AUTHOR’S NOTE: Welcome to my blog! This is a taste of the kinds of posts you will be seeing here: short stories, accompanied by illustrations, about the locales and inhabitants of the Nedean Galaxy. There will be an overarching story, but it’s still evolving at this point in time, so plot elements may be subject to change.

           It was midday in the Crimson Desert. The air was filled with the soft rumbling of wind punctuated by the faint roar of a motorcycle engine. The cycle made its way across the arid landscape, a metallic dot in the middle of a sea of sand. A line of dust clouds traced the vehicle’s path through the desert.

The motorcycle was basic in design; wide, oversized tires designed to gain traction in loose sand, a boxy shell that protected the engine and other moving parts, and a large windshield to protect the driver. Said driver was a young man, barely an adult, dressed in jeans and a dark blue jacket. His black hair flapped about in the wind, and a pair of bright green glasses protected his eyes from the sun.

The rider crested one last dune before his laying his eyes upon his intended destination. From a hill of sand and rubble a cluster of metallic towers rose up like a volcanic mesa. The rider parked his cycle next to one of the many small concrete buildings that dotted the surrounding area and started walking towards the artificial mesa.

“Activate map,” the rider said to himself as he tapped his glasses. A holographic map of the Crimson Desert formed in front of him. “…Yep, only satellite-based surveys so far.”

           Eventually the rider was close enough to the towers to see a way in. He gave his glasses another tap. “New journal entry; Louis Judah Gabriel. I’m at the location of the ruins just north of the Rojo Mountains. If the database is correct, then I’ll be the first to do an in-person survey of this Lost-Empire-era power facility. Hopefully that means I’ll be able to some valuable salvage.”

Gabriel made his way through a doorway that lost its door long ago. The interior of the tower was typical of Lost Empire architecture; metal hallways lined with cables, piping, and machinery, all worn down by age. He didn’t see anything that would fetch a decent price at an auction, at least not until he came across a particularly long hallway that ended in a dim blue light, a sign of active Lost Empire technology.

The narrow hallway led to a large circular room with no visible ceiling. At the opposite side of the room was the source of the blue light; a glass screen nearly 3 meters tall. On that screen was a logo shaped like a 7-pointed star. Gabriel recognized that symbol, and his mood went form optimistic to concern about who could have possibly turned on the screen and why.

Gabriel tapped the side of his glasses. A clicking sound confirmed that his glasses-mounted camera had taken a picture of the screen and the star. He then approached the screen, looking for a hard drive that he could use to download any data he could. However, his trek across the room was interrupted by a thud that gently shook the entire place.

Gabriel pulled his jacket up enough to reach for the revolvers holstered around his hips. In his excitement over the discovery of the screen, he forgot an important rule about exploring Lost Empire ruins. The active screen meant that the site’s power core was also active. Lost Empire power cores were alive, and they didn’t take kindly to intruders. There was another thud that shook the room more aggressively than the last one.

Gabriel looked aside. The small light near the corner of his glasses meant he could contact someone at Condai Outpost if he needed help. He turned his attention to the room’s entrance. He mentally retraced his steps through the tower, trying to figure out the best way to get out of the tower.

There was another thud, louder than before. Gabriel clutched his guns without pulling them out. He knew he didn’t have much time left. He would either flee the tower, or he would stay and fight the thing that was heading in his direction.