Chapter Six - Armour Up

Chapter Six - Armour Up

Chapter Six - Armour Up

We spend a lot of time romanticizing the Samurai as a person of action and power, but this image is almost always framed with an incursion as the backdrop.

The Samurai are saving civilians and killing aliens, averting, sometimes single-handedly, the sort of natural disaster that no government or corporation could tackle on their own without massive losses.

When there isnt an active incursion, we see the Samurai as laid back celebrities, or pioneers pushing for radical new ideas.

But what about those other times? The times when theyre not in the limelight?

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***

I looked at the image on the television one last time before sighing and poking Lucy in the sides. Lucy, I need to get up, I said.

Aww, but Im comfy, she complained.

I chuckled. Youre not the one with a bony butt digging into your lap, I said.

She gasped and half turned to face me. My ass is not bony.

Its practically nothing but bone, I said.

Lucy jabbed an elbow into my gut, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to send a message. Keep talking about it like that, and well see if you get to play with it any time soon, she said as she hopped to her feet.

Laughing, I accepted the hand she extended to help me up. Maybe I wont let you touch mine then, I said.

She shook her head. Nope. That ass is mine.

I pulled her into a hug. Not a sexy hug, just a comforting press of two bodies together, holding her close so I could feel the tickle of breath against my neck and the hummingbird beat of her heart.

Youll be back? she asked.

Always, I said. I just need to go out and act the hero for a bit.

She nodded. Alright. Can you be safe?

I can try, I said. That was the best I could do. Id never been out on Samurai business before, or whatever theyd call going out to track some girl, but I had the impression that it wasnt exactly the safest thing to do.

Youre going to get changed? Lucy asked.

I looked down at myself, at my very dirty pants and lack of a proper shirt. I should. Ive been thinking of buying some sort of armour too. Might as well do that now, before heading out. Maybe a few other things.

Can I see? Lucy asked.

I couldnt help but grin. Sure.

I huffed. Black is always in fashion, I said. Plus Im supposed to be stealthy. Youd probably want it to be pink or something. Black, or maybe that dark blue like some of my other gear.

A mix of both, perhaps. There are some complex parts to the suit, Myalis said.

As long as by both you mean black and blue, then yeah, sure. Lets go with that.

New Purchase: Mark IV TIGER-B armour

Points Reduced to... 8512!

A box appeared next to Lucy on the bed.

I stepped out of my pants, leaving me in not much at all except for my underthings, and moved over to the case.

Inside, I found a large belt and a few weird bracelets and something that looked like a very large necklace. All of them were big and bulky, and rather heavy when lifted. Uh?

Put them on. The suit will assemble itself over your body.

Cool! Lucy said.

I had to agree, the belt was little more than a series of linked boxes with a clasp by the front. The bracers went over my arms in a similar way, as did the sections over my ankles. The necklace, quite a bit heavier, sat a bit awkwardly around my neck.

With the last piece on, the whole set buzzed. In the time it took to blink, plates of some bluish metal unfolded across my body and a cloth-like weave raced across my skin, then pulled taut.

Nice! Lucy said. She clapped a bit. You look awesome!

I stared down at myself, and kinda had to agree. The armour clung, a bit tight and form-fitting, with plates following my ribs and covering my chest and upper arms. Armoured sections covered my elbows and knees too, which would probably come in handy. The cloth had a few sharp lines done up in dark blue, giving it some contrast over the darker material.

Oh man, thats tight, Lucy said as she reached out and ran a hand over my stomach. The material was pretty tight there, I could actually make out the dip of my belly button through the material.

Is this actually bulletproof? I asked.

We could test it, Myalis said. Give Lucy a gun.

Ohh, Lucy said.

I shut that down quickly enough. Yeah, no, Ill take your word for it, I said.

I like the way it makes your butt look, Lucy said with a thumbs up.

I snorted and made a mental note to look into a mirror later. It already looked good, I said.

Lucy nodded. Your best asset, she said before breaking off into peels of giggles.

I shook my head and reached down to pick up my auto-loader jacket. It would be just that much more cover. As cool as the armour looked, it was a bit... skin-tight. I was far from self-conscious, but still.

You should perhaps invest in a few other things before heading out, Myalis said. Your armament seems appropriate for the likely level of threat youre going to face, but youre lacking in other areas. Your sensor packages are visual only so far, and not that terribly advanced.

And you need to look even cooler, Lucy said. And a bit more colourful. Like... a scarf or something.

I sighed. Alright, we can do a tiny bit more shopping, I said.