"Something's off... This doesn't seem right," Jade muttered as she inspected the ancient gun. They were currently speeding ahead, with no clear direction toward any city.
That morning, after Sam woke up, they shared a can of food for breakfast and split a can of something resembling an energy drink. It had a unique taste that both Jade and Sam found enjoyable.
Sam didn't feel bored; he was content with the ride, enjoying the wind in his face. Of course, the absence of a windshield was a problem, but the protective goggles made it easier. He hadn't slept well due to his tests, unable to fall asleep peacefully. Now, of all times, he felt like dozing off, but they had to keep moving; staying in one place was dangerous.
Since the gunshot from his revolver, they hadn't noticed anyone tailing them or searching for them. Sam still had concerns about the desert city, worried that slavers might be waiting for them, but his new weapon made him more confident in his abilities.
Sam had also realized that the shot didn't actually consume the bullet; instead, it seemed to recharge for about 20 seconds. This was a huge advantage, having an endless supply of ammo. However, in battle, it could still be a drawback since 20 seconds was too long for an active shootout. He and Jade discussed what they should do once they reached the city.
First on the list was selling their modern weapons—four pistols. This was one of their main goals at the moment. Such weapons could be considered rare, meaning they could fetch a good amount of money, or so Sam believed. With the money, they needed to buy quite a few things: food, gas, water, some equipment, and information.
It would also be wise to find some parts for the car. They'd been on the road for three hours, and the car had already broken down twice. Jade gave an objective assessment of the car's condition—"It's in bad shape." They'd have to stay in the city for at least a day to repair the car enough to make it to a place where they could buy a ticket off the planet. But above all, the most valuable thing was information.
Another important task remained. Sam looked at his wrists, where the deactivated shackles were still attached. They weren't too heavy and didn't really bother him much. After 16 years of slavery, he was used to wearing something like this. But if they planned to escape the life of hunted slaves and leave the planet, these shackles needed to come off.
'A grinder might help me with this.'
This was also one of their goals. In any case, they needed to find an informant who could answer all their pressing questions.
Sam occasionally glanced at the girl, who was deeply engrossed in her futile attempts to disassemble the ancient weapon. He would be lying if he said he wasn't interested in it as well. He couldn't even figure out how to remove the magazine or battery—or whatever it used. But knowing this could come in handy in the future. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to know more about the Ancients in general.
"Any progress?" Sam asked, shifting his gaze slightly to the girl. The road ahead was clear, so he could afford to be distracted.
"Don't bother me; I'm already trying to make sense of this... thing," the girl snapped, clearly frustrated. He could see her frowning deeply, so he just shrugged and returned his focus to the road.
"Got it, got it. Just try not to break it."
Right now, as far as Sam could tell, she was trying to remove the casing from the barrel. He didn't know if she had any experience with weapons, but judging by her progress, it seemed unlikely. Even though Sam had cleaned and handled weapons in his previous world, this design was incomprehensible to him, even on an intuitive level.
Her hands moved carefully over the weapon's casing, handling it with the utmost care. The sunlight made her squint, just as it did to Sam.
'Huh?'
Sam suddenly noticed something unusual in his field of vision. Turning his head, he saw a dark, yellow-brown sphere approaching them. It was a sandstorm. The wind immediately picked up, and a loud hum filled his ears. A massive whirlwind was menacingly advancing toward them, consuming everything in its path and rendering distant debris invisible beneath its gigantic body.
But Sam remained calm; during their journey, they had managed to avoid about five or six such storms. The storm was coming from the left side, directly toward them, threatening to engulf them... if they were on foot. Thanks to the buggy, they were moving fast enough to stay ahead of it.
In many ways, this journey had... its own charm. Sam might even compare it to some extreme sport, where you race across the desert in a buggy, dodging all the sandstorms. The winner would be the one who avoided the most storms. What made this sport appealing? It was probably the adrenaline.
Sam couldn't deny that his heart raced faster at the sight of the storm. The memories of the last time they encountered one lingered in his mind, making his heart pound. But it didn't change the fact that he enjoyed this—the feeling of life... hanging by a thread. He hadn't noticed it right away, only closer to dawn when it was Jade's turn to watch over him.
Since he couldn't sleep, many thoughts flooded his mind, but one in particular wouldn't leave him. The fight with the Sleeper. At that moment, he hadn't felt... extremely scared. Of course, there was fear, just as there would be for any other person during a battle. But it didn't paralyze him or hinder his movements. When he successfully escaped, he felt a strange euphoria from having evaded death.
And yes, he understood how lucky he had been. If Sam hadn't woken up, they would have been devoured. If Sam hadn't managed to dodge the Sleeper's first and second attacks in time, he would have died. But the satisfaction of having survived and made it out alive stayed with him for several days.
"Haaa..." Sam sighed, resting his head on his left hand, lazily steering with his right.
The girl didn't pay attention to him, absorbed in her attempts to dismantle the weapon.
'This isn't normal, right? My actions are kind of... impulsive. Too much so. Maybe it's because I'm in the body of a 16-year-old, and my hormones are acting up? They are supposed to be active at this age... Or not.'
Sam was genuinely surprised by many of his actions. But is that necessarily a bad thing? After 16 years of slavery, being beaten almost daily for attempting to escape, being fed only once a day... going insane isn't so terrifying, is it?
'Maybe slavery affected me in this way? I've definitely become more ruthless and cold; no need for a psychologist to tell me that. But now that I'm free... how have I changed? Though, I think these thoughts are just distracting me right now.'
Sam decided to just accept this as an amusing fact about himself and continued driving without any further thoughts.
And so they drove and drove. Another hour passed. Then another, spent fixing yet another breakdown of the car. Then two more hours went by.
Sam was already tired of the endless desert in his field of vision; it was wearing him down. They stopped once to have a snack, share another can of food, and drink some water. Now, they had no water left.
Of course, they had to conserve it, but a 0.33-liter can shared between two people wasn't exactly luxurious. Sam doubted he would have quenched his thirst even if he had the entire can to himself. Both he and the girl weren't in the best of shape.
But they had to make do with what they had.
This continued until, finally, something incredible appeared on the horizon. He immediately caught the girl's attention, who grumbled as she set the weapon aside next to her. But when she looked ahead, she saw the same thing as Sam.
In front of them, in all its glory, was a massive blue dome covering a city. The strangest part was that it was almost nonexistent at the bottom, but it was clearly present at the top. It seemed to be some sort of shield, similar to the one surrounding Sam's slaver camp, but much larger.
'Looks like this city was also founded on some kind of anomaly.'
Sam had always been told that cities in this desert were established where there was a large protective anomaly—commonly known as the "Shield." Maybe this was some sort of advanced technology he wasn't aware of, or perhaps they kept it from him for some reason, but he leaned more toward the idea of an anomaly. Not all anomalies were dangerous.
In general, Sam didn't know much about them. The most obvious anomaly was the sandstorm, which could move chaotically, constantly changing direction. There were even places where it could stay for years without moving.
Among the slaves, there were often rumors that this was some kind of creature or an angry spirit of the Ancients, enraged that our generation dared to loot their underground vaults.
The second anomaly was, of course, the shield—it protected cities from storms and other phenomena. There wasn't much more to say about it. Many people attached some religious significance to it, but Sam didn't care about that.
The third anomaly, which Sam had never seen in his life, was the glass. It was mostly talked about by the elders, who said that escaping the planet's atmosphere was extremely difficult because there was... glass in the sky?
He couldn't quite picture it in his mind, but he just believed them—after all, the elders didn't lie; he trusted them completely.
The fourth and most dangerous anomaly, as they say—one that even the shield might not protect against—is more of a legend than a true anomaly. The elders spoke of it as something so rare that it hardly ever happens. Its name is "The Tears of the Ancients." It was an acid rain so potent that it could corrode even the areas of ancient ships buried under the sand.
Sam couldn't help but glance at a nearby fragment of a ship's hull sticking out of the ground. He couldn't wrap his mind around the idea. Yes, his shackles contained special cutters capable of melting through it, but those cutters were... simply unbelievable.
More than once, Sam had burned his hands and fingers without even touching the fire stream that came out of them. Just the heat near his hand was enough to cause serious burns on his palms and the back of his hands.
He even had a couple of scars still left on... his left hand. The right one, whether for better or worse, had been replaced with steel.
'By the way, I haven't really tested its durability yet... I should definitely try it out. Maybe I should ask Jade to shoot my hand with the revolver?'
"Hey, what's wrong with you? Come on! Or does our prince feel like basking in the sun?" the girl said, giving him a slight shove on the shoulder. Sam snapped out of his thoughts and realized that while he was lost in them, the vehicle had just been standing still.
"Being next to a toad like you doesn't make that very appealing," Sam said, and immediately felt a slap on the back of his head.
He sighed and continued driving, heading toward the city.