The wastelands stretched before them—an endless sea of ruined cities, scorched battlefields, and rusted war machines left to rot under the dying sun.
The world was a graveyard.
And Iron's Hollow was just another tomb.
Approaching the Ruins
Karin tightened her grip on the wheel as their transport rumbled forward.
"Five minutes out." Her voice was quiet, cautious. "You sure anyone's even alive out here?"
Vos adjusted his rifle scope, scanning ahead. "If they are, they're not friendly."
Ryo sat in the back, silent. Focused.
He wasn't just thinking about survivors.
He was thinking about what Hellion left behind.
And why the system had led him here.
> [WARNING: UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE DETECTED.]
[ADVISE CAUTION.]
Ryo's jaw tightened.
"Something's waiting for us."
The Hollow Awakens
The first signs of the old battlefield appeared—
Wrecked tanks, shattered exo-suits, and burned-out bunkers covered in rust and dried blood.
Karin whistled. "This place got hit hard."
Vos nodded grimly. "Iron's Hollow was one of the last freeholds before Hellion wiped it off the map. No one made it out."
Ryo wasn't so sure.
The system wouldn't have sent him here if there was nothing left.
Then—
> [MOTION DETECTED.]
Ryo's eyes snapped up.
Through the dust and debris, something moved.
Not Alone
"Stop the truck." Ryo's voice was sharp.
Karin hit the brakes.
Vos raised his rifle, scanning. "You see something?"
Ryo stepped out, boots crunching on the dry earth.
Wind howled through the ruins.
Then—
A figure emerged from the rubble.
Wrapped in scavenged armor, rifle in hand, face hidden behind a cracked helmet.
Then another.
And another.
Within seconds, a dozen figures stepped into view.
Weapons trained on them.
Survivors.
Or something worse.
A voice rang out.
> "You should've turned back."
The Last Remnants of the Resistance
Ryo didn't flinch.
He met their gazes, standing firm.
Then he spoke.
> "We're here to finish what you started."
Silence.
Then—the leader lowered their rifle.
And smirked.
> "Then you'd better be ready to bleed."
The resistance wasn't dead.
It was just waiting for a war.