Bastard roared.
A guttural, metallic growl erupted from within as its boosters ignited, the back turbines screeching like a banshee on fire. Electricity sparked around its joints, steam hissing from overworked vents. Then—
BOOM.
They were airborne. Not gracefully. Violently.
"AHAHAHAHA! THIS IS AWESOME!" Orion bellowed, wind slapping his face, hair like a flaming comet behind him.
"WE'RE GONNA DIEEEE!" Buck screamed, clinging to the inner handles like a child on a possessed roller coaster.
Bastard had entered Discharge Mode—a rarely mentioned, barely understood failsafe that activated when its power core was overcharged. The electromagnetic shockwave from Knuckle Crusher had done the job. The beast-machine wasn't flying. It was rocketing, a flaming bullet across the torn sky.
The land below blurred. Mountains, valleys, ruins—all zipped past like water beneath a skipping stone.
And then.
CRASH.
They plummeted like a divine hammer, carving into the earth with explosive force. The world flipped. Earth and smoke engulfed them.
Everything went black.
---
Orion groaned, coughing dust.
"Damn... that was a rush."
Buck emerged from a crater-shaped hole in the ground, wheezing. "I'm still... alive?"
They looked around.
The land was cracked, cratered. Dozens—no, hundreds—of pits littered the horizon. The ground was blackened, scorched. And above them, the night sky shimmered with fiery streaks.
But these weren't meteors.
They were Worms.
Massive, blazing machines hurtling down from the heavens.
Orion's grin faded.
"Wh-What the heck are those?" Buck stumbled on his feet
"Those bad boys... are Reactor-types," he muttered, awe in his voice. For once, not a single curse escaped his lips. "Moving power plants. They generate energy beyond imagination. I'd heard stories... but to see 'em fall like this..."
Buck, staring wide-eyed, gulped. "This isn't normal, right?"
Orion didn't answer. He just walked to the edge of the crater they'd made. Bastard was slumped at the bottom like a beast that had run too far, too fast.
"Is... is he dead?" Buck whispered.
"Shut up," Orion snapped, kneeling beside the Worm. "He's not dead. Core's still pulsing. He just overloaded. Dammit, his whole frame's cracked. We'll need new parts."
"From where? This place is a graveyard!"
"Exactly."
Orion stood, looking at the burning sky and the hollowed land.
"A graveyard of Reactor-type Worms."
---
They waited. Orion rigged a makeshift stabilizer from wires and scrap. Buck wandered, muttering about dying alone in a wasteland.
Then came the noise.
A faint crackle. Like radio static.
"Oi, did you hear that?" Buck said.
"Only your annoying voice," Orion replied, not looking up.
"No seriously. Over there. Near that cliff. I swear I heard something."
Orion sighed. "If we die because you're hearing phantom radio signals, I swear I'll haunt your dumb soul."
They moved toward the edge.
It wasn't just a cliff. It was a pit. A crater larger than the rest.
And inside, half-buried in scorched rock and melted glass, was a Worm. A Reactor-type. Charred. Silent. But not destroyed.
Its outer plating was cracked but intact. Its power housing? Still glowing faintly.
"Jackpot," Orion breathed.
"Are you serious!?"
"This isn't just a carcass. This is a miracle."
He leapt down with reckless glee. Buck watched him scramble over the remains, pulling out wires, analyzing joints.
"No proper equipment," Orion muttered. "But I can patch Bastard. Maybe even upgrade him... this plating alone could increase defense by 20%. The power link conduits, maybe..."
He trailed off, completely lost in the mechanics.
Buck stayed up top, admiring the sky. Even in this dead land, the stars looked alive. He felt small. Powerless.
And then.
A shadow moved.
Something huge.
"Uhh... Orion?"
No response. He was deep in wrench-mode.
Then came the hum. Low at first. Growing.
Buck looked up.
A ship. Not a Worm.
An airship.
It hovered like a beast of legend, its body patched with metal and flame. Giant rotor wings. Rusted hull. And a massive flag flapping in the wind.
They were not alone.
"ORION! WE'VE GOT COMPANY!!"
The mechanic paused. Looked up.
Eyes widened.
"Oh... you've got to be sh*tting me."
Then from the ship figures descended. They were armed.
One of them, shouted, voice amplified: "YOU TWO! STEP AWAY FROM THE CARCASS! WE CLAIM THIS WORM!"
Orion chuckled, darkly.
"Bastard's dead. Bastard's broken. I'm stranded. And now some sky pirates want to steal my loot."
He stood up, sparks flying from the tool in his hand.
"Buck."
"Y-yeah?"
"You ever been in a fight with sky pirates?"
"NO?!"
Orion grinned, a madman once more.
"Well, today's your lucky f**king day."
---
To Be Continued..