The tank rumbled to life under Rhea’s careful grip, its enchanted treads grinding against the dirt road as she adjusted the controls. The crafting guild had been more than a little curious when they’d completed it, and now, finally, they were putting it to use.

  Rhea’s tail flicked with concentration as she pressed forward on the controls, the vehicle responding smoothly. “Alright, this isn’t too bad,” she murmured, a smirk forming as the machine rolled forward.

  Lyra sat cross-legged in a seat, already nose-deep in one of her books. Occasionally, she would mumble incantations under her breath, testing out a spell in a whisper before returning to her studies.

  Sael, meanwhile, had the back hatch open, inspecting the modifications he had in mind. The tank itself was sturdy, but he wanted to integrate his exo-suit directly into the system.

  He summoned the suit from his inventory, the shimmering outline solidifying as it appeared before him. The adamantite and mithril frame gleamed under the sunlight. The suit’s pistons and springs allowed enhanced movement, and the right arm bore an imposing mounted cannon—a salvaged weapon from the bear monster they had fought, capable of unleashing powerful fire blasts. The construct looked formidable, built for both offense and endurance, but he needed it to work in tandem with the tank.

  “Tweaking something back there?” Rhea asked, glancing at him through the small mirror mounted near the controls.

  “Yeah,” Sael responded, tightening a bolt as he examined how best to rig the exo-suit into the mounting system of the tank. “If I can connect the mana flow properly, I might be able to sync the suit to the vehicle. That way, it can draw power directly from the tank and act as the main turret.”

  Lyra, without looking up, commented, “You just like putting together crazy machines, don’t you?”

  Sael chuckled. “Can’t argue with that.”

  The work took some trial and error, adjusting the wiring and ensuring the mana circuits aligned properly. After several attempts, the suit finally synced with the tank’s power source. A pulse of energy traveled through the cables, and the exo-suit came to life, the cannon’s core flickering with a steady glow. Sael grinned as he climbed inside, testing its mobility. Now mounted securely, he could use the suit’s firepower while riding atop the tank, turning it into an even greater force on the battlefield.

  Satisfied with his work, Sael leaned back inside the suit, letting the wind brush against his face as they rolled forward.

  As the road stretched ahead, the conversation drifted. Rhea, still testing the tank’s controls, eventually asked, “Sael… where did you come from? I mean, before we met.”

  He hesitated, watching the treetops sway with the wind. Then, with a small sigh, he answered, “Earth. That’s what it was called. The last thing I remember was dying there.”

  Rhea’s ears twitched, and Lyra finally looked up from her book. “Dying?” she repeated.

  “Yeah,” Sael said, leaning back. “It’s weird because I can’t remember exactly how, but I know I died. Then… I woke up here.”

  Silence hung in the air for a few moments as the tank rolled along the dirt road.

  “So what’s Earth like?” Lyra asked, curious.

  Sael scratched his chin. “It’s different. No magic, no mana-powered machines. Just technology—advanced machines, computers, cars, things that run on fuel instead of mana. But also… games. Lots of games.”

  “Games?” Rhea asked.

  “Yeah. Like role-playing games. Some with magic, dungeons, different classes. Stuff that reminds me a lot of this world, actually.” He glanced at the dashboard, running his fingers over the controls. “I played a lot of them. Maybe that’s why thinking about crafting things like this tank comes easily to me.”

  Rhea hummed. “So, Earth had all this ancient technology, but no magic?”

  “That’s right. No magic items, no enchanted gear. Just people and the things they made.”

  “Well,” she said, fidgeting with the pages, “you’re really passionate about making things here, about learning how this world works. But what about back there? Did you have people? A place where you belonged?”

  Sael stared out at the road ahead, lost in thought. “I had friends, but… it’s different. The way things worked back there, it was easy to get lost in routine, in doing the same thing every day. Here, everything is an adventure. Every choice matters.”

  Rhea kept her eyes on the road but smirked. “And now you have us.”

  Sael smiled. “Yeah. Now I have you two.”

  The forest around them was vibrant, filled with towering trees whose leaves shimmered faintly under the dappled sunlight. Rainbow-feathered birds flitted between branches, their iridescent plumage casting splashes of color as they darted through the sky. Larger-than-normal rabbits with thick fur and elongated ears and horns perked up at the sound of the approaching tank before bounding off into the undergrowth. Now and then, Sael caught sight of creatures that resembled deer, though they were more muscular, their sturdy frames built for endurance rather than grace.

  Riding atop the tank, Sael took it all in—the fresh air, the untamed wilderness, the feeling of moving forward toward something unknown. The journey would take a while, but for now, they simply enjoyed the ride.

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  The tank rumbled over the uneven terrain as the trio neared the ruins. From a distance, the remnants of an ancient civilization stood stark against the dense forest, their sleek metallic surfaces still gleaming beneath a thin layer of moss and creeping vines. The structures, once pristine and futuristic, bore the passage of time in their weathered edges and cracked plating, yet they remained imposing—a testament to an era of advanced technology long past.

  Rhea slowed the vehicle as they approached, her ears twitching as she scanned the area. "This place looks... different from the other ruins we've seen. More intact."

  Sael leaned forward, his eyes tracing the clean, sharp lines of the metallic buildings. "Yeah. Whatever civilization built this, they were far ahead of their time. This isn't just stonework reinforced with magic—this is real ancient technology."

  Lyra, peering over the dashboard, shivered slightly. "It feels eerie. Like something’s still alive here."

  As they drove further in, signs of disturbance became more apparent. Deep claw marks gouged into the trunks of nearby trees, long and jagged, as if something massive had raked through them. The ground bore evidence of heavy, deliberate movements—deep indentations in the soil where something immense had walked, each step pressing deep into the earth as though the weight behind it was unnatural.

  "Looks like we’re not alone," Rhea muttered, gripping the controls a little tighter.

  Sael studied the markings, his mind already piecing together the size and strength of whatever left them. "If these tracks belong to the guardian beast… it's huge. And strong. We need to be careful."

  The tank rolled to a stop at the base of a towering structure, its dark surface reflecting faint glimmers of light from the gaps in the forest canopy. Despite the layers of overgrowth, faint neon-blue lines pulsed along the metal framework, hinting at dormant energy still lingering within the ruins.

  Lyra swallowed hard. "Are we really doing this?"

  Rhea smirked. "You scared?"

  "No," Lyra quickly shot back, though she clutched her book a little tighter. "Just... cautious."

  Sael exhaled, his excitement tempered by the weight of the unknown. "We’ll take it slow. Gather what information we can before we make a move. But first... let’s find out what’s still awake in here."

  As they continued forward, their search led them to an immense gateway embedded into the side of a metallic wall. It stood tall, seamless and imposing, with no visible handles or mechanisms to open it. Strange symbols lined its edges, glowing faintly in response to their presence.

  Lyra stepped forward, brushing her fingers against the surface. "There’s something here… It’s reacting to mana." She pulled out her book and began flipping through its pages, muttering incantations under her breath. Small sparks of energy pulsed against the gate, but it remained stubbornly shut.

  Rhea crossed her arms. "Not working?"

  "I don’t get it," Lyra muttered. "It should respond, but it feels like it's rejecting my magic."

  Sael, curious, stepped closer and placed his hand against the cold surface. Almost instantly, the symbols flared brightly, the pulsing lines along the walls surging with renewed energy. A deep, mechanical hum resonated through the air as the ground trembled beneath them. With a slow, heavy grind, the massive gate split open, revealing the dark interior beyond.

  Rhea’s tail flicked. "Well. That was easy."

  Lyra narrowed her eyes at Sael. "How did you do that?"

  "I just touched it," he admitted.

  Before they could speculate further, a deep, guttural noise echoed from within the ruins. The ground shook slightly as something stirred in the darkness. Then, from the shadows, it emerged—a massive creature with countless legs standing upright, its thick hide a blend of chitin plating and sinewy muscle. Extra appendages extended from its body, each tipped with jagged claws and writhing tendrils, shifting as if testing the air.

  Sael felt his breath hitch. "That… is the guardian beast."

  The creature's many eyes glowed in the dim light, locking onto them with an eerie intelligence. The air grew heavy with tension as it began to move, the weight of its presence sending tremors through the ancient structure.

  The moment the guardian beast reared its monstrous form, the trio sprang into action. Rhea was already at the controls, spinning the tank around as Sael scrambled into his exo-suit. The mechanical frame locked around him with a satisfying hiss of pressure seals, servos whirring to life. As soon as he was secure, he turned to face the creature, metal limbs bracing for combat.

  "Hold on!" Rhea shouted as she gunned the engine, sending the tank into a hard acceleration away from the beast.

  The monstrous guardian let out a guttural, earth-shaking roar and lunged after them, its many legs tearing into the ground with terrifying speed. Each step sent tremors through the ground, uprooting trees and kicking up clouds of dust and debris.

  "It’s fast!" Lyra shouted over the roar of the engine, already climbing halfway out of the tank’s side hatch. With a sharp gesture, she raised her hand, gathering the earth’s energy beneath her fingertips. A large chunk of stone ripped free from the ground, hovering for a moment before launching toward the beast. The boulder slammed into its thick hide, making it stagger but barely slowing its pursuit.

  "Need to hit harder!" she growled, already summoning another projectile.

  Sael aimed the cannon, waiting for a clear shot. The tank's movement jostled him slightly, but he compensated, exhaling steadily before firing. A blast of fire shot toward the creature’s legs, striking with enough force to singe through its chitin plating. The monster screeched in pain but pushed forward undeterred.

  Rhea swerved the tank through the uneven terrain, weaving between fallen trees and jagged rock formations. "I really hope you two have a plan before we run out of road!"

  Lyra continued her attacks, refining her technique. The next stone she hurled was more streamlined, sharper—less a boulder, more a spear of hardened earth. It struck the beast in the shoulder, puncturing through a layer of armor-like plating. Encouraged, she shaped the next one even sharper, focusing her magic on making the projectiles pierce deeper.

  Sael unleashed another fire blast, this time targeting the beast’s side. The explosion sent it stumbling, but it regained balance quickly, its fury growing as it shredded through the landscape in relentless pursuit.

  "It’s slowing down!" Rhea called, glancing at the rear-view panel and the radar.

  Sael took a deep breath, locking onto the beast’s largest leg joint. "Time to end this."

  He fired a direct blast at the weakened limb, the impact shattering through its already-damaged plating. The guardian beast roared as its leg buckled, sending it crashing into the undergrowth. Trees splintered beneath its weight, the creature writhing in pain as Lyra landed the final blow—a hyper sharpened spear designed purely for penetration shredded through its center.

  The beast let out a final, ear-piercing screech before collapsing into stillness, its massive form partially obscured by the destruction it had left in its wake.

  The tank slowed to a stop, and the trio exhaled almost in unison.

  Rhea wiped sweat from her brow. "That… was a lot."

  Sael smirked inside the exo-suit. "Yeah. But we won."

  Lyra leaned against the side of the tank, breathing heavily but grinning. "And I think I just figured out a new technique."

  The dust settled around them, and as the adrenaline faded, they turned their eyes back toward the ruins, the true challenge still waiting ahead.