Shortly after diving into GGO, Sinon's party-leader, Dyne, invited her some days ago to help his squad eliminate a monster-hunting team she helped attack with them previously and, successfully, wiped out the week prior. In all honestly, she didn't need much convincing. The loot their team got after shooting them down was actually pretty good.
Likewise, with BoB, the Bullet of Bullets, tournament coming up in a week from today -along with her final exams and schoolwork. Sinon needed at least the day off to remove the rust off her trigger-finger to keep them sharp. God knew she needed it.
But, if she wanted to enter the qualifiers first, putting a bullet in these guys, again, would be a good start.
Waiting on top of a rugged hillside -overlooking most of the Ruin City farther northward of the Wastelands. Dyne's reports -from 'reliable' sources (his words)- relayed back that the enemy team should appear over the horizon down the ridge where the sun met. Dyne went over how they should handle this situation as quickly as before. Since about all, the opposing team wielded optical guns and only had one live-ammo weapon as support - according to the last time they fought. It should be easy. On paper.
Whether the opposing team could obviously switch weapons or types didn't really come through to the anti-personnel leader. Considering Dyne liked to oversimply things and based his plans more on optimism than practical sense. Sinon had almost forgotten where he started explaining to Ginrou, another squad member, why their defense-shields were practically bulletproof against the monster-hunters' weapons.
She started listening in a bit when Ginrou then, cautiously, asked if the other team had a contingency plan in store for them. Dyne shook his head, "Not likely," He remarked, "They can't get enough real guns to attack humans by switching from optical, so fast. At best, they'll most likely have one support weapon, as I said. And besides," He leaned forward with a confident grin on his face. "We have GGO's best sniper to take care of that for us."
Sinon rolled her eyes. If I had a yen for every time, someone said that -not that it was wrong. She received a copy of Gun Gale Online sometime during the summer from a recommendation when she met Shinkawa, one of the few friends she had outside the game, when just playing enough of the same weapon type, was sufficient to hone her skills to perfect heights.
Though, she confessed, she still had some time to learn for that to happen. But, for the moment, it didn't seem much off from how she operated, either. Just pointing and shooting still had more mechanics to it than that.
Dyne, confoundedly (after they had waited around for about an hour), nodded to himself in satisfaction, "This plan is perfect." He noted, adding, "Isn't that right, Sinon?"
"Yeah," Sinon said cooly from her position. Not giving much to what she honestly thought of his plans. Too many holes to point out.
Dyne huffed in bemusement to show as much. Ginrou, on the other hand, said, "I believe you're right about Miss Sinon there, Dyne." He grinned slyly, which made her eyes shift over to him. He went on, "With her long-range attack, we're in good shape. Plus, if she ever misses," -he stood up and aimed his H&K UMP to a nearby piece of rock- "I'll buy her enough time to make her escape. And reset the enemy's ID while I'm at it!" He exclaimed, a little too eagerly at the prospect. Being an above-average player, Sinon -guessed- he earned that title.
"Well, look at you?" Dyne sounded off, with as much cynicism.
"So anyway, Sinnocchi?" The trigger-happy gunman began, prone-crawling -is that what you'd call it?- over to her like a spider. Somehow Sinon managed a straight face during it when he stopped a few feet away from her and went on, "There's a gun shop around town that has good prices and selections." His voice hinted something. "Plus, with everything looking quiet, maybe we can talk about BoB and hang out...later...?" His cheeks faintly turned red. Despite him wearing goggles- Sinon plainly saw Ginrou was 'observing' her avatar's outfit again.
Sinon's avatar wore a desert-camouflage sniper's jacket, bulletproof armor of similar color underneath, combat boots, and a white muffler around her neck. Besides that, everything else about her almost mirrored how she looked in real life -all say for her hair-color being light-blue and her eyes being about the same shade. Really, there wasn't much revealing to keep him trying his shot at her. She'd seen the few girls around SBC Glocken wear things that were just asking for them to be hit on and then some. Though his methods made her not really think she'll remember him after this mission.
It was her last with Dyne and everyone -including him- anyway. "Gomennasai, Ginrou-san." She got to the point. "But, I have to take care of something back in the real world."
"Â, sô desu ka!" He nodded emphatically (still in a spider-formation, for some reason). "You're a student, right? Do you have a report to write or something?"
"Yeah," She told him. Again, not giving him much to work with. "Something like that."
"Ginrou-san, you're bothering Sinon-san." Miso, one of her other comrades, reminded him. "Stop talking about the real world around here, all right? There's a reason why we want to get away from all that."
"Yeah, no lying in that," Jin, another comrade right next to him, agreed as well. Adding, "Just because you have trouble picking up girls here as you do in real life, doesn't mean you have to show it off."
"Sh-Shut up!" Ginrou's face went red. "Like you guys hadn't had dates in years!" They both laughed, much to the cocky gunman's frustration. Sinon, on the other hand, only sighed and drew up her muffler. One more mission, She reminded herself.
"Hey, Hey, knock it off!" Dyne started up when Jin and Ginrou were too busy sizing each other up and looking to start another fight before a mission. "If I have to break you two again, I'll-"
"They're coming." Storm, their teammates in charge of callouts out in the Wastelands, sounded out. "1,200 meters from us."
Everyone stopped what they were doing. Including Ginrou locking arms with Jin as Miso tried prying them off each other. Needless to say, that made them stopped off for the moment. And, just as quickly, everyone prepared for what they had to do for this operation to go smoothly. Sinon, meanwhile, returned to her sniper, Hecate II, beside her. Dyne brought out his own eyeglasses, to confirm Storm's earlier assessment.
After a second looking over the parapet, he nodded nonchalantly, "That's them all right. What did I tell you?" He stated, evidently proud of himself. Sinon shook her head and continued peering down her scope.
Dyne went on, "Let's see how many of them they are now." He paused and counted them one by one, "One, two, three, four, five, six...seven...eight?"
"E-Eight?" Someone echoed in equal surprise. "T-That's two more than last time, isn't it?"
"Yeah...it is," Dyne shook his head in dismay. "Kuso. How'd they get so many so fast?"
Maybe because you thought they wouldn't when they still could? Sinon guessed ruefully. Even though there was a rumor, a pretty big one, as a matter of fact, that a player training in the Wastelands was killed in the game by some guy calling himself 'Deathgun.' His name implied what he most likely does already. Sinon still couldn't -maybe- believe the rumors to be accurate, but, apparently, it's already having an effect on the player count of Gun Gale, regardless if it was true or not. The streets were roomier than usual.
Here though...something was off. And she knew it, too.
"...I see four laser-based rifles upfront of the column. Another high-caliber cannon towards the back and...and two live-ammo gunners in the center." That brought more silence to the notion than intended. Squinting, all-though begrudgingly, Dyne then pointed out, "One's armed with an old-fashion submachine gun -he must be their new merc- and a Minimi directly across from him. Sinon," He beckoned over, "they'll be your targets. Take the Minimi player first and then the brown uniform guy across from him."
Sinon had the players in question under her scope. But, for whatever reason, she felt uncomfortable when her crosshairs landed on the stiff, watchful marching player in light brown. There's something about him that threw her off, but Sinon couldn't say precisely what it was. She frowned for a second -but only for a second- when she saw a large man in a cloak and hoody marching -but not nearly as eloquently as the uniform merc- behind him. "...That one must be carrying all their loot from the raids they just completed," Dyne finished explaining out loud, almost like he knew Sinon was thinking about it. He said, "You can ignore him during the battle-"
"I want to take out the one in the cape first, then the mercenary." She told back to Dyne, with no concern in her voice showing.
"Why? That guy doesn't look like he's armed with anything." Dyne judged. Giving her a confused look. He went on, "He probably poured his stats into Strenght to carry their ammo and gear. At best, he'll have a pistol to defend himself, but that's about it."
"I don't have a legitimate reason why, but him being an unknown is suspicious." She told him. "And since we know what that mercenary has," She paused, then grimaced. "He doesn't look like a pushover either with the way he marches and looks around the area like he knows we're coming."
"But, that Minimi is trouble, too," Dyne replied back. "If he pins us down for his friends to get in close: we're in trouble." He lifted his weapon over his shoulder, "That merc will have to get in close to be useful, in the end. And when he does," He pulled his assault rifle's bolt back, creating a tiny Ching! to it. "We'll tear him a new one, so we have at least that covered if you can't get him."
Sinon pondered that. Then, reluctantly, but reasonably, nodded to it. "Okay," She replied. "I'll hit the Minimi player. Then the mercenary."
"Good," Dyne signaled the party to get ready to move out. "We'll hide behind that building's shadow to get in close for the attack over the rocks." He paused, then turned back to her, "Let us know if the situation changes."
Sinon, still laying on her stomach, shifted an eye over her shoulder to him to not lose track of the enemy. "Roger that." She replied back. He gave her one last nod, and he and the rest of the team high tailed it down the hill.
Placing on her headset, a few minutes passed before static welcomed her left ear. After another second or two, a familiar voice crackled out, 'We're in position.'
"Roger that," Sinon repeated. "No change in movement. They're 800 meters from you. 1,500 meters from me."
'That's pretty far.' Dyne's voice remarked in little concern. 'Can you make it?'
"I'll be fine."
'Okay, fire, then' Dyne returned promptly. 'I'm counting on you, Sinon.'
"Roger." She took aim as the Bullet Circle worked in conjunction with her heart rate. Expanding and shrinking on the potential targets calmly walking towards her. All but a few of them maybe knowing what was going to happen. She guessed, since why else would you be out in the middle of a desert, out in the open? That was just asking for trouble, and they had to know it, too.
She sighed. Regardless of what Sinon thought prior, she had a job to do. And, whatever happened, she aimed to do it, well. Not after that day...
Sinon glowered and lowered breathe for the Bullet Circle to get small enough until it was as low as the light-machinegunner's head.
When it did, she fired. The bullet tore his head right off -enough where she noticed his eyes turn big when he saw the round till too late. Next!
The about-faced player in light brown promptly looked about the same way when she turned her sniper and fired her second shot at him.
. . .
Marching across the scorching heat wasn't what McKnight would call 'fun' in any shape or form. If he was going to be prepared for the tournament, a good firefight didn't hurt anyone, right?
Shortly after FullDiving in GGO and, later finding the bar designated for hired guns, he got a job as an escort against an enemy PvP (player-versus-player) squadron that killed his clients last weekend. He was hoping that notion would hurry up at this point to ease the tension -since he knew about it. But now?
Now, the group and he descended down the desolate, rocky hill of the Wastelands. Waiting to be shot at. The cloaked cyberpunk player next to him carrying a light machinegun asked, "So, er, McKnight?" He looked uneasy. "You went quiet there. Any luck finding where they might be?"
After taking a doubletake, McKnight sighed softly. "No, unfortunately," He admitted bitterly. "Nothing for the eye to see. So far, I don't know why I bother. If they want to make themselves known, they'll do it regardless of what I think -let alone see." He pointed ahead of them. "But, I'll tell you this much, though. If those bastards wanted to hit us, they'd do it with the highest chance of cover and height they'd got." He told him. "Especially if they all have actual guns. Not-"
"Optics?" His fellow gunman finished for him.
"Oh! Uh, yeah, those." McKnight used 'laser-guns' since they sounded precisely what it was. Optics was too vague and was easily mixed up for scope attachments back home.
The 'leader' McKnight spoke to earlier -still looking around the sandy hills through his binoculars- stated, "Say what you want about us monster-hunting parties. But at least we score enough loot from our raids that you hired guns have a job to take it away from us in the first place." McKnight raised his eyebrows in surprise and took a glance at the light-mg guy next to him with similar thoughts. Luckily the raid leader looked over his shoulder and grinned, "Why else do you think those other guys are after us?"
Instead of answering -McKnight's thought went to target practice- he avoided it entirely. Changing the subject, he asked, "So how well did you boys fair last weekend?" Other than getting ambushed and wiped out was all he knew from the job description. Anything else was a shot in the dark unless he asked. So he did.
"You don't know the half of it," The monster-hunter turned back and continued scouting ahead with the others. He added, "Last time they killed us, it was farther on the eastern section of the Ruin City we passed. Of course, we didn't think any low-life anti-personal -no, offense- would be lying in wait behind a destroyed building for an hour when they got us." After another moment of pause, he scowled. "Hopefully, we get those bastards as far away from us as we can. They have more assault weapons than us, and we have to wait. A little while..."
Since everyone here was Japanese and spoke it -obviously- McKnight needed a moment or two to keep up. When he finally did, he nodded to that. "Makes sense, I guess,"
"Forget that!" One player next to the scout shouted. "It's that damn sniper we should be worrying about! If we can, we need to spot the bullet line this time and take them out when it's time."
Everyone, all except for McKnight and the cloaked giant behind him, nodded emphatically at that. So much so, McKnight lifted up an eyebrow in amusement towards the guy who spoke. "And how do you think we'll do that? We won't be able to see 'em for the bullet line in the first shot. Not unless one of us kicks the bucket first, I mean."
It was a built-in feature that served the purpose of giving a sniper a chance to actually hit something from afar and not have the enemy just dodge as easy as seeing a car coming a mile away from the Bullet Line. It that wasn't the case, snipers would be pretty unless pretty damn fast. McKnight wouldn't have lost sleep over it, though.
Suddenly, he felt both eyebrows raise up in alarm when a few of the players around him snicked and laughed. "What did I say?"
"Should we tell him?" Someone up front asked the leader, a little too eager to do that himself. "It'd be funnier when the fighting starts." He pointed out. They laughed.
The machinegunner he talked to looked a little worried when McKnight asked what their deal was. He just shook his head and looked forward.
McKnight thought about asking the large guy behind him; his ears said he wasn't laughing, let alone saying anything except the guy hauling the giant laser cannon beside him. Was he -or them- being set up? It's happened before, but McKnight wasn't too sure the Jap...nese -damnit, again?- over here did the same thing.
His dad used to tell stories about his late grandfather during his service in the Pacific, and his experiences with Japanese soldiers close-hand. So maybe the notion wasn't too far fetched. His finger inched closer to his Thompson's trigger to prove it.
Before anything could happen -to him, at least. The crack of a bullet, followed by the wind being slashed, sounded off ahead. By the time everyone understood what that meant -the blast that took off the player with the mg McKnight had spoken to, gladly reminded them. "Get down!" He hollered as fast.
Another red bullet line curved somewhere off a hill his way. The round just passed over his head. Blasting debris and sand a few feet away when he threw himself flat. "Damn that was close," McKnight doubted he could've dodged in time if it was any closer. The bullet line stretched more than a thousand yards away, on top of a hill ahead. Must've been that sniper. He guessed, then glared that way. Wait till I'm close!
Pulling himself up, his clients started advancing across the prairie. The sounds of bullets and one of the players ahead screaming and turning to red dust on his side said why. McKnight joined and returned fire over a destroyed concrete parapet. Not least to make the other guys keep their heads down; but, more so in case, that sniper tried taking a shot at one of them.
Unless he wanted to waste rounds from them dodging in time, it'd be useless. A round passing McKnight's ear threw the sniper's existence out of his mind for the moment when he dove down to reload. Some loudmouth, on the other side, started shouting, "This is nothing, boys!" He assured his comrades. "These guys are the same as last time!"
Oh, really, now? A predatory grin spread across McKnight's face. Pulling the lever off his submachine gun, he intended to show whoever it was behind his cover that this was going to be a completely different battle, indeed. And he'd be the one to teach him if he could.
Unfortunately, for the both of them -more so the cocky player trying to kill him- a low, spinning buzz built up from somewhere in front of McKnight. He couldn't see it, but he definitely heard it. Then, all at once, a riping buzzsaw-like sound fired off in the same direction. Obscure, McKnight drove his gun's muzzle up to what it was, only to see the skinny, black-tee cyberpunk shriek in pain and shattering into red dust, when a towering player wielding a Minigun stood out beside the piece of pavement that player had been behind.
The player-hunters on the other side of the plain looked as pale as McKnight is in the real world because they almost nearly dropped their guns and ran away, screaming just as fast.
Dumbstruck, it took McKnight's clients pushing past him and shouting, "It worked, they fell for it!" And, "We have them on the ropes! Push up!" for him to see that large fellow was on their side. It would have been easier if he was apart of the team already, but since he was a hired gun, he very much couldn't. They weren't allowed, too. Even over here.
Pausing to let his teammates issue the advance, after a series of pushing the enemy down a ruined corridor by some cover. McKnight shouted to the guy wielding the Minigun next to him, "Tell the others to keep 'em bottled up, I'll flank 'em and cut off their escape, okay?" The large-gunner didn't hear him, he just kept blazing away as the enemy in question ran. McKnight frowned and cupped a hand over his mouth: shouting louder this time. Instead of answering, the walking boulder gave him a glance and, just as swiftly, walked passed him. Bumping McKnight's arm away for good measure and spitting death into the retreating players along with the rest of the team.
Feeling his ears heat up, McKnight muttered something under his breath that would have earned him trouble with his mother if she was around and not across an ocean with some change. Deciding to go alone, anyway, he was already running and hopping out of the sand holes around the area beside the gunfire.
By the time he crossed a few burnt-out gun-emplacements around the ruins -he had scalded the hill beside the walkway, the enemy was defending. A few screams and -when McKnight almost fell back from climbing over the vertical casings- an explosion went off in the front. Vibrating the ground.
A player with green-gray armor and white goggle with a jaundiced-looking mohawk were too busy firing a few meters forward. Unaware of his presence.
He hardly turned around when he was filled with the American's Thompson's lead and cut down to red haze. Another player down the line, this one in dense gray covering, saw him right away and turned his gun on him. A familiar buzz of hellfire spat death his way too from the bow before McKnight dove for his .45 on his holster.
He looked over to the source of the death machine and, much to his indignation, saw the Minigunner laughing maniacally. Even behind the goggles he wore, his rough features looked as frightful as anyone could be. So, McKnight gave him that.
But, that still didn't make him any less happy about it.
Another sniper shot rang out. He saw the large man's eyes go wide behind the lens. By the time he turned to his side -he had reeled back when the bullet had blasted his head over his broad-shoulders. McKnight muttered something, again, just as fast under his breath, before hitting the ground himself -to dodge it, another one was for him.
Over the smoke and dust lingering at the front were his team -was- defending, the teen saw a cowboy player out in the open. Hunched over with red particles coming off of holes from his back and the cloud of smoke around his area a bit. Reckon that was the grenade that went off earlier. He looked back and forth.
With no sign of the sniper (and an easy kill), McKnight hastily got up and rushed towards the wrangler. Reloading his gun and firing and cutting the guy in two just as fast.
If he wasn't wearing his visor (and the sun's glare reminding him it existed, too, even in a game). He wouldn't have seen the light-blue hair girl coming around the corner of a broken pillar not too far from where the rancher had previously been. Even more so, with a gigantic sniper in her hands.
McKnight forgot he had his finger still on the trigger. But, he didn't care. Almost mechanically, he had already turned his gun her way. To miss the chance.
. . .
It was a good thing Sinon spotted Behemoth in time when he revealed himself under that hood and cloak he wore to hide what he carried underneath them. A Minigun no less! And she was as starstruck when she informed the others. Even if she wanted to kick herself for listening to Dyne in the first place. It was no use.
At least it made sense why their group traveled so slow, to begin with. She thought at the time. According to Dyne, after she told them to fall back and regroup down a walkway surround by sand holes, Behemoth was a bigshot bodyguard, and his weapon, for all reasons, said he wasn't to be messed around with.
Sinon smiled at that. It was a good thing I shot him, then. She recounted just seconds ago. Behemoth, after killing both her teammates defending the bridge, thought it was a good idea to laugh his head off because of it. He had smiled before then after killing Ginrou, too. Hell, that was one of the reasons why Sinon wanted to kill him in the first place after she missed her second shot on the mercenary. Now, where were they now? Dead. And by Sinon's Hecate II sniper, no less!
Hopefully, what was left of his client party, didn't know what hit them until they realized they bit off more than they could chew by believing her team was done for. She didn't see, let alone hear gunfire, to think the idea was too far off the point. Thankfully it looks like the case.
When Sinon looked back at her squad display on the top right corner of her visual view, everyone, but Dyne and her were alive. She sighed and shook her head; hopefully, they'll thank me after this. She got up from beside the destroyed pillar, she used to take Behemoth's head off.
Working the lever of her rifle. Sinon walked and asked, the former, anti-personal leader, "You're okay?" Knowing he didn't quite look the part. He was shot with barely any health left above his avatar display.
"Yeah...Just about." He must've been lying through a cold sweat, too, "I just...Had the wind knocked out of me..." Sinon cocked an eyebrow up and hauled her sniper over her shoulder, not believing it. Dyne turned around, "I'll be fine if that's what you're asking," He chuckled wearily.
"Yeah, well," Sinon shrugged. "don't die on me now. Come on," She hurried her pace over to him. "Pick up what you can carry, and let's get out of here. The last thing I'd want is to attract any other commotion around here, already."
"I hear ya," He nodded back and coughed some 'blood' when some dirt from his grenade blew in his face.
Then, off in the direction, from where they had been previously been pindown, the sound of a rapid-firing gun rippled out. Tearing into Dyne's back before he had time to realize it. In fact, Sinon was enough in the motion of turning around her broken piece of cover to react, as well.
Her eyes widened when she saw the player in the light brown uniform racing towards her. Guns blazing.
Grinning, he started training his submachine gun over to her. Sinon barely had time to register what was going on at all -let alone have the time to act appropriately. All she had time to do was swing her heavy enough sniper against her chest to block some of the bullets heading her way. It was a good thing that is was almost as tall as she is. Or else the player's shots would have cut through her, rather than stopping and punching holes into her gun.
The merc's rounds threw her back on her heels into a roll. But, for just enough force of her own to stop herself. The fact she wasn't cut in two meant the mercenary had round out of rounds and was busy reloading. Looking up, he was trying to do. Good.
Drawing her pistol from behind her belt and, momentarily, balancing herself out with her left palm gripping the ground, Sinon took aim and fired a volley of lead the mercenary's way. He must've looked as angry -and surprised- as Sinon did because he looked like he cursed at her over the traces of gunfire that couldn't help her pick it up. She must've been hit by a bullet or two before since her aim was almost as bad as his.
Enough so, that he dived and, awkwardly, rolled into a piece of cover. Sinon thought she took off his left arm for a second, too.
Whether she did or not wasn't up for debate. Just as promptly as he barrel-rolled out of harm's way -he thought so anyhow- Sinon continued to unload the rest of her ammo into the section of concrete he was behind. By now, Sinon felt herself panting and biting her tongue when she felt the bullets that had hit her, mostly on her left thigh, were kicking in the pain receptors on her avatar. She cursed. If she gave him a chance to recover now: she was a goner. It was now or never.
Reloading her pistol, Sinon quickly blitzed and hopped onto the platform he hid behind. Aiming her gun below to surprise him.
Next thing she knew, or, instead, felt was a powerful kick in the stomach. She realized it too. When she finally collided with the ground underneath her. It hurt. It hurt a lot.
The first thing Sinon thought (when she came to) was the aching feeling she was rammed into by a train. Her head felt cloudy, and she groaned in pain whenever she tried moving. The visual display -even with her eyes shut closed- said she was still alive in the game. So that ruled out her being dead. Sinon wished that kick would've done her in instead.
When she finally got around opening her eyes, the creeping sunlight above nearly blinded her. Instinctively, she tried blocking it with her hand. The fact her pistol wasn't in neither when she clutched them for it was bad enough. The figure and their gun pointing at her...was a different story entirely.
Sinon gasped at first, but, after a moment, eased in a bit. She wasn't at all surprised. Sure enough, it was the same brownish uniform mercenary who sent her flying and meeting the back of her neck with the ground.
What she didn't expect was, after getting a good look at him, despite the slightly tinted visor, pot-shaded helmet, and a single black rectangle streak under both his cheeks (he almost looked like a thief or bandit than a hired gun), was how young he is. A high schooler...maybe? She thought, squinting, he sure looks the part. She didn't know for sure. The sun over his shoulder told her why. Funny enough, he looked as exhausted, if not more so, than Sinon was previously -his left arm severed entirely was an excellent indication of that. His sharp -red?- eyes told her more if she wasn't too sure, now.
Smiling, Sinon, weakly, outstretched her hand up. "Okay, gunman," She coughed out. Trying to sit up with her other hand as support -inching it closer for the plasma bomb behind her belt, casually. She admitted insincerely, "You got me." And felt the grenade around her palm. The other teen glowered. Her grin grew, "I give up...but, if you let me go-"
Bang! Was the last thing she heard when the bullet went through her skull. She didn't have a second to actually recognize it until after the screen told her so. Wh-what the-?
A crimson, Dead, text displayed in front of her visual screen. It was only after she respawned back in the city did she take into account what just happened. He shot me. That low dog mercenary shot me...while I was surrendering! The fact she was still trying to kill him didn't enter her mind, just yet. When it finally did, it got her angrier she didn't pull it off. Damn him! When I find him-! She gritted her teeth and stormed off the respawn platform beneath her boots. Not wanting to think about her loss right now. Her mind didn't care to bring it up.
She ended up finding her teammates later near a bar by the respawn points. Their faces lit up when they saw her, but when they realized why she was here so fast in the first place was kind enough not to ask her about it. Her silent, but ill contempt was enough to deter them if they tried.
When she finally got herself to logout (which, under the circumstances, didn't take very long), it was already morning. The orange and red lights streaking into her bedroom from the window weren't just there for show in the real world.
Usually, Asada always enjoyed the morning sun on her light skin. It reminded her to keep a cool head for the rest of the day ahead. Sometimes it worked. Other times it really didn't.
This was one of those times. "Nande...?" Shino started up for the dozenth time already. More in shocked dismay than bitter hatred now.
Reaching a hand over to take her AmuSphere off over her eyes, she continued to ask -apparently the ceiling: "How did he kill me without any hesitation? Is he that strong or just stupidly lucky?" She muttered, catching his name moments before he shot her between the eyes. McKnight.
