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Armored Core: Hachi-No-Ki


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Chapter 1

 

"They say he has a plant for a stomach."

 

"...What?"

 

"A plant. Like a cactus, or a turnip, or something."

 

"..."

 

"I'm serious! That's what I heard!"

 

The person we were speaking of was Caesar, the current 3rd Rank Raven in the Raven's Ark AC Arena. This guy came out of nowhere and took the Arena world by storm. He showed up a few months ago, newly-registered but with a top-of-the-line AC, and went to work destroying ranked opponents as fast as possible. Nobody has ever risen through the ranks faster than him. It's not just the fact that he has such a powerful machine, either. The guy is gifted. I'm not sure Raven's Ark has ever had someone more skilled than this guy. There's a savage beauty to his style of combat, almost like watching a jaguar hunt. See, jaguars are efficient and ruthless killing machines, big on ambushing and slaying their prey as quickly as possible, like most great cats. Jaguars, however, have one habit that's unique to them: they'll aim for the skull. The damn thing just bites straight through your skull, pierces your brain, and that's it. You're dead. Overkill, right? It seems like the hard way of doing things...and yet it does it with skill and precision, without losing any bit of effectiveness. Scary and amazing, all at once. Caesar and his machine, the 87th Legion, are the same way.

 

Yet, for how active Caesar is in the arena, nobody knows a thing about him outside of it. No Raven has come forward to say they were involved in a mission with him, and there are no public records available about his non-Arena work. He doesn't even seem to have sponsors or anything. Strangest of all is that noone has ever seen his machine in the hangars, or in a garage. Word is he has a secret base with an in-house crew that handles everything for him.

 

I wonder if that in-house crew waters his plant for him too?

 

As one could imagine, the lack of info and fantastic nature of his rise have lead to lots of rumors. Some of them seem semi-plausible, like the one about him being a wealthy executive who moonlights as a Raven, or the one where he spent his whole life training in the worst battlefields on Earth under aliases...but some are out weird, like the one where he was some loser MT pilot who took peyote and unlocked the secrets of Armored Core, or that he was a government super soldier gone rogue. Of course, there are even crazier ones, like the rumor that an alien AI came to Earth and filled his mind with the knowledge of entire planets, or my personal favorite, that he is actually an intelligent plant piloting a human the way we Ravens pilot ACs. Which brings me back to the beginning of this story.

 

I go by Ataraxis, and my skeptical friend goes by Taurus. We both have similar views on things, and ended up on the same missions often, so a few years ago we decided to form our own official team, the Straw Hats. We've done well for ourselves, and even have some degree of fame and respect in the Raven community. Neither of us is big on Arena action, but we love watching the fights. Early this morning, we were in the Raven's Ark hangars doing prep work on our ACs when the fight card for this weekend's big event was announced. Several of the fights look exciting, but it was hard to think about anything but the main event: Caesar versus the 2nd Ranked Raven, Feint, for his position.

 

Feint is the youngest member of the AC team, FOG, and if it weren't for Caesar, he would be the the guy the world couldn't stop talking about. See, FOG is known as one of the strongest AC teams around, but this kid is something else even among them. He joined Raven's Ark on his 18th birthday, and immediately got started on successfully completing high profile jobs, which then lead to an invitation from FOG to join them. With that team behind him, he became one of the brightest stars of Raven's Ark. He just reached 2nd Rank two months ago, passing even the other members of his team in rank, and everyone was expecting him to challenge the 1st Rank Raven pretty soon. Of course, Caesar showed up and turned the entire Arena world upside down. He somehow managed to catch up with Feint even though he just started his own climb a few months ago.

 

It was bound to happen, and yet the thought still has me giddy: a battle between two of the most electric new stars Raven's Ark has ever seen for the right to challenge the 1st Ranked Raven is set to happen this weekend.

 

"So who you got, Taurus? The plant or the kid?"

 

Chapter 2

 

“So everyone is still up? The guys aren’t tired?”

 

“Welder has been in the hangar all day double and triple-checking the final preparations on FOG 5. Maeve and Sherbert got back from their last mission about two hours ago, but they’ve been watching tape on Caesar ever since. Everyone is worn out, I’m sure, but they won’t go to bed until you do.”

 

“I won’t let FOG down, sir. I got this.”

 

“I have faith in you, Feint. Let’s review one last time. What is your game plan?”

 

“Caesar will open with his orbit cannon and relation missile package, as usual. While he does that, I will hammer him with my Karasawa and handgun. Once he he tosses the package off, I will back out and take him apart over the remainder of the match. This means no fire-fights and an emphasis on spacing.”

 

“What happens if he doesn’t open the match that way?”

 

“If he’s dumb enough to do that, I’ll just take him apart a lot earlier. Simple. He won’t, though, because it doesn’t make sense. He’s using a BP and machine gun. There’s no way he can trade with me if we go handhelds versus handhelds from the start. My machine is faster and my weapons have superior range.”

 

“Keep in mind that I tried a similar strategy when I faced him, and it did not work.”

 

“Yeah, I remember. I have to admit…that was pretty amazing. Your defense was perfect. I mean, I saw the openings, but I never thought he would. Is that what it’s like to watch me fight?”

 

“Keep talking like that and you won’t survive this meeting.”

 

“Sorry, sir. But in all seriousness, I know what went wrong. He’s got an inhuman level of concentration, his footwork is top notch, and his aim is excellent. He worked his way into your range without over-exerting himself or showing his hand early, and it allowed him to turn up the pressure quickly. He took advantage of the sudden change in pace and crippled FOG 1’s legs. After that, he blitzed you and ended it as fast as he could. By then, FOG 1 had no way of dealing with the kind of shock his weapons can produce. I will take it slow, work from further out, and I’ll keep a close watch on his range and movements. There is no need to worry.”

 

“Whatever you do, do not underestimate his focus. Assume that he is fully aware of the battle conditions at all times. Don’t get cute out there.”

 

“No, sir, I won’t. I intend to take my time and work through the match at my pace. No cute stuff.”

 

“Have you worked out your strategies for the arena you chose?”

 

“The Marine Base? Yes, for the most part. I plan to stay on the edges in the beginning and focus on running his orbits and missiles into the various walls and roads in the area. I won’t enter the main base area until after I see his shoulder mounts drop off. After that I’ll play by ear as far as utilizing my surroundings goes. I don’t foresee the cover giving either of us a major advantage after he drops his shoulder mounts.”

 

“Did you review the weather conditions?”

 

“Yes, sir. Clear skies and plenty of sun. It won’t help me much, though. I noticed while watching tape all week that the sun has no effect on his aim. I’ve already asked Welder to adjust FOG 5’s head unit for dealing with the sun. Usually it doesn’t bother me, either, but I don’t want to take any chances out there. Caesar has shown a big tendency to utilize any advantage he can, even the ones most other people don’t consider.”

 

“I have to say...it is truly amazing how you’re able to analyze combat situations so quickly and thoroughly. I have never seen anything like it.”

 

“Thank you, sir, but I wouldn’t be half the Raven I am today if it wasn’t for your guidance and will to make our team as strong as possible. I did not understand what it took to be truly great until I met you.”

 

“This is our time, Feint. Defeat Caesar and we can focus on taking down Hikawa and claiming the top Rank. I already have the paperwork ready to be submitted once you're done with your fight. How are you feeling, by the way?”

 

“I’m feeling great, sir. I got plenty of rest all week, and I’ve taken in all the information I can from the tape. I’ve been checking on FOG 5 every day and everything looks perfect. I’m excited to get this fight started.”

 

“Good. As long as you don’t take Caesar lightly, you will win this.”

 

“I don’t take anyone lightly, sir. I never have. I just know I’m the best.”

 

“Go get some rest. We have a fight to win, tomorrow.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

Chapter 3

 

I got us a table at one of the hippest sports bars in the city for this fight. Zoa hates these kinds of places, but screw him, I want to enjoy this fight, so we’re going all out. The place is packed, but Wong and Taurus got here on time so we were able to sit without a problem. However, as usual, Zoa is late. No surprise, since it’s only 1 p.m. The guy is a boozehound.

 

“Hey, is that Steelflight over there?” Wong asks. He’s been scanning the crowd since he got here. This place is packed with famous Ravens right now, but Steelflight is drawing all the attention. He is the current 6th Rank Raven, and on top of being incredibly skilled, he’s incredibly flashy. He always draws crowds, and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

“Yeah, that’s definitely him. Geez, he’s got like 20 models with him. Why can’t that be us?”

 

Taurus gives me a funny look and asks, “Ata, you want us to be those models?”

 

“No, you idiot,” I say, “I wish we were WITH the models.”

 

Taurus just shrugs at me. Man, fuck this guy.

 

Wong finally turns around to face us. “I can’t wait for this fight to start. I think this fight is going to get even more intense than the Caesar versus Juno one.”

 

“That was unbelievable. It was almost like watching a ballet,” Taurus says. It might sound silly, but that’s probably the best way to describe it. That fight was an intense series of counter-moves that spanned the entire match. That sounds pretty normal for two smart and aggressive Ravens, but here’s the thing: they were seeing through each other’s moves the entire time, all the way until the end. The fight practically looked choreographed with how closely and quickly they were countering each other. You just don’t get to see things like that happen in real life, usually.

 

After that fight, Taurus made an interesting observation: Caesar and Juno, the current 4th Rank Raven of the Arena, fought like they knew each other. Not just studied film on each other, but must have actually been in real battles together. There was a clear understanding between the two of them, as warriors. Also, Wong pointed out that their willingness to fight in such direct and, frankly, honest way also showed that they have the utmost respect for each other. To me, that sounds like the two fought together in the past…but as I mentioned before, there are no public records of Caesar’s activity outside of the Raven’s Ark Arena. Very strange. Juno is a known war hero, so maybe they met on a battlefield that way?

 

Zoa stumbles in just as the match starts. He looks scraggly, but at least he isn’t drunk already. “I didn’t miss anything, did I?” he asks. Taurus tells him no, and he sits down at our table to watch. “Well then,” he says, “let’s get this shit started!”

 

The battlefield that Feint and Caesar are on is known as the Marine Base. Originally, it was a coastal base that had a freeway running right by it. It’s abandoned now, with the freeway and defense structures falling apart, and a lot of the premises flooded. For Arena battles, the challenged opponent starts on the north side of the only building in the base, located directly in the center of the area. The challenger starts behind the big wall on the southern end. Feint’s opening move is to move up to and along the big wall towards the east. Caesar flies onto the top of the main building and fires his first set of orbits and relation missiles. They slam harmlessly into the eastern edge of the wall, which I’m guessing happened because Feint stopped right at the edge. He pops right out after, moving as quick as he can to the freeway ruins. He lets off 2-3 rounds from his laser rifle and tries to keep Caesar off of him long enough to get into position.

 

“Do you think he’s going to try and use the sun to mess up Caesar’s aim?” Zoa asks. I respond, “Maybe, it’d be a good idea I think. Try to keep him from getting a good lock with that bazooka. Remember what he did to Feint’s boss when they fought?” Wong chimes in, “Oh man, that was not pretty. He kneecapped his machine and then just tore him apart up close. Feint definitely has that on his mind. Anyone would, right?”

 

Just as Wong finishes that sentence the crowd suddenly gets loud and we snap back to attention immediately. Feint had reached the big column holding the remains of the freeway up while we were talking, and took cover. In the second or so that Feint lost visual contact, Caesar immediately flared his 87th Legion's overboost and raced towards the right of the big column, which now puts him under the freeway. It then turns and jumps, all while sliding to a stop, back up into the air with its’ bazooka armed. It looks like he’s caught Feint, and even slugs him with a bazooka round in the back, but his FOG 5 just flies straight off the building, with the help of the bazooka push, and turns as it’s falling to fire a Karasawa blast that just misses the edge of the bridge and hits the 87th Legion in the upper core. It’s an absurd shot.

 

“That guy’s luck is something else, he totally looked caught,” I say, exasperated with the wasted trap.

 

“He is a weird pilot, though; Feint, I mean. He gets lucky like that all the time. Maybe he’s planning for it somehow?” Taurus posits.

 

Zoa shakes his head at that, “Nah man, that wasn’t a plan, that was just crazy reaction time. Feint is so damn talented that he sprung the trap and turned it into a free shot. That’s why he’s so popular. He’s smart as hell and he fights in a risky way.”

 

Wong rubs his chin and says, “Yeah, that’s true. He takes a lot of risks and his plans usually only work for a guy like him. If any of us were in that situation we might be dead already. Either way, that was fun to watch.”

 

We all agree and re-focus on the monitors. The 87th Legion has finally dropped all of its payload aside from the bazooka and machine gun, and FOG 5 is sliding back, trying to get to the cover of the main building. Caesar heads over to the big wall and lands right on top of it, then boosts westward on it. FOG 5 land a few hits when all of the sudden, Caesar boosts into the sky off of the wall and flares his overboost again. He tosses out a few rounds from both of his guns and rockets straight towards FOG 5 like a meteor. Feint turns and starts sliding back, then suddenly leans in towards the 87th Legion and boosts straight up at it.

 

“What the hell!?” Zoa yells.

 

“Hmm, he's doing that to protect his legs, I think…he’s putting his core between that bazooka and his legs.” Wong states in a tone that suggests he isn’t sure what he’s seeing.

 

Taurus is staring hard at a monitor, with a confused look on his face. “Wait, did FOG 5 drop its handgun just as it boosted WHOA!”

 

Everyone in the building is saying, "WHOA!"

 

FOG 5 boosts right past the comet-like 87th Legion and swings its left hand, which is now armed with a laser blade, and slashes right into the left leg of his opponent. Unbelievable. This kid is something else. He flies back down to the western side of the big wall and takes cover behind the remains of a freeway column. The 87th Legion lands hard behind some cover on the northwest corner of the field, as well.

 

“Jesus,” Zoa says, “I really need another drink.”

 

Wong is already waving a waitress over as he says that, “No kidding, but look at FOG 5. It’s left knee is sparking. When did it get damaged?”

 

That’s a great question. When did it get damaged?

 

Taurus scratches his head, and says, “I think it was when they flew past each other. I think Caesar fired his machine gun as they sailed by each other.” That’s impossible, though. If he did that that means he hit FOG 5’s knee without a lock, or even visual contact. FOG 5 swinging it’s arm out and slashing is believable…I mean, at that range a sword could certainly land if you just swing in the general direction of the other guy…but hitting an AC’s knee with a machine gun without looking? No, that can’t be right.

 

We’re all just staring at each other in disbelief after that exchange when we hear the crowd start getting noisy again. We really should pay more attention to this fight. Anyhow, it looks like Caesar has gotten on top of the main building again and flies off to the big wall, which FOG 5 has now hiding behind. Just as the 87th Legion lands on the big wall, FOG 5 dashes around the western corner and aims it’s rifle up at the landing machine. It returns fire with a bazooka round which FOG 5 pirouettes to avoid. That left leg is not responding properly anymore, so FOG 5 doesn’t push out of the spin move fast enough and Caesar bears down on it from the wall. Everyone is screaming at this point, because that bazooka looks like it has a bead on FOG 5, finally.

 

It fires, but FOG 5 hits the booster full power and swings it’s Karasawa up and across its core, just in time to eat the bazooka round that was clearly intended for its head unit. It lets go of the laser rifle the moment before impact, which goes flying over its left shoulder, ruined. FOG 5 reaches the 87th Legion before the bazooka reloads and swings its sword right into the 87th Legion’s right shoulder, heavily damaging the arm. It slides past, quickly turns, and springs back off the right leg, somehow, for what feels like a last ditch effort.

 

The 87th Legion had turned as well, and stabs its bazooka directly at FOG 5’s head. FOG 5 swings its sword and slices the barrel clean off, but the stock still slams into its head, completely caving it in. The 87th Legion’s right arm explodes, and FOG 5 crashes right into the AC. Its systems are all starting to fail at once now, and it looks like a boxer whos been knocked out on their feet.

 

The 87th Legion pushes FOG 5 off of it with it’s remaining arm. It falls over, and as soon as it hits the ground the 87th Legion steps on its core and opens fire with its machine gun at point blank. The crowd is completely silent, and all anyone hears is the sound of bullets ripping through metal.

 

FOG 5 is done. Feint has lost. Badly.

 

The entire bar sit in stunned silent for a moment before finally roaring with excitement over a spectacular match.

 

“That was an unbelievably violent finish.” Taurus says, blankly. “I don’t think he needed to end it that way.”

 

"Caesar didn't kill him. Take a close look. He damaged the generator and all of the internal systems, but not the cockpit. He's surgical with that machine gun," Steelflight says as he helps himself to a seat at our table. "That bastard just wanted to prove a point. He didn't even need to sacrifice his right arm like that to win the fight. I can respect it, though. The spectacle is as important as the victory, afterall. Any true gladiator knows that."

 

What does this guy want with us? Did we fuck up, somehow?

 

“So, Listen,” he says, “I’ve got a job that I think you guys would be perfect for. Let's discuss it over brunch. Pastel’s at 10 a.m.? I already got us a res.”

 

Damn it, that’s one of the swankiest places in this city. There's no way we could afford it, and why is he talking like we already agreed to meet him? What an asshole.

 

“On me, of course. Consider it part of the pay.”

 

This guy might be a pushy jerk, but right now he’s the greatest human being on Earth. I’m starting to wonder why everyone says he is such an asshole.

 

“Absolutely. We’ll be there.”

 

“Great, see you guys tomorrow,” and he points at me with both hands, then turns and leaves with all those models. As he leaves I see him do that shooting-a-pistol hand motion at someone else while saying bye.

 

What an asshole.

 

Chapter 4

 

"I have an urge to communicate. I think I'm a change from what it would be like dating a normal guy who doesn't talk too much."

-Drake

 

I just want Love.

 

It's a natural feeling, right? Don't we all feel that way, deep down? Isn't it practically a biological inevitability? Isn't this what Drake was saying all along in his songs?

 

My name is Austin O'Neil. I pilot the Celtic Tiger. I'm new to the world of Armored Core, but I aced all of the entrance exams. I may have never flown a real mission in an MT, AC, or any other kind of vehicle, but I really feel like I am a top notch pilot. Soon the whole world will get to discover how special I am, and I'll receive universal love...but mostly, I just want to experience the love of another woman.

 

I'm honest. Maybe too honest. Just like Drake. He is my idol. The person I aspire to be like, to surpass.

 

I've been debating painting my email address on Celtic Tiger. They say love is blind, but that's only a figure of speech. Someone is bound to see my message. They have to. If I put myself out there, love will find me, and I will find love.

 

That's what love is all about.

 

I haven't had much luck with women. My favorite thing to do is play video games. It's how I've honed my skills as an AC pilot, to be honest. Unfortunately, the more social aspects of my life have suffered for it. It'll all be worth it, though. You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

 

An omelet of success.

 

An omelet of love.

 

Drake once said, "Sometimes it's the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination." That pretty much explains all of life, doesn't it? All of love. The destination is just where things end, but the journey is where all of the interesting stuff happens. It is what gives value, and purpose, to arriving at the destination. All of those hours of video games prepared me for Armored Core. For life. For love.

 

For the touch of a woman.

 

"Just hold on, we're going home."

-Drake

 

----

 

*to be continued!*

Edited by YUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY
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5/5, would read again. If I'm looking for faults, the worst I can say is it's too short. A testament to the quality at hand.

 

I dig how you fleshed out the jaguar comparison, and overall the characters seem genuinely interesting. Even the ones that aren't technically there yet (e.g. Rank 1 guy).

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I'm trying to write each chapter short, and from changing perspectives. Possibly even changing styles of writing. Sorta like novellas...but even shorter since I don't want to force people to read a ton of bullshit. So I guess almost like a comic book?

 

The idea is there will be multiple chapters, all of which are built around the (mysterious) Caesar.

 

But he'll never actually be the main character or narrator. So...like if you ever watched the Golgo 13 anime, it'd be sorta like how Golgo is treated?

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  • 2 weeks later...

2nd chapter is up! Sorry for the delay, busy and infuriating week. Looks like another one is on the way too (crappy week).

 

Should I even call these chapters? They may or not be related directly to each other and the writing styles might change dramatically from one to the next so idk if that's right?

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Simply amazing. Just read through the two chapters back to back with AC1-MoA soundtrack completing the mood. Very clever writing, lots of character in the writing style and plenty of detail. Once chapter two hit with the spot on breakdown on strategy my mind was in high gear picturing each scenario as I read.

 

The inclusion of FOG got me all the more excited, those dudes are a class act. But this Ceaser guy, I', very wary of him, he's certainly not your normal contender. For someone of his caliber to not be soaking up the glory of being an arena phenom in any known fashion means either of two things. One being he obviously has something more important behind the scenes and that this arena charade is simply one step in a larger scheme. Or two, this guy simply derives pleasure and finds purpose in the act of taking out his prey as efficiently as possible. In either case I sense a great amount of danger for anyone who finds themselves too close to this guy. But who knows, I may be completely wrong!

 

Can't wait for more, you've definitely grabbed my attention once again!

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Glad you're liking it so far! I'm planning to take a bunch of chances on the writing style(s), since (and I think you even said something similar) after reading that SCP garbage, there are clearly some good ideas in the format, even if the writing and topics were fucking terrible. I read so many comics/manga over the last year or so as well, and Zoa's fanfic (peep that thread Keanushiro made for it) was so fucking good I just had to write. Had the itch.

 

I'm planning on 12 chapters (so like a really big comic book arc), and as I mentioned I'm going to try utilizing different writing styles for most if not all of the chapters. And unlike my last AC fanfic this isn't just for laughs, although it should get pretty absurd.

 

Wonderful choice on listening to MOA soundtrack, too. I'm drawing a ton of background info/lore from AC1-AC3 era stuff (this particular fanfic is set in LR era).

Edited by YUNG ADULT CONTEMPORARY
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Thanks man. Still though, I gotta not let the other chapters get this big. My plan is to keep them as tightly written as possible. I don't want to take too much of the reader's time up. It's just so easy to get hung up on stuff, though, because we all know how AC is/was...it can turn into a major time sink with all of the details and stuff in each aspect of the game (the bot, the stories, even dumb shit like emblems and color schemes). Too easy to get hung up on that stuff.

 

Basically, I don't want to force someone to sit and read for longer than 10-15 minutes, you know what I mean?

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Wow man, in all honesty that was incredible. IMO I would not worry about sucking up readers time after reading what you've got going here. I was totally feeling it, the life in that club was real, the dialogue and body language was once again seamless, entertaining and believable. Then the fight, I was literally left guessing the whole time, I was actually feeling the spirit of AC again!

 

Man this Steelflight guy, executed so well, love it.

 

This time around I had AC3 ost playing for the serious vibe for something big about to go down, definitely turned out to be the right choice once I started reading.

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