08 Titan, or, Prompt? What prompt?
a/n: Wolf and Duna are ready to rumble. Well, Wolf is. Treasure, cont.
Fight scene. I hate writing fight scenes.
All the good things (except for this quest and the 14 bonus Prone) belong to Monolith Soft.
Wolf had never pretended that he had the temperament for a sniper rifle. The distance, the cool, he respected that kind of soldier, but he needed to feel closer to the consequences of his actions. Today was the first time he regretted his own make-up. Four guards, separated and distracted by each of their different jobs, that would have been easy work for a sniper, and none of the prisoners would have been endangered.
The prisoners' safety was key. Rather, Duna's safety was key, and he'd never manage the one without the other. He might not care whether NLA got a dozen new xeno citizens, but Duna would think and respond differently. The best idea he had was to go in loud and pull all four soldiers to him as fast as possible. All this stealth would be wasted, but he could see no other way.
He kept his eyes on his opponents, learning what he could of their patterns and capabilities in these last few seconds. He didn't spare a look for Duna. She was a civilian, not a BLADE, and he counted on her knowing this. Still, he hissed a command as he readied his assault rifle. "Stay. Here." He heard the whisper of her knife sliding from its sheath, but she didn't lean forward as he began to edge slowly out from cover. She crouched lower on her heels, leaning against the shelter of the boulder. Good woman. That was the last thought he gave her.
He launched himself into the open, running fast and low at the Prone guard farthest from the prisoners. One spatter of shots and the enemy was on his back. Another moment and Wolf was upon him, finishing the job with his sword. It was a crude and obvious opening, but it was now three to one.
Something punched his shoulder and Wolf was pushed back to the edge of the nearby lava pool. The closest guard lowered his weapon, as accurate as any sniper rifle Wolf could have imagined. "Gotta try and grab that for Sakuraba," though Wolf muzzily. Then he shook himself and took a step forward, pushing himself into a more stable stance. The guard roared in surprise. Clearly he had expected to drop Wolf with that single shot, powerful enough to stagger a lava titan. Wolf felt a tingle of surprise himself.
Given enough experience, a soldier gets to know his armor as well as he knows his own skin. Wolf knew what his helmet, his gloves, his body armor could and could not offer. Something must have malfunctioned in the guard's rifle for a shot that good to leave him standing. His bulky vest hummed slightly. Wolf smiled narrowly. He recognized what had happened.
Miss Duna, obedient to his words, was staying put as instructed. She had also used the technology buried in the handle of her blade to extend the shielding of her own armor, shifting it and wrapping it around Wolf. God bless the Ma-non; the boost was significant. And God bless Duna, to have learned this skill. He wasn't surprised. Miss Duna might not be a fighter, but she protected her people.
Wolf didn't waste any more time with gratitude. He blasted his opponent without hesitation, then sprinted across the encampment. He still had two guards to deal with, and Miss Duna's gift would only last so long.
a/n: I spent most of the morning trying to decide between sniper and assault rifle. Oh the struggle!
Next up: Heavenly. It seems a shame to skip all these good prompts, but I am ON A ROLL, PEOPLE! (If you think I have done a prompt dirty, let me know and I will see what I can do later.)