[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 12: Duo Queue

The battlefield finished loading, revealing a ruined city. Craters, broken mechs and other war debris littered the landscape. Eerily, no life moved in the city. All was still, except for the desolate wind howling between the cracks of fallen skyscrapers.

The silence ended as a brilliantly colored streak rose in the air. The Fantasia R2 Seraphim readied its long ranged rifle and scanned the surroundings vigilantly.

"Come on! Let's stop hiding like rats." TheSeventhSnake publicly declared. "I'm right here! Shoot me if you can!"

Nothing responded to his taunts. The slim, grey Phantasm that popped up from the side of a broken tank shook its head.

"I told you they wouldn't fall for it. Congratulations for revealing your position. Now get down and stop wasting your limited energy." Triceratopssss said as he tried to accustom himself to his new mech.

The Seraphim cut back on its wing thrusters, allowing the mech to find some cover among the streets.

"This is why I hate 2v2. Everyone's constantly playing these clever strategies. The 1v1 arena is a lot more straightforward."

The Phantasm's pilot kept his mech in the shadows as he explored their surroundings. "I'm not saying you're wrong, but remember it was your idea to duo queue with two Fantasia variants. We have to play a little dirty if we want to win as a pair of light mechs."

The two versus two arena provided a more intricate combat experience compared to the solo queue. With a teammate at your back, pilots had a lot more leeway in bringing a specialized mech to battle.

For example, one player could pilot a heavy mech laden with missile launchers and magazines. Such a mech could rain death at long and medium range, but was as helpless at a kitten once an enemy got close. However, a teammate kitted out in a melee mech could keep off any mech that approached in the assurance that he won't get shot down from range.

Compared to such a classical synergistic team up, a combination of two light mechs hardly sounded optimal. Neither mechs possessed toughness and staying power. If they weren't able to shred their enemies apart in the first ten minutes of a match, then they'd run out of juice.

Luckily, light mechs still possessed some advantages. While Triceratopssss kept his Phantasm behind cover, TheSeventhSnake's Seraphim engaged its active scanning mode. The mech's hair sensors extended out and released invisible pulses, most of which bounced back when it encountered the plentiful debris in the map.

"My scanners are having a hard time picking up anything with all of this junk blocking my scans. My radar is full of false positives. I'm practically broadcasting my position here."

"It's better than nothing. At least you'll attract the enemy for us while I find a good ambushing position."

The bait had been cast, and it only took a couple of minutes for the fish to bite. The Seraphim noted a large energy signature strolling down the main avenue.

"I got an incoming mech. With an energy signature this large, it's bound to be a heavy mech. No sign of its partner."

"They're playing the same game as us." Triceratopssss guessed as he moved his Phantasm a little closer in order to peak at the approaching opponent. "Do you want me to stay hidden or find an opportunity to jump the heavy?"

TheSeventhSnake mulled both options before finally deciding on a course of action. "It depends on the heavy. From what I can guess, it's likely to be a frontliner. Your Phantasm won't have an easy time peeling its armor if that's the case."

Triceratopssss only carried a basic pistol in his Phantasm's limited loadout in order to make room for a sword. He could peel apart most mechs fitted out as riflemen but faced some trouble against heavy knight-type opponents.