Chapter 2

The general craziness of the people in Borderlands seemed like something fun the developers of the game created. William, however, found out at least one reason for it. He had been walking through the desert for… He looked up, seeing the blazing sun that was still mockingly glaring at him. For a day! He had been walking through the desert for a day! Yet to him, it felt like he had been at it for at least two maybe even three days.

The only reason William survived for so long was his Siren ability. There was no food, nor water anywhere in sight. He had to rely solely on his Phaseleech to drain whatever he needed from any living beings he encountered, be they skags or bandits. William couldn't possibly see how someone could survive in this godforsaken place without water or food. He didn't even blame the bandits for thinking of him as a tasty meal, as he thought them of one himself.

Unfortunately for William, the groups of psychos he encountered didn't have a vehicle with them. However, that did at least inform him that there should be a bandit camp nearby, and he was really looking forward to finding it. Lying down in a place where the sun didn't shine was something he really wished for. He was already sunburned, for the fourth time if he wasn't mistaken, but at least Phaseleech healed and fixed his skin. However, he did need to find something to use it on.

Since the last groups of bandits had been on foot, William assumed they should have some sort of base nearby. He could be walking in the wrong direction, opposite of where the said base should be, but it's not like knew where it was, to begin with.

This Gamer ability William had didn't come with a nifty map that always pointed him in the correct path. It didn't even have an inventory, and he was forced to carry everything he found on his back, using a bunch of pants he tied together as a make-shift backpack. Inside it were all the guns he found, plus a couple axes as well. William even had a few grenades, but those were in his pocket, as dangerous as that was.

And in his right hand, he carried an SMG that looked absolutely atrocious. Whoever made it, had as much knowledge about guns as William, that's how bad the weapon was. It was also why he chose to use it. His ammo was limited, and even though he could check if a gun had any bullets or not, switching magazines of different ones was out of his skill set.

Dead bandits and skags awarded him less life force than live ones, and if he waited long enough, they would give him nothing. He refused to use his guns at first due to that and because his ammo was limited, but after a few close encounters, he changed his mind. Especially when he fought against a group of bandits that had guns of their own. Unless he wanted to be turned into Swiss cheese, he had no other option than to shoot at them as well. Even then, William hadn't survived the encounter scot-free and still had a bullet in his left arm. Removing it was out of the question since he didn't know how. He just hoped Phaseleech would somehow heal it.

William stopped in his tracks, hearing the roars of an engine in the distance. His eyes lit up, and he almost took off running in that direction. Rushing at them wouldn't do him any good, considering they might have a base nearby. If that was the case, it would be better if he waited until night time, but looking at the sun, he had no idea how long he had to wait for that.

"It's all or nothing," William said and increased his pace just a little bit, following after the roars of the engine in the distance. Even if he didn't find a bandit base nearby, he could at least get another vehicle. Hopefully, it would last him more than his previous one.

After following the roaring of the vehicle for some time, it finally stopped, and William saw the reason for it. In the distance, there were a bunch of shacks made out of rusted metal, alongside tents, which he didn't wish to know what they were made off, considering there were poles with what looked to be human skull from where he was looking. Did that sight terrify him? Yes, it did, but not as much as it would've… hours ago. Gamer's Mind also helped calm him down as well.

Once he was closer to the camp, William dropped the make-shift backpack on the ground. He grabbed the first gun he found in this world, the HYPERION pistol, and an axe. He'd used the pistol once before, but it still had 20 bullets, and it was the best gun he currently had. William left the two weapons on the ground next to his feet and grabbed the two grenades from his pockets. After pulling the pin of the first, he threw it towards the bandit camp with all his might. He did the same with the second, and both grenades reached the camp despite the distance he was from it, all thanks to his Skill.

[Strength Beyond Measure 2/5: Using Phaseleech you can empower your body. Turn 10% of the life force you absorb into your strength, increasing your physical abilities. Current modifier: 1.2x]

William was 20% stronger than a regular Joe, which didn't sound like much at first, but he already felt the difference. His muscles even looked more defined, yet he hadn't done a single exercise to warrant that.

"LEEROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOY JEEEEEENKIIIIIIIIIIINS!!!" After grabbing the pistol from the ground, William rushed in after the grenades, yelling to his heart's content. His time in the desert hadn't been kind to him, and the only reason he was still sane… okay, somewhat sane was due to Gamer's Mind.The explosions of the two grenades followed after, sending the camp into dismay. Or it would've if it wasn't made out of psychos. They just screamed and yelled their own battle cries – most of them being about how they will eat William alive – before rushing after him.

There were about a dozen psycho madly dashing towards him. A few midgets were amongst them, almost hidden due to their small stature. William wasn't scared of them, as he had already killed a few such groups on his own. However, in the distance, he saw a bunch of better dressed bandits with guns in their hands. One of them was taller and bulkier than the rest with a shotgun in his hand.

Those gun-wielding bandits were a threat, a big one even, but he didn't falter in his steps. The psychos were in their line of sight, so William had some protection due to that. Plus, he found out that bandits were pretty bad shots. Their guns were not only badly made, but they had bad aim and not that many bullets, making it hard for them to practice.

Once William neared the bandits, he fired a few shots from his pistol at them. Another thing he learned from his previous encounters was that if you didn't hit them in the heads or heart, they will keep going no matter what. They weren't called psychos for no reason. Only one of the five bullets he fired hit one of those two vital areas since he was almost as bad as the bandits when it came to aiming. Probably worse even.

William continued firing, emptying the magazine of the pistol and taking down a total of three bandits. Disappointing, but it was better than nothing, and his right hand was now free for him to activate his ability. When the bandits closed in on him, he hacked and slashed with the axe in his left hand, aiming to maim and injure but not to kill, while doing his best to avoid being hit in any of his vitals. Since he was faster than them, just a little bit, but still faster, he could dodge most of their attacks, only allowing minor injuries which he didn't care about. A Phaseleech or two will heal those without any issues.

Williams was by no means an expert fighter, but neither were the psychos. He also had some practice with previous bandits he killed, so he was handling himself surpassingly well. Dodge the attacks, slash with his axe, use Phaseleech whenever possible, and make sure to keep the psychos in the line of fire of the gun-wielding bandits. William wasn't sure if it was due to him leveling up a few times, or because he was better at using his Siren ability now that he had more practice, but he was able to drain them surprisingly quick.

The Psychos fell one by one, and he was forced to move around even more to avoid being hit by one of the stray bullets. The gun-wielding bandits shot their own a few times in their attempts to hit him, but he wasn't complaining. Okay, only when they killed the psychos did he complain.

"I'm gonna beat you to life!" All the bandits loved yelling, but this was the roar of a beast. From the corner of his eyes, William peeked a giant of a psycho, holding an axe fit for his size, madly rushing at him. He was taller, stronger, and faster than everyone else. Basically, what every psycho wished and aspired to be.

"Ah, shit!" William cursed as he dodged out of the way of an axe. He grabbed the bandit that dared attack him with his right hand and quickly drained him dry. The psycho's axe fell from his grasp just as he started turning into dust. William's right hand shot out, catching it in the air in a surprising show of dexterity and reaction speed. That was a feat he definitely wasn't able to accomplish… hours ago. He still didn't know how much time had passed since he woke up in this desert.

Having two axes in his hands, he started madly hacking and slashing at the remaining psychos, turning into a whirlwind of death. At least that's he saw himself in his imagination. Either way, it was effective as they started dropping quickly. That did, however, give the gun-wielding bandits an opportunity to fire at him with nothing blocking their sight. Thankfully, their bullets were limited, and they were almost out of ammo.

[You have leveled up!]

[+1 Skill Point!]

The massive psycho neared him just as William buried his axe in the head of the last remaining bandit near him. Now that he was closer, he noticed the giant was profusely bleeding from his right leg and slightly hobbling.

'He is faster than the other psychos even with that injury? What kind of a freak is that?' William was befuddled by that, but he still jumped out of the way when the massive psycho swung his axe. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the bandit with the shotgun was behind the psycho, aiming the gun right at him.

"Shit!" William cursed and dived to the side, rolling on the sand. That was a move he hadn't done even since P.E in school, yet he pulled it off, quite well at that. And a good thing he did, as a spray of bullets hit the spot he had just been, causing a cloud of sand to form.

William did his best to keep the massive psycho in the line of sight of the bandit with the shotgun while waiting for his ability's cooldown. Due to the psycho's injury, he was able to keep away from him with relative ease. He even placed a Skill Point he gained due to leveling up in the fight in Strength Beyond Measure. Two new Skills became available for him, but he wasn't that confident to check them while fighting.

When Phaseleech came off cooldown, William waited for the psycho to make a mistake. The bandit swung his massive axe, and William dodged out of the way like he had done multiple times already. However, this time, his hand flew out, like a snake jumping at its prey, and caught the psycho's arm. His tattoos lit up, and William grinned, thinking the bandit was done for. After all, every time he used his ability on something, they weren't able to fight him back. However, the massive psycho wasn't just anyone. His free arm punched out, hitting William and sending him tumbling back.

"What?!" William was bewildered, as Phaseleech hadn't failed him once so far. This was completely out of his expectations. Thankfully, Gamer's Mind calmed him down, allowing him to quickly get up and avoid being turned into Swiss cheese by the bandit with the shotgun. He also noticed the other bandits running at him, as they were probably out of bullets already.

Scrambling, William grabbed two axes from the ground and threw them at the bandit with the shotgun. Since he sucked at throwing weapons, he wasn't disappointed when the first axe hit the bandit with its pommel. However, he was pleasantly surprised when the second one struck the bandit with its blade and plunged itself in his shoulder. William would've jumped in joy and happiness if a massive psycho wasn't chasing after him.

"Shotty's been achin' for something to kill!"

"Dunno who you are but die!"

"You'll be screaming when I'm done!"

Oh, and the rest of the bandits that came rushing in. How could he have forgotten about them? Maybe it's because he didn't see them as a threat now that they weren't shooting at him. William's focus was on the massive psycho, waiting for him to make the slightest mistake. And soon he did, swinging his axe and overextending.

William didn't miss this chance and grabbed him, activating Phaseleech in the process. Since the psycho was already weakened, he wasn't able to power through and attack him. The psycho turned into dust just as the rest of the bandits started hitting him with their guns, using them as blunt weapons.

An almost deranged laughter came out of William's mouth. The life force he drained from the massive psycho was so much more than any other he had leeched before. His heart started beating wildly as he felt unstoppable from the power high. Until he saw the bandit with the shotgun and quickly came back to Earth. He still had the axe in his shoulder, but that didn't seem to stop him from aiming his gun at William.

"Fuck!" William jumped behind one bandit as he got filled with shotgun pellets. He then ran through the bandits, zigging and zagging, doing his overall best to avoid being shot by the shotgun. When his ability came off cooldown, William pounced on the bandit with a shotgun like a tiger after its prey.

"You're mine now, bitch!" His tattoos lit up as he activated Phaseleech, draining the bandit and turning him into dust.

William turned towards the rest with a mad glint in his eyes. The life force from the bulky bandit wasn't as much as the massive psycho, but it was the second most he had ever drained. He was back on his power high, and this time, there wasn't some asshole with a shotgun to ruin it for him. Jumping at the rest of the bandits, he decimated them very quickly, hacking at them with an axe he picked up or simply draining them with Phaseleech.

[You have leveled up!]

[+1 Skill Point!]

Another mad laughter left his mouth as the last bandit fell. William had just killed an entire bandit camp by himself! He really felt unstoppable, especially with how much life force he had drained. He still had even some dead bandits to leach, and he did so while laughing madly. William then looked over at his Skill Tree, inspecting the two new skills that were available to him.

[Avarice 0/5: Using Phaseleech, you have a 20% chance of absorbing someone's memories. Only beneficial ones will be absorbed, and your personality won't be harmed.]

[Wit Beyond Measure 0/5: Using Phaseleech you can empower your mind. Turn 5% of the life force you absorb into mind power, increasing your mental capabilities. Current modifier: none]

William wanted both – the second one more than the first – but he also wanted to max out his first set of Skills as well. After thinking it over, he decided to place one point into Wit Beyond Measure. He will get Avarice next time he levels up, which will hopefully be soon. Knowing exactly where he was and finding a place that was… less crazy was a priority to him. If he was lucky, some of the bandits he encounters will have that information.

But that was for later. Now he had a bandit camp to loot! William grabbed his make-shift backpack and picked up the only remaining weapon with ammo, the shotgun. The camp itself was a mess, and not only because of the two grenades he threw at them. There were a few scattered bodies, which William happily skipped to and used Phaseleech on, only to be disappointed by how little they were worth.

"Haaa." A dejected sigh left his mouth, but he shook his head.

"Hopefully, there will be something useful around here. Like a chest maybe," William said as his optimistic side took over. He squished the pessimistic one that was trying to take over as he checked every nook and cranny of the bandit camp.

To his misfortune, he didn't find a single gun or ammo, only a few axes were scattered around. In one of the shacks, he found some cooked meat, but he avoided it like the plague. The meat could've come from only two things. Either skags, which didn't look tasty in any way, or from other humans. He didn't like either of the two.

There was a barrel filled with dirty water, which he also avoided. If it wasn't for Gluttony, he would've drank it all without hesitation, despite being filthy. However, as things stood, he didn't need to, and he also didn't want to catch the craziness of the bandits. What if it came from the water they drank? It could also be from the very air they breathed, but if that was the case, then he already caught the crazy the moment he woke up here.

The last and most valuable thing he found was fuel, a few cans worth of it. Combined with the vehicle that was already there, made this bandit extermination profitable, despite the lack of anything else.

"Should I stay here and rest, or should I continue on?" That was his current predicament. William could take one of the shacks there and avoid the scorching sun for some time, maybe even take a nap. However, he didn't know if there were more bandits from this camp that were simply patrolling around. They could catch him off-guard if he fell asleep.

"I guess I will go," William sighed as he stored everything he had on the vehicle alongside the fuel cans. As much as he wished to take shelter from the sun, he was bursting with energy from absorbing so many bandits, so he would go crazy just staying in one place without anything to do.

Starting the engine, William drove off. His eyes kept scanning his surroundings, searching for any significant landmarks or living beings. Getting strong enough to survive anything he encounters was his main priority alongside finding anyone that wouldn't attack him at sight.

William peeked at his Strength Beyond Measure Skill and smiled happily. The bandit camp he just cleared had given him a lot of life force, and his strength modifier was at 1.4x. That made him 40% stronger than a regular Joe! But it wasn't that simple. It made all of his physical abilities 40% better, which included his agility, dexterity, and durability. He couldn't even imagine surviving without this Skill. No, he couldn't even imagine surviving without Phaseleech. That ability was the only reason he was still alive and well. The well part could be questioned, but he was alive!

Some time passed as William drove around in the desert. He encountered a few groups of skags, which he promptly took down and drained. A few bandit patrols followed the same fate, and soon enough, he leveled up again. The Skill Point was quickly added to Avarice, and he eagerly sought out more bandits. William found one such group, and it even had a massive psycho amongst them, which made it even better!

That group was promptly taken down, and only the massive psycho gave him some trouble. However, he was much stronger this time and already had experience with one, so he knew what to expect. William only had to avoid getting hit by its axe. It was that simple. In fact, it was so simple, even a baby could do it. As long as said baby was as strong as him, that is.

Luck was on William's side, as the first bandit he drained, provided him with the information he needed. He was more thank thankful that only beneficial memories were drained since he wished to avoid the crazy. Nevertheless, he knew where he had to go, as there was a place with someone residing there, which the bandits hated.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." With that moto, William drove towards some kind of vehicle junkyard in Dust, the name of the desert. Or at least that's what the bandits called it. Considering how unoriginal they were, he was surprised they hadn't named it the Desert.

On his way there, one very important thing happened… started happening. It was starting to get dark! William honestly couldn't believe it. Night existed! However, William wasn't as happy as he thought he would be. If the day lasted for so long, wouldn't the night be just as long? He really wanted to get the fuck out of this planet as soon as possible. This place was fucking nightmare!

Smashed cars and parts of them all piled up together to form a wall was what greeted him when he neared the vehicle junkyard. He found the entrance of the place and slowly drove in, hoping no one would shoot him on sight. There was a large garage there with the lights turned on. William stopped in front of it and exited the car. A ball of flesh then roll… walked out of the garage.

'It looks like a woman, but it could be an alien,' William thought as the thing inspected him.

"Hey, cutie~" She spoke to him with the accent of someone who's had sex with their cousin as she waved her hand.

"I knew comin' out here was worth it. All kinds of cars for me to work with. And now a cutie like you rolls up. So, what can I do for ya?" She asked happily.

'Roll up? You're the one rolling!' William thought.

"Um, hi? I'm William?" Still, he decided it'd be best to introduce himself.

"Awww, don't be shy. I don't bite. Unless ya ask me to." She tried sending him a flirtatious smile, but it only made him shudder in dread. "And ma' name's Ellie. Happy to meet ya!"

Despite everything, William happy to meet her as well. Ellie was by far the prettiest woman he had ever seen, but she didn't try to kill him outright! She was sane! Well, the sanest person he had met so far, but that was better than nothing!

"I need help," William said with honesty. He didn't know how else to put it.

"I… crash-landed on this planet recently and have been surviving on my own so far. Do you know a location not filled with bandits that would shoot me on sight?" William asked her.

"Awww, and here I thought you came here for lil' ol' me," Ellie said, but there was no disappointment in her voice.

'There's nothing little about you, lady!' William screamed in his mind but kept his mouth shut.

"I know of two such locations. Lynchwood is the closer one, but you still might end up getting shot there. Unless ya' one of em' Hyperions," Ellie narrowed her eyes, watching his reaction at her last statement. Seeing as William didn't react in any visible way, she continued.

"Sanctuary is the other one, but it's much further away. Ya' have to pass Three Horns Valley, which is filled with bandits. But since you survived the Dust, it shouldn't be a problem for ya'. Sanctuary is in the North of Three Horns Divide," Ellie informed him.

"Do you have a map to show me the way?" William asked since none of those locations meant anything to him, even with the memories he got from the bandit.

"I sure do!" Ellie confirmed in her cheery accented tone. "I can mark it on your ECHO device as well."

"ECHO device? I don't have one," William said.

"Got broken when ya crash-landed? Should've figured," Ellie said, and William didn't correct her.

"Well, I think I got a spare one around here. Just give me a moment," She continued and entered her garage. She came out with something that looked like a radio or a phone of some sort.

"Here ya go," Ellie tossed it over to him.

"Can't store that many things, but it can connect with the ECHOnet," Ellie informed him, but that made little sense to him. He would have to tinker with this ECHO device for a bit before figuring out what it could do.

"It's one of em' older models, so just let it scan your retina to claim it as your own," Ellie continued advising him after she saw him staring at the ECHO devise weirdly.

"Yeah…" William nodded, doing as instructed. The device lit up, giving him a few options to choose from. In a way, it was similar to a smartphone, but it looked like the portable phones from the 80s that resembled bricks.

"Can you mark Sanctuary for me?" William asked her. He wasn't a Hyperion, so going to Lynchwood didn't guarantee his safety. He didn't know of this Sanctuary place, but Ellie mentioned nothing of being shot there.

"Sure, cutie," Ellie took it off his hands and marked the location down.

"I'd recommend ya wait for the night to pass. It gets freezing cold around Sanctuary durin' the night, and ya' don't seem to be dressed for it. I got a spare bed in the garage if you wanna spend the night here?" Ellie offered before smirking.

"Or maybe we can share a bed?" She asked, making William shudder. Yeah, he definitely wasn't going to share a bed with her. However, he wouldn't mind lying down for a bit.

"I'll take the spare bed if you don't mind," William told her.

"Your loss," Ellie replied. "Follow me."

The bed was nothing special, but William at least had a place to lay his head down. He grabbed his ECHO device and started tinkering with it, figuring out what it could do. The ECHOnet was like the internet, and he was reading up on some interesting information there, when the screen suddenly changed, turning into a hazy image of a woman.

"Hello."