist me in my efforts. Minutes after my last find, I came across a grenade mod although not the type I was searching for. I wasn''t looking for a shock transfusion grenade mod, but I''ll take what I can get. I mean, it''s not like I can go wrong with a grenade mod that''s super effective against shields thanks to its elemental effect and can drain health from the enemies and give it to me. Now how do I work this mod. Fumbling with the small piece of technology for a minute, I was unable to figure it out, so I revisited the ECHOnet to find the information I was seeking. ¡­ Ohh, that''s how it works. Sticking my ECHO communication device back where it belongs in my back pocket, I took the grenade mod and pressed a sequence of buttons on it, causing a metal plug to pop out from its rectangular cuboid shape. I then retrieved one of the ten grenades I had stowed in my large cargo pants pockets and plugged it in a hidden port on the grenade once I revealed it. "Okay, that should do it." I thought aloud after I uploaded the grenade mods data to the grenade, which immediately began changing in appearance once I removed the device thanks to the ever powerful Digistruct tech. From there, I used the inbuilt feature on the grenades and duped the effect to the other 9 I was carrying on my person. When all was said and done, I had 10 transfusion grenades that possessed a cross symbol on their midsections along with a faintly glowing blue ring wrapped around both the top and the bottom of them, signifying that they were of the shocking element. Plenty satisfied, I kept to it and a while later I finished that floor as well, hence I moved onward to the next and then the final floor when I was done with the 6th. Stepping onto the topmost floor, I took a cursory look around and discovered a door that led elsewhere at the back of the floor. Interested in where it went, I strode over to it and on my way to it I noticed it went out to some sort of balcony through the dusty windows beside it. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Continuing my stride I arrived in front of it and attempted to open it however, the thing was locked up tight. Hmm, what to do... Taking a step away from the solid door, I examined the walls around it and spotted a wire running from the keypad beside the door. Tracing the electrical wire to see where it went, I followed it along and eventually found it ended at an old electrical box that was beyond a collapsed section of the floor. That''s going to be a pain to get to as a nearly 400 pound man, but I have to see what''s locked behind that door. Unwilling to let an obvious spot for a loot chest go unchecked, I examined my surroundings carefully in search of a way to reach that electrical box. My investigation eventually led me to some pipes that ran along the walls of the floor and those below. Looks like that''s my best way over unless I want to give leaping across a try. Taking a look at the broken rebar jutting up from the collapsed rubble below, I made the wise choice of not doing that, especially since my speed wasn''t anything to write home about, given my current massive weight and my legs not really being proportional to my very developed upper body. These legs of mine are going to need some serious training when I reach somewhere safe. I can''t afford to be slow if I want to survive this shithole of a planet with innumerable bandits and creatures roaming about that are both dangerous and bizarre. Done finding a path forward, I approached the thick metal pipes and tested them out to see how sturdy they were. They appeared sturdy enough to my judgment, so I grabbed hold of one of the several pipes running along above and got a footing on the pipes that ran along near the floor. Putting a bit of weight on it, they strained and creaked noticeably under my heft, but held strong regardless. Looks like they''ll hold out long enough. As ready as I could be, I started shuffling across the pipes and began making my way across slowly but surely, much to the discomfort of the pipes. Unfortunately for me, the old pipes I was using as footing began to give way, so I made an instantaneous decision to make a jump for the ledge. Putting as much power into my legs as possible, I jumped with monstrous force whilst simultaneously using my powerful arms to give me that extra bit of boost to propel me to the ledge. Rotating in midair, I grabbed hold of the ledge like my life depended on and held onto it with a death grip while dangling above the broken and jagged steel rebar below. Not wanting to meet my end, I utilized my built upper body to pull myself up and before I knew it; I was sitting on the concrete floor of this disconnected section of the mine shaft with my heart pulsing both fast and extremely hard. Fuck, that got my adrenaline pumping. Having successfully avoided a near death encounter, I calmed down and steadied my heart rate. The second I was back to normal and had my body under control again, I picked myself off the floor and moseyed on over to the electrical panel and opened it up, finding a large handle and a bunch of switches inside. Not knowing what I was looking at really, I began studying the panel and discovered the large handle the power for the door, so I grabbed hold of it and flipped it to the on position. Looking over at the keypad beside the door back over yonder, I found it lit up. Looks like that did the trick. Closing the panel door, I transitioned over to the ledge and found a safe way down that was by the large opening in the core that ran through all the floors and into the earth. With a safe way found, I approached the edge and lowered myself down as much as I could before letting go and dropping down a few feet. Back on the 6th floor, I quickly returned to the top level and sped to the door that I risked my life for. This better be worth it. Pressing the door''s green activator button on the keypad, the lock disengaged and clicked into place a split second later. As soon as the metal door swung out of the way and I stepped forth, an expansive scene came into view. Fuck this a massive place... It''s literally going to take me forever to locate that vault key fragment. I thought as I stood on a steel crisscrossing balcony of sorts that led up to the roof of this towering structure. Taking in the impressive view of the bandit base and the surrounding Arid Badlands, I surveyed the area from my high up position. I observed uncountable bandits moving about the Headstone Mine going about their daily lives and after watching them for a short few minutes; I transitioned to see if I couldn''t identify where the bastard Sledge may be residing. It took a minute of meticulous searching of the zone, but I eventually located a number of structures that looked remarkably similar to their game counterpart. So once I found those, I estimated where his personal hideout should be from my memory in relation to the structures and, low and behold, found it exactly where I expected it to be positioned. Well, that was a hell of a lot easier to locate than I expected. That said, it''s all the way on the other side of the mining facility, so it appears I''ll be extending my stay at the Headstone Mine since I doubt I''ll be accomplishing my objective today. Haa, that''s a bummer. [ Loot Acquired ] Weapons: | Common || Generic | Basic Combat Rifles (15) - | Common || Generic | Basic Pistols (21) - | Common || Generic | Basic Shotguns (4) - | Uncommon || Hyperion | RD Incendiary Crimson Stinger Submachine Gun Grenade Mods: | Rare || Anshin | Shocking Transfusion Shields: | Common || Generic | Basic Shields (7) Meds: Minor Healing Kits (32) - Minor Insta-Health Vials (35) - Light Healing Kits (14) - Light Insta-Health Vials (15) - Healing Kits (3) - Insta-Health Vials (9) - Greater Insta-Health Vials (5) Ammunition: 14,199 Grenades: 48 Dollars: 20,015 Chapter 4: Loot Chests Having come to the conclusion that I wouldn''t be leaving the mines anytime soon, I watched the going ons below for several seconds longer before I moved onto the connected stairway that led up to the roof of this tall mineshaft. Still as eager to see whether or not the dangerous life-threatening situation I put myself through to access this area was worth it, I quickly began climbing the rusted steel steps. Due to my excitement, I quickly ascended the stairs and the moment my eyesight peeked over onto the rooftop, I noticed not one, not two, but three red loot chests sitting there waiting for me along with some safes and nearly a dozen ammo crates. "Jackpot!" Although thrilled about what laid before me, I still retained my cautiousness and scanned the area in search of any booby-traps. Good thing for me I found nothing of the sort, so I approached the center chest and pressed the button, causing the large deep crimson color storage container to whirr to life. Mere seconds later, the top flipped open and presented a whole host of rewards consisting of an alien weapon in the way of an Eridian Lightning Sniper Rifle, an epic rarity: Tediore Impenetrable Panacea Shield, a common Hoarder Class Mod for the Gunzerker Class, and two basic class mods that anyone could use, apparently. More than pleased with the sight I was seeing thus far, I rested my Atlas machine gun against my abdomen with its newly attached strap that I transferred from one of the generic combat rifles I looted on the lower levels and picked up the alien sniper first. Once I got the somewhat organic looking weapon in my hands, I began inspecting it. As soon as I had examined it enough and basically had the weapons operations down pat, which was simply locating the trigger, I stowed it away in my digital backpack and moved onto the next order of business. Picking up the shield, I couldn''t help commenting aloud to myself. "Shit, that''s one hell of a shield. It has all the top of the line parts I can remember from the first Borderlands game." | Epic || Tediore | Impenetrable Panacea Shield Capacity: 1,500 Recharge Rate: 300 Recharge Delay: 2.75 Seconds Health Regeneration: 3 + Level # Per Second Plenty satisfied with the shield''s stats, I swapped out my old shield and attached the upgrade to my chain belt in the previous shield''s spot. The moment the shield kicked in and covered me in its protective coating, I turned my attention to a rectangular object with a row of cartridges running along the top of it. | Common || Vladof | Hoarder Class Mod Team Ammo Regeneration: 1 Per Second This mod isn''t anything spectacular, with it not providing even a single bonus to any of my skills. However, it''s the only class specific mod I''ve come across thus far, so it''ll have to do till I find an upgrade... At least it''ll let me increase my stock of ammo even further, I''m sure I''ll be needing every round I can get my hands on if the bandit numbers I''ve seen so far are anything to go by. Throwing the class mod on my belt right next to my shield, I was about to start inspecting the two classless class mods, but I found my looting activities being rudely interrupted by my system. [ Ding! Ammunition Storage Is Full ] I guess I should dump some ammo from my backpack. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Not wanting to let any ammo gains go to waste, I removed a 100 rounds from my ammunition stores and watched the rounds begin to rise for a few seconds before resuming my previous activities. Picking up one of the mods, I discovered the benefits it provided were so miniscule that I moved on from it immediately and grabbed the other one. Unfortunately, the situation wasn''t much better with that one either. That''s a bummer. I was really hoping I''d find a gem amongst them. Tossing those two mods to the sell pile, I transitioned from that loot chest to the second one. Moments later, the contents of that chest were revealed in all their glory. What I found inside was a top tier Vladof Havoc, multiple spare 100 round magazines for it, and a rare Incendiary proximity mine grenade mod. "Now that''s what I''m talking about!" Vocalizing my excitement at having finally located a proximity mine grenade mod, I picked the piece of tech up and inspected it closely before pocketing it. I then took hold of the two toned black and rust-colored machine gun and gave the hefty weapon an overall examination. ... Everything appears to be in good order. I thought after inspecting the weapon for sometime and letting the bolt slam forward with a new round sliding into its chamber. Finished checking the firearm''s condition, I checked the weapon''s optic next and discovered it had about a 2.5 magnification on it. This machine gun is comparable to my Atlas, except it has lower damage and marginally worse accuracy. That said, its optic, laser sight, and incendiary element more than make up for it, so it looks like I got a new primary weapon. If only my Pearl Havoc had those attachments, haa... Hmm, actually, I got an idea. Although I was initially bummed out at the fact that my Atlas was lacking in the way attachments, I had a sudden idea come to me that could potentially rectify the dilemma I was experiencing. So, not wanting to ditch and give up on the solid machine gun I picked up first, I decided to see if I couldn''t give it an upgrade. The second I came to that decision of mine, I took a closer look at the Vladof machine gun and discovered that the optic was mounted rather simply with just a set of screws holding it in place. This also went for the laser sight and the glowing device that I believed to imbue the Borderlands weapons with their various elements. Seeing how this isn''t a game any longer, I might as well see if I can''t take parts from other guns. Wanting to put my theory to the test, I ran back downstairs to my piles of loot and swiftly located a screwdriver that would work for my project. Once I got my hands on it, I grabbed a few other miscellaneous things I thought I might require and returned to the rooftop hastily with my tools in hand. Not a moment after my arrival, I went right to work on the Vladof firearm and unattached the parts one by one. Due to the simplicity of the job, I had every part sitting spread out in front of me in no time at all. Alright, let''s see if I can''t give my buddy here an upgrade. Ready to put my idea to the test, I started things off with the 2.5x magnification optic and slid it onto the rail, running along the top of the weapon before tightening it down and locking it in place with the included screws. As soon as I had done that, the weapon changed from its original blue rare rarity to purple epic. On top of that, its stats increased a decent bit, and it gained a recoil reduction bonus. There''s no way upgrading a weapon was that easy, right??? I remained stunned in disbelief for a couple more moments longer before I broke out of it and had a wave of excitement wash over me when I began ruminating over the broken weapon combinations I could potentially make. If this works the way I think it does, then I''ll be able to produce some absolutely overpowered weapons¡­ For example, I could take the Maliwan''s Hellfire SMG''s stacking incendiary element and combine that with the unique Chopper machine gun that is a four shot Vladof machine gun with a huge 500+ round magazine and 1,000+ fire rate. Add in a legendary Tediore Guardian''s built in ammo regeneration and you would have an absolutely busted weapon that could shred through enemies like no other while lighting them aflame... As cool as that sounds I still don''t know if I can attach an element module, so I need to find out about that first before I get ahead of myself and let my imagination run wild with all the ideas I''ll no doubt cook up. Hitting the breaks on my wild weapon combinations, I took the incendiary module I borrowed from the Vladof machine gun and moved the Atlas machine gun so I could get a good view right underneath the barrel of the firearm. The moment I''d done that, I could see a spot that looked like it would slot into. Chapter 5: Gun Modder Here goes nothing. Praying that things worked out like I wished them to, I slid the dimly glowing red device onto the weapon''s inbuilt rails. The instant it reached the end of the particular rail I wanted to use, I locked it down tightly and the next thing I knew, its glow increased in strength by a few figures. Believing the noticeable difference to be a positive sign, I pulled up the machine gun''s stats and found the addition of an incendiary element listed. "Fuck yeah!" I yelled out, pumped as can be. This is a massive game changer. The ability to take and combine the powerful parts from the many unique and legendary weapons of Borderlands could become one of my strongest tools in my arsenal going forward. Ecstatic about this new development I had a sudden thought come to me. Since weapons can have their parts swapped and changed, I wonder if this will work for all items and not just weapons. If it does and I combine item modding with my system, that will constantly be empowering me more and more the longer I live, I should have no problem conquering the vault and making the rewards that come from it mine and mine alone. It would honestly put me in a league of my very own one day¡­ As long as I survive the initial bit of my journey, of course. Maybe I should think beyond just vault hunting. I know for sure I won''t want to be doing that 24/7, thus it wouldn''t be a bad idea to pursue other things alongside it. My life can''t just revolve around only combat and exploring, after all. Now the question is what... Well, I''m going to need people to do and handle different tasks and other such things for me at some point or another, since it''s impossible for me to do everything on my own. I mean, it isn''t technically as long as I''m willing to dedicate enough time, but why would I want to do that when the boring jobs can be pushed onto someone else''s shoulders. Hence, I''m gonna have to form some sort of power base for myself... I remember the Atlas corporation ended up falling apart after the events of the first Borderlands game, so I could try my hand at a hostile takeover. I doubt it would be all that difficult as long as I have enough resources and power... Yeah, I really like the sound of that idea so I''ll add that alongside my goal of opening and conquering the vault. Finished setting a second goal for myself and planning to iron out the finer details as I venture across Pandora, I returned to my gun modding and attached the laser sight next, boosting the gun''s accuracy even further, along with a number of other stats. Happy with my primary''s upgraded stats, I moved it off to the side and took hold of the epic rarity Vladof machine gun that had dropped to rare status due to me stripping it of its parts. I was intending to use this weapon as my secondary for dual wielding since I''m able to do that to some extent thanks to my gunzerking skill but I think I''d be better off with the Stinger SMG I got in my backpack if not the Carnage Rocket Shotgun... Actually on second thought I can scavenge the incendiary element module from the Stinger including its red dot sight and take a laser sight from one of the common generic combat rifles I have piled up downstairs. Slapping those three parts on should be enough to return it to its former glory and bring its rarity back up to purple. Intent on saving the Vladof Havoc Machine Gun so I could use it alongside my Atlas one, I left my temporary workshop and "borrowed" a laser sight from a very willing donor as well as a firearm sling. With the attachments in hand, I once again climbed the steps to the rooftop and began restoring the poor firearm. Shortly thereafter, I had two fully decked out general purpose machine guns sitting in front of me, both of the incendiary element. Eager to see how it felt to dual wield these two big fellas, I grabbed hold of my Atlas first and then the Vladof before lifting them up and positioning them at my sides. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "...This feels oddly natural." I thought aloud as I maneuvered with the two hefty weapons that were ready and willing to fill my targets with holes and burn them alive. I would love to give them an actual test by firing them off up here, but I''d rather not stupidly draw attention to myself if I don''t have to, so that''ll have to wait till I find the right time and place along with an adequate target. Putting that off for later, I placed the Vladof into my backpack space and turned my attention to the final loot chest. Let''s get something good out of this. Hoping for the best, I activated its mechanism and seconds later it opened up to reveal a rare Torgue 4xOPT Big Steel Helix Rocket Launcher followed by packs of rockets on either side of it. A Helix huh, that''s another nice find right there. Already knowing I had a good one going by its parts, I picked it up and inspected the weapon. The moment I did, I found I lucked out again and that the weapon had a 4x optic for easy aiming. Feeling practically like a kid in a candy store, I brought my new toy to the waist high walls that ran along the rooftop and shouldered the large dark gray almost black launcher. From there, I looked through the optic and scanned the area with the 4x magnification. You bastards are lucky I''m not done preparing otherwise I would''ve started firing off triple shot spiraling rockets with reckless abandon. Whilst I was imagining myself blowing up Pandora''s scum with my finger hovered over the trigger, I eventually returned to looting the rest of the rooftop stash I managed to gain access to. Going from one container to the next, I left nothing untouched and before long I was standing in front of the remaining containers I had yet to loot the two safes. How the hell am I going to open these two. Pondering the issue I was facing, I couldn''t come up with anything of substance that wouldn''t damage the potential goods within nor take forever, so I started going around and giving the safes a closer look from all angles to see if I couldn''t find a solution. I spent about a minute examining the safe, but I didn''t find a fucking thing that would assist me in my goal, so as a last ditch effort, I decided to inspect the only place I''d yet to check. Taking position, I lied on the ground on my side and positioned myself as low as I could go and peered underneath. No dice. Not finding anything under that particular safe, I moved onto its sibling and wallah; I found a set of keys taped to the underside of the safe. What kind of fucking idiot tapes the keys to the underside of a safe... Well, I guess I can''t complain since it would''ve been a bitch to get into these guys otherwise. Ripping the keys out from underneath, I looked them over first before approaching the safe and inserting the key in the slot and giving a twist. *Click* With the lock disengaged, I removed the key, pocketed it, and gave the handle a turn. Once I swung it open, I was presented with the sight of literal stacks of cash covering nearly the entirety of the safe''s interior. Damn, that''s a lot of dough. I ogled the mounds of dollar bills for a few more moments and began transferring the money to my inventory a thousand dollars at a time. When I had completed the transfer of wealth, I transitioned from that now barren safe to the other and repeated the same steps I took with the last to open it. What I found inside that safe was even more bills, so being the loot goblin I was, I grabbed every bit of it and left nothing behind. As soon as I had completed my looting up here, I took one last look at the expansive bandit compound from my high position atop the roof. I observed the movement below from my watch and turned around no more than a minute later. This place must''ve been one of the bandit tribe''s higher ups stash... Or maybe it belongs to someone who used to work for the corporation that originally ran this place. Besides those two, I can''t imagine any other explanations why all this money and top tier loot would be up here... Well, it doesn''t really matter to me at the end of the day, so thanks for the loot buddy. Thanking whatever poor sap originally owned this pile of ammo and high end gear, I gathered up my haul and carried it down to where my main pile loot was. [ Loot Acquired ] Weapons: | Epic || Vladof | RDLS Strapped Incendiary Havoc Machine Gun - | Rare || Torgue | 4xOPT Big Steel Helix Rocket Launcher - | Uncommon || Eridian | Lightning Sniper Rifle Grenade Mods: | Rare || Vladof | Incendiary Proximity Mine Shields: | Epic || Tediore | Impenetrable Panacea Shield Class Mods: | Common || Vladof | Hoarder Class Mod - | Common || Generic | Basic Classless Class Mods (2) Meds: Super Healing Kit (1) - Super Insta-Health Vials (3) - Greater Healing Kits (10) - Greater Insta-Health Vials (10) - Healing Kits (25) - Insta-Health Vials (25) Ammunition: 28,613 Grenades: 100 Dollars: 250,000 Chapter 6: The First Of Many It took a decent amount of effort and more than a few trips back and forth to get everything moved down here and organized, but I nonetheless put the work in. And when I had finally finished the job, I wiped the sweat from my brow and started planning my next move. Alright, I''ve looted the upper floors, accumulated enough weapons, ammunition, gear, explosives, meds, actual edible food and drink that''s not repulsive, and many other miscellaneous items and material for the time being. Now where should I go from here... I''m going to be staying here for at least a day, therefore I''m going to need somewhere to crash. I have that personal tent of mine I woke up in. However, I''d much rather fall asleep in a location that''s actually secure and doesn''t have walls made of leather and fabric. After spending a few moments contemplating on the issue at hand, I thought of a solution rather quickly. Hmm, this place is pretty secure, so this mineshaft could act as my temporary base. I''ve also only discovered one entrance here so I''d only have to barricade that to lock this place down and prevent the bandits from getting in... Haa, it''s not like I have many other options to go with, so might as well utilize this structure since I''ve already done the legwork. Having come to a decision, I headed down a level to the ground floor that I didn''t see an entrance for when I initially spotted this mining structure intent on ensuring I had all the entrances and exits locked down and under my control. The moment I came down the steps with my weapon drawn, I found a similar scene to the floors above, except there was one large metal sliding garage door to allow the entry of heavy machinery. Remaining weary of my surroundings, I scanned the place for any bandit scum but fortunately found not a single soul in sight after scouring the area. Looks like the coast is clear. With that weight lifted off my shoulders, I approached the garage door''s control panel and fumbled around with it and eventually discovered how to lock it. Once that was handled, I proceeded over to each side of the door and engaged the built-in manual locking mechanism to really prevent it from being opened. Happy with the security down here, I returned upstairs and began dragging heavy metal objects in the direction of the only other entryway. I stacked the plethora of junk high in front of it and kept adding increasingly more stuff to the pile and after going at it for 15 minutes; I had that bitch covered entirely with hardly any gaps. Ain''t no one getting through that unless they want to blow their way in. Satisfied with my work, I started blocking the few windows this building had on the second and third floor next and no more than half an hour later; I had this mining shaft locked down tight and turned into quite the defensive position that would be quite the pain in the ass for any would be invaders. I inspected my job so far and even though I knew it would probably be overkill; I went ahead and kicked off the proximity mine making with my stock of grenades and planted them beside the two entries and exits. The instant I was finished sticking them on either side of the two doors and also lining the top of the garage door as well, I spread them around the floors to further bolster my defenses and preparations. I know I''m paranoid, but I''d rather be that than dead any day of the week. The next 45 minutes encompassed me covering a solid portion of the area in proximity mines and creating a sort of lethal diversion that I could use to keep my enemies busy while I retreated either upward and downwards. Now that I''m giving it some thought, retreating to a higher floor is a straight up dumb idea since it would just turn into a deathtrap/final stand scenario. Meaning the only chance of survival I would have if this place got surrounded by too many hostiles would be to go into the depths of the mines that lay below. I have no idea what''s down there, hence it would be wise I go and explore it. I''m sure it would suck if I needed to use it as an escape route and ended up meeting more enemies down there whilst I''m unprepared. That sort of scenario would have me getting pincer''d, which would probably result in my death if I couldn''t clear them fast enough. Yeah, I''m looking to leave things up to chance so I''m gonna have to venture into the mines. Finally, content with my current preparations and setup for any uninvited guest i.e. bandits and not wishing to leave anything up to chance, I retrieved my Vladof Havoc Machine Gun from my backpack and slung the weapon onto my back loosely so I could easily retrieve it for dual wielding. I followed that up by producing 10 more incendiary proximity mine grenades and storing them away in a pouch I picked up in my scaving. With my explosive ordnance safely stowed away right above my rear, I practiced removing and returning the contents of my backpack so I could react to situations on the fly swiftly and efficiently. The following dozen minutes or so were spent as such and when I was finally both comfortable and somewhat content with the speed I was able to manipulate my digital backpack, I approached the stairs and began cautiously descending into the lower levels, eager to explore the unknown that lay below. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Reaching the first underground floor, I didn''t find any hostiles nor danger in sight, so I hopped off the stairs and initiated my exploration of the level. I spent a good while on that particular floor, but I only came across an ammo SDU, which I used immediately and the usual stuff I found on all the previous levels I tore through in my search for loot. [ Ding! ] [ Ammo Storage Deck Upgrade Acquired ] [ +100 Ammunition Space ] Happy to have found something of note, I pocketed the money and organized the items of value by the stairs for convenient transfer and moved onto the next lower level. I continued my scavenging spree on every new floor I reached and stumbled across another backpack SDU that further expanded my backpack space to 18 and a grenade SDU, which increased my grenade capacity to 11. However, as over the moon as I was with my lucky finds that further boosted my overall stores, things took a change when I came off the stairwell onto the tenth underground level. This floor is different from all the ones I''ve explored previously and is a good bit larger compared to them as well... Much larger, in fact. Taking a look around, I saw that this level was at least twice the height of the others and several times as large in area as the floors above. Eyeing the space from one side to the other, I discovered multiple dust covered heavy duty mining vehicles and many pieces of mining equipment strewn about the concrete flooring. On top of that, there was a heavy lift elevator at the core that appeared to be in decent shape from what I could tell, but this is coming from someone who doesn''t know jack shit about anything having to do with that field. Damn, this place is huge. I thought to myself as I observed my surroundings with my weapon ready to deal with whatever might pop up. Continuing my sweeping, I noticed a massive metal bulkhead door located not that far off from the industrial elevator. And on the opposite end, behind the elevator, swaths of lockers lining the walls along with a metal door that led to who knows where. I''m guessing that big guy leads into the mines and the other smaller fella... Any guess is as good as any, I suppose. Still remaining ever cautious, I began exploring the new area, starting with the nearby vehicles and other mining equipment. It took a bit, but I found no dangerous elements of any sort and the machinery and tools to be in pretty great condition for being left down here to rot for years, presumably. Not finding any threats there or anything that could be of much use to me, I proceeded over to the heavy lift elevator. Coming upon the lift, I inspected its overall condition before approaching the control panel near the front of it. Not in any sort of rush, I gave the panel a good once over and pressed a big green button on it. This action of mine caused the elevator to spring to life and lower its loading barrier, which allowed for the various vehicles and equipment required for the work down here to be loaded on or off it. Phew, I was dreading having to climb back up those steps with all the loot. Ecstatic to have found the elevator to still be operational, I messed around with a few more things around this section before heading off to the lockers in the back. I opened several of them, but I didn''t find much of interest there, so my attention moved to the closed door. I wonder what''s behind that door. Curious, I left the looting for later, closed in on it, located the opening mechanism, and swung the unlocked door open with my Atlas drawn. What I came upon was an extension of the locker area from the looks of things. Holding off on making any early judgments, I stepped into the space wearily and found it was indeed a locker room like I presumed it to be. However, that wasn''t all. There was also a loot chest and a big dark gray locker with deep crimson stripes running vertically across its surface locked up behind a set of steel bars off to the back left. Another chest, huh... And a locker of some kind with the same deep crimson color. There must be something good in it. Rubbing my hands together mentally in anticipation, I pressed on into the miners'' locker room, I ensured the space was clear of all danger before arriving at the obstacle that was blocking me from my reward. Keen on opening that chest as soon as possible, I investigated the situation with the lock and determined that there was no way I was breaking into the locked space with just my body''s own physical might, so I set off in search of tools. After going through a number of the lockers, I located a hammer, a handheld electric drill, and a handheld electric saw, as well as a number of other small tools that should be enough to get the job done. Lugging my tools over to the bar door, I powered up the drill and went to work ravaging the lock. ¡­ A good while later I had the door open and left it with a fist sized mangled hole where the lock used to be. Alright, let''s see what we got. Reaching the chest first, I activated it and a split second later it opened to reveal a legendary corrosive Dahl Bulldog Shotgun along with two ammo SDUs, a backpack SDU, and two lots of ammunition. Taking hold of the big boy shotgun with a fully loaded drum magazine, I ran it through the motions and examined its condition. "Damn, this is a great first legendary." I thought aloud after inspecting the green army camo shotgun''s stats and making sure the weapon was in good operational order. More than happy with the very first legendary I ever found since waking up in this world, I picked up the ammo and backpack SDUs and used them before adding the ammo to my ammunition reserves. [ Ding! ] [ Backpack Storage Deck Upgrade Acquired ] [ +3 Backspace ] [ Ding! ] [ Ammo Storage Deck Upgrades Acquired ] [ +200 Ammunition Space ] With my carrying capacity once again expanded, my attention transitioned to the unit beside the now empty loot chest. What sort of treasures do you hold, big guy. [ Loot Acquired ] Weapons: | Legendary || Dahl | HOLO Frenzied Corrosive Bulldog - | Uncommon || Jakobs | Swift Revolver - | Common || Generic | Basic Combat Rifles (20) - | Common || Generic | Basic Pistols (18) - | Common || Generic | Basic Revolvers (2) - | Common || Generic | Basic Shotguns (9) Grenade Mods: | Uncommon || S&S Munitions | Sticky Grenade Shields: | Uncommon || Maliwan | Balanced Shock Burst Shield - | Common || Generic | Basic Shields (4) Class Mods: | Common || Generic | Basic Classless Class Mods (1) Meds: Healing Kits (5) - Insta-Health Vials (7) - Light Healing Kits (15) - Light Insta-Health Vials (21) - Minor Healing Kits (37) - Minor Insta-Health Vials (59) Ammunition: 32,711 Grenades: 68 Dollars: 43,257 Chapter 7: Armor Excited to see what was inside, I moved in front of the container and gave it a scan to see where the opening mechanism was. "Ahh, there you are." Having found what I was looking for, I pressed the button and a couple seconds later, the large locker released a gas leak sort of sound due to its pressurization. Not too much longer after that, its two large metal doors swung out forcefully and unveiled a heavy duty iron black colored mining suit with numerous orange alloy plates attached across its surface. Alongside the suit, there was a big serrated combat knife that was more short sword than knife and a savage-looking pickaxe that appeared more suited for combat than mining, both of which I ignored in favor of the impressive suit. That''s one bulky suit right there, and on top of that, it looks big enough to fit my massive frame. Although I was happy to have found this piece of equipment, I nevertheless remained worried about it not being able to accommodate my new vessel''s¡­ absurd proportions, so I removed it from its housing and gave it a closer look. I quickly found the suit''s measurements were about my size, with just a slight bit of room on top, when I compared it against my body. The moment I was basically sure it could fit, I flipped it around and inspected the backside of the suit and found a large pressurized tank that was hooked up to hoses that funneled into some sort of apparatus around the neck of the suit. I would''ve liked to have had the helmet that obviously comes with the suit because head protection is cool, but I guess beggars can''t be choosers. Slightly bummed out that the suit was missing a pretty important piece, I returned to examining the suit and noticed a strange device on the back, right below the tank. Hmm, what is that... It looks oddly similar to a shield, but also not, at the same time. Even though I was curious as to what it was, I wasn''t about to waste time on it when I didn''t know with absolute certainty if my big ass would even fit inside. Thus, I threw to the back of my mind and began removing the many things I was carrying in my pockets onto the nearby bench. Once I had emptied everything from my cargo pants, I returned to the dark gray and orange suit and began putting it on. Slipping one leg on after another, I hefted the upper body portion of the suit that was also the heaviest and slid my arms into the armored sleeves. As soon as I had the suit snuggly hugging my bulging muscles, I closed it up and stretched a bit to get a feel for the armored suit. Fit''s like a glove, but shit, you''re a heavy one alright. It''s a damn good thing this body of mine is as strong and well developed as it is, otherwise there''s no way I would be able to wear and utilize this suit of armor. With the piece of protective gear finally on, I studied the armor plating that ran across nearly the entirety of the armor and strode over to the locker room and slammed an armor plate into a sturdy portion of the concrete wall to see what the durability was like. The second I removed my arm from the small web cracked crater I left in the wall and brushed off the dust I found, not even a scratch on the armor plating. This stuff must be pretty sturdy because I put most of my strength behind that move, so it should be able to hold out against a few rounds at the very least. Having come to the conclusion that this should be more than adequate to handle melee and small arm fire at least for a short while before succumbing I was about to head on back and collect the rest of my loot when my re-enabled shield fluttered and increased in power drastically surpassing its previous capacity by 2,500 points. "What the hell is boosting my shield capacity???" I thought aloud. Surprised by the sudden massive increase to my shield capacity, I brought up my system menu and went right into my investigation mode. I spent no more than a few moments investigating and swiftly discovered the culprit behind the more than doubling of my shield capacity. | Uncommon || Dahl | Heavy D.E.D. Mining Suit (Incomplete) Armor Rating: Level 8 (Resistant to crushing, slashing, piercing and up to rifle rounds) Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Shield Capacity Boost: 2,500 Recharge Rate Boost: 700 Recharge Delay Reducer: -0.25 Seconds Oh, so that''s what that odd-looking shield looking device was for... Nice to know. With that mystery resolved rather expeditiously, I once again returned to the large locker and when I arrived at it, I began collecting the melee weapons within. Picking up the knife first, I inspected the blade initially before performing several rough practice swings and stabs with the sharp weapon. After doing all that, I found it fit quite well in my hand, so I placed it in my backpack for the time being since I didn''t have any other place to stow it besides there. Quite happy with that find, I moved onto the pickaxe next and attempted to lift the big weapon out of the locker. However, my attempt only made the weapon shift a bit under my strength, so I put some real power into it and removed it from its home. Shit, you''re trying to compete with the armor for who can be the most cumbersome, aren''t ya. I thought to myself mentally whilst I gave the weapon a few unrestrained swings before it flew out of my grasp and sunk into the concrete wall. Yeah, I''m not looking to throw my shoulder out of my socket, so I''m gonna have to hold off on using this till I get a bit stronger. Slightly embarrassed that I couldn''t keep a proper hold on the beefy weapon even with my new and much stronger body, I removed it from the wall and stowed it away in my inventory for a later date. Just about wrapped up with things here, I turned my attention to the many articles I removed from my cargo pants earlier that I had now lost the ability to use. Where and how am I going to carry all this now... Well I''m not venturing off without spare magazines, grenades, and meds so I''m gonna have to MacGyver something to accommodate the rest of my kit. Unwilling to leave a good part of my gear set behind, I started turning the locker room upside down in search of a solution to my newest issue. Thankfully, in my tear down of the place, I came up with a rather simple but creative idea of sewing belt loops onto the suit''s waist and swapping my pouch as well as the rest of the items I had hanging on my chain belt previously. Happy with the solution I thought of, I went to work on it and made the necessary modifications to my new suit before looping a sturdy belt I grabbed from one of the many lockers around my waist. From there, I transferred the things I had on my waist previously, along with some additional pouches I picked up with the belt. Still not satisfied, I continued with my modifications and jury-rigged a sort of harness that ran down the length of my thighs and attached even more pouches, but this time to my thighs. Yeah, this should be good enough till I can get to a civilized town and have something properly made... Actually let me add one last thing. ... There, that should do it. I thought, after making a leather sheath for my large serrated combat knife that was now sitting on the left side of my belt. Pretty happy with how my handiwork came out, I put it to the test and ran it through a few practice draws to see how it performed. That''ll do. Plenty satisfied with my creation, I searched the rest of this level, looted everything I could find, organized it, and transferred it to the elevator to transport to the upper floors later. Once I had done all that, my focus shifted to the gargantuan bulkhead door that no doubt led into the mines. I believe I remember reading somewhere that some sort of coverup happened at this mine. So whatever reason the corporation had to abandon this previously profitable mine is probably lying somewhere behind that door in the depths of the mine... I could be misremembering, but I''m about 75% percent sure I''m on the money. And since my goals require me to get stronger to accomplish them, I might as well see if I can''t find some creatures to hunt before I try to face other humans with guns. Preferring to face the wild vicious creatures of Pandora rather than the armed bandit population above, I got to work laying the groundwork and set up a minefield that only I could pass over safely. The instant I was finished preparing, I approached the door''s controls and gave them a look-see. Already growing used to this world''s technology, I speedily located the button I needed to use and pressed it. This caused a siren to start blaring and multiple rotating yellow lights around the bulkhead to come to life after however many years they had been sitting dormant. Knowing Borderlands, this will surely get exciting in a moment here. Expecting chaos to ensue rather shortly, I backed off and directed my high tier machine gun at the massive metal door that was now finally beginning to move. [ Loot Acquired ] Guns: | Uncommon || Maliwan | RD Obsolete Shocking Viper Revolver - | Uncommon || Tediore | RDLS Cheap Explosive Matador Shotgun - | Common || Generic | Basic Combat Rifles (7) - | Common || Generic | Basic Pistols (3) - | Common || Generic | Basic Revolvers (5) - | Common || Generic | Basic Shotguns (15) Melee Weapon: | Rare || Vladof | Workers Savage Combat Pickaxe - | Uncommon || Dahl | Old Veteran Combat Knife Grenade Mods: | Uncommon || Hyperion | Longbow Grenade Armor: | Uncommon || Dahl | Heavy D.E.D. Mining Suit (Incomplete) Shields: | Common || Generic | Basic Shields (5) Class Mods: | Common || Generic | Basic Classless Class Mods (4) Meds: Greater Healing Kits (2) - Greater Insta-Health Vials (4) - Healing Kits (5) - Insta-Health Vials (5) - Light Healing Kits (5) - Light Insta-Health Vials (7) - Minor Healing Kits (15) - Minor Insta-Health Vials (21) Ammunition: 12,114 Grenades: 30 Dollars: 9,044