The Ruinwalker's claws struck like a thunderstorm, relentless and indiscriminate. Each appendage whipped and stabbed, the jagged claw-tips glinting with cruel intent. Rook twisted his body with frantic precision, narrowly dodging the first strike, his shockfist flaring to life as he swung it upward. The electrified blade sparked as it bit into one of the machine's writhing limbs, severing it with a shower of sparks and a metallic screech that reverberated across the battlefield.
Another claw swung in a wide arc. Rook ducked, but not quite fast enough—its jagged tip grazed his cheek, leaving a thin line of blood. "You'll have to do better than that!" he growled, wiping the blood with the back of his free hand.
The Ruinwalker, unfazed, lunged again. Rook darted to the side, his boots crunching over the debris-strewn ground, and sprinted toward the first trap. Behind him, the machine's claws gouged the earth, tearing through stone and rusted wreckage as it gave chase.
"Snow! Now!" Rook shouted, his voice raw with exertion.
Snow, crouched at a distance with her longshooter, steadied her aim. The stickbanger lay just beneath the machine, trembling slightly as the Ruinwalker's weight bore down on the unstable ground. Her finger tightened on the trigger.
The explosion ripped through the air, a deafening roar that sent shards of metal and dirt flying in all directions. The force of it staggered the Ruinwalker, its hulking body swaying as its underbelly took the brunt of the blast. Smoke and fire poured from the damaged armor, exposing sparking wires and leaking hydraulic fluid.
"It's still moving!" Rain's voice rang out, high-pitched with alarm.
The Ruinwalker let out a guttural mechanical roar, its red eye zeroing in on Snow's position. The moment's hesitation was over, and the machine surged forward again, faster this time despite its damage.
Snow's heart slammed against her ribs. She scrambled to her feet, her fingers fumbling to reload her longshooter, but the Ruinwalker was already closing the distance.
Then came Rook's shout, defiant and furious. "Not her! I'm your target, you overgrown heap of junk!"
He leapt onto the machine's back, his shockfist slashing wildly. The electrified blade carved through two more of its appendages, which flailed helplessly before falling limp, their clawed tips clattering uselessly to the ground.
"Come on! Come on!" Rook yelled, gripping the edges of its armored plating to steady himself as the machine thrashed beneath him. "You killed my brother, and now I'm going to finish you off!"
The Ruinwalker's response was swift. One of its remaining appendages lashed out, coiling around Rook's torso like a python. He shouted in pain as the claw tightened, pinning his arms to his sides. With a violent jerk, the machine flung him off its back.
Rook's body hit a jagged rock with a sickening thud. He crumpled to the ground, motionless for a moment before he groaned and rolled onto his side. Blood trickled from a cut on his temple, and his left arm hung awkwardly, likely broken.
"Rook!" Rain screamed.
The Ruinwalker began to advance on him, its movements deliberate and menacing, its remaining claws snapping like the jaws of a hungry predator.
Rook struggled to push himself up but collapsed again, coughing and cursing under his breath. He looked up at the looming machine, his expression defiant even in the face of death.
And then a rock sailed through the air, striking the Ruinwalker square in its glowing red eye. The machine halted, its head swiveling sharply to locate the source of the attack.
Rain stood a short distance away, another rock in her hand. Her face was pale but determined. "Hey, over here, you tin can!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the battlefield.
The Ruinwalker screeched, turning its full attention to her.
"Rain, no!" Snow yelled, her voice cracking.
Rain didn't look back. She turned and ran, her boots pounding against the ground as the machine surged after her with terrifying speed. Its legs moved with an almost animalistic grace, crushing everything in its path as it closed the distance between them.
Snow raised her longshooter, her hands trembling. She saw Rain reach the second trap, and without thinking, she fired.
The explosion was bright and loud, a brief fireball that lit up the night. But the Ruinwalker was too far from the center of the blast. It stumbled but remained unscathed, its focus still locked on Rain.
"No, no, no…" Snow muttered, her voice breaking as she reloaded her weapon.
Rain stumbled to a halt, panting and out of breath. In her hand was the final stickbanger, its worn surface gleaming faintly in the moonlight. She turned to face Snow, her expression calm despite the terror bearing down on her.
She nodded once.
Snow froze, her longshooter half-raised. For a moment, time seemed to stretch, the noise of the battlefield fading into silence. She understood what Rain was asking her to do, but every instinct screamed against it.
Rain nodded again, more firmly this time. Her lips moved, though Snow couldn't hear her over the pounding of her own heart.
Trust me.
Snow's hands steadied. She nodded back.
————————————————————————————————————————————
Rain turned to face the Ruinwalker, clutching the stickbanger tightly. The machine loomed over her now, its claws raised high, poised to strike.
"Come on," she whispered, her voice trembling but resolute. "I'm right here."
Then, she lit the stickbanger.
The fuse sputtered and hissed, the sharp crackling sound nearly drowned out by the deafening roar of the Ruinwalker. Without a word, she broke into a sprint, the explosive clutched tightly in her hand, her braid trailing behind her like a banner.
"Rain!" Snow's voice tore through the chaos, edged with both fury and fear, but Rain didn't look back. She focused solely on the towering monstrosity before her, its red eye glaring down at her as its massive frame adjusted to face the charging girl.
The Ruinwalker's remaining appendages lashed out, their claws tearing through the air with terrifying precision. Rain dodged the first with a sharp sidestep, then another with a desperate dive to the left, but the machine was relentless.
Snow emerged from her cover, her longshooter pressed against her shoulder. Her jaw was tight as she aimed—not for the machine's vulnerable spots but for its limbs. She fired, the report of her weapon splitting the night as the bullet struck one of the thrashing appendages. It didn't destroy it but threw the limb's trajectory off enough that it smashed into the ground inches from Rain instead of impaling her.
"Keep moving!" Snow shouted, her voice carrying above the cacophony.
Rain ducked under another claw, her movements nimble but becoming increasingly frantic. She hit the ground hard, sliding beneath the machine's hulking frame. Dirt and debris scraped at her skin, but she gritted her teeth and thrust the stickbanger upward, wedging it into a narrow gap in the Ruinwalker's exposed underbelly.
"Got it!" Rain cried out triumphantly. She rolled to her feet and bolted, her legs burning as she pushed herself to escape the imminent blast.
The Ruinwalker screeched in mechanical fury, its claws swinging wildly as it tried to crush its fleeing prey. Snow fired again, forcing one of the appendages to veer off course, and watched as Rain barely avoided being skewered.
Then the stickbanger detonated.
The explosion was ferocious, a fiery bloom that burst from the Ruinwalker's stomach, engulfing its midsection in smoke and shrapnel. The blast's shockwave knocked Rain off her feet and sent her tumbling across the ground. Snow shielded her face from the debris, her heart in her throat as she watched the machine stagger and falter.
"Rain!" Snow was already running, her longshooter forgotten as she sprinted toward her partner.
Rain sat up slowly, coughing from the dust and clutching her side where a shallow cut bled sluggishly. Her cheeks were smeared with dirt, and her braid was coming undone, but she still managed to give Snow a crooked grin.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," Rain reassured, her voice hoarse but steady. "Just a few scratches. Nothing to—"
Before she could finish, Snow dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Don't you ever do that again," Snow said, her voice muffled against Rain's shoulder.
Rain blinked, momentarily stunned by the rare display of affection. Then her expression softened, and she patted Snow's back awkwardly. "Hey, I thought you liked me being confident."
"I like you alive," Snow snapped, pulling back just enough to glare at her. "And not throwing yourself under death machines like an idiot."
Rain chuckled weakly. "Noted. I'll try to keep that in mind next time."
Snow huffed but didn't let go, her grip on Rain's arm lingering as if she were afraid to let her go.
But the sound of grinding metal brought their attention snapping back to the battlefield. The Ruinwalker, battered and broken, was still moving. Its legs dragged uselessly, its appendages reduced to stumps, but its single remaining claw twitched with deadly intent.
With a shriek of overstressed hydraulics, the claw thrust forward, aimed directly at the two girls.
"Move!" Snow shouted, yanking Rain to her feet. They dived in opposite directions, the claw slamming into the ground where they'd been moments before.
The Ruinwalker continued its march, dragging its ruined body after them with mechanical determination. It wasn't fast anymore, but its intent was clear—it wouldn't stop until they were dead.
"Damn thing doesn't know when to quit!" Rain muttered, wincing as she clutched her side.
Then, out of the smoke and chaos, a figure emerged. Bloodied and battered but very much alive, Rook staggered to his feet, his shockfist sparking faintly as he adjusted its settings.
"Stay down, both of you!" he barked, his voice hoarse but resolute.
Before either girl could protest, Rook charged at the Ruinwalker. He leapt onto its back with a feral yell, his boots finding purchase on the jagged edges of its exposed plating. The machine bucked and swayed, trying to dislodge him, but Rook held on with grim determination.
"This is the end for you!" he roared, plunging the blade of his shockfist into the machine's head. Sparks flew as the electrified blade pierced its circuits, sending a jolt through its systems.
The Ruinwalker convulsed violently, its movements becoming erratic as its internal systems began to short-circuit. Rook gritted his teeth and held on, driving the blade deeper until the machine's red eye flickered and dimmed.
With one final shudder, the Ruinwalker collapsed. Its massive body hit the ground with a thunderous crash, its remaining limbs twitching weakly before falling still.
Rook stood atop its lifeless remains, his shockfist raised triumphantly. "That's for my brother," he said, his voice low but filled with a quiet, bitter satisfaction.
Rain was the first to rush to him, her eyes wide with relief. "You're alive! I thought—" She threw her arms around him, her momentum nearly knocking him off balance.
Rook hesitated, his arms hovering awkwardly before starting to hug her back. But then he caught sight of Snow's glare—a look so cold it could have frozen the sun.
"I, uh—" He cleared his throat and pulled away quickly. "I'm really hurt, so maybe no squeezing."
Snow stepped forward, her eyes narrowing as she crossed her arms. "You'd better not try anything weird with my partner," she said, her voice flat but laced with unmistakable menace.
Rook raised his hands defensively, wincing as the movement pulled at his injured shoulder. "Noted. Loud and clear."
Rain blinked, her expression shifting from confusion to realization. A slow smile spread across her face, and she turned to Snow with an exaggerated look of innocence. "Partner, huh?"
Snow's face darkened. "Don't start."
Rain laughed, the sound light and unburdened despite the chaos they'd just endured. "Relax, Snow. I don't think of Rook that way. I've got you, remember?"
Rook shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Scarier than the Ruinwalker, I swear…"
Snow shot him a warning glance, but Rain's teasing giggle softened her expression, and she allowed herself a small, reluctant smile.