462 Ember's Mecha Battle! (1)
Ember made a total of twelve Exoskeletons, each about 15 meters tall. All of them were made to tackle different types of opponents, as could be observed from the different designs and armaments they had.
"Alright, which ones should we test first?"
I was getting excited to finally pilot an "actual" Mecha since the last time was more like practice than truly controlling it. Ember pulled out a tablet from God knows where and started to check her records.
"The first ones to check would be... the Long Range Armanith and the Melee Stazzer. Both are general purpose, only with different ranges."
I turned toward where she was pointing and saw the two in the middle.
The first one was fitted with two large cannons on its shoulders and a thick lower body, as if to increase its stability and counter the recoils. Its dull green and brown color is also probably for camouflage. But such a large object would be difficult to hide in a forest anyway.
The second one was a simpler design, with a pure white body with gold linings. It has two blades, one on either hand, and several more sharp-looking attachments, like spikes or spoilers, around its body. With just a glance, you could tell that it was a lot lighter than other machines, prioritizing mobility.
"The melee one looks cooler, so I'll go with that!"
"Stazzer, is it? Then, I'll go with Armanith."
After Ember tapped her tablet, the two mechs quickly kneeled on one knee before the cockpits at the center of their chests opened up. With my current physical strength, I could easily jump into the cockpit, but I decided to try out the prepared path instead.
On the side of the leg, there's a hidden ladder that would allow one to reach the thigh, which comes close to the opened cockpit, enabling entry without difficulty. As soon as I entered, I sat down in the pilot seat and stared at the renewed dashboard.
Unlike before, where the controls were practically a keyboard with over a hundred keys, this time there were levers, pedals, buttons, and others set up. Not only did this make controlling the Mech easier, but it also made it possible to do complex movements with just a few inputs!
"This reminds me of the robot battle arcade game I played in the past..."
Although the controls were new, they weren't that unfamiliar to me. Furthermore, the buttons were properly labeled, making it a lot easier to understand.
I pressed a button, closing the cockpit's hatch and raising the core's output to 10%, which was double that of the standby output. Before the fight, I first need to familiarize myself with the controls.
The two levers weren't controls for the arms specifically, but rather for an inertial control for the entire body. For example, pulling the levers away from each other would cause the Mech's body to spread wide, as if about to perform jumping jacks. Pulling them close to each other would cause the mech to go into the fetal position.
The pedals control the balancers, which was done partly automatically. Pressing the left pedal as deep as it can go would make the mech lean over to the left until it falls over, and the same goes for the right pedal.
After a while of testing, I then went to the control of the hands. This... was more complicated than it should have been. On each of the levers, there are four toggles available, each having its own joint to control.
Yes. Moving the hands is done by moving the joints, making it a little hard to control!
For example, to raise the machine's hand up in the air, I would need to toggle the shoulder, the elbow, the wrist, and the fingers appropriately. However, probably thanks to it being a robot, its joints can move freely... at least, more than what a human's joints could handle.
Maybe because Ember was slime, she was not limited by the idea of copying the human physique as is. Well, it should be a good thing, since this increased the range of possible movements.
"(Master, are you ready?)"
Just as I was finishing up familiarizing myself with the commands, Ember's image popped up on the display monitor before me. So these mechs also connect with each other, huh? Anyway, we should start soon.
"I'm good. Ready when you are!"
"(Then, let's move a short distance away before we start.)"
Ember suggested.
She started walking away, heading diagonally to the right, so I moved diagonally to the left, increasing the distance between us as we moved further from the others.
After a minute of walking, we were already roughly 500 meters away from each other. Ember slowly pulled two "blasters" from behind her and held them on either hand, while the two cannons on her shoulders started to adjust their aims, straight to where I was. She was already in her battle mode!
I also moved, pulling the two swords crossed behind my mech's back and holding them tight on either hand. With this, both of us were finally ready.
Silence persisted for a while before Ember finally started with a casual shot. The blasters on her hand weren't using physical bullets, but rather pure energy!
"Hup!"
But although it was fast and pretty powerful, its aim was easy to read. I quickly adjusted the center of gravity forward, letting my mech dash forward at frightening speeds. This sort of control reminds me of playing a realistic flight simulator instead of piloting a robot!
The distance of 500 meters was pretty short when taking the size of the machines into consideration. However, as I approach, it gets harder and harder to dodge the blasters' shots.
*SHING!*
Having no other choice, I used my sword to deflect the beams as I forged onward, finally reaching striking distance.
"My turn!"
I waved both swords, aiming to maim Ember's cockpit directly. However, as expected, she wouldn't just stand still like a scarecrow. Despite the weight of her machine, she was still agile enough to take a step back and dodge in time!
"(Please use your barriers, Master!)"
And before I could pull back both swords and attack once more, the cannons on her shoulders shone brightly.
"...!"
In a panic, I quickly dove down, letting the beam fly over my head. However, the attack wasn't a burst of energy, but a stream! Ember backed away while letting the cannons aim lower, chasing after my figure.
I was suddenly in a pinch!
Long time no update... sorry.
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