Editing City Series:Volume5a Chapter4 (section)

===Beretta’s Write Bring: Entry in Heavy Barrel Grazie’s Memory Bank===

Ugh. He wants to fight a second battle? Since when did we start using “first to two” rules? Besides, I think the boy in the Guerre has got to be bored over there in the corner.

A soldier needs to be a little more prepared to accept defeat.

I should probably Point just to be on the safe side.

<After picking back up its wooden sword, the Jagdhund raises it and stops moving.

The atmosphere suggests this will no longer just be some light sparring.>

Looks like my suspicions from before were correct. Well, fine. Let’s do this.

And while I’m thinking that…

<The Jagdhund suddenly moved.>

Oh? You’ve got some skill at surprise attacks.

I dodged.

I thought Germany was supposed to be the country of Kavaliers!? A male Middle Barrel is making a surprise attack on a female opponent right as the battle begins!? Okay, you’ve got guts. That grazed my head, you bastard. But if you’re gonna make a horizontal swing of the sword, aim for my body, not my head. And if you’re gonna make a vertical swing, aim for my head, not my shoulder.

Can you hear me?

Of course you can’t.

<He charges at me.>

He made one attack.

He made two attacks.

He made three attacks.

I could predict them all, so I didn’t bother Pointing.

They’ll all just be over-the-top swishes through empty air. He might’ve cut off the reflexes from his pain sensors. Your Barrel was just repaired, so move around too much and you’ll spew oil.

<Immediately after the fourth jab, a black liquid flows out of the Jagdhund’s right shoulder.

It is lubricant oil.>

See? What’d I tell you? I can hear a stir in the crowd…or so I’ll say.

But a single bind cylinder doesn’t count as an injury for a male Middle Barrel, right? If that was enough to cause a malfunction, it would never be used in actual combat.

<It jabs forward.>

That was nicely done.

But you left an opening. I’ll take out the shoulder of your armored dress and the armor panel below.

Ready, set…

And got it.

<nowiki><I hear the sound of wood on metal.></nowiki>

See? It was the opposite shoulder.

<nowiki><I hear another nice sound.></nowiki>

This is pretty easy. Or rather, the enemy is too naïve.

Come to think of it, Phillip said he hasn’t Write Bringed into a Heavy Barrel for about a decade, but I wonder how he did it back then? Did he go the manly route and jam himself in there all at once?

...Ah.

That phrasing was kind of lewd. Like something Mallette would say.

But it’s not like I’m hoping for anything like that. We did kiss, but I don’t really want to go against what my parents would want. Plus, he’s with the Germans right now.

…And he dies.

<The black Barrel corrects its posture and makes an obvious charge.>

Hold on, hold on, hold on. Wait, wait, wait. You damn enemy, don’t come charging in while I’m thinking. And you don’t have to do that “oryaaaaaaaaaaaah” yell. Are you a city thug or something?

I dodged. Hmm. In thaaat case…

<“Noryaaaaaaaaaaaah!”>

No, you idiot. And that “doryaaaaaaaaaaaah” isn’t any better.

Dodge, dodge. Hmm. Ah, hey, “soryaaaaaaaaaaaah” doesn’t work either.

I’ve only been Signing and saying whatever I wanted without Pointing at all, but since I’m unharmed, that must mean that my Signing has been almost the same as reality.

That means the enemy is moving like I predicted.

I can’t believe this.

I just can’t get into it. Part of that is the pathetic opponent, but I’ve also had too much on my mind. You move a Heavy Barrel with your mind instead of your muscles, so letting your mind wander is a really bad idea.

Fine, then. I’ll just finish this up all at once.

I’ll put some distance between us.

Female Heavy Barrels are generally lacking in power. And that’s made all the worse by the power restriction. The trick to winning is either to make a charge or to use your opponent’s movements for a counterattack.

In boxing terms, it’s like being an out-boxer.

I raised my weapon.

I had to measure the exact distance from the enemy, so I Pointed.

<There are approximately 20 yards between us.

He is charging forward to fill that gap.>

I think I’ll charge forward too and show him a bit of a combat performance.

I held the wooden sword’s pommel inside my fist. My shoulder could not move my hand around well with the decorations in the way, but I only needed a straight-line movement from here.

The enemy arrived within my attack range of 15 yards.

I thrust the wooden sword toward where his face should be.

In fact, I threw it. It was a nice throw.

My aim should’ve been perfect, so let’s Point.

<The wooden sword pierces the Jagdhund’s face windshield.

But that is not enough to destroy a male Middle Barrel’s facial components which are made with a monocoque structure.

The battle continues.

My opponent maintains his momentum as he charges forward with the wooden sword still stabbed into his face.>

I charged in as well. I dodged right before he hit.

At the same time, I swung my leg like I was dancing and knocked his legs out from under him.

He tripped forward. Once he landed on his face, the sword would pierce straight through and out the back of his head.

Ugh, actually let’s not do that.

I grabbed the tripping opponent’s armored dress for just an instant and kicked him to the side.

<The Jagdhund flies through the air and flips face up.>

It’s kind of scary how much my predictions match what happens.

He probably fell to the ground with a loud crash. That’s something you can’t let happen with a machine like a Heavy Barrel. Some parts will break from its own weight and you can’t get out since the Study is located on its back.

But if you’re a Knight Striker, then get up on your own. Surely that didn’t knock you out.

Right? Don’t you think, audience?

<Cheers rise from the stands.>

Okay, okay. That’s what I’m talking about. Is it because I defeated an ''Allemande'' soldier that everyone’s so excited?

Yeah. I’ll write that I took a breath and found that the surrounding scene put me in a good mood.

Both heaven and earth filled my vision at once. This is the real purpose for Write Bringing into a Heavy Barrel.

Now, time to end the Write Bring.