Steam hissed from the cooling chunks of Goremaw splattered across the square, the air thick with the smell of burnt metal and something alien-acrid.
Ryder opened Betsy's door, the thunk satisfyingly solid, and swung himself out.
His boots hit the cracked pavement, and the phantom ache in his side flared, followed by a very real, sharp pain in his left thigh as his weight settled.
He grunted, instinctively bracing himself against Betsy's warm, vibrant chassis.
Looking down, he saw the torn fabric of his fatigues dark and wet. The cut wasn't deep, but it was bleeding quite a bit.
[INJURY DETECTED: LACERATION – LEFT THIGH]
[HEALING KIT AVAILABLE – COST: 50 STREAM ENERGY]
[CURRENT ENERGY: 400]
"Just tap 'yes,' hotshot," Betsy's voice purred from speakers he couldn't see. "No points for tactical bleed-outs."
"Right," Ryder muttered, assessing the red text overlaid on his vision. "Field medicine. Let's see how this works."
He found the blinking green confirmation box. Feels weird buying gear from... whatever this is. Still, efficiency mattered. He tapped it.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED]
[ITEM DELIVERED: BASIC HEALING KIT]
A compact metal kit materialized in the air beside him with a soft pop and clattered to the ground. It hissed open on impact.
Inside it, are sterile gauzes, an aerosol spray can with a biohazard symbol, and a sleek auto-injector pen. Standard field dressing, just... delivered by magic.
Leaning against Betsy's solid frame, Ryder sprayed the wound. It stung sharply, but quickly overtaken by a welcoming numbness.
He jabbed the injector into his thigh – a quick hiss, a jolt, and he slapped the gauze pad on, securing it firmly. He tested the leg. Stiff, definitely wounded, but functional.
[WOUND STABILIZED – SHORT-TERM EFFECT: "COMBAT LIMP"]
"Combat Limp huh." Fair enough. Beats immobile. He straightened up, doing a quick scan of the surroundings.
From the skeletal remains of buildings, figures were emerging.
Villagers, clutching makeshift weapons. Pitchforks, heavy tools, one guy gripping a hefty frying pan like a shield.
Their faces were etched with fear, but also a dawning awe as they stared at him, at the gory remains of the monster, and especially at Betsy, whose glowing runes were slowly fading but whose presence still hummed with undeniable power.
No one cheered. They looked at him like he was something potentially dangerous that had just fallen out of their already terrifying sky. Ryder gave a nod, acknowledging their presence but keeping his attention on the immediate area.
The kill zone, his truck. Secured for now. What's next?
Just then, the System display flickered erratically.
"Uh-oh," Betsy murmured, her voice losing some of its confident purr. "System's got the hiccups. Not a good sign."
The display steadied, showing new text.
[WARNING: FRACTURE INSTABILITY DETECTED – UNRESOLVED]
[PRIMARY THREAT: GOREMAW – NEUTRALIZED] [
0AREA STATUS: UNSECURED]
[SCANNING FOR RESIDUAL ENERGETICS…]
A low pulse thrummed through the ground beneath Ryder's boots, a deep vibration that felt fundamentally wrong.
[…ERROR. ANOMALOUS ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED.]
[…CROSS-REFERENCING…]
[…SIGNATURE UNKNOWN. CLASSIFICATION PENDING.]
[…RESCANNING: CONFIRMED. SUBSURFACE.]
Ryder narrowed his eyes. "System acting glitchy? Is that standard?"
"Only if standard involves reality throwing error codes," Betsy replied, a hint of digital static in her voice. "Something's still feeding interference into the local layer. Nasty."
"Right," Ryder nodded, glancing at the crater Betsy had made. "Neutralized the primary threat, but didn't secure the source. Standard sweep and clear protocol." He ran a hand appreciatively over Betsy's fender. "Guess we get to see what else you can handle, girl."
[NEW OBJECTIVE: INVESTIGATE SOURCE OF SUBSURFACE FRACTURE ENERGY]
[REWARD: UNKNOWN. POTENTIAL FOR AREA STABILIZATION.]
Objective received. He felt a strange surge, not just adrenaline, but excitement. This was insane, yes, but he was here, with his dream truck made real, facing down monsters. This beat patrols in the dust any day.
The wind shifted, carrying a low, guttural groan from somewhere beneath the stones. Faint, but undeniably hostile.
"Job's not done, Ryder," Betsy's voice was low, serious now. "Just slapped a tourniquet on a severed artery."
"Understood," Ryder said, already thinking tactically.
Subsurface. Confined spaces likely. Need intel, maybe local guidance.
Footsteps crunched on gravel behind him. He turned, posture shifting automatically into something more alert. He saw worn leather, practical armor that had seen better centuries, and the weary eyes of command. Authority.
"Anchor-Bearer," the woman stated, her voice calm but sharp, accustomed to giving orders.
"Ma'am," Ryder replied, giving a nod of acknowledgement.
She stepped fully into view. Worn officer's cape, functional armor bearing strange insignia, scars mapping her cheekbone. Her gaze was intense, assessing him, the truck, the carnage.
"Captain Hessa," she introduced herself flatly. "Crowpoint Defense."
"Sergeant Ryder Vance. Apparently, the new guy with the big truck."
Her eyes took in his patched-up state, the lingering System prompts maybe only he could see, then lingered on Betsy with undisguised curiosity. "That machine... it lives?"
"She prefers 'sentient,' Captain," Ryder said. "And yes."
"Damn right I do," Betsy added smoothly. "And I don't appreciate being called a machine, honey. The name's Betsy."
Hessa blinked but didn't comment further on the talking truck, filing it away. "You neutralized a Primordial. Alone. Even the best Hunters I've seen can't manage that."
"Just doing what needed to be done, Captain," Ryder said. "Threat presented itself, I eliminated it."
"The threat isn't fully eliminated," Hessa stated, getting straight to the point. "There's something else below. The source. We need it dealt with."
Ryder nodded again. "Figured as much. What's the situation underground?"
Hessa seemed slightly taken aback by his directness, likely used to more terrified or reluctant outsiders. "There are old tunnels. Unstable. We've lost scouts down there. We know something nests near the energy concentrations."
"Standard procedure then," Ryder said. "Recon, locate, neutralize. We'll need a guide who knows the layout." He looked Hessa in the eye. "What resources can you provide?"
The System display flashed again.
[OPTIONAL OBJECTIVE ACCEPTED: INVESTIGATE SUBSURFACE FRACTURE ENERGY]
[REWARD ADDED: TRUCK UPGRADE – "ALL-TERRAIN OPTIMIZED GEL SEAT SUSPENSION"]
[DESCRIPTION: Reduces vibrational shock and operator fatigue during off-road or high-impact maneuvers. Features lumbar support and integrated heating element.]
Ryder saw the update. Heated gel suspension? After getting shot and isekai'd? Okay, this System has its perks.
Viewer01: YESSS THE SEAT UPGRADE!
Viewer02: lol he didnt even hesitate
Viewer03: NEW MISSION LETS GOOOO
Betsy let out a low chuckle that sounded like rumbling bass. "See? System knows how to motivate. Your back will thank us later."
Ryder grinned. "Alright, Captain Hessa. Point us to the access tunnel and give us your best scout. Betsy and I have a job to finish." He cracked his knuckles, the earlier pain already fading into focused readiness. He glanced towards the dark, ominous opening that likely led below. "Let's see what kind of trouble we can find."