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(BUS)Chapter 90: Trap
🕑 Added 2025-05-11 14:45:33 +0000 UTC(Normal POV)
"Who's up for digging through rubble for loot?" I asked with a grin once my message went through.
"There's not actually that much rubble since you added that acid to the bombs, ate away most of the stuff." Roland pointed out.
"Maybe but we still have to dig through what's left anyways so the question still stands." I said with a shrug.
We split up after that to search the ruins of the encampments for anything worth grabbing. Turns out that was a great fucking idea too as we found a red chest squirreled away in a little mini cave under and encampment towards the start with something awesome in it.-
[Name: DEF100-B Terrible Defender
Level: Legendary
Type: Combat shotgun
Damage type: N/A
Manufacturer: TEDIORE
Affix: I can do this all day
Regenerates ammo, causes melee attacks to do more damage]
"DIBS!" Brick yelled with a wide grin as he figured out what the gun did.
"Normally I think we'd like vote on it or something but this really suits you too fucking well." I said with a chuckle.
"Yeah, it's like it was made for him." Mordy said seriously.
"Makes divvying up the loot easier if nothing else." Roland said with a shrug.
Besides that shotgun that Brick got we found a few other gems in the ruins though nothing as good. 3 rare quality weapons, a pistol and two assault rifles specifically. I ended up shelling out the price of them to add them to my growing armory since nobody else wanted them. Other than that it was merely a bunch of common weapons and shields which we all decided to sell to Marcus. While I absolutely could've taken them and added them to my armory I was trying to make the room be filled with more quality than quantity and common stuff was just that, common.-
To no fucking surprise the bandits didn't have anything else of value to us so we left the canyon and headed for Tannis's dig site. Said scientific person was ecstatic to receive the second key piece though had some bad news for us.
"I have picked up readings of a similar Eridian energy signature to the first vault key piece on the trash coast. Unfortunately access to that area is tightly controlled by the imbecilic bandits of Jannistown. I am in the process of searching for a method to gain access but will need at least three days to get it finished." Tannis said with a frustrated look.
"Would a decent meal and a shower speed things up at all?" I asked helplessly.
"An unusual offer as I was given to the understanding you were only fourteen?" she said with a raised eyebrow.
"I wasn't trying to fucking get into your pants! I just know that ones mental state can effect performance so I figured improving yours might make this whole thing faster. Much as I like having a goal to chase I'd like to get into the vault sooner rather than later." I said annoyed.
"I see, my mistake. A pity though, there is quite the amount of evidence that the mind works exceptionally well after coitus. "Post nut clarity" the phenomenon has been called. Still I will not deny that a shower and truly good food would likely allow me to speed up my progress to a degree." she said casually.
"Yeah I'm just going to ignore the first part of what you said entirely like it never happened. But to be clear you DO want a shower and some decent food?" I asked and she nodded. "Lucky you then, I happen to have just the thing." I said taking out my house.
"What is that!?" she exclaimed in shock and excitement as she practically rolled over her table to look closer at it.
"The Eridian habitation unit, my prize from the first vault I opened alongside my powers. A sort of pocket vault if you'd like with the inside having everything anyone would ever need to survive, including crafting, fauna and flora studying capabilities. In simple terms, my home." I said puffing up my chest proudly.
I clicked the button on the orb and the thing hovered in place as it whirred and unraveled into the archway that the portal manifested in.
"Incredible! If I could study this device I might be able to advance my understanding of all things Eridian by several fold!" Tannis said excitedly as a little drool escaped her mouth as she stared at my houses portal hungrily.
"You're drooling." I pointed out and she snapped out of it with an embarrassed look.
"Apologies, lost my composure there for a moment. Surely you of all people understand how much something like this could teach us though?" she asked and I nodded in agreement.
"I am very well aware of the value of the secrets of this thing, I am me after all. Anyways we'll need to go in to get you the shower and meal." I said with a chuckle at her enthusiasm.
I didn't share that I had far more than a mere surface level understanding of my home however as that was a fast way to get pestered for that information. Tannis was the sort of person who had no problem discarding dignity or pride if it meant she could advance her research. This was already proven with that deal she made with Earl that she previously mentioned.-
Understanding this also meant I was aware she didn't truly care if I WAS trying to get into her pants despite my age. She cared little for morals like most people in this reality that I met but to a much greater degree. To be blunt she was as not someone you wanted to pester you. Clay had long since taught me that all people have a price, no exceptions. Someone like Tannis had no problem crossing any line she needed to to reach that price to get what she wanted, I respected that.-
That sort of cold ruthless pursuit of ones goals was rare and worthy of respect, even if it tended to be more trouble than it was worth. That said I had no intention of letting myself get dragged into the machinations of such a person. In truth my offer to Tannis had two purposes behind it. The first was to help her mentally relax with a hot shower and truly good food. The second was to incentivize her not to betray us later. I'm not a fucking idiot and certainly not blind so I had my suspicions the moment I saw the sheer lack of equipment here in her dig site.-
There was literally no way in hell that she could scan the whole planet with what she had here and on the Headlands. It was equally true she couldn't scan and probe the vault key pieces properly as well with this stuff. That meant she either had a REALLY fucking good set of cloaking tech on the site hiding a secret lab or she was working with the only advanced force on the planet, Atlas. -
Don't get me wrong I wasn't mad at her for doing it as logically it was a damn good move. Nepotism and corruption riddled leadership aside Atlas was THE corporation that understood vaults the best and could fuel her research the best. Add on that they were the only corporation really on Pandora and even an idiot could understand why she would work with them. If I didn't exist I gave it a solid seventy six percent chance she'd betray my friends once they got all the key pieces, maybe even sooner. Atlas was simply a better bet for opening and studying the vault is all, nothing personal about it.-
With my existence however I knew for a fact Tannis had to recalculate whether betraying us was a good idea or not. I know for a fucking fact that I have given her information that even Atlas lacked about the Eridians and unlike the uncertainty that came with trusting untested vault hunters like my friends I had a proven record of opening two vaults which was even higher than Atlas. She may not believe my friends capable of truly opening the vault but me? I was a whole different story.-
The best part here was that I didn't need to force her to switch sides from Atlas to us but as Marcus would say "offer a better deal". It was a simple question that needed to be answered "who benefits me the most?" I was simply hedging the odds in my direction is all.
_______________________________________________
Alexander Drake
Lifeforce:368,697
Integrated Traits: [Gun expertise-Uncommon grade]X4, [Clever mind-Rare grade],[Enhanced senses-Epic grade]X2, [Demi-supreme body-Legendary grade], [Supreme armored hide-Epic grade]X2, [Energy projection-Legendary grade], [Superior vitality-Epic grade]X2,[Flame breath-Uncommon grade],[Regeneration-Epic grade]X2, [Disease resistance-Epic grade],[Amphibious lungs-Uncommon grade], [Thermal sensing-Uncommon grade], [Water resistance-Common grade],[Active camouflage-Epic grade], [Eridian engineering expertise-Mythical grade], [Efficient lungs-Rare grade]x2, [Fire resistance-Epic grade]X3, [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, [Biometallic bones-Epic grade],[Elemental body(shock)-Rare grade]X3,[Quick thinking-Rare 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-Rare grade], [Gunsmithing expertise(degrading)-Common grade]X3, [Elemental body(Corrosive)-Rare grade], [Corrosion resistance-Rare grade], [Mechanical Savant-Epic grade],
Stored traits: [Flame projection gland], [Mechanical engineering expertise(degraded)-Common grade]
Comments
Christian Jeffress
Thanks for another really entertaining chapter. And I made some Niku Udon for dinner last night, so my mind went to her eating that lol. Hey, it’s got sodium, sugar, protein, and carbohydrates, everything a young scientist needs to keep on going lol.
