Azure: Gunner Chapter 6-14

“That’s fucking cold, brother! But don’t the Syndicates disappear people all the ti? Were these kids involved in so shady business?”

“The Syndicates disappear young, attractive girls – and a few boys too. Not a bunch of half-orcs, a groll, and three mutts – all with combat Classes. Sure, they were all working in the business – but as muscle, not faces. When muscle gets offed, there are bodies left behind. Usually on both sides.

“When there’s a turf war going on, no one needs to call in to figure out who did what to who. It’s pretty fucking obvious. This was sothing else.”

- DJ Demophon Kerner with guest DV, on K-RAD LA, May 4th, System Year 453

I drew the spellform for Force in my mind, stopping just before I finished it. I’d spent hours practicing keeping the rune in my head as long as possible before losing focus. When the starting signal exploded through the air, all I had to do was will my gun into my hands as I completed the final arc of the rune.

My infusion was practically simultaneous with the appearance of my gun, but Yuri reacted just as quickly. A tower shield appeared in his hands as he dashed forwards, causing to hesitate for a fraction of a second. My first shot slamd into the center of the shield a mont later. He staggered, his montum broken by the combined force – and Force – of my attack.

He blurred forward with a Quick Step, and I started circling to the side as I looked for possible angles of attack. His helted head was visible over the top of the shield, but it covered the rest of his body. His feet were protected by the steel boots, which I suspected were also enchanted.

Not knowing what to expect, I’d loaded my gun with alternating 4BK and slugs. My next shot was a slug, and it hamred into the shield, halting his advance. I cursed ntally as I saw that my most powerful attack had just barely dented the thick tal.

He hesitated for a few seconds, and I held my fire, not wanting to waste the rest of my ammo on his obviously-enchanted shield. I had no idea how many hits it could take. He dashed towards again, and I waited until the last mont before Quick Stepping to the side to dodge.

I couldn’t turn while Quick Stepping, but I spun to face him the instant the Skill ended. He’d let go of the shield, which was falling to the ground, and summoned his daggers.

BOOM!click-click

I got a shot of 4BK off, shattering his barrier and staggering him, but whatever protection he had layered underneath his barrier took the blow. Then he was on . With no ti to draw my shortsword, I managed to deflect his leading blade with the barrel of my gun in an awkward parry.

I sent my gun into my Inventory as he crashed into , his other knife deflecting off my barrier. We tumbled onto the ground, his blades vanishing for a mont as we fell. He used his larger size and weight to stay on top, and I landed on my back, my barrier handling the impact with that odd, hollow sense of pain that ca whenever it was damaged.

I locked my legs around his waist and pulled him in tight, trying to control his body and hands, not giving him any space to use his knives. Face locked in a snarl, he ripped one hand free from my grasp. I reacted instantly, driving my hips up and forcing him away. I couldn’t afford to let his hands out of my sight, not when a blade could appear in them at any second.

I bucked, trying to twist him off, but unlike his teammate he’d obviously been well-trained. He kept his balance with one hand on the dirt, the other raised up by his head. It plunged down, suddenly holding a knife aid right at my chest.

Desperately, both of my hands flashed out, catching his descending forearm just as the blade slamd into my barrier. He tried to lean forward and drop his weight onto as I fought to keep his body at bay with my legs and his knife under control with my hands.

He lifted his free hand, and I thought for a mont that he’d pull out his other dagger, but instead he brought it crashing down on the poml of the one he was holding just above my chest. The impact drove it forward, and I felt it hit my chestplate as my barrier finally shattered.

He raised his hand for another strike, and I realized he was planning to just hamr away at his dagger until I weakened and it burst through my armor. His knives ca to a wicked, narrow point at the end, and my cuirass wasn’t nearly as thick as heavy plate. It would take him several blows to break through, but he could slowly drive the blade deeper into my chest.

No fucking way I’m losing this fight on my back!

crunch!

He pounded the dagger into my armor again. Even in my focused rage, I knew I couldn’t fight him from this position – he outweighed and had more raw muscle. I couldn’t overpower him on my back, even if my Strength was a point or two higher. He reared back for another strike and as the pressure eased for just a mont, I seized the opening. I released his wrist with my left hand and smashed my palm against his blade as I pulled him into with my legs, twisting sharply to my right.

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The edge of his knife cut into my palm, slicing through my thin gloves, but my desperate tactic worked and the point skittered off my chestplate as he fell into . I heaved with all my strength, twisting and rolling and sohow ending up on top of him, my legs still locked around his body. Now it was my turn to rain down blows, punching down into his face with all my strength.

I felt my blows thudding into him, glancing off his forearms, and then my left hand slamd into the glowing shield created by one of his fancy enchantnts. Pain exploded through my already-bleeding hand as my triumphant scream turned into a howl. Enraged, I summoned my shotgun, but we were too close to get off a shot. Instead, I struck downwards with the butt of the gun, hamring it into the shield over his face.

I saw his eyes widen in fear for a mont, but his defenses stopped my strike stopped cold and the arrogant fucker smirked at . His arms, which had been tucked in tight to protect his head, suddenly parted as if inviting to try again. Acting on instinct, I tried to throw myself off of him, but it turned into an awkward roll as my feet were trapped under the Assassin’s body.

As I rolled free, he buried one of his knives deep into my left thigh. The blade punched through my leather between the tal reinforcent and I scread in pain as I landed on my back. Only the fact that my right hand was clenched in a death grip around my shotgun prevented it from flying out of my grasp.

I could feel the piece of tal still stuck in my leg, my movent having ripped it out of his hands. My mory flashed back to my fight with the mirror in the Tutorial, but I knew I wasn’t done for yet. Unlike her, I was still holding my gun. Yuri rolled onto his hands and knees, preparing to stand up, as I yanked the barrel of my gun around and pointed it in his direction.

BOOM!

I was lying on my side as I fired, and the recoil nearly tore my gun out of my hands since it wasn’t braced against my body. My shot deflected off of his fucking shield again, but the Force got through, and it knocked him away from , throwing him flat onto his back.

My focus narrowed to his montarily-still body, even the walls of the pit seeming to drop away from my consciousness. I thrust my left hand into the ground and forced myself onto my knees, the cold tal of his dagger still deep in my leg. The pain was oddly distant.

click-clickBOOM!click-clickBOOM!

My shots shoved him further away from , keeping him on the ground, but his shield was still active. Only the magic is getting through… An idea flashed through my mind, and I grinned despite the agony in my leg.

Fire practically drew itself, I was so familiar with the rune after weeks of practice. It flowed smoothly into my gun, replacing Force. I had only one shot left before my gun was empty, but that was going to be all I needed.

click-clickBOOM!

His shield stopped my final shot, but tiny orbs of fire blossod on his chest as my gun vanished into my Inventory. My hand yanked the wand from my belt, where it had remained secure in its holster, and I aid it at the fire as I saw his face turn to shock. Fire!

I scread in triumph as a Fire Wall erupted over him, the magical effect passing through his defenses. I’d placed the wall flat, parallel to the ground, and it pinned him on his back as the heat seared him alive.

Thompson’s voice rattled my brain through the Comms and I blinked, the world around us coming back into focus over the course of a few seconds.

By the ti I realized the fight was over, Lydia was easing onto my back and soone else was standing over a silent Yuri. When the dagger was pulled out of my leg, I howled not in agony but in triumph.

I scread into the Comms before Thompson booted unceremoniously from the Squad.

The next few minutes were a blur. I was healed by Lydia, hauled to my feet by a beaming Wolf, and found myself high-fiving and hugging my teammates. Raylan had managed to snag my expended slugs before everyone trampled them into the sand, and he handed them to with a grin.

Everyone was excited to see Yuri go down, though I was sure that Raylan was hiding his anger over the way he’d lost to Marta. As we made our way out of the pit, there was a press as other students pushed forwards to congratulate us.

It seed like many of the veterans had their own issues with the trainees and were thrilled to see us win most of the matches. On top of that, many of the recruits in our class had had their own irritating encounters with Yuri and his team – or with so of the other rich jerks that sided with him.

The students coming up to talk to us mostly avoided Tara and Arlo, even though I assud most of them knew Tara had joined the Guild. She still looked like a trainee, with her elegant armor, even if it was more practical than so others’.

We were in the bar before I realized that Thompson hadn’t made any announcents after the fights, but I was too caught up in the mont to care. Multiple people had bought us pitchers of beer, and even though we moved to a booth for more privacy we were still constantly being interrupted.

By the ti Wilson arrived to summon us to the Head Instructor’s office, I had finished two E10 beers and was feeling very relaxed. Even Raylan had cheered up and was chatting intently with Jaycee, while the orcs were at least a beer ahead of .

Grumbling, we recruited a couple amiable students to keep our beer safe for our return. We found Yuri’s Squad, strangely without Yuri himself, standing around the lobby area. Thompson, Blur, and Wolf were all there, and fortunately no one – including myself – was drunk enough to do much more than grin maliciously at them. The first order of business was settling the stakes that had been wagered on each fight.

Jayce had to pay Polina the traditional one eagle for her loss, while a glowering Clarice had to send one to Zaire. H’ruk, who’d copied in selecting item stakes, claid the rest of the smoke bombs that Vera had used against him, while G’hala neither paid nor received anything after her bout had been ruled a draw.

When it ca to Raylan’s match, there was technically no paynt made for the fight itself. Still, Thompson fined Marta ten eagles for her dramatically failed attempt to interfere with Lydia. Half of that went to Raylan, who cheered up a bit on receiving the transfer.

However, when I asked where Yuri was, wanting to claim my reward, Thompson told to wait. She dismissed Squad Elite and Blur herded them out the door. Then, she had join her in the office while everyone else, including Wolf, waited outside.