Self-confidence and sanity.
New
HelioBM
Strange Stranger
- Joined
- May 12, 2021
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I'm a real man, with a capital letter M! I've taken down dozens of alien monsters and bandits, I'm surviving on an unfriendly planet! So why do I feel like I've been fucked over like a naive schoolgirl?
Probably because that's exactly what happened.
Moxie seems to have a thing for being at the top of the "who's having it" list. Nah, I can understand her, but... okay, bygones.
When I finally regenerated my pelvis and back and was able to get out of bed, I found a familiar face at one of the bar tables.
- You look like you fought hard, - Lilith remarked, swallowing a bite of hamburger. - You haven't been this ragged since the unicorn.
She talks like we've known each other a long time... It's for the best, I suppose.
- Uh-huh. - I sighed. - A desperate battle with the boss of the zone.
- And how was the result? - The girl asked. She eat her sandwich ad sipped drink from a tall brown mug.
- A draw - I reported, flattering myself a little. - But I'm not going to take a rematch anytime soon. I need to be sober about my strengths.
- Debatable, on both counts, - another female voice said, and I flinched. Shit, where and when did Moxie come from behind the counter...? - But the result was well worth it, sugar.
- Speaking of which - Lilith remarked, clearly (and probably fortunately) getting it all wrong. Well, judging by her next words. - What about my work?
- Just a couple minutes, dearie, - Moxie said. - First up, our hero of the day.
I walked up to the counter.
- Ms. Moxie, - I said, not quite sure how to address her. - Do you happen to have any succubi in your family?
- Hmm? - She said questioningly, raising an eyebrow. - I don't recall. Furies, no succubi.
You'd have to wonder how to take that. There's a joke in every joke, especially in this crazy world.
- In that case, breakfast, - I nodded.
While I was eating breakfast, Lilith had time to get her job and leave, but another MC I knew appeared at the bar: Brick. The big guy looked a little dazed, and when he saw me, he came toward me.
- Great - he said; I nodded. - Listen, you've been on this planet longer than me, right? - I nodded again. - Do you know who that weirdo is, the bony one with the blue eyes? He's either a magician or a traveling doctor.
...We-ell.
As I suspected, Brick met Death... or Death met Brick, heh. And it was, frankly, outrageous.
- Anything you'd like to say? - I asked, looking up at the sky. - I don't have the best opinion of you, but I thought you were playing fair. And here it turns out that I lost the drone, and everyone got an advantage for it? Is that it?
"Incoming message received!"
"Well, for my sake, if you've got Second Breath, protagonists cannot to not have it. Besides, you've managed to get an inappropriate bonus ahead of the plot again. Eridian relics actually started to be used much later, and you're already using the adapter."
- That doesn't mean I have to pay for everyone, - I pointed out. - I get my bonuses fairly. If you claim you stick to fair play, stick to it until the end.
"Incoming message received!"
"..."
"Incoming message received!"
"..."
Seriously, two messages with multiple dots.
"Incoming message received!"
"...Okay. Is it okay if the Vladoff don't pay attention to the ammo overruns from all your turrets? All will be connected to the supply module."
I wondered. Well, that's fair enough, in my opinion. Brings it closer to game mechanics - I'm sure that's how it would be there, that all turrets don't use up my ammo - instead of away from it, and quite convenient for me.
- Ok. I hope it continues to be fair, otherwise why set it up in the first place.
In fact, overall with this arrangement, I remain on the plus side, and quite significantly so. The main problem with multiple turrets is that they eat up my ammo. If I don't have that problem... Well, quantity turns to quality.
I smiled involuntarily. Life is looks bright!
Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*!
I shot behind my back at the sound and immediately jumped sideways; the skag landed heavily on the footprint my feet left in the dust. Swiftly I turned around, hesitating due to the bullet in my side. Alas, my revolver wasn't powerful enough to do much damage, not enough to kill, but it is something still. I'd have to get to that dump truck ahead... I'd already gotten rid of the rakks, but the shotgun was out of ammo.
It started out pretty good. Another point in the Dahl quarry indicated by Tannis, some side work, I even found something to sell in the workers' cabins (and Claptrap found someone's stash). Then I left the doucherobot to snoop around the huts and beyond, and headed out to mop up the area myself. Another colony of skithyds was destroyed easily, making me relax.
Unwisely. Relaxing on Pandora was fraught with danger.
The signs of a skag pack were obvious; piles of droppings, plus burrows in the quarry walls. So I set up the turrets, and walked up to the dens, luring the skags out. The first batch of critters bent easily and cheerfully, and then...
I don't think I need the adults. The ones that came out next.
Alpha skag, threat level 11. And that might not have been such a problem - the beast was nowhere near that megascag - if it hadn't been for two factors.
For starters, it wasn't a regular alpha, but an "elemental". I have no idea how this absurdity works ("Pandora" answers all questions just like "Magic" in some other setting), but some local mutants have... I'm not even sure how to put it... "charged" with the "element". I wouldn't be surprised if it's because of the Maliwan guns that were eaten - the "elements" are the same.
This one, with the green skin, was corrosive. And while normal skag burp quickly ate through metal, this one had... My poor turret melted like a candle in an oven from one spit.
And then came the second alpha.
In this situation, the most reasonable thing to do was to scramble, which I hurriedly did.
...It was definitely my bad day. From somewhere up the slope, a pack of rakks took to the air. Those things aren't really dangerous on their own, just territorial and annoying, but when they attack together with someone else, from the ground and from the air... it becomes a problem.
Like it was not problem before.
The grenade - how quickly they're used up... - made the acid creature hesitate and growl, but alas, it wasn't enough to kill the alpha. At least it gave me a chance to fire a shotgun volley at the diving rakks, halving the pack (at least someone on this planet is fragile... relatively), and to look for a place to take the fight - a dump with piles of waste rock and a couple of abandoned dump trucks. By the way, the mystery of the abandoned equipment was explained simply: there was no valuable technical stuffing left in these giants, all digitized and taken away, leaving only metal hulks.
The second skag got the remains of the "Wave" ammo block, and he (she?) did not like this gift. Reload on the run - why can't ECHO send ammo directly into the gun?!.. - and immediately unload again, first at the second half of the flock of restless rakks, and then at the angry skags... and not get spat on. I definitely will no longer go out on a mission without a ceramic layer in my armor.
A puddle of skag burp began to dissolve the stones - but still slowly - and I, with a heavy heart, threw the second grenade. Only one left...
The plus was that this sacrifice was not in vain: the explosion covered both alphas, and their health, along with greetings from "Wave", fell below half. The minus was that I suddenly ran out of ammo blocks for the shotgun. "Wave" is a powerful thing, but it uses double the amount of ammunition for each shot.
Unfortunately, machine gun fire was much less effective, and there was no way to catch the skags with a shot in their vulnerable mouths - I'd have to save my skin amidst their spitting and jumping... The hope was that piles of rock and trucks would provide some cover, especially if I managed to kill the corrosive skag first.
The last grenade... My heart was bleeding. But I'd rather it bleed than spill out.
Throw... shit. The learned creatures leapt to the sides. The corrosive crouched down and growled, opening its mouth... and immediately received a line from the machine gun, I emptied the entire pabe.
The skag's health bar is empty. Kudos to you... Vladoff, I guess.
Dealing with the lone remaining skag was relatively easy, and it rewarded me with a new level boost, but this incident was a sobering shower for me. I've been getting overconfident lately; unnecessarily so, as practice shows. In general, Pandora has been a bad influence on me; I've become much more likely to do rash things, more impulsive in general. This is uncharacteristic of either me, the Earthling, or my character. In the future, my motto should be "Caution, Preparation, and Self-Control".
It's decided, I'll do it. And no risk if it can be avoided.
* * *
All in all, Pandora turned out to be an interesting place. At least here, Siren was free to use her abilities without fear of being burned at the stake, or burning someone's property. What's more, her abilities also allowed her to earn money...
It was dangerous at times, yes. But she wasn't unused to danger.
On the other hand, some jobs were too risky for her alone. Or simply required missing skills.
Nothing unsolvable, though.
She made a call to the code stored in the ECHO. Paused for about five seconds, and the call was answered.
- Hey, what are you doing now? - The girl asked.
- I'm running - the man on the other end of the line responded. The sounds of gunshots could be heard, then - a roar and the sounds of blows. - No fucking risk... I apologize.
- If you're busy, I can call back later - Lilith suggested, listening with curiosity.
- No, I'm available for a chat with a beautiful girl, even for free - the engineer responded. - I'll just wash off the blood so that the shovel doesn't rust...
The girl decided that this definitely deserved a story. However, later.
- You invited me to a romantic walk with the extermination of bandits and skags - she said. - Well, I have a counterproposal. How would you feel about a little romantic fire genocide of varkids?
There was a short pause.
- Lady, well, how could I turn down such proposal?
Lilith grinned. It sounds like it would be fun.
Probably because that's exactly what happened.
Moxie seems to have a thing for being at the top of the "who's having it" list. Nah, I can understand her, but... okay, bygones.
When I finally regenerated my pelvis and back and was able to get out of bed, I found a familiar face at one of the bar tables.
- You look like you fought hard, - Lilith remarked, swallowing a bite of hamburger. - You haven't been this ragged since the unicorn.
She talks like we've known each other a long time... It's for the best, I suppose.
- Uh-huh. - I sighed. - A desperate battle with the boss of the zone.
- And how was the result? - The girl asked. She eat her sandwich ad sipped drink from a tall brown mug.
- A draw - I reported, flattering myself a little. - But I'm not going to take a rematch anytime soon. I need to be sober about my strengths.
- Debatable, on both counts, - another female voice said, and I flinched. Shit, where and when did Moxie come from behind the counter...? - But the result was well worth it, sugar.
- Speaking of which - Lilith remarked, clearly (and probably fortunately) getting it all wrong. Well, judging by her next words. - What about my work?
- Just a couple minutes, dearie, - Moxie said. - First up, our hero of the day.
I walked up to the counter.
- Ms. Moxie, - I said, not quite sure how to address her. - Do you happen to have any succubi in your family?
- Hmm? - She said questioningly, raising an eyebrow. - I don't recall. Furies, no succubi.
You'd have to wonder how to take that. There's a joke in every joke, especially in this crazy world.
- In that case, breakfast, - I nodded.
While I was eating breakfast, Lilith had time to get her job and leave, but another MC I knew appeared at the bar: Brick. The big guy looked a little dazed, and when he saw me, he came toward me.
- Great - he said; I nodded. - Listen, you've been on this planet longer than me, right? - I nodded again. - Do you know who that weirdo is, the bony one with the blue eyes? He's either a magician or a traveling doctor.
...We-ell.
As I suspected, Brick met Death... or Death met Brick, heh. And it was, frankly, outrageous.
- Anything you'd like to say? - I asked, looking up at the sky. - I don't have the best opinion of you, but I thought you were playing fair. And here it turns out that I lost the drone, and everyone got an advantage for it? Is that it?
"Incoming message received!"
"Well, for my sake, if you've got Second Breath, protagonists cannot to not have it. Besides, you've managed to get an inappropriate bonus ahead of the plot again. Eridian relics actually started to be used much later, and you're already using the adapter."
- That doesn't mean I have to pay for everyone, - I pointed out. - I get my bonuses fairly. If you claim you stick to fair play, stick to it until the end.
"Incoming message received!"
"..."
"Incoming message received!"
"..."
Seriously, two messages with multiple dots.
"Incoming message received!"
"...Okay. Is it okay if the Vladoff don't pay attention to the ammo overruns from all your turrets? All will be connected to the supply module."
I wondered. Well, that's fair enough, in my opinion. Brings it closer to game mechanics - I'm sure that's how it would be there, that all turrets don't use up my ammo - instead of away from it, and quite convenient for me.
- Ok. I hope it continues to be fair, otherwise why set it up in the first place.
In fact, overall with this arrangement, I remain on the plus side, and quite significantly so. The main problem with multiple turrets is that they eat up my ammo. If I don't have that problem... Well, quantity turns to quality.
I smiled involuntarily. Life is looks bright!
Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*Shi*!
I shot behind my back at the sound and immediately jumped sideways; the skag landed heavily on the footprint my feet left in the dust. Swiftly I turned around, hesitating due to the bullet in my side. Alas, my revolver wasn't powerful enough to do much damage, not enough to kill, but it is something still. I'd have to get to that dump truck ahead... I'd already gotten rid of the rakks, but the shotgun was out of ammo.
It started out pretty good. Another point in the Dahl quarry indicated by Tannis, some side work, I even found something to sell in the workers' cabins (and Claptrap found someone's stash). Then I left the doucherobot to snoop around the huts and beyond, and headed out to mop up the area myself. Another colony of skithyds was destroyed easily, making me relax.
Unwisely. Relaxing on Pandora was fraught with danger.
The signs of a skag pack were obvious; piles of droppings, plus burrows in the quarry walls. So I set up the turrets, and walked up to the dens, luring the skags out. The first batch of critters bent easily and cheerfully, and then...
I don't think I need the adults. The ones that came out next.
Alpha skag, threat level 11. And that might not have been such a problem - the beast was nowhere near that megascag - if it hadn't been for two factors.
For starters, it wasn't a regular alpha, but an "elemental". I have no idea how this absurdity works ("Pandora" answers all questions just like "Magic" in some other setting), but some local mutants have... I'm not even sure how to put it... "charged" with the "element". I wouldn't be surprised if it's because of the Maliwan guns that were eaten - the "elements" are the same.
This one, with the green skin, was corrosive. And while normal skag burp quickly ate through metal, this one had... My poor turret melted like a candle in an oven from one spit.
And then came the second alpha.
In this situation, the most reasonable thing to do was to scramble, which I hurriedly did.
...It was definitely my bad day. From somewhere up the slope, a pack of rakks took to the air. Those things aren't really dangerous on their own, just territorial and annoying, but when they attack together with someone else, from the ground and from the air... it becomes a problem.
Like it was not problem before.
The grenade - how quickly they're used up... - made the acid creature hesitate and growl, but alas, it wasn't enough to kill the alpha. At least it gave me a chance to fire a shotgun volley at the diving rakks, halving the pack (at least someone on this planet is fragile... relatively), and to look for a place to take the fight - a dump with piles of waste rock and a couple of abandoned dump trucks. By the way, the mystery of the abandoned equipment was explained simply: there was no valuable technical stuffing left in these giants, all digitized and taken away, leaving only metal hulks.
The second skag got the remains of the "Wave" ammo block, and he (she?) did not like this gift. Reload on the run - why can't ECHO send ammo directly into the gun?!.. - and immediately unload again, first at the second half of the flock of restless rakks, and then at the angry skags... and not get spat on. I definitely will no longer go out on a mission without a ceramic layer in my armor.
A puddle of skag burp began to dissolve the stones - but still slowly - and I, with a heavy heart, threw the second grenade. Only one left...
The plus was that this sacrifice was not in vain: the explosion covered both alphas, and their health, along with greetings from "Wave", fell below half. The minus was that I suddenly ran out of ammo blocks for the shotgun. "Wave" is a powerful thing, but it uses double the amount of ammunition for each shot.
Unfortunately, machine gun fire was much less effective, and there was no way to catch the skags with a shot in their vulnerable mouths - I'd have to save my skin amidst their spitting and jumping... The hope was that piles of rock and trucks would provide some cover, especially if I managed to kill the corrosive skag first.
The last grenade... My heart was bleeding. But I'd rather it bleed than spill out.
Throw... shit. The learned creatures leapt to the sides. The corrosive crouched down and growled, opening its mouth... and immediately received a line from the machine gun, I emptied the entire pabe.
The skag's health bar is empty. Kudos to you... Vladoff, I guess.
Dealing with the lone remaining skag was relatively easy, and it rewarded me with a new level boost, but this incident was a sobering shower for me. I've been getting overconfident lately; unnecessarily so, as practice shows. In general, Pandora has been a bad influence on me; I've become much more likely to do rash things, more impulsive in general. This is uncharacteristic of either me, the Earthling, or my character. In the future, my motto should be "Caution, Preparation, and Self-Control".
It's decided, I'll do it. And no risk if it can be avoided.
* * *
All in all, Pandora turned out to be an interesting place. At least here, Siren was free to use her abilities without fear of being burned at the stake, or burning someone's property. What's more, her abilities also allowed her to earn money...
It was dangerous at times, yes. But she wasn't unused to danger.
On the other hand, some jobs were too risky for her alone. Or simply required missing skills.
Nothing unsolvable, though.
She made a call to the code stored in the ECHO. Paused for about five seconds, and the call was answered.
- Hey, what are you doing now? - The girl asked.
- I'm running - the man on the other end of the line responded. The sounds of gunshots could be heard, then - a roar and the sounds of blows. - No fucking risk... I apologize.
- If you're busy, I can call back later - Lilith suggested, listening with curiosity.
- No, I'm available for a chat with a beautiful girl, even for free - the engineer responded. - I'll just wash off the blood so that the shovel doesn't rust...
The girl decided that this definitely deserved a story. However, later.
- You invited me to a romantic walk with the extermination of bandits and skags - she said. - Well, I have a counterproposal. How would you feel about a little romantic fire genocide of varkids?
There was a short pause.
- Lady, well, how could I turn down such proposal?
Lilith grinned. It sounds like it would be fun.