Arden:
"Man, we've been walking for hours. I'm so thirsty. Water, water... WATER! I need water!"
He looks at Jin, who shows zero signs of thirst or hunger—just walking steadily like a stoic legend.
Jin:
"Food and water are likely at the center of the battlefield. That's why there's a lot of people gathered there."
Arden:
"Ugh, great. But how are we supposed to get any without fighting? We're cooked if we try to get involved."
Jin:
"I suggest we wait until nightfall. While most people are resting, we can sneak in and grab what we need."
Arden:
"Wait until nightfall? Dude, I'm dying out here! I might not even make it till then."
He dramatically flops to the ground like a dying actor on stage, arms splayed wide, as if life itself has left his soul.
Jin:
"You're not dying, Arden. You're just whining."
Arden: (offended gasp)
"Whining? WHINING?! I haven't had a sip of water in hours.HOURS, JIN! You're practically a camel—how are you even okay right now?"
Jin: (shrugging)
"Maybe I'm just built different."
He scans the barren Martian landscape, alert.
"But seriously, running into the center during the day is a suicide mission. You'll have to trust me on this."
Arden: (groaning)
"Fine. But if I die of dehydration before nightfall, I'm haunting you."
Jin smirks faintly—probably imagining how annoying ghost-Arden would be—but before he can clap back, a rustling noise breaks through the silence.
Both freeze.
Jin(whispering):
"Did you hear that?"
Arden(panicking):
"Oh crap. This is it, isn't it? This is how we die."
Jin:
"Quiet."
He crouches low, motioning for Arden to follow. The rustling grows louder, coming from behind a jagged pile of rock.
Jin, ever composed, peeks around the edge.
Then—without warning—he darts forward, his movements smooth, focused, deadly.
Arden:
"Oh my days! Is it water? Please tell me it's water, man! Maaaaaaan, I need water!"
Jin ignores him completely, eyes locked on something in the dirt. He kneels down and brushes away the loose soil to reveal a small, glowing stone, etched with strange numbers:
3856
The numbers glow faintly, pulsing like a slow heartbeat.
Jin:
"Hmm."
Arden, peeking over his shoulder, lets out a deep, dramatic groan.
Arden:
"God dammit! That's not water!"
He throws his hands in the air and starts pacing like a sitcom dad.
Jin:
"Quiet."
Still focused, his eyes stay glued to the stone.
"This code... it looks like a password."
Arden:
"A password? Really? Great. Will it lead us to water?"
Jin:
"Not sure."
He pockets the glowing stone like it's totally normal to find cryptic relics in Martian dirt.
Arden:
"Well, shit. That's just perfect."
With no better options, they resume their endless desert march, the dry Martian wind whipping across the cracked red terrain—no water in sight, but one glowing mystery now tucked in Jin's pocket.