Chapter 11: The Techno Ruins’ Secrets

I scanned the horse's body, searching for any signs of vulnerability. Its exterior was nearly flawless—smooth, polished metal with no obvious gaps. But as it moved, I noticed something: a faint glow emanating from beneath its armored plating, just above its hindquarters. 

"Hey, something's glowing!" I pointed out the spot to ShadowStalker. "Aim for that thing!"

 Viewer6: Kinda obvious now that he mentions it.

Daisy: Obvious, becomes weird when adrenaline's pumping.

IKYKYK: Let's go, let's go!

ShadowStalker nodded, immediately adjusting his approach. He feigned a frontal attack, drawing the horse's attention, then quickly darted to the side. With a swift, precise thrust, he drove his lance into the glowing spot. The horse reared up, its circuits sparking, and let out a distorted whinny of pain.

"Nice hit!" I yelled, moving in to deliver a follow-up strike. My sword connected with the same spot, and the horse stumbled, its movements becoming more erratic.

Despite our success, the horse wasn't going down. It continued to thrash and kick, its attacks more desperate and lethal. We had to be careful—one wrong move, and it could easily take us out.

 "Sometimes, I wish I'd picked the archer class," he sighed. "But anwyay, distract it for five seconds."

"On it!"

I started Blade Dance and aimed for the spot, the horse fully focused on me, trying its best to dodge or counter my moves but sadly my dance moves were a bit too irregular. Actually, I was kind of confusing myself at this point.

But yeah- five seconds were up.

"PENETRATION!" With one powerful thrust from ShadowStalker's lance, the horse let out a final screech before collapsing to the ground, its body sparking and twitching as it powered down.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "That was tougher than I expected."

 Viewer8: Love the skill names

Viewer6: I'm surprised they're not cringing

Viewer4: I'm even more surprised, they're saying those out like anime, huh!

Daisy: Kekw

"Yeah," ShadowStalker agreed, wiping sweat from his brow. "But we got it."

As the horse's remained slowly dissolved into the ground, a small, glowing object appeared where it had fallen—a relic, similar to the one we'd found after defeating the Treant.

ShadowStalker picked it up, examining it closely. "Another relic," he said, turning it over in his hand. "These things have to be important." He threw it to me.

I nodded, catching and putting it in my inventory. "Probably related to the quest. Or maybe some sort of grand treasure?"

"Probably."

Our quest log updated again: **Quest Updated: Explore the Orange Desert.**

 "Desert? DESERT?"

SS laughed. "At least they don't say you have to dive into the ocean or something."

"Well, we're heading out of the ruins at least," I said.

We made our way to the exit of the techno ruins, stepping out into a drastically different environment. Gone were the cool, dark corridors of metal and machinery. In their place was a vast expanse of sand, stretching as far as the eye could see. The sand was a deep, almost glowing orange, and the sky above was a harsh, blazing blue.

Also, hot!

I knew the actual temperature was coming from my suit, but damn this desert was smoldering hot.

I couldn't help but tone down the environment temp settings.

"Wow," I muttered, shielding my eyes from the intense sunlight. "This place is… on fire."

"Yeah," ShadowStalker replied, sounding a bit awed. "It's like stepping into another world. But that's the fun of RVR, am I right?"

 "Pretty much."

The heat was overwhelming, even through the game's toned-down interface. The air shimmered with the intensity of it, and each step we took felt like trudging through an oven. The sand wasn't just hot—it was scorching, and it radiated a heat that seemed to seep through our armor and burn our skin.

"This is going to be rough," I said, already feeling the fatigue setting in. "Rougher than expected."

"Tell me about it," ShadowStalker agreed, wiping his brow. "But we've got to keep moving. No telling what's waiting for us out here. 

As we ventured deeper into the desert, the environment grew more oppressive. The sun beat down mercilessly, and the endless dunes offered no respite from the heat. The landscape was desolate, with nothing but sand and more sand in every direction. There were no landmarks, no signs of civilization—just an endless sea of orange that stretched into the horizon.

"Do you think there's anything out here?" I asked, my voice tinged with doubt.

"There has to be," ShadowStalker replied, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. "The game wouldn't send us here for nothing. Or maybe the Devs are getting a kick out us going through shit."

"Don't know about Devs but my viewers sure are. 12 concurrent viewers. That's a new record."

"Nice!"

 We pressed on, determined to uncover whatever secrets the desert held. The relics we'd collected had to mean something, and the quest was leading us somewhere, even if we couldn't see it yet. But as the hours dragged on, with the sun continuing to blaze overhead and the sand offering no relief, I couldn't help but wonder: was this all just another challenge, another test to push us to our limits? Or was there something truly extraordinary waiting for us in the heart of the Orange Desert?