Codename: Freedom - Dragonslayer, page 18
The solution was obvious enough. I needed a squad. Even then, I did the math. A squad of rank E users may be able to defeat a squad with a rank D leader, but could they do so consistently? And that might be possible for a squad of elites. Yet, how often could a normal squad pull it off? That wasn’t even the worst-case scenario. What if a squad had two rank D users, or worse, it was full of them?
It reached to the very heart of the problem with psionics on the battlefield. What can a person do against overwhelming force?
I remembered back to months ago when Victoria was still playing hard to get. Impossible to get was more like it, but I didn’t exactly play by her rules. I’d been rambling and said something along the lines of, “How do we fight the Ekseliksi that are levels above us?”
The day before, she’d had to blow me and several other members of Prodos up with a psionic energy weapon, so she didn’t exactly respond well.
My answer was just to train more. That was exactly what I was doing now, but I couldn’t ignore the reality of the situation. If we lost the next event, then Vanguard was over for us. That meant that Victoria wouldn’t be in the situation she needed to when the simulated war started. It also meant she wouldn’t have as much say in the way her battalions were trained. The worst part was, I knew the Devs wouldn’t allow us to win in the way we had the last event. It was something they hadn’t seen coming, and they certainly hadn’t been on our side this whole time.
Realizing I was wasting my time with this line of thinking, I chided myself. I took a break after a little more training and sat down in the recovery chamber to practice Achilles’ form of meditation. Inside that dome filled with excess psionic energy, I started by sitting on the hard floor. It wasn’t about emptying your mind but filling it. As was often the case, especially as of late, I soon got up and began to pace. Instead of letting my mind wander, I focused on the only thing I could control. What I could do.
It was going great for about an hour, but as I was thinking through possible solutions, it hit me. Our only hope was for our opponents, for there would be more than one, to make mistakes that we could take advantage of. Unless there was some loophole for us to take advantage of like in the last event. They wouldn’t make that mistake twice.
Thankfully, we wouldn’t have to wait as long as we did last time to figure out what the event would be like. I’d go on Mia’s Haven with Kline next week. We’d have a month and a few weeks to prepare this time.
Chapter 19
The next day with the Combat Development Team gathered around, I asked, “Besides coming up with unique ways to defeat a squad with rank D psionic users, what would it look like if Prodos put together its own squad? Who would you include, and would it be able to make a difference?”
From Cornelius and Harrison to Vector and Drool to everyone from Prodos’s original core group minus an Ekseliksi Princess and her secret entourage, everyone was quiet as they seriously considered it.
The blinding white shine of Kline’s teeth merged with the reflection off his bald head as he grinned. I’d seen that look before.
“Is someone looking to put the old team back together?” he asked while bouncing his pecks. Looking down at them as if they were doing it on their own, he smacked his chest then gave it a scolding point with his index finger.
The reproachful glare he was giving himself left me rubbing at the tension in my forehead.
Barrell and Hwan howled as if they’d practiced it.
They weren’t alone. Drool and Marabella giggled, but they were gracious enough to try and hide it.
I tried to hold back my own reaction and failed.
After the levity died down a bit, everyone started to name names. Starting with Kline. “Besides the Right and Left Hands of Prodos, Gatling Gun Mel, and Barrell of the telescoping tickle stick, I have to submit one of my guys from the Force of Poleaxe Destruction as a possible member. He reached rank E before I did and has a large range of abilities unlocked.”
Kline was in true form today.
The first to respond was Barrell. “Thanks for including me and my tickle stick.” He chuckled. “But I don’t think I qualify. I’m only new to rank E and I’m still getting a hang of it.”
“We have time,” I objected. “Besides, your blade bolstering extension is too good to give up.”
Vector stepped up beside Barrell and cuffed him on the back. “Agreed. I’d also like to recommend Treetop. If you’re looking for the best, you won’t find anyone with more freak athletic talent than him, and he now has the discipline.”
“What about you?” I said, raising my voice enough to cut through the other comments.
He shrugged. “If you need an extra body, I’ll do it, but you’re looking for the best. I know myself well enough to know that my real talents are in keeping my men focused.”
“Fair enough.”
Next, Cornellius suggested Heather.
She stepped forward with a shrug. “I’m willing to do it, but I know that I’m not as strong as you guys. I’ll basically be hiding in the back until an opportunity arises.”
“Heather,” I said pointedly. “We will be fighting rank D users, but they are not Krato. Even if it’s as you say, which it isn’t, I think you’ve proven yourself enough since joining us to get a firm invite to the squad.”
Then something I’d never seen before happened. The entire team gave their assent without hesitation, and she turned bright red in the face.
Noticing that Hwan and Harrison were mostly staying out of the conversation besides giving their approval when appropriate, I called them out. “What could an elite stealth squad offer if it worked in tandem with our rank D hunters?”
“Now that’s an interesting question,” Harrison agreed while running his fingers through his mountain man beard.
That wasn’t the only thing I’d be calling on Harrison for. If we had to rely more on military tech to win the next event, then so be it. I told him that anything was on the table.
Another person was mentioned with Captain Ma’s name. Isamu had the ability to throw a crescent of bolstered psionic energy with the swing of his sword. Its range wasn’t nearly as far as a psionic bolt, but up close it was even more deadly.
I’d seen them work together. The seven-foot-tall Ma and average sized modern Samuri were both sword geeks from different traditions.
“Yeah, let’s bring them in,” I quickly agreed. A lot had happened since my rivalry with Isamu. Besides some tension, we hadn’t had a problem in over a year. It was time to put it behind us.
So in the end, besides a few people I wasn’t familiar with, it would be me, Kline, Mel, Barrell, Heather, Treetop, Ma, and Isamu. The number didn’t have to be exact. A squad of twelve would be just as good as eight or ten as long as we worked well together. And just maybe it would work. With Mel’s overpowered bolt, Barrell’s extended blade which could be a nasty surprise, Heather’s psionic stun ability, and Isamu’s flying energy blade, we had several advantages that no other squad would, regardless of rank. All that was left was for us to test as to whether it would be enough.
***
I held a psionic Hoplon style round shield that was interlinked with Kline on my left and Barrell on my right. I smelled the sweat of a bunch of guys in ballistics suits that had been going at a simulated squad with a rank D leader for the last hour. It was our first trial with all of us together.
The sixth or seventh squad we faced reached us. Psionic energy covered our shields as we collided with their spears, and in some cases, shields. The varying strengths of our psionics made a difference. Whoever had the lowest level often became the first target. We could sense it. So could they. Anyone that had enough experience could tell by feel as soon as they were within a few yards of other psionics.
I braced against a bolstered spear thrust with my shoulder. It was easy to shrug off, but I heard a grunt from Treetop. He was at the end of the line on Kline’s side. A man from Kline’s poleaxe squad was between my friend and Treetop. The sound was enough to inform us where the rank D user was, at least generally.
“He’s hiding behind their shield wall,” Ma called from his station behind us. As the tallest guy in our squad, we were making use of his natural height.
I clenched my teeth.
“Again?” Barrell growled
It wasn’t just any random complaint. The first few squads Destiny had thrown at us had come in aggressively with their rank D leader in the front. We’d started to figure out a system. When the leader tried to break through, we let him. Then Heather, Mel, Isamu, and Ma, would collapse on him. They didn’t always make short work of him, but Mel’s overpowered bolt could stop a fully shielded rank D user in his tracks even if the guy was using psionic shielding. With Heather’s stun ability, Isamu’s slash, and Ma’s overhead chop with his twohanded sword, they were not an easy group to shrug off.
At times, there were even more of us in the back. Since the size of a squad could vary, we aimed to have six in the front and six in the back. Depending on the enemy squad, we’d add or subtract how many people we had on the front line at any given time.
However, now that the rank D leader was hanging back and taking pot shots at us, things were much more difficult. At least the squad had two less members.
“Eight,” Kline cried.
Our group in the back responded by adding two additional people to the ends.
As soon as it was done, Mel made his move. Instead of going around the flank that their leader had attacked on, he went around the opposite. Before he reached it, he exclaimed, “Hold!”
It wasn’t a command as much as it was letting us know where he was. He’d decided to use “hold” because it was so common. It wouldn’t give any additional information away.
As he said it, I made my move. Instead of firing a bolt from my palm, I took one from the playbook of the Centurion I fought in the siege event and a bolt fired off from the top of my foot as I kicked in the direction of the enemy who was banging shields with Barrell beside me.
A normal bolt was difficult if fired from the hands even with round shields because of the angles, but there was no rule about a bolt having to be fired from one’s hand. It wouldn’t necessarily take a person out, especially if they were shielding their entire body, but if they weren’t, I could injure one of them enough to get the party started.
That was one of the reasons I was in the position I was. Not everyone could cast psionic bolts without help from an item. For those of us that could, not everyone had the control to fire them off from another part of their body. Because of the energy flow, it wasn’t as powerful as it was through the palm, but if I used the bottom of my foot, it was about the same. That is if I wasn’t wearing shoes that interfered with psionics.
I heard another grunt as much as saw it. Then Barrell shifted to bring his shield back just enough to slip his spear through. What came next was far more than a grunt. That’s when Mel shot around our right flank and unloaded his charged bolt in the face of whoever was waiting. A flurry of bolts followed as he did his best to pepper the backs of the enemies of their shield wall.
This time was more successful than the last. The one in front of me disengaged enough for me to take a peek. The moment I saw what was going on, I kicked out.
My foot slammed into the man’s shield, sending him flailing. Seeing that the enemy to my right was subdued or backpedaling, I slammed the rim of my shield into the back of the man Kline was pushing against. It made a satisfying smack.
Just as the right side of their formation was crumbling, I heard a familiar voice cry out.
“Fall back,” Ma thundered as I straightened enough to see Treetop with a spear point exit from his shoulder.
The wound wasn’t deep, but the enemy leader had continued to harass the former pro gamer.
As the man was pulling back his spear, Treetop thrust at the guy’s face. What no one expected was for the spear to leave his hand, forcing the leader to duck behind his shield. He was more than fast enough, but the man next to him wasn’t. A psionic bolt jump from Treetop’s hand and hit one of the few men still standing on the enemy line in the side of the head. The man wasn’t ready, and he certainly wasn’t Kline. He collapsed in a heap.
In a controlled wave, we rolled over the rest of them as the rank D leader retreated backward, hiding behind his shield.
“Make it quick!” I shouted. “We don’t know the event details. Another squad could be joining at any moment.”
And so I watched them stalk the simulated leader down. This one didn’t fire off any psionic bolts which had made us more successful than in many of the earlier rounds.
That didn’t mean the rank D user would make it easy. It was even possible… My expression darkened.
The enemy took one of Ma’s overhead swings with his shield. Even though Ma used his full rank E psionic strengthening, the man used rank D. Then Barrell rushed in trying to reach the guy’s legs with an extended spear while Heather rushed around to get behind him.
Then the leader moved. He didn’t just dodge Barrell’s attack but plowed right through him and kept going.
Kline and his man braced against the guy’s shield charge. They did everything they could just to stay on their feet.
Thankfully, the leader spotted Treetop again and placed his sights on him. It was enough to give Mel and open shot.
Even though it fell on the enemy’s shield, it still stung him.
Mel prepared another charged bolt when I decided I needed to step in.
Launching myself into the air, I controlled my ascent only to realize I’d only reach about thirty or so feet in the air due to the grassy soil. I knew his heading, so it should be enough.
The leader switched targets to Mel. He charged my friend only to catch another shocking bolt with his shield from nearly point-blank range.
Mel jumped out of the way while I used wind walk to get my trajectory and fell on the enemy.
It was nothing fancy. This wasn’t the Falling Spear technique Mel and I had been developing. Without the ground being made of the right material, the technique was mostly worthless. If he was caught off guard, it didn’t matter.
The enemy was still using his psionic aura. Even though it strengthened his body, and to a degree increased his body’s defense, it was not internal walls or external shielding.
Flying in from above in something resembling an axe kick, I dropped my heel on his back, driving dragonslayer into his spine.
Did it kill him outright? I don’t know. A couple of poleaxes landed on the guy followed by a series of attacks. Instead of carnage, the enemy leader burst into pink bubbles and floated upward.
Someone grunted as they stabbed one of the larger bubbles. Heather stood triumphantly. That bashful side of her had disappeared and the smug one had returned.
Looking around the field of battle, I saw that everyone was picking themselves up. Besides Treetop’s shoulder, there were no serious injuries.
Before I could say it, Kline jumped in. “Well done, people. Best fight yet. Nobody on our side died.”
I winced. We hadn’t been wiped out during any of the fights, but he wasn’t exaggerating. We hadn’t just lost one person. Two was our average closely followed by three. In one fight, only half of us were left, but Destiny had made the rank D guy a little overpowered as she was getting a feel for what we could handle.
Treetop brushed at his shoulder where the wound had been, but it was no longer there. This was Destiny’s world. She didn’t like pain, so she limited the amount we felt. Even during the fight the pain dampeners were turned on. She wanted us to be able to discuss the battle right after it happened without the mental fatigue that often came with serious injuries. Even if they were the simulated kind.
We only fought a few more times before we moved on. It was a good trial that showed a lot of promise. But did we have enough time to perfect it? And more than that, our limit seemed to be groups with one, maybe two, rank D psionic users in them. Then there were guys on the top of the Genesis list. I was more confident fighting someone like Brendon Black or the Real Major one on one than I was in a squad. Movement was my main advantage. But if they were leading a squad of men, which they most definitely would be, I didn’t see this working. Not without several people from my squad sacrificing themselves to give me a chance. And if they stacked their squad full of rank D users? Our most powerful psionic users would be wiped out all at once.
Once the Combat Development Group meeting was over, I returned to my personal training. A big part of me wanted to skip Destiny’s game, but it was something I’d committed to. Also, I’d seen improvements with my reaction time and the scope of my vision when defending had improved.
More than once, Destiny told me my head wasn’t in it. That I was distracted by my own thoughts. She was right, but also wrong. I was distracted. However, my head certainly was in it. Too much to be exact. That was the problem. I couldn’t stop thinking of my problems and possible solutions to get out of my way enough to act.
That night, Victoria met me in the old bandit sim that had been transformed by Destiny. It was our first time spending any real time together in more than a week. She noticed it too. That I was having problems being present. I told her what I was thinking while keeping it light.
“Just remember that we don’t know the full extent of what the event is going to be like. Stressing over the worst possible situation isn’t going to help anyone,” she replied from where she sat next to me on the floor. The scene had been tweaked just enough for it to seem like we were having a late picnic in a field while the sun was setting. The whole charade was to help us relax.
As soon as she finished, I cracked a smile.
She rolled her eyes, but the corners of her mouth twitched. Everything came out all at once.
“Stressing about the worst possible scenario?” I said after my laugh had calmed down. “That’s precisely what we do, Victoria.”
