Renn crouched atop the rusted skeleton of a collapsed crane, and his boots found purchase on the gritty steel while the desert wind tugged at his scarf. He pressed the binoculars against his goggles. The lenses magnified the chaotic scene below where Strider's unit engaged the Corroder. It was a dance of death amid the dunes. He watched Strider weave through the monster's crushing blows, and the leader's Chainblade sparked against the beast's carapace.
Renn shifted his weight and turned his gaze toward the rover. Leik's unit worked with frantic efficiency. They hauled the silver Plastinium cans of W-H2O from the wreck and stuffed them into their reinforced packs. It seemed peaceful compared to the violence just a hundred meters away, but a flicker of movement on the horizon snagged his attention.
He lifted the binoculars slightly upward from the rover's position. The heat haze shimmered and distorted the view, yet a distinct, low-hanging cloud of red dust kicked up against the pale sky. He adjusted the focus dial.
Click.
The blur sharpened into a nightmare. A horde of Ruster mutts tore across the sand. Their jagged, scrap-metal bodies moved in a fluid, predatory wave that headed straight for the commotion.
"That isn't good."
Renn quickly calculated their velocity against the distance. They were still some ways out, but they moved with a hunger that defied fatigue. They would reach the rover in under five minutes.
Renn lowered the binoculars and his heart hammered against his ribs. He cupped his hands around his mouth and screamed a warning toward the rover.
"Leik! Gustov! We have company! A swarm is inbound from the north! You need to move now!"
The wind swallowed half his words, but Leik paused and looked up. She had heard enough to understand the urgency.
Renn turned his head toward the battle pit and screamed again.
"Strider! Incoming horde! Disengage!"
But the roar of the Corroder and the whine of Chainblades drowned him out. Strider's team was too deeply engaged in their fight for survival to hear a single voice from the ridge.
"Dammit. They can't hear me."
Renn cursed under his breath. He abandoned his lookout position and hopped onto his hoverboard. The engine hummed to life beneath his feet.
Vrrrmmmmm.
He kicked off the girder and skated down the steep face of the dune. He gathered speed to intercept Leik's unit and assist with the evacuation.
…
On the other side of the depression, the battle had devolved into a desperate struggle. The Corroder rampaged with a fury that shook the ground. Its massive pincer swept through the air in a horizontal arc that aimed to bisect anyone foolish enough to stand still. Strider leaned hard on his hoverboard and ducked under the swing. The wind of the attack whipped his clothes.
He saw an opening. Strider leapt off his hoverboard while it was still in motion. He launched himself upward toward the joint of the Corroder's front left leg. He gripped his Chainblade with both hands and drove the spinning, superheated edge into the gap between the armored plates.
Skreeeeeee.
Sparks showered over him as the blade bit deep. The internal motor whined in protest, but the serrated teeth chewed through the fused metal and tendon. The leg severed completely and fell to the sand with a heavy thud.
Whump.
The attack caused the beast to stumble. It listed heavily to one side and shrieked in mechanical agony.
"Now! Hit the other joints while it's off balance!"
Nicardo, Harlan, and Tessa responded instantly. They targeted the remaining legs on the left side while they maneuvered carefully to avoid the creature's thrashing bulk.
Harlan swung his massive claymore-style Chainblade into the rear knee, while Tessa darted in with her dagger-blade to puncture the connecting tissue scrap.
They successfully cut down two more legs. The massive Corroder tipped over and crashed onto its left flank. It exposed its underbelly to the harsh sunlight.
"Pour it on! Finish it before it rights itself!"
Nicardo shouted the order as he raised his shortsword for a killing thrust, but he hesitated. A shrill alarm beeped from the hilt of his weapon.
Beep-beep-beep.
He looked down at the Rust-Inhibitor Gauge. The needle was maxed out in the red zone. He cursed and checked the blade. Dark, flaky patches of corrosion already bloomed along the serrated edge. The microscopic Rust from the Corroder's blood devoured the alloy at an accelerated rate.
"My blade is compromising! The gauge is red!"
Strider glanced at his own weapon. The indicator flashed a warning light.
"Disengage and re-oil! Do not let your weapons touch that thing until you flush them!"
The unit scattered back to a safe distance. They quickly popped out the empty oil canisters from their hilts and tossed them into the sand. With trembling hands, they slammed full canisters into the intake ports.
Click-hiss.
Fresh oil pumped over the chains, but it did not reverse the damage. The black liquid merely coated the rusted patches. It slowed the decay but could not bring back the pristine alloy.
Although their weapons were forged from rust-resistant ceramics and stainless materials, those defenses only protected against the generic rust particles in the atmosphere.
A Ruster's blood was highly corrosive and potent enough to rot away most steel in seconds. If it couldn't rot the metal, it coated it with rusted layers that dulled the edge and added brittle weight.
The more exposure their Chainblades had with the monster, the higher the risk that the blades would shatter in their hands.
While Strider's unit was busy oiling their degrading weapons, a deep, electrical hum emanated from the fallen beast. The Corroder's central core pulsed with a violent red light.
Zzzzzzt-krack.
Electricity surged around its body. The magnetic field was so intense that it pulled scrap metal and loose iron from the surrounding sand. The severed legs twitched and dragged themselves back toward the stumps. The rust from the environment merged with the limbs in a grotesque display of regeneration.
Strider saw the reconstruction and his eyes widened.
"It's healing! Hurry! Don't let it reattach those limbs!"
He charged forward, but the electrical surge expanded outward. A wave of red static and corrosive mist forced him to skid to a halt. The energy arc was too volatile. They had to retreat and watch helplessly as the Corroder fused its legs back together. The beast rose again, taller and angrier than before.
It turned its sensor-pits toward the little pests that had dared to wound it. It attacked with renewed ferocity.
Strider and his team dodged and parried, but the fight had changed. When they executed a counter-attack, their Chainblades bounced harmlessly off the shell. The edges were too blunt, too compromised by infection.
Harlan swung his claymore, but the chain seized up mid-cut. Smoke poured from the motor.
"It's no good! The mechanism is fused! It's overheating!"
The rust spread from the blades to the hilts. It threatened to jump to their gauntlets. They were now utterly at a disadvantage.
Strider looked at his own smoking weapon and made the hard call.
"Toss them! Toss the blades before they infect you! Retreat!"
They hurled their corrupted weapons into the dunes and spun their hoverboards around. They pushed the thrusters to the limit, but the sand was the Corroder's domain. It surged forward with terrifying speed and closed the distance like a predator chasing wounded prey.
Tessa looked back, and her face was pale behind her goggles.
"I can't die here! I still haven't been to the Iron Oasis!"
Nicardo gripped his hoverboard controls so hard his knuckles turned white.
"And I never got to spend my UST on a real steak! Move faster!"
The open jaws of scrap metal loomed over them. The shadow of the beast swallowed their hope. Just as the mandibles prepared to snap shut, something fast crashed into the Corroder from above.
Crrraaaash.
The impact knocked the behemoth off course. It stumbled sideways and missed its target.
"Huh!"
Strider's unit stopped and looked behind them to see what had caused the disturbance.
A humanoid figure stood atop the Corroder's heaving back. It was Leik. She balanced precariously on the shell and drove her Chainblade into the monster's nape with a scream of effort.
Strider was alarmed. He hollered over the roar of the thrusters.
"Leik! Get out of there! The Chainblades are useless against that thing! It is too corrosive!"
Leik found this out quite quickly. She withdrew her blade, and the bottom half was already melted away. It dripped molten slag onto the carapace.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, sharp protrusions shot out of the Corroder's back like spears. They attacked her from all angles.
'These things…'
She twisted and jumped around adroitly. She dodged the spikes with the grace of a dancer, but she did not flee.
She pondered their predicament while she landed on a safe patch of hide.
'This Corroder is powerful. It's fast when it burrows in the sand. As long as it lives, it will follow us to the ends of the earth. '
She glanced at the horizon and saw the incoming horde of Ruster mutts. Those dogs, along with this titan, would spell their end. If they hoped to escape, she had to bring down this Corroder right here and now.
Leik evaded another cluster of spikes. She reached for the sword strapped behind her back. This was the weapon she had taken from the unconscious man. She unsheathed it in one fluid motion.
Shiiiing.
The blue metal gleamed in the sunlight. It was pristine and untouched by the world's decay. Her reflection stared back at her from the surface of the Adamantine blade.
'So this is an Adamantine blade? I've heard so much about it. Supposedly it is the natural nemesis to these Rusters. Time to put it to the test.'
An incoming spine attack interrupted her thoughts. Instead of evading, she gripped the sword tightly and swung it to meet the metal.
Clang-slice.
"Woah!"
To her surprise, the Adamantine blade sliced through the metal chunks like butter. There was no resistance, no friction. She smiled, amazed by the power in her hands.
"With this blade, I can take this monster down."
She felt a surge of adrenaline and started dashing across the Corroder's back. She cut the defensive protrusions to pieces as she ran toward the head.
Down below on a dune, Gustov, Kai, and Renn arrived. They carried the heavy cargo packs and ran over to meet up with Strider's battered unit. They looked up at the spectacle in shock.
Gustov wiped sweat from his forehead and pointed a thick finger at the woman atop the beast.
"Strider, is Leik really pregnant? How come she is still moving like that? And what's with that blade? It's cutting apart the Corroder, and it doesn't even have a chain attached."
Kai adjusted his goggles to get a better look. "That's Adamantine for you."
Strider watched Leik dismantle the monster's defenses. "Adamantine?"
Gustov nodded and patted the unconscious man strapped to Leik's distant hoverboard.
"Yeah, we found it on this guy."
Strider narrowed his eyes.
"So that's an Adamantine blade. But can it withstand that Corroder's toxicity?"
They held their breaths and watched, but their attention was quickly drawn away. The horde of Ruster mutts had closed the gap. They were nearly at the rover's crash site and turning toward the group.
Strider barked orders.
"Defensive line! Aim your guns! Shoot down the horde and buy her time!"
The team raised their rifles. Gunfire erupted in a rhythmic staccato.
Bang-bang-bang.
Bullets tore into the front ranks of the incoming mutts. Leik heard the gunshots and saw the swarm approaching.
'Time to finish this.'
She cut her way through the last thicket of spikes and reached the front of the Corroder. She stood directly over the pulsating red core.
"Cocky, aren't you? To expose your core like that. Bet you never thought you'd die today."
She jumped high into the air, reversed her grip on the blue sword, and drove it downward with all her weight.
Thwack-krrrt.
The blade pierced the armored skull and sank deep into the Corroder's core. The Adamantine counteracted the electric surge instantly. The red light shattered and faded. The beast let out one final, low groan and fell to the sand with a loud, earth-shaking sound.
THUD.
Leik yanked the blade free and landed on the sand. She didn't wait for applause. she immediately ran over to her unit.
Strider saw her coming and signaled the group.
"Tactical retreat! Everyone move!"
Leik got on her hoverboard. She barely had a place to stand because of the unconscious man strapped to the deck. She balanced on the edge and engaged the thrusters.
The team surfed to the peak of the dune while they shot backward at the encroaching Rusters.
Some of the mutts stopped. The scent of the fresh kill was too tempting. They swarmed over the fallen Corroder and started feasting on the carcass. They drank its rusty blood and devoured its scraps. This distraction slowed the main body of the horde, but the rest rushed up the dune after the humans.
"Faster! They are catching up!"
The Galvanizers rushed down the opposite side of the dune and increased their speed on the flatter surface. The Rusters were hot on their tails.
After they surfed for some time, they came up on an area where many tall cacti grew. This was where they had left their mounts before they advanced on hoverboards.
They were still a few hundred meters from the camels, and the mutts were still chasing with relentless energy.
Strider issued new orders to the gang.
"Oil slick! Now!"
They pulled out their remaining oil canisters and uncapped them. They poured the black fluid in a zig-zag motion behind them as they rode. They waited until the Rusters got in range before Harlan turned and fired a flare round into the trail.
Fwoosh.
A wall of fire erupted across the sand. It created a barrier of heat and smoke. Of course, this wasn't enough to stop them all. Some of the frenzied mutts dashed through the fire, their metal bodies glowing, but the group seemed to have expected this.
Strider issued another order.
"Deploy UST countermeasures!"
The group activated a special function on their hoverboards. Vents opened at the rear of the decks and released a thick, white cloud of UST dust behind them.
The pursuing Rusters ran straight into the fog. They skidded to a halt and started choking.
Hrrrk-krrrk.
Some collapsed on their backs. Their rusted body parts started falling apart as the solvent neutralized the magnetic bonds holding them together. These Decayers dared not advance any further into that poison cloud.
Gustov slowed his board and spoke in a relieved wheeze.
"We made it. We were lucky to escape that pursuit. And look at the packs… we have a good haul of W-H2O. We are practically rich."
Strider warned them not to be too excited.
"Don't celebrate yet. We haven't escaped fully until we are behind the Biome walls. And don't forget, those cans are going to be shared among everyone in the Biome. We aren't keeping them for ourselves."
"Yeah, Strider is right."
The others agreed, though Gustov looked a little disappointed.
They reached the cactus area and hopped off their hoverboards. They ran to the waiting camels, which were tethered in the shade of the spiny plants.
Leik waved to Kai.
"Kai, help me untie him. We need to stow him on my camel."
Kai rushed over, and together they transferred the unconscious man from the board to the saddle of Leik's mount. Afterward, she pressed a button on her hoverboard. The device clicked and folded up into a portable, suitcase-sized square. She attached it to the side of her saddle.
Simultaneously, the others saddled up after they secured their own hoverboards and the precious cargo.
Strider walked over to Leik. He grasped her hands and glanced at her tummy, then looked at her face affectionately.
"That was reckless, but you saved us. Are you okay? Is the... is everything fine?"
She touched her tummy and smiled softly.
"I'm okay. We're both okay."
"That's good to hear."
He kissed her forehead before walking back to his camel.
"Alright everyone, get moving!"
They mounted their respective camels and urged the beasts to rush off into the deep sand.
Strider rode beside her. He was happy none of them had died, but he brooded over their equipment.
"We survived, but at a cost. Our Chainblades are destroyed. That was the third one this month. Divento will have his work cut out for him with repairs. He's going to scream at us."
During the conversation, Gustov boasted from the rear.
"Well, speak for yourself, boss. My Chainblade is still intact."
Kai chimed in. "Mine too. And Renn's is safe."
Nicardo shot back with a scoff. "That's because you three didn't do much fighting! None of you confronted that Corroder up close like we did."
Gustov laughed, a deep belly sound that shook his camel.
"It is true, I suppose. Better smart than dead."
He glanced at the Adamantine blade sheathed at Leik's hip.
"But really, it was thanks to that thing that the Corroder was defeated. That blue metal is a miracle."
His greedy eyes drifted to the Adamantine armor the unconscious man wore.
"Maybe I could craft another suit of armor out of those plates. Or a shield. Just imagine the trade value."
Leik adjusted her grip on the reins and shot him a sharp look.
"Keep dreaming, Gustov. This sword and his armor are both mine now."
"Tsk, so greedy."
"What was that?"
"Nothing, ma'am."
"It better be nothing."
They chatted as they hurried across the darkening dunes to reach their Biome before nightfall brought the true terrors of the Rust out to hunt.