The dust in the garage hadn't settled yet, but blueprints were already spinning in my mind. Wiping the mixture of blood and oil from my hands, I stared at the corpses of the four Rusted Wolves lying before me.
"You know, Aidos," I said in a thoughtful tone. "What is the biggest problem in this world? Logistics. Walking is for medieval peasants. We need wheels."
Aidos (in Eve's body) was inspecting her broken ceramic shoulder. She looked at me suspiciously.
"Your eyes are burning with that 'I'm about to do something stupid' look again. Please don't tell me you want to ride on these smelly carcasses."
"No," I said smiling. "I'm going to recycle them. Helping the ecosystem."
I searched the garage once more. In the corner, under a tarp, lay the skeleton of an old "Ural" motorcycle with a bent frame. Its engine was gone, its wheels rotted.
But I have the Alpha Wolf's powerful engine and shock absorbers.
"Alright, let the surgery begin."
I put my "Excalibur" (wrench) to work and began extracting the best parts from the wolves. The Alpha Wolf's heart — that blue reactor — was the ideal power source for an engine. The third wolf's spine — excellent metal for the motorcycle's fork (handlebars).
But I couldn't connect these with simple welding. I needed "Synergy."
I gathered the motorcycle frame and the wolf parts in one place.
I placed my hands on the pile of metal.
"System, activate creative mode."
[Restoration Mode Active.]
[Available Parts: Old Motorcycle Frame + Rusted Wolf Engine + Titan Alloy Armor.]
[Combine Cost: 70 Ether.]
[Result: Unknown Hybrid Vehicle.]
"Execute!"
Blue fire engulfed the metals. This time the process was slow and detailed. I watched the metals merge into each other like liquid.
The frame of the old "Ural" blackened and expanded, covered with protective bars resembling wolf ribs.
Instead of an engine, the Wolf's reactor settled in, beginning to hum with a low growl.
The wheels... Oh, this was the most interesting part. I placed the wolves' saw-toothed claws on the edges of the wheels. Now these wheels would not only roll but shred any obstacle (or enemy) in their path.
Ten minutes later, a black, terrifying, and magnificent beast stood in the middle of the garage. It looked like a motorcycle, but instead of a headlight, the Alpha Wolf's red eye glowed. Instead of smoke, bluish steam came from its exhaust pipes.
[Item Created: "Black Predator"]
[Class: Unique (Runs on Ether)]
[Speed: 200 km/h (Max)]
[Feature: "Savage Traction" — On difficult terrain, wheels extend claws to grip the ground.]
I sat on the motorcycle. It shuddered beneath me like a living creature and growled.
"Awesome," I said enjoying it. "Aidos, get on the back. You don't need a helmet; your head is iron anyway."
Aidos looked at the motorcycle with a mix of disgust and amazement, then sat on the back. Her ceramic arms wrapped around my waist.
"If you scratch my new body with this scrap metal," she whispered in my ear (threatening in a very sweet voice), "I will shave your head while you sleep."
"Deal. Let's go!"
I twisted the throttle.
The "Black Predator" jerked forward so hard we shot out of the garage like a bullet. The wolf's eye illuminated the road with crimson light.
We flew north along the ruined city streets. The wind hit my face, the ruins around me passing like a film strip.
This world was truly insane.
After a few kilometers, the landscape changed. We arrived at a place that could be called the "Valley of Antiques" (Junk Valley).
There were no houses here. Instead, massive, illogical objects that had fallen from the sky (or emerged from underground) lay scattered about.
"Aidos, look right," I shouted over the sound of the motorcycle.
On our right lay... an Old Alarm Clock the size of a five-story building. Its glass was broken, its hands stuck in the ground. The weirdest part – it still made a tick-tock sound as if it were working, and with every tick, the air around it rippled.
"Time Anomaly," Aidos said from behind me. "Don't get close to it. Time flow is unstable around that clock. If you enter it, you might age a hundred years in a second."
"Got it. I hated alarm clocks anyway."
After riding a bit more, we saw a giant Robot Arm in the middle of the road. It was reaching towards the sky from the ground, as if someone underground was reaching out for help. The fingers of the arm were rusted, but in its palm lay a whole bus like a bird's nest.
I slowed down the motorcycle. Because the road ahead was blocked.
Blocking the road was a mountain of Televisions.
Thousands, maybe millions of old, convex-screen TVs.
"What is this now?" I said, stopping the motorcycle.
"Electronics Graveyard," Aidos said getting off. "Be careful, Liam. Some of these TVs are still... 'alive'."
I approached out of curiosity.
Suddenly, one of the nearest TVs turned on with a bzzzt. White noise (static).
Then another. And another.
Dim images appeared on dozens of screens. They were a mix of old commercials, cartoons, and news.
Suddenly, a strange, distorted voice came from one of the screens:
"...Today the weather is sunny... cheap prices... die... be happy... run..."
I shuddered.
"Aidos, are these just recordings?"
"No," Aidos activated her laser blade. "These are 'Signal Spirits.' Old data merged with energy to become ghosts. They can fill your brain with 'spam' and drive you insane."
Just then, something shiny caught my eye amidst the pile of TVs. It didn't look like an ordinary TV. It was a small, modern, black box pulsing with blue light.
[Object: Military Drone Control Module]
[Condition: Standby Mode]
[Restoration Cost: 15 Ether]
"Oho," I said. "Aidos, cover me. I'm going into the shop."
I approached the wall of TVs.
The screens suddenly turned red. The voices grew louder:
"SALE! DISCOUNT! GIVE YOUR LIFE AND WIN A TOASTER!"
The air filled with electricity, and small lightning bolts began to shoot at me from the screens.
Aidos leaped forward.
"Let's delete the spam!" she said and slashed the nearest TV with her laser blade.
There was an explosion, but Aidos didn't stop. Moving with the agility of a dancer, she smashed screens, clearing a path for me.
I reached that black box and placed my hand on it.
"Restore!"
The box opened, and a small, palm-sized spherical Drone flew out. It looked like the Golden Snitch from "Harry Potter," but a metal version with a camera.
[Loot: "Eye" (Scout Drone)]
[Owner: Liam]
[Functions: 360-degree vision, thermal sensor, camouflage.]
The drone circled my head and went beep-beep.
"Hello, little one," I said. "Your name is 'Fly'."
We headed back. Aidos kicked and smashed the last "screaming" TV.
"Disgusting technology," she said wrinkling her nose. "If it's not 8K resolution, it's not worth watching."
We hit the road again.
Now we had "Fly." It flew ahead of us, reporting dangers.
In the afternoon, we exited the valley.
Before us lay a vast plain and in the distance... the Iron City appeared.
It wasn't a city; it was a massive metal fortress. Its walls were a hundred meters high, built of blackened steel. Thick black smoke rose from above the city. And most terrifyingly – massive airships floated in the city's sky, but they looked like fish skeletons.
We stopped about a kilometer from the city gate.
Because there was a post at the gate. And the guards standing there... didn't look human.
"Aidos," I said checking the binoculars (Fly's camera). "Who are they?"
Aidos looked at the screen.
"These are 'Halves' (Cyborgs). But they don't look friendly. Look at their flag."
I zoomed in.
The flag depicted a broken gear and a skull.
"The Rusted Legion," Aidos said in a low voice. "They are fanatics who worship technology. They consider human parts a 'weakness' and replace themselves with metal. And they don't like strangers."
I turned off the "Black Predator's" engine.
"So, if we walk in through the front door and say 'Hello, we're looking for a server,' will they take us apart for spare parts?"
"Most likely, yes."
I looked at the city walls, at the moats around it (filled with acidic green liquid).
"I have a plan," I said with a sly smile. "But for this, we'll need a little... disguise."
I took some metal plates and wires I had stripped from those Rusted Wolves out of my backpack.
"Aidos, come here, let's make you a bit 'ugly.' If we enter there, we must look like those scrap collectors too. I'll be the 'Mad Mechanic,' and you'll be my 'Broken Slave'."
Aidos gave me a murderous look.
"If you put a single spot on my face, Liam, I will push you into that acid moat."
"It's just makeup, darling. Just makeup."
We began preparations to enter the Iron City.
Here, behind these massive metal walls, lay Aidos's memory and perhaps the secrets of this world.
And of course, the adventures I needed to level up.