Fyrestone had quieted, but not in a peaceful way. More like the town was holding its breath, waiting to see if the newcomers would die horribly or pull off a miracle. Jay stretched his shoulders, feeling the low hum of the Ruin Engine settle back into its familiar, irritating vibration.
Lilith checked her repeater pistol and rolled her neck. "Alright. Skags at the gate. Shouldn't take long."
Claptrap saluted with the enthusiasm of a caffeinated toaster. "I WILL PROVIDE ESSENTIAL SUPPORT FROM BEHIND THIS SAFE ROCK!"
Jay stared at him. "You mean hiding."
"STRATEGIC HIDING!"
Cortana's voice brushed Jay's ear through the Echo. "At least he's consistent."
Jay smirked. "Painfully."
They didn't even reach the gate before the first skag erupted from the cracked earth, jaws unhinging like a nightmare built from teeth and poor life decisions.
Lilith fired the first shot, cracking the creature in the skull. Jay blinked forward, reappearing beside it as he conjured a shimmering barrier from the sand and rust beneath him. The skag slammed into it—and the makeshift shield absorbed the impact, destabilizing before dissolving back into loose grit.
"Still hate that," Jay muttered.
"Still cool to watch," Lilith countered.
Two more skags burst free, one spitting corrosive bile. Jay dove sideways, blinked mid‑air, then reappeared above it. He slammed downward with a blade of condensed ruin energy, cleaving clean through.
Cortana hummed approvingly. "Efficiency increasing. Good."
Lilith dispatched the last one with a burst of Phasewalk ignition, leaving it smoldering on the sand.
Jay exhaled. "Alright. That's the gate cleared."
Claptrap spun out from behind his rock. "I HELPED THROUGH IMPORTANT MORALE STRUCTURING!"
"No, you didn't," Jay said.
"I DISAGREE!"
Lilith laughed. "You two are gonna kill each other before the bandits do."
Returning to Fyrestone was easy—mostly because nothing dared attack again after the short but loud slaughter. Zed was busy elbow‑deep in something squishy when they approached.
"Oh! The newbies!" he called. "Still alive, I see. Good! Bad for business, but good!"
Jay lifted a brow. "We're here for the next step. The shield?"
Zed gestured with a blood-soaked glove. "Basement. Grab what you need. Don't mind the smell."
The smell was very mind‑able.
Lilith gagged. "Oh god—what *died* in here?"
Jay scanned the room. "Multiple things, if we're judging by layers."
Cortana commented dryly, "At least he's not pretending otherwise."
They waded around in the coagulated something until they spotted a near destroyed zed vendor flickering
jay yanks out the fuse absorbing the rest "what is this even meant to be, it just dangles on the side of the machine tempting anyone to just yoink it"
"judging from the sensors its either a capacitor or a fuse which still doesnt make logical sense" Cortana logically spoke
Jay heads back to the surface plugging the tube thingey into the working zen vendor watching it boot up completely
"the tube thing worked" jay spoke in amazement
"Everything on Pandora still works," Lilith said. "It just hates you while doing it."
"should I bypass the purchase restriction." cortana added
"probably not since zed might notice later besides we have money for it" jay spoke as he looked around seeing that zed went to bed then proceeds to pay for two shields pocketing the special of the day for himself giving the other to lilith
"thanks" lilith said
jay strapped the shield to the makeshift belt staring at the shimmer of the shield cover him
He blinked experimentally. The shield flickered but held.
"Right," Jay said. "One step closer to not dying."
"Baby steps," Lilith smirked.
The bounty board crackled when Jay activated it again. A new listing snapped into place with a cheerful noise that did *not* fit the mood.
**— Mission Unlocked: Nine‑Toes: Take Him Down —**
Lilith whistled softly. "So that's our guy."
Jay nodded, but the Ruin Engine pulsed uneasily at the name. Almost like recognition—and not a friendly kind.
Cortana picked up on it. "Your vitals spiked. Something wrong?"
"I… played through this part," Jay admitted silently. "He's not hard, but he's not nothing either."
Lilith elbowed him lightly. "Then we'll take him together. Easy."
Jay smiled faintly. "Yeah. Together."
Claptrap tried to raise a hand. "I TOO WILL—"
"No," Jay and Lilith said in unison.
"Aw."
The desert beyond Fyrestone felt different now—tenser, like something was watching. Jay kept one hand near his weapon and the other near the crackling hum of ruin power simmering beneath his skin.
Lilith walked beside him, relaxed and alert all at once, the way only seasoned fighters managed.
"You were holding back earlier," she said casually.
Jay stiffened. "Was I?"
"You didn't use your teleport offensively until the last skag. You're pacing yourself. That's smart… but also tells me you're hiding something."
Cortana cut in sharply. "Jay—careful."
He answered truthfully. "It's dangerous, Lilith. Parts of it. Some things are better used in emergencies."
She studied him. "Alright. As long as you're not gonna explode."
Jay forced a grin. "I'll try not to."
Cortana murmured approvingly. "Handled."
They reached the split in the canyon—where they'd soon push into Nine‑Toes' territory.
Jay drew a breath. "Ready?"
Lilith cracked her knuckles. "Pandora's never ready for us."
Claptrap rolled up behind them, waving two tiny flags. "GOOD LUCK, TEAM NOT‑INCLUDING‑ME!"
Jay groaned.
Lilith laughed.
The canyon waited.
And ahead of them, the first real boss fight of their journey.