MTLNOVEL Chapter 5: as broke as a cactus
"There might have been something I hadn't considered when making my calculations…" Astra muttered, her gaze fixed on the marketplace price board above.
Towering buildings of patched iron loomed around her, their jagged edges silhouetted against the sky. Stalls made from ancient intergalactic cargo boxes lined the street, bustling with life.
"12 Trian ₮ / 20 Solari…" she sighed, shoulders slumping. "I don't have either of those."
"Oi!" a pudgy woman behind a stall barked, her grease-streaked apron amplifying her scowl. "If you're not buying, move aside!"
"R-right, sorry!" Astra stammered, shuffling away as someone else took her place.
Wandering into the middle of the road, Astra folded her arms and tapped her forearm, her eyes barely registering the flickering road sign above.
[Notice!]
[You can farm for silicon out in the fields.]
The idea of working under the blazing sun soured her mood further. She pressed her thumb to her lips, lost in thought, until a sharp buzz from the road sign jolted her back.
"What the hell…" she muttered as the crowd scattered to the sides.
[Notice!]
[I suggest you move.]
"Wait, why—"
The deafening roar of engines drowned her words. A swarm of hover bikes tore down the road, helmets gleaming under the light. Astra froze, panic seizing her limbs.
The lead biker's visor glinted as they swerved sharply at the last moment, missing Astra by inches. The others followed in perfect formation, a blur of color and sound rushing past.
Astra sank to the ground, clutching her chest as her breath came in shaky gasps. Around her, the crowd returned to the road, resuming their day as though nothing had happened.
"What the hell was that?" she murmured, her heart pounding.
[Notice!]
[Hover bike racing is a major sport on this planet. Racers often take days to reach their destination. It's a local favorite!]
Astra groaned. "I wish I had known that sooner—"
[Maybe you should've kept reading.]
Flinching at the pointed remark, she slumped her shoulders. "Right… sorry."
__________________________________________________________________________
"Cactus," Elliot muttered from the back of the hoverbike, his monotone voice barely audible over the hum of the engine. Takashi sat at the controls, grinning smugly, while Fiona, wedged between them with no regard for personal space, adjusted her position with practiced calm.
"Cactus," Elliot repeated, his finger lazily pointing to another in the distance, face flushed heavily from the heat.
"Takashi," Fiona began, her voice measured but curious, "where did you get this hoverbike?"
"I confiscated it," Takashi replied, his grin widening.
"Confiscated?" Fiona's brow arched slightly, her tone unchanged.
"Yeah, off some guy. He was looking for something, and, well…" Takashi shrugged one-handed, clearly proud of himself.
"Cactus."
"So, let me clarify," Fiona said, brushing dust off her sleeve. "You stole it."
"It's not stealing," Takashi argued, puffing out his chest. "It's resource management. We can't exactly hike across this desert without turning into jerky, besides do you want to be earthworm chow?!"
Fiona tilted her head slightly, her expression unreadable. "I see. And the owner of this hoverbike?"
"Probably figured something out," Takashi said breezily. "People here are tough. He's fine."
"Cactus."
Fiona glanced at Elliot briefly before turning back to Takashi. "So, to summarize: we're now riding stolen property, likely leaving its owner stranded in a hostile environment. Excellent decision-making, as always."
"Thanks!" Takashi beamed, entirely missing the sarcasm.
"Mecha disguised as a cactus," Elliot said suddenly, his tone as flat as the horizon.
Takashi frowned. "What?"
Elliot gestured lazily ahead. "That cactus. It's a mecha."
Fiona followed his gaze, her eyes narrowing. "Interesting."
"That's not a mecha," Takashi scoffed, slowing the bike. "It's just a cactus. Probably a big one. Or a weird one."
The "cactus" appeared to shift in the heat haze, its towering form faintly metallic. Fiona's gaze remained steady.
"Correction," she said calmly. "It's a… mecha-shaped cactus."
"What?" Takashi squinted.
As they approached, the towering figure resolved itself into a perfectly stationary but intricately constructed cactus, shaped like a giant mecha. Its "metallic" sheen turned out to be glossy, waxy skin, and its "limbs" were just unusually angular arms of cactus growth.
Takashi burst into laughter. "It's just a cactus! Who designs a cactus like that?"
"Apparently, nature," Fiona said dryly. "Or someone with a questionable sense of humor."
"Cactus…"
Fiona couldn't help but facepalm, her fingers gripping and her face.
Fiona let out a long, measured sigh, her fingertips pressing into her temples. "I can't decide if this planet is bizarrely fascinating or if it's just actively trying to make me lose my sanity."
Takashi chuckled, still riding the high of the absurd discovery. "Come on, Fiona, where's your sense of adventure? You don't see giant mecha-cactuses every day. I mean, we're basically pioneers!"
Elliot tilted his head slightly, squinting at the cactus. "Pioneers who probably won't get out alive if we keep stopping for every weird plant."
Fiona shook her head, her voice clipped but calm. "Takashi, I suggest we keep moving. I'd prefer to find civilization before nightfall."
Takashi winced. "Alright, alright, I get it. Moving out." He revved the bike's engine, the hoverbike humming back to life. The trio zipped past the cactus-shaped oddity, Elliot's head turning to watch it disappear in the distance.
"Do you think it was actually functional?" Elliot asked, his tone carrying the faintest hint of curiosity.
"Functional or not," Fiona replied, "we're not sticking around to find out. There's enough chaos in this desert without us poking at things that may or may not decide to poke back."
Takashi grinned as the hoverbike gained speed. "You're no fun sometimes, Fiona. What if that cactus was the key to some ancient treasure or somethin'?"
"Then I'll regret missing the chance when I'm safely hydrated, well-fed, and not dodging sandworms or worse."
Elliot blinked. "Sandworms?"
Fiona shot Takashi a look. "Tell me you at least considered those before we crossed the dunes."
Takashi shrugged. "I figured if we met one, I'd outrun it. Problem solved."
Fiona leaned back slightly, pinching the bridge of her nose. "This is why I don't leave you unsupervised."
"Relax!" Takashi said, turning his head to flash a grin. "I've got everything under control."
In the distance, a low rumble began to rise, like thunder rolling beneath the sand. Fiona's sharp eyes caught a faint shift in the dunes ahead—a ripple moving unnaturally fast.
"Under control?" she asked dryly, already gripping the edge of the hoverbike. "You were saying?"
Elliot pointed lazily toward the disturbance. "Cactus-shaped sandworm?"
"Not. Helping," Fiona snapped, the whole bike almost being flipped over as it passed them by at breakneck speed.
"Guess…it didn't see us?" Elliot murmurs with a soft sigh.