All three of them rushed onto the bridge, the blaring alarm syncing with their racing hearts.
Then, a calm, automated voice cut through the noise: "Warning. Low fuel."
VEYRA: "It can't be! The tank was full when we got it! The ship is brand new!" Her hands flew across the console. "Damage report! Now!"
A holographic blueprint of the ship materialized in the center of the bridge. A large, blinking red section highlighted the fuel tank, showing a slow but steady leak.
VEYRA: (Her face grim) "We've got a leak. We took a hit during the escape. Time for an emergency landing. No choice." She scanned the viewport, pointing to a cluster of lights in the distance. "There. We park there."
KIRO: (Eyes narrowing at the hologram) "Has to be. That army guy... one of his shots must have nicked us."
The ship touched down in a desolate stretch of desert, kicking up a cloud of ancient dust. The landscape was a graveyard of rust: the skeletal frames of run-down car bodies, half-buried and bleached by the sun, with almost none fully intact.
The trio exited, the dry heat hitting them like a wall.
KIRO: "This place is hot. And sandy." He squinted at the distant, crumbling shapes. "What are those ruins?"
VEYRA: (Shielding her eyes) "I don't know. Ruins of the old world, maybe. Those were cars. That's how they looked back in the 2000s."
RAIJI: (Looking at the rusted metal husks) "How... medieval."
VEYRA: "They were simpler times. Until the Great Weapons changed everything."
They began trekking toward the small cluster of buildings on the horizon.
Without warning, the ground beneath them erupted. A colossal, segmented worm 50 feet long, its hide a mottled yellow and brown burst from the sand, its circular maw a spiraling pit of razor-sharp teeth.
VEYRA: (Backpedaling, drawing her pistol) "That's a big sandworm! And a lot of teeth! You two are up!"
RAIJI: He didn't hesitate. Darting underneath the looming beast, he unleashed an upward slash with his dragon-bladed sword, scoring a deep gash along its underside.
KIRO: From above, he dropped like a meteor, driving a heel into the creature's head. The impact shuddered through it, and Kiro landed hard, grabbing his injured side with a grimace.
VEYRA: "Burn!" She fired five specialized rounds into the open wound Raiji had created. The bullets ignited on impact, and flames rapidly consumed the worm from the inside out. It thrashed once more before collapsing, still smoldering.
KIRO: (Panting) "That guy was tough..."
VEYRA: "Or you're just still injured. You've got to rest."
RAIJI: He examined his blade, a look of approval in his eyes. "I've got a name for this dragon-blade. I'll call it Baneblade." He paused. "And the new sword: Element Slayer."
KIRO: (Letting out a pained laugh) "Those are such bad names."
They walked away from the ship, the vast silence of the desert pressing in on them. There was no wind, just the oppressive, baking heat.
Raiji wiped sweat from his brow.
KIRO: "How is it this hot out here, but not in the city?"
VEYRA: "Simple. The city has an invisible atmospheric dome. You can pass through it, but it filters the sun's most intense heat rays. Out here... we get the full effect."
As they trudged on, a figure resolved in the heat haze ahead: a man in a worn brown hood, a large backpack on his shoulders.
THE STRANGER: (His voice dry and raspy, like the sand itself) "Travelers. You're new here. In the Enchanted Frontier."
RAIJI: (Hand resting near his sword) "Who are you, stranger?"
KIRO: "We're just heading to town to buy some supplies."
THE STRANGER: "I see. New to the Frontier." He looked them over, his eyes shadowed by his hood. "This place isn't kind to newcomers. You must be strong. And smart. So, here's some wisdom from a Pilgrim." He pointed a bony finger toward the distant town. "Don't buy anything from Scrap Town."
He turned to leave.
VEYRA: "Wait! Why? And what's your name?"
The man paused but didn't look back.
THE PILGRIM: "Just don't. Not with your credits. Use scrap." He began walking again, his form already shimmering in the heat. "Just call me the Pilgrim."
And with that, he was gone, swallowed by the vastness of the dunes.
KIRO: "Strange guy. Let's move on."
They pressed forward, the settlement growing clearer. It was less a town and more a fortified scrap heap. The entrance was a massive gate of welded iron bars.
Two armed guards flanked it, and a third sat behind a makeshift toll booth.
TOLL GUARD: (Without looking up) "5,000 credits to get in."
KIRO: "For all of us?"
TOLL GUARD: "Each. Party of three? That's 15,000."
KIRO: "Why so much?!"
The guard finally looked up, his eyes cold. "No questions. That's an extra 10,000."
RAIJI: (His voice dangerously low) "This is a scam."
KIRO: (Thinking fast, remembering the Pilgrim's words) "How much in scrap?"
The guard's expression shifted to one of faint, predatory interest. "Scrap, huh? Two units per person. So... six."
VEYRA: She had already been scanning the horizon. She pointed to a distant, skeletal wreck half-buried in the dunes. "I saw an old airship carcass on the way in. Let's go there."
Without another word to the guards, the trio turned and walked away, the toll guard's smirk fading into a scowl as his easy credit score slipped through his fingers.
They moved toward the fallen airship, a colossal wreck nearly 200 feet long, its hull bleached and scarred by decades of sandblasting.
Inside, the air was stale and metallic. The skeleton of the vessel was picked clean in some places, a treasure trove in others.
VEYRA: (Wrinkling her nose) "This place smells... like rust and dead circuits." She peered at a ruptured fuel line. "Maybe we can find a new air tank in here."
KIRO: (Kicking a shattered console) "A working one? No chance."
RAIJI: He had wandered off, returning with a heavy, cylindrical motor unit. "Maybe this will do."
VEYRA: "Maybe. But let's keep that for ourselves. Don't let the toll guards see it."
They scavenged deeper, gathering ten decent-sized scrap parts. Kiro hefted the bundle over his shoulder.
BEEP. BEEP.
A red light flickered to life in a dark alcove.
SYNTHETIC VOICE: "Online. Intruder detected. Intruder. You must go away. Or else. Must report to Marshal Zor Zor."
A humanoid robot, five feet tall and painted in fading silver and black with crude armor plating, stepped into the dim light, its optic sensors glowing yellow.
RAIJI: He didn't wait for an "or else." In one fluid motion, he drew Baneblade and cut upward, shearing the robot cleanly in half at the waist. It sparked and clattered to the deck.
RAIJI: "Let's go."
They hurried out, the silence of the desert feeling even heavier than before.
VEYRA: (Glancing back at the wreck) "Working bots out here... that's odd."
They returned to the iron gate. Without a word, Kiro dumped the six required scrap parts at the toll guard's feet.
The guard eyed the quality of the salvage, then gave a grunt of disappointment.
TOLL GUARD: "Fine. You may enter Scrap Town."
The massive gate groaned open, revealing the chaotic, clanging interior of the settlement.
They passed through the gate into Scrap Town. It was a chaotic collage of rust and ingenuity. Houses were huts welded together from salvaged plating, and every surface was covered in a patina of age and grit.
KIRO: "This place is ugly. I didn't know anywhere could be worse than the slums." He looked to Veyra. "Got any intel?"
VEYRA: (Scanning the crowded, noisy lanes) "This place is as new to me as it is to you. We're blind here."
A stand selling a single, sad-looking pie had a sign: PIE - 10,000 CREDITS.
KIRO: "That's not a scam; that's a crime."
They looked around. A bar of soap: 4,000 credits. A scrawny, packaged chicken: 15,000. The credit prices were clearly a trap for desperate or ignorant outsiders.
RAIJI: "That's why. Scrap only. Let's move on."
VEYRA: "Let's find a repair place. We should get this fuel tank we found inspected, at least."
They searched the winding paths until they found a larger, more substantial structure. The air smelled of hot metal, ozone, and burned steel. The rhythmic clang of a hammer echoed from within.
RAIJI: "Hello?"
VEYRA: "Do you repair airship parts?"
A man turned from his anvil. He had dark, sun-tanned skin, corded with muscle, and stood a head taller than Raiji. His eyes were sharp, assessing.
THE BLACKSMITH: (His voice a low, resonant rumble) "I do. What parts need mendin'?"
KIRO: Hefted the fuel tank onto a workbench. "This. We just need an inspection. How much?"
The blacksmith ran a calloused hand over the tank's surface, his touch surprisingly delicate. He tapped it in a few places, listening.
THE BLACKSMITH: "Inspection's two scrap." He pointed to a hairline fracture. "If it needs a weld and a sealant patch and it looks like it does that's a ballpark of ten to fifteen scrap. Includes the parts and the work. No surprises."
KIRO: (Looking at the fuel tank) "Looks like we need more scrap. Time to go back out."
VEYRA: "I think we should split up. Raiji and I can scout the town for odd jobs or more salvage leads. You..." She gave Kiro a pointed look. "...need to rest. Maybe that airship wreck has more loot you can haul back, but take it easy."
KIRO: "Fine. You two explore. I'll have some 'fun' outside."
As they turned to leave, the blacksmith's low voice stopped them.
THE BLACKSMITH: "Hold up." He wiped his hands on his apron. "Be careful. Don't flash credits. You three stick out like fresh plating. Word of advice—info ain't free here. And watch for the bandits. They kinda run the place. It's a... corrupted mayor situation. Long story." He reached under his bench and tossed a small, flat cube device to Kiro. "Take this. It's a scrap caddy. You'll need it if you're hauling in the desert."
Kiro caught it, the device humming faintly.
VEYRA: "Got it. Thanks."
The trio split. Kiro headed back toward the main gate, the weight of the empty caddy in his pocket. Veyra and Raiji melted into the bustling, clanging market district, their last four scrap pieces feeling dangerously light.
After securing some surprisingly decent food three meat pies for a single scrap Veyra and Raiji continued their exploration. They turned a corner and found a modest inn, its structure a patchwork of weathered wood and salvaged plating.
A scene was unfolding at the front desk. Three thugs loomed over a frightened woman.
THUG LEADER: "You owe us the protection fee. You missed this week. That'll be five scrap."
THE WOMAN: "I told you, I paid in full already!"
THUG 1: "That was the tax. This is the fee. Different thing."
THUG 2: (Pointing to a decorative, ornate sword on the wall) "Or you can just give us that fancy blade."
THE WOMAN: "No, I won't! Alright, alright, wait. Let me get my last scrap..."
RAIJI: (His voice cutting through the tension) "Who are you three?"
The thugs turned. The leader sneered, his hand dropping to the weapon at his hip.
THUG LEADER: "More like, who are you? Stay out of this."
Before Raiji could move, Veyra stepped forward, placing an arm in front of him.
VEYRA: "Stand back. I want to test my suit."
RAIJI: (Nodding, a slight smirk on his face) "Sure."
THUG LEADER: He burst into mocking laughter, his two lackeys joining in. "A woman in a fancy suit wants to fight? This'll be"
He didn't finish. Veyra was a blur. She closed the distance in an instant, driving a piston-enhanced punch into the first thug's gut, knocking the wind from him in a loud OOF.
As he doubled over, she calmly took a specialized bullet from her belt, tossed it into the air, and caught it. The thug hit the ground, his movements slowing to a crawl as a cryo-field enveloped him.
The other two thugs stopped laughing.
THUG 2: "Hey, you!" He lunged. Veyra sidestepped and shot the cryo-bullet like a into his chest. He dropped, instantly frozen in a block of ice up to his head.
THUG LEADER: (Backing away, his bravado gone) "You're fast... You know, if you leave now and pay us fifty scrap, we can forget this ever"
FZZZT.
Another cryo-bullet hit him square in the chest, freezing him in mid-sentence.
The first thug, still conscious but moving as if through syrup, stammered, "Y-you two... will p-pay for this..."
RAIJI: (Walking over to him) "How? You three are weak." With a single, dismissive kick, he sent the slowed thug sliding out the door, then dragged the other two out after him, dumping them unceremoniously into the street.
RAIJI: (Turning to the woman) "How are you, ma'am?"
THE WOMAN: (Breathing a sigh of relief) "I'm okay, thanks to you."
VEYRA: "Who were they?"
THE WOMAN: Her face grew pale with fear. "You need to get out of town. Now. Your friend has a sword, and you just picked a fight with the Bandit's Boys. They're the biggest gang here. And their leader... he's very strong. He collects swords."
A fierce, eager grin spread across Raiji's face.
RAIJI: "A new threat."