The higher the stakes...

Yven leaned forward in the bar memory, shifting on the creaky wooden stool as Boss's rough voice rumbled across the table.

"So," Boss began, studying him like a hawk, "you any good with tech, boy? Or are you just talkin' big?"

Yven swallowed hard, but he held his ground, puffing up his chest slightly. "I'm good. I know my way around everything from hover engines to deep-crystal core stabilizers. There isn't a circuit or mod coil I can't read. Ask anyone at the uni they know."

For a moment, Boss's face didn't move. Then, slowly, he lowered his mug, the thick glass thinking against the table.

"Good," Boss drawled.

Without warning, he reached under the table and tossed a battered arm device onto the bar counter with a heavy clang. The old metal gleamed in places but was scorched and frayed, wires sprouting out like dead nerves.

"Fix it," Boss ordered simply, leaning back in his chair.

Yven felt the blood drain from his face. The arm device one of those Pulse Bracers, the high-powered beam units often worn by frontline hunters was a nightmare even when intact. This one looked like it had barely crawled out of an explosion.

His fingers trembled as he took it, cracking open the casing. Sparks snapped at his gloves, and a thin, acrid smoke rose. He felt every gaze burning into him, especially Boss's stone-cold stare and Reef's smirk as she leaned forward, chin resting on her palm, cleavage framed by the tactical vest.

Yven's mind raced. The schematic layout blurred. He cursed under his breath, sweat gathering on his neck.

Then… he remembered.

Late nights in Drae's garage. Watching Drae's sure hands work over power loops and adjust micro-conduits with endless patience. The jokes, the long talks. The moments Drae had forced him to reassemble old tech from scratch, even when he whined.

He sucked in a sharp breath and pushed forward. "Focus… realign the beam rotator… adjust the flux pin… reroute the core flow…"

Minutes felt like hours. His knuckles whitened as he secured the final cap and slammed the casing shut with a final click.

There was a moment of silence. Then a hum. The blue core light flickered, then glowed steadily.

Boss tilted his head, his expression almost impressed. Reef's lips twitched up into a small approving smile, while Flare let out a loud laugh, tossing her braids over her shoulder. Drift stepped forward and clapped a heavy, gauntleted hand on Yven's back. The force nearly pitched him forward onto the bar, making him cough violently.

"Easy there, greenhorn," Drift rasped, a hint of humor in his muffled voice.

Boss leaned forward again, fingers drumming on the mug before his eyes snapped back to Yven. "This other tech you mentioned… your 'guru'... who is he?"

Yven, still catching his breath, grinned wide despite the sweat. "He's the real deal. My friend taught me almost everything I know. He's a genius with tech. Better than me by miles."

Boss's eyebrow lifted slightly. "And he's willing to come?"

Yven hesitated a moment too long. Then he forced another grin. "Trust me, I can convince him."

Boss's stare lingered, then he gave a single curt nod. "Good. You bring him."

Back in the garage, Yven's voice faded. His eyes darted up at Drae, who was standing there, lips slightly parted, realization dawning.

Drae stepped back sharply, shaking his head as he exhaled. "Oh, no. No way. Absolutely not."

Yven lunged forward, hands up, following him as they moved to the next hover bike. "C'mon, just listen,"

"No," Drae snapped again, already pulling a panel off the hover's rear stabilizer. "That is reckless beyond belief. You know exactly how dangerous it is that far out. You want to end up mauled by a Maelthra? You forget those things travel in packs. We aren't built for that."

Yven grabbed a wrench, turning it in his hands like a prop, his eyes flicking desperately between the exposed wires and Drae's face. "Think about it they've got the best armored hover trucks, fully weaponized. And Boss runs a tight team. We wouldn't even need to fight directly. We'd just keep their gear running. We'd make more money in a week than we would here in years!"

Drae set down his tool hard enough that it echoed. "I don't care. You think I want my parents to hear I died in some wasteland, shredded because some rich corp wanted a new toy? We have enough to do here. My parents would be crushed. We're already swamped with work. You've lost it."

Yven leaned in closer, his voice softening now. "Bro… you could finally upgrade your home-assistant bot properly. Remember how you've always wanted to install a Vorn-class hyper-core so it could handle crystal-powered AI processing? You've dreamed of that since we were kids. And what about your final-year research? You always complain about how expensive the advanced circuits are. You'd be able to finish it exactly the way you envisioned. No cheap substitutes. Real parts, the best ones."

Drae glared at him, eyes narrowing. His lips parted as if to say something else, but just then, Uncle Tarrek's heavy boots echoed behind them.

"Boys!" Tarrek barked, voice gruff but tinged with a day's exhaustion. He wiped grease off his hands on an old cloth. "Drae, come help me with the armored car. We need to refit the main beam cores. Some fool nearly fried them trying to boost the output."

Drae turned away instantly, grateful for the interruption. "On it, Uncle," he called back, his voice a little too eager.

Yven raised a hand quickly, "I'll help too,"

Tarrek snapped around, eyes narrowing. "You? You finish those hover bikes and the rest of the Pulse Bracers first. You're always running late, boy. Earn your keep before you run to the fun jobs."

Drae shot Yven a smug smirk over his shoulder, mouthing a silent taunt.

Yven scowled after him, staring at the half-finished hover bikes and scattered Pulse Bracers on his workbench.

He puffed out a long, defeated sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. "Damn it… feels like I'm cursed," he muttered to himself, glaring at the machinery as if it had betrayed him personally.