noveldrama
Chapter 169
Chapter 169
Chapter 169
I stared out the window at shattered buildings and vine-entwined architecture. We were pretty far into what would’ve used to be the city’s downtown area. Even back when everything was built forty years ago, skyscrapers were the way to go. They hid the surrounding desert entirely, though unlike back home I could still see the blue sky far above.
This place was quite a bit more tame than Aythryn City. At least, as far as the concrete jungle goes. The same couldn’t be said for the plants caking almost every surface. They were my targets of observation as I watched for any hint of aggressive movement. No telling which splotches of green could be a lethal weapon in disguise. I might have PTSD with plants...
Lia and the rest weren’t nearly as cautious of the insidious flora as I was. They even had the time to chat carelessly. “Who is it this time?”
“Urjune Company,” Renold informed the Wolf Magus. Then, as if realizing I was in the vehicle with them, he continued. “They’re a PMC company under KairoTech. Not one of their best, but they’re well equipped and a pain in the ass.”
“Um- KairoTech?” Were we going against one of the Big 7? So soon? I wasn’t nearly prepared enough to make an enemy of one of the top dogs. Maybe the Crimson Company could take the fall- no, this was one of the Big 7. No way they would miss the fact I was involved.
I could feel panic start to set in as my hand stretched towards the handle. Maybe if I bailed now it wouldn’t be too late-
“Not really. They’re basically one of the exec's pets. Probably as a way to avoid other execs interfering with his missions. Since they're a private pet though, the exec's hands are tied if anything happens to them. No need to fear corporate retribution. At most, Captain will get a strongly worded message.” Renold looked back into the rearview mirror, meeting my eyes. “This kinda thing is pretty common. Nothing to worry about- well, nothing to worry about afterward. It’s not cost-effective to kill off mercenaries unless they become a real nuisance. Could die to them here though, I guess.”
“What’s with that vote of confidence?” Lia asked. “Don’t listen to him. We’ll be fine. Probably. Not like we’re picking a fight with corporate operators at the least. Kinda.”
A call came from the radio, silencing us as Hampton listened intently. He talked with the person--sounded like Ysmore--briefly. Hampton sighed and started giving orders as soon as their discussion ended. “Lia, use that shield thing-
“Reflection?”
”Whatever. Cast it. And Fog too. Yonrow, watch the sky. Leave everything else to Red-One and Red-Two. Renold, get us close, then circle back around and protect our flank. Try to stay out of view. The Urjune operators brought along rocket launchers to the party. Lastly, this will be a quick drop, Zuku, so as soon as we stop, get out and get to cover. The rest of you, stay with Ysmor and circle to protect our flank from the Growth.” Hampton finished his orders as he sat up. “Should be any minute now.”
The carefree mood died quickly as a level of tension seemed to settle over the cabin of the Prowler. It was only slightly interrupted by Lia casting magic. A frown settled on her face as she seemed to struggle with it. For a moment, I was incredibly tempted to take a peek with Aetherial Perception to distract myself, but the haunting memory of whatever that thing in the Aether was halted that thought about as soon as it started.
Lia finished her magic, and I immediately got a feeling through Insight as it settled on everyone in the vehicle. Remembering what I said earlier, she glanced toward me. “Uh- Reflection is a bit like a shield, kind of. It’ll protect you from getting shot a couple times, but it's rather low-level. Maybe only ten or so uses?”
Just as I was about to reply, I cut myself off so I could listen. Faintly, though growing increasingly loud as our little convoy of four vehicles sped through plant-filled streets, the sounds of a firefight hit us. The constant drums of gunfire bounced off the buildings, interspersed with occasional explosions. And then we could see it, the bright flickers of flames reflecting off of shattered glass as they ate away at the greenery infesting this place.
Through the flames of battle, I spotted the APC. It was firing in a blaze of glory, almost every turret on the thing shooting towards the surrounding buildings. It had crashed through a wall, the entire thing covered in debris as T-1 showed the true meaning of the best defense is an overwhelming offense. The rest of T-1 not bunkered inside of the APC were set up around it, using the building as cover to unload onto an enemy posted up in the buildings across the way.
As for the enemy? I couldn’t see them. Thick blankets of smoke rose from vines that had been lit aflame. I could see why as I watched the APC. A massive ball of fire formed over the armored vehicle, launching towards one of the far buildings as sparks sprinkled down from it like incendiary rain. The relatively dry plants posed no chance as the fire burned everything to ash.
The actual fireball itself lanced towards one of the surrounding skyscrapers, exploding against it as debris splattered off. The gunfire from that particular spot stopped, though it hardly mattered as even more came from a different section of the building. A rocket launched from one of the other sections, barely getting across the street before the storm of bullets caught it like a net, turning it into a fireball mid-air.
As soon as we pulled out onto the streets, we entered the line of fire. Bullets hailed across the armor of our small four-vehicle convoy as we raced through ash-coated grass. Harsh plinking sounds echoed through the thing like it was a tin can, hurting my ears as I hastily pulled on the ear muffs I klepped- borrowed from a guy at the camp. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, I was on the other side of the enemy firing down on us, so my already smoke-blocked vision grew even worse.
The other two Prowlers and the Nomad vehicle returned fire. I got a pulse of Insight from Lia. Fog. It was easy enough to tell what the magic did as a thick bank of fog covered us like a mantel. It was thick enough I‘d hate to drive through it, though Renold made it look easy. The fire hitting us died as our enemies' accuracy plummeted, though we still caught potshots.
And then we were there, pulling into a defensive circle around the stranded APC. Before the vehicle even stopped, Hampton was out and darting for the building. I followed behind him, keeping low to the ground as a scattering of bullets flew past me.
Burst Step proved its usefulness once more as in one motion I catapulted past the sprinting Sergeant Hampton. My legs tensed, springing me forward rapidly to cover as they ached. The dense fog and my speed allowed me to easily close the distance and enter the building safely, though Deflection caught three of four bullets before they could hit.
We weren’t the only ones headed into the building either. Just before I fully turned the corner, I caught the shadow of a man as he darted into cover alongside Hampton and me. And then the fog lifted as the sounds of warfare returned. The Prowlers and Nomads drove off, not risking a rocket by overstaying their welcome.
I ducked behind a pillar, clearing myself of sightlines as I felt the muscles in my legs throb with pain as though I’d just run a marathon. Burst Step’s after-effects were always such a joy to deal with, though there was no denying its usefulness. My head tipped back against the pillar as I cast an idle look around.
I happened to take cover right next to a rather burly-looking man bleeding from a mark on his shoulder. Looked like a layer of subdermal armor caught it, so it was more of a flesh wound than anything. Or does it even count as a flesh wound if it hits subdermal armor? I caught the guy's gaze as I realized I was staring. “Oh… hey.”
”Howdy, miss…” The man tipped his head before returning fire toward the building across the way.
”Zuku!” A call came from my side, drawing my focus to Hampton hunkered down behind the APC. “Get over here!”
I glanced towards the gap between the cover and the vehicle, hesitating for a slight moment. Burst Step again? Hmm… It’s not that far… I still had more uses for Deflection. I'd yet to overuse Burst Step, and I'd rather save it for later if I needed it. My legs were already aching from just one use. If I was forced to use it several times, it might handicap me.
I timed my movement with another of those fireballs from the APC, sprinting across the distance in a matter of seconds. I slid into cover behind the heavily armored vehicle, nearly tripping as I put pressure on my sore legs.
Hampton shifted to the side, getting out of the way as the other guy who ran through the fog with us stepped up. One of the Deseran Nomads, I think. He didn’t have the same uniform on as the rest of the Crimson Company. “Melas. Zuku. Melas here can control metal. The sooner you guys get this fixed the better.”
”Just tell me what you need.” Melas nodded his head to me. He had an extremely quiet voice. Then again, I was wearing earmuffs.
Where was this guy the rest of the time I was in camp? Fixing stuff would’ve been a breeze… “Serg-“ I cut myself off as Hampton got into the APC, slamming the door shut behind him. So much for answering my questions. ”So, you can control metal?”
”Kinetic. Limited.” The man flinched as a whooshing sound came from afar. The sound grew louder, shortly followed by an explosion. Rocket. I needed to hurry up. The longer we were here the more chances one of those would connect. I’d rather not get hit with a rocket.
I dropped down, tossed my bag to the side, and slid underneath the APC. I immediately ate a face full of heat as the scorching hot underbelly of the vehicle jetted down onto my body. The rubble partially covered me, but there was quite a big gap between it that one of our attackers could fire in from. “Hey, make a wall facing them if you can! I’d rather not get shot down here.”
I didn’t see whatever the Nomad did, but parts of collapsed walls slowly shifted, moving through the air. It was small chunks, threaded with rebar. They stacked, melding together to form a shield around the base of the APC. What a cool power. I was almost jealous. Maybe when I get a Trait point, I'll go for that Kinetic one?
Anyway, with my back secure I felt far more comfortable looking into what was broken. I tapped on the armored underside of the armor, using Technical Expertise as the structure of the thing slowly formed in my mind. I scuttled under the vehicle sending pulses of energy throughout the entire thing as its design slowly formed in my brain. Almost like a blueprint… hmm… would Eidetic Schematic work with this?
I thought back to the other times I used Technical Expertise. Everything easily flowed as I perfectly envisioned everything I’d scanned with it. Or at least the parts I’d scanned. I should’ve scanned more back then! Damnit! I’d have a whole host of schematics at my fingertips! Instead, I had just parts-
The whooshing of a rocket brought my mind back to the problem at hand as I finished my scans. Working through the armor would be tricky, but the problem itself wasn’t too bad. The drivetrain was all sorts of fucked up, hit grossly out of alignment. I remembered what it looked like from the first time I used Technical Expertise on the vehicle, so it wasn‘t too bad. Whatever they hit the APC with originally packed a serious punch though.
“Hey, Melas, right?” I poked my head out the back end of the APC. “Can you move the plating of this?”
The Nomad shook his head. “Over my weight limit.”
Damn. I was hoping it would be easy… looks like I’d have to take it off the old-fashioned way. “Can you do micro adjustments? Make delicate parts?”
”Chek. What do you need?” The man crouched down. Metal from all over floated through the air, gathering around him. Most of it was scattered debris, still clung to by bits of cement. Nothing in the bunch was too heavy though. Seemed weight was his biggest issue. Could he stop a bullet? Or since it had so much force already behind it, would it slip free from his ability? Now wasn't the time to think about this.
I moved for my bag, pulling out my sketchpad and a pen. I sketched out all the parts I’d need, including their exact dimensions, and then slid back under to take off the armor-plating blocking access. It was only a matter of time till I got it all fixed. Until then, I just had to hope the rest of the group could hold out.