Luckless21
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I supposedly jumped off a bunk bed after watching Toy Story.
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I057
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lost star
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It has to be said that Ves Larkinson was not a normal designer. Putting aside the fact that he threw himself into danger regularly for inspiration, the man's designs did something no one else did in the galaxy. They touched upon the spirit. There were many different designer specialties that did strange things. His were still up there, and did things no one had ever done. They were also completely independent of mechanical frameworks, which meant that the added value of them were independent of standard supply complications. The man's work was free money, and that alone put him above almost every other designer.
Bolt's designs were the only thing that came close, and the designer didn't want to completely mimic Ves' work. He took inspiration from it yes. He did not want to do exactly what Ves did. Bolt acknowledged that he stole idea from people. That was simply just what humans did. Monkey see, monkey do. If you saw a good idea you took it. If you were good, you put your own spin on it and made it yours. Bolt tried to do the latter with information he took from the designs he examined. His design philosophy was risky enough as it was already. No point in making it more controversial and drawing bad attention.
Another thing that further separated Ves from other designers was his impact on the Friday-Hexxer war. No other designer came close to what Ves did with his Blessed Squire. The mech's morale impact single-handedly warped the war and allowed the Hexxers to push back past a critical choke point far faster than predictions indicated. Battles became decided by the Squire and how much or little it presence it had in the battlefield.
Here was where the politics and pride came into play. Ves could not be seen as impossible to counter. He was a Journeyman. There were Masters opposing him. If they could not suppress his accomplishments, they were not worthy of their title to the public. It was actually safe to say that if they couldn't counter him the Friday Coalition's chances as a whole were looking very grim. So they proudly proclaimed that they'd counter the Blessed Squire, and just as proudly revealed a design shortly thereafter.
Where was Bolt in this example? Thanks to automated nepotism and other factors, he wasn't known at all. His offering, Banner-man was simple, almost cute, and only really approved because his wife was still considered a scion. An officer mech in appearance, it looked more fit for a parade ground than a war. When the customization was done right, it was frankly more of a mascot than anything else. It saw very limited deployment in some non-critical areas for testing purposes. It was not what the masters built to crush Ves and was not broadcast at all.
If someone where to ask Bolt what he thought of the master's design and he were to be truthful, he'd ask if the masters got kicked in the head. The designers opposing Ves had created a lancer that was meant to crush the glow of mechs. Called the Glow Crusher, it was tipped with several exotic components and could destroy the Blessed Squire's glow projection in a single strike.
There were obvious flaws to this solution. The most obvious was that the Crusher had to get to the Squire first. Lancers might have been built for that, but they survived partially by being unpredictable in their angle of attack and target. Knowing that the Squire was being targeted by a single mech type meant that it was easy to prepare a trap. Another and larger flaw that would be known later was that it only worked when the glow was turned on. When it was off (and Ves would accomplish this later with a switch) the glow could return once the lancer had stopped attacking.
Bolt would privately wonder what the masters were thinking when he saw the design. Why were they meeting Ves on his own terms? Why use something that was meant to kill a mech in a single strike anyway? Even a cursory examination would make one conclude that this was poorly thought of.
In contrast to the Glow Crusher, the Banner-Man's performance was never mentioned in any news. The testing wasn't public, and once the performance was confirmed the design was quietly retired while revisions were made to better suit the Friday forces. Bolt spent days working with some seniors on back channels and a new design was put forward and put into production as soon as their supply lines could handle it.
The new mech, called Son of War, was still a relatively simple mech that maintained most of the original design. It was a swordsman mech with decent armor and mobility made up of reliable parts. It looked like an officer holding a flag still, and the base model wasn't impressive. It wasn't meant to be. It was a weapon of war meant to do what was necessary. The mechs would become primary targets, and the best solution was going to be making them easy to repair and relatively replaceable. Aside from armoring it more there wasn't any other solution. (It had very robust pilot safety at least.)
The roll out was quiet but as fast as possible. While the Glow Crusher was thrown into everywhere it could be, the Son was constructed and sent to various units with explicit instructions that nevertheless confused the people who got the mech. Every unit that got a Son was instructed to have every member of the unit sign the cockpit, and then decorate it in the unit's colors. No one quite got why this was important.
Confusing or not, the orders were quite blatant and extremely firm. When your superiors said do something in that tone, you did it. So the soldiers who got the mechs did the decorations. Some were admittedly a bit half-assed. One particular unit splashed a solid color on it and scrawled a few names in it. It was barely enough to invoke when the Son of War needed to work, and after testing every unit immediately did the best job they could as a matter of survival. It helped that it didn't require resources, just commitment. Even in this day and age the phrase hurry up and wait existed so the people had time where they enthusiastically applied everything they could to the mech.
The reason for this particular feeling was relatively simple. A Blessed Squire's glow invoked feelings of a mother's approval or disapproval based on who the pilot considered enemies. It wasn't something that stopped people from functioning. It was still very unpleasant to be under and had been inflicting terrible damage to people's mental state from the second it was deployed. Many people had been quietly resigned about dealing with it and the stress.
A Son of War invoked a feeling of comradery and connection. Once this became apparent no one wanted to neglect the mech! They finally had a glow! This was such a relief that some people outright cried when they realized what the mech gave them.
It's actually impossible to state how much of a morale boost it was for the Friday frontline. Tactics had been adapting, people had been dealing, it had not been optimal. Sometimes the best choice had been to simply sacrifice a few men to get the Squires dead. This had resulted in many suboptimal decisions. A Son of War gave them options back by its very presence.
As the mech became deployed more and more, people got an idea of the quirks involved as well. More than one Son didn't magnify the effect so much as give it more range. Ones from different units unified if they were allies. The Glow was mostly tied to the banner, and if the Son of War was disabled the banner would keep working for a variable amount of time so long as it didn't hit the ground. The power of the Glow was directly related to the unit's cohesion and commitment to decorating it. Lesser dedication meant less power. These conditions became known quickly and were adapted to just as quickly, resulting in stronger and stronger Glows.
Unfortunately the Sons Glow couldn't overcome the Squires Glow directly. When the two Glows clashed the area of effect flattened like two balls pressing against one another. You could take a step and be under the effect of one, then cross a line and be under the effect of another. It was actually a bit disorientating for those unprepared for it. This was considered perfectly fine compared to not having one at all.
Strictly speaking the Son of War was inferior to the Blessed Squire Glow wise. It had no offensive effect. It required some pre-battle setup in the form of decoration. It was still more than what the Friday's had before, and it changed the field of war as more and more were deployed. Battles had to take into account the Son and the Squires. It became another way of controlling a battlefield, and generals truthfully struggled to account for all of it.
Naturally the Hexxers absolutely despised this new mech and immediately attempted to research who made it. Bolt's name was found quickly. Hiding a designer's style was difficult at best, and there were many examples of his work appearing on the battlefield. Headhunter Leo's Dullahan was the most famous, but the modified Shrine Maidens were being noticed as well. The designs further enraged the nation and they immediately attempted to find him so that they could kill him.
Bolt and Lilly didn't want this, so they were already on their way away from home. Their destination was not public. Nor was it obvious. This made it devilishly hard for the Hexxers to target them, which was the intention really.
Bolt's designs were the only thing that came close, and the designer didn't want to completely mimic Ves' work. He took inspiration from it yes. He did not want to do exactly what Ves did. Bolt acknowledged that he stole idea from people. That was simply just what humans did. Monkey see, monkey do. If you saw a good idea you took it. If you were good, you put your own spin on it and made it yours. Bolt tried to do the latter with information he took from the designs he examined. His design philosophy was risky enough as it was already. No point in making it more controversial and drawing bad attention.
Another thing that further separated Ves from other designers was his impact on the Friday-Hexxer war. No other designer came close to what Ves did with his Blessed Squire. The mech's morale impact single-handedly warped the war and allowed the Hexxers to push back past a critical choke point far faster than predictions indicated. Battles became decided by the Squire and how much or little it presence it had in the battlefield.
Here was where the politics and pride came into play. Ves could not be seen as impossible to counter. He was a Journeyman. There were Masters opposing him. If they could not suppress his accomplishments, they were not worthy of their title to the public. It was actually safe to say that if they couldn't counter him the Friday Coalition's chances as a whole were looking very grim. So they proudly proclaimed that they'd counter the Blessed Squire, and just as proudly revealed a design shortly thereafter.
Where was Bolt in this example? Thanks to automated nepotism and other factors, he wasn't known at all. His offering, Banner-man was simple, almost cute, and only really approved because his wife was still considered a scion. An officer mech in appearance, it looked more fit for a parade ground than a war. When the customization was done right, it was frankly more of a mascot than anything else. It saw very limited deployment in some non-critical areas for testing purposes. It was not what the masters built to crush Ves and was not broadcast at all.
If someone where to ask Bolt what he thought of the master's design and he were to be truthful, he'd ask if the masters got kicked in the head. The designers opposing Ves had created a lancer that was meant to crush the glow of mechs. Called the Glow Crusher, it was tipped with several exotic components and could destroy the Blessed Squire's glow projection in a single strike.
There were obvious flaws to this solution. The most obvious was that the Crusher had to get to the Squire first. Lancers might have been built for that, but they survived partially by being unpredictable in their angle of attack and target. Knowing that the Squire was being targeted by a single mech type meant that it was easy to prepare a trap. Another and larger flaw that would be known later was that it only worked when the glow was turned on. When it was off (and Ves would accomplish this later with a switch) the glow could return once the lancer had stopped attacking.
Bolt would privately wonder what the masters were thinking when he saw the design. Why were they meeting Ves on his own terms? Why use something that was meant to kill a mech in a single strike anyway? Even a cursory examination would make one conclude that this was poorly thought of.
In contrast to the Glow Crusher, the Banner-Man's performance was never mentioned in any news. The testing wasn't public, and once the performance was confirmed the design was quietly retired while revisions were made to better suit the Friday forces. Bolt spent days working with some seniors on back channels and a new design was put forward and put into production as soon as their supply lines could handle it.
The new mech, called Son of War, was still a relatively simple mech that maintained most of the original design. It was a swordsman mech with decent armor and mobility made up of reliable parts. It looked like an officer holding a flag still, and the base model wasn't impressive. It wasn't meant to be. It was a weapon of war meant to do what was necessary. The mechs would become primary targets, and the best solution was going to be making them easy to repair and relatively replaceable. Aside from armoring it more there wasn't any other solution. (It had very robust pilot safety at least.)
The roll out was quiet but as fast as possible. While the Glow Crusher was thrown into everywhere it could be, the Son was constructed and sent to various units with explicit instructions that nevertheless confused the people who got the mech. Every unit that got a Son was instructed to have every member of the unit sign the cockpit, and then decorate it in the unit's colors. No one quite got why this was important.
Confusing or not, the orders were quite blatant and extremely firm. When your superiors said do something in that tone, you did it. So the soldiers who got the mechs did the decorations. Some were admittedly a bit half-assed. One particular unit splashed a solid color on it and scrawled a few names in it. It was barely enough to invoke when the Son of War needed to work, and after testing every unit immediately did the best job they could as a matter of survival. It helped that it didn't require resources, just commitment. Even in this day and age the phrase hurry up and wait existed so the people had time where they enthusiastically applied everything they could to the mech.
The reason for this particular feeling was relatively simple. A Blessed Squire's glow invoked feelings of a mother's approval or disapproval based on who the pilot considered enemies. It wasn't something that stopped people from functioning. It was still very unpleasant to be under and had been inflicting terrible damage to people's mental state from the second it was deployed. Many people had been quietly resigned about dealing with it and the stress.
A Son of War invoked a feeling of comradery and connection. Once this became apparent no one wanted to neglect the mech! They finally had a glow! This was such a relief that some people outright cried when they realized what the mech gave them.
It's actually impossible to state how much of a morale boost it was for the Friday frontline. Tactics had been adapting, people had been dealing, it had not been optimal. Sometimes the best choice had been to simply sacrifice a few men to get the Squires dead. This had resulted in many suboptimal decisions. A Son of War gave them options back by its very presence.
As the mech became deployed more and more, people got an idea of the quirks involved as well. More than one Son didn't magnify the effect so much as give it more range. Ones from different units unified if they were allies. The Glow was mostly tied to the banner, and if the Son of War was disabled the banner would keep working for a variable amount of time so long as it didn't hit the ground. The power of the Glow was directly related to the unit's cohesion and commitment to decorating it. Lesser dedication meant less power. These conditions became known quickly and were adapted to just as quickly, resulting in stronger and stronger Glows.
Unfortunately the Sons Glow couldn't overcome the Squires Glow directly. When the two Glows clashed the area of effect flattened like two balls pressing against one another. You could take a step and be under the effect of one, then cross a line and be under the effect of another. It was actually a bit disorientating for those unprepared for it. This was considered perfectly fine compared to not having one at all.
Strictly speaking the Son of War was inferior to the Blessed Squire Glow wise. It had no offensive effect. It required some pre-battle setup in the form of decoration. It was still more than what the Friday's had before, and it changed the field of war as more and more were deployed. Battles had to take into account the Son and the Squires. It became another way of controlling a battlefield, and generals truthfully struggled to account for all of it.
Naturally the Hexxers absolutely despised this new mech and immediately attempted to research who made it. Bolt's name was found quickly. Hiding a designer's style was difficult at best, and there were many examples of his work appearing on the battlefield. Headhunter Leo's Dullahan was the most famous, but the modified Shrine Maidens were being noticed as well. The designs further enraged the nation and they immediately attempted to find him so that they could kill him.
Bolt and Lilly didn't want this, so they were already on their way away from home. Their destination was not public. Nor was it obvious. This made it devilishly hard for the Hexxers to target them, which was the intention really.
tanasinn
Versed in the lewd.
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Son of Wars do seem to have the ability to continue growing though so I wonder how one would compare after a few campaigns and as the number of new/dead pilots names on that banner start to stack up. Can Ves's mechs do the same?
lost star
Connoisseur.
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They do, sort of. Spirits grow with use.
Rhaid
Know what you're doing yet?
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Yes, there are no men in the Hegemony, only boys, like literally males are only referred to as boys.
Hexxer belief is that all men are new souls, as such they are all children. Women on the other hand have lived multiple lives and are the ultimate existence.
There is a scene during a PoV from a male expert from the Hegemony where its stated that while men are above female animals (like cats or dogs), female animals must still be respected and cared for because it is in the process of becoming a human female...I explained that bad but they are pretty insufferable from what I've read so far.
Last edited:
wakshazi
I trust you know where the happy button is?
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I wonder how the Friday seniors are reacting to Bolt. His mech isn't the most glorious or a silver bullet, but it is a counter to the squire and does show a superior understanding of Glows.
M164
New
lost star
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"Take me with you." Ark Larkinson didn't quite demand it, but he was close.
Lilly stared at his mech with a critical look. "Thought we'd worked past this." She noted before she shifted her stance to respond to his own positioning.
"You need another expert. You need another commander. Here you have Kriff. Out in that field you will have a few Second Rate children and a few pilots that could adapt quickly to Second Rate." Ark replied back and readied himself. "You need me."
This was the last day before they left and they were doing a bit of last minute sparring. Mechhalla was proving its worth again in this instance. It wasn't perfect. It lacked a sense of danger and realism. What made it useful was that it was able to simulate experts. Furthermore it could simulate experts good enough to get real practice. That was valuable beyond belief, and a reminder of how magic and precious her husband was.
For this match Lilly was in Morning Star. The mech had been upgraded to Second Rate. The largest change was that daggers were gone. In their place was something that resembled daggers of light. Superheated metal suspended by electromagnetic techno-wizardry. They were significantly more deadly at the cost of being hellish energy hogs. In a one on one battle like this Morning Star could maintain two at once.
It made things even in this instance. Ark was in Cait Sith. The mech gave the impression of a cat and a man at the same time. Black, with a white star on its chest, the mech was a half command mech and half swordsman. The newly made mech was designed function best with small teams, but could function independently if needed at reduced capability. They were both mildly handicapped in a one on one with these mechs, but it was the most even matchup they could have.
"I need you here." Lilly let a dagger's containment breach in his general direction.
The new weapons weren't particularly controllable truthfully. They were the equivalent of high pressure bombs restrained by her mech's abilities. Lilly didn't shoot them so much as stop restraining their explosive power in a general direction. The flash of light and explosive fountain of metal and heat was a bit tricky to aim even for an expert. The damage though? It was quite spectacular when it connected.
Ark barely managed to avoid it. Even then it left a large molten gouge in his mech. He charged into the opening and his mech lit up with white ghostly fire. Self inflicted this time. Cait Sith's special trait, nicknames Nine-Lives. "You're running into a war!" He shouted.
Lilly chuckled. "That's nothing new." She responded and used greed to pull at his energy as the battle continued.
Eight little flames flowed around Ark as he charged forward. Had there been people there they would have been able to take the flames. Lilly sent out her other contained explosion, and it hit the man dead on. One light winked out and fire wafted off him, not so much doing damage as obscuring his form.
"That is a deadly trick." The woman noted and blocked the sword with a wing.
"You're one to talk." Ark grunted out and vented the heat his mech was building up with his free hand. The explosive blast of heat was broad and debilitating.
"Fair. " Lilly replied even as she took the hit on her armor. The metal deformed and warped but held thanks to Envy. Both hands reached for Arc and he snarled as he focused hard on trying to stop her with pure offensive aggression. Her wings barely managed to hold him back as Envy activated and pulled.
Several strips of the mans armor were torn off and then his sword managed break one of her wings. The thing shattered in white feathers and light while Lilly tried to dance away and reform her daggers. Ark naturally wasn't going to let that happen. He moved with her, harrying her with his weapons.
Ark was the first to use his resonance. Two more lights winked out and the armor repaired as if by magic. Then his mech burned even hotter and he held up his hand.
Lilly dropped her remaining wing, but wasn't able to completely block the explosive wash of heat. Nothing could probably could have. Cait Sith deliberately ran hot. Its talent ran it even hotter. The mech was designed to build up heat and explosively release it repeatedly. Morning Star lived because it was a defensive mech. Any other one would have died. Even then the mech was still quite damaged. Yet that wasn't the end of the fight.
"Time for Wrath." Lilly called out in a sing-song tone. Two more lances of plasma flowed around her and she invoked her own resonance.
The simulation very nearly glitched from the resulting storm of lightning and metal. Half the battlefield lit up as everything was electrified and torn apart in a cataclysmic display of willpower backed might. When the attack finished Ark was left with no more fires keeping him alive. Lilly eyeballed the damage to both of them.
"Looks like my win?" The woman asked. They could both keep going, but the damage was even enough that it'd be a cautious slog where both of them jousted for the last hit.
Ark snorted and dropped his sword. The mech was barely able to obey the command. "Again."
"Not the best matchup for you, but thanks for the last minute spar." Lilly noted as she mentally reviewed the fight.
"Better than fighting Dowry. That's usually an exercise in frustration." Ark replied. "And you are not going to budge on letting me come with I assume."
He got a giggle before Lilly replied. "You felt my will and I felt yours. You are a man that has always wanted to defend his family. Coming with would hurt ya." She made her mech shrug and then had the simulation repair it. "Also, I'd rather die than my children."
"That..." Arc trailed off.
"Ya, that's my calculation. We're going out light, but we're gonna scrounge and be rats. Trust me, there's nothing more dangerous than that. Also..." Lilly paused. "Don't spread this 'round, but we're pretty sure we're gonna get backstabbed at the end o' the war, or even during it."
"What?!" The man asked incredulously. "Who would dare?! What sort of honor do they have?"
"More stupidity. Call it a hunch. Some of the messages feel like nobles right before they decided it's more fun ta kill than ta fight." Lilly snorted and felt her mech rage silently at the discussion. "We got a few tricks up our sleeves and ain't gonna let it happen, but we don't want the real valuable stuff with us. Stay here and get ready fer a siege towards the end o' the war."
Ark let out a breath. "I will need to temper myself more to do that." He noted. "Not just in these simulations."
"Ya got my permission ta visit the alien planet nearby. Go in deep with a few of your family. The deeper stuff is scary." Lilly said quietly. "It'll be risky, but we both know that's the only way forward. Take Pup if you think he's up for it. I'm trusting you, please."
The man was silent at that. As Lilly said, it was very risky. It was also probably one of the only ways he could train discretely. It was a very heavy request. One that he didn't verbally agree to. He simply didn't ask to follow her again and had his mech get prepared for a trip. That alone was telling.
Lilly stared at his mech with a critical look. "Thought we'd worked past this." She noted before she shifted her stance to respond to his own positioning.
"You need another expert. You need another commander. Here you have Kriff. Out in that field you will have a few Second Rate children and a few pilots that could adapt quickly to Second Rate." Ark replied back and readied himself. "You need me."
This was the last day before they left and they were doing a bit of last minute sparring. Mechhalla was proving its worth again in this instance. It wasn't perfect. It lacked a sense of danger and realism. What made it useful was that it was able to simulate experts. Furthermore it could simulate experts good enough to get real practice. That was valuable beyond belief, and a reminder of how magic and precious her husband was.
For this match Lilly was in Morning Star. The mech had been upgraded to Second Rate. The largest change was that daggers were gone. In their place was something that resembled daggers of light. Superheated metal suspended by electromagnetic techno-wizardry. They were significantly more deadly at the cost of being hellish energy hogs. In a one on one battle like this Morning Star could maintain two at once.
It made things even in this instance. Ark was in Cait Sith. The mech gave the impression of a cat and a man at the same time. Black, with a white star on its chest, the mech was a half command mech and half swordsman. The newly made mech was designed function best with small teams, but could function independently if needed at reduced capability. They were both mildly handicapped in a one on one with these mechs, but it was the most even matchup they could have.
"I need you here." Lilly let a dagger's containment breach in his general direction.
The new weapons weren't particularly controllable truthfully. They were the equivalent of high pressure bombs restrained by her mech's abilities. Lilly didn't shoot them so much as stop restraining their explosive power in a general direction. The flash of light and explosive fountain of metal and heat was a bit tricky to aim even for an expert. The damage though? It was quite spectacular when it connected.
Ark barely managed to avoid it. Even then it left a large molten gouge in his mech. He charged into the opening and his mech lit up with white ghostly fire. Self inflicted this time. Cait Sith's special trait, nicknames Nine-Lives. "You're running into a war!" He shouted.
Lilly chuckled. "That's nothing new." She responded and used greed to pull at his energy as the battle continued.
Eight little flames flowed around Ark as he charged forward. Had there been people there they would have been able to take the flames. Lilly sent out her other contained explosion, and it hit the man dead on. One light winked out and fire wafted off him, not so much doing damage as obscuring his form.
"That is a deadly trick." The woman noted and blocked the sword with a wing.
"You're one to talk." Ark grunted out and vented the heat his mech was building up with his free hand. The explosive blast of heat was broad and debilitating.
"Fair. " Lilly replied even as she took the hit on her armor. The metal deformed and warped but held thanks to Envy. Both hands reached for Arc and he snarled as he focused hard on trying to stop her with pure offensive aggression. Her wings barely managed to hold him back as Envy activated and pulled.
Several strips of the mans armor were torn off and then his sword managed break one of her wings. The thing shattered in white feathers and light while Lilly tried to dance away and reform her daggers. Ark naturally wasn't going to let that happen. He moved with her, harrying her with his weapons.
Ark was the first to use his resonance. Two more lights winked out and the armor repaired as if by magic. Then his mech burned even hotter and he held up his hand.
Lilly dropped her remaining wing, but wasn't able to completely block the explosive wash of heat. Nothing could probably could have. Cait Sith deliberately ran hot. Its talent ran it even hotter. The mech was designed to build up heat and explosively release it repeatedly. Morning Star lived because it was a defensive mech. Any other one would have died. Even then the mech was still quite damaged. Yet that wasn't the end of the fight.
"Time for Wrath." Lilly called out in a sing-song tone. Two more lances of plasma flowed around her and she invoked her own resonance.
The simulation very nearly glitched from the resulting storm of lightning and metal. Half the battlefield lit up as everything was electrified and torn apart in a cataclysmic display of willpower backed might. When the attack finished Ark was left with no more fires keeping him alive. Lilly eyeballed the damage to both of them.
"Looks like my win?" The woman asked. They could both keep going, but the damage was even enough that it'd be a cautious slog where both of them jousted for the last hit.
Ark snorted and dropped his sword. The mech was barely able to obey the command. "Again."
"Not the best matchup for you, but thanks for the last minute spar." Lilly noted as she mentally reviewed the fight.
"Better than fighting Dowry. That's usually an exercise in frustration." Ark replied. "And you are not going to budge on letting me come with I assume."
He got a giggle before Lilly replied. "You felt my will and I felt yours. You are a man that has always wanted to defend his family. Coming with would hurt ya." She made her mech shrug and then had the simulation repair it. "Also, I'd rather die than my children."
"That..." Arc trailed off.
"Ya, that's my calculation. We're going out light, but we're gonna scrounge and be rats. Trust me, there's nothing more dangerous than that. Also..." Lilly paused. "Don't spread this 'round, but we're pretty sure we're gonna get backstabbed at the end o' the war, or even during it."
"What?!" The man asked incredulously. "Who would dare?! What sort of honor do they have?"
"More stupidity. Call it a hunch. Some of the messages feel like nobles right before they decided it's more fun ta kill than ta fight." Lilly snorted and felt her mech rage silently at the discussion. "We got a few tricks up our sleeves and ain't gonna let it happen, but we don't want the real valuable stuff with us. Stay here and get ready fer a siege towards the end o' the war."
Ark let out a breath. "I will need to temper myself more to do that." He noted. "Not just in these simulations."
"Ya got my permission ta visit the alien planet nearby. Go in deep with a few of your family. The deeper stuff is scary." Lilly said quietly. "It'll be risky, but we both know that's the only way forward. Take Pup if you think he's up for it. I'm trusting you, please."
The man was silent at that. As Lilly said, it was very risky. It was also probably one of the only ways he could train discretely. It was a very heavy request. One that he didn't verbally agree to. He simply didn't ask to follow her again and had his mech get prepared for a trip. That alone was telling.
Luker number 5
Versed in the lewd.
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Good on those two, the whole expert to expert communication really does seem to help.
lost star
Connoisseur.
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He's new. I'll describe it more later.