The massive carcass of the worm lay baking in the late afternoon sunlight. Konan stood nearby. (It's not a perfect introduction, but... well, I suppose it'll do.)
Vehicles were approaching, at least six of them. Konan wiped the slime from his face and took a neutral stance. The convoy stopped in a semicircle.
Modified vehicles—a predictable development in this kind of world. One was a massive muscle car that seemed to be fused with the tracks of a tank. Another was an open-air truck armed with what looked like machine guns.
Three figures emerged from the lead vehicle. He held his breath. The AIR rating of the lead boy was 6.7.
AIR—Axiom Influence Rating. A term from the Archive, a measure used to identify key characters within a story world. Anything above 5 is considered out of the ordinary. Beyond that, it's already beyond common sense.
(A boy... is he? No, he looks that way age-wise, but...)
The boy was staring at Konan with analytical green eyes. Konan decided to call him "Ocean Eyes" in his mind. Aside from his outfit and the gun and sword strapped to his back, he looked like an ordinary teenager anyone could find anywhere. His thick hair was cut in a messy layer, falling just over his eyebrows.
Next to him stood a petite woman wearing a bandana and a hulking man in a tank top.
"Did you take that thing down?" Ocean Eyes asked expressionlessly.
Konan nodded. "Well, it tried to eat me. I think it made a judgment error on that one."
The two beside Ocean Eyes chuckled awkwardly. They probably couldn't tell if it was bravado or if he was just a bit deranged.
However, Ocean Eyes' expression remained unchanged.
"Alone?"
"It seems I'm not anymore."
Ocean Eyes' eyes narrowed. A sense of caution flickered in his mind: "This man is strangely composed."
"What's your name?"
"Konan."
"Really? Never heard of you."
"Well, I'm not from around here."
There was no malice in his words. But Ocean Eyes—no, Nikolai—didn't know that context. That was enough.
--- In an instant, he closed the distance.
In that brief moment, he drew his sword. If this man had taken down the sandworm alone, a gun wouldn't work against him.
The blade flashed and then vanished.
"Nikolai, stop it!"
The woman companion shouted, but her voice didn't reach him. A warning inside his mind was screaming.
"This guy needs to be dealt with right now."
Konan barely managed to leap back. A shallow cut traced his side, and grimacing in pain, he spun away to gain distance and drew his own weapon.
(What the hell is this guy!?)
"Is this how you welcome newcomers?" He asked.
Nikolai's expression didn't change.
"…You talk like someone who knows too much. I don't like that."
Blades clashed together. Once, twice. Amidst the twilight's orange light, sparks flew.
Nikolai was far faster than he looked. But Konan didn't relent in his attacks.
As he deflected yet another strike, Konan groaned lowly.
"Is this really how you greet someone?"
But there was no reply this time. Instead, Nikolai's kick exploded into Konan's chest.
With a dull thud, Konan skidded across the sand and fell to the ground.
Nikolai slowly approached.
"You've got skill. But… your fighting style lacks 'fear.'"
"I don't fear what I understand."
"…So, do you think you understand me?"
"Not really, but I can guess what your 'type' is."
"…"
"No one trusts a stranger who suddenly appears from the dunes. No matter how big the corpse behind them is. That's why I thought—if I could survive your sword, that would be good enough. So, did I pass?"
Nikolai's footsteps halted. A warning continued to echo in the back of his mind.
This guy was a variable. An anomaly. Dangerous. Take him down now.
But there was no arrogance in that man's voice, merely calmness and calculation. And—he showed no signs of fearing death.
…Nikolai silently sheathed his sword and turned his back.
"If you want a place to be, I'll give you five minutes. Clean yourself up and walk. If you can keep up… you might live to be useful."
On the sand-covered ground, Konan smirked faintly and pushed himself up.
As soon as the tension dissipated, Nikolai's companions sprang into action.
There was no wasted motion in the dissection of the sandworm.
The bandana-wearing woman squatted beside the carcass, peeling away the chitinous layers with a curved blade. She tapped the exposed chunks of flesh with her knife, muttering about "organizational density" or something under her breath.
The hulking man stood silently, not uttering a word. One hand rested on the handle of his machete as he silently observed Konan, as if trying to solve a complicated puzzle.
—And suddenly, out of nowhere—
"Whoa!"
The petite girl appeared right in front of him.
She glanced at Konan from head to toe and opened her mouth.
"You're not from Volt. Your dirtiness is different. Not a raider, either. Too clean."
"Huh?"
Ignoring Konan's confused reaction, she circled around him like a cat.
Eventually, she stopped in front of him and whispered softly.
"...You seem to be clear."
Her eyes sparkled a deep cobalt blue. It wasn't a mechanical scan; it was likely something mental. She might not be able to read his actual memories, but she could probably make sense of the surface memories connected to the "role" he was currently playing.
Behind them, the others were finishing loading the cut meat onto a flat truck. Nikolai's voice rang out. "We're leaving."
"Where are we headed?" Konan asked.
"There's a base... sort of."
At that moment, the hulking man finally spoke up. His voice was low and calm.
"The boss said you need to ride in the back. If you make any strange movements, you'll be dealt with immediately."
Konan looked over at Nikolai—his gaze betrayed an overt hostility, as if this was his job.
He sighed.
"Great, this guy has serious trust issues..."
On the way to the truck bed, the bandana-wearing woman finally introduced herself.
"Ava Seleni. Nice to meet you."
Then she gestured to the hulking man with her thumb.
"That's Mace Jokiç. He's quiet, but he's a pretty good guy."
Lastly, she pointed at Nikolai and grinned.
"That grumpy face over there is our reliable leader, Nikolai Abiatti or as I like to say, Nico."
"Would you stop calling me that?!" Nikolai shouted without turning around. Ava chuckled softly.
"By the way, you actually split a sandworm in half with that sword? And you went toe-to-toe with Nico? No kidding?"
Climbing onto the truck bed, Konan replied quietly.
"...It's not about the size of the sword."
Ava burst out laughing.
"Oh really? When you say things like that, it makes me think you're trying to compensate for something, you know?"
(This girl...)
Konan cursed inwardly as he sat down on the truck bed.
The engine roared to life. As the caravan started moving, dust swirling up behind them, they sped off into the glowing sunset.
In the distance, illuminated by the last rays of sunlight, a massive walled city came into view.