The expert pilots ended their practice session and returned to the Spirit of Bentheim so that their mechs could be checked over by the best technicians of the Larkinson Clan.
The results of their little competitive duel were the same as before. The addition of Venerable Orfan and her Bright Spear Prime did not tip the balance against Tusa’s favor.
In fact, it was the opposite. Because the three mechs all had to get close to the constrained Dark Zephyr in order to launch their attacks, there were frequent moments where their paths were blocked by their own allies. This forced them to go around, which produced significant delays in which Tusa could easily deal with the opponent immediately in front of his expert mech!
“We need to work on our positioning.” Venerable Dise gruffly spoke as she and the rest entered a private ready room where the expert pilots could talk among themselves. “Our performance earlier was outright embarrassing. We can’t keep getting in each other’s way when we confront an actual enemy expert mech in battle.”
Neither Venerable Orfan nor Venerable Joshua looked happy. They both sat down with downcast eyes and depressed force of wills.
It was hard to imagine them as valiant expert pilots who achieved dramatic results during the Battle of Reckoning.
Every Larkinson expert pilot knew that they only had to wait a little longer before they got their own turn. Yet seeing Tusa making the most out of his headstart to the point where he could completely beat down all of the other remaining expert pilots was a hard pill to stomach!
“Hey, it’s just a couple of more months according to the Design Department.” Venerable Tusa attempted to soothe his colleagues. “A good living expert mech is definitely worth the wait. While I got to receive my own machine first, that also means you guys will be better off. The next expert mechs will probably be even higher in quality.”
Tusa was fine with that. Unlike ordinary mechs, expert mechs were never completely finished. They were under constant development and periodically received upgrades so that their performance would still be able to keep up with the overall trend.
Still, not every improvement was easy to implement. He expected the last batch of expert mechs to become a lot more impressive than his humble Dark Zephyr. He would have no choice but to live with that, he supposed.
Why are you so much stronger?” Venerable Joshua plainly asked. “Can piloting an expert mech as opposed to a prime mech really make such a difference?”
Venerable Tusa crossed his arms as he leaned against the bulkhead. “I can’t even begin to describe all of the changes. The simplest way I can put it is that the Dark Zephyr is the first mech that I can truly merge and resonate with. There are many elements about the mech that makes it extremely easy for me to handle it as if it is my own body. The customized neural interface, the exceptional responsiveness, the powerful processors and the living mech itself are all so much better that I can fully exercise all of my skills without worrying about being held back by my own partner. Instead, we are both working together to achieve greater results together.”
It was the cooperative and synergistic relationship that was the key to his rapidly improving performance. The other three expert pilots in the room envied Tusa for being able to pilot a machine that truly strengthened rather than hindered his performance.
Out of the three defeated expert pilots, Venerable Dise was the least affected. The stern expert pilot had drawn her personal greatsword out of its sheath and polished it with a simple cloth even though the weapon didn’t even require such treatment.
“We are expert pilots.” She stated. “We are warriors, not monsters. Unlike exobeasts and the like, we can’t fight by relying on our own natural abilities. We need to wield a good, sharp weapon in order to exert our full strength and skills. It’s just like wielding a sword. A stronger, sharper sword will yield better results than a fragile and duller blade that could easily fall apart if you hit something a little too hard. Right now, most of us are still stuck in this situation.”
It was sad, but their prime mechs were simply not a good fit for their present strength. They were fantastic mechs compared to ordinary mechs, but they were ultimately not the right tool for the job. Even fabled swordmasters could be felled with ease if they were caught without swords in their hands.
The stark contrast between expert pilots with and without an expert mech caused all of them to realize the importance of a good machine even more.
“I’m glad we’re part of the Larkinson Clan.” Tusa said with a smile. “Even though we no longer serve in a military where the higher ups take care of everything, I think we’re far better off here. We’re in the company of a couple of great mech designers who can design fantastic expert mechs that I’m certain can’t be replicated by any other mech designer. I can’t make any comparisons, but from what I have observed from other expert mechs such as those fielded by the Cross Clan, our machines are the only ones that actively cooperate with us. All of those other powerful machines are more like tools than partners.”
Not every mech pilot had to respect their mechs in order to break through to expert pilot. If that was the case, then Ves’ design philosophy would have already become a lot more prevalent!
Even so, Tusa still thought that Patriarch Reginald Cross could have taken another step forward if he adopted some more Larkinson ideas.
“How much has your resonance strength grown these days?” Venerable Joshua curiously asked.
“My current record is 6.34 laveres.”
“Damn! So much?!”
Considering how little time had passed, Tusa had more than doubled his previous level. Dise, Orfan and Joshua might be powerful in their own right, but their prime mechs didn’t offer nearly as much improvement as an actual expert mech.
“I’m still growing.” Tusa revealed an important observation. “While my growth rate has slowed down after the first month, I’m not close to hitting a wall yet. I first thought that the warnings that the mech designers gave to me were right and that a mid-tier expert mech is a bit too arduous for me to pilot effectively. That didn’t turn out to be the case. My expert mech fits me like a glove, and I think that is helping a lot with mastering its capabilities and sustaining my growth rate.”
Though he wasn’t sure about it, he attributed these effects to Gloriana. Throughout the design process of his expert mech, the infamous Hexer wife frequently requested his input. She took a lot of measurements, drafted up numerous different plans and allowed him to pick whatever he wanted even if his choices were not always normal.
The great effort she put into making the Dark Zephyr into a machine that completely complemented his piloting style and his inclinations was some of the most luxurious treatment that he had ever received as a mech pilot. He could feel the personal touches that went into designing and making the expert mech each time he took it out for a spin.
After sharing a few more thoughts with his fellow expert pilots, Tusa changed out of his cumbersome custom piloting suit and wore a rather understated uniform that was barely different from that of any other Larkinson.
He exited the hangar bay and navigated through the corridors, making sure not to make his presence felt by his passing clansmen. This was fairly easy for him to do as he could easily make his force of will as light as a breeze.
He ascended a couple of decks and reached the 2nd deck which was the fanciest of them all. This was where all of the ballrooms, formal meeting rooms, main offices and other impressive compartments were situated.
Tusa took a few turns and eventually entered a large office that was a bit lacking in decoration.
“Grandpa.”
“Tusa.” One of the three chief ministers looked up from his terminal. “Did you have a good time outside?”
“The Dark Zephyr is truly a joy to pilot.” Tusa sighed as he sat next to his grandfather’s desk.
The two chatted a bit. Though Raymond did not have a piloting background, his Larkinson heritage granted him a great understanding of what Tusa was going through. The latter was hardly the only expert pilot that carried the Lakrinson name.
“How is the Larkinson Family doing these days?” Tusa changed the topic. “I’ve been wondering what they have been doing for some time.”
“Couldn’t you call them up yourselves?”
Tusa shrugged. “Eh, my old friends act all differently now that I’m an expert pilot. That’s what I like about our clan. I can still hold a normal conversation with a fellow clansman, somewhat.”
“Well, if you must know, the Larkinson Family has been quiet lately. Unlike us, they haven’t grown and haven’t entered any battles that I know of despite taking on mercenary contracts in the Garlen Empire. Our relatives are making good use of the Larkinson mechs that they have been permitted to make and utilize themselves, but they are hardly an equal to our Avatars and other mech legions.”
The Larkinson Clan had improved so quickly that the Larkinson Family were forever stuck with playing catch up. It didn’t help that the old family refused a lot of handouts offered by the clan in good faith.
“How is uncle Ark doing?”
“He still hasn’t really shown up in public so far.” Raymond said. “He’s been in retreat for a long time. Maybe too long.”
Tusa furrowed his brows. “If he’s preparing to break through to ace pilot, then… I’m not sure if he’ll be able to find his opportunity behind closed doors. He should seek out a battle. Combat has always been the best way for people like us to break our limits.”
His grandfather shook his head. “Do you think that Ark can go off on a reckless adventure like our patriarch? He can’t afford to push himself and his family members into danger. The entire reason why they refused to join our clan is because they reject our approach.”
“Then why not leave the Larkinson Family behind for a time and take on a more exciting mercenary contract?”
“One of the reasons why the Larkinson Family remains respected in the Garlen Empire is because Ark is propping it up.” Raymond pointed out. “While it is understandable for him to go out and seek a breakthrough opportunity, what if he enters the wrong battle or fights for the wrong side? Those Garleners are brutal, Tusa. The Crossers aren’t the only ones who are lusting to challenge expert pilots. Though Ark can be considered to be among the strongest of expert pilots, his expert mech…”
Ark’s original expert mech that he kept after deserting from the Mech Corps was a powerful machine, but only by third-class standards. It was barely adequate in second-class standards and could easily be crumpled by genuine second-class expert mechs.
One of the greatest difficulties he faced right now was the lack of a proper high-tier second-class expert mech that could fully keep up with the battles in the enormous second-rate state.
Though there were plenty of organizations in the Garlen Empire that were willing to supply an expert mech to an expert pilot, the troublesome part about Ark was that he required a machine on par with Patriarch Reginald’s Bolvos Rage or stronger in order to do him justice!
Designing and fabricating such a powerful but expensive war machine was not cheap, and not every organization was capable of bearing the enormous cost!
“Can’t the Larkinson Family come to us for help?”
The elder Larkinson snorted. “You can keep waiting, then. It’s highly doubtful that they will drop their pride and ask for assistance from us. They need to prove to themselves that they can succeed on their own.”
“That sounds stupid.”
“That’s pride for you. It’s been the downfall of Venerable Ghanso and it might even deny your uncle Ark his greatest opportunity. I hope you’ll be able to learn from their example. Don’t think you’re such a big hotshot now that you’ve become a supreme expert pilot. You’re still human enough that you need to rely on the weapons that we supply to you in order to kill all of those powerful enemies.”
Venerable Tusa took his grandfather’s words very seriously. No matter how strong he became, he vowed that he would never forget the people that made it possible for him to fulfill his dreams.
“I can only be free because my fellow clansmen enable me to spread my wings. It is only right to stick with them and protect them from their enemies.”
Raymond looked pleased. “Hmmm. Spoken like a true Larkinson. The old family should have adopted your attitude. It’s the only one worthy of our heritage and our ideals.”
