Black Feather: Episode V
"Stranger's Laugh"
Realms City Civilian Sector RCS-075
12:38 p.m., 03/06
Sweat drops raced each other down Qastor's cheek and side. The MTs stopped reappearing, making them completely invisible.
"Am I in a pickle or what..." Although Qastor couldn't see them, he knew he was surrounded in a narrow street. In human standards, the street was quite wide and very long, but with AC's, pretty much everything is too small. He heard the thumping of the MTs' mechanical movement. Stealth conceals an object's appearance and reduces the loudness of the sounds it makes by 50%, but the MTs could still be heard.
Overboosters activated, the MTs fired, but missed as Xanthippius was launched forward at breakneck speeds. OB cut off, Qastor found himself far from his original location. Instinctively, he turned around and wildly fired his grenades. Since it was a long, narrow street, the MTs have little space to move around. However, Xanthippius was also taking repetitive damage from the MTs' volleys. Qastor turned on Stealth extensions of his own, and the damage stopped for now. Out of 15 grenade shells fired, only a couple of MTs were shot down. Qastor boosted backwards to buy more time. Feather boosting above the MTs is a waste of ammo, time, and energy. He can't see where they are, even if he sees where their shots came from, there's no telling where they might move next, so shooting at their original locations is risky but overall, ineffective. Turning down that tactic, Qastor grew tense. "What now!? If I charge in there and go loco chicken with my laserblade, I'll commit suicide! Even with Stealth extensions on, they could still hit me!"
Qastor stopped boosting, and the AI reported damage from behind. "Again!?"
"Helicopters detected. Cursor released." Eight helicopters zipped past, two of which fell victim to Qastor's rifle. They turned around, his OB activated.
"Errrraaaaghhhh!!!" Xanthippius raced towards the helicopters, then unleashing a flurry of blade swings. An enormous dark cloud of smoke erupted from the eradicated helicopters, a giant, floating, stem-less, charred broccoli in the sky. Xanthippius descended from the smoke, landing on one of its knees. The CHD-SKYEYE looked ahead, glaring at the invisible stealth MTs. An unidentified transport plane hovered past from high above.
"AC detected. AC pilot name:..."
"Gaidoz." Qastor's word was heavy with enmity.
Gaidoz's AC, Guernica, descended from the sky, landing on its frail reverse joints. Xanthippius stood up slowly, its single lurid eye fixed on Guernica. Silence heated the tension. The MTs have stopped.
"So, here you are. Finally, I get to kick your a-"
"Hmhmmhmm...hahahahaha....HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Qastor's silver-blue eyes narrowed.
It wasn't Gaidoz.
"Stranger's Laugh"
Realms City Civilian Sector RCS-075
12:38 p.m., 03/06
Sweat drops raced each other down Qastor's cheek and side. The MTs stopped reappearing, making them completely invisible.
"Am I in a pickle or what..." Although Qastor couldn't see them, he knew he was surrounded in a narrow street. In human standards, the street was quite wide and very long, but with AC's, pretty much everything is too small. He heard the thumping of the MTs' mechanical movement. Stealth conceals an object's appearance and reduces the loudness of the sounds it makes by 50%, but the MTs could still be heard.
Overboosters activated, the MTs fired, but missed as Xanthippius was launched forward at breakneck speeds. OB cut off, Qastor found himself far from his original location. Instinctively, he turned around and wildly fired his grenades. Since it was a long, narrow street, the MTs have little space to move around. However, Xanthippius was also taking repetitive damage from the MTs' volleys. Qastor turned on Stealth extensions of his own, and the damage stopped for now. Out of 15 grenade shells fired, only a couple of MTs were shot down. Qastor boosted backwards to buy more time. Feather boosting above the MTs is a waste of ammo, time, and energy. He can't see where they are, even if he sees where their shots came from, there's no telling where they might move next, so shooting at their original locations is risky but overall, ineffective. Turning down that tactic, Qastor grew tense. "What now!? If I charge in there and go loco chicken with my laserblade, I'll commit suicide! Even with Stealth extensions on, they could still hit me!"
Qastor stopped boosting, and the AI reported damage from behind. "Again!?"
"Helicopters detected. Cursor released." Eight helicopters zipped past, two of which fell victim to Qastor's rifle. They turned around, his OB activated.
"Errrraaaaghhhh!!!" Xanthippius raced towards the helicopters, then unleashing a flurry of blade swings. An enormous dark cloud of smoke erupted from the eradicated helicopters, a giant, floating, stem-less, charred broccoli in the sky. Xanthippius descended from the smoke, landing on one of its knees. The CHD-SKYEYE looked ahead, glaring at the invisible stealth MTs. An unidentified transport plane hovered past from high above.
"AC detected. AC pilot name:..."
"Gaidoz." Qastor's word was heavy with enmity.
Gaidoz's AC, Guernica, descended from the sky, landing on its frail reverse joints. Xanthippius stood up slowly, its single lurid eye fixed on Guernica. Silence heated the tension. The MTs have stopped.
"So, here you are. Finally, I get to kick your a-"
"Hmhmmhmm...hahahahaha....HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Qastor's silver-blue eyes narrowed.
It wasn't Gaidoz.