Several days had passed since he and Eva had left Junk Bunk without the Super rockets firing.
It was a bit surprising that the people up North didn't take the opportunity to melt down the atmosphere during these last few days, but it seemed even a rocket thruster capable of shifting an entire planet off of its orbit had its limits.
It might've been a useless conjecture on his part as the reason might be something else but it didn't change the facts that the last few days had been quiet.
But as usual, quiet, doesn't last long here on a planet where people were banished because they weren't quiet enough.
*Boom!
Feeling the vibrations underneath his feet, Ester looked to the side from where they originated, the Driller shaking more than usual as it trecked across the hazardous terrain.
"What's happening out there!?"
Shouting up at Eva, a reply came in quickly after, Eva's crackling voice sounding even more crackly than before.
[I-I d-don't know e-either-er. T-These new c-camera's a-are s-so s-shitty I-I can't t-tell!]
Another set of harsh vibrations ran across the Driller's body causing Ester to grab onto the table for support as Eva's voice crackled out from in the vents again.
[P-People]
"Bandits?"
[W-What d-do y-you t-think?]
"I miss being able to go underground"
Ester briefly felt his body float as the Driller jolted to the side from a large impact, a loud screech of metal accompanying the impact as Eva's strained voice crackled out.
[T-They're t-trying to-to anch-anchor us.]
He felt the Driller sway underneath his feet as Eva attempted to shake off the bandits currently trying to slow them down.
"Can you hold out?"
[C-can the e-engine survive an h-hour long chase?]
"I guess not."
[It-it's your fault b-by t-the way.]
Ester recalled how he had to replace the melted gold wiring more than once due to his smelting.
"I won't even bother arguing with you since its true."
[J-Just get out of-of here-re and k-kick some as-ass why d-don't ya?]
"Just give me some time to gear up."
[Two min-minutes.]
The Driller shook.
[One and-and a-a half] Eva corrected herself.
"A bit short but I do need to get used to my new arm."
Smiling wryly, Ester unlocked the clasps holding his arm onto the desk.
Having underestimated the output of the new Celesteel bones and joints, he had to overhaul the entire design so that it could accommodate the higher output, removing most of the Celesteel he had previously planned to build into it.
Thankfully he recovered most of the specialized parts in his previous arm elsewise he would've been forced to take several months to make a new own.
And as a result of the redesign, there was more than two thirds of the Star alloy left, more than enough to make Eva some new legs and maybe her voice box if he used his new arm as a reference.
Talking about his new arm, it seemed that his first tests with this overhauled design was going to be in the thick of combat.
Sticking the arm to his shoulder, Ester let the strength drain out of his limbs as a distinct clarity invaded his brain, flashes of green skinned figures riding in cars of brown rust and grey scrap passed by in fragments.
'What the void!?'
Blanking out from the strange sensation, just as quickly as that moment of clarity had invaded his brain, it disappeared.
If it weren't for the fact that he was kneeling on the ground, he would've thought it to be a freak hallucination.
'What... What was that.'
Touching his head, Ester paused when he felt the cold touch of metal instead of the rough feel of linen.
Focusing his unfocused eyes, he was greeted with an arm lined with metal plates instead of an arm lined with skin.
'Did it already sync?'
Moving his right arm with a familiarity that he didn't think he'd have since it was gone for a few days, before he could come to terms with the fact that there was no acclimation process, Eva's panicked voice crackled loudly from the vents.
[E-E-E-Ester!]
'Oh yeah. the Bandits.'
Recalling that fact he briefly forgot about, Ester shoved aside his many questions as he hurriedly stumbled to his feet.
Yanking the Power sling from its place between the fridge magnets, he slid the weapon onto his left arm as the air lock shut itself behind him.
There usually was a brief period where the clean air was shunted away for efficiencies sake but thanks to the bandits currently trying to board and most likely cannibalize them, there was no time.
"GIT 'EM LADS!" "FOR THE FAMILY!" "MAKE SURE THEY LIVE!" "AIM THE 'CHOR PROPERLY YOU IDJITS!"
Overriding the front door, hoots and hollers instantly greeted him alongside a face full of turbid air.
Feeling the wind rustle against his hood, Ester focused his mind and glared at the source of the noise.
Poking their green skinned bodies out of the windows of their cars, the green skinned bandits hollered even louder upon catching sight of him.
"IT'S ONE OF 'EM" "HE LOOKS CUTE!" "BAWS WILL BE HAPPY!" "AIM THE FRACKING ANCHOR!!!"
Ignoring the odd sentence that had slipped in with the shouts, Ester grabbed the doorframe and leaned out of the Driller, scanning the cars bouncing up and over the scrap laden landscape.
'There's about 19 from what I can see, there are, 4 more if I count the drivers but...'
A bike briefly swerved into his sight from the other side of the Driller, their green skinned inhabitants laughing wildly as if on drugs.
Which in hindsight they might, but that wasn't the point Ester was making.
'The point is that there are more of them that I can't see.'
A rough estimate put them at around 40 to 50 strong.
Feeling the wind battering his back, Ester felt a smile slowly crawl onto his face against his will.
'This is going to be a bit difficult.'
Twisting his body around despite the numbers of shouts directed towards him, Ester leapt up and grabbed the top of the Driller and hefted himself upwards.
And speaking of the bandits, they weren't polite enough to wait for Ester to get his bearings as the Driller shook underneath his feet, another scream of metal against metal grating in his ears.
Hurriedly stabilizing himself lest he fall off the Driller, Ester glanced behind the Driller and at the fleet of 13 misshapen vehicles kicking up dust behind them, focusing particularly on the three large beasts of machines bearing ballista's and...
'The Tork family insignia?'
Narrowing his eyes at the sight of the metal tusked jaws plastered onto the hoods of their vehicles, Eva's voice intersped with heavy static echoed from his arm.
[W-Whaet's t-teh sitch up-up there?]
"Tork family."
[...C-Coincidence?]
"They said to keep us alive for the boss so I don't think so."
[How-how'd they f-find us?]
"I don't know but..." Ester thought back to the badge that Daniel of the Handsy weed had handed him way back when they had first entered Ashtown. "I think I know."
[How p-poetic]
"It's a strength."
[H-How about you-you direct that s-strength to kill-illing those g-guys? Careful.]
Ester tightened his hold on the Driller as it leapt over a small cliff.
Following them in close pursuit were thirteen vehicles, ten of which were waiting for the anchor launchers to slow them down.
"AIM THE ANCHORS PROPERLY YOU NITWITS!"
Speaking of the anchor launchers, it seemed that they had finally reloaded the anchors if that angered voice was anything to go by.
"Would now be a good time to tell you that I forgot to bring ammo when I took the power sling?"
[P-Please tell me-me you're jok-oking.]
"I also forgot to close the airlock."
[...In-In all seriousness d-did you get hit in-in the head?]
Ester clenched his right hand. "Something similar I guess."
[...C-Can you do it?]
Ester glanced to where he knew one of the new camera's had been installed. "Can I not do it?"
[...]
"I'll take that silence as a no."
[We c-can-] "Nope."
Tapping his arm, Eva's voice cut off as the Tork Family politely fired their anchors right as he finished their conversation.
"FIRE!"
All three of them at that.
"NOT ALL THREE OF THEM YOUS IDJITS!"
Ignoring the scream filled with anger, Ester keenly watched the three sharp edged anchors fly through the air, stabbing into the Driller's armor plates.
Grimacing from the screech of metal on metal action, two of the anchors failed to find purchase on the Driller, the bolts embedding themselves into the ground, forcing the people driving behind them to initiate evasive maneuvers.
"YA MISSED!" "GIMME THE GUN!" "LISTEN TO ME YOU BLOODY BASTARDS!" "WATCH WHERE 'YER AIMING THAT!" "AAAAHHH!!!"
It seemed that not all of the Tork family members were as good as driving as Eva considering that two of their vehicles trailing behind the Driller had just burst into fireballs trying to dodge the two anchors and instead crashing into each other.
"HAHAHAHAH!"
Ester frowned.
It also seemed that the Tork family didn't care for each other as much as their namesake suggested.
Ignoring the unruly lot, Ester felt the Driller slow underneath his feet.
'That Anchor is also a problem.'
Hurriedly shuffling towards the back of the Driller, he scanned the back and immediately spotted the anchor currently dragging a long trail of barbed balls behind it.
Most of those balls were suspended in the air due to it landing somewhat high, but it still meant that it was slowing the Driller down.
"IT'S THE TARGET!" "REMEMBER TO KEEP HIM 'LIVE!" "I CALL DIBS ON HIS HEART!" "I SAID TO KEEP HIM 'LIVE!"
Glancing up at the bunch of bandits that were now worryingly close to the Driller due to being slowed by the anchor, Ester reached down and grabbed at the Anchor with his right hand.
Running Aether through the limb, Ester widened his eyes at the Anchor easily bending in his grip
'Oh...'
Roughly bending the anchor some more, the anchor that couldn't stand much more of the his grip snapped off.
Feeling the Driller speed up underneath him, Ester raised the metal chips in his hands up to his eyes.
'I can work with this.'
Releasing the metal chips into the Power sling's ammo slot, the weapon buzzed with life.
---
18 DAYS SINCE THE CORRUPTED OF C-POINT BEGAN 'HER' HUNT
+++
Tree that injured his hands.