--
Chason Base, Palmian Kingdom. September, 64 A.U.
Project Valfreyja
--
"Now that I think about it, you never tell me why you joined HAFF?"
"Ah, yes."
"So? Why? You don't have the looks of the rough type, have you? If you just want to enter the service, you can join our country's. The amount they fight compared to HAFF is less than half!"
"Hah... It's my parents' idea."
"Really? They're scientist right?"
CLANK
"YeS... But it's more of my biological parents' influence more than anything."
Ames chugged what seemed violently on his drink.
"Ah~ So your adoptive parents were fine with you joining?"
"Hm? Of course they are, they practically partying. It's their idea after all."
"Huh?"
"Ehm... My bio parents used to live in the neighboring house. They were both living as HAFF officers. So when I was thinking of what to do, my adoptive parents told me to join HAFF like my bio parent."
"Okay okay, I got it now... By the way, you're doing fine?"
Ames and Nensa were chatting in the base's gym. It was their free day, so they decided on working out together. Ames was big but not in any way "hulking" big.
Working out wasn't really his first on the things he did list. So his struggling was not that surprising.
"Yes... HAH! I'm fine. Uh... We're going back?"
"Nope~ You should be doing this more. Piloting the Vawln should be easier that way."
"What? Magic armor has enhancing spells! Also, the artificial joints did most of the heavy lifting. And it wasn't like I was struggling either!"
"Haha alright alright. Let's go back, I'm going to change first."
---
"Anyway, about the other day..."
"About the team? It's fine."
Ames walked Nensa like usual. Ames tried to erase Nensa's worries as she was the only person around he could be casual. So he didn't want anything about him to become her trouble.
"Something happened to the team before my approval?"
"Yes... Cpt. Omar... He was the leader. We were assigned to help with a mission in the Emmiria Federation's capital. Our job is supposed to be very minimal.
"But things got out of our handle. The elves brought their own magic armor, the Adders. And you can guess what happened after."
Ames stopped his stable steps. I think I get it
"They feel like I become his alternate, I took his place."
"Yup... Even though I told them that doesn't make sense. But they just can't be logical... Just give them time, okay?"
"Yes. I don't have a grudge on them at all."
"Really? Thanks~"
---
"Thanks, man."
"Y-yes, sir."
The next day, Ames clocked in to find a change in the test schedule. That day was supposed to be the time to test the Vawln's resistance in full. However, they decided to use it for team exercise and reschedule.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
Pixy Team was divided into two teams of two. Ames got partnered with Pixy 3, Loclynn.
"Oh don't be that stiff."
"Yes..."
They were being fitted into the armors. It took four crews to help them get armored. Each piece weighed so much that for some of them, they needed to use heavy machinery just to lift it from the floor.
Vawln is a bit more unpractical with all the protrusion. But Fulst designed it more slickly, more like a military purpose production.
The helmet Ames was wearing was also like that. The antenna on its head was made like a crown, in fact. And it was a huge crown that shouldn't even fit anyone's head.
---
For the purpose of the test, they created two 'bases' for each group. Group 1, Pommeline and Kyle would use the building where the project had stood. They moved a flying fortress on the opposite end of the base to use as the base of group 2.
"Alrighty. Let's go, boy!"
"YES!"
Both launched at the same time and swooped out.
Later down the line, the exercise they were doing would be called Free Combat Training, FCT. It was the last one next to the Air and Ground variants, ACT and GCT.
The rule was made for simplicity. All units used standard issue magic riffle, MR-40. The output, however, got hard set on the lowest capacity. For obvious reasons.
Getting hit by the small power spells will result in a negative point tally. The team with less hits wins the exercise in its entirety.
"What is our plan?"
"We're coming in hot! Let's be the last one standing!"
So... No plan?!
They would both race forward as fast as they can. There was no plan, so it would be a simple battle of strength. Their combat prowess would clash men to men.
At least that was the thought Loclynn went with. But the result differed from the thought of a madman.
CRACK! Each magic missile travels beyond Mach 1. Hence the loud cracking of the sound barrier being fragmented.
Clank! The shot hit Loclynn.
Beep Beep! Beep Beep! Loclynn got sent.
"DAMN IT!"
He got shot! If I remember correctly Pixy 1 speciality is [scan]. Then it makes sense. For now, I need to rush them before they start attacking again!
Ames's even more acceleration began. In theory, the magic jet engine has no output ceiling. It used two simple magics. Wind to compress air and fire to ignite it. So it's not impossible to endlessly speed up, as long as the material stands.
But in a very few seconds, another clank rang. Round 1 went to Group 1
---
The exercise was divided into 5 rounds. It wouldn't stop even if someone takes the majority of the rounds. It was a training, so it didn't matter who lost and who won.
Round 2 began with the same scene and sound. After several seconds of the match started, Loclynn got shot down.
"COME ON!"
"EARGH!"
Ames changed his strategy, though. As soon as Loclynn got hit, he dived to the ground. He was betting on Pommeline's scanning range, maybe she wouldn't find him.
Beep Beep! Beep Beep! Just like the first round. With the span of five seconds, Ames was shutdown.
Ames found out that Pommeline's range isn't a disc, but a sphere. Meaning she could scan in all three dimensions.
---
Round three was the time Ames accepted that they had no plan.
CRACK
"SONUVA!"
As soon as we entered her range, The shots rained on! Ames saw a pattern overdone.
Three... Four... "FIVEgh!"
It was just barely, but he clearly did it. He dodged being fired upon.
The spell used by the riffle had a little bit of [pursuit] being tacted on. To dodge such a spell Ames changed his direction on the sudden.
Four... Five! The dodges were going strong.
Two more dodges came and went.
One... Two.. Three...
Ames was then on a range enough for the system to lock-on. But getting a lock-on was a task on its own. The four and the five were coming so Ames pulled the trigger alone.
BANG! BANG!
Beep Beep!
Two spellshots, but only one stayed in the zone. Ames lost the shootout.
---
"That was great, kid!"
"But in the end she did..."
"So, you got her on a fit?"
"Yes! There is a trick, if you waited-"
"Let's change our strategy! I'll go flank, you go straight. Two-sided! It's perfect cuz you can't get hit!"
Loclynn didn't even have an iota of interest in Ames's feat. But the plan itself could be great. Letting him flank would spare the unnecessary defeat.
Round four started.
Just like planned, before they entered Pommeline's range, Loclynn shifted. Then it was just Ames to weather Pommeline's hits.
CRACK! SWISH
Ames's movement was solid. As soon as he entered the range, he rotated his body. In the jet plane's rotation direction terms, he rolled away from the magic missile.
He dodged the next shot while maintaining the supine position he was in. At the five-second interval, he used the Flight Control Core [FCC] on his ankle to get his leg lifted. Doing so let him dive just a little bit. Thus letting the magic missile pass across his body.
For the next two missiles, he continued to control his roll's and pitch's angle to the minute. His precise control let him pass unscratched.
"UGH." Once again his magic rifle was lifted.
"FIVE!"
Unlike the last round, Ames didn't push it. Blasting right upward was what he opted for. The timer to Pommeline's shot reseted. Now Ames had five seconds to get a lock-on.
Beep! Finally, Ames got a point.
Loclynn and Ames then pinched the remaining Kyle. At last, they took one round.
---
Round five started. Loclynn was not the creative type. The round four strategy worked, so he would use it again in round five. But the smirk on group 2's face got swiftly wiped.
"She delayed her shot!" It was something she would clearly do to have them denied.
Pommeline was such a good shooter that she never second-guessed her shots. Her shooting was systematic. That was why she aimed for five seconds always. She herself didn't realize it fully.
Only after fighting Ames, she changed the way she aim.
With that shot, the exercise ended 4-1 in Group 1's favor.