Mari:

  This is necessary, she kept telling herself internally.

  Not that it helped.

  Don’t worry, I’ve got it all handled, and the explosion won’t be too bad with the padding you’re wearing. Marielle did her best to offer support and comfort, but it didn’t help with how she felt about what they were about to do.

  One issue had been subtly plaguing her ever since their fights beneath the Citadel.

  Someone had created her with a kill switch, and despite her best efforts to forget the problem, she still had to contend with it eventually. She couldn’t leave the device alone like some executioner’s axe poised to behead her.

  So they’d concocted a plan.

  She tested the different weapons she had made, ranging from lightweight arms to a few longer rifles she could use more comfortably than her long-range rifle. The BMG ammunition her M82 used was not light, and neither was the gun itself. If she ever needed to use something in live combat, while it was powerful, the weapon just wasn’t feasible to bring along.

  Sure, her enhanced musculature could handle it, but if there was a more efficient option than something she could use on an armored car, she’d take it. She could choose from a wide range of weapons she learned the specs of from Marielle, but the .308 ammunition list had seemed most fitting thus far.

  And then all of those thoughts had left her when she saw the raw damage of Kris’ new weapons.

  Back to the drawing board. What can we create that’s bespoke? Something comparable to her weapon? Her eyes flicked briefly to her Remera on her hip, which was itself a bespoke weapon made specifically for Marielle’s use. Heavy eight-round revolvers with complex recoil adjustments and custom attachments weren’t exactly standard military gear.

  Marielle was silent for a few moments. Ignoring the fact that her weapons have an energy efficiency issue, and that they also have quite limited ranges? The general idea of a firearm is to propel a projectile to kill what you aim at. All Kris has done is change the method of reaching the end goal of killing the target.

  Mari chewed her lip as she tested the next handgun in her lineup.

  Right, but the gravity well idea is pretty impressive to look at.

  Sometimes I forget you’re still a child.

  Mari shrugged at the verbal barb.

  A long sigh came in their mentally linked space. How would you like to address the shortcomings of our weapons not being effective against tougher creatures?

  She kept shooting as she gave it some thought. She inspected the next magazine before she slotted it into the rifle. Could she try explosive rounds, or even incendiary? Those had been done with frequency, even if they were exaggerated in games, and dragonsbreath ammunition wasn’t exactly exotic, either. If the real question was how she would handle something durable and vicious like a behemoth, she didn’t really need something exotic. Just more power to penetrate the hide of the creature.

  You’re not incapable of using magic of your own. I infused the sword with raw power for destruction before. You can do the same, if you have to. It’s complicated, though.

  How so?

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  She let Marielle sort out her words a bit before the explanation came.

  Anise taught that people have two affinities, right? Like hers is Nature and Moons? We don’t have that. We only have one, and it’s entirely neutral in nature. It’s flexible, but takes intense focus. Our affinity works naturally with others around it, but it isn’t simple to turn raw energy into something concrete. I’ll freely grant that your lover is a genius to be decoding how to make her catalysts at breakneck speeds. Her example shouldn’t give you delusions of how easy it is to learn a new discipline.

  Mari stopped shooting, unhappy with the limited accuracy of her latest test, and began idly adjusting the scope attachment. All she did was nod mentally for her alter ego to continue.

  In essence, we can support the affinities of others, form connections, and bolster them. But our own abilities aren’t easy to weaponize. I turned raw qi towards destruction because it’s already destructive in nature. If you want to do something that won’t damage yourself? You need to practice. On Earth, killing another human didn’t take much effort, so guns did the job. I never bothered to learn anything more dangerous.

  She sighed, setting the weapon down as Kris left the room with her new Aria. “So, you can’t teach me because you don’t know how.”

  Yes…

  “Right. I’ll have to think about it more, then. For now, we focus on what tools are available to us.”

  The presence in her mind turned more solid, as if bracing, and Mari forced herself not to give away their next actions.

  Mari picked up a lever-action rifle, this time kicking out a bipod to brace on the table in front of her. Then she leaned into the stock and checked the sights, doing her usual routine of checking the rifle carefully, then adjusting the scope for the range and ensuring her safety gear was all firmly in place.

  With all her checks completed, she mentally timed out her actions with Marielle, drawing the trigger back as she aimed for the target on the far wall, not that she’d managed to damage the reinforced metal discs even once with any of the weapons she had made.

  The moment the trigger depressed, the weapon misfired, with the action within the rifle failing to properly slot the bullet into place. Instead of firing, the misfire ignited the other rounds, detonating the gun in her hand. Immediately next to where her face had rested to peer down the scope.

  Heat was hardly a sensation in the suddenness of her world turning sideways. Her head jerked over, her body thrown by concussive force, and for a while, she didn’t really feel anything. Her arms? Her hands? She really hoped her protective measures had prevented self-mutilation.

  Done. Marielle noted, her voice calm and reassuring.

  Mari held back the urge to smile. Instead, she laid on her side, sensations slowly returning to her. She’d been wearing a face covering that also cushioned her neck and was built to take the blast. She’d gone overboard with the design on purpose. But her head had been jerked quite harshly, and her neck had twisted very suddenly. Her enhanced muscles and bones had supported her enough that it hadn’t killed her, but she still felt like she’d been exposed to a live grenade going off.

  She groaned, feeling the presence of Kris at her side already, crying out something in a panic as she tried to reach out, then stopped herself, then reached out again, only to come up short in a teary-eyed mess.

  She knows better than to move someone who’s been injured. Smart girl. You shouldn’t leave her thinking you’re dead, though. Marielle’s blasé comment finally got Mari moving.

  First, she reached out a hand and grabbed Kris’. The contact was firm—strong and reassuring. Then she rolled onto her front and tried to gesture at the zipper along the spine.

  In a few moments, the jacket was peeled off her and she used her bruised and strained arms to wrestle the face mask and goggles off. Excellent news: she still had arms and hands.

  “Never! Again!” Kris shouted as the hearing protection joined the pile on the ground. “Stars, Mari! I thought you were dead!”

  Mari breathed in and out slowly, steadying herself and pushing down the pain.

  You’re sure it’s gone? Nothing is being rebuilt or fixed? She interrogated Marielle even before facing Kris.

  Yes. I’m keeping track of it, and you’re fine. I first broke it, then erased the remains with a tiny bit of destruction essence. There’s nothing to repair. The tricky part was making it seem like qi repairing your body in response to the damage. Still, you don’t have to worry.

  She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked up into Kris’ eyes. One less problem to worry about, but one more freaked out girlfriend to calm instead. Somehow the new problem overshadowed the old one.

  Mari offered a faint smile and leaned into Kris to rest her forehead against her partner’s shoulder. “I’m sorry I made you worry. Can we talk about this later? I need a few minutes.”

  “Stars, Mari!” Kris was definitely angry, given the way she was shouting. “Don’t you dare brush this off. We’re going to need to find you some safer weapons after this. No more explosives!”

  Mari wondered how Kris would feel when she learned what Barclay’s specialty was.

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