Building Zoids in a World of Titans

(Interior — Alex's Workshop — Three Weeks Later)

The workshop smelled like fresh metal and hydraulic fluid. Borin's craftsmen had worked around the clock, replacing the Lanstag's shattered Thruster Lance, re-forging its cracked antlers, and patching the cockpit breach with triple-layered plating. The Liger Zero had taken even longer — its bio-electric systems had needed careful recalibration after the Seismic Pulse had scrambled half its neural pathways.

But today, both machines stood whole.

Borin wiped his hands on his apron, surveying the Liger Zero with a critical eye. "You really did a number on this one, lad. The frame's sound, but I had to replace every sensor cluster in the mane. Twice."

Ziya ran her fingers along the Liger Zero's flank, checking the seam work. "The bio-electric conduits are holding. Core resonance is stable. She's ready."

"She?" Alex asked.

Ziya shrugged. "It felt right."

The Liger Zero's optics flickered. Its head turned toward Alex, and its lips pulled back from its golden fangs.

"VUMMM-vummm-vummm..."

The sound was low, warm, and unmistakably content. Like a cat purring after a long sleep.

Alex placed his hand on the Liger's snout. The metal was warm beneath his palm.

"Ready to fly?" he asked.

The Liger Zero's optics blazed amber. Its cockpit hissed open, the white cowling splitting down the center like a mechanical flower blooming.

Borin crossed his arms. "Just don't break it again. I'm too old for another three weeks of all-nighters."

Rhian bounced on her toes. "This is it! The big moment!"

Alex climbed into the cockpit. The interior was tight, padded, the VR display already painting the workshop walls in crisp detail. He gripped the control sticks — responsive, alive, humming with restrained energy.

The canopy sealed shut.

The Liger Zero's core engaged. Not a roar. Not a growl. A deep, resonant hum that vibrated through the frame and into Alex's bones.

"RROOOO-AAARRR-GHRRR!"

The sound shook the workshop. Tools rattled on shelves. Borin grabbed a beam for support.

The Liger Zero surged forward.

Alex's hands tightened on the controls. "Wait — I didn't —"

The Liger Zero wasn't listening. It burst through the hangar doors, its legs pumping, its tail whipping behind it. The workshop shrank in the rear display as the Zoid hit open ground and accelerated.

"Hey! Slow down!" Alex yanked the controls. The Liger Zero ignored him completely.

It was running. Not away from something. Not toward something. Just running — legs eating ground, mane vents channeling air, its whole frame vibrating with a joy so pure it was almost childish.

Alex laughed despite himself. "You're not even letting me pilot, are you?"

The Liger Zero's response was a sharp, excited chirp and a burst of speed that pressed Alex back into his seat.

Behind them, three figures stood in the workshop doorway, watching a white-and-blue streak disappear toward the treeline.

"Did he just… lose control?" Borin asked.

Ziya shielded her eyes. "I think the Liger Zero is piloting him."

Rhian cupped her hands around her mouth. "ALEX! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

The forest swallowed the Liger Zero whole. The only answer was a distant, triumphant roar echoing off the hills.

The forest blurred past in streaks of green and shadow. Alex's knuckles were white on the control sticks, the Liger Zero's frame eating ground at a pace that should've been impossible for a machine its size.

"Slow down!" Alex shouted over the rush of wind. "Where are you even going?"

"RROOOO-AAARRR-GHRRR!"

The Liger Zero's roar shook the canopy. Birds scattered from the treetops in panicked clouds. The sound meant nothing and everything at once — pure, unfiltered joy translated into noise.

"I can't understand you!" Alex pulled the controls hard. The Liger Zero didn't even twitch. "You know that, right? There's no translation for —"

The Liger Zero's head swiveled, its amber optics flickering. Its mane vents crackled with static. Then it turned forward and launched over a fallen log, its legs coiling and releasing like springs.

Alex's stomach dropped. "Okay. Fine. You're in charge."

The Liger Zero chirped — a sharp, metallic sound that almost sounded smug.

They hit a stretch of open ground where the trees thinned. Sunlight poured through the gaps, painting the forest floor in gold. The Liger Zero's pace didn't falter. Its breathing — the rhythmic hiss and click of its ventilation systems — settled into something steady and sure.

Then the proximity alert screamed.

Alex's HUD lit up with three signatures. Medium-sized, quadrupedal, moving fast from the left. The Liger Zero's head snapped toward the threat, its mane flaring.

Three Allosaur-types burst from the treeline. Rank D, maybe C on a good day. Their hides were scarred and thick, their jaws wide and snapping. They'd seen the Liger Zero and decided to contest its passage.

"Alright," Alex said, his voice steadying. "Let's see what you've got."

The Liger Zero didn't wait for permission.

It veered left, drawing the lead Allosaur away from the pack. The creature lunged, jaws clamping down on empty air. The Liger Zero's claws raked across its snout, leaving bright gouges in the hide. The Allosaur shrieked — a rasping, guttural sound.

"SKREEEEE-UK-UK-UK!"

The second Allosaur charged from the right. Alex jerked the controls, and the Liger Zero pivoted on its hind legs, its tail whipping around to catch the attacker across the jaw. The impact sent the creature stumbling.

The third Allosaur circled behind, looking for an opening. The Liger Zero's optics tracked it. Its mane vents flared blue-white.

Alex understood. "Do it."

The Liger Zero unleashed its Mane Blast. A crackling wave of electromagnetic energy rolled outward, catching the flanking Allosaur square in the chest. The creature seized, its legs locking, its whole body convulsing as the charge fried its nervous system. It collapsed in a heap, twitching.

The first Allosaur, now bleeding from its snout, charged again with a guttural roar.

"GRRRAAAAH-UK!"

The Liger Zero met it head-on. Its golden claws caught the creature's upper jaw, forcing its head down. The Liger Zero drove forward, its legs pumping, until the Allosaur was pinned against a fallen tree. One precise strike to the base of the skull. The Allosaur went limp.

The second Allosaur had recovered. It circled at a distance, its eyes darting between the fallen bodies of its packmates. The Liger Zero turned to face it, its mane still crackling with residual charge.

The Allosaur lowered its head. Took one step back. Then turned and crashed into the undergrowth, fleeing.

The Liger Zero watched it go. Its tail flicked once, twice. Then it turned to Alex, its optics bright.

"VUMMM-vummm-vummm..."

The sound was warm. Satisfied.

"Good job," Alex said, and meant it. "That was clean."

The Liger Zero's mane settled. Its head dipped — almost a nod.

Then it started running again.

"Where now?" Alex asked, but he wasn't fighting the controls anymore. He let the Liger Zero have its head, let the machine choose its path as they wove deeper into the forest.

The trees grew taller. The ground sloped upward. The Liger Zero's pace slowed from a sprint to a steady climb, its legs finding purchase on roots and stone with an ease that bordered on instinct.

They broke through the treeline onto a high cliff. The Liger Zero stopped at the edge, its chest heaving — or rather, its ventilation systems cycling hard, cooling the core after the run and the fight.

Alex stared.

The view stretched for miles. The Xylosian forest rolled out below in an ocean of green, broken by silver rivers and the distant smudge of Veridia's walls. The sky was wide and open, painted in the deep amber of late afternoon. A hawk circled far below them, riding a thermal.

The Liger Zero sat on its haunches. Its tail curled around its legs. Its optics were fixed on the horizon, reflecting the light.

"Hrrrrr..."

The sound was quiet. Almost gentle.

"You found this place yourself, didn't you?" Alex said.

The Liger Zero didn't respond. It just sat there, sharing the view.

Alex leaned back in the cockpit. The padding cradled him. The Liger Zero's core hummed through the frame — steady, calm, no longer fighting him. Not a machine following commands. A companion choosing to stop.

"Yeah," Alex said softly. "It's beautiful."

The Liger Zero's optics flickered. Its head turned toward him, and for a moment, the amber light softened. Then it looked back at the horizon, and the two of them sat there in silence, watching the sun sink toward the edge of the world.

Advance chapters on my p@tR$0n/Najicablitz.

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