Sigma/Star

Chapter 117: Assault on Razul Part 3

Nami leaped through the air once more, feeling the wind beneath her Goliath as the massive battlesuit drifted through the air. She could see the different enemies moving out of the base, each of them splitting apart to go face the separate challengers. Porter and Ardwen's plan was working, forcing the opposing unit into unfavorable match-ups. Each one of them would be able to dispatch their opponent, and it seemed Nami would be first into the fray. Her incredible mobility had put her ahead of the pack, and her range let her begin her attack early.

Her fight would be against one Major Hitaki, a soldier who had only recently moved up in the ranks when they had been assigned to guard Irina. Their slightly modified Exo-class battlesuit wielded a simple pistol and an electrically-charged mace, fusing range with close combat. They were already charging across the snowy valley, aiming to close the distance on the sniper.

But Nami had her own plan, and her own way to counter those foolish enough to engage with her. She had grazed her opponent's arm earlier, dealing just enough damage to its mechanical systems to slow down its movement slightly. Nami would use every extra half-second she had in this fight. Her fingers drifted downwards towards her own pistol, ready to whip it out as needed.

Hitaki stumbled slightly through the snow, and his biggest weakness was immediately exposed; Hitaki had been a southern soldier, and he wasn't used to these conditions. He had been on guard duty, not actively combating enemy troops, so he had almost no practical experience in the snow. Nami didn't hesitate in leveling her rifle and firing once more, her lightweight Goliath pushed back a bit through the air from the recoil. She felt her mind travel with the bullet, the projectile twisting through the air before sailing through her opponent's shoulder. At a shortening range, it was the best she could do, matching Hitaki's dodging with her own ability to bend her shots.

The new hole that had been bored through her opponent was on their opposite arm from the previous injury. It wasn't Nami's intention, or her hope, as she would rather cripple one appendage than marginally injure two but she would take it. But the gap was over now, nothing separating the two Goliaths, and Hitaki's mace was already swinging around the execute Nami. The blow from the object would certainly destroy much of Nami's fragile suit if it connected with her, and she twisted through the air to dodge the swing, bouncing off the ground before re-aligning herself.

Nami was already prepared to deal with the pistol her enemy wielded. Its short range and low damage output wouldn't cause too much harm to The Valkyrie, but one solid connection from the mace would certainly end everything in an instant. She needed to maintain her balance and awareness at all times, chipping away at her foe with a shot here and there. Hitaki, on the other hand, seemed to want to limit Nami's range as much as possible, drawing in close to nullify the sniper's abilities.

The small girl smirked, her feline eyes gleaming with joy at the prospect of toying with her opponent. She whipped her hand back down to her side, withdrawing her own pistol, her fingers slipping into the specially-crafted hilt. The gun had knuckle-dusters built in, attachments to Nami's fingers with serrated blades for when she had to engage in hand-to-hand combat. The bottom of the weapon had a jagged dagger sticking out from it, half of a knife designed to gouge through enemies or drive into the cockpit.

Hitaki charged once more, firing off a few shots with his pistol. Nami could dodge them with ease, but both her and Hitaki knew that; these attacks were only to keep her pinned in place, designed to direct her movements so that Hitaki could set up his own attack with his mace.

The young girl was already a few steps ahead though, and she withdrew her pistol in a flash, the blade at the bottom coming up to deflect the head of her opponent's weapon. She turned him aside, letting his momentum carry the battlesuits even closer together. As Hitaki passed by The Valkyrie, Nami drove her knee into Hitaki's gut, forcing him backwards.