Hey everyone.
I have fussed enough over this chapter for the time being. It isn't perfect but any more revising and I'll drive myself crazy. A quick warning would be that the tone becomes very dark near the end with allusion to suicide, if that bothers you skip the last section.
I understand there are a few unanswered questions, don't worry too much about them they will be addressed in later chapters.
Not much else to say, the chapter is a bit longer than the last one and its focused primarily on action so I hope you enjoy.
PS: [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] [-][-][-][-][-] = Line break, the old one was wreaking havoc on my word processors so I've switched to this method
PPS: I'm looking for someone who would like to beta for the story. Currently I am having a lot of trouble trying to hunt down and find all the (many) errors I make while writing and having a second person look at it would be appreciated. If you are interested fire me a Private Message and we can see if we can work something out.
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The familiar musk of the storefront hits Aaron hard as he pushes his way through the doors. The 'Closed' sign hanging solemnly on the door as its message is ignored. Smoke is heavy in the air and as his eyes water he feels his way along the bookshelves towards the back of the store. As he approaches the desk near the back his hands tense as he sighs in annoyance.
Finding the desk it's immediately apparent who is responsible for the heavy cigarette smoke in the store. Haruhiro is smoking heavily with at lEast four still burning cigarettes stuffed into a much darkened ashtray. The small crowd of people milling about the table, clearly uncomfortable but too polite to speak up, part as the visibly irritated Aaron steps up to the table. Too engrossed in the map on the table Haruhiro continues his rant as the rest of the table shifts about nervously.
"This is the best map I could find on the Daiken Dust Bowl region. I spent a good mint on this map too, I hope the cartographers really took their time an-" A loud cough interrupts his examination of the map. Turning to face the person who interrupted his examination his face visibly pales as he lays his eyes upon Aaron. Spitting his cigarette out into the ashtray he sweeps it off the table to the floor with a crash.
The source of the smoke gone the air clears rapidly as the game diverts resources away from maintaining it. The slight ringing in the air gives way to a tense silence as the statuesque Aaron stares down the taller Haruhiro. Shrinking away from the glare he coughs lightly as he mutters an apology.
"Lasyria, I uh, know that ever since that incident you really dislike smoke... Look I forgot you were coming and I'm sorry. It -" Cutting him off tersely Aaron replies,
"Enough. Continue." Taking a moment to collect himself Haruhiro restarts his introduction.
"Gentlemen, this is Lasyria. He will be providing overwatch for your hunt. He will not join in your hunt and will not require any split from your earnings." With little of his previous enthusiasm present he finishes his introduction.
"I've prepared a map so we can discuss our strategy including firing positions, route information, as well as contingencies." Pausing to take a breath one of the strangers around the table interjects,
"How do we know if this guy is any good? I've heard the good ones demand payment before and after the job yet he doesn't want a split of our hunt? I bet he's crap." Sighing tiredly Haruhiro looks to Aaron. His face is set in stone with no indication that he heard the comment.
"Hey, Taikedo are you new to the game?" Looking to the others he notices that the leader and who appears to be the second in command look rather irritated with their newer member.
"Uh yeah, I started a couple of weeks ago. Why does that matter?" Looking at his friends he notices the exasperated look on the leader's face. "Look, I just want to be sure we aren't getting crap. You guys had to work hard to get that information we sold him." Closing his eyes the leader merely presents his acknowledgement and allows Haruhiro to continue.
"Well then it's not too hard to believe that you wouldn't have heard of him. Allow me to properly introduce you. He goes by Lasyria, but many people have chosen to call him 'Thor's Hammer'. This is due to the enormous weapon he wields. Like the god of thunder his weapon strikes down his enemies. His usual going rate is 200,000 credits per contract, as for payment I have it covered just consider it part of me repaying my debt."
Looking about the room he notices the 'veterans' nodding appreciatively to him and the others looking on in awe at Aaron as he ends with, "Anyone else doubt the capability of our contractor?" A healthy pause negates his question. "Well the map I've prepared is of the area where you guys were hit last time."
Gesturing to the map it shows a wide area which starts at the mouth of a large trench to the North-East. It opens up into a large flatland further West which leads into a ruined city to the South-West. There is a large cliff face to the far West of the region which has very good sight lines on the city nestled between them.
Fixating the map onto the mouth of the trench he steps back and allows Aaron to step in, "I've been to the region earlier this week and I've scouted out a few good firing positions as well as likely ambush locations." Pausing for breath he highlights three locations on the cliff faces surrounding the mouth of the trench.
"These three are going to be my main firing positions. It will enable me to cover you six up until you hit the city proper. While approaching the city I need you to stay North of the roadway. You guys have to keep almost all the cover between you and the city to the South. It gives me the best firing lines." At this a bright neon orange line appears going from the mouth of the trench to along the road towards the city.
"The enemy will likely engage us at one of three locations." Three bright red targets appear on the map, one at the mouth of the trench, one at the close edge of the city, and one at the far edge of town. "I think we can cross off the mouth of the trench. The cover at the mouth of the trench is poor and they don't have any weapons really capable of engaging us at the range required to hit us at the mouth of the trench from the city."
The first red circle fades and the map focuses on the remaining two. "They can hit you as you enter the city or as you leave it. As you leave the city they can hit you from behind while they take cover in it. There is heavier cover there so it's unlikely but a possibility. That leads me to believe they will hit us at the entrance to the city proper."
The map shows more detail around the North East side of the city. There are a few buildings still standing including what appears to be a gas station and a half collapsed restaurant flank the roadway. A little further into the city is a park with a defunct fountain up against a large clock tower. On the South West side of the park is a large factory which seems to still have much of the machinery once used to build cars.
"I'll cover you right up until you enter the city proper. Once at the city I'd like you to take cover and hold up at this location," The gas station glows green, "Once there advise me and I'll reposition into the city. I'll move to the apartment building to your West if things go as planned." A separate building glows yellow.
"Once I'm there I'll let you know when I can engage them. Once we contact them again we'll drive them further into the city until all die, or they flee. Let them run if they want to." Finally done his piece, the map returned to its original size marked up with the current plan. "Understood?"
The leader of the group speaks up, "What are our contingency plans?"
Humming in thought his reply is short, "If you begin taking too much fire, fall back towards the cliff face I will be firing from. Once you are in the flats you can seek cover and if they try to pursue you they will expose themselves and I'll knock them down though it would be best to try to hold up in the gas station if possible. We'll stay in contact and I'll advise you to what I believe is the best course of action in the situation."
Looking to Haruhiro he non-verbally asks if there is anything else or if he can get ready. "No Lasyria. That's good enough. Go get ready and meet them near the port in about an hour. You'll get your payment upon your return. Good luck."
Nodding to the assembly he makes his way back through the store to the marketplace. After he exits the store he goes to the armoury to collect his arsenal. Finally ready he heads to the port to wait for go time.
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His rifle assembled and set up on the North-West cliff face he crawls forward and turns on his microphone. "I'm in position. Maintain your speed and direction, I don't see anything yet but I'll let you know the moment I spot movement."
Heavy winds billow through the region which drowns their reply in static. Moving forward they continue calmly to the city. They are walking in a rather lax formation, four light pulse rifles to the front, one heavy laser following them and one HK Minimi.
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The HK Minimi is classified as a Light Machine Gun, or LMG, it has a large ammunition capacity yet suffers accuracy penalties while on the move, more time is required to load, and it weighs more than the rifle configurations. Its benefits include its bonus to the SUPPRESSION effect, known in game as SPRS.
SPRS is heavily reliant upon the weight of the bullet as well as the rate of fire. Heavier bullets lose their speed and energy slower than lighter bullets because of their momentum and the impact force of the bullet factors into suppression. The effect itself doesn't last very long mechanically and as such a high rate of fire is required to cause the effect to stack which increases its effectiveness greatly.
Sporadic suppression is not very effective, however continual suppression makes it nearly impossible for the opponent to return effective fire. The mechanics of the effect are that it heavily reduces a player's AGI and DEX stat so long as the effect remains active.
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The dark tan cloth helps Aaron blend into the cliff by disguising his uniform and breaking up his silhouette. A sniper's silhouette is his most recognizable feature at a distance. Wrapped tightly around the barrel of his rifle a bolt of the same fabric helps hide the metallic shine that the rifle gives off. He tracks his vision among the buildings at the edge of town. The sun begins to set as the breeze in the region begins to die off. 'Ah. There you are.'
"I've spotted them. There are five of them moving to your South, they are nearly upon the restaurant. Do not react. Let them think you're ignorant of them. We'll turn this ambush against them. I'll take the first shot." Depressing the trigger lightly his targeting reticule hovers on the man in the front of the group.
He's wielding a UMP-.45, it's a popular sub machine gun with police forces in the real world. It has good stopping power with the .45 calibre ammunition it fires while still being compact enough to use effectively in tight areas.
'He probably uses hollow points in that weapon. Against lightly armoured targets the damage per second would be astronomical but would do almost nothing to heavily armoured targets while having almost no penetration power.' They pull up against the Southern side of the restaurant and hold position.
"Be aware that they are holding position behind the restaurant. I don't have a clean shot. I'll wait for them to break cover and attack before I fire." Focusing on the group through the window he releases the trigger. 'What could they be waiting for. It would be ill advised to let the larger group get closer before engaging.'
His attention is drawn to the upper right corner of his H.U.D. when Taikedo's health bar plummets to zero. Quickly moving his scope back to his 'allies' he demands to know what's going on,
"Shit. What the hell happened out there?" The reply comes in a bit of a pant as the leader of the group explains,
"I have no idea! We were approaching the city when Taikedo went down followed by a loud bang and crack. I've told the rest of the guys to find cover. We don't see the shooter." Swearing lightly under his breath Lasyria fires off,
"Okay; here's the plan. When they break cover to engage you I'll kill the one in front. While they reel I need you to push on to the gas station. Do not move in straight lines, make it hard for that sniper. Once I've eliminated the front runner I'll reposition and engage the sniper. While that is going on I cannot provide you with overwatch, you'll be on your own till I've dealt with their sniper. Good luck, move on my shot."
After dismissing the others he refocuses on the group hiding behind the restaurant. They are no longer hiding, having broke cover during the chaos spawned by their sniper they are now closing the distance rapidly. His heart cools as he prepares to engage the enemy.
He notices the same one who led the charge up to the restaurant is once again in the front. He's wearing dark pants and a dark long sleeved shirt. No additional armour along with a pair of goggles to keep the sand out of his eyes and a mohawk which adorns the top of his head are his notable features.
His targeting reticule drags over to the man's chest and as it begins to compress into a point he looses the round. A large amount of dust and debris fire up into the air around him as the muzzle break forces the gas generated while firing into the ground. As the earth rises to meet the bullet, it howls towards its victim.
It enters the man right above the heart and it's over in an instant. The bullet drives along unimpeded and carves a large crater out of the sand below him. Disintegrating it appeared the man didn't even have an opportunity to cry out as he fell. Cycling the bolt of his rifle he ejects the spent casing and rotates to face the opposing cliff face, the most likely location for a sniper.
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"Dyne, They're here." Sinon acknowledges as she peers down her scope at the group of hunters approaching from the North-East. They were running late and that had Sinon nervous. After ignoring advances by Ginro and questioning stares from the rest of the group she would be pleased to leave these people behind her.
"They are late." He mutters to himself, "Okay, they have four light pulse rifles, one heavy laser rifle and one physical gun, a Minimi." The group moves in a square formation, two light pulse rifles in front, followed by two more, followed by the heavy laser and Minimi, overall a strong frontal formation, if you could flank it it would be weaker but from the front it's very formidable.
"I don't like this Dyne, it doesn't make sense. Why would they do the exact same thing this week and expect a different result?" Ginro voices his concerns,
"They don't have any extra members. Maybe they believe we wouldn't hit the same group twice? I don't know but I believe they are probably just fools. Let's just stick to the plan. Sinon on my mark you take out the Minimi and we'll mop up the rest. Everyone have their defence fields equipped?" At their confirmation he ends,
"Good. Okay everyone lets go." With that the five men move off the cliff towards the city. She frowns in concentration as she attempts to decipher the enemy's game plan.
Peeking through the scope she notices the man to the left, with the heavy laser, raise his hand to his ear and mutter something into a microphone. 'They are all within hearing range, why use the radios?' At this the wind picks up heavily.
'Or it could be they can't hear each other over the wind, but I doubt it.'
Tracking her sight further South she notices the others stack up in the shadow of the restaurant just ahead of the approaching group. '1500m from me, 300m from them. It's now or never I guess. They close the distance and Dyne is going to have trouble with them.' confirming her thoughts her radio jumps to life.
"We're in position. What are our 'friends' up to?" Dyne's voice chatters in her ear,
"They are moving in the same direction at the same speed. 300m out from you, 1500m from me. They appear to be unaware of your presence." She peeks at her environmental sensors to figure out how to adjust her aim. Its only twenty degrees out, the wind has died down, for now, and its just as bone dry as it usually is.
"1500m is a long way. Can you do it?" Her eyes lose focus as she remembers back to the time when she gained her PGM-Hecate II, the incredible range, the terror of facing down the boss level mob alone, the tension of needing to hit each shot. 'Can I do it? 1500m? That's nothing compared to that time, this tension, this terror, all of it is nothing compared to that.'
"Yes." Her answer is resolute, absolute. The outcome is already decided, her shot will not miss. One shot, one kill. Her terror, her tension, none of it will affect her shot because it is widely known she is made of ice. Ice does not terror, ice does not shake in tension or anxiety, ice is steady, ice is cold and unfeeling and thus this means nothing to her.
"Okay. Take the shot, we'll move when the Minimi goes down." His tone does little to hide his enthusiasm at an easy job, as his breath is shallow.
"Roger." Her breathing becomes shallow as her body rebels by tightening slightly at the task. Forcing herself to relax she depresses the trigger enough to bring up her targeting reticule. Pulsing steadily she guides it to the man wielding the Minimi. Breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth her reticule begins to shrink. The man scans his surroundings, searching for an ambush. He cannot see far enough to know what is about to come to him.
As the reticule narrows as much as it is able to at this range she exhales one last time and squeezes the trigger. A bright flash followed by the roar and crack of the rifle emanates from her small outcropping. The force of the recoil causing her to lurch back slightly and grunt as dust is thrown into the air about her.
Her round drops slightly and strikes the man through the bridge of his nose. His automatic rifle drops to the ground heavily as the rest of his group stands on in stunned silence. The silence is quickly broken as the apparent leader of the group orders the others to seek cover. Their cover is quite strong, she does not have much of a shot, however at the same time they can't risk exposing themselves to fire upon her advancing allies.
'Looks like this one is going to be pretty boring.' Turning her scope on to the others she notices Ginro pull out in front, 'Over eager fool. He should wait for support.'. The distance closes rapidly when his advance is terminated. A light gasp of surprise is her very telling reaction as Ginro disintegrates and a large crater explodes beneath him.
Dyne swears through the mike as he orders the other to hold and find cover. "Sinon, what the hell was that?" Her breath hitches in her throat as she comes to the realization that she isn't the only sniper here.
"It's a sniper and I'm not sure where he is. They need to be somewhere elevated to make that kind of shot, probably near the mouth of the trench. What are they up to now?" She picks up her rifle and moves to reposition further North on the cliff.
"The others have broken cover and are sprinting towards the gas station, shit they're getting away!" Dyne's voice calls out over the radios, "Sinon, you need to take them out before they reach the station!"
"I will not do that Dyne. I can't give away my position, you'll have to handle this yourself until I've taken care of their sniper." Her reply is cold but honest. 'This certainly has become more interesting at least.' Having finally found a suitable location to set up she peeks out over the city scape towards the mouth of the trench.
'That's a ton of debris and dust, what the hell is that sniper wielding?!' A large part of the Northern end of the mouth of the trench is covered in a dust screen generated from the rifle fire. Narrowing her eyes she focuses her vision further up the cliff face more towards the top. She tracks along the top of the cliff face when sh- Light! She notices a small reflection of light coming from a small cave just within the cliff face. 'There he is!'
Compressing her trigger again she prepares to fire upon that sniper. Peeking at her targeting information she starts, '2400m!? That's beyond my maximum effective range. Well I should be safe at that distance and at any rate I need to tell the others.' Still peeking at the small light on the cliff she notices the muzzle flash immediately.
Eyes open widely as her gut tells her to move. Sinon rolls over quickly, slamming into the cliff face as she narrowly avoids almost certain death when the area she previously occupied explodes with dust as stone fragments rain down on the area. Dust forces its way down her throat as it emanates from the impact.
Coughs wrack her body as her heart beats hard enough to be heard over the ringing in her ears. She is covered in little bits of dirt and dust as her once ice blue hair takes on a sandy yellow tint, small specks of mud mar her once spotless complexion as the dust settles on her skin and mixes with her sweat.
'What the hell was that!?' Still stunned she lays there attempting to gain her bearings as the boom and crack of the shot finally reaches her position. Closing her eyes lightly to bring her heart back under control the cliff face above her explodes. Small rocks and clumps of dirt rain down on her as the cliff begins to buckle. She drags her rifle with her as she crawls away from the cliff as it finally fails.
A mountain of rock slams into the ground as she is once again forced to flee at the awesome power of that rifle. Back in the cave that the group used to discuss their plan she takes a moment to collect herself. 'I can't keep this up, he'll pick me off at this rate. I need to close the distance before he tags me. The city. I'll move to the city and engage him from there.'
Realized her battle plan she moves to enact it. She slings her rifle across her back as she begins the run to the city. She vows to herself that she will kill this man.
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Cycling the action of his rifle he ejects the final casing in his magazine and looks down on the devastation he caused to the cliff where 'The Hecate' was hiding. A wide grin splits his face as he eagerly anticipates the battle proper between the two of them.
The Hecate is a well known sniper on the Japanese GGO servers, often called the Ice Sniper for her demeanour during missions it's said that she is the best sniper in the entirety of GGO. 'I hope to test that theory myself'
Disassembling his rifle he mentally prepares himself for contact with Sinon in the city proper. Packed fully the rifle is stowed away hidden from sight in a small fissure on the cliff. Stepping back from his rifle he swings his VSS to his front and begins his trek down the cliffs to the flats.
The VSS is one of the best urban combat weapons available on the market today. Manufactured by the 'Tula Arsenal' it is a derivative of the AS assault rifle. The features they have in common is an integral sound suppressor built into the weapon that covers the barrel and means that it doesn't compromise its length to provide its suppression like the add on suppressors do. Firing specialized subsonic armour penetrating rounds it means that in a combat environment the weapon is virtually silent which doesn't give the shooter's position away while firing.
"Guys. I need you to distract the other group while I move up. Push forward onto the apartment building." Now running along the flats he tries to ensure that he is covered as much as possible from the others. If he is spotted then his entire manoeuvre will be compromised.
Receiving conformation the sound of gunfire mixed with the sound of laser and pulse rifle fire erupts in the city once again. Picking up speed he moves to enter the factory on the far West side of town.
Gently Aaron leans against the emergency exit to the abandoned factory complex. With a slight grunt he eases the door open a hair and poking his rifle's barrel through opens the door fully and steps in. The loud squeal of the door as it its forced open makes him swear under his breath.
Mid step he pauses while scanning the upper levels of the factory. As the echos fade he continues on into the building letting the door swing shut behind him. Not letting the door slam it's closing is much quieter than its opening. Rapidly moving through the upper levels of the complex he reaches the third floor. With the butt of his rifle he smashes the glass at a large window that over looks the small park in front of the clock tower.
"Okay guys, I'm in position. Keep a look out for Sinon, let me know where she is and I'll deal with her. Make your way to the park in front of the tower. I'll cover you from the factory. Good luck." Aaron examines the structures around the park, searching for any good firing position. 'Sinon's really good. She'll be somewhere she can quickly reposition while still maintaining good elevation and concealment.'
The clock tower is too obvious, it would give you excellent elevation and sight lines yet with no exit she would be a sitting duck. The library is a good choice, but then again it has no windows in the front and would require that she fire from the roof which is a hard position to conceal, you would silhouette against the sky far to easily.
Suddenly the windows in the lower level of the clock tower burst inward as a stray energy bolt impacts them. Aiming down to the street he notices the other group falling back into the park. Their tactics are pretty strong, they fall back in sequence, the one nearest the enemy falls back while the other two cover him, and that pattern repeats until the three remaining hostiles make it into the park.
Aaron slams the stock of his weapon into his shoulder as he brings his scope to his eye and focuses on the marksman. Flipping his safety off he collapses his targeting reticule onto the man's chest. Pleased with his accuracy he rapidly releases three subsonic rounds. The soft thunk of the rounds exiting the suppressor is all the warning the man receives as the three bullets strike true.
The first impact spins him slightly and the other two impact in a grouping of about ten centimetres. Gasping he clutches his chest as he collapses to one knee. Swearing lightly Aaron admonishes himself for miscalculating the damage those three subsonic rounds would do. He double taps a few more rounds into him. The first strikes him in the throat and the final one hits him on the top of the head.
Body collapsing to the dust he disintegrates like his friend before him. Smiling grimly he forces his emotions down as he attempts to control the elation he feels at the kill. Eyes widening in surprise he notices Sinon slam into the low stone wall where the marksman was hiding.
Her sidearm barks rapidly as she fires a spray of bullets up at his position. Leaping away from the window as the rounds slam into it one of the rounds ricochet off the metal window frame and glances across his face from his lip and off his cheek tearing the scarf from his face.
Unable to control his emotion any longer he smiles widely at Sinon as he presses his hand to the window frame then retreats further into the factory.
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"All right guys. I've made it to the city. I need you to tell me where their sniper is, where has he been firing at you from?" She panted lightly as she continued to sprint through the city making her way to the library.
"I have no idea, Sinon. We thought you got him actually, he hasn't fired on us for a few minutes now. He could be anywhere." Dyne's exhausted reply came in. Things weren't looking good, they already had the numerical disadvantage but now in these narrow city streets their energy weapons are close enough to give the energy weapons a slight damage boost reducing the effectiveness of their shields.
"Shit here they come again. Pull back to the park. We gotta get out of here." The sound of rifle fire flares up again accompanying a corresponding increase in pulse rifle and laser fire. Sliding to her knees and then stomach on the roof of the library she deploys her bipod and begins to scan the cliffs above the trench.
'It's only 1300m from here to the cliffs. His range advantage is gone and I have a real shot now. All I need to do is find him.' Slowly and meticulously scanning the cliffs her frustration grows as she cannot locate him. Sinon closes her eyes for a moment and calms herself.
The minutes seem to tick on when she hears the distinct sound of breaking glass. With no accompanying gunfire this sound is much more suspicious than it aught to be. Moving over to the South side of the library, the side over looking the park, she begins to search for the broken window. The factory opposite of the library has many such windows yet it is impossible to tell which ones have been broken recently or were broken long ago.
Debris from a window exploding after an impact from a pulse bolt draws her attention to the road leading into the park. The gunfire is much louder now that they have finally begun to move into the park. Her eyes observe the scene below as she sees Dyne taking cover beside a fallen phone booth, as the marksman runs past him into the actual park.
She is close enough to hear Dyne screaming at his friends, "Don't let them come any closer!" A nod of acknowledgement accompanies the order as the designated marksman opens fire with his M14 rifle, pinging the debris the hunters are hiding behind.
Taking her rifle she attempts to keep a low profile as she lines up a shot on one of the hunters in the street below. She has no shot, she can't risk rising and exposing herself to their sniper and from her angle she cannot depress her barrel enough to fire at the hunters in the street. Grimacing lightly she returns her vision to the cliffs. 'He won't be there anymore. He would have moved, and if he intended to cover his comrades he would need to be in the city proper.'
"We have to retreat. I don't want to lose, I would rather log off than lose to them." Dyne's panicked voice shouts from the her headset. Eyes narrow in rage as a low growl rumbles in her throat. 'That coward! Even if we are losing, we shouldn't give up! Hell we've tagged three of them already. I can handle their sniper if they get their shit together and handle the others.'
Her rifle pulls into her chest as she crawls back towards the roof access intent on giving Dyne a piece of her mind. Sinon's boots slam onto the fire escape on the side of the library as she rolls over the low stone wall that acts as a railing along the roof of the library. Each flight of stairs passes at an astonishing rate as she leaps from one landing to the next right until she reaches the bottom and kicks out the ladder.
Climbing down the ladder she rounds the corner just in time to see three rounds impact the rifleman in the chest. Her gaze steps up to the windows in the factory and she notices two more shots fly from the factory and kill Jin. Dust kicks up as she sprints towards the low wall and slides into it avoiding the overhead weapons fire.
Her MP7 furiously spits out rounds towards the window she saw the shots come from. Her aim was hasty and as such a bit more of a spray than she would like. The rounds impact the area around the window and penetrate through a few of the panes. One round impacts the frame and ricochets off striking the man in the face.
The impact is glancing at best and all it does is tear away his scarf and leave an angry red line going from the corner of his mouth off the lower part of his jaw. The savage grin that splits his face gives Sinon pause. 'He can smile? Even after getting shot, that man can smile. How strong is this man? Enough to smile in the face of death!? In the face of danger? I need that strength, I need that resolve. I need to kill that man.'
As the moment passes she moves to kick her group back into gear. Her fist grips Dyne's collar as she glares at his face. "You're a disgrace." she spits out as if the very words themselves disgusted her.
"We'll be wiped out if we keep fighting, Sinon!" he stutters back. His back scratching up against the overturned phone booth he uses as cover. "It's just a game. Don't take it so seriously."
"Idiot! You do know that GGO has a 'soulless' log out feature right? That means even if you log out now your body remains for 60 seconds. They can walk up and kill you easily in that time, you still lose the money you have on you as well as needing to pay the respawn penalty." Breathing heavily to bring herself under control she continues,
"If it's just a game at least have the balls to go down fighting. Arashi, Dyne, hold them here. I'm going after their sniper, once he's down I'll come back to help you out. On my mark covering fire!" The tension that runs along her back betrays her nervousness at facing such a formidable opponent alone. Resolve floods her veins as she clamps down on all her emotion and jumps up from cover.
"Go!" This simple word spurs the others into action as they lean out of cover and being to fire upon the advancing hunters. Those hunters are forced into cover as bullets slam into the cover around them and even strikes one of them in the shoulder.
The factory grows larger and larger as she nears the employee's entrance. The door explodes inward as she slams herself through it and seeks cover behind a stack of sheet metal. Three rounds impact the area around her, two hit the floor where she was running and one hits the stack. The echo in the building makes it nearly impossible to pinpoint where the shots came from.
"I never thought I'd have the opportunity to battle the great Heacte herself." The voice is soft and does nothing to indicate where it may be coming from. "I have to say, it is quite thrilling to pit myself against you. I wonder, have you figured out who I am yet?"
'Talking in a situation like this? He's real cocky.' "No, I haven't yet. Should I have?" 'Keep talking bastard, ill have you pinned yet.'
"No, I guess not. I am not known by appearance. Indeed I am much more well known for my rifle, as are you. The same rifle I used to force you to flee from the cliffs West of the city." She can hear the grin he wears as he mentions her retreat from the cliffs.
'Who is well known for having a really heavy weapon that can reach out over 2km?' Realization hits her as she mutters to herself, "Thor's Hammer..." Her voice isn't as quiet as she had intended as she receives a response she wasn't expecting.
"Excellent!" The voice is louder yet still does not give away anything to hint to his location. "Now, Sinon, let's end this foreplay. Come and find me, and we'll see whom among us is the strongest." The silence smothering the building is eerie as she ponders her current plan.
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Falling further back into the building he grins as he seeks a good firing position within the factory complex. 'This is the ideal battleground for my Vintorez. Close quarters and a lot of elevation means her Hecate II will be hard pressed to operate well in here.'
Moving along the second floor he takes cover behind some large tanks hanging from the ceiling. He shoulders his weapon and aims down towards the employee's entrance on the ground floor. 'She'll breach the building as rapidly as possible, she has no cover out side of the building and can't risk taking fire before our fight.'
More and more time passes as he begins to grow anxious. 'What's taking her so long? Did she not take the bait? I would be at a severe disadvantage if she takes this fight else where. Her rifle will tear me apart if I give her the range she needs.'
The sudden bang of the door flying inwards as she dives through it draws him from his thoughts as he switches to full auto and unleashes a three round burst at her. Two rounds impact the ground at her feet and the final one strikes the sheet metal she hides behind. 'Good, she hasn't spotted me yet. Lets see if I can get a good flank on her, maybe she'll fall for the conversation trick.'
"I never thought I'd have the opportunity to battle the great 'Hecate' herself. I have to say it is quite thrilling to pit myself against you. I wonder, have you figured out who I am yet?" As her reply comes in he moves quickly and quietly along the upper walkways.
"No. I haven't, should I have?" Her reply is calculated and cold. His grin turns feral as she continues to play into his hands. 'Just a little bit further and I'll have you dead to rights.'
"No, I guess not. I am not known by appearance. Indeed I am much more well known for my rifle, as are you. The same rifle I used to force you to flee from the cliffs West of the city." Lasyria's breathing slows as he begins to approach her.
'That should hopefully garner a response. I've challenged her pride as a sniper.' His thoughts are a little off as instead of the heated response he hoped for he received an answer so quiet he needed to strain to hear it.
"Thor's Hammer..." He preens slightly to himself, hell the famous Ice Sniper knows who he is.
"Excellent!" His voice carries more than expected but he presses on, "Now, Sinon, let's end this foreplay. Come and find me, and we'll see whom among us is the strongest."
Holding his breath he waits for her to peek out of cover to search for him. He was unable to get close enough to fire on her yet his angle is still good enough that should she try to move out of cover she'll expose herself. Things are progressing slowly and the sounds of gunfire outside are ignored in favour of focusing on Sinon.
Unaware of what she's doing he grows tense waiting for her to make her move. Patience is the name of this game, he can't risk probing her because it will give away his position yet he cannot help but feel nervous at letting her have all the time she wants to prepare a plan.
About unable to wait any longer he prepares to sprint to the best firing position to hit where she is hiding. Stepping towards the windows he was firing from he begins his sprin- the window explodes as a heavy laser blast carves a fair crater out of the wall and knocks many of the bricks onto the walkway.
Diving onto his belly he covers his head as he tries to avoid the majority of debris as he hears Sinon's thundering foot steps echo loudly as she sprints further into the factory. Swearing he takes cover more fully against a thin metal sheet which was acting as a railing along the walkway he was positioned on.
'Shit. I've lost her.' Rising to a crouch he scans the lower levels of the factory as he tries to locate her by following the trail of disturbed dust on the ground. The darker colour of the concrete floor where the dust was disturbed jumps at him and he follows it right into an open doorway. It appears to lead into a staff room or an office or something similar.
The slight shine reflecting off of her scope startles him out of his search as he dives to the deck of the walkway again. An enormous bang shatters the silence which had descended over the factory after the most recent violent action abated. A neat hole appears in the thin metal barrier as he stands and fires his remaining two rounds at her before she has an opportunity to reload or relocate.
Not bothering to check if he hit her he drops the magazine out of his rifle and fumbles trying to load another while sprinting towards the far end of the factory away from her position. The sound of metal shearing as another burst from her MP7 forces him to really open up and move as fast as he ever has.
Not bothering to slow down he slams painfully into the wall of the factory and cocks his recently loaded rifle. Heartbeat echoing in his inner ear he desperately tries to calm himself. All this violence has him almost unable to control his emotions any longer.
'I need to end this soon. I'm becoming ineffective.' The gut wrenching tension lessens as he takes a quick moment to slow his heart rate. His AGI is not very high so going in tense increases the time required for the targeting reticule to form and shrink even more than it would normally.
Peeking around the tank or vat he's hiding behind he tries to recontact Sinon. The area returns to silence as the remaining echos fade and the gunfire outside moves further North in town.
The cluttered factory feels surprisingly empty as not even the rats scurry about, having long fled the building. The clang of metal striking metal reverberates loudly from the opposite side of the factory.
Seizing the opportunity presented to him Aaron beings to move out of cover. Quickly as a snail he begins his movement towards a different firing position, which has better sight lines over looking the far side of the building.
Resting his weapon on the control panel for one of the ceiling cranes he tightens his finger on the trigger. The targeting reticule draws over to the neglected welding equipment stashed over by the other exit to the staff room where he believes Sinon to be hiding.
The tense moments pass as he changes his strategy and prepares a fragmentation grenade to lob into the room. The grenade drops into the room with a bang and bounces off the wall to come to rest in the room. Gunfire erupts from the second floor as Sinon fires her MP7 at Aaron. Swearing at losing her he presses himself small into what little cover he has.
Blind firing his P226 he tries to force her into cover. The grenade explodes and the walkway underneath Sinon collapses and with an undignified shriek she falls to the main floor. Leaping the railing himself he seeks to end this while she still recovers from her fall. As he beings to approach her stunned form he notices the small jet of fire ejecting from the fuel tank of the abandoned welding equipment.
Contorting himself as quickly as possible he presents his back to the equipment and dives bracing himself for the blast. The roar of fire and screams of metal rending fills the air as he feels shrapnel rip its way into his back. It doesn't hurt because the game doesn't simulate pain in that way but it still is very startling and still 'hurts' in that the body feels what it expects to feel.
Gritting his teeth he crawls out of the building into the parking lot on the North side of the building by the loading bays. Coughing to clear his lungs he looks around for Sinon. Slinging his rifle across his back he calls out to her,
"Sinon!" The earsplitting rumble of the fires growing larger in the factory hastens his steps. "Sinon! Where the hell are you? Did you make it out?"
A blast rips its way through the building as windows begin to explode outward. Willing himself to remain focused he empties his canteen onto the front of his shirt to wet it and drags it up over his mouth and nose as he prepares to re-enter the building.
The gesture is useless as this is not real fire, however the motions appear somewhat practiced. Bracing himself he races back into the building. The smoke is heavy and burns the lungs as he forces his way further into the building. The landscape in the factory is modified heavily by the low visibility, it seems impossibly large when you can't see more than a metre in front of you.
"Sinon!" His roar is barely audible over the screaming hellfire inside of the structure and even that little action leaves him drained. Crouching low to avoid the majority of the smoke he makes his way through the gutted staff room. Just on the other side of the second door out of the room he notices Sinon struggling to get herself unpinned by a steel support that collapsed on her when the walkway came down.
"Sinon! You okay?" He's relieved to see her alive at any rate.
"Does it look like I'm okay?!" Her sarcastic reply forces a laugh out of him even in this situation.
"Fine, Fine. Let me get that beam off of you." Once again infinitely thankful for the fact that his weapon requires an immense STR stat he moves over to and then heaves the beam off her leg.
"Get out of here Sinon. I'll be right behind you." His voice strains as he holds the monstrous beam off the ground, when she clears the area he drops the heavy beam with a bang.
"I can't, I got CRIPPLED when that beam fell onto my leg. I can't stand." Her form shudders with coughs as the smog in the building thickens. He moves behind her to hoist her up and begin dragging her out of the building.
"What are you doing?!" Her voice is coloured in embarrassment, "Don't touch me there! Put me down!"
"Quiet. Once we're outside I'll let you down okay?" dragging her towards the exit he makes sure to grab her fallen rifle as he passes it. "Now quit talking, you're distracting me."
Dragging her through the smoke he notices her trying to help by propelling her self forward with her one good leg. 'It's good to see she still has fight left.' Finally beaching themselves out into the parking lot he drags her to lean up against the chain-link fence that perimeters the facility.
Passing Sinon her Hecate II he tosses a Field Surgeons Kit onto her lap. Ignoring her questioning look he swings his rifle to his front and prepares to make his way back to the cliffs. The squad info section on the top right shows four grey'd out names and two dark green names. Meaning he lost four of them, and two left the combat area.
"Why?" Her voice was soft and hid a curiosity in her tone.
"That would have been a very dissatisfying end to our fight." Moving further away his voice drops, "and that's not how I wanted you to die." Turning back to face her he orders,
"Use that kit, and get back to the city. It would be embarrassing to die to a mob after all of that. I'll see you around I'm sure, Sinon. Take care of yourself."
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Growling in frustration she cannot seem to get any leverage to pry the steel beam off her leg. Her heads up display is blaring at her angrily stating she's taking DOT or Damage Over Time due to the heat and smoke in the building and that the steel girder that fell on her leg inflicted a CRIPPLE onto her, she couldn't stand even if she did get this beam off.
'Is this how this fight ends? Trapped beneath a burning ruin?' Refocusing herself she attempts to figure out a plan to escape this predicament.
"Sinon!" a barely audible shout enters into her hearing. Placing her rifle on the ground beside her she attempts to pull her leg out from under the beam. She's too damaged to risk removing the leg herself and crawling out so it's this or nothing.
"Sinon! You okay?" the voice is a lot closer now and looking back she notices Lasyria standing behind her looking quite relieved surprisingly.
"Does it look like I'm okay?!" she bites out, he nods his head sheepishly at the light chastisement. Groaning slightly at the pressure on her leg she closes her eyes and centres herself.
"Fine, fine, let me get that beam off of you." This surprises her, why would he try to help her out? He's got to be pretty wounded too, he took more of that blast than she did. Eyes narrow in suspicion as she watches him go and lift the beam off her leg. Making use of that opportunity she drags herself from under it.
The bang of the beam being dropped relieves her as she's now free from its crushing grip. "Get out of here Sinon. I'll be right behind you."
"I can't, I got CRIPPLED when that beam fell onto my leg. I can't stand."Coughs rip through her as she inhales a mouthful of soot and ash. Eyes watering at the heavy smoke and intense heat in the air she can barely see a thing.
She feels his arms snake under her own and being to lift her into the air slightly. Squealing lightly she squirms and feels her self heat up despite the already incredible heat in the room. She feels him begin to lift her from behind, glowing in embarrassment at needing to be carried out she attempts to make him let her go.
"What are you doing?" In her surprise she doesn't even notice that she left behind her rifle, "Don't touch me there! Put me down!" she struggles against the grip he has on her but with her gimped leg she can't find any purchase to really push from.
"Quiet. Once we're outside I'll let you down okay?" his voice serious and stern as he continues dragging her to the exit, "Now quit talking, you're distracting me." falling silent at his tone she merely tries to help by pushing herself forward with her one good leg.
The dust in the air outside is a welcome sensation as the cool air washes over her when they finally exit the building. Greedily sucking air down her lungs she sighs in relief at being out of that furnace of a building.
Feeling the heavy, familiar, weight of her rifle fall into her hand brings her out of her revery as an accompanying thud follows a Field Surgeons Kit fall into her lap. Those are pretty expensive, like 30,000 credits at NPC merchants.
"Why?" her voice is soft and she is confused, they were enemies? Why would he go through all the effort to drag her out here if not to finish her off?
A slight waiver at the beginning of his answer hints at a lie as he states, "That would have been a very dissatisfying end to our fight." Frowning at the detectable, but not obvious lie he continues on in a voice she isn't sure she's meant to hear,
"and that's not how I wanted you to die."
Before she has time to question him about his response he ends with, "Use that kit, and get back to the city. It would be embarrassing to die to a mob after all of that. I'll see you around, Sinon. Take care of yourself."
Having said his piece he begins his walk back to the cliffs. Leaving her to try to sort out her myriad of emotions. The more prominent ones are fear, disappointment, confusion, and fatigue.
'I'll meet you again one day. I'll figure out why you appear to be so strong. Even after all of that you can still leave with a smile?' Opening the kit she plays the short mini game required to effectively use the kit. Wrap after wrap is applied and a convenient collapsible splint is used to hold the leg in place and as she finishes tying it off it bursts into light and her CRIPPLED status disappears and she regains the ability to walk.
Covered in soot and ash looking more dead than living she begins her walk back to the city. Having collected her thoughts her eyes show her fatigue, yet hidden within is that ever present determination to overcome. She will become strong enough to laugh, one day.
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Sighing happily as his wounds miraculously disappear upon entering the city he opens his menu and fires off a quick message to Kimiaki.
Riki,
Think you have the time for a quick visit? I think it's time I told you about why I took such interest in you when I first met you at the hospital. It's not something I should say over a message like this, and I feel ready to talk.
-Aaron
Leaning heavily against the back of the bench he awaits her reply. Thinking back on what happened at the factory and why he reacted the way he did makes him frown. 'Well I owe Riki an explanation. She's been really patient with me and now really is the time.'
Her reply is rapid and short.
Of course. Visiting hours are over though, I don't know if they will let you in, but I doubt that will stop you, it never has before. I'll see you soon.
Satisfied with the response he closes his message menu and thumbs over the log out. A momentary hesitation is quickly passed when he swipes his thumb across and logs out.
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Walking through the front doors the clock states that its 10:13PM, briskly marching up to the receptionists desk he declares. "Hello. I'm here to visit an in-patient. Her name is, Sariaki Toshedo, she should be in the recovery ward." His response is short yet polite.
"Sir, I'm sorry but visiting hours are over. You are going to need to come back tomorrow during visiting hours. Which are from 2:00PM till 9:30PM." was the apparently practiced and rehearsed reply.
"Look, Miss Ayumu, I know you are only doing your job, but please. It's very important I get in to see her it will not take long." Hearing her heave a sigh she replies in a much more hushed tone,
"Aaron, I know how important she is to you but really, I can't keep covering for you all the time. I'm going to get into trouble." Her stern facade is beginning to crack. Smelling weakness, Empathy, he presses onward.
"Please, It's important. I'll make it up to you okay?" Finally breaking she whispers,
"Okay. Fine. Here's a pass, but be quick and be subtle, don't draw attention and leave as soon as you are able." Quickly peeking around she shoves a special visitors pass into his hands and ushers him to the elevators.
Reaching the 4th floor he enters the recovery ward he makes his way over to Riki's room, as a long term patient she has a private room. Knocking gently at the door he waits for permission to enter. The door doesn't lock but it's still polite to be asked to enter. Receiving the permission he wanted he quickly opens the door and enters, closing it behind him.
"Aaron. It's good to see you." Her hidden smile still finds a way to brighten the room. Shifting further back in the bed so she can lean against the back she rests her head against the wall as she looks to Aaron whom's taken a seat at his usual spot beside the bed.
"Hey Riki. How is rehab going? They still working you real hard?" Groaning pitifully she sinks further into her bed. "Well Riki, how long till they think you can walk unassisted?"
Rolling her eyes at the question Sariaki mutters, "Another couple of months. It's always a couple of months. But that's boring. Let's talk about what you wanted to talk about?"
Nodding Aaron moves to sit on the bed. "Well Sariaki, I guess it's finally time I told you why you interested me so much the first time we met." Staying silent at the mention of their meeting she urges him on with her eyes,
"I had only been in Japan for a few weeks before I met you. I had to leave home, there was nothing there for me anymore." Staring into the wall he pushes on,
"I left home because my home burnt to ashes in a house fire. My Mother and my Sister were both home at the time. When I got to the house it was already an inferno. I had to make a choice Sariaki. Whom do I go for first? My mother was on the second floor in her bedroom last I knew and my sister was having a nap on the couch in the living room."
The bed shifts slightly as Sariaki moves closer. "I went after Laura first. I know mum would have wanted that. When I found her in the smoky burning wreck she was unconscious on the couch. She wouldn't wake up so I lifted her off the couch and dragged her outside. She wasn't breathing when I got her outside so I started chest compressions. It took the fire department another three minutes to arrive."
His voice is strangely level, "It seemed a heck of a lot longer than that at the time. Well, after they arrived they took over and after a few more minutes they looked to one another and shook their head. Dragging a tarp over her they covered her corpse, around that time they pulled their men out of the house."
She sits there in silence as he continues, "In the end I wasn't able to save either of them from that fire. The house collapsed soon after. They guided me to an ambulance and started to check me for smoke inhalation. It was only when I sat down on the ambulance that they noticed my terribly burned legs. I didn't even feel them, even after they brought my attention to them."
Keeping a short distance from him Sariaki is confused. "I was scared. Not because my house burnt to ashes but because I felt nothing about it. I didn't feel sad that my family had burned, I didn't feel angry, I didn't feel guilty. I felt nothing."
Her eyes widen slightly as her brow furrows, "They told me it was shock, that it would soon pass. As such they basically forced me to see a psychiatrist once a week until they felt I had recovered. That was over eight months ago."
"Aaron, why did you bring this up now?" Her reply was expected as he prepared his answer,
"What motivated me to talk to you is that I was reminded of that time today in GGO. I was hunting the Hecate when our battlefield burst into flame. I went back in to get her out, at least this time I saved her." turning away from her he whispers, "That's not how I want her to die."
The confusion in her eyes at the end of the statement goes ignored as he continues his story, "After the fire I turned to VR as a means of feeling something. If I couldn't feel in real life, maybe I could in virtual reality. GGO was where I went to first and the game really spoke to me." Sighing he rises from the bed to pace,
"That is when, what my psychiatrist would call, my 'obsessions' began. He claimed it was my way of coping with the fire, I would find a topic and for whatever reason it would become all consuming. Many times they've tried to break me of that habit but it's never worked so far."
Reaching the far end of the room he turns about and starts to walk back towards the bed. "The drugs they have me on don't fix anything. I consider myself lucky if I can feel anything when I wake up, they make me physically numb. With VR I never had to worry about that, I would always feel in VR regardless of real life, and I guess that comforted me." Still speaking with a level, almost detached tone he elaborates,
"In GGO I could be someone completely different. As I built Lasyria's personality and story I began to identify more as Lasyria, and less as Aaron. The sensations I feel as Lasyria are more intense, more desirable than those I experience as Aaron. So he became my first obsession."
Stopping his relentless pacing at the foot of her bed he looks to her again, "If I'm going too fast or you grow bored let me know and I'll stop."
"Uh, no I'm okay. Please continue." was her soft reply her tone is a little cautious,
"Over the months I began to really flesh him out. I started building a back-story, creating memories, motivations, contacts and acquaintances, and as more and more detail began to build on him my obsession grew. It was no longer just in GGO that I would focus on him, it would be when I let my mind wander, eventually it became nearly every waking moment."
Her eyes grow a little darker as she becomes lost in her own thoughts, about who she is an what she wants to be. Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts he finishes,
"He is still an on-going project and all my obsessions revolve around him. One other obsession that grew as I developed Lasyria would be my fascination with death. Being an elite marksman Lasyria needs to know a variety of ways in which a man can be killed. I studied anatomy, not to the level a doctor would but enough to know where to do the most damage with the least amount of force."
At this her eyes widen as she gasps silently. "Don't misunderstand, I don't want to kill, being around death is enough for me. Virtual death is enough. When I realised that Death Gun managed to actually kill someone in game it immediately became another focus for my obsession on death. That's why I need to go after him. I need to know how he did it, I need to know why he did it, and once I have all my answers, then I need to kill him."
His mouth splits into a small grin unknowingly at discussing his most recent obsession. Shaking lightly Sariaki speaks up,
"Leave." her tone is quiet yet her fear is apparent
"Oh?" his confusion barely noticeable through his detached tone, "What's wrong?"
"Leave. Now." her tone is stronger as her fear begins to build,
"Sariaki, whats wrong?" His tone is incredibly similar to his earlier ones but this has a hint of concern,
"Leave! Right Now! I won't be a target for your 'death obsession!' I'm not going to be used for your sick fantasy. Get out!" By now her tone is becoming much louder.
"Sariaki. You aren't a target of my obsession in that way, if I wanted you dead I would have left you to bleed to death in that bed when you tried to kill yourself."
The tension that fills the room is soul crushing. The tick of the clock on the wall is the only noise that breaks the silence as his words seem to chill the air.
Whispering this time she mentions one last time, "Get out."
His breath catching in his throat he nods quietly and moves to leave the room. He whispers, "Good night, and sorry."
The door shuts with a click that in the silent, dead, halls sounds more like a bang.
As he moves towards the elevators he feels something real for the first time in months, regret.
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Next chapter is going to focus more on Kirito and Sinon as well as the fallout of Aaron's last interaction with Kimiaki and his growing obsession to find Death Gun.