Glintlock - Part Three
A pair of eagle eyes, enhanced by the goggles that covered them, tracked Leviathan's progress through the Park. The landscaping did nothing to block their view, and they watched as the robot---with the filly on her head, if that don't beat all---navigate back the way they went.
They're wasting my time, the eyes' owner decided. I told Ignition that I would signal him by three, but I would like to have Leviathan's head well before that. Now, what can I do to speed this up? As if I didn't already know.
Glintlock raised his weapon, making a few adjustments to it. Alright. Set this from multiple shots to single... crystal shards are still mostly charged... runes have not been worn away... excellent. Credit to the developers for the ease of use. I wonder if I can keep this weapon after we're done? He looked down the sight towards Leviathan, judging her path and progress.
The fact that his new toy would be considered highly illegal everyplace he'd ever heard of never crossed his mind. Even if it had, he would've deemed it an unnecessary worry.
Non-repeating crossbows had an effective range in the ballpark of forty to sixty yards, but for those that cared more about distance than accuracy, it was possible to reach hundreds of yards farther. Beginners and even some skilled users of the weapon tended to stick with the former, it being the most comfortable of their options.
He, on the other hand, had been trained in the use of the crossbow from adolescence onward. Nearly every day from the time he joined his father on his first hunt to the day when they parted ways for good, he had honed his skills with an almost feverish intent to become the best. He had long since abandoned his original weapon, having traded it in for a repeater. Properly prepared, he could safely say that he could shoot down a fly at his weapon's maximum range while taking into account wind interference and the fly's erratic movements. Since the upgraded crossbow he'd been provided with by Cocoa's team was both top-of-the-line and magically enchanted to the gills, accomplishing this task from this far away would be child's play.
Wait just a moment more, don't want too many things getting in the way of the shot, and...
A lever shifted, and the weapon trembled.
Glintlock waited for a few moments. Satisfied with what he saw, he locked the weapon's firing mechanism, returned it to its place and grabbed his guitar. You just run right here, he thought as his talons plucked the strings. I'll be waiting for you.
It's what I get for not ending the connection with Maverick when it became apparent that it wasn't needed. It's been half a minute after I finally got around to doing so, and Babs is still sniggering. I'm glad she's amused, but I wish she would stop.
I've been wondering more recently about how children really think, but that's likely to stay a mystery.
There's nothing else that needs to be said between us, so I'm just retracing my steps back to the entrance. The playground Babs had gone to was a fair ways away: I've been walking for a few minutes at a solid clip, and I'm still about a third of a mile from where I entered, give or take. I haven't been accosted by any drones since I left the playground, though I know they're out there. It's just a matter of time before things get ugly again.
A random thought, but seeing Median Park in all its splendor is reminding me of something I haven't considered in a while. Back home in an age past, a Maverick attack sent a certain space colony plummeting to the earth. A brave Reploid volunteered to crash a shuttle into the colony mid-way. The resulting explosion successfully destroyed most of the facility, preventing mass extinction at the cost of that Reploid's life... though the resulting debris remained a destructive reminder of the threat that Mavericks posed.
I've never been to Area Zero before. The site where the debris struck the earth was cordoned off after the event, and no one's been allowed to visit it ever since. I have seen satellite imagery of the area in recent years, though, and the Area has become a veritable forest in its own right. I discussed this with Harpuia once, and he suggested that some of the colony's systems remained intact enough for them to influence nature around the site.
Which makes me wonder if encouraging the further growth of Area Zero could be considered a viable undertaking? It's something to think about after the whole Weil issue is dealt with, never mind this one. I'll put a tab on that for now.
Babs has finally stopped laughing. While I can't see her up there, I can only assume she's enjoying the novelty of seeing the world from that high off the ground. I wonder if she's feeling jealous of the pegasi right now.
I make a turn past where I'd previously destroyed a set of trip wires...
"Gghhkkk!"
...just as something grazes my upper arm in passing, singeing the sleeve and tearing off the synthskin beneath before disappearing somewhere. It didn't pass through the frame, thankfully, but X alive that stung. So much for not being attacked!
Babs gasps. I can hear her hooves shuffling on the helmet as she shifts positions, probably to get a better view of my sudden wound. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Just a scrape," I hiss, ducking down out of view behind some bushes. Don't want her involved in this, don't want her involved in this... "Head back out of the park the way you got in, and don't go off course. Look for two ponies in prison uniforms; they're the helpers I told you about. They should be at the entrance with the Police."
"You're sure?"
"Yes." I face away from her towards where the bolt had come from, summoning my Javelin. "Go, please. I'll handle this!"
Babs doesn't need further encouragement. She jumps down off my head and gallops down the path as fast as her little legs can carry her, leaving me free to continue my assignment.
Glintlock picks that moment to start mocking me: at the very edge of my hearing, unhindered by any other noise, he's decided to pass the time by playing music. And of course, being the backwoods hunter he is, it has to be on an acoustic guitar. Smug little bird-lion.
With Babs gone, the drones that have been giving me a wide berth have decided to close in on me. An entire swarm's worth of modified Magiflies are closing in: probably the entire Park's worth, if I had to guess. By themselves, they were nothing. As a group...
...still nothing, given that they don't react to me materializing a Spirit of the Ocean. They're just flying head-long at me, probably looking to attach themselves to me with their hooks and stingers. They aren't breaking into any sort of attack pattern: it's just a head-long rush, so maybe they don't have any energy projectors?
It doesn't matter. I leap atop the Spirit as it fully forms and direct it towards the thickest part of the swarm. I trust its homing ability to ensure it continues to fly at any targets, and I keep myself balanced as it twists and turns. Any and all drones that fly into the Spirit are smashed apart like cardboard walls before a wrecking ball.
I stoop down and place my left hand on the Spirit's back, channeling additional ice to repair any minor damage it picks up from the swarm's suicide attack. All the while I keep my Javelin spinning with my right hand, slicing through any that come close. Ah, multi-tasking. Don't you love it?
Of course, that still leaves my left side temporarily unguarded. One of the Magiflies is able to attach itself to my arm, though its stinger isn't able to pierce my frame. If that was all it could've done, I would've just left it alone until everything else was destroyed.
Now, if only it didn't start glowing: prior evidence tells me that when they begin doing that, they're probably going to self-destruct and do damage that way. "Going to take a page out of your playbook, Fefnir," I mutter to myself... before smashing the Magifly against my forehead, the drone crumpling and breaking apart with a burst of fractured magic. My helmet's much sturdier than these Magiteched contraptions by a long shot.
I established back at the start of my narrative that I am not too different from Fefnir. I am not 'proud' of it in the strictest sense, but just know that it shouldn't come as a surprise to any of you, either.
...
My assault on the swarm continues in this fashion for a short time. I fly about above the trees and annihilate everything stupid enough to get too close while periodically repairing the Spirit to keep it from destabilizing. It's just as I finish my last swing, destroying four drones with a single Water Circle, that my radio buzzes. -"Hey, Leviathan? It's Magnum. Found a foal who says you sent her to find us. Is she the one you went in for?"-
"Red mane, brown coat, a little chubby, no Cutie Mark? Yes."
-"Seconded,"- the officer who had briefed me on arrival chimes in, his voice just loud enough for Magnum's radio to pick it up. -"She's the one, alright."-
-"The boys here are saying there's a small doctor's office across the street,"- Magnum continues. -"I'm thinking maybe we should take her there just to be on the safe side."-
"Did she get hurt on the way out?"
-"Not that I can see, and she's saying she's unharmed anyway,"- Magnum denies. -"But she's worried about you getting shot again."- Cute. -"I figure maybe the doctor's would be a safe place for her to wait for you."-
"...Probably," I decide. I direct the Spirit towards the area where the music is still playing as I reply. "I just got done dealing with the 'troops', if you want to call them that. I'm en route to Glintlock now."
-"We'll continue as planned, then,"- Magnum confirms. -"Have fun in there."-
The radio clicks off. 'Have fun in there', she says. Their definition of 'fun' needs some work. ... Oh, well. We've seen how ponies and dragons fight so far today. Let's have a look at how griffons handle combat.
...
I haven't been flying for long when something... no, more like a series of somethings... strikes the Spirit from the ground, causing the ice dragon to break apart. I leap off the Spirit's back and let myself drop, landing easily in a spacious field dotted here and there with trees and bushes. Off in the near distance is a terrace of some kind, so assuming I read that map correctly, I'm more or less in the middle of the Park. The music is loudest here, and I'm able to pick out my target perching in one of the larger trees.
Glintlock's appearance is everything his profile had painted him to be. His armor bears similarities to Trifecta's, though his is more of a mottled green and brown compared to Trifecta's brighter blue-green... camouflage purposes, I'm assuming. Instead of a gas mask, he's wearing a set of goggles with tinted lenses, along with the same hat that his profile's photo depicted him with.
And for the life of me, I still can't remember what that hat is called. Why is that of all details bothering me?
The griffon 'tsks' quietly. "Well, if that doesn't beat all. All of that flailing had a purpose. You're still alive."
"Did you expect otherwise?" I retort, shifting into my battle-ready pose and aiming the Javelin at him. "You're dealing with a career soldier, not a lamb to the slaughter. I'm a professional. I've already had to prove it to Trifecta and Metallium. I'll prove it to you, as well."
"A professional, you say?" Glintlock halts his music, leaving his guitar in the crook of a branch and taking wing. "How about that...? Then I'll have you know that I consider myself a professional as well."
He takes his weapon off his back, giving it a brief examination. Despite its unfamiliarity to me, I can tell that it appears much more polished and---dare I say---modern than the stationary crossbows I destroyed earlier. "When you make your living in the wilds, robot, you have to know where to draw the line. I abide by three very special standards, the same ones that my father taught me, and his father in turn. They have carried me through my career as a hunter. They will continue to do so today."
"And those standards are?"
"The ones that mark whether a hunter lives or dies. Be polite..."
"Well, good news: she's okay," Doctor Flour declared jovially as he finished looking Babs over. As his medical practice bordered Median Park, the Police officers and prisoners had asked him to check the filly for injury. "Nothing major, nothing minor. The picture of perfect health." He fished an apple-flavored candy out of his coat and gave it to Babs, smiling as he watched her face light up upon receiving it.
His smile left him when he saw the Officers' befuddled faces. "Is something wrong?"
"Well, it's good that she's fine," one of them answered. "It's just that... well, you've heard about why the park was blockaded, right?"
"Something about one of those that attacked the city being holed up in there?" Flour wondered.
"Yes," the other Officer confirmed. "Median Park was blanketed in traps. Anypony who willingly entered the park knowing that would've put themselves in jeopardy."
"So how did little Miss Seed manage to get so far without getting hurt?" the first Officer finished.
"Well... maybe the one responsible is a nice guy?" Flour suggested.
Both officers gave him unsure looks. Maverick's face was pure 'what-have-you-been-on', and Magnum was irritably shaking her head. Flour's ears turned down. "Yeah, that was pretty stupid. Sorry."
"...be efficient..."
MULTIPLE THREATS INBOUND!
The Radar proves its worth again. With a spin, the Javelin's blade deflects four bolts that had been flying towards me from the bushes. More traps. Lovely.
Glintlock is aiming his weapon down at me. His expression doesn't change, but his voice emphasizes that he's viewing me as the prey in this relationship. "...have a plan to kill everything you meet."
I should be angry at that. Should be. What was that term Ebony used once? ... Ah, yes; his statement was pure 'cheese'. But I suppose if I could make my statements ooze with confidence, I could say whatever I wanted without argument. Magically-enhanced crossbow bolts aimed straight at your face can and will sap the humor out of the room.
And the bolts are fast, too. I'm able to tilt my head enough that the first bolt does little more than skim past the side of my helmet, but after that I'm forced to run. The next three bolts he fires are aimed at my neck, chest, and my right knee with pinpoint precision, and it's only through a timely Dash that I'm able to evade all three. Any doubts I had that Glintlock's bolts could damage ceratanium are silenced when the fourth one pierces cleanly through a boulder and into the ground without any loss in speed. Whoever's been studying magic over there knows what they're doing; they've turned a primitive weapon into the closest they're going to get to laser weaponry for centuries.
The most impressive part about this is that his aim is just as semi-automatic as his weapon. His focus isn't wavering, his reflexes are hair-trigger, and his weapon is shifting position as quickly I am. The last time I saw an aim that was this on-point was before Zero killed Phantom. It's for the best that he chose to live life in the wilds as a hunter instead of in civilization as an assassin; any underworld elements would pay through the nose to hire him!
The gun emplacements that have been set up behind every bush in range aren't making things any more fun. Their ammunition doesn't have the same velocity or piercing ability that Glintlock's weapon does, but they can still sting---and thus, distract. If I'm going to devote my time to thwarting him, I have to spare a few seconds to get rid of them. And that's going to require splitting my attention.
Scanning...
"Sssst!" One of said bolts grazes my knuckles, getting a hiss out of me. I sidestep a shot from Glintlock that would qualify as a low blow if I had the biological processes for it.
Scanning...
Two more shots aimed at my dominant hand, which drops to keep them from hitting. Come on, scoundrel. You've got to be running low on ammunition for your weapon by now.
Scanning...
By coincidence, I'm facing in the direction of an emplacement as it fires at me again. I jettison a spearhead at it, trusting in its tracking ability to do the rest, and do a mid-air twist that keeps Glintlock's next shot from connecting. I'm rewarded when a shower of wood and metal confirms that crossbow's destruction.
Scanning...
"Slippery little bunny," I can hear the griffon muttering as he continues to target me. "Welp, can't say I didn't ask for a challenge..."
Alright, just a few things. One, WHY is he still firing at me? Even automatic weapons need to be reloaded eventually.
And two, those are fish fins on my helmet, not rabbit ears.
Scanning...
There are holes scattered around the battleground, all of them caused by Glintlock's personal weapon. I pass by one in particular, situated behind the boulder that his fourth shot had tunneled through. I can just barely see the bolt buried within...
...right before a mottled green glow---the same shade as my enemy's armor---wraps around it. With a brief flare of light, the bolt fades from reality...!
Have to evade another barrage here, almost got one right between the eyes... alright, I can ask the obvious questions now: Is this why Glintlock is able to maintain his firing rate? Is his ammunition enchanted not just to pierce the toughest of metals, but also to return to his magazine after a pre-set time period? Because if so, this would explain why he is able to keep the pressure on---
“AAGH!”
...I knew I was doing too well maneuvering on land up until now. A fancy sidestep to get around another set of shots, and it’s resulted in me faceplanting. Fine time for my hot streak to end: right in the middle of a pitched fight---!
I hear a shot pierce through something in one of my boots, not quite hitting my foot but damaging some vital components all the same. Dash Thrusters: 50%, my HUD warns me. Left thruster offline.
Not good, not good---!
Scanning...
“What have we got here?” I can hear Glintlock taunting me overhead. “Just a dead little jackrabbit. How about you call it a day? Nothing personal, ma’am, but I’m just better.”
"My generator is still operational," I snarl at him, leveling the Javelin at him from my prone position. "And as long as it is, I'm not done."
"Oh, don't be like that," he purrs, centering his weapon on my helmet's jewel. "I'd be willing to record your final words for posterity. Of course, the price for that would be your shattered carcass, but nothing is ever free."
"My final words, huh?" You really shouldn't have given me that much to work with, hunter. "In that case, I've got a few for you."
"And those would be...?"
"Permafrost Squirrel."
Before he can think to question those words, the Javelin's head gyrates rapidly with a high-pitched whir. I hang on tight to my weapon as it soars towards Glintlock. I inwardly smirk as his countenance shifts from confidence to alarm.
Credit where credit is due, he retains the presence of mind to fly away from the first strike and shoot down at me. He isn't expecting the whirling weapon to deflect his shot to the side, nor does he anticipate me steering the Javelin at him in mid-air. I trigger the Squirrel again, aiming straight for him---
Glintlock fires once more, this time taking the Javelin's revolutions into account. The bolt slips past the blade, my face its destination---
I shift and loosen my grip on the Javelin, falling out of position. The bolt misses my face, but rips a large gash in the side of my helmet. The griffon's eyes have just enough time to widen before one of my boots rises to meet him, striking his armor's chest piece squarely and causing it to crack.
Glintlock recovers quickly and attempts to adjust his aim, wings flapping furiously---but 'quickly' is not fast enough. I cut the second Squirrel short, regaining control of the weapon; from here, it's as easy as aiming and firing again. This time my strike connects, tunneling straight through his crossbow repeater and shredding it---ammunition and all---into a multitude of shrapnel and wooden shavings. He isn't able to express any sort of indignation before the Javelin reaches his chest piece, finishing what my kick began by splitting it apart.
The scaly armor beneath resists the Squirrel like a champion, but it doesn't protect him from the force brought on by the Javelin's velocity. The griffon hunter is blown downwards, impacting the ground near his tree with enough strength to shake it.
Glintlock rolled to his feet, muttering to himself at all the aches he was feeling. Hitting the ground from that high up hurt. What a loss of a perfectly good crossbow... But no matter. I'll just borrow one from the traps, and---
He never finished that thought. Jarred loose by the impact, his guitar dropped from its branch down onto his head with an audible "KA-BONG". His noggin rattled alongside his thoughts, he couldn't do any more than mumble: "...Shouldn't have got out of bed this morning" before he collapsed, a soft groan escaping his beak.
The pieces of his toy rained down, with Leviathan not far behind. She let her undamaged boot hit the ground first, keeping herself from staggering. She straightened, examining the downed griffon intently. Satisfied that he was down for the count, she raised her hand towards the sky in victory as a glimmer of light flashed off her helmet's jewel.
Scan complete. Locations of remaining crossbows identified.
"Took long enough," I complain without any real heat behind it, lowering my hand. "Could've used that sooner."
MISSION COMPLETE
MISSION - 100 - 20p
CLEAR TIME - 35'49 - 3p
ENEMY - 104 - 20p
DAMAGE - 13 - 17p
RETRY - 0 - 20p
TOTAL: 80p
AVERAGE: 80p
LEVEL: B
CODENAME: WARRIOR
-Scanning...-
My... my eyes are tingling. It's not effecting my vision negatively, and it doesn't really hurt, but it's still an off-putting sensation.
-Password broken. Hunter operational. Allows user to see invisible or camouflaged objects. Shuts off vision in one eye as a tradeoff, limiting range.-
Quick test run here... My right eye just went completely dark. It's not different from just closing it, so it isn't as unsettling as one might think. As for the inactive gun emplacements that I identified the locations of, I can see them all as plain as day through my left eye. The foliage that conceals them might as well not even be there.
I feel I should clarify the difference between this and the Subsurface Radar. With the Radar, there's no real visual detail. While I can see hidden objects and ponies with it, everything's muddied; it's like a math equation on the wall that you can't quite see by squinting. The world exists entirely in outlines. Put two ponies with the exact same build, mane and tail styles next to each other, and I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them without checking their Cutie Marks.
Hunter, on the other hand, trades range for clarity; I can see everything that should be seen just by sacrificing half my normal vision. There's a family of rabbits hiding in a burrow behind the tree Glintlock was in when I arrived: two parents, one black-and-white, the other pure white; along with six youngsters, four of whom have their father's coloration. I had literally no way of knowing any of this before the password was broken. I never circled around the tree throughout the entire battle.
Extra credit question: can we combine the two systems? Let's see... And the answer to that question is "yes". I can see the rabbits, but they and the burrow exist solely as outlines in my left eye. Still, it bumps up my energy consumption, so I will need to be mindful of that.
Now, about this new weapons technique that's joined me for the ride...
-Analyzing Crossbow Repeater...-
There we go. Took it a little bit.
-Scanning... 8%... 29%... 55%... 78%... Done.-
My Javelin aims itself at the sky, rapidly firing off spearheads one after the other. It doesn't stop until the same number of projectiles as there are gun emplacements are all airborne. I watch them as they fly around above me for a time before they home in and destroy the turrets, maneuvering around the foliage to accomplish this. The so-called "hardware limitations" that had been imposed on the weapon have been circumvented.
-Reconfiguration Complete. EX Skill gained: Gatling Harpoon. Allows the three-projectile limit to be broken. User can attack with as many spearheads in unison as needed, provided that enough energy for the weapon is available. One unit of energy per usage. Twenty-eight units total.-
I'm getting stronger. Little by little, my powers are increasing with each enemy I defeat. I had my own private doubts as to whether I would be able to face Weil at my best when I returned, but those doubts are gone now. Someday soon, I will be able to stand alongside Zero as an equal and prove my worth to Neo Arcadia once more.
Of course I still have to reach that point, but that's for the future. For now, where's that Reddocite?
After we left the park, Babs was the first to greet us: she barreled out of an office across the street and scampered over to check me out. I was fully healed, of course; she couldn't find the wound I received while escorting her because it just wasn't there anymore. I assured her that everything was fine, and she was happy leaving it at that.
...
Glintlock regains consciousness as I turn him over to the Police. He was perturbed, but it has shifted to resignation as the Officers read him his rights, cuff him and restrain his wings. Compared to Trifecta and Metallium, he seems more tired than either of them.
"Hey-hey, Levi! What's going on here?"
I sigh softly. Not the time for a social visit, I tell the voice silently, though I acknowledge him anyway. The more upbeat of the two griffons I've met is ambling down the street, and I nod at him when he gets close enough. "Gilbert. How do you do?"
"Great, just great, and---" Gilbert gets a good look at our captive, and his sentence cuts off in the middle. His eyes shoot open as he squawks, clearly taken back. "Whoa, dude! I know that face! That's Glintlock! He's got a Wanted list a mile long back home! What's he doing here?"
"Have you heard about yesterday's explosions?" I tell him curtly. "He was the source of one of them. I was hired to catch those responsible."
The cashier chuckles. "Bounty hunter. Nopony believed me when I said what you were, but I called it. Absolutely called it!"
It's nice to catch up with a familiar face, but I've got work to do. "Look, Gilbert. Unless you've got some means of taking him off our hands... or hooves, case depending... would you let us go about our business, please?"
"Chillax, Levi. Chillax. I know a few griffons who'd be willing to take him back to Griffonstone," Gilbert suggested, the gears in his head obviously turning. For some reason, Glintlock's eyes have dilated fearfully in response. Is there something more there than just facing justice for his crimes? "If you don't mind paying them, that is. We ain't in the habit of doing stuff for free."
Hmm... "Hold that thought," I say, raising a finger to silence him. I open the line to the Police station. "Officer Coffee, given the crimes that Glintlock's carried out on Equestrian soil, would they take precedence over those in the Griffon Kingdom?"
The line is quiet for a time, though I can hear Coffee rummaging around. -"Based on what I can find,"- she finally says, -"no. As injurious as his actions were, none of the wounds he dealt the Police were lethal or otherwise intended to be. Now, if he had actually killed any of our officers, or if Ms. Seed had been hurt, every lawful pony in the city would be clamoring to have him put away for life. As things stand, the Griffon Kingdom gets dibs due to the sheer scope of his hunting. Once he's paid for his crimes there, a case here in Manehattan will be filed."-
I relay the gist of Coffee's reply to those listening. Most of them, including Gilbert, are nodding. "How soon can you get in contact with your associates, then?" I inquire of him.
"They're in different parts of the city. Gonna have to do some back-and-forth..." Gilbert thinks aloud, one talon near his chin. "Maybe four griffons minimum to keep him in line... it'll be a few hours before I can get them all together."
"Two? Three?" I ask. "Two and a half?"
"Make it three," he decides. "Better safe than sorry, y'know?"
Excellent. "That will work. Officers?" I wait for their salutes before I continue. "Take Glintlock back to the Department and keep him under lock and key for now, preferably in a cell away from Trifecta. If they can get any information out of him, terrific; if not, don't beat yourselves up over it. In approximately three hours, bring him outside the First Equestrian Bank of Manehattan and wait to transfer him. Gilbert?"
"Yeah? Whassup?"
"Have your associates meet me there at that time. We can get your group paid, turn Glintlock over to you, and get that business taken care of all at once."
Gilbert's beak falls open. Glintlock's does as well, though it's the former who speaks. "Dudette," he states quietly. "Like, no hesitation at all. The mercenary attitude usually stumps 'em."
"I'm from a society that manifested long after the more traditional forms of currency were dead and gone," I tell him. "I just don't have as strong a desire for them as some do. I can afford to part with some if it's required." And when you get right down to it, paper and rocks are silly things to get worked up over anyway. A glass of clean water is much more valuable, especially if it is hard to get.
While Gilbert parses that, another officer speaks up. "What about those traps? Is it safe to open up the park?"
"Not yet," I say with a head shake. "I'm going to make a quick pass through the park and disable the traps. Continue keeping the area blocked off until I give the all-clear, then get in contact with the park staff and have them help you clear out all of the debris. Once I'm done, I'm heading straight for Madisoat Square Garden to catch the figure skater. Barring a disaster, I'll be able to make the meeting at the bank in three hours."
"What about the kid?" Magnum pipes up, gesturing at Babs. The child seems overwhelmed by everything that's going on, not sure whether to look at me, the griffons, or the Police. "Is it safe for her to go home?"
"It should be... hold on a moment." From our talk in the park, Babs has had a rough go of it lately. I can't ease her troubles myself, but I know somepony who can. "Anypony have scrap paper and a pencil handy? There's something I'd like to give her..."
...
"Before I forget," I say to Gilbert a short time later while Magnum and Maverick give Babs an escort from the area. "There's a word I heard you use before. 'Chillax'. What does that mean?"
"Combination 'chill' and 'relax'," Gilbert says simply. "You need to get out more."
A beaming grin takes shape. "That," I answer slowly, "is the best word I've ever heard."
His own smile can't denote anything but agreement. "I know, right?"
The figure skater that Ignition was calling for lounged in her seat, watching those below her putting the finishing touches on the ice rink that they'd been working on since she'd set up shop. "Hm?"
-"Neither Agents #1 nor #3 are responding to our calls. And approximately five minutes ago, we lost all contact with #2. Assuming that she knows where you are, the living machine's coming for you."-
Statuette looked up at the ceiling and sighed sadly. "Our new armor hasn't been doing the job it was allegedly designed to do, Mr. Ignition. It was supposed to be the ultimate in protection."
-"More likely Leviathan has been taking advantage of its lone weak point, though that does not explain how she defeated #3. She is nothing but armor."-
Statuette thought back to the briefing that had been provided a few nights before. The dragon scale mail was impervious to all forms of attack, including powerful impacts, but those wearing the armor were not. The enchanted armor pieces were specially made to negate inertia and other outside forces, keeping the wearers from being harmed by said impacts. In theory, any of the agents could be struck by a train at full speed and consequently walk away without injury. But if those pieces were destroyed by a direct attack... "I'll try to figure out some way to turn this to my advantage, but it doesn't look promising. I'm an athlete, not a tactician or warrior."
-"So noted," Ignition intoned. -"If you are unable to do any lasting damage to Leviathan, turn yourself in. If you are interrogated, take all the appropriate measures to prevent information from spreading. We will plan to recover our agents once Mr. Mocha has passed the reins to the successor of his will."-
A resigned nod. "How much longer?"
In response, a hacking cough that made Statuette flinch manifested over the connection. She realized as it happened that Cocoa Mocha had been listening to the conversation. -"Not... long,"- her leader rasped, his lungs struggling to work. -"But... my ideals and hopes... are not so easily silenced. This world must... see a new sunrise. A new majesty."- She got the impression that he was smiling. -"From disaster... to death... and everything in-between... I always come back."-
It's an old adage that you cannot kill an idea, Statuette thought as the connection ended. All it takes is one individual to pick up on it, and it gets passed on and on to everypony. I gathered that his successor will be a die-hard supporter of his that we haven't met yet, so in a strange way it's true that he'll be coming back. It will just be in the form of his ideals instead of his direct physical presence.
She surveyed the ice rink and nodded with satisfaction, deciding that it was as complete as it was going to get. Getting up, she took the canvas bag containing her skates and left to prepare herself. But for now, I have one last show to prepare for. If they do not have my music available, I am going to be very displeased.
And I should probably make myself a sandwich while I'm waiting. This may be my last chance to enjoy Grand Pear's produce for a while.
An hour and a half later...
Knock knock knock knock.
Ebony's ears twitched at the noise. "Again? We usually don't get more than one visitor a day," she muttered, putting down her book ("A Dozen Innovations In Rat Catching", by Road Dentures) and trotting for the door. On opening it, she was greeted with an unfamiliar filly; another pony, probably one of her parents, looked on close by. "Hi. Can I help you?" she asked politely.
"Hello. Um... I was told that there were ponies here who wouldn't laugh at me just because I didn't have my Cutie Mark?" the little filly inquired, shuffling her hooves a little. She was trying to put on a brave face, but her meekness was as plain as day.
Ebony blinked, caught off guard. "I can't think of why we'd do that," she stated after a moment, "but that's a weird thing to say out of the blue. Who told you to find us?"
"The blue robot," the filly said. "Leviathan."
Ebony shuddered involuntarily, but steeled herself and considered what she'd just been told. "Huh... well, I don't have anything else to do right now, so I guess I can hear you out. Come on in. ...Zig-Zag? Pure Energy? We've got a visitor!..."
...
And so it was that Babs was introduced to the Ghost-Guard children, minus Fiver (who refused to leave her mother's side while she was resting). While there, she noted that Zig-Zag didn't have his Cutie Mark yet either. As she learned that he'd started to reach the point where ponies were teasing him for it, his ability to shrug it off notwithstanding, it fully sunk in that she wasn't the only one in the city with that problem.
By the time she left the building a little later, she was significantly happier than she'd been that morning. Her parents noted her improved mood and resolved to add Gray's family to their address book. Later, their letters to their extended family elsewhere in Equestria would make mention of this experience.
It helped that the leftover cherryade was tasty.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
I snap my fingers in realization. Stetson! That's the name I was looking for!
The music for this portion includes: "More Gun", from Team Fortress 2; "Yellow Alert", from Trigun; Megaman X2's victory fanfare; "Day's End", by Purple Cat; and "Secret '25:00' Midnight", from Sengoku Gensokyo.
For anyone curious, Leviathan doesn't know that Zero was the one who crashed the shuttle into the colony. She's operating under the assumption that it was some other random Reploid. Historical records in Neo Arcadia aren't what they used to be.
And also, I've never played TF2. I'm just familiar with some of the characters, nothing more.
This... was a bit of a thing. Those who've been paying attention know that my brain hasn't been very cooperative as of late, and... well, I just wasn't able to work up the mental energy to work on this part. Not helping matters was that I was hit with illness around Thanksgiving time, and even now I have to deal with a lingering cough because of it. I'm sorry for keeping y'all waiting, but this had to be dealt with before anything else.
One minor thing: the next time those of you reading this get impatient for updates, try to remember that you wouldn't like it if I demanded the same of you. I'm not a 20-year-old kid with energy, good health and a general lack of obligations: I'm 38, I'm at risk for who-knows-what, and my brain has started the decades-long process of shutting down. The story's decent, admittedly, but it's not so good that you can't afford to wait. 
However, I wasn't trying to sound unappreciative with any of that. To all of you reading this, I do appreciate your support. >^_^< See you with the next chapter!
Ko-Fi tip jar: https://ko-fi.com/curtiswildcat
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If Levi ever does get back to Neo Arcadia, she HAS to use this in conversation with Zero. His expression would be priceless.
Hah! Took her long enough to figure out it was a Stetson.
Also, I think you meant for this chapter to be titled Glintlock - Part Three, instead of Trifecta - Part Three?
11445458
Thanks for the catch!
I would once again like to apologize for my last review. I am fully aware that you had other things to do. Your blogs help out, but somethings I can't help it. Again, I'm sorry about that.
As for the chapter itself, another win for Levi! Even the greatest hunter doesn't know what he's hunting. Just because she told people about her, doesn't mean she can be defeated easily. Look at Wily. Look at Sigma. They fought against Mega Man and X for years and they still can't beat them! Keep it up Leviathan! You're making your family proud!
And I just had this idea to call her Leviathan Light due to her being the "daughter" of X who was created by Dr. Light. Would make a good surname for her if she ever learn of the man that's her human grandfather.
He's excellent, but she's better. There's no shame in that!
I don't get the line at the end, though I could be not remembering something, but what does Levi mean by Stetson being the name she was looking for?
11445785
Glintlock had a hat, but Levi couldn't remember it's name.
It was a Stetson.
11445785
11445790
Yeah, Hyan pretty much nailed it. It had been mentioned a few times, both here in this chapter and in a prior one, that Glintlock had a particular type of hat that Levi couldn't recall the name of.
Even in Equestria El Ka Bong strikes!
Glad to see another chapter and I hope you stay well!
11445867
Yeah, I couldn't resist the reference. >^_^<
11446711
I will certainly try. Thank you.
What a fun chapter! I love that Glintlock is based on the Sniper. I would have given extra bonus points if you threw in the message "I'm not a crazed bowman, mom, I'm a HUNTER!" (The actual line is "I'm not a crazed gunman, mom, I'm an ASSASSIN. What's the difference? Assassins have standards!") If any of these fights got animated, I think Glintlock's would be a really fun one to watch.
Also, I HAVE to ask...but is Cocoa Mocha based loosely on Wile AND Afton/Purple Guy/Springtrap from FNAF?
Good luck with the next chapter! I'm really looking forward to it. :)
11450537
Sniper with a dash of Engineer, if you want to be technical. This wasn't covered in the story proper, but a few of the traps in the park were his own make. He just needed to have all of those drones transport over what he required to put them together. 🙂
Thanks. The ideas are flowing more smoothly for the next chapter compared to this one, so I should be able to have it online by the end of the month.
Not sure about Wile, but as for Afton, I do imagine him talking when I'm writing Cocoa's dialogue.
Really?
11452662
Yeah, pretty much.
11452962
🙄
... be efficient, and have a plan to kill everyone you meet? X))
You are like, really bad at dialogue during fights author
why is this so fucking funny?
naahh, Sniper TF2
11694814
Glintlock's meant to be a combination of the Sniper and Engineer in terms of his personality and voice.