Entering K-204B

The shuttle hummed softly as it descended through the atmosphere, its reinforced hull glowing faintly from the friction of reentry. Amon sat by the window, staring out at the planet below. The barren wasteland of K-204B sprawled out as far as the eye could see endless stretches of jagged rocks, deep canyons, and patches of glowing, otherworldly flora.

Ying Yue sat quietly across from him, her spear leaning against her shoulder. 

Suddenly, Amon's brow furrowed as a thought struck him. He looked at Dr. Kael, who was standing by the shuttle's control panel with a neutral expression. "Wait a second," Amon said, pointing an accusatory finger. "Why are we the only ones going? You've got an entire ship full of trained personnel, right? Shouldn't there be, I don't know, a team of experts coming with us?"

Kael didn't even look up from the panel. "We're low on manpower," he said casually. "I can't afford to risk anyone else on this mission."

Amon blinked. "Low on manpower? You're telling me that in this massive, high-tech spaceship, you can't scrape together a single extra body to help us?"

Kael smirked and turned to face him. "Besides, if you can't handle this, how do you plan to survive the Carnival?"

Amon opened his mouth to argue, but Kael didn't give him the chance. With a press of a button, the shuttle's hatch opened with a loud hiss, revealing the swirling, dusty skies of K-204B. The sudden rush of air and the planet's harsh atmosphere hit them like a wall.

"Wait, what are you" Amon began, but before he could finish, Kael planted a firm kick against his back, sending him stumbling toward the open hatch.

"Good luck!" Kael shouted over the roaring wind. "Don't die too quickly!"

"YOU'RE INSANE!" Amon yelled as he tumbled out of the shuttle.

The rush of wind roared in Amon's ears as he plummeted toward the planet below. He flailed wildly for a moment before his training kicked in. "Okay, okay, think! The suit-it's got spells for this!"

Focusing his mana, Amon activated the suit's flight system. A faint blue glow emanated from the armor as gravitational magic surged through it. With a sharp tug, his descent slowed, and he leveled out, hovering just above the jagged surface of the planet.

"Ha! I did it!" he shouted triumphantly, the suit's HUD displaying readings of altitude, mana levels, and atmospheric conditions.

A moment later, Ying Yue descended gracefully beside him, her Shadowweave Suit shimmering faintly as it absorbed the sunlight. Her spear was slung across her back, and she landed lightly on a rocky outcrop, the wind barely disturbing her calm composure.

"You okay?" she asked, her tone steady but with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah, fine," Amon grumbled, trying to hide the fact that his heart was still racing. "You know, he could've just asked us to jump."

"You wouldn't have hesitated to jump off with Dr. kael"

Amon paused. "Fair point."

The surface of K-204B was as alien as it was hostile. The air was breathable, but it carried a strange metallic tang that made Amon's nose twitch. The ground was cracked and uneven, littered with jagged rocks and strange, glowing crystals that pulsed faintly with mana. Towering spires of black stone jutted into the sky, some leaning precariously as if they might collapse at any moment.

In the distance, the ruins of ancient structures loomed massive stone temples and crumbling towers, their designs hinting at a civilization long forgotten. Strange flora dotted the landscape twisted, bioluminescent plants that seemed to hum softly, resonating with the faint magical energy in the air.

"This place is… unsettling," Ying Yue said, her eyes scanning the horizon.

"Unsettling is an understatement," Amon muttered, gripping the hilt of his katana. The purple hue of the blade glowed faintly, reacting to the ambient mana around them. "It's like the planet's alive or something."

"It might be," Ying Yue said. "Dr. Kael did say the planet itself is one of the biggest dangers."

Amon groaned. "Great. So not only do we have to worry about monsters and traps, but now the ground might try to eat us."

The two began their trek toward the nearest set of ruins, their gear humming faintly with mana as they remained on high alert. The landscape was eerily silent, save for the occasional gust of wind that carried with it faint whispers whether real or imagined, neither of them could tell.

Amon took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. "So, what's the plan? Do we just wander around until something tries to kill us, or"

He was cut off as a sudden vibration rippled through the ground. Both of them froze, their eyes darting around for the source of the disturbance.

"Did you feel that?" Ying Yue asked, gripping her spear tightly.

"Yeah," Amon said, his voice low. "And I don't think it was just an earthquake."

The ground beneath them cracked, and a massive creature burst forth a hulking, insectoid beast with gleaming chitin and glowing eyes. It let out a screech that echoed across the barren wasteland, its mandibles clicking menacingly.

"Oh, come on!" Amon shouted, drawing his katana. "I just got here!"

Ying Yue didn't hesitate. She leaped forward, her spear glowing with emerald energy as she lunged at the creature. Amon followed, activating his suit's combat systems as he prepared to unleash his gravitational magic.

The fight for survival on K-204B had begun.