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Shep lets the radio issue drop for now. There are more immediate problems, and whatever that thing is takes priority. He surges ahead of the hovercycles, then drops below the tree line and settles in front of them as soon as he has room to do it safely. As he maneuvers, he asks Carl, "Any chance you can identify what that thing was?"

"A very large supernatural creature or anomaly. I was unable to gather enough data to properly identify the threat."

Remembering the story about the last pilot getting himself turned into slurry, Shep keeps the helmet sealed and uses the external speakers to fill the rest of them in. "Tell me our route doesn't go anywhere near that thing. Odds are it could wipe us out and still have enough appetite left for a CS squad."

"Oh! Wendy?" Hatch laughs as the boys all nod and smile, "She's likely expectin' we leave some 'shiny toys' for her."

"Yeah, she's a great horned lizard. Quite pleasant actually. She's fond of anything that shines and sometimes does a swap meet. She always keeps an eye out for us... when she isn't explorin'. She probably saw you, Shep. That thing's shiny." Orin adds.

"Yeah," Kip shouts, "She's probably excited to see us. It's been a while. Nothing to worry about!" then begins cackling like a hyena.

Hatch nods, dons his helmet again, and points forward while shouting, "Onward!"

Shep quickly moves out of their way before there's a collision. "Well, that would've been nice to know," he says to no one in particular. "What if I'd gone off to investigate and she decided she wanted the suit?"

He resumes his vigil, though now he keeps a closer eye out for Wendy. If he's going to meet her for the first time, he'd rather do it with the rest of the group nearby. "Carl, what do you know about sentient Great Horned Lizards." He wants to know as much about the creature as he can in case things go sideways.

Shep quickly moves out of their way before there's a collision. "Well, that would've been nice to know," he says to no one in particular. "What if I'd gone off to investigate and she decided she wanted the suit?"

They all sit put as Hatch smiles, "That'd be a might interestin' to witness. How are you with meetin' new... organisms?"

He resumes his vigil, though now he keeps a closer eye out for Wendy as he moves to the back, ready to cover the group again, "Carl, what do you know about sentient Great Horned Lizards." He wants to know as much about the creature as he can in case things go sideways.

"I think they mean Great Horned Dragons," Carl replies, "They're incredibly intelligent and their personalities change over time. There is no known record of how long their life expectancy is. Back in the day, we had to fight a fire dragon. Many didn't survive and the thing got away somehow. They supposedly possess great skills in the arcane. Never heard of one with a name like... Wendy..."

"You're probably right," Shep says. "I guess we'll see how friendly this one is when we get there. I don't suppose this suit can outfly a dragon, can it?"

Shep continues scanning the area as they talk, still flipping through the other spectrums now and then just to be safe.

"You're probably right," Shep says. "I guess we'll see how friendly this one is when we get there. I don't suppose this suit can outfly a dragon, can it?"

"The fire dragon couldn't keep up with me, so... I don't know if there is a difference between the species."

Shep continues scanning the area as they talk, still flipping through each spectrum now and then just to be safe. The next few valleys roll by quiet as old bones. No movement. No heat signatures. Just wind, trees, and the steady hum of their engine thrusters.

Eventually the wild country loosens its grip. A dirt road appears, faint at first, then widening into something clearly used by more than ghosts and wildlife. They start passing signs of life. ATVs rattle along with overloaded cargo racks, riders on horseback, and a few four‑legged creatures Shep can’t name, all muscle and horns and attitude. The road firms into gravel, then smooths into honest pavement, and with it the world grows louder.

Traffic thickens. More vehicles in five minutes than Shep’s seen in the last five months. The forest crowds close for a while, then thins into a rugged mix of stone and pine. They pass mining sites; massive pits and mines lit by flood lamps, conveyor belts rattling, workers moving like ants across scaffolding. The air sparkles with metal and dust.

Then they crest a long rise as the world opens. Below them sprawls a city so bright it looks like someone spilled a bucket of stars across the mountainside. Silvereno clings to the slope, pours down into a four‑mile‑wide valley, then climbs the opposite mountain like it refuses to be contained. Streets glow in neat grids and chaotic tangles. Taller buildings rise like jagged teeth near the center. Neon signs flicker in colors Shep’s never seen outside a screen.

There are more people on a single block than all of Camp Wilson combined. Vehicles weave through the streets; wheeled, hovering, crawling. Robots stride alongside humans. Horses trot past creatures with too many joints. Everything moves. Everything shines. Everything hums with a kind of restless, electric life.

Camp Wilson, Shep realizes, wouldn’t even fill half a district here.

“Welcome to Silvereno!” Hatch crows, throwing his arms wide like he built the place himself.

OOC: Go ahead and post to a new thread: Rifts - EotC - Silvereno

Shep stares out over Silvereno for a long moment, taking in the lights, the noise, and the sheer scale of it all. Camp Wilson had felt like a whole world for most of his life. This made it look like a roadside stop.

"Well," he says at last, his voice carrying through the external speakers, "You undersold it." He eases the Silver Eagle up next to the group. "Where to next? You said we have to turn over weapons and armor, right?" After a brief pause, he adds, "And after that, maybe I'll see if I can get the radio fixed before I go see the sights."