Armored Core: Snow of Cosmo Fantasy

[] Patch through this 'Clownpiece'. You don't recognize them. Were they transferred recently?

You didn't recognize this particular IFF. They must have been new. You decided to lean back in your seat and patch yourself through and get yourself a little chat with her.

"I know you."

"Sounds like you do. But I don't know you. New face?"

"Transferred."

Just as you surmised. Doesn't seem to be the friendliest sounding either. Probably new on the job. You have been on this iron coffin taking on missions with your platoon for a few years now. You still had a few chips on your shoulder as well but this one was going to get herself killed if she kept that act up.

"Long way from home then. How'd you know me?"

"Heard about you. You're Ice Fairy. The Ammo Fodder. Was warned to stay clear of your path when on the field. Why are you contacting me?"

"It's a long trip. I want to see what's up."

"You're a problem pilot."

"Did Daiyousei tell you that?"

"Warning you. Don't be a liability for us."

"And I'm warning you to not take that tone with seniors. I know my way around here and clearly you don't."

Silence. What crawled up her ass?

"Why so confident?"

Why? That's a funny question.

"Cuz I'm strong, dumbass," you replied as you.

More silence.

And then.

"This mission. Why would it need this many of us going for one place. ACs aren't usually deployed en masse like this."

Million coam question. Daiyousei didn't say much other than what was said in the briefing.

"Ask Daiyousei."

"Can't. Her comms are usually reserved for the higher ups or connected to you."

Well you both were pretty much stuck together in most field trips. Not that you minded. Daiyousei knew you better than anybody and she knew how to properly use you and your skills to the best of her abilities.

It's why she was platoon leader and not you. You were just there to go in guns blazing gunning down enemy drones and HCs or some other rust bucket. You're not one for thinking as much as you are for fighting.

You still can't hold a candle to the elites however.

"I'll keep note of that, kid. Try not to get that stick up your ass any deeper when talking to the others. You'll want friends in the battlefield so don't be a dick."

You shut off the comms and sighed in your seat. What stupid kid.

You heard a ping and got a message. It's from Clownpiece.

[Thanks for the advice.]

Well that was fruitless. Maybe you should get some rest. You don't need to keep drowning yourself in the simulator the whole tr-

CRACK

BOOM

An explosion. The AC containment bay was breached as alarms blared loudly. The red alert began whining before you strapped yourself on your machine.

However before you could even move, another explosion burst through the containment hold you were in. Alarms rang all around you as you saw the integrity of your AC pop up as the cameras opened up in your vision.

Your machine must have fallen and you could see the remnants of a few members of your platoon buried under the ceiling of the containment bay. You could hear shouts and screams but you simply moved through it all.

"Locking in," you spoke into your Platoon's comms.

"ICE FAIRY, WAIT!"

Your AC responded to your controls, activating your thrusters as you flung it's entire hull out of the containment bay. You broke through dust and smoke to find yourself into open sky, the hulking megastructure of 66-G criss crossing the ruined skies above you.

You adjusted your landing and hit the ground dashing keeping up with the movement of the entire escort convoy barreling through the wasteland. From where you were you could see a large... Gash on the spot where the other ACs were stored.

You called it a gash because it looked like something tore through the entire loading area and burnt it's way through a crisp.

Alarms rang. You were detecting a huge thermal signature piercing through the skies of 66-G. You saw it. It was a star. It blazed through the night sky and turned the darkness into daylight.

A blazing sun.

"All units available for combat, engage the enemy. We're under attack. I repeat all units engage the enemy! Ranged units do not disembark the transport! Ice fairy get your ass back here!"

Then you watched the sun howl. It threw... Stars down at the approaching fairies, burning them into ashes. The wasteland was filled with explosions, pummeled by mushroom clouds as the sun screamed into your comms before you watched it dive.

It hit the lead transport vehicle with a violent explosion.

"SHIT!"

You heard Daiyousei curse. The blast was enough to shred your shields as you latched on to the transport ship.

"Platoon 1 has been eradicated! No survivors! I'm not picking up anyone on the IFF!"

"What's is that monster?!"

The Sun responded by rising into the air once more and deploying stars down upon the ruined earth.

You screamed as you raised your guns, "FIGHT BACK! OPEN FIRE!"

"GO, OPEN FIRE!" Daiyousei roared as you unleashed your heavy machine gun roared. Compartments on your AC's torso opened up and fired off missiles to join with the others launched by your comrades.

The Sun responded with a pulse that negated your projectiles before you encountered and interference with your machine. The lights turned off as you felt it fall down to it's knees. You grit your teeth and got it working again only to see the Sun shed its mantle of light and reveal it's form.

"Unidentified AC! No tags!"

"What's it after?!" You asked before you were forced to boost out of the way of a pillar of light.

"Don't know! But I can't reorganize the others! I-I need time! It's going to pick us apart of we're disorganized. We have to get it away from the ship! No... I'll do it! I'll let it away!" Daiyousei decided over your comms, looking to see her AC activate it's pulse shields.

.....
....
...

[] Intercept her. You'll do it.
[] Fly with her. You'll take it on together.
[] Remain with the Escort Ship. Let her do her job.

[] Intercept her. You'll do it.

There's too much of a risk. Daiyousei was the only one who can rally your forces and regroup. Time needed to be bought but if she went out now then there's the chance she'll get picked off. You can't allow that, you were the one who needed to buy time.

Just before she was about to activate her thrusters your own AC was already on the move. You activated your assault boost, slamming into her hull and sending you both tumbling through the air. Your machines rolled as you hit the ground of the escort ship hard. The impact knocked your around your cock pit before you managed to get up and slam your palm om Daiyousei's machine.

"What's the meaning of this?!"

"I'll go," you told her as you activated your thrusters, "I'll buy you time. Go get the others!"

"Ice Fairy?! Hold on at least wait for reinforcements! That's an order!"

You severed your comm link with her as you ascended to the top of the escort ship. It was badly damaged, rend apart as the blasted landscape was torn open by the enemy AC's powerful miniature suns. That kind of weapon was unnatural, was it some sort of Psyche based armament?

You need to take its attention off the ship. You locked your shoulder mounted bazookas and braced your feet on the ground, firing. The recoil was immense but your AC's frame managed to withstand the blow. Stability was fine in terms of firing such large cannons but it could be better if you had yourself some tank threads or quad legs.

But it's just not your style.

"Over here, asshole," you whispered as you saw the enemy AC dash through the air evade your attack.

It turned it's gaze on you.

"Let's dance," you whispered as you jumped off the transport before a beam of light pierced the spot you stood on.

Your machine hit the ground, sliding upon the dirt and steel before turning and firing your heavy machine guns. Massive spent cartridges flew past your field of vision as your Interface displayed your ammunition.

Adjusting your speed, you ran calculations in your augmented brain as you raised your guns to track your enemy's movements. It dived down and began following after you, launching beams of light and creating balls that you could only describe as 'stars' to launch at you.

Gritting your teeth, you turned in your cockpit as yourachine lurched, going into high speeds as you dodged, weaved and kicked off the ground. You aimed your machine guns, firing at your foe before its thrusters roared, swooping from below and drawing an energy blade.

"Got you," you hissed as your thrusters barked for one split second to change your position in mid-air.

You passed it as it flew up your side, the blade in it's hand missing as you took aim at it's body.

Your shoulder cannons fired and you watched the AC erupt into orange blooming explosions. Direct hits. You felt a moment of relief before you saw a hand pierce through the smoke and reach down at you, it was fast enough to keep you from raising your weapons.

DANGER DANGER DANGER

AP AT 50%

That's not what you wanted to hear.

"Let... GO!" You roared, only to slam into the ground hard your vision turned black. However at the split second, your thrusters came to life and you were able to boost away.

Lights danced in your vision as you punched the pulse shield, absorbing the beam of light that lightly grazed your frame.

You watched as the AC's chest seemed to glow... Crimson. Like a cruel red eye it was like it was looking right at you. This was far from over. It looked like the enemy was just pissed off. Then you watched it turn into a Sun again, rising into the air and unleashing a barrage of photon missiles right at you.

Every single alarm system you had screamed as you popped flares and dashed out of the way. The land you stood before was decimated, split dirt and shattered stone flew into the air as the dance started a new.

Your shields were failing but you jerked your controls and turned your entire frame to kick off the ground. You flew, circling the enemy as you started firing at it. It had a shield but it seemed like the same as yours. If you could saturate it you can punch a hole through it with your cannons.

RIGHT ARM WEAPON AT 40%

LEFT ARM WEAPON AT 30%

This is gonna be down to the wire.

It took all your skill and augments to keep yourself alive but it was obvious this thing was wearing you down. If only you had better weapons, a better frame, better core you'd have more of an edge. You were fighting a living star and all you had were your guns and explosives...

You just needed more time.

"Come on, come get me!" You roared as you fired and weaved through it's attacks, strafing it as you kept it on your sights.

A moment's hesitation is death. Your heart was pumping, the drugs pumping into your body heightening your senses as your entire body worked overtime. You held up your machine guns as you passed under the enemy AC and saturated it's shields. The light it emitted was snuffed as the ground split under you upon launching yourself at it.

The AC seemed to anticipate your move and managed to boost away from your assault. It might have guessed you to draw some sort of melee option from your arsenal but it was in your vision long enough for your cannons to lock and fire.

That was when the enemy AC grabbed a disc launched from its side and hold it up to create a portable pulse shield that took the brunt of the blows.

In response, the enemy AC held up it's right arm which turned out to be a modified energy cannon upon closer inspection. The red eye on the AC's chest shined before a screaming howl tore through the air. It fired and you felt your AC barely dodge it, it was hot. You felt your skin burn. You were being cooked in your own machine as your skin sizzled while you screamed.

You felt from the sky as the beam died. It was only through more drugs pumped into you that the pain was numbed and you were able to right your fall and hit the ground dashing back. You kept the enemy in your vision as it saw you were still alive to give chase.

You raised your guns in response before you watched it dart to the side, moving out of the way of a hail of missiles. You watched it fly upwards sharply before you heard your comm links activate.

"This is Clownpiece. I'm here to provide support."

A quadruped Armored Core landed nearby as you recognized it.

"I thought you'd need a hand."

"You're all they could spare?" You asked.

"This enemy isn't the only one sent out to destroy the cargo. Daiyousei has the others rallied. I'm all you have."

They're still alive.

"Why?" You asked. The unspoken part painfully obvious as the two of you faced the unnamed AC.

"I'm not a dick. Plus everyone needs friends in the battlefield."

The enemy AC then activated it's Assault Boost and charged straight for you.

.....
....
...

[] Clownpiece takes point. You'll hammer the enemy with your bazookas. Shatter that shield.
[] You'll keep aggro. You're far faster than Clownpiece, she needs to saturate its shields so you can blow it apart.

[] Clownpiece takes point. You'll hammer the enemy with your bazookas. Shatter that shield.

You shifted, boosting out of the way as you opened fire. You evaded the enemy's charge before it turned so fluidly that its movements bordered on inhuman. You were missing your shots as you stopped your strafe and boosted back, watching as Clownpiece take to the air after your foe. This should work out in your favor.

"I'm leaving you to take it on. Stay moving, herd it to my range," you ordered her as you planted your feet firmly on the ground, minding your ammo count as you watched Clownpiece fire off her missiles.

She forced the enemy to dart through the air, evading as you watched your companion fire down energy blasts from her right arm. A mix of missiles and piercing shots rained down on your enemy and forced it back on the ground as it turned to you. You punched a button as it unleashed a blast of energy, shredding through the wasteland to thunder towards you as you stood your ground.

Discs flew from your AC, latching themselves on the floor as you watched the Pulse Protection activate. The beam slammed into your position, the blast being blocked by your shields before it ended abruptly, allowing you an open shot on your enemy.

"Fuck you," you snarled as you open fired. Your kinetic bullets slammed into its shielding with enough force at close range that it quickly depleted its integrity. It tried to maneuver out of the way but you leaned back in your seat and turned your hull right where you guessed it would dodge.

You raised your gun as a feint but your shoulder mounted cannons were already aimed where it was going. The cannons on your shoulder roared as the enemy miscalculated, taking the full brunt of the blast as for a brief moment its shields went out.

"Die!"

Clownpiece roared as missiles rained from above, bursting into orange explosions around the enemy before it was pummeled into the ground with an energy blast. A violent explosion erupted where it stood as you and Clownpiece surveyed the sight for a moment before a thin beam of light cut through the smoke and flames.

It was so sudden that it sliced clean through your left cannon and chopped off the left side of Clownpiece's legs from the air. Then there was a blast bursting from the burning earth.

"It's... These are Psyche Readings. It's getting..?!"

There it is again. That Red Eye.

"CLOWNPIECE, EVADE!" you roared as the enemy AC raised its cannon arm and fired. It wasn't a blast, no, it's concentrated pure light. Too fast for the eyes of an augmented human to see or calculate. It pierced through Clownpiece's side, causing explosions to erupt on her hull. She was losing altitude, static coming from the comms.

Then it turned its gaze towards you, that crimson gaze pulsing from its chest. It held out its hand, the AC's entire frame shimmering as you began to detect something else other than Psyche energy. Nuclear? Was it generating Nuclear energy?! Then you watched as a tiny star formed in its grasp.

A new voice spoke into your comms.

"Target verified. Proceeding with mission. This ends little Fairy."

"Don't FUCK WITH ME!" you roared as the AC flew into the air and hurtled the star down at you. You fired your guns, firing and firing and you noticed something. It was taking hits, it was being damaged, it's lost its shields.

2 Repair Kits Remain.

Stars fell and split the wastelands, cracking the earth, turning steel into plasma as it exploded. You fired and dodged, weaving through the enemy's assault as it fired photon missiles straight from its back, raining down on you as you dodged and weaved. You then planted your feet on the ground, sliding back before putting all your power to performing an assault boost straight upwards.

Projectiles struck your frame and chipped a piece of your leg but you kept flying. The enemy AC then dragged down a miniature sun, splitting it in three as you were forced to dodge through them. You adjusted your position as you ended up several hundred meters from your target.

Close enough.

Quicker on the draw, you shot at the Enemy AC's cannon arm, redirecting its beam to cut into the ground.

500 meters.

You drove your controls forward, cannons locked. All you had to do was fire. You'll shatter it! Only for the crimson eye to glow. The enemy's Core began to glow bright, only too late you realized what it was doing. It's going to fire.

CRACK BOOM

A blast howled from the AC's chest, enveloping you. It shred your arms, legs and shoulder weapons. Focusing your shielding to the cockpit just let everything else burn to a crisp. This was... Assault Armor?! You burned, the heat from the outside seeping into the cockpit, you were burning and your AC was to be your coffin.

"Damn you!!!" you howled as you reached out to it only to falter, you fell.

Static ringed in your ears.

You couldn't breathe. You were falling.

"Done playing with your food... Raven?"

Who's voice was this...?

Then another voice spoke. The one who told you it was the end.

Raven spoke, "It's over."

.....
....
...

The 9th Platoon of the Forest of Magic has been successfully wiped out. Kourindou Trading Co. has been put on the backfoot after losing such important salvage they've come to discovered. No survivors remained and no records detailing the event save for the aftermath could be found. Traces of Nuclear Radiation was found on the site of attack but other than that, there were no other details that could be found.

The investigation is ongoing. Kourindou Trading Co. has lost investors and the Forest of Magic was dealt a blow in their reputation. Defense contracts will come sparsely now but they still hold the greatest asset of mass producing Augmented Humans for AC pilot training. They'll survive.

As for the 9th Platoon, they've officially been written out of company records as terminated.

.....
....
...

You were lying on a cold surface. Your body ached and your throat was dry.

You remembered... Memories flashed. It hurt.

The Red eye.

"You're awake," a woman's voice echoed from your left, "Lucky little Fairy you are."

"Where..?" you hissed as your throat stung. Your body was wrecked...

"In a safehouse. That's all you have to know. I'm what you call a Gardener," the woman continued as you heard the scraping of a chair nearby before you heard her sit.

You couldn't see. Your eyes were blocked.

"I take worthless things and nurture then, watch them grow into tall big things. Everyone has a seed inside them just waiting to grow," the Gardener continued as you balled your hands into fists, "Don't you have one too? What kind of seed is it?"

Her words made no sense. But you did know something... Something in your heart.

A name.

"R..." you struggled.

"Hm?" the woman seemed curious.

"Ra...ven..." you croaked as you felt blood seep into your throat, "Raven... Find... Raven."

"I see... Revenge it is then."

You grit your teeth as you uttered the words, "I'm going to kill the Raven."

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