[h1]James Carter[/h1]

[b]Bang![/b]

A gunshot. The world seemed to be in slow motion. As blood, bone chunks, and brain matter splattered the pavement, I watched in shock as the girl's lifeless body slumped over onto the ground. 

"Fuck fuck fuckity fuck fucking fuck!" I hissed to myself through clenched teeth. I quickly loaded a round and took aim at one of the blobs of mana. They were getting more distinct as they got closer now, one of them just getting off the ground. That must be the gunner, so I'll eliminate him first. They are going to pay for the innocent blood spilt here tonight. The group is behind a few buildings, likely thinking themselves safe from counterattack. How sweet it will be to prove them wrong. The rifle I'm holding isn't a normal .22, the barrel is enchanted with magnetic spells bound into the metal, accelerating rounds far beyond normal muzzle velocities. On top of that, the rounds are impregnated with gravitational energy, increasing their effective weight. These custom enchantments allow each round to impact with the kinetic energy of a .50 cal round. Time to shatter that illusion of safety. 

[b]Kra-kow![/b]

The first round flies several blocks, punctures the wall, and rips the gunner in half. The other five burst into action, buzzing like bees. I reflexively snap off another three rounds, keeping them on the move.

[b]Kra-kow! Kra-kow! Kra-kow![/b]

That's four. I have a 50 round drum mag so I won't run out soon, but I can't get careless. Suddenly, a wave of energy washes over me, blinding my 6th sense. "Aaah!" I exclaim, as if a bright light had been flashed in my eyes after spending an hour in complete darkness. It must have been a jamming spell, and I stared right into it; I wasn't ready for that. I yell telepathically to Lancelot, [i]"Cover me!"[/i] As I reorient myself, the indistinct silver blur dashes into the open, stopping in front of the dead girl. My 6th sense was trying to get a read, but everything was blurry. Like trying to listen to a specific conversation 6 rows away in a football stadium. 

[i]"James, should I draw Arondight?"[/i] He said, as a PCU walked around the corner, eyes locked on Lancelot. Well, locked on was a bit of an exaggeration. His eyes were visibly struggling to stay focused through the illusion fog that obscured his vision.

[i]"No." I said, "We don't want to go all out quite yet. Let's leave them a little, suprise."[/i] I concentrated, and summoned my soulshard into Lancelot's hand, a cloud of blue mist that condensed into a zweihander. The false spirit materialized dual bladed tonfas on his arms, the [i]real[/i] fight had just begun.