Building Zoids in a World of Titans

The Liger Zero carried them back toward Millcross, its servos humming steadily beneath the weight of the Mire-Devourer's carcass. Dustback grazers scattered as they passed, but the real attention came from the settlement itself.

People emerged from doorways. They watched from behind shutters. Murmurs followed them like wind through dry grass.

The Liger Zero carried the Mire-Devourer's carcass through Millcross. People spilled into doorways, voices rising.

"By the river spirits..."

"What in the Sundering—"

"Is that metal? Or flesh?"

Alex guided the Liger past the tavern. They've never seen one up close.

Rhian's voice crackled over the comm. "Alex. They're scared."

Alex kept his hands loose on the controls. They're not running. That's something.

"They're curious." Alex corrected her without looking. "Big difference."

The Liger Zero's amber optics caught the afternoon light. "RROO—RRROO?"

"They're also not grabbing pitchforks," Rhian added. "Which helps."

Ziya waited by the Iron Mule, her hands on her hips. She'd clearly been pacing.

"Good job," she said as they exited the cockpits.

Alex wiped hydraulic fluid from his cheek. "Could have gone better."

"Could have gone much worse. That was a C-rank Titan."

"I've hunted plenty of C-ranks before," Alex said, watching the Mire-Devourer's carcass steam in the morning air. "Semi-aquatic ambush predator. Works in water. On land?" He shrugged. "Diminished effectiveness."

The Liger Zero's servos hummed approval. "RROO—RRROO."

Rhian tilted her head. "So it wasn't really dangerous?"

"Was dangerous enough." Alex checked his HUD. "But not what it could have been."

The leaders of Millcross approached with careful steps. Elder Thorn, Keeper Mara, and Master Rowan moved together like a single unit.

"Mr. Alex." Elder Thorn's voice carried respect, not the suspicion he'd shown before. "On behalf of Millcross, we thank you."

Alex's hands tightened on his tool satchel. Not for the thanks—that part felt foreign on his skin—but for the way they said it. Like he'd actually done something worth naming.

"You saved us twice." Keeper Mara stepped forward. "First from the Threadwhips. Then the Mire-Devourer."

Master Rowan nodded. "Your machines—they're remarkable."

The Liger Zero's servos hummed behind him. Alex could feel its satisfaction. "RRRROO—RRROO."

"Just doing my job," Alex said.

Elder Thorn glanced at the Zoids. "We'd like to speak with you. Privately. If you're willing."

Alex exchanged a look with Ziya, then Rhian. She'd stopped fidgeting with her tunic hem—waiting, watching him decide.

"Lead the way," Alex said.

The leaders led them through winding streets to a stone building with ivy climbing the walls. Two stories, shuttered windows, a garden that still had green shoots despite the drought.

Inside, the space opened into a common room with a hearth and wooden tables. Elder Thorn poured tea from a pot that had seen better days.

"Please, sit. We have much to discuss."

Alex took the offered chair. Ziya settled beside him. Rhian perched on the edge of a cushion, her feet not quite touching the floor.

Keeper Mara produced a tray of flatbread and dried fruit. "You've done well for us, Mr. Alex. Twice now."

Alex's hands stayed loose on his knees. They're being nice. That means they want something.

"We're grateful," Master Rowan added. "Most grateful."

"Just doing my job," Alex said. The words felt automatic, but he meant them.

Elder Thorn's eyes lingered on the blue pendant at Alex's throat. "That stone your young friend wears. It's Xylosian ironwood, isn't it?"

Rhian's hand went to her matching pendant. "From the old groves. My gran used to say they grow where the earth remembers."

Alex felt the weight of his own pendant. She kept hers. He'd never asked what she'd left behind.

"We have rooms prepared for you," Keeper Mara continued. "Should you choose to stay through the council meeting tomorrow."

Ziya leaned forward. "What exactly did you want to discuss?"

Elder Thorn set his teacup down. "The river. And what might have taken it."

The council chamber smelled of pine resin and old stone, same as the rest of the building. Three long tables formed a U-shape around a central hearth that hadn't seen fire in months. Elder Thorn, Keeper Mara, and Master Rowan sat across from them with the careful posture of people who'd been interrupted mid-crisis.

"We need your help, Mr. Alex." Elder Thorn's voice carried the weight of someone used to making decisions for everyone else. "Something's happened upstream. The river didn't just dry up—it was diverted."

Alex's fingers tapped the table edge. Diversion means intent. Something moved earth on a massive scale. "How do you know it wasn't just another channel?"

Mara spread a map on the table. Her finger traced the river's old path, then stopped at a canyon marked with recent scorch marks. "Scouts found this three days ago. Fresh rockfalls. Heat signatures that don't match any known Titan migration patterns."

Heat signatures that don't match. Alex leaned forward despite himself. "What kind of signatures?"

"Large. Multiple. And one... anomaly we can't explain." Master Rowan's weathered hands trembled slightly. "It's why we need someone with your capabilities."

Rhian sat up straight. "You want Alex to take his Zoids up into the canyon?"

"Of course we do." Elder Thorn's eyes narrowed at the interruption. "A Rank 7 Warden with combat machines—"

"I'm not a Warden anymore." The correction slipped out sharper than intended. "I'm a builder. I move from place to place."

Ziya's foot nudged his under the table. Easy. Breathe.

Rhian's small hand found his wrist. "Alex. They're scared. People are dying."

Not a child's problem. But her pulse beat fast against his skin, and he remembered her hands shaking after the Mire-Devourer fight. She knows what dying looks like.

"They have Wardens," Alex said instead. "Let them handle it."

Keeper Mara's laugh was bitter. "Our Wardens can handle at most D ranks. This"—she jabbed the map—"this smells like a Rank B or higher. Maybe worse."

The room went still. Even the rats in the walls seemed to pause.

Rhian's grip tightened. "Then we have to go. Right?"

Alex opened his mouth. Closed it. She's not wrong. But if I commit—

"If something that size is redirecting rivers," Ziya said carefully, "it's not just Millcross that's at risk. The whole valley—"

"And Ironwood Junction is only two days east," Alex finished, the pieces clicking into place. A river diversion here could mean a dammed water source there. "The fault line runs the length of both regions."

Elder Thorn leaned forward. "You'd investigate?"

I could say no. Walk away. Let someone else carry that weight. But Rhian's thumb rubbed against his wrist, and he thought of her stowing away instead of saying goodbye.

"Just until I know what we're dealing with," Alex said finally. "Not a promise to fix it."

Rhian exhaled like she'd been holding her breath for hours. "That's enough."

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