My Scumbag System-Chapter 369: The Princess’s Ice Road

I stared at the Harvester corpses scattered across our makeshift battlefield. Blue ichor slowly seeped into the glittering sand, creating puddles that looked like tiny, toxic lagoons in the moonlight.

"We need to move," I said, turning to face the rest of our battered group. "These giant crab bastards might have friends, and I’m not in the mood for a family reunion."

Juan was already scanning our surroundings, his datapad out despite his dislocated shoulder. "Sand’s unstable everywhere," he muttered, eyes never leaving the screen. "Those Harvester things have tunneled underneath this entire area."

"How far?" I asked.

He shrugged, then winced at the pain. "Can’t tell. The readings keep shifting. It’s like... the sand itself is alive."

"Great. Monster crabs below, murder plants above, and a psycho gardener somewhere in between. This vacation keeps getting better." I turned to Monica, who was still communing with one of the silver trees. "Any insights from our wooden friends?"

Monica’s fingers lingered on the trunk as she pulled away. "They say there’s water beyond the eastern ridge. About five miles from here."

"Five miles of potentially Harvester-infested sand," Noah said, her voice flat. She was helping Celeste to her feet, brushing sand off the noblewoman’s combat gear with methodical care.

"Better than dying of thirst," I countered. "How’s everyone’s water situation?"

A quick inventory revealed we’d used more than expected during the fight. Adrenaline and combat make you thirsty. Who knew?

"We should reach that water source by tomorrow," I decided. "Rest for a couple hours, then move at first light."

Raphael scoffed. "First light? How the fuck do you know when that is in this place? Those moons haven’t moved an inch since we arrived."

He had a point. The twin moons hung frozen in the twilight sky, casting their eerie blue-silver light across the landscape.

"Fine. We’ll rest for four hours by Juan’s watch, then move," I amended. "And this time, no one sleeps. We rotate watch in pairs."

"I shall stand vigilant!" Jaime announced, still trying to sound enthusiastic despite the gash on his forehead. "These crabs shall not catch the mighty Jaime De Valle unaware a second time!"

"That’s the spirit," I said dryly. "Now shut up before you attract more of them."

We spent the next four hours in tense silence, backs pressed against the silver trees. No one slept, despite the plan for watches. Every shifting grain of sand, every rustle of the luminescent leaves above made us flinch.

When Juan’s watch beeped softly to signal our departure time, I was already on my feet. "Let’s move. Monica, you take point with me. You’re our early warning system if those plants decide we look tasty."

"The trees don’t want to eat us," Monica protested quietly. "They’re trapped here, just like us."

"Yeah, well, I’ve been betrayed by prettier faces," I muttered. "Raphael, Jaime, you two watch our flanks. Noah, stay with Celeste in the center. Juan, take rear guard and keep scanning for those sand depressions."

We moved in formation through the silver forest until the trees began to thin. Ahead of us stretched a vast expanse of glittering sand, like someone had dumped a craft store’s worth of silver glitter across the desert floor.

"Hold up," I raised my hand, stopping our advance at the forest’s edge. "Juan, what are we looking at?"

He consulted his datapad, frowning. "It’s... weird. The sand looks normal on the surface, but there are cavities underneath. Hundreds of them."

"Harvester tunnels?"

"Maybe. But they form a pattern." He showed me the screen. The cavities beneath the sand created concentric circles, like a massive spiderweb or... a trap.

"So it’s a minefield," I said. "Step in the wrong spot, and you get sucked down to crab city." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Essentially."

I studied the expansive desert before us. In the distance, maybe a mile away, a shimmer on the horizon suggested water. An oasis, maybe. Exactly what we needed.

"We can’t go around this, can we?"

Juan shook his head. "The pattern extends as far as my scanner can reach. If there’s a safe path, I can’t find it with this equipment."

"Wonderful." I took a deep breath. "Alright, new plan. We cross in single file. I’ll go first, testing the ground with my bat before each step. If I find solid footing, the next person follows, stepping exactly where I step. No deviations, no improvisations."

Celeste stepped forward, her face pale but composed. "I have a suggestion. What if I freeze the surface? Create an ice bridge across the unstable areas?"

I considered it. "How much energy would that take?"

"Considerable," she admitted. "But I could manage perhaps a hundred yards at a time before needing to rest."

"Do it," I decided. "But keep it thin. Just enough to distribute our weight. We don’t want to attract attention with a giant ice runway."

Celeste nodded and moved to the edge of the sand. She took a deep breath, centering herself, then extended her hands. Frost spiraled from her fingertips, spreading across the sand in a narrow path about two feet wide. The sand crystalized, hardening into a semi-transparent walkway that extended about a hundred yards, just as she’d promised.

"Impressive," I said. "Let’s move while it holds."

Single file, we stepped onto Celeste’s ice bridge. It creaked slightly under our weight but held firm. The sand below remained stable, no longer shifting treacherously beneath our feet.

We made it across the first hundred yards without incident. Celeste paused, breathing harder than normal, but insisted she could continue. Another ice bridge formed, extending our path further into the desert.

By the fourth bridge, Celeste was visibly struggling. Sweat beaded on her forehead despite the cool air, and her hands trembled as she channeled her Aspect.

"Take a break," I told her. "We’ve covered almost half a mile. The water’s still a ways off, but we’re making good progress."

"I can continue," she insisted, her voice tight with exertion.

"You’ll collapse if you push too hard," I countered. "And then we’ll have to carry you, which makes us slower and more vulnerable."

Noah stepped closer to Celeste, her eyes narrowed at me. "Lady Celeste knows her limits."

"And I know tactical reality. Ten minutes, then we continue."

While Celeste rested, I scanned the horizon. The water source seemed... different somehow. Like it had shifted position since we started walking.

"Juan," I called softly. "Check your tracker. Has that oasis moved?"