The rotation of the shards around the observer was accelerating by the second. Their speed had increased to such an extent that they whipped up a windstorm in the observer’s immediate vicinity. She stood her ground, her gaze fixed on the hundreds of droids that began to charge at her without any hesitation. Her sapphire eyes glowed with a neon light, signaling her readiness for whatever was to come. The intricate network of circuit-like nerves tracing her irises lit up in response. Her unique octopus haircut, with long black tendrils cascading over her shoulders, whipped wildly in the windstorm. The metallic clanking of the beetle-like battle droids, towering over her, grew louder as they approached hastily, balancing on two of their appendages just a few feet away. 01

 

The battle droids launched their lethal assault in unison, their scythe-shaped appendages slicing through the air with deadly precision. They had formed a perfect circle around her, leaving no room for escape or evasion. Like a relentless storm of steel, their appendages rained down upon her.

 

Whoosh!

Unfazed, Observer stood firm with a smirk playing on her lips. At her command, the ruby shards orbiting her launched towards the droids like bullets from a gun barrel. These rubies tore through the heavy metal frames of the beetle-like battle droids with ease, akin to a rapid-fire submachine gun unleashing its fury.

 

Clank- Rattle –Thung – Thung

 

But the shards didn’t just fire off and vanish into oblivion. They returned to their origin point to strike again with blistering speed, relentlessly piercing through the droids’ defenses. In mere seconds, the once formidable droids were reduced to unrecognizable heaps of shredded metal and sparking circuits. The nine droids that had encircled her collapsed under their own weight, their remains scattered around her like remnants of a fierce storm. A small crimson ruby shield protected the observer’s head, effortlessly deflecting the falling scythe-shaped appendages as they descended with the destroyed droids.

 

As the dust cleared, observer emerged, standing tall amidst the chaos. A thin trail of blood trickled down from a wound on her head, and she drew heavy, labored breaths…

 

“I underestimated them,” she admitted to herself, “They’re stronger than I anticipated. My telekinesis drains my stamina way to fast, and they managed to break through my shield.”

 

Despite an entire night spent in rigorous training, her control over her powers was still far from perfect. She reached up to touch her face, adjusting her disheveled hair. The hundreds of droids watched from a distance, their caution evident as they kept their distance from her formidable presence. As she touched a wound on her cheek and saw the blood on her fingers, she froze in place. An eerie silence descended upon the battlefield, broken only by the mournful howl of the desert winds.

 

“How dare you mar my face? You DARE!” she roared into the silence.

 

“What will he think if he sees me scarred?” Her voice echoed across the battlefield as everything around her - pebbles, debris, even destroyed droids - began to levitate in response to her rising anger. A distant buzzing noise came from her belt pouch - it was her walkie-talkie - but she was too consumed by rage to notice.

 

“No more games… This is personal… NO MERCY!” With these words, an aura of palpable fear radiated from her. The droids began retreating one by one, their large blue eyes wide with terror as they felt the full force of her bloodlust. They turned tail and fled in panic as she levitated off the ground, a cold and deadly stare fixed on their retreating forms.

 

With a swift motion of her right hand, the observer seemed to pull at an unseen force. Suddenly, hundreds of battle droids began to float helplessly before being violently plunged into the solid rocky ground. Large shards rose up from the already dead droids and from the trenches. They all levitated high above the droids pinned down, casting ominous shadows on the battlefield below. In the air Hundreds of shares were suspended.

 

“AHHHHHH!” she screamed, her left hand mimicking a throwing motion. At her command, every single shard suspended in the air plummeted with terrifying speed. The droids were immobilized, some facing downwards, oblivious to their impending doom. Others looked upwards, witnessing their imminent demise as the massive shards descended like a hailstorm of deadly arrows. A force of unimaginable weight pressed down on them, crushing them as if they were caught in a hydraulic press.

 

Clank-- Shatter–Smash–Crush

 

A massive explosion erupted as dozens of droids detonated in a fiery blast, lighting up the battlefield.

 

Boom

 

When the dust settled, the battlefield was a gruesome sight - littered with the mangled remains of droids and massive shards, leaving no room to even set foot. The crackling of circuits and discharges echoed eerily across the desolate landscape. It was a massacre of epic proportions, with black oil seeping from the destroyed droids staining the battlefield. observer collapsed from exhaustion, her body drenched in sweat as she gasped for breath. She lay on the ground, too weak to move.

 

A notification popped up on her system screen, displaying a new message as she struggled to catch her breath.

 

She felt as though she had been running all day without a moment’s rest. So this was what it felt like - the raw sensation of pain and exhaustion.

 

“I like it,” she murmured, a faint blush spreading across her face.

 

As she read the message on her screen,

she wished she could reach out to him, but her body refused to cooperate.

 

“I want to contact him, but I can’t move,” she gasped, her breaths coming in short, ragged bursts. The harsh desert sun beat down on her, causing sweat to bead on her forehead. After a few minutes, her breathing began to slow and steady.

 

Suddenly, the screeching sound of hydraulics pierced the silence. Turning her head, she saw a half-destroyed beetle battle droid dragging its mangled body towards her. Oil leaked from its damaged frame, and sparks flew from its short-circuiting wires. It moved with a mechanical determination, using one of its scythe-shaped appendages to claw at the ground and pull itself forward.

 

A sense of dread washed over observer as the droid inched closer. She tried to move but found herself paralyzed. Calling for help was futile - Jack and Hamza were kilometers away.

 

“I don’t want to die like this,” she whispered in a voice barely above a whisper. It was the first time she had ever felt fear - raw, unfiltered fear that she would die a meaningless death so soon. She had so many dreams, so many experiences yet to be lived.

 

“Hamza! Help me!” she cried out in a voice choked with tears as the droid loomed over her, its torn body casting a shadow over her. She closed her eyes as darkness enveloped her.

 

I guess this life was not meant to be a good one. I’m sorry, my love.

 

With a final creak, the droid’s scythe-shaped appendage was raised, ready to deliver the fatal blow. It fell with a swift motion.

 

Ching

 

Moments passed, yet the expected pain of the impaling strike didn’t come. Slowly opening her eyes, she was met with the sight of a long, crimson, ruby-like sword blocking the droid’s attack.

 

“You called, and I’m here. Let me handle this!” a familiar voice said. His blue eyes met her teary ones as he smiled reassuringly from beside her. His smile seemed to wash away all her worries and fears. With a gentle pat on her head, he effortlessly deflected the half-dead beetle battle droid’s attack with his crimson ruby sword.

 

With a swift kick, Hamza sent the droid flying into the air. As it descended, he sliced it into pieces before it hit the ground. He then sheathed his sword, now free of the oil that had coated it.

 

Slowly, Hamza approached her and gently helped her sit up while still on the ground.

 

“How did you get here? And how did you know I was in trouble?” she asked softly, her eyes welling up with tears. She couldn’t believe that Hamza had come as soon as she called for him. Her emotions were a whirlwind of relief and gratitude.

 

In response, he simply took out her walkie-talkie from the pouch on her belt.

 

“You didn’t answer. I thought you were in trouble. I had to make a choice: either go to my next checkpoint or come for you. Looks like I made the right call,” he said with a smile, giving her another comforting pat on the head. Overwhelmed by his kindness and timely rescue, she burst into tears. As she covered her face, she remembered the scar on her right cheek.

 

Tears streamed down her face as she pleaded, “Don’t look at me. You’ll despise what you see. My face… it’s scarred. Please don’t hate me.” Hamza sighed deeply, a mix of frustration and concern etched on his face.

 

I wonder if her innocence was an act or if she was genuinely oblivious

 

Gently, he removed her hands from her face and with a swift motion, flicked her forehead.

 

“Ouch! Why would you do that?” she protested, rubbing the spot where his finger had made contact.

He simply shrugged, “Don’t worry about it.” Reaching into one of the pouches on his belt, he pulled out a cloth. With tender precision, he began to wipe away the blood and grime that marred her beautiful face.

 

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” he said softly, his eyes never leaving hers. “I find scars attractive. And a woman with muscles? That’s even more appealing to me.”

 

He paused for a moment before continuing, “Now take these pills. I just made them.”

 

 

 

 

[Custom m-Pill (stamina)]

[700 GP points]

 

Can you come closer? I have something to tell you,” she requested softly.

 

He complied, reducing the distance between them.

 

“More,” she whispered.

 

He moved even closer, their faces now just an inch apart.

 

“Obse-”

 

Before he could react, she grabbed his jacket collar and pulled him towards her, their lips meeting in a gentle kiss. She kissed him slowly, then pulled away, a shy smile playing on her lips.

 

“That’s your reward. Thanks, darling,” she said, her voice filled with enthusiasm.

 

He stood frozen in place, stunned by her bold move. Observer swallowed the colorful pill Hamza had given her earlier. Suddenly, she couldn’t move. Hamza looked surprised but quickly regained his composure.

 

“You and your schemes… You are just too cheeky” he teased, playfully pinching her cheeks. As he played with her cheeks as she could not move. Her annoyance was evident, her cheeks flushed a deep red. Hamza felt a twinge of discomfort but quickly brushed it off.

 

Getting up, he scanned their surroundings to pass the time while the pill took effect. The sight that met his eyes was eerie - endless corpses of battle droids lay in waste, their bodies impaled by shards of crimson rubies. The sight was unsettling.

 

I hope she doesn’t go yandere on me… This is too much for even me to handle

 

Despite everything, Hamza managed a smile as he sat beside her and patted her head.

 

“Damn, you destroyed an entire army… If you keep this up, I might just be able to tolerate more of your shenanigans.”

 

As the minute passed, she rose, her eyes gleaming with mischief. She moved towards him, ready to steal another kiss, but he stopped her with a firm hand.

 

“Hold on! We don’t have time for this,” he said sternly.

 

“Just one more,” she pleaded.

 

“Can you run? We need to get to the third checkpoint on that crane as fast as possible,” he asked, urgency creeping into his voice. The beetle droid army was still passing through, each part a kilometer/0.6 miles apart.

 

She smiled, her hands gently folded and fingers interlocked in quiet contemplation. An amused look danced in her eyes.

 

With a swift gesture, a portal opened.

 

“Do we still have time for the third checkpoint? I expect compensation… and my iguana. You still haven’t given me my iguana,” she said, a sly smile playing on her lips.

 

Oh I forgot she had a portal teleportation type thing. Nice

 

“Sure, after this whole mess. Now, let’s go,” he agreed with a smile. They stepped through the portal and found themselves at the third checkpoint.

 

He couldn’t help but think, I might have actually fallen for her if not for her ominous nature.

 

Hamza smirked as he unstrapped his bow from his back and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He took aim and let the arrow fly.

 

“Boom!” The sound echoed through the air.