The Impossible Machines - Chapter 3-3
Sep. 9th, 2016 09:25 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
southernismsIt was bad enough that even more Fallen descended from another skiff – the Baron must have called for backup – but now the air itself crackled with the multiple shots from their wire rifles. The constant fire kept Asseylum pinned down; she could barely survive a single shot, as one of them had sent her reeling painfully before the regenerative armour began healing her. To make matters worse, the Vandals were firing too close together to so much as return fire. The hostile aliens seemed to know their weaponry well enough to time their shots to eliminate any possible window of opportunity for her to do much of anything. If she hoped to so much as return fire, she would need both a lapse in their timing – "human" error – and be able to act quickly enough to take advantage of it.
Her predicament didn't escape the notice of her saviour.
"They just couldn't co-operate like a good little bug-people, could they?" the woman in heavy armour quipped as the elaborate rocket launcher disappeared suddenly, replaced with what appeared to be a shotgun with elegant etching on the barrel. Why this warrior seemed to favour such elaborately-decorated weaponry, the blonde couldn't discern.
"..Or not so little," the mysterious woman added with a shrug, a tilting her head towards the giant Baron not far away from their position. "But I'll tell you what. I'll go distract them, and when you get that opening, keep them off me while I go play with their boss."
It was probably the best plan available, but there was one problem nagging at the new Guardian.
"Wait, how are you going to…" Asseylum began, but the other was already in motion, the dust around her violently kicked up as a blast of air propelled her high into the air from her perch above and toward the Fallen frantically firing at their rapidly approaching opponent. Either the strange elder Guardian knew what she was doing, or else she had an extraordinary amount of luck on her side...and her first action suggested outright insanity.
The elaborate shotgun had disappeared – TransMat most likely, as her Ghost had explained – but it didn't appear that she had replaced it with something else. Instead, her right arm cocked back as she seemed to hover in mid-air long enough for an enthusiastic yell.
"Titan...SMASH!"
Whether or not the enthusiastic bellow served a purpose, the tall woman rapidly dropped to the ground and punched down with her fist. What should have caused serious injury instead turned into a shockwave which instantly vapourised the unfortunate Fallen below and nearby, and Asseylum couldn't shake the feeling that she was actually enjoying herself. What was even more unbelievable was that while she might have some demon of luck at her side, the cheerful woman most definitely possessed considerable skill.
Even as the electrical field dissipated, the elder Guardian was already in motion, her shotgun reappearing only seconds before blasting a Dreg which had practically launched himself at her backwards several feet. Wheeling with much more grace and speed than her armour suggested she was capable of, she shot down one of their drones – a Shank – into a rain of pieces even while she backhanded another Dreg attempting to close the distance, slashing at her with his long knife. Ether released from the armour of the same Dreg after taking shotgun fire directly to the head, as it did likewise for the Vandal attempting to slash at her with twin swords from behind, only to be stopped when the Guardian twirled her shotgun on its trigger, bracing the barrel and firing back at him over her shoulder. Not even a second later, her free arm snapped out to punch another hard enough for his body to disintegrate...or perhaps that was a particular power of hers not entirely unlike those the flaxen-haired Warlock now wielded.
With as much havoc and damage as she was causing, the heavily-armoured Guardian was pulling the undivided, panicked attention of the Fallen. The Sunsinger finally moved to made ample use of the successful distraction, sniping at the Vandals which had been plaguing her only moments before with short bursts of her auto rifle. Not for long, however; she could feel the warmth of her Light flooding and invigorating her limbs, the same feeling she'd had when she was able to form an explosive grenade from it. But she needed a clear line of sight, not trusting her strange new skills to land a blind throw from her cover. She would have to risk it...which was really only fair, what with her impromptu teammate already out in the middle of the mess shooting and punching at everything, even if she did seem to be enjoying it.
Asseylum wasn't entirely certain she enjoyed that thought, but given that this was a war, it was entirely likely that this was her way of coping. It was either that, or she was mentally unstable. Yet, whatever the reason, she didn't have time to waste on mulling it over, not when she had the window of opportunity she needed.
The jade-eyed Guardian hoisted herself up on top of the outcropping she had been crouching behind, well-aware her position made her an easy target. Hopefully, she would have a clear throw before hunkering down behind her cover. Things didn't go as expected, and not in a way she could have foreseen.
Asseylum could feel the intense heat blossoming from her back even as she called forth a grenade...and then another, and another. Fire rained down on the alien forces, and their attention turned back to her. Staying put was not a good idea.
Leaping down from her position, she ran towards the right, skirting the group while somehow still throwing more grenades. The air shimmered with heat, she could hear her companion's low whistle of appreciation. "Wow, are you really a KinderGuardian? Never seen a freshly-resurrected Sunsinger before. Thanks for the Radiance, by the way!"
Before she could even ask, the tall woman punched the ground again, causing a shockwave that sent the Baron staggering back and dropping the massive rifle, the shield failing under the assault. The neophyte Guardian felt she could pull off one last fiery grenade, pitching it at the towering form with all her strength. It landed, seeming to stick to the Fallen leader before incinerating him. The body crumbled to ash even as it fell, the wind kicking up to carry it away.
Resting the barrel of her shotgun on her shoulder, the armour-clad Guardian strode back to her, and Asseylum had no problems picturing a cocky grin behind the reflective visor. "That was a job well done. Nice work, newbie. Oh, and a belated welcome to the apocalypse post-party. My name's Alisande della Libra. You can just call me Ali. Or Great One. Or ‘She Who Saves My Ass Regularly’. Any of them will do."
She could feel herself staring owlishly, trying to take all that in. Her stupefied silence must have lasted more than a few seconds, because Ali added, "That was a joke, by the way. It's okay you're allowed to laugh."
Before she could even respond – she was too baffled to laugh, really – her Ghost apparently decided to comment. "What's a Titan doing out here? I thought your order devoted themselves to protecting the City."
The Titan shrugged. "Some of us take a more...proactive approach. At least after Twilight Gap, anyway. I'd prefer not to be caught with our collective proverbial pants down again."
Her Ghost seemed subdued after that for some reason, but the name was unfamiliar. "Twilight Gap?" Asseylum ventured cautiously.
This time, Asseylum couldn't read Ali's body language as she regarded the younger Guardian. "It's too long a story to get into out here, we're liable to be shot at in the middle of it. Let's head to the City…you have a ship?"
The Ghost seemed almost smug. "Funny you should ask…"
Her predicament didn't escape the notice of her saviour.
"They just couldn't co-operate like a good little bug-people, could they?" the woman in heavy armour quipped as the elaborate rocket launcher disappeared suddenly, replaced with what appeared to be a shotgun with elegant etching on the barrel. Why this warrior seemed to favour such elaborately-decorated weaponry, the blonde couldn't discern.
"..Or not so little," the mysterious woman added with a shrug, a tilting her head towards the giant Baron not far away from their position. "But I'll tell you what. I'll go distract them, and when you get that opening, keep them off me while I go play with their boss."
It was probably the best plan available, but there was one problem nagging at the new Guardian.
"Wait, how are you going to…" Asseylum began, but the other was already in motion, the dust around her violently kicked up as a blast of air propelled her high into the air from her perch above and toward the Fallen frantically firing at their rapidly approaching opponent. Either the strange elder Guardian knew what she was doing, or else she had an extraordinary amount of luck on her side...and her first action suggested outright insanity.
The elaborate shotgun had disappeared – TransMat most likely, as her Ghost had explained – but it didn't appear that she had replaced it with something else. Instead, her right arm cocked back as she seemed to hover in mid-air long enough for an enthusiastic yell.
"Titan...SMASH!"
Whether or not the enthusiastic bellow served a purpose, the tall woman rapidly dropped to the ground and punched down with her fist. What should have caused serious injury instead turned into a shockwave which instantly vapourised the unfortunate Fallen below and nearby, and Asseylum couldn't shake the feeling that she was actually enjoying herself. What was even more unbelievable was that while she might have some demon of luck at her side, the cheerful woman most definitely possessed considerable skill.
Even as the electrical field dissipated, the elder Guardian was already in motion, her shotgun reappearing only seconds before blasting a Dreg which had practically launched himself at her backwards several feet. Wheeling with much more grace and speed than her armour suggested she was capable of, she shot down one of their drones – a Shank – into a rain of pieces even while she backhanded another Dreg attempting to close the distance, slashing at her with his long knife. Ether released from the armour of the same Dreg after taking shotgun fire directly to the head, as it did likewise for the Vandal attempting to slash at her with twin swords from behind, only to be stopped when the Guardian twirled her shotgun on its trigger, bracing the barrel and firing back at him over her shoulder. Not even a second later, her free arm snapped out to punch another hard enough for his body to disintegrate...or perhaps that was a particular power of hers not entirely unlike those the flaxen-haired Warlock now wielded.
With as much havoc and damage as she was causing, the heavily-armoured Guardian was pulling the undivided, panicked attention of the Fallen. The Sunsinger finally moved to made ample use of the successful distraction, sniping at the Vandals which had been plaguing her only moments before with short bursts of her auto rifle. Not for long, however; she could feel the warmth of her Light flooding and invigorating her limbs, the same feeling she'd had when she was able to form an explosive grenade from it. But she needed a clear line of sight, not trusting her strange new skills to land a blind throw from her cover. She would have to risk it...which was really only fair, what with her impromptu teammate already out in the middle of the mess shooting and punching at everything, even if she did seem to be enjoying it.
Asseylum wasn't entirely certain she enjoyed that thought, but given that this was a war, it was entirely likely that this was her way of coping. It was either that, or she was mentally unstable. Yet, whatever the reason, she didn't have time to waste on mulling it over, not when she had the window of opportunity she needed.
The jade-eyed Guardian hoisted herself up on top of the outcropping she had been crouching behind, well-aware her position made her an easy target. Hopefully, she would have a clear throw before hunkering down behind her cover. Things didn't go as expected, and not in a way she could have foreseen.
Asseylum could feel the intense heat blossoming from her back even as she called forth a grenade...and then another, and another. Fire rained down on the alien forces, and their attention turned back to her. Staying put was not a good idea.
Leaping down from her position, she ran towards the right, skirting the group while somehow still throwing more grenades. The air shimmered with heat, she could hear her companion's low whistle of appreciation. "Wow, are you really a KinderGuardian? Never seen a freshly-resurrected Sunsinger before. Thanks for the Radiance, by the way!"
Before she could even ask, the tall woman punched the ground again, causing a shockwave that sent the Baron staggering back and dropping the massive rifle, the shield failing under the assault. The neophyte Guardian felt she could pull off one last fiery grenade, pitching it at the towering form with all her strength. It landed, seeming to stick to the Fallen leader before incinerating him. The body crumbled to ash even as it fell, the wind kicking up to carry it away.
Resting the barrel of her shotgun on her shoulder, the armour-clad Guardian strode back to her, and Asseylum had no problems picturing a cocky grin behind the reflective visor. "That was a job well done. Nice work, newbie. Oh, and a belated welcome to the apocalypse post-party. My name's Alisande della Libra. You can just call me Ali. Or Great One. Or ‘She Who Saves My Ass Regularly’. Any of them will do."
She could feel herself staring owlishly, trying to take all that in. Her stupefied silence must have lasted more than a few seconds, because Ali added, "That was a joke, by the way. It's okay you're allowed to laugh."
Before she could even respond – she was too baffled to laugh, really – her Ghost apparently decided to comment. "What's a Titan doing out here? I thought your order devoted themselves to protecting the City."
The Titan shrugged. "Some of us take a more...proactive approach. At least after Twilight Gap, anyway. I'd prefer not to be caught with our collective proverbial pants down again."
Her Ghost seemed subdued after that for some reason, but the name was unfamiliar. "Twilight Gap?" Asseylum ventured cautiously.
This time, Asseylum couldn't read Ali's body language as she regarded the younger Guardian. "It's too long a story to get into out here, we're liable to be shot at in the middle of it. Let's head to the City…you have a ship?"
The Ghost seemed almost smug. "Funny you should ask…"
