Smith: It’s been a while hasn’t it?
Wesson: Yep…
*Both look at Mai, currently riding on Xealot’s back*
Wesson: This’ll be the first time we’re going head to head against her since that time.
Smith: Five long years. No large scary flaming demon of this time.
Wesson: Hopefully.
*Watches Mai as Eviscerator Mode revs*
Unfortunately, she now has that chainsaw.
Smith: *gulps* Let’s make it good then.
Wesson: Right-o.
Smith & Wesson: LOCK AND LOAD!!!!!
-------------------------------------------------
-Glock-
Behind me, Smith and Wesson prepared their Linebackers. These rifle-like Twin Intelligent Devices, from which they got their moniker, are powerful medium to long range weapons designed for casting various ranged attack and buster spells. Smith and Wesson carry one rifle each, the Linebacker R and the Linebacker L respectively. While similar in appearance, each rifle is distinguished by their cartridge systems, the R using an eight-round swing-out revolver system, and the L using a six-round magazine-fed automatic system. This reflects Smith and Wesson’s complementing specialties when it comes to shooting spells: Smith relies on heavy hitting barrage and buster spells at the cost of range, while Wesson uses less powerful, yet farther reaching precision shot spells, most capable of S-class accuracy.
“Lina, wake up now! We got work to do!” Smith called out as he tapped his Linebacker.
Lina is the name of the Linebacker AI, which possesses its own holographic humanoid form, as a small, armor clad little girl which just appeared between Smith and Wesson, holding an oversized rifle like a pillow.
Supposedly, she is the Linebacker’s targeting AI, providing the two with much needed shooting information, such as target range and windage.
Unfortunately, I have yet to gauge her individual combat effectiveness for a simple reason:
“Mmmmmmm Not nooow…” She murmured, then vanished.
“No use Wes, still sleepy…”
“…
Hopeless.”
-----------------------------------
Wesson: Guess she’s still draining more power than she can recharge them huh? I guess we should take her to Doc Dauer, see if he can wake her up.
Smith: Are you crazy?! If he finds out about Lina and what she can do…
Wesson: We got no choice now. It’s been five years, and Lina has yet to wake up completely.
Smith: I just can’t bear the thought of Aurion messing with Lina…
Wesson: Same here…
*both look up thinking*
*imagines*
----------------
~Lina: Dame, Aurion-sama… don’t touch me there…~
----------------
Wesson: On the other hand…
Smith: It doesn’t sound too bad…
---------------------------------
-Kay-
“I forgot another rule…”
Glock got our attention with that one. What else could he have forgotten…
“Another rule?”
“More like a victory condition. For your team, a direct hit on me equals a win, regardless of Smith and Wesson’s status.”
I think I nearly tripped myself just standing up. What the hell Glock?! Giving your team such a handicap, since when did you become this reckless?!
“Don’t worry… I have every intention of fighting in the frontline to face all of you personally.”
Then I realized… from the configuration of their devices, Smith and Wesson are ranged Midchilda spellcasters. Mai, Midchild Chaos user, specializing in powerful short ranged attacks, no different from me in that aspect.
“I hate to admit it, but that’s a fair rule for Mr. Clerk Kent.”
That was Asuka, piping up using my voice in Possession, and I can count on her to know what I was thinking in the battlefield.
“Giving yourselves a VIP handicap forces those two Line Bakas-“
“LineBackers!”
“Whatever, to cover Glock at all costs, limiting their offensive and mobility options, giving us a fighting chance against them. And if Mr. Kent doesn’t run and hide, he’ll have to face the three of us in combat. “
Couldn’t have said it better myself. And this challenge was making me more excited. But first, I need to gather intel on those two. Telepathy Time.
[Shinji, found anything yet?]
[Glock sure keeps a lot in his personal logs. Highly encrypted with double firewalls for protection. Managed to get complete spell lists on Smith and Wesson though, along with spell rankings.]
I had asked Shinji minutes ago to check up on Smith and Wesson’s profile on Glock’s personal records. Unlike with official documents, Glock records spell lists, making them useful for gauging up the strengths of those he’s profiled. Sorry Glock, but I’m not losing today, and I'm taking no chances in order to do that.
[Good job. Let’s see what you got.]
[Hai!]
---------------------------
Complete Spell List: Remington Smith
Overall Mage Rank: AA+
Offensive:
- Buster Shot
Power: AA
Range: AA
Accuracy: AA
Standard Issue Bureau shooting spell, emits a single pulse of energy at a target.
- Cross Fire Shoot
Class: Multiple Shot
Power: AA
Range: A
Accuracy: B+
Standard Bureau ranged multiple shot spell, used to engage multiple targets simultaneously. Due to lower accuracy compared to similar spellcasters, Smith uses this spell for AoE bombardment.
- Photon Grenade
Power: AAA
Range: A
Accuracy: B+
A highly-devastating short range grenade spell, shooting a fast-moving blue sphere of energy. Massive effective blast radius up to 5-8 meters, highly effective against infantry. Peculiar to most shooting spells Photon Grenades have weight, allowing for arcing indirect fire trajectories.
- Photon Burst
Power: B
Range: A
Accuracy: B
Less powerful airburst variant of Photon Grenade, used akin to conventional flash grenades to blind enemies.
- Photon Cluster
Power: A
Range: A
Accuracy: C
AoE: S
Cast Time: D
This variant of Photon Grenade creates a much larger energy sphere than standard, which then shatters into several hundred smaller spheres that pepper a target area. At full power, this spell can cover an entire city block. Requires two cartridges.
- Storm Bolter
Power: AA
Range: AA
Accuracy: A
Smith’s rapid-fire spell, allowing him to shoot 50 high-velocity energy rounds in rapid succession per cartridge. Useful in laying down suppression fire and close-quarter battle.
- Storm Buster
Power: AAA
Range: C
Accuracy: D
Close quarter shotgun-style spell, where Linebacker simultaneously fires hundreds of small energy pellets in a scattering pattern. Devastating at close range, but loses power at longer ranges.
- Storm Magnum
Power: AAA
Range: C
Accuracy: B
One of Smith’s more powerful spells; this is a very dense highly charged single shot spell, capable of smashing through heavy armor and shattering shields and protective fields. Short range and low accuracy means this spell is best used at close range.
Defensive:
- Protection
Power: AA
Standard defensive spell.
- Round Shield
Power: AA
Standard defensive shield spell
Mobility:
- Arc Boost
Cast Time: D
High jump spell, designed to boost Smith’s jumping abilities, as he is unable to fly. At maximum power in parabolic trajectory, Arc Boost can propel a person a distance of 300 meters, and altitude of 50 meters. Altitude only, a person can reach 100-150 meters at maximum. Slow casting time means spell is used only to traverse long distances quickly.
---------------------------------------
Smith’s spells could be big trouble if we’re caught out in the open. Thankfully, this concrete jungle should provide us with enough cover to hide should he attempt one of his bombardment spells.
[And Wesson’s?]
[Right here.]
----------------------------------------
Complete Spell List: Colt Wesson
Overall Mage Rank: AA+
- Buster Shot
Power: AA
Range: AA
Accuracy: AA
Standard Issue Bureau shooting spell, emits a single pulse of energy at a target.
- Cross Fire Shoot
Class: Multiple Shot
Power: AA
Range: A
Accuracy: AA
Standard Bureau ranged multiple shot spell, used to engage multiple targets simultaneously. Unlike Smith’s, Wesson has much better control over this spell, allowing him to engage individual targets with more precision.
- Stinger Snipe
Power: AA
Range: AAA
Accuracy: S
High-end precision sniper shot, commonly used by Top Bureau Enforcers. Launches an incredibly fast and powerful projectile that can cut through heavy armor.
- Suppressor Snipe
Power: A
Range: AAA
Accuracy: AAA
Wesson’s specialty bind spell, firing a pure magic shot which forcibly restricts the mobility of any object it hits, including people, slowing them down to a crawl.
- Snipe Shot
Accuracy: SS
Wesson can control the flight path of his spells using this standard spell redirection command, allowing him to guide and track his shots towards the target.
Defensive:
- Protection
Power: AA
Standard defensive spell.
- Round Shield
Power: AA
Standard defensive shield spell
Mobility:
- Arc Boost
Cast Time: D
Similar to Smith’s Arc Boost, due to his inability to fly.
Support:
- Snipe Eye
Cast Time: B
Another of Wesson’s specialty spells, this support spell creates a probe which is shot from Linebacker. This invisible probe sticks to any object it comes into contact with, and once active relays audio and video data from its sensor eye to Wesson. Snipe eye is used primarily for perimeter surveillance, scouting and search, and Wesson can maintain and monitor up to six probes at any one time. Each probe lasts for 10 minutes before disintegrating naturally.
---------------------------
To think that someone like Wesson has a spell that rivals the versatility of my own detections spells, and in the hands of a sniper no less… this is going to be more of a challenge than I thought.
[Is that all Shinji?]
[I see a couple of related files, but it will take me a while to hack into, they're much better protected than these ones.]
[Just get them for us. I'm counting on you.]
[Hai!]
Glock raised his hands in the air. To signal the start of the battle.
“Both teams set to agreed starting locations. We’ll have a time limit of 30 minutes on this match.
Ready?”
Did you need to ask Glock? We’re always ready.
“GO!”