Please forgive me! I've changed all the chapters once again!!! Sorry, but I've just been playing Armored Core a lot lately, and I found some stuff I liked. So, hate to do it, but I just made the bots and story cooler. You might want to read the stuff again, and the bot design for Pent's Lavaitean changed. Check it out in part 4.
Disclaimer: I do not own Armored Core.
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STOP!, I thought. The real battle was about to occur, though I had already won it in my mind. It was quite good at formulating strategies. I calmed myself, and edged the controls to cause my Armored Core, Lavaitean, to step slowly from the bay. The arena we stepped into was sparsely dotted with trees, but was mostly open.
The open spaces would put me at a disadvantage. My opponent, pilot of AC Excalibur, was known for using a lot of long-range weaponry, and his short- and medium-range arsenal was powerful. The most effective strategy for this foe would be to take advantage of my superior mobility and shift between close- and medium-range quickly, pummeling him with all I have.
I had Dalmin, my AC's onboard artificial intelligence, increase the magnification of my viewing screen. The sun gleamed off of my opponent's silver and white armor, and the effect was positively frightening. He looked like some sort of holy knight, encased in shining plate-mail. His twin missile launchers rose from his back like wings, unfurled and ready to launch his AC into the air. I chuckled at the thought of my opponent's heavy humanoid AC fighting a prolonged air-battle. That in no way made him less of a threat, however. A powerful beam-rifle protruded from his right arm, and an energy shield hung, not yet powered, on his left appendage.
"Dalmin, as usual, you're in charge of visual and audio control. Keep me updated on important changes."
"Affirmative. Query – Master Pent, shall I inform you of enemy structural status?"
"Yes, Dalmin. I want to know when he's hurting."
I depressed my ready button, and the green light on my console shone.
I punched the boost, and shot towards my foe. I immediately fired a grenade round at his position from the launcher on Lavaitean's left shoulder. I also used the machine gun intermittently, releasing controlled showers of bursts in my opponent's direction. I was too far away for either of those attacks to be effective, but it would prick him, and perhaps break his concentration. At the very least he would be on guard, and would be hesitant to launch attacks.
"Missiles inbound. Suggestion – evasion," Dalmin interjected.
I checked my missile readout. There were four missile indicators heading toward my position. Just like I had planned, I adjusted my trajectory to drift to the right. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him evade the grenade round I fired earlier. I escaped the salvo with a few more maneuvers and the help of the KWEL-SILENT extension, and continued to close the distance between us. My MG shots were becoming steadily more accurate, and I had almost reached the range where his missiles were no longer useful. As I thought this, a plasma bolt streaked meters away from my AC's head. Luckily, he had aimed high, and had not led Lavaitean correctly. This opponent would not make that mistake again, however.
I jammed the thrust and darted left as I shot another grenade at him. The round hit him and detonated, a small explosion masking his explosion. Out of the haze, the sound of his rifle firing broke through. He had fixed his aim, and plasma sizzled through the space I would have been in if I hadn't rose into the air a half-second earlier.