While in Arwing City, I stock up on some supplies:
healing items to replenish my health, a couple of chocolate bars in case my SP
runs low, and some more ammunition for my Enforcer 9mm sub-machine gun. I've
never travelled east of Arwing before - at least, not since the invasion
started - so I don't know what to expect once I set out. It's best to be
prepared.
As I head east, towards the city limits, I pass into the
industrial area. To my right, I notice a group of Reavers salvaging sheet metal
from a disused factory. Even though their stated aim is to plunder as much of
Earth's wealth as possible, we can't do anything about them. The PDF top brass
have determined that it's best not to waste resources fighting them, not when
we have the much bigger threat of the Devastators to deal with, so we've been
ordered to just let the Reavers go about the business. The fact our hands are
full with the Devastators are probably why the Reavers targeted us in the first
place, come to think about it; they know we're too busy fighting this war to be
able to stop them.
I ignore the Reavers, as per my orders, and continue on
down the road. Soon I'm outside the city limits, and into the barren wastelands
to the east. Before me, looming in the distance, is a large mountain range,
which I will have to cross in order to get to St. Leonard. There is a clear
path through the mountains, however, so the journey will not be as arduous as
it sounds.
After a few minutes, I hear an ominous buzzing sound,
which can only mean one thing: an incoming Devastator drone. These smaller,
flying Devastators were the first to make the hyperjump to Earth, and they've
since swarmed across much of the region, scouting out the lands. They're weak
in comparison to the other Devastator types, but are very fast and still highly
dangerous. I quickly draw my SMG, eyes peeled for the drone's distinctive
circular metal body.
A sudden burst of flame to my right catches my attention,
and I turn round to find that another PDF recruit is engaging not one, but two Devastator
drones. One appears to be a standard T-Class Devastator - the drones' formal
designation - while the other is a TP-Class, equipped with a flamethrower. The
burst of flame I saw came from the TP-Class, but it looks like the other
recruit managed to dodge it just fine.
I quickly rush to the aid of my fellow soldier. It's only
right that I help them out. "Are you alright?" I ask them.
The solder nods, accepting my help. "Yeah, I'm
fine," he says. "Could use a little help, though."
"Happy to oblige," I say, aiming my gun. The
T-Class Devastators are about two feet in diameter, with circular bodies and a
single red eye. There's a small gap in the centre of their bodies, from which
protrudes a four-foot-wide, five-bladed fan that spins at extremely high speed,
somehow providing their propulsion. The way this system works has never quite
been deciphered. The spinning blades can also be used as a deadly melee weapon,
slicing through anything in the drones' way, and we'll have to be careful not
to get too close.
I quickly start firing at the machines, using short quick
bursts of fire in order to conserve my ammunition and minimize recoil. I can
only get two or three bursts in before the T-Class charges at me, and I have to
duck out of the way to avoid its deadly blades. The TP-Class fires another
burst of flame at my fellow fighter, but he activates a Special and raises a
magical barrier to protect himself. It seems as though he prefers battling with
magic to battling with weapons, for instead of using the Defender handgun
holstered at his hip, he instead unleashes a powerful lightning attack at the
TP-Class, striking it directly and sending sparks flying. The machine is not
disabled, however, and the fight continues.
I continue to fire at the T-Class, dodging its attempts
to strike me with its blades. Finally, it resorts to laying down a smokescreen,
obscuring our vision in a thick haze. I fire blindly into the darkness and,
upon hearing my bullet strike metal, hastily unload my whole clip in that
direction, no longer worried about accuracy. I do not stop firing until I hear
a satisfying boom as one of the machines is destroyed, unable to withstand my
sustained fire.
As the haze begins to subside, a burst of flame suddenly
erupts through the darkness and strikes me before I can dodge it, knocking me
over. It seems that the TP-Class still lives. As I get to my feet, my comrade
unleashes another lightning attack in the direction that the flames had come
from, and is met in turn with a hail of gunfire from the TP-Class' machine gun.
He weathers the attack though, and as the haze disappears completely, we
quickly team up to finish off the TP-Class. Just as I run out of bullets in my
magazine, the drone explodes in a satisfying shower of sparks, its remains
falling harmlessly to the floor.
"Thanks for the help, man," says my fellow
comrade. "I'm not sure I could've handled that on my own."
"No problem," I say, as I load another magazine
into my Defender. "You alright?"
"Nothing major," he says, rooting around in his
backpack. "Just need a Potion and I'll be right as rain." Pulling one
out, he quickly consumes it and tosses away the empty bottle. "Ah, that's
better. Say, which way are you heading? Maybe we could team up for a bit.
You're pretty good."
"I'm headed to St. Leonard, to ATRAC," I
explain. "I have an important discovery to tell them about."
"Ah. Well, I'm headed back to Arwing, so I guess
I'll see you around," he says.
We exchange contact details, then goodbyes, and then go
our separate ways. My brother-in-arms heads back the way I had come, towards
Arwing, while I continue onwards towards St. Leonard, keeping a sharp eye out
for any more T-Class Devastators that might try and attack.
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