The Soulbound Treasury: Heavy Upkeep Book 2: A Reverse Harem Fantasy Adventure by Honora Vale

Author:Honora Vale [Vale, Honora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2026-02-26T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

The desert night smelled of diesel fumes and impending violence.

Inside the cockpit of the Iron Maiden, the air was stale, recycled through filters that hadn't been changed since the Old World. Sadie Miller sat strapped into the pilot’s cradle, her body encased in a web of haptic sensors.

She moved her right arm an inch.

Outside, five tons of hydraulic steel mimicked the motion, the massive rotary cannon spinning up with a high-pitched whine that vibrated through the chassis.

"Heavy," Sadie whispered.

It felt like wearing a mountain. Every step the mech took sent a shockwave up her spine. THOOM. THOOM.

She looked at her HUD.

[Armor Integrity: 100%] [Fuel: 88%] [Internal Temp: 98°F]

She looked at the convoy surrounding her.

To her left, the Rust-Bucket bounced over the dunes, its blue mana-shield shimmering against the sand. Gubbins was driving with manic focus, his goggles reflecting the dashboard lights.

To her right, and stretching behind her for a mile, was the Rust Lord Armada.

It was a parade of madness. War-Rigs welded together from scrap metal, belching black smoke. Bikes covered in spikes. Tanks that looked like they were held together by rust and hatred.

Torque’s command vehicle—a massive, six-wheeled fortress called The Anvil—roared beside her. Torque stood on the roof, his four arms crossed, looking like a king of the wasteland.

"They are loud," Kaelen noted in her mind. "They lack discipline. Look at the flank. The bikes are drifting too far. If we get hit from the side, they die first."

"THEY ARE HAPPY," Thorne countered. "LISTEN TO THEM SCREAM. THEY ARE READY FOR THE SMASHING."

"They're ready to die," Sadie muttered. "Torque!"

She keyed the external speakers. Her voice boomed out, distorted and metallic, drowning out the engines.

"Tighten the formation! Your scouts are drifting! We’re entering the Deep Dunes!"

On the roof of The Anvil, Torque turned. He glared at the black mech.

"Don't tell me how to run my pack, Treasurer!" Torque shouted back over the wind. "We know this sand! Viper is the tourist here!"

"Arrogance," Valerius sighed. "A classic prelude to a massacre. Wielder, check your gold. War is expensive."

Sadie checked the small compartment by her knee.

[Current Gold: 400]

Four hundred gold. It was nothing. If she had to repair the mech, summon the Trinity for real, or buy a single potion, she was bankrupt.

"We have one shot," Sadie said to the empty cockpit. "We hit the array, we break the transmitter, we go home. No prolonged engagements."

She pushed the throttle forward. The mech lurched, its metal feet tearing into the sand.

Ahead, the horizon was a flat, black line. The stars above were cold and indifferent.

They were driving off the edge of the map.

An hour later, the world changed.

The red sand of the Frontiers gave way to the white, crystalline powder of the Deep Dunes. The wind died. The roar of the engines seemed to be swallowed by the vastness of the space.

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"Kaelen?" Sadie asked.

"Nothing," the Rogue whispered. "And that is the problem. No scorpions. No wind-drakes. No ambient mana signatures."

Sadie scanned the HUD. Her radar was blank.

"Torque," she radioed.

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