FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Volcan failed to guard against Korban's next swing, causing his haphazard attempt at a parry to result in his halberd burying itself in the ground. He pulled it free, and barely managed to get out of the way of the sweeping sword in Korban's follow-up attack. When the husky reversed his swing and brought it around for another strike, this time the phoenix was more prepared, bringing up his halberd to slap the side of Korban's sword and send it off course, where it buried itself in the soil.

"Nice. Yer getting the hang of it." The husky remarked as he followed through with the momentum, jumping up and over his sword and swinging at the Phoenix with his leg, then came down with an overhead attack with his blade when his kick missed.

"Still slow on the recovery though!"

Volcan brought up the halberd and managed to block the strike with the steel-studded upper half of the shaft, sending a resounding clang echoing over the training field. Volcan opened one palm, and from his fingertips he flashed a fireball that briefly startled Korban, allowing Volcan to come around and slap his hip with the lower part of the shaft, sending pain lancing down his leg.

Korban grunted in pain from the strike, falling to one knee and instinctively pulling out one of his guns. He took a moment to adjust his aim just in front of the Phoenix's foot and fired, the bullet impacting the ground and forcing Volcan to back away.

"And yer learning to fight dirty too." He added as he got back to his feet and holstered his pistol. "Colour me impressed, mr. Goodie two shoes."

"I wasn't supposed to use my powers?" Volcan asked.

"Not so much the fact you're using 'em, it's _how_yer using 'em." Korban answered. "Every time I've seen you use yer flames, it's for pure, raw damage and destruction. Using them to surprise or even momentarily blind someone? That's a pretty underhanded tactic in my books, and given who we're gonna be up against, yer gonna need to fight as dirty as it takes in order to come out on top, cuz I promise ya, P.A.C.E. won't think twice about taking advantage of ya."

Volcan arched his brow as Korban finished speaking. "Yeah, I knew that before you did," Volcan reminded him. "But anyway..."

An elegant black and blue bird walked up to the pair duelling. She was dressed in a short light blue crop top showing off her slim grey belly and dark blue tight leggings that showed in incredible detail the curves of her lower half. Korban saw her earlier with her reder male twin as they carried something into the workshop from the car, but didn't have time to introduce themselves to each other before now.

"Hi boys. My brother is ready for all of you," she called out to them. She looked over both of them curiously, but it was the husky she only knew before from fighting and apprehending a week ago that her eye gazed over longer.

"Guess our little session is on hold fer now." Korban said with a shrug, placing his sword on his back.

"Be right there, Avelyn," said Volcan, lowering his halberd and heading to put it away.

"He'll be over in front of the workshop when you're ready, see you there." She smiled at both and waved sweetly before heading back the way she came, the two males getting the full view of her shapely legs and behind when she raised her tail feathers. Volcan tried not to look too closely at Avelyn, not wanting to seem impolite. Korban on the other hand was not so subtle, arching an eyebrow as the female raven sauntered away and whistling a little.

"Damn... she's almost as hot as Tsumé." He openly remarked with a grin.

Volcan bristled at that. "Oye! A little tact, eh?" He scolded the husky.

"Oh come on, don't pretend you don't wanna tap that," Korban retorted. "Just look at the way she's walking, fer fucks sake. That's an invitation if I ever saw one."

"Doesn't mean you need to say it aloud like some kinda pervert!" Volcan shot back, his voice barely higher than a sharp whisper.

"Hey if I find someone hot, why hide it?" He countered. "Sheesh, you need to live a little, my fiery friend."

Volcan crossed his arms. "I'll have you know I _am_seeing someone right now," he says indignantly.

"Oh?" Korban piped up, his ears perking slightly at the reveal. "Are you now? Who's the lucky gal then, eh?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

"Um... Actually," Volcan replied with a blush, turning his head away slightly. "It's Ordagova."

It took a second for Korban to place the name, having only heard it once or twice, but it soon clicked. "...The Barkeep at that pub you guys hang out at?" He asked. "You're porkin' him?"

"Yeah. It just... Kinda happened," Volcan replied with a shrug. "We went on a date, and then I got stuck at his place when it started raining. It all just... Went from there."

Much to Volcan's surprise, Korban actually smirked at his answer. "Huh. So you swing both ways then." He remarked as his smirk turned into a grin. "Well, good to know I have more options in the future." He added in a teasing manner.

Volcan blinked, and then looked quizzically at the husky. "Was that... Did you just make a pass at me?" He asked.

"Maybe. That's fer you to figure out." He responded, shooting the Phoenix a wink as he turned and started heading for the workshop, leaving a confused and somewhat flattered phoenix to stare after him until he managed to resume his trek to join the others.

"So these are 'Mana amplifier and counter inverters'. Or 'M.A.C.I's for short" Avory announced to everyone once they had gathered, holding up a large full body harness, lined with a silvery metal cord over most of the black leather. At the core of the device, a small, shiny object that at first seemed like onyx or obsidian - the volcanic stone, not the dragoness - but in the correct light, it showed the otherworldly hue of spherum, as they had come to know it; deeper in purple than either of the aforementioned stones.

"I would like it if someone could volunteer to test it, before I make one for everyone."

Volcan stepped forward. "I'll do it," he offered.

"Are we really going to have to wear this?" Tsumé asked, eyeing the harness quizzically. "It looks like something you wear when doing something... Not safe for work."

"I know. It looks like something out of BD... BDSM?" Avory suggested, looking over at his sister to see if he got the acronym right, to which she just shrugged not knowing either, "Bondage. Bondage gear." Avory simply stated. "It's necessary to get full coverage over the body for those that need it, like evidently you do, Volcan. Unfortunately there is no real glamorous way to make it look, so I would recommend wearing it under something if you're that too ashamed." He stated before shrugging, "but then again, the only ones who would see you in it are us, and those at the assault on the base."

"You think this will work?" Kyle asked, looking between Volcan and Avory.

"There's really only one way to find out," said Volcan, taking it from Avory and looking over the harness before he tried putting it on.

"Do you need some help?" Avelyn asked the fire phoenix.

"Maybe... I can't tell which way is supposed to be right side up?" He answered. "Is there a specific way I'm supposed to wear it?"

Avelyn took the harness from Volcan and pointed out the five ends. "This one is for the neck, these are the arms..." she said, pointing out some of the limbs, before pointing down at the two hanging limbs below, "and those are the legs." She finished before looking over at the workshop behind them, "Want to go inside to get in this?" She asked him.

"I can't wear it over my clothes?" Volcan asked, then looked the harness over again. "Hm... Actually yeah it would look kinda weird, wouldn't it? Okay, yeah." He looked over at Ayane.

"The spherum also nworks best when it's in contact with your body for it to work." Avelyn commented, reaching to the harness again and holding up the round dark purple orb across the chest.

"You can change in my room. Last door on the left," Ayane said, pointing at her small house. "I don't have anywhere else you could go."

Volcan nodded to the dragoness and headed over to the house with Avelyn in tow.

As Volcan left, Kyle looked at Avory. "So, maybe not the right time to ask, but, did you by chance get any other equipment? Like the body armour I suggested?"

"It's been ordered. It should be coming tomorrow. But I can only order so much at a time. As I'm using it for experiments_and_testing" he explained, emphasizing the two words. "Once the first batch has arrived, I will give it a day an order another batch, should be enough in those for you guys."

Kyle nodded. "Excellent. Then we're just about ready."

"Is there anything we haven't covered yet?" Rikyuu posed the question, casting a glance over everyone present. "We've got an entry plan, an assault strategy... Team distribution?"

"Vinge is working that part out," said Kyle. "For now we need to keep focused on our progress. Once that gear arrives we'll all need to get accustomed to fighting in it too."

A short while later, Volcan rejoined his friends outside. He walked somewhat awkwardly, still getting accustomed to the harness which was now worn beneath his clothes.

"Only the chest where the spherum is needs to be tight. The rest not so much - you don't want it chafing" Avory commented as he watched the phoenix come over.

"Right. Never worn anything like this before," he said, straightening his posture. "Okay. So, what do I do now?"

"It should work on its own. You might feel a warm fuzzy feeling on your chest where the spherum is in contact with you; using your powers it should amplify their effect, and when a Disruptor is activated, you should not feel _as bad_as without it. Ideally even if your powers are muted, you can still move with less or no pain."

"Okay. How do we test it out?" Volcan asked.

"To get clear data we'll need to test you and someone who doesn't have the harness," said Ayane. "I've got one of the Disruptors in the shop ready to go."

Tsumé shuddered. "Ugh... Do we really need to do that?" She asked.

"No other way," replied Ayane, shrugging. "So who will be the volunteer?" She looked between Tsumé and Vinge, who had remained quiet thus far. Pavan and Lighris had not been able to make it to training yet that day.

Vinge stepped forward, about to volunteer, when Korban spoke up first. "Well that's all fine and dandy for you lot, but personally, I don't see why _I_need to wear one of those power bondage harnesses." He stated while shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, these disruptor things make you feel sick cause you guys were born from yer respective elements. My ice abilities, while passed down genetically, aren't part of my biology. Even without 'em, I still got my guns, my sword, and my inherent physical powers and regen ability."

"Well... you want to make sure of that? If you're that confident then there will be no harm done, but it would be worth checking to make sure, and perhaps you might feel something so you know when the effect is on you or not so you know when you can use your ice powers." Avory suggested, moving to Volcan's side.

Korban arched an eyebrow in response, then glanced back at his partner, who shrugged back at him in response. "I mean, it can't hurt right?" Kieran asked. "I know _I'm_gonna need one of those harnesses since I'm pretty much fodder without my mystical arts to back me up."

"...Ehhh, I guess it's worth a shot," The husky relented, earning him a surprised glance from Kieran. "...What?"

"...You're actually _agreeing_with me?" He asked. "Here I was expecting you to just brush me off like you always do."

Korban shrugged. "Meh. I guess you _can_teach a stubborn dog new tricks." He replied, casting a subtle glance at Volcan.

Volcan smiled back at him, a look of approval crossing his features, before he regarded Ayane. "Alright. Let's go then," he said.

"Follow me," she instructed, turning on her heel and leading the group back toward the workshop with Avory and Avelyn at her sides. Reluctantly, Vinge and Tsumé followed as well, bringing up the rear behind Kyle and Rikyuu.

The ten of them entered the workshop. For Korban it was not his first time stepping into this place, having been treated for poison and burns after the fight with Devilshade only days back. But for Kieran and Tsumé, it was the first time they'd ever entered Ayane's workshop, seeing the scraps of technology spread out across multiple tables from her and Avory's work studying P.A.C.E's technology - including stripping the damaged VTOL for spare parts since it was no longer flight worthy.

"So... That's the one you damaged, eh Volcan?" Tsumé asked, pointing at the cannibalized craft sitting like a skeleton along the far wall.

"Yep. That was the day Lighris and I first encountered P.A.C.E," said Volcan. "They had him in the cabin, and I couldn't get close enough to break in and get him, so I melted one of the rotors and forced the crew into a crash landing."

"How did you do that with the Disruptor on?" Vinge asked.

"The cloaking field was probably on," Kyle spoke up, looking at Volcan who nodded back. "The Disruptor and the cloaking tech both suck up a _lot_of juice - they can't be run at the same time, or it'd overstress the capacitor and cause a burnout."

"With Volcan's infrared vision, he was still able to see them," Ayane added. "Obsidian watched it all happening through his own eyes."

"Wait,_through_his eyes?" Kieran asked, baffled. "...She can do that?"

"Yep," Ayane replied. "She needs to link her nervous system to someone, like a sort of wireless interface - completely painless for her to do. But that does mean she can also feel everything he would - like, if someone blinded Volcan, she'd feel it too and her own eyes would hurt. Well, so she says - I'm not a telepath myself."

"That is also when I told her that we needed to set certain boundaries," Volcan remarked in a dry tone. "It's enough knowing she can read my mind - having her able to actually share my senses just feels really... Invasive."

"I dunno - I think it sounds kinda intimate," Tsumé remarked with a sly grin on her face. "Imagine what that'd be like if you two-"

"Tsumé!" Volcan exclaimed as he whirled around, facing her with his cheeks glowing a brighter red than normal. She giggled at his discomfort, and Volcan's expression turned to a glare. "Oh yeah, _very_mature!"

Korban shared in the moment, chuckling at Volcan's expense and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Aw c'mon, it's funny. Let the girl live a little, eh?" He commented.

Avory then looked over. "Wouldn't your boyfriend be able to do that?" He asked. Avelyn lent over, asking her brother who his boyfriend was, before Avory reminded her it was the bar owner, Ordagova.

"Well, maybe, if he's learned how," Volcan replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You should ask him," Tsumé said, nudging his side with her elbow. "And be sure not to spare any details~"

Volcan rolled his eyes. "Between you and Ayane pranking me back then, I'm starting to feel like I'm becoming this team's personal butt-monkey," Volcan remarked.

"That was six months ago, Volcan," Ayane said, rolling her eyes despite her smile.

Kyle chuckled. "Why, what'd you do?" He asked, looking at Ayane.

"Oh, while Lighris and I were pulling the hydrogen fuel cell out of the wrecked VTOL I jump-scared him while he was acting all nervous - just yelled 'boom' while I was standing behind him," Ayane replied. "Heck, you should have seen his face as soon as I mentioned the word 'hydrogen'. I think he came close to breaking the record for the hundred meter dash."

This time, both Korban and Kieran burst out laughing together, the husky throwing their head back, the cat doubling over and clutching his sides.

"_Seriously?"_Korban exclaimed. "That's the funniest shit I heard all week!"

"What he said!" Kieran added. "Aw _man,_I haven't laughed that hard in ages!"

"...Definitely becoming the butt-monkey," Volcan muttered, scowling. 'At least everyone seems to be getting along,'_he thought to himself. '_Even if it's at my expense I suppose it's worth something.'

Avory and Avelyn looked between each other, understanding why it may have been funny, but not quite as funny as their American and Canadian counterparts were making out. Both wore a slightly concerned look as they knew hydrogen could be very dangerous if ignited.

Kyle walked over and clapped Volcan on the shoulder. "Think of it this way. If you can take it here, you'd make it through boot camp with flying colours," he said.

"Alright. I suppose that's enough clowning around," said Ayane, facing the intact VTOL. "Are you ready to test your invention?" She directed the question to Avory.

"Well, it's ready if it's tight enough." Avory replied looking over at Avelyn who helped the phoenix into it. She nodded.

"Yeah, we're ready to go." Avelyn agreed looking over at Ayane, both twins standing either side of Volcan.

"Alright," the dragoness said as she approached the VTOL, climbing into the cabin and making her way up to the cockpit. Through the window, they saw her taking a seat, and then she began to count down with her fingers while the others watched.

They heard the whirr of electronics coming to life as the VTOL powered on, and then there was a second hum filling the air as Ayane switched on the Disruptor.

The effects spread through the workshop immediately, reaching Volcan, Korban, Kieran and the twins first. The effects were quickly made apparent, as Volcan shifted uncomfortably and laid a hand against his stomach. Korban likewise showed signs, blinking his eyes repeatedly as if they were dry, but he barely moved beyond turning his head as though to take in the room again. Kieran, though - to their surprise - showed no signs of ill effect from the Disruptor's field.

Avory and Avelyn, with mixed reactions to the sensation, each felt a mild throb fill both of their heads at the same time, briefly distracting the pair from their observations of Volcan and the others. They eventually awoke from their haze to take in those around them.

Behind them, they heard Tsumé let out a pained groan, her hands over her stomach like she was having indigestion. Vinge had his hands on a table, and was clearly fighting to stay upright. Kyle and Rikyuu instinctively ran over to help the two, keeping them steady. Kyle lowered Tsumé into a chair while Rikyuu kept his hands on Vinge's shoulders, helping him stay upright.

Looking over at the three males around them seemingly fine, if not for Volcan holding his chest, the two twins quickly ran over to the aid of the other phoenixes, Avory going to Tsumé's side and Avelyn to Vinge's to tend to them.

"Are you ok? Are you feeling a little weak or do you need this to stop?" Both twins asked their patients respectively.

"I'm fine," Vinge replied, but cast a studious look toward Tsumé. His face didn't show concern, but it was, just slightly, visible in his eyes as he saw the earth phoenix struggling. "Do you have the data you need?"

Avory, holding Tsumé had already turned around now and gestured to Ayane across the room, drawing a line across his neck to kill the power. Seeing this, she immediately shut off the VTOL and cut power to the Disruptor. Slowly, Vinge and Tsumé's conditions improved, their breathing becoming steady as they both stood more easily.

"I'll never get used to that damn thing," Tsumé remarked bitterly. "The weakness goes away after a moment but when it first hits, it_really_ sucks."

Avory leaned in closer to hug Tsumé, rubbing her back and shoulder readying as she recovered. "Well hopefully with my harness, you won't need to get used to it."

"Let's hope," she said, taking another steadying breath as she stood up from the chair. "On that note... Did it work? Did the harness work?"

"I don't know. Let's see..." Avory replied, helping her back up, before letting go of her to walk over to Volcan, "Hey Volcan, how did that feel?"

"Well... I still felt _some_effect of the Disruptor, but it was definitely way less than usual," Volcan replied. "I didn't feel like I was being eaten alive from the inside like it usually feels - I don't know what to compare it to. But to sum it up I'd say it spared me from the worst of it."

"The Disruptor field output must be a little higher than the harness can filter on its own," offered Ayane as she came over to rejoin them. "But it didprovide_some_protection."

"Of course, the strength would depend on the size of the spherum core. The one in the VTOL is quite large. This one is about the size of a tennis ball." Avory explained, patting the lump on Volcan's chest under his muscle shirt. "So... that was what I was hoping for at the very least, I would call that a success!"

Kieran moved over to his partner, who was still reeling slightly from the effects of the Disruptor. "Hey, you alright man?"

"Yea, I'm... I'm good." Korban answered, shaking his head a little to clear that foggy feeling he just experienced. "Just a bit caught off guard by how that all felt."

"Well, how'd it feel?"

"Like I was missing something important." Korban answered, lifting a paw to gently clutch the cross hanging around his neck, rubbing the red gem in its center absently. "A feeling I'm not too keen on experiencing again..." He added before turning to look at his partner. "Least you ended up fine."

"Well, yea. I'm not a metagene like you." Kieran replied. "If I were, then I'd be a Sorcerer, not a Wizard."

"...What's the diff?"

"Sorcerers are able to inherently tap into the mystical and arcane arts to perform spells. Wizards have to study them from books and other sources." Kieran explained. "And that can take _years_at least."

"So the spherum is what allows you to counter the effects," Vinge said, rubbing his chin in thought. "Is there a way to amplify it? Maybe if you make the item into a full shirt instead of a harness? Or perhaps some kind of armour plate?"

"If I am to distribute it to everyone who needs it equally, it can only be about the size of the one Volcan has," Avory explained. "We only have so much MANA available to us."

"...Mana?" Kieran piped up. "Like the energy that Sorcerers draw from to power their spells?"

"Would make sense. Do your books I've seen you whip out refer to the five core elemental essences of earth, water, wind, fire and electricity?" Avory looked over at the cat curiously.

Kieran nodeed. "Yea, and then some." He answered. "I used a corrosive spell on yer sister the first time we traded blows at that farm house." He then glanced at Avelyn. "No hard feelings?"

"None, as long as you're on our side now." Avelyn replied to the cat beside her.

Avory then turned back to Vinge, "But if you were asking if I could make you all spherum the size to match the Disruptors, then you guys are gonna look either fat or pregnant. Or a hunched back. Maybe if two can work at once in parallel you can have two tits or arse cheeks, or a huge pair of balls if you have the confidence to go into battle like that." The raven-hoopoe tease.

Both Volcan and Vinge cast the raven scathing looks. "Be serious, Avogadro," Volcan said.

"The point is, we don't have enough to make them any more effective," said Ayane.

"You can't take them from the cores on the VTOL's?" Vinge asked, gesturing to the two inert craft. "I thought they were composed of the same elements, and were much bigger?"

"They are. Unfortunately, we can't break the cores into smaller pieces without risking _serious_consequences," replied Ayane, then looked over at Avory. "You want to explain?"

"They implode," Avory revealed. "Depending on how much they become unstable they will implode into dark matter if they are used to suck energy away, like the Disruptor does. Or if you use them to enhance your powers they will explode into... Well, I am not sure, my simulations haven't figured that out but likely a huge burst of mana. Fire, water, lightning bolts; the lot I guess." Avory suggested.

Volcan looked down at his chest, alarmed. "Are you saying I'm carrying a bomb on my chest?!" He demanded, not understanding Avory's explanation.

"If you don't keep it balanced. The smaller it is, the more unstable it can be; so whenever you are hit by a Disruptor, you ideally need to use your mana powers - fire in your case - in order for it to amplify it and restore it to equilibrium. And vice-versa."

Kyle stepped forward. "Now hold on... What if the core on Volcan gets hit during the battle?" He asked. "If a stray bullet or one of the Cyber Troopers struck it, could it go off?"

"You would need to take a diamond tipped drill or tungsten to crack it open. I've not been able to - my simulations are only based on that powered mana version your guys used on Tsumé that night they tried to capture her. In that form it was _really_unstable. Cheap and nasty." Avory replied.

"Left a huge perfectly round crater in the forest too." Avelyn muttered to Korban and Kyle beside her.

They glanced back at her with mild alarm, then back at each other briefly before Korban replied. "Yeeeaaa, that's a hard hell no from me. I'll risk exposure over practically being nuked, thank you."

"That appeared to be powdered spherum, not whole spherum, hence why it just imploded." Avory tried to reassure the team, before looking back over at Ayane with a large sigh.

"It's the only chance we really have, guys," said Ayane. "If we can't get the Disruptor in the base offline, you'll be fighting without your powers."

"Or fighting for your lives if you rely on mana for... Well, life." Avory reminded.

Volcan, Vinge and Tsumé exchanged looks, weighing their options between one another. None of them were versed in using firearms; Volcan straight up did not wish to use them at all. But their options were thinning, and they needed to be ready for anything that might come... The question of course, was how?

"Sooo... Starting to wish you took my advice sooner, eh Flamie? Ya know, the one about not being picky?" The husky stated, half smirking in a combination of smugness and scathingness.

"Shaddup," Volcan retorted flatly.

"Make me." Korban replied, then shrugged. "Well, in any case, the offer still stands if this is the route we're gonna be taking."

"Perhaps Korban is right," Vinge said. "It could be our contingency plan, in the event the breach team is not able to disable the base's Disruptor."

Tsumé sighed. "I don't like it either, Volcan. But with these harnesses Avory made, the only thing keeping us out of that base is our lack of the right gear."

"I can give you guys a crash course in firearms training," Kyle offered.

"It isn't just my worry about using a firearm," Volcan said. "In the event I'm able to use my powers again, and my hand heats up while I'm holding, say, a semi-automatic pistol, that heat will be going right into the gun. What if it goes off in my hand?"

"I think you have more control than that," Tsumé chided him, crossing her arms. "I've seen you in action, Volcan - you're not a wildfire."

"Dude, I dunno why you're making such a big deal out of it. The answer is simple." Korban remarked. "You guys go through some basic firearms training hosted by myself and the marine. You learn how to shoot, then use whatever you're most comfortable with until we can shut down the disruptor, then you can ditch the guns and go back to how you normally fight later on." He concluded while shrugging his shoulders. "It ain't rocket science man, it's logic. There's a lotta things I didn't like in my life, but I had to deal with 'em to get to where I am now."

"You can use my electric blasters if you want. Knocks them out. No death." Avory suggested. "Works during the disruptor too."

"Insulated body armour," Kyle commented. "Your electric gloves won't do any good, especially not if they're only meant for stunning and not killing."

"If I take the safeguards off they can do more than just stun..." Avory commented, but was then concerned that he would be down a tool in combat.

Volcan shook his head. "Killing isn't what worries me," he said. "Well, in a way yes, but not the P.A.C.E troopers - I don't see an alternative to that if we ever want to be safe. What I'm afraid of is hurting one of you by accident, especially with something wild like bullets that can ricochet off solid surfaces, or like I said, be detonated unintentionally by my powers."

"That, I'm afraid, is part of the risk of handling a firearm." Korban responded matter-of-factly. "Hence why we're offering the training. Unless you got a better idea in mind, then I suggest you stop fretting and just take what's put in front of you. Worry about the consequences _after_the job's done."

Volcan grimaced, but he could offer no argument against Korban's logic. If he was cut off from his powers the next best option was a firearm, as much as he hated the idea. He considered Avory's suggestion, but remembered what Kyle had said about the insulated armour - which Volcan had witnessed himself firsthand when he'd seen one of the retrieval team members take a bolt of lightning from Lighris and barely even be slowed by it.

"Guess I don't have much of a choice," said Volcan, sighing in defeat.

"Alright, then it's settled." Korban said with a nod and a grin.

"Let's go check out the selections again, then," said Volcan.

"We should go too," Vinge suggested, looking at Tsumé who nodded back.

"Alright. Never got to shoot a gun before - this should be fun," said Tsumé.

"They_aren't_. Toys." Kyle stated with a stern tone in his voice.

Ayane and the twins watched the others head for the shooting range. The dragoness cleared her throat after a moment and looked at the two. "You guys going to join them?" She asked.

"No, probably not. We'd show them up." Avelyn commented with a smirk.

"But I would like that harness back!" Avory said, catching up to Volcan again.

"Oh, sorry," said Volcan, instinctively reaching down to try to remove the harness.

Kyle stepped in. "Don't you think he should get accustomed to using it first?" He asked. "Soldiers train while _wearing_their combat gear - if he's going to have to fight in it, he can't be distracted by its discomfort, right?"

"Well, yeah, that would be ideal." Avory agreed. "But sounded like you guys weren't that confident about it."

"Were_you_confident in your _first_suit of armour?" Kyle asked matter-of-factly. "Especially once the flaws started showing themselves?"

"I suppose not," Avory admitted.

Vinge came over to add his piece. "Can the spherum be removed?" He asked. "Volcan only needs to get accustomed to the harness itself."

"That I can do..." Avory agreed, stepping around to the front of Volcan. "May I?"

"Sure," he replied, and then lifted his shirt until the spherum core was revealed.

Avory gazed down at the gorgeous body in front of him, taking it in for a moment before planting a hand on Volcan's hot golden feathery pectoral to brace himself. The other hand reached for the spherum resting between the two. Volcan watched him, saying nothing as he took hold of the spherum and tried to extract it.

Avory struggled to undo the core as it was done up intentionally tight so it won't come loose from the harness or come out of contact from the phoenix's body. He gripped Volcan's pectoral tightly for purchase and groaned as twisted his other hand on the dark purple core, finally releasing it from the secure holder in the middle. He panted softly in exhaustion as he looked down at the core and at Volcan's black harness covered chest, still groping his pec unknowingly.

Volcan lowered his shirt then, forcing Avory to instinctively remove his hand as the fabric came down, though the phoenix was still watching him curiously.

"Oh! Ermmm... sorry!" The raven-hoopoe blushed, just realising what he was doing, pulling his hand out from under the muscle shirt.

"Are you okay?" Volcan asked.

"You have such a beautiful chest," he blushed deeper, "It felt so nice and warm and... Sorry..."

This time it was Volcan's turn to blush at the compliment, his gaze drifting away from Avory's. "I-I better go back to training," he said, excusing himself before leaving Avory staring after him. Kyle, looked at Avory without any judgment in his gaze - neither approval or disapproval, and followed Volcan to the shooting range.

Avory watched the others leave until they were out of sight and earshot, then suddenly collapsed to his knees and looked to the ground. "...FUCK, Avory! What was that?!" He berated himself, letting out a long sigh and recollecting himself, before getting up and dusting himself off and rejoining the girls.

"...It might not be any of my business but," Ayane began, speaking slowly with an arched brow. "Avory, are you gay?"

Avory signed, looking up at Ayane and then away briefly. Avelyn spoke up for him. "We're both bi, but Avory does seem to have a male lead to him."

He then looked up to the red dragoness embarrassed, rubbing his arm and giving her a small shallow nod.

She nodded, and smiled at him. "Just making sure. Nothing wrong with that," she said. "And, Volcan _is_pretty hot, I grant you - though don't ever tell him I said so," she added firmly.

"Well, he is undeniably hot; he's living fire!" Avory tried to laugh off his embarrassment. "But yeah... I'm mostly drawn to guys it seems. Though I have only slept with one guy and girl before."

"You also seem to be drawn to those who are exotic," Avelyn remarked, smiling at her brother. "Those with four arms, those with long tails, those with elemental or psychic powers..."

Avory arched an eyebrow and grins at his twin sister, "Oh? If my old boyfriend had four arms, then what was _exotic_about my girlfriend?"

"Do you seriously want me to say what was exotic about her, in front of Ayane?" She asked, cocking her own brow back.

Ayane looked between the two. "Uh..." She muttered.

"Yeah, probably for the best you don't know." Avory chuckled.

Korban held the hefty Heckler & Koch UMP-45 in his hands, taking note of the multiple modifications that had been made to the weapon. It had an extended barrel, forward under-barrel grip, a red dot sight and a folding stock. This weapon, according to Kyle, was the go-to for P.A.C.E's retrieval teams. Useful for getting in close to subdue, or if necessary, kill - and with a magazine full of .45 caliber bullets, most people were not getting back up after getting even a few rounds in the chest.

"Jeez, these P.A.C.E. fuckers ain't fooling around with gear like this. With all the mods this thing has alone, they're likely gearing up to go to war, let alone form a fake S.W.A.T. Unit." He remarked as he took aim down the sight for a moment, then placed it back on the table.

"Considering what we were fighting, if we _had_to kill, we wanted to make sure it wouldn't get up again," said Kyle, grimacing with clear distaste.

"You okay, man?" Kieran asked, glancing over at Kyle's direction.

"Just a few years of bad choices, catching up with me," he replied. "Anyway," he looked over to Volcan. "Get up here, red - let's pick something for you."

Hesitantly Volcan approached the table and began examining the weapons on display. He had seen them before of course, but this time he took more time and studied each firearm carefully. "Okay... So, what's the real difference between all of these?"

"Functionality and firepower," Kyle explained. "What is your preference?"

"Well, since I have the halberd, I'm going to need something I can switch between easily. If I have to take a hand off the halberd then whatever gun I'm using can't be in the way," said Volcan.

"A handgun might be your best bet," suggested Kyle.

"Given yer uhm... Overall build, I might recommend a revolver for ya, big guy." Kieran offered. "They got a lotta recoil and have a small mag, but they make sure whatever you're shooting at _stays_down."

"Pretty dependable too," Kyle added. "Never had one malfunction on me once when I used them the shooting range."

"Sounds like a good place to start then," Volcan said as he picked a revolver from the selection; one with a chrome frame and a maplewood handle.

"Is that... Ah, Colt Anaconda," said Kyle, nodding, then looked at Korban. ".45 Colt or .44 Magnum?" He asked.

"Magnum." Korban answered. "More kick, but more power to it."

Kyle noticed something out of the corner of his eye and his arm came up sharply, pointing at Volcan. "Finger off the trigger until you're ready to use it," he said sharply.

"Whoa. Okay," Volcan said, surprisingly meek as he adjusted his grip so that his index finger was safely resting alongside the trigger instead of on it.

"Just a firing range safety tip."

"Alright, now." Kieran stepped up, being more familiar with revolvers than his partner was. "First tip. Contrary to what you see in the movies, ya _don't_wanna grip the butt of the gun with yer offhand. Instead, place it over your gun hand as if you were holding yer own fist. Like so." The cat explained, drawing his own revolver and showing the Phoenix what he meant by holding his offhand over his gun hand as if he were holding a fist. "This'll provide you better stability and a faster recovery after you fire a shot."

Volcan followed Kieran's example, adjusting his grip again so that he was holding it the way Kieran had suggested. "Like this?" He asked.

"Yea, perfect." He answered. "Now, keep your arms straight, but don't lock them. Let them bend when the recoil hits, otherwise yer arms are gonna fly way up." He explained, then positioned his feet spread apart at an angle. "Put your weight on your leading leg to help cushion the recoil, so you don't get sent back on yer ass."

Volcan moved to a safe spot and took aim at a target, getting the feel for the revolver. He decided to try taking a shot, but as soon as his finger squeezed the trigger, nothing happened. "Uh-"

"Kyle's safety tip aside, I'm fairly sure Korban would know better than to leave loaded guns lying around," Vinge commented as he went over to the table to search the selection himself.

"...Yeah, that one's on me," said Volcan, feeling humbled as he walked back over to Kieran for the cat to show him how to load the revolver.

Vinge looked over the selections until his eyes settled on the UMP-45 Korban had been examining earlier. He picked it up, showing his disciplined nature as he kept the barrel pointed safely toward the ground and his right index finger off the trigger, testing the weight of it in his hand.

"That one appeals to you?" Kyle asked.

"It is the weapon of the enemy," said Vinge. "But it is an effective weapon... I would consider it, if only to better understand what we ourselves face."

"Well, since this is a weapon _you're_familiar with, why don't you handle this one." Korban spoke toward Kyle. "I wouldn't be much help here anyway, given my preference."

"In the enclosed quarters of the base that might be ideal," Kyle replied, nodding in agreement. With that, Vinge passed him the UMP-45, selecting a similar weapon from among the collection.

"Got anything small but still packs a punch?" Tsumé asked.

Korban glanced her way, looking her up and down for a moment. "...As a matter of fact, I do." He answered, gesturing for her to follow him to another section of the table. He grabbed the weapon he had in mind and held it in front of her. "I think an Uzi would be good for ya. Decent punch with a fast rate of fire, all while relatively easy to control if you know how." He explained, letting Tsumé examine it for herself.

She took the compact submachine gun, testing the weight of it in her hands before she aimed safely out to open ground and lifted it until it was at a level where she could look down the sights. "Feels like I have to keep my arms pretty tight to use it," she remarked.

"You think so?" Korban asked, grinning smugly as he reached for a magazine and held it to her. "Then give her a good squeeze and see fer yerself." He stated.

She turned to regard him, accepting the magazine and inserting it. Kyle came over then. "Pull on this here to chamber the first round," he instructed. "Safety selector is here - see the writing on the side?" He then backed away, letting her find the rest for herself.

Tsumé removed the safety of the Uzi, holding it to a comfortable position before taking aim at one of the targets down range. She took a breath, and then squeezed the trigger. Bullets erupted from the gun in a spray, and Tsumé's eyes went wide as she struggled to hold onto the thing, letting go of the trigger as she lost her balance and fell onto her backside. The gun discharged once more when she hit the ground, and she instinctively let go of it before an accident could happen.

"Geez!" She exclaimed.

"You had it on full auto," Kyle remarked dryly.

"Pas de putain de merde, sherlock!" She returned irritably. "I really was not ready for that much recoil! How big are the rounds in this thing?"

"The size of the rounds is only half the issue." Korban stated as he went to pick up the gun. "There's also the rate of fire to consider. This baby can empty a whole mag in a single second with sustained fire. With that many bullets being shot out at once, the recoil almost feels like that of a fifty cal if yer not ready for it." He explained.

He reloaded the gun and handed it back to Tsumé, only this time he stood behind her and went over the proper grip and posture with her in a more hands on approach. "Legs apart. Lean forward slightly." He said as he shuffled her legs apart with his feet. "Aim down the sight with both eyes. Closing one eye ruins depth perception and opens up a blind spot." He added, holding her hands in his and guiding the gun so she was aiming down the sight with her left eye.

"Arms stiff, but not rigid. You wanna absorb the recoil, not fight it. And lastly: Don't hold the trigger down. Pull the trigger, then release. You'll get the most out of yer shots in controlled bursts, and you'll conserve ammo in the process."

"Alright," she said, readjusting her posture as he instructed before trying again, this time being more careful with her shots, firing in short controlled bursts.

This time, she scored a few hits on the targets, successfully adjusting to firing in bursts until she grew more comfortable with the weapon. Before long, Volcan came up to join her, taking aim at the second target with his revolver and Vinge came up with a second Uzi for the third.

So their firearms training began. A skill they hoped they wouldn't need, or have to use more than once...

After a few moments, Avory entered the range behind the six of them, and waited behind Tsumé until she was done, watching the three practice, and occasionally glancing over at the weapons presented by the two hunters, before spotting a very old looking rifle.

"Huh... Can I have a go?" Avory asked Korban, pointing at the oldest gun to choose from.

Both hunters cast a glance at the young raven, then back at one another before Kieran shrugged in relent. Korban sighed and turned to fully face Avory with his arms crossed. "You ever fired a gun before?" He asked matter-of-factly.

Avory picked up the old gun and headed over to the range, picking up the correct bullets along the way. "Let me show you..."

Avory kicked up a stone from the ground into his hand. He cocked the gun and placed a bullet into it before pulling the barrel back up almost in one motion. Without a moment to think he threw the stone up down the Range and brought the gun to his shoulder looking down the old sights, breathing in softly to steady his aim then pulling the trigger.

The bullet impacted the flying stone and scattered the shards behind the range, some of the spray hitting Tsumé target beside where he shot. This got the attention of the phoenixes, seeing that someone else had joined practice.

Avory smirked before cocking the barrel of the gun again, sliding in another bullet, recocking it, kicking up another stone to throw out down the range and shooting it into pieces. He did this five times in quick succession before stopping, a grin pulled across his beak.

"Wow... He's good," said Volcan.

"Huh. Guess that suit doesn't do all the targeting for him after all," Tsumé added.

Korban arched an eyebrow, somewhat impressed with the young raven's marksmanship with a rifle. Though he was not one to be outdone by someone he considered a novice compared to him, stepping up to the range next to Avory.

"Okay, so you can shoot." He remarked as he drew his own pistols and flicked the safety off of each. "But how quick are you on the draw, I wonder?"

"Never tried pistols. Only old rifles like these and shotguns for clay target shooting." Avory shrugged. "I wouldn't use them in combat though."

"Then let's play a little game..." Korban answered, grinning confidently. "We'll each take a turn shooting at some pigeons. First one to miss their mark loses."

"Oh, here we go..." Kieran muttered under his breath.

"Clay targets, Korban. Not clay pigeons" Avory insisted, traking some offense. "But oh, don't worry. I know you will win, as you're more well practiced and I've not done this in over a year." He dismissed, "Won't be much of a competition. But then that's not what I came in for..." Avory then turned to Tsumé who had stopped firing, "It's moving day tomorrow, have you asked Volcan, Vinge and Lighris if they were willing to help out?"

She jerked slightly. "Oh crap! I forgot all about it!" She exclaimed, slapping herself in the forehead.

Volcan looked over. "You're moving?"

"Yeah. My landlady wouldn't let me wait to renew my lease," she said, sighing. "Avory offered to give me a room at his place, since I work for him now - I'm his gardener."

"Mutually beneficial arrangement," said Volcan nodding. "Do you need some help?"

"Yes, please. Lighris too if he can manage it,"

"It's a Friday, so he'd have to open up his shop," said Volcan. "But I'm sure he'd be willing to lend us his truck. We can ask him when he gets here."

"That'll work."

"I'll help too," Vinge offered. "I am already living at the mansion so it is the least I can do."

"I could pitch in as well, if you need me," Kyle added.

Tsumé smiled. "Thanks, guys. Appreciate it. I'll get you all coffee tomorrow. Er..." She looked at Volcan. "Can you even..." She trailed off.

"IIIII wouldn't risk it," Volcan answered.

"Pastry it is then. Favourite flavour?"

"Cherry."

"Done."