Machinist of Mana

The first shot landed squarely in the middle of the goblin's chest, tossing him back like a ragdoll. That was refreshing, so very refreshing, to have something I made work just perfectly. The smell of powder burning, the kick back as the recoil hurt. The sound, actually the sound hurt like being stabbed in the ear, super hearing, firearms, and confined spaces really shouldn't mix.

There was yelling, though I couldn't tell what, and the fighting began. My hope was to disable, not kill the two goblin girls, since they seemed reasonable and there might still be some place for negotiation, but it was hard. Neither of them was likely to surrender, and I didn't want to lose.

My next shot went to Sasha's thigh, ripping through like it was barely there, though even as I watched arcing energy raced down her body, and the wound began to heal. That was rough, because we really didn't have much in the way of disabling weaponry against a priest. My only recourse was to shoot her again in the shoulder to keep her busy until the cavalry arrived.

I looked over to see Lucas and Greta locked in battle. The little green girl had her shield up quickly, blocking the flurry of blows he was landing one after another. Just as I was bringing my weapon around I saw the lenses on her goggles flip to black and I hurriedly closed my eyes, remembering the last time.

Lucas wasn't fast enough, or didn't realize what was coming and by the time I came up to look was jumping back. It wouldn't be completely out of the fight for him, but it would decidedly hurt his ability to do much. We didn't need to win though, only to hold them until backup arrived.

Two quick shots to Greta's shield sent a series of cracks spider-webbing across it like glass breaking, but it seemed to hold. Only a few more moments, I only needed her to hold still a few more. Then the others should be here and we could clean this mess up.

In the second that I considered where to place the final bullet I saw Parkov begin to rise, his chest reforming and remolding as bubbling flesh filled the spot where I'd shot him. That was absolutely no good, and this guy did have to die, no ifs ands or buts. I turned, lining the sights once more upon him. If a body shot hadn't been enough to put him down, let's see him regenerate his brain.

Sasha must have seen where I was aiming and jumped between us, the round impacting her pelvis. Time seemed to slow as the wave of the impact moved outwards making her clothes and flesh ripple like water after a stone was thrown into it. I felt bad for her on some level, after all, she was only trying to do what was right.

That was enough for little Greta, who wrapped the other two in her shield and sent their group bouncing back. I leapt forward as they retreated through the far opening, just in time to see a pair of flaming spears arc out, not towards me, but towards the edges of the tunnel. Just in the shadow I saw them, two barrels that looked perhaps not new, but decidedly newer, I would be between them when the flames hit.

Or I would have been had a hand like iron not locked around my ankle. I was airborne, unable to change my direction of flight but I also wasn't alone. Lucas hauled on my leg hard, hard enough that I felt the bones crack, but it was enough, enough to stop my forwards momentum and send us both tumbling very slightly back.

Greta's spell struck the barrels and the bombs exploded, a powerful shockwave tossing both parties away from one another. Before the smoke cleared I could feel the cracking and breaking of the structure, debris and rocks falling like rain into the opening she'd made. It must have been one of their contingencies, one final act to forestall us should everything go awry as it had.

Before the smoke cleared our backup finally arrived, blasting into the room where we lay sprawled on the ground, coughing and hurt. They seemed displeased as a few of the mages began to clear the way, determined to at least try and follow.

Ignus was there, and he pulled me up, not very helpful with a broken leg, and began yelling. Man it would have been nice to know what he was saying.

Ignus

Percival, the idiot, looked to be okay, though as soon as I saw him pull one leg up that was clearly not that case. He was at the least alive, and had we been seconds earlier this mission might have been a success.

“What happened boy!?” I screamed. “What can you tell me!”

“WHAT!?” The lad said, pointing to his ears. “I CAN'T HEAR YOU. ONLY THING I CAN HEAR IS RINGING.”

I wanted to smack myself, and him, and the other boy too, maybe the grandfather as well. Really a lot of people responsible for this absolute farce needed a good beating, and if we got nothing from it, they might get one too. Just as I was starting to give up hope we'd managed anything one of the men shouted.

“Bloodstains sir, at least one of them is hurt, and hurt bad judging by the size.”

“Good, get us through, and get these two a healer, before the Baron gets here preferably.”

Anton Parkov

I'd been injured a few times, but seldom this badly, and not in quite awhile. Getting shot was also a first, for either of my lives, and quite unexpected. Sure, I'd thought they might resist, but with guns? Who used guns when you had magic, that was just insane. Luckily I'd live, having more than enough time to fix the vital things before it got out of hand.

As I got back to my senses I looked about, Greta looked well and had us in one of her better spells. It was a pair of shield balls, perfectly smooth and with almost zero friction that she could speed along at quite the rate. We were fleeing, injured as we were it was a sad necessity at the moment.

Sasha, my dear Sasha was whimpering nearby. She'd saved me the darling girl, though gotten quite hurt in the process. I wrapped her gently in my magic, healing the wounds. They weren't as life-threatening as my own, and she was already healing them herself, but her pelvis looked to be shattered like a pretzel and that would hurt terribly. It wasn't much of an issue to numb the pain as we worked, and I patted her on the head.

“Thank you my child, I knew bringing you was the right choice.”

“Father, is you both going to be okay?” her sister asked.

“Yes Greta dear, did the blockage work?”

“It did.”

“Good, good.”

“We can get the others and go after him when we return. Sigmund will be sure to want to lead the assault himself,” Greta said, almost angrily.

“No.”

“No? What do you mean Father? They hurt you, and Sasha too.”

“There is no rush, and if we act now we'll lose many. Anyway, we both will be fine, taking the time to prepare will make sure we don't fail again. Remember daughter that haste from anger had caused the fall of more than one.”

She nodded, properly chastised. “Yes Father, I understand.”