Jaymes
Satellite Scanner and emergency med kits? Check. I got them as the game provides them. The med kits are large syringes that recover thirty percent of one's health over three minutes. Not as fast as a normal kit or a healing bullet art, and I believe BoB's kits are faster too. The scanner is a device that shows the complete map and a sweeping satellite scan every ten minutes. It's secondary in importance to our weapons, for without this in either Squad Jam or BoB, one will be lost. It's an immortal object, so it cannot be destroyed, but after Llenn accidentally lived in SJ1 because a bullet hit her scanner placed in her chest pocket, it was reprogrammed to allow bullets to pass throw.
Materializing them, I place the scanner in the jacket of my red and black soldier's uniform and the kits into a pouch hanging off the right side of my belt. Next, I press the EQUIP ALL command in the inventory window. First comes my ultility belt, slung across my shoulders and under my right arm. Contained within are about twenty high-velocity handgun magazines. Since I have a high STR stat, I can carry lots of equipment, but I barely fill a third of my inventory normally, and since neither SJ or BoB adjusts stats, I operate as usual. With a magazine in each of my pistols, about ten in each pouch, and another 338 in my inventory, I got 350 rounds total. Each mag is twenty rounds a pop, totaling 7,000.
I tap my right ear, feeling my comms device there so I can talk to my team from a distance, then down to my sides. Strapped on two holsters on the sides of my waist are the red colored SPB Night Sky MK4 Double Plus pistols, the highest-ranked pistols in their family. I've had one of these guys for as long as I've been here in GGO, and "when my stats were high enough" (also known as when I though enough time had passed that my converted stats would make sense for me to hold two weapons, as I was at the time hiding the fact I played other games from Kureha along with the fact I was a SAO survivor because no one told her I was there in the first place), I bought the second to go with it. I don't know why I kept pistols, there's just something cool about holding two of them, but they fit my playstyle better than an assault rifle or machine gun.
I take my right hand a little farther back, touching the sleek, cylinder hilt of my signature weapon, the Ameno Murakumo G9 Plus photon sword. When activated, the blade shines brilliant blue, and I'm probably the only one in this battle royale wielding a photon sword. I thought that last time too, because sword users are rare already, but then Pitohui nearly stole my thunder with one of her own that she must've brought along. As for why I choose the photon sword, it's easy: One, it has sword skills, so it's something I'm familiar with. Two, it's a freaking lightsaber, why not? Three, as I learned from Kirito, it is possible to deflect bullets, granted if I can see the bullet lines and react fast enough. At this point, that's not an issue, and it's something we've carried over to ALO, using our swords to deflect magic.
"Ooh! You got a new one, Llenn! It looks good on you!"
"Yeah, isn't it?" Fuka speaks of P-Chan, Llenn's nickname for her third pink P90 SMG. Across her pink combat gear, Llenn wears two utility belts that hopefully contains more ammo. She almost ran out last time we did this. She doesn't wear the cloak anymore, neither does Fuka. Her sidearm is a combat knife, vital in her two victories in SJ1 and against Pito in SJ2. Except for her gun, it doesn't seem she's changed anything in the last month.
Fuka, who hasn't been on GGO since the White Frontier update a month and a half ago, hasn't upgraded or changed anything about herself (and probably never has since I met her late last fall, given she's only on GGO when there's some big), which includes her two six-shot grenade launchers. Their range? incredible. She can fire them up to a quarter of a mile, and just like her destruction in the railway, they pack punches. For armor, she wears a helmet that it too big for her blonde head, her hair tied back around a combat knife that also proved useful in SJ2. She's covered in American MultiCam camo gear, a green vest over the top that has bulletproof armor and pouches for her grenades. Long sleeve shirt, short, black tights, brown boots...she looks like the mascot for the American Army. I omit "cute" because some people are cute regardless of whether they talk or not, like Llenn in the real and virtual world. Fukaziroh is better the longer she's quiet, and that isn't long.
"Oh, my dear Rightony and Leftania… How have you been? Hang on, have you lost weight…? Was Llenn feeding you enough while I was gone? The entire time I was adventuring in the land of the fairies, I never forgot about you for a single seco…for more than a handful of seconds." She's not gonna speak to the Swith and Wesson M&P on her thigh, huh? Actually...after she missed a shot on a enemy point-blank, I don't why she keeps it.
"You've only been gone for a month or so," Kureha snarls, but Fuka ignores her. I smile as I recall how Fuka and Kureha, aside from the moment they expressed mutual dislike of Clarence, were at each other's throats, akin to how Asuna and I have been for several years. She wears a coat similar to mine, albiet its pink and white instead of red and black, and wrapped around it is a large pouch on her left side and a medium pouch on her back that certainly holds her supplies.
Underneath her coat is a black tank top showing her midriff, followed inferiorly by a white skirt. Her legs are covered by a red and black leggings, one color on each leg, then white boots. On the left leg, wrapped around the red legging, is a white pouch. I have no clue what's in there. Strapped to her right is an SMG, the Draque L Shamal. Hidden away in her inventory is her Deneb Kaitos Double Plus rocket launcher.
She brushes her pink hair, styled into a right-sided ponytail, nods to me, then looks to our right. Directly to my right is M, the burly giant covered in a similar style to Fuka with the green camo and the bulletproof vest with pouches. But what draws my eye immediately is the bag on his back that contains the powerful shield that played a role in the previous SJs. The damage SHINC did has been restored, and made a modification for detachable parts after Pito used parts of the broken shield last time for defense. I learned about this last night when M and I watched the prelims to get an early look at the competition.
M's weapon of choice is the M14 EBR sniper rifle. As Crimson Squad only other sniper, though less dedicated than Sinon, it comes with a high-magnification scope. Holstered to his right thigh is a HK45 automatic pistol. I believe he also possesses a few plasma grenades, which make regular frag grenades look like novice tools in how more powerful they are.
Pito, like me. Kureha, and maybe M, hasn't changed at all to how highly leveled we are compared to Llenn and Fuka. who resist too much change to fit their styles. She wears black headgear that looks sporty and cybernetic. Over her bodysuit is a bulletproof combat vest that holds a number of shotgun shells and assault rifle magazines. Our jack of all weapons possesses nearly one of every imaginable class: there's the KTR-09, a custom model of the AK-47; two XDM .40-caliber pistols on her sides; the powerful Remingtin M870 Breacher shotgun in its sheath on her left side; two knives in on the side of her boots;e and I suspect her lightsword is in the fanny pack on her back.
If Pitohui wasn't effective, I'd call her a nutcase. Too bad she isn't my type, though I glance at M's name again and remember the last time we discussed it...and I hope it really doesn't stand for masochist. Even taking their real-life looks into account, I cannot imagine Goushi, who is about me and Karen's real, very tall heights, being...subservent to someone like Elza Kanzaki and her small frame. I pray it is untrue.
"Pito," Llenn says while approaching the woman, now that we're finished gearing up with four and a half minutes until the game begins. "You're starting off at full power this time. I thought you might wait to change halfway in, like the last one." Yes, last time the nutjob went in with only her bodysuit, looting whatever weapons she found in the mountainous region PM4 loaded up and fought at for most of the match.
"Yeah, I guess. I wasn't able to prepare anything this time, so I don't really have room to mess around."
"Oh, I suppose that make sense."
"I understand why," Kureha says with a smile. "The girls and I went to your show last night. It was amazing, no, beyond amazing."
"That means a lot coming from you, vice-captain. If you had let me know you were coming, I could've gotten you backstage passes for a meet and greet with your friends."
"So has it been a while since you played any GGO?" Llenn asks Pito, but Fukaziroh interrupts.
"Ooh! Yeah! I haven't played in forever!"
"I already know that."
"That's right. It's been a while, not since White Frontier. I wanted to at least get one good dive in, but it just wasn't possible with the tour and all."
"I had to keep an eye on her," M says. "I knew that if she logged on to GGO even once, she wouldn't be back for hours. And she'd want to play again the next day."
"Ah, I can see that. What about you, M?"
"Same as Pitohui, not since that weekend in the White Frontier. It feels almost nostalgic to be here."
I remain quiet, though I can read Kureha and Llenn's expressions. For a team event, the six of us have been distant with real life since the White Frontier opened in late May. That may not seem like a lot of time, but it actually is. Momiji and I consistently spent time from then until the fourth Battle of Bullets getting tougher, and a little more stronger in the two weeks between then and now. I know Karen had been online a few times, even catching up with us, Itsuki, and Sinon as we trained for BoB, so I know she's put in the work.
But our teamwork may suffer for it. True, Crimson Squad as a whole has worked together before, recently the White Frontier, but that's against NPCs that we can strategize on the fly no problem. Compare that to SHINC or Memento Mori's ability to work as a team in a PvP tourney, we are lacking. Kureha and I may get along well, and I've done this before with Llenn and Fuka. Llenn has also partnered with M in SJ1 and Pito normally in the game. If we had got one hunt in with the six of us, I'll a little better.
Oh, and I'm not taking command as I would. In SJ2, I relinquished it to Llenn, being that she gathered the team, and only took command when it became necessary. I think Pitohui is the leader this time, so it's on her to lead, but if she asks me to resume my role for a moment, I'll do my best.
"I'll admit, I'm still a little fatigued from yesterday, so I could have stood to hang out in the bar a little bit longer. I feel bad about putting on a poor performance. It's not fair to the audience—I mean, to the other combatants."
"Ah…yeah, I get that... Huh? Daaah! I was the one who said I didn't need to play, but you dragged me into this, Pito!"
Pito doesn't seem concerned by Llenn's rant. "Oh, whatever. Look, I wanted to help you settle the score with the Amazons, you know... No sulking now. Listen, I'll give you a nice present for being such a good girl." Pito raises a window by waving her left hand, then materializes a book-sized metal box and hands it to Llenn.
"What is this?"
"A present for you. Open it up!"
Llenn places it on the ground and opens the lid. Inside are six small, blue grenades, no more than two inches in size. I stand above Llenn, confused about how special these grenades are and why she's giving them to Llenn, not Fukaziroh, our demolitions expert.
Speaking of said demolitions expert, "Oh! Just like you promised, Pito!"
"What? What promise?" Llenn curiously asks.
Fuka picks up a grenade and gives it a close look. "...Mwa-hoh-hohhh! Nwe-heh-heh-heh! Llenn! Kureha! Jaymes! Do you know what this is?"
"It's a grenade for your guns, right?" Llenn attempts to answer.
"If they're blue," I ponder, "that means they're plasma, right?"
"Bingo! This is a plasma warhead that blows up anything within a ten-yard radius when it explodes!"
"Holy shit," Kureha and Llenn exclaim simultaneously. If I recall, Fuka wished she could have had some in SJ2, but settled for the tactical smoke grenades I asked her to bring for me and Llenn. These warheads are rare and expensive, so Pito must've burned a hold in her pocket.
"Six of them! Thank you, Pito! I love you!"
"...Hey, wait! That present's not for me!"
"Listen, Llenn. Don't sweat the little things, okay? You'll go bald early."
"I won't go bald at all!"
Meanwhile, Fuka starts packing the plasma grenades into the side pockets of her giant backpack, given that the central portion is already filled with standard grenades. However, remembering where M keeps his, I get Fuka's attention. "Hey, make sure that's a safe place to put them. You know what'll happen if you get hit, and those go off." I survived many potentially glorious deaths in SAO, ALO, SA:O, and GGO. I rather not die ingloriously due to Fukaziroh's grenades blasting everything in a thirty-yard circumference because she got shot.
She smirks at me while pausing her packing. "Are you kidding me? With five mighty warriors guarding my back? I ain't afraid in the least!"
"Fuka...," Llenn murmurs with a strange warmth. She reacted too early. I know because I do the same with these maniacs. What follows after a seemingly warm statement...
"Besides, I don't want to die a lonely death. I would much rather have it be a huge disaster that gets everyone else involved."
...is a snarky comment that makes you regret saying anything in the first place.
"Fuka," Kureha sighs, "you deserve a lonely death, and I'll help you to it if I can."
Llenn even turns away from Fukaziroh. "Ah. Okay. So I'll make sure to keep my distance from you."
"That's so mean! Kureha's one thing, but I'm your partner! I'm your buddy! I came over here to GGO just to play with ya, remember?"
"And I'm looking forward to that. But it needs to be me who beats Boss at the end."
"Fine, fine, you can have her... Hey, Jaymes, if something does happen, and you have Hyper Awareness activated, could you escape the blast?"
I cross my arms. "The initial blast, yes, but I only move a few feet. Unlike bullets, which are counted as multiple attacks, a grenade's blast count as one. Explosives with a long radius will damage me once I stop moving. It's not like I can escape the blast radius by moving a couple of feet."
Fuka chuckles as she puts her backpack back on and grins at me. "Good to know. So at least you'll die with me! You'll go to heaven with one cute girl at minimum, maybe three at max if Pitohui and Llenn fall as well."
"...You skipped Kureha."
"I know." I grab Kureha to prevent her from killing Fukaziroh (and us all) and glance at the clock. A minute and twenty seconds remain until game time, so not much longer until the game begins. Despite how unsure I felt moments ago, I remember we're Crimson Squad, the strongest Squad in the game. We bested many trials before, so what makes this any different? Heck, I worked with worse-assembled teams in SAO.
"Shall we form up in a little circle before we head in? As a symbol of our special friendship!" Pitohui suggests.
"Uh, isn't two of those friendships actually love?" Fukaziroh teases Pito and M's weird relationship and the long-term relationship between Kureha and me.
Pitohui immediately states, "No. I actually hate him."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"Who wants a creepy stalker around?"
"I totally get it."
"I ruthlessly made fun of him for being fat, and then he goes and gets all thin and handsome all of a sudden."
"It's not even fair."
"Then he starts acquiring a fashion sense, and all of a sudden, other women are all over him."
"Simply unforgivable."
"I tried to beat him up to change the shape of his face, but it's surprisingly hardy."
"I just can't stand it."
"Instead, I try to mentally break him down within the game, but he just sticks around, takes a vacation to go practice shooting overseas, and gets more accurate than I am."
"It's like, read the room."
"I'd love to shoot him in the back at some point during this event."
"I'm willing to help."
"Please stop this! Look, you're going to make him cry!" Llenn pleads with Pitohui and Fukaziroh. Kureha and I stand there in silence, looking at each other in disbelief. Momiji may sometimes dislike me due to the tsundere act, but I hope she wouldn't talk about me like this...not to my face. But as I glance at M, this man must have nerves of steel to withstand that verbal lashing, either used to it that it doesn't phase him anymore, knows Pito doesn't really mean it because she hates displaying her true feelings (like Kureha), or...you know...
Please, Goushi, don't be a masochist while my respect for you is high.
"Well, enough of that. Come on, everyone, hands in! Hands! Let's go!" Pito puts her hand out, and everyone assembles around it.
"Here."
"Heya."
"Hail."
"Yo."
"Hi."
"Ahem. Then I am humbly pleased to deliver a short message of encouragement! So, ah, Team Ell-Pee-Eff-Lem... Argh, it's so hard to say. Team! You're ready?"
"Yeah!"
"Not that some of us had time to prepare like our precious captain and vice-captain, but are you prepared for a bout of violent virtual killing?"
"Yeah!"
"Don't forget! One for all! All for me!"
"Yeah!"
"...What?"
"Hold on..."
"Let's stick together! We may have been born separately! But I'll die as the last of us!"
"Yeah..."
"And since it's been a while, let's enjoy this game for the game it is! No outcome is allowed except victory!"
"Huh?"
"Pito, that's contradictory."
"All right, gang, high risk, hi-"
