“Scraplings,” she muttered, her voice low but laced with dread.

  Her pulse raced as Xyros’s voice echoed in her mind: "Channel your energy. Focus on your pulse."

  The Scraplings burst from the shadows with mechanical screeches, their red, glowing eyes locking onto Zaria like predatory beacons. Her heart hammered as she raised her hand, fingers trembling as she summoned the Energy Pulse. Warm energy buzzed down her arm, pooling in her palm before crackling outward in a radiant burst of blue light.

  The blast struck the nearest Scrapling square in its core, sending it spiraling backward. Gears, shards, and jagged bits of metal exploded outward like deadly confetti.

  "Boom! One down!" Zaria exclaimed, her grin short-lived as the other Scraplings surged forward, their jagged limbs clicking with malicious intent.

  Two lunged at her in unison. She dove to the side, rolling across the uneven ground and slamming her hand onto her TNC. The Tech Shield flared to life mid-roll, encasing her in a shimmering barrier just as the creatures' claws collided with it. Sparks flew, their attacks deflected, but her TNC flashed an ominous red, the cooldown timer ticking like a bomb in her peripheral vision.

  The first Scrapling emitted a high-pitched whine, its limbs locking into place. A warning flashed across her TNC: "Suicide Run Imminent."

  "Oh, come on! Are you serious?" Zaria scrambled backward, throwing herself behind a nearby pile of debris just as the Scrapling launched itself at her. The collision rocked her shield, and the barrier shattered into flickering fragments with a thunderous boom. Shrapnel rained down, clinking off the debris she crouched behind.

  "Note to self," Zaria muttered, shaking dust from her hair, "next time, ask Xyros for a longer-lasting shield."

  The second Scrapling leapt at her, claws slicing the air just inches from her face. She twisted away, her boots skidding on the metallic ground. Her hand snapped forward, summoning another Energy Pulse. The blast slammed into the Scrapling’s side, throwing it against a jagged piece of wreckage. It let out a metallic screech as its core imploded, shards of its frame scattering like broken glass.

  "Two down," she panted, glancing toward the remaining Scrapling. It had stopped its advance, its glowing eyes narrowing as if assessing her.

  Zaria gritted her teeth. "Oh, don’t even think about it, you toaster with legs."

  Before it could act, she darted forward, closing the distance in a heartbeat. Her hand slammed against its glowing core, and a surge of technomantic energy rippled through her palm. The Scrapling convulsed violently, its limbs jerking as sparks burst from its joints. With a final shudder, it collapsed into a lifeless heap at her feet.

  "Three for three!" she crowed, raising her arms in mock triumph. "Someone get me a trophy! Or, better yet, a shield that doesn’t crumble under pressure."

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Her TNC blinked with notifications, the soft chime of achievement rewards breaking the tense silence. But Zaria barely noticed. Her adrenaline still surged, her breaths coming in short, sharp bursts as she scanned the wreckage for any sign of more Scraplings.

  Satisfied the coast was clear, she stood over the shattered remains of her foes, brushing her hands together with mock nonchalance. "That’s right, junkbots—mess with the human, and you get recycled."

  Her humor faltered as the shadows around her deepened, the first stars of night glinting above. Xyros’s warning echoed in her mind: "When the sun sets, the Nexus Arena changes."

  A cold prickle ran down her spine. Whatever else was out here, it wasn’t likely to cheer for her victory. With one last glance at the wreckage, she turned back to the faint glow of her TNC, the map’s pulsing marker beckoning her toward the first sphere.

  “Alright,” she muttered, shaking out her trembling hands. “Game on.” A new notification blinked in her TNC:

  Achievement Unlocked: First Battle - +5 Technomantic Potential (TNP) Points.

  A faint laugh escaped her as a second notification followed:

  Achievement Unlocked: Waste Not, Want Not.

  You have defeated a minion of the Recycler without allowing it to absorb any debris for healing.” +3 to Energy Pulse, +2 to Tech Shield.

  “Look at me,” she muttered, a grin tugging at her lips. “Kicking ass and taking names.” Her victory was short-lived as the sky darkened further, the chill of nightfall creeping in. She glanced at her TNC again, confirming the direction of the first sphere and continued on.

  Zaria squinted at her TNC, the pulsing blue glow of the first sphere’s marker taunting her with its proximity. She had been trekking for what felt like hours, her boots crunching over a maddening mix of gritty soil and metallic panels that hummed faintly underfoot. The air grew cooler, laced with the faint tang of ozone and the earthy scent of disturbed ground. The horizon stretched out in a mess of jagged ridges and unnatural formations, but no sphere in sight.

  “Come on,” she muttered, swiping at the sweat on her brow as her eyes darted to every shadow. “How can something so bright on the map be invisible in real life? Do I need glasses or a better TNC?”

  Her pulse quickened as she climbed over a fallen conduit, its glowing veins pulsing weakly like the remnants of some long-forgotten power source. Ahead, the faint hum of energy grew louder, a whisper of reassurance that she was getting closer. But the sphere? Nowhere to be seen.

  Zaria paused, planting her hands on her hips and glaring at the map hovering in her vision. “Okay, Xyros,” she grumbled under her breath. “You said, ‘focus on what you can control.’ Well, how about giving me a clue on this?”

  She took a deep breath, forcing herself to shake off the frustration. The fifth sphere—the irregular, flickering marker in the corner of her TNC—hovered at the edge of her thoughts, its existence an irritating itch she couldn’t scratch. She clenched her fists, grounding herself in the present. “One problem at a time,” she said aloud, as if speaking the words would make them true. “Deal with the mysterious fifth sphere when I have to. Not now.”

  Her lips quirked into a wry grin as she adjusted her lab coat. “You hear that, mystery sphere? You can wait your turn. I’ll solve your weird little mystery after I finish saving my own skin.”

  A soft beep from her TNC indicated she was closing in. She picked up her pace, the crunch of her boots mixing with the faint hum of technomantic energy growing louder with each step.

  “Four more spheres, then we’ll chat,” she muttered, shooting a pointed glare at the dim fifth marker on her map. “Until then, I’m busy pretending I have a plan.”

  And with that, she pressed forward, the first sphere almost within reach, the cool night air wrapping around her like a promise of both challenges and triumphs yet to come.