Bounty hunting

Dust and sand whirled through the air, making it hard to see for any normal person looking through the storm that brew in the desert sands. But there weren't many normal people left hanging around in this shit hole, and if there were, they certainly wouldn't be hanging around outside in the wind. But bounty hunters in these parts weren't looking for normal people - in fact, most of them were looking for other bounty hunters.

Raisten was one of many of those bounty hunters, looking for a dozen or so other hunters, many of which he knew were looking for him in return. He wore his external battery pack on his back, hooked directly into his brain with valves and wires, activating the heat sensors in his eyes to penetrate the billowing mess. He knew that he wasn't the only robot out in the sands. But he also knew that his battery wasn't the only one that started to get hot after a few hours in the sand.

He held his rifle loosely in his hands, fingering the revolving barrels that allowed him to shoot bullets exponentially quicker. It lowered the accuracy of the bullets, and while no other hunter would settle for such inaccuracy, Raisten found it useful. The other hunters expected bullets to hit in very specific spots, and reduced the amount of movement they made in order to dodge attacks while conserving precious energy. But if those bullets weren't landing where they were expected to, they became much more likely to hit.

Far up in the air, above the sandstorm, crows flew overhead, circling and waiting for the crippled and broken steel to fall uselessly to the ground, as their power sources were pierced and broken. The crows could use those parts to build their nests, and the weight of steel compared to twigs meant that they could more comfortably rest when the winds picked up, knowing that their eggs would be safe and sheltered.

A fire rang out in the distance, and Raisten knew one had found another. He turned slowly and carefully in the direction of the bang, waiting to hear what happened next. If another shot rang out, the hunter had survived, and it could quickly become a firefight. That, for Raisten, was the best possibility. He would be able to see the explosions and track the two. If not, he would move slowly in the direction of the noise. He couldn't afford speed. He only had so much energy, and expelling it would only make him easier to find. He had upgrades to make. And this was the way to do it.