Dustclouds rose behind three hover-bikes as they sped across the red wasteland. They climbed over old wreckages and zipped past rocky high outcroppings, headed north towards the abandoned city called Hasuni. The hover-bike were called Sprites: Small models given free to beginners. They had a max speed of 220 Km/h, a turbo engine for tight situations, and propulsion units that allowed the H-bikes to 'jump'. The model wasn't eye-catching, nor did it sport any additional armaments or defenses. It was a basic transportation vehicle.

Overhead, dark clouds approached from the East, echoes of grumbling elements following occasional flashes of light. A lightning storm. The lead vehicle sped up, its rider eager to beat it. He tapped his gauntlet, and a map appeared, showing his team's current location and the estimated time it would take to reach the marked waypoint. Three hours. He glanced warily at the approaching storm, then twisted the throttle. The H-bikes sped up.

***

A day ago,

The markets of the Outer Ring were a cesspool of dirt, and chaos, choked by every lingering stench from bodies and rotten produce. It was through this mess that Dee currently guided her latest roommates. Their purpose was to gain enough supplies for the four day trip to Hasuni and back.

"Do you have everything you need?" asked Dee, as she gave her newest roommates a once-over. Raines and Arthur remained the same, but Dayle had swapped his cowboy outfit for standard issue brown leather armor. He did find a way to wear a brown overcoat over the suit.

Dayle scrunched his nose in disgust as he assimilated a bag of provisions into his inventory. "You know, when I said affordable, I didn't mean gutter piss.

"They aren't as bad as they smell," Dee assured. Her lips curled in a sly smile, "Mostly."

Dayle groaned, "Thanks, that's very assuring."

"Come on Dayle, Surely they cannot be that bad?" Arthur reprimanded as he took a bit off a bar of 'something' that resembled a biscuit. Two crunches and sweat poured down a positively blue forehead. To his credit, he forced himself to swallow the morsel, then flashed a desperate smile. "W-well, this is certainly something."

Raines choked back her amusement as she patted Arthur's back. "That was very brave of you."

"Hey, at least it fills yer ungrateful stomachs," Dee chided, though her eyes were clearly laughing. "Now come on. I'll take you to the exit."

Dayle followed, a part of his mind addled by the sheer density of people. He'd heard game engines had made progress, but all these people, with their own consciousness... This was on a whole other level of cra—Whoa! Dayle was forced to duck in order to save his head as a figure zipped past on a hoverboard.

Dee chuckled, amused by Dayle's expression. "Probably late for a race or something."

"People race on those things?" Raines asked, tone incredulous.

"Yup," Dee nodded as they emerged to a much larger road. Unlike the others, no pedestrians walked on the main road. Vehicles of different kinds hummed silently to and fro. "The Outer Ring makes for the best obstacle courses. You guys should consider joining up sometime." Dee turned to them. "Alright, take out your sprites."

Dayle took a moment to understand, but then remembered the starter packs they had recieved. A quick search through his inventory confirmed what he was looking for. He double-tapped the icon, then stepped back as the bike constructed in front of him. Next to him, Raines and Arthur did the same.

The bike silently hovered off the ground through propulsion units beneath its frame. Dayle examined the bike with a keen eye. Oddly, the handlebars were tucked inside, and he couldn't find a throttle anywhere. He mounted the bike's low seat, then leaned forward in order to grab onto its handlebars. He made to place his feet on what looked like footpads on either side.

"No do—" Dee screamed but it was too late.

As soon as Dayle's right foot touched the 'pad', the bike suddenly burst forward... right into a wall. Luckily, the bike itself was quite sturdy, but Dayle had the unfortunate pleasure of ramming his head against its frame.

"Ugh," Dayle groaned as Dee ran up to him. "What the hell happened?"

Dee pointed at the feet rest. "That's the throttle. The left one's the brake," she pointed to some buttons on the handlebars. "That syncs up with your gauntlet to generate a 3-D map. This one releases a concentrated burst from the base propulsion engines." At Dayle's raised brow she clarified, "It allows you to 'jump'."

"What?" Raines called in a mocking tone a she hovered close to him. "You forget to read up on the vehicles, Mr. Research?"

Dee climbed onto the back of Dayle's bike as he shot a quip Raines' way. "That way," she pointed down the road. Dayle led the party, tentatively at first, as he familiarized himself with the machine. By the time they reached the gate, he was speeding like a crazed lunatic.

"Shit," Dayle whistled as he pulled to a stop. The gate was situated in the largest metal wall he had ever seen. The wall, which he could tell spanned the city's perimeter, was as high as a skyscraper. But even from there, he couldn't see the dome that should have been at the top. The city probably had a way of cloaking it to promote a natural environment.

Dee hopped off the bike. "This is as far as I go. You might want to put on your helmets." She took out some cubes from a pouch on her left thigh. "Take these. They're experimental, but I'm confident they'll work."

"What are they?" Dayle asked as he accepted one. Raines and Arthur also took one each.

"A few things I've been working on," Dee revealed. "Cryogenic and Delayed Incendiary ammo, among other things. I'm sure you'll find some use for them."

"Thanks Dee," Arthur said as he assimilated the cube. Notifications on his gauntlet detailed the inventory gained. "These will definitely come in handy."

Dee smiled, then slapped Dayle's back. "Well then get a move on. I've got stuff of my own to work out if we're really gonna do this."

"Oh, we are definitely doing this," Dayle replied with a grin as he held out a fist.

"Seems like it," Dee acknowledged as she bumped his fist. She exchanged similar goodbyes with Raines and Arthur, then stepped back as their respective bikes hummed to life. With one last wave, she watched them don their helmets, then speed into the gate. Once she confirmed they passed the checkpoint, she turned around and began the long trek home.

Dayle had thought this before, but as he sped through the tunnel, he confirmed it for sure. The walls were ridiculously thick—thick enough to line up a few bullet trains—and made of the hardest looking metal he had ever seen. A couple of seconds and he was through the other end. What greeted him was a sight that would forever be etched into his mind.

Dayle had been sent to many different regions for missions. Across these places, he had come across some of the worst places to see in the entire world; sites of mother nature's rampant fury. But nothing... nothing could have prepared him for the horrible desolation before him.

As it turned out, Kudan was situated in the ruins of a forgotten city. Once proud skyscrapers and highrises had been reduced to rubble by harsh winds and frequent storms. Dry sand and stone several feet high caked the landscape with nary a sound of life or hope.

Dayle looked over his shoulder at the monolith behind him. From the outside, Kudan's domineering dome and sheer size blotted out what little sunlight flitted through dense clouds. He had never realized just how large the city was until that exact moment. Whether it was to the left or right, he couldn't even gauge how long the city's perimeter was. And this city was supposed to be mobile? Dayle could not fathom the mechanics or physics behind such logic. He shook his head as he sped down a ramp that extended from the raised gate, to the ruins below.

"This is crazy," Raines whispered, tone distraught by the scene. "How did they pull this off?" She used the party channel linked by inbuilt receivers in their helmets.

"Technology," Dayle weakly replied, as he too observed their surroundings in awe. The level of detail was too realistic. If it wasn't for his helmet, he was sure he might even be able to smell the decay and rot that was sure to fill the air.

"Guys?" Arthur called. "What the hell is that?"

Dayle followed Arthur's line of sight to the roofs above. He felt a great lump form in his throat at the giant birds that perched there, observing them like they were pieces of meat. However, he soon relaxed as he recognized them from the bestiary. "Scavengers," Dayle said. "We should be fine as long as we don't die."

"Great," Raines spat. "We'll try our best not to die then."

Arthur meanwhile was more concerned. "Did you say they are scavengers?"

"Yeah?" Dayle confirmed.

"Then what are they scavenging?"

"Good quest—" BOOM! Dayle cursed as he sharply veered to the left to dodge falling debris from an explosion to his right. "You had to ask!" Dayle complained as what could only be described as a dinosaur burst through the ruins ahead of them and brushed away the dust with a single roar. Dayle didn't recognize the two legged, fifty feet RAD, so he chose the only option available. "FLOOR IT!"

The trio zoomed past the RAD at different angles—Dayle zoomed between its legs, while Arthur and Raines took either side of it—in order to temporarily confuse it. It worked, as the RAD was momentarily unsure of who to attack. A split-second indecision that allowed them all the time they needed to escape. The enraged RAD spun around, ready to chase, but much to Dayle's surprise, its right leg exploded.

Dayle barely registered the Augers that appeared out of the woodwork like a bunch of ninjas before he pushed even further down on the throttle. Monsters were one thing, but other Augers or humans? Definitely not a fight he wanted right now.

"Well at least now we know what they are scavenging," Arthur remarked, voice laden with shocked awe.

"HAHA!" Dayle burst out laughing. "Yup, now we do." And why the walls are so thick too. Laughing heartily, the trio turned on their navigation systems and set a course for Hasuni.

***

The earth erupted from the strike of an angry bolt of lightning. Thunder rolled across the horizon accompanied by several random lightning strikes which lit up the dark sky. Hasuni, much like the area surrounding Kudan, was mostly the ruins of a modern city. The major difference was that the radiation levels in Hasuni were on a whole different scale compared to Kudan. As a result, the RAD were also much stronger than the regular riff-raff. The Godzilla-looking RAD they had met in Kudan was more an exception rather than the rule in that area.

Dayle and his team took shelter from the thunderstorm in an abandoned building, made of concrete. Judging by the large, empty spacs in the walls, this building was once a mall, or something similar. However, time, monsters, and maybe even scavengers had left it threadbare.

Dayle and his team sat on stones peculiarly arranged next to each other. Someone else had been here before them. Their source of light was a device called a 'Firecone.' It was given to every Auger in the starter pack. Shaped like a sphere, its user would twist the halves in different directions to activate the core embedded in it. This core generated heat and light, and could be regulated from the sphere. Basically the future's answer to campfire, Dayle thought to him.

Dayle took out one of the devices they had gotten from Dee. It resembled a capsule, was called 'bubble', and according to the instructions, should generate a temporary 'clean' field. If it worked of course. Dayle examined the capsule, noting the tiny indentation at the center. He twisted each end in opposing directions, and the capsule 'cracked' open.

A strong burst of wind escaped from within the capsule, which knocked Dayle on his backside. "Ouch," he complained as he examined the bluish translucent dome-shield that surrounded them. It had a rough radius of about five meters. A little tight, but at least it worked. The Radiation meter was below 50 Rk, which meant it was clean enough for human use.

Dayle took off his helmet, a smile at the hissing sound as the airlock disengaged. He took in a huge breath, then released it, pleased to finally be enjoying some fresh air.

"Gonna tell us what we're doing here now?" Raines asked as she took out one of those mystery biscuits. "Jesus, these are nasty," she swore as she forcefully swallowed it.

"I do hope these are one of those 'you get used to as you take more' kind of foods," Arthur said as he too took a bite. The disgusted arched brows and rising green complexion suggested otherwise.

"Haha!" Dayle laughed as he patted his partner's back. "Never thought you'd miss military rations did you?"

"You said it," Raines reluctancly agreed as she finished up the dry biscuits. "So, you gonna tell us what we're here for?"

Dayle nodded as he inputted some instructions into his gauntlet. A hologtam of a wasp-like creature popped in front of them. It was about as long as an average man laying horizontally. "The Nidae Wasps," Dayle introduced. "They have ranking of Lv. 6-7, with the Queen packing LV.14."

Arthur frowned. "Isn't that a tad too high for us right now? I mean, unless you know something we do not, last I checked we are all still at level 1"

Dayle shook his head. "The rankings in this game don't just depend on kill difficulty. Rarity, conditions to kill, and other factors are also accounted for."

Raines glanced at the wasp. "So what's so special about this thing, that we had to come all the way out here?"

Dayle smiled. "Its core."

Raines raised a brow. "What?"

"It's a Radiation-type RAD," Dayle revealed. "Specifically, the radiation-absorption type. Those type of cores sell for a pretty penny."

"I am quite sure that is not the only reason you chose this place," Arthur teased.

Dayle laughed. "Fine you got me. I wanna absorb its core. Be a radiation based Radi, you know?"

"What benefit is that exactly?" Raines inquired.

"Not sure yet," Dayle confessed with a light shrug. "But I figure, this whole planet's filled with radiation. Wouldn't hurt to be a radiation based fighter no?"

"You do any research on this? Make sure this is a good choice?"

"To be honest, it's not really a popular choice. Low-level Radiation core types are mostly harmless like absorption. The really cool ones aren't till much much higher levels. Why wait, when you can get an electric core and start stunning enemies from the get-go."

"You can electrocute people?" Arthur exclaimed. "That is definitely not fair."

"Oh please," Dayle retorted. "You guys can do much more with your fancy suits. I can't afford that shit."

"Guys," Raines prompted. "So not what we're here for." She shot Dayle a scathing glare, "Dayle, if you will?"

Shaking his head, Dayle continued his briefing. "The wasps are known to live in abandoned ruins like these. The infrastructures resemble hives I guess. They come out during radiation storms to absorb radiation in the rain, then disappear back into the buildings. Killing one is easy, but they attack in swarms, thereby the jacked up rankings."

Arthur glanced at the lightning flashes outside with a smile. "So, did you predict this storm?" At Dayle's raised brow, he added. "You have to admit, the timing is uncanny."

"Nah, you know what I would do if I could predict the weather?" Dayle joked.

"Become the only accurate weather man in the country?" Raines quipped.

Dayle laughed. "Well, not exactly what I had in mind but yeah, that'll work too." He shook his head and returned to the matter-at-hand. "I chose this place cause it has the highest recorded frequency of radiation storms in the nearby regions. If I were a Nidae Wasp, I'd want to live here."

"Okay, good plan," Raines started as she glanced outside. "But there're no wasps out there."

"That's cause this is a lightning storm," Dayle explained. "Once the rain starts falling, they'll start coming out."

"Oh," Arthur muttered, finally getting the point. "They absorb the radiation inside the raindrops."

"Good," Raines muttered. "So how long until the rain starts—" Before she could finish her sentence, what little view they had was worsened by a heavy torrent, accompanied by the loud beating of raindrops against concrete.

"Well, if you're gonna summon rain—" Raine's glare prevented Dayle from finishing his sentence. "Okay, Okay," Dayle placated, hands up in mock surrender. "Raines I'm gonna need you on the roof. Art, you're with me."

"Finally," Raines happily exclaimed as she shot to her feet and donned her helmet. A sniper rifle appeared, slung over her shoulder. "See you louts then." With one last wave, she ran deep into the mall in search of a staircase or something.

Dayle grabbed the 'Firecone' and twisted it the other way round, shutting it off. "Alright, Art, you ready?" Dayle checked, as he placed the device back into his inventory.

"Definitely," Arthur confirmed, a red assault rifle balanced on his right arm. He had already had his helmet one.

"Good," Dayle said as he too donned his helmet. Once the mechanical hiss stopped, and the helmet's 'visors' came online he led Arthur to an open hole in the wall. They jumped down what might have been three to four stories, but emerged totally unscathed by the drop. Dayle tapped the pistols hanging in their holsters. "Let's go kick some butt."

***

It took some time, but Raines finally made it to the top of the building. Within minutes, she had her rifle set up on a stand. She was thankful for the futuristic helmets. At least she didn't have to worry about the rain getting in her eyes. She pressed herself against the ground to reduce visibility, then trained her weapon till she found Arthur and Dayle.

Both men were hiding behind and abandoned truck.

"I've got eyes," Raines reported.

"Roger," Dayle acknowledged. "Watch our asses."

"Got it," Raines reported as she swung her rifle towards the streets ahead. Movement caught in her visor. "I've got something." Boy did she. As she corrected the zoom to sharpen the image, she saw it. The biggest insect in the history of insects at an opening in one of the buildings. The damned furry creature caused her skin to crawl. Feelers as long as her arm protruded from its head to inspect the rain.

A second later it burst out, followed by a sight that would never leave her mind for years. Hundreds of insects like the Egyptian curse filled the sky within seconds. And then... Chaos.

***

A/N: Sorry for the delay. Couple of weeks have been hectic as hell.