Magical Girl Gunslinger

Chapter 8: Power

Chapter 8: Power

I tried to steady my breathing as Brian and I waited at the bottom of the stairwell. Holding the Umbra in my sweaty hands, I peeked through the crack of the slightly open door, waiting for Selene to return from scouting the first floor.

So far, the plan was working out well. After Selene had drilled me on basic gun safety, she had me practice reloading, aiming, and shooting stances. It had done wonders to help my hands stop shaking, but I still felt nervous even holding my gun.

After all that, Selene had helped me develop a plan. Our only real option was to head to another shelter and the mega shelter on the first floor was the shortest path and our best bet at safety. Mega shelters had dedicated personnel staffing them as they were expected to not only house residents of whatever building they were in but also people who came in from the street. In other words, the chance of the emergency shield being active was much lower with professional handlers in charge.

Unless, of course, they had an actual reason to activate it.

After Selene and I had figured out the plan, convincing Brian was surprisingly easy. The second he saw the gun Id found in the camera room, hed been all wide-eyed and excited instead of scared. I supposed that from his perspective I had already taken down one with just an ice axe, and now I had a gun, making things even less scary. Even after wed stepped out from the security room, hed only gotten a little more hesitant.

Wed made a quick stop in front of the shelter for me to mime our plan to the security camera. Selene informed me that when the emergency shield activated, audio was cut as some high level Anathema could use sound attacks. I kept my pistol in my backpack while Selene kept a lookout because I did not want to have Lily and whoever may be watching asking questions.

I also made sure to let Lily know that I didnt blame her. The initial sense of betrayal Id felt had quickly melted into guilt and worry that sat heavy at the bottom of my stomach. Lily wouldnt have just let somebody activate the shield, I knew better than that. No, chances are somebody took it into their own hands and hadnt given her a choice. I just hoped she was okay and hadnt done anything stupid in retalliation. It wasnt worth her getting hurt not for me, anyway.

[The path so far is clear,] Selene said, suddenly appearing in the hallway.

I nodded, letting my thoughts drift away from Lily as I looked back at Brian. He was looking shaky, and so I gave him a quick smile that he returned. My free hand went to my blazer pockets, reassuring myself that the spare magazines for my gun were secure on either side. After a deep breath to steady myself, I opened the door and motioned for him to follow as I went into the hallway.

The first floors architecture was much more like a standard, modern day mall, all glass storefronts and white tile flooring. As for the layout, it was much like the third floors with a giant circular area in the center and a maze of hallways surrounding it. There was also a wide path leading from the center area directly to the front entrance, giving anybody who might come off the streets a straight shot to the shelter entrance in the middle.

I scanned the area, keeping my gun pointed slightly down at the floor as I searched for movement. Between all the signs, reflections, advertisements, and glass, it was hard to see anything. The dim red emergency lighting wasnt helping either. I moved to follow Selene as she scampered down the hall and took a turn. My movement was slower, and I checked through the windows of every store before passing, just to make sure Selene hadnt missed anything being extra stealthy.

We continued like that, Brian following five paces behind me while Selene searched ahead. It was slow and painfully tense. I found myself jumping a few times at my own reflections moving in the windows. It was a constant effort to relax my hands from the death grip they kept forming around my gun.

The worst part was the noise. The mall was utterly silent except for our footsteps and breathing. It made my heartbeat feel extra loud in my ears. Every step that squeaked on the tile floors made me wince.

We turned corner after corner until Selene finally stopped in front of me.

[One Anathema up ahead, another fomorian hound. Defeating it would be a good chance to familiarize yourself with your gun.]

I hesitated for a second, fear clawing up the back of my throat. Images of its carapace body and lamprey mouth latching onto my stomach made me shudder, my breaths picking up in speed.

Are you sure? I thought to her. The noise and I dont like taking risks, especially not with Brian here.

[Between the lesser rune of silencing on your weapon and the malls construction, noise will not be a problem. It would be more of a risk for you not to take this opportunity to use your gun for the first time. Unfamiliarity in an actual fight could be deadly.]

I thought it over for a second, glancing back at Brian. It felt like there were so many things that could go wrong. Something deep in me screamed that this was a bad idea, to just tell Selene to find another path, but

I was a Magical Girl now, I had a gun, and that voice inside was fear, something Id told myself to always listen to but never let command me.

Alright, I sent, and Selene hopped forward to the end of our current hall, waiting at the corner.

I turned to Brian.

Okay, I need you to wait right here for a moment, I whispered. Im going to go take care of a monster quick. It might be loud, but dont panic. If I say run, go and hide, okay?

He looked at me with big eyes, and for a second I thought he was going to argue. Instead, he just clutched his action figure tighter to his chest and gave me a serious nod. I was a little surprised at that, but decided to roll with it and move after Selene to the next intersection, pressing myself against the corner and peeking around it. I saw nothing, but shadows shifted on the glass of one of the storefronts.

[Are you alright?] Selene asked, appearing next to me.

Mm, I choked out through a sniff. Sorry, I just it was so easy. I almost died the first time and now I guess its really just starting to hit me now. Im a Magical Girl. I can fight them. I can do this. Its just a little overwhelming.

Selene tilted her head, watching me for a moment while I regained control of my breaths.

[I understand,] she finally said. [The only advice I can really offer you is to remember this feeling. You are no longer helpless in the face of the eldritch, no longer condemned to watch. You have power now, Mai Kuroki. Power to fight and to protect, to change this world and leave it safer. It will not always be this easy, this painless, but try to embrace this new realization of what you are capable of. You are a Magical Girl now, and you are not powerless anymore.]

I took a hitching breath and nodded as I let the emotions fade. While I did, I made sure to hit the magazine release on the Umbras trigger guard, swapping out for a full magazine from my pockets. The movement was a little jerky, but thanks to Selenes training, I managed to slot in the magazine without too much effort.

Forcing myself away from the wall, I looked back to see Brian still waiting further back down the hallway, hiding behind a potted plant. He was looking at me with big eyes, slightly crouched down like he was ready to run. I gave him a thumbs up and gestured for him to come closer, which he did quickly.

Did you beat it? he quickly asked in a loud whisper.

I gave him a soft smile and nodded, and his jaw dropped. I could see the excitement building up in him, so I quickly placed a finger over my mouth in a shushing gesture.

W-we have to be quiet and keep moving, just like before, I whispered back in a stutter, still trying to recompose myself. That way they wont notice us, right?

He nodded quickly, but there was still a gleam in his eyes as he looked at me. I turned away, found Selene waiting for me, and then we began moving again. We passed through the hallway with the Anathema, and I glanced at it as we passed. The big alien hound had a small pool of black blood forming underneath it, but was utterly unmoving. Its lidless eyes stared at me like it could come alive at any moment, and I didnt quite let it out of my sight until we went into the next hallway.

[Now, onto your combat performance. I would say that you did rather well, especially considering your inexperience. Your second hit would probably have killed the creature from blood loss and catastrophic damage, but the third ended its life. You missed your fourth and seventh shots as it was falling. It also appeared to me that you tunnel visioned too much on the reticule and firing. You need to keep your eyes open on the whole picture, watching your target's movements and the area around you.]

I winced. 75% accuracy against a non-moving target from only a few storefronts away with all my advantages felt pretty bad. Sure it was my first time actually firing a gun, but I still felt like I should have done better. Not to mention, Selene was right about me completely zoning out and while I pulled the trigger. If I had been paying more attention, I wouldnt have wasted the next five bullets shooting at its falling corpse.

[As for your shooting stance and grip I am not an expert and hesitate to comment too deeply. You did seem to jerk the gun slightly on each trigger pull, but I would chalk that up to being unfamiliar and slightly apprehensive of shooting for the first time. In all, an excellent showing for your first time shooting a gun. Congratulations.]

I squirmed slightly at the praise, unsure if I completely agreed.

Thanks but that was about as ideal as it was going to get. And how did it only take three bullets to kill one of those things? I killed it without it even noticing me or having a chance to fight back. Are guns just overpowered?

[No. There are a few factors. First, the Fomorian Hound was low level. Even then, it is a skirmishing type Anathema meant to scout and strike light targets. Combat focused ones will be significantly tougher. Secondly, while guns let you attack from a range with significant power, you are also spending points on ammunition, something a melee or magic user would not have to do. Third, you have to manage your ammo and reload in combat. Fourth, ranged weapons are much harder to aim and hit with than melee ones. Finally, in close combat ranged weapons will be significantly harder to wield.]

I nodded. I guess that made sense, but it was still hard to imagine myself having a sword and taking one down just as easily. Maybe I was just being biased. A sneak attack wasnt really a good way to measure things anyway.

Selene continued leading us through the mall, but something felt off. Instead of heading right to the center, it felt like we were continually doubling back, skirting around our destination. Sure, the mall was ridiculously big and practically a miniature city, but I still felt like it was taking much longer than it should have. We turned a few more corners before stopping near what looked like another security office where Selene was waiting for us. Her ears twitched a few times before she sighed.

[We have a problem, one that I dont see a good solution to.]

I tilted my head at her slightly, and she seemed to consider her words carefully.

[The central area leading to the shelter entrance is crawling with Anathema. Ive been searching to see if there was a way to sneak past them, but have been unable to find one. Im afraid the only way forward is if you take them on directly.]

I swallowed down the fear but gave a hesitant nod. Id taken down one already, and it would only get easier. If this is what needed to be done to get to safety, then so be it.

Okay. How many are there?

Selenes red eyes gleamed in the dim light as she looked at me.

[Fourteen. You will have to face fourteen Anathema by yourself.]