Up North

[Aminee Starlight]

"Are you sure that was such a good idea? Pairing those two up."

"If they fight let them fight. Only through that will they be able to set aside their differences." Kain came to a stop and looked up to the sky to see a gray blimp heading towards Hallowton. His eyes narrowed over it as he knew in a single glance who it belonged to and what their intentions were. "Isafaro..."

[Gabrielle]

Gabrielle wasn't so much worried that they'd fight than kill each other being left alone long enough. Before she could say anything more however her eyes would capture the unidentified object, at least to her, in the sky heading for a town on the horizon.
"What's that?"
It wouldn't be long until she got her answer; Isafaro. Was there anything that this nation couldn't do? First inventing a new war machine unlike anything she has ever laid eyes on and now the ability to fly without wings?
"What are they doing?"

[Aminee Starlight]

"Preparing for war." And nothing short of a miracle would save Hallowton from being completely annihilated at the might of Isafaro's forces. If they were attacking Hallowton that meant they wanted to use it to expand their nation meaning that Kari would be next in line for an attack. "We must hurry. If Kari is not ready for an attack then we're doomed before we can even get our feet off the ground." Kain turned to the right and hurried over to what looked like an old, yet high-tech set of military bases similar to the Core of Isafaro but smaller in size. In here was where their gears of war would be reactivated.

[Gabrielle]

"Is there ever anyone not preparing for war?"
That appeared to be a common theme of both their worlds, war. The Battling Bard of Potidaea looked up at the blimp for a moment before following Kain inside the military base. Since Gabrielle knew very little about the things of this world she kept to one simple rule; don't touch anything.
"What do you have in mind?"

[Aminee Starlight]

Kain led Gabrielle into the control room and turned on the generators from there. The generators powered on and created a large barrier above the north part of Kari, one part of many that helped protected the city against aerial strikes and then he activated the gunners situated right outside where the barriers began for ground assaults. "We need to get Kari's defenses back online if we want to have a chance against the Vulture. If a tank is enough to surprise you then you have no idea what's about to come." Kain turned back to look at Gabrielle. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

[Gabrielle]

Gabrielle heard the generators power up outside like the rumbling of a cave, the sight and sound both familiar and foreign to her as she kept away from all the devices to the left, right and up front where Kain was standing.
"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't," answered Gabrielle. Not afraid of the unknown. There was a reason she was brought to this world and the Battling Bard of Potidaea planned to find out what.

[Aminee Starlight]

"Good. Then it's time to teach you how to shoot." Kain led her out of the control room and into the armory grabbing one of the rifles found inside and showing her how to hold it in her hand. "This is the fully automatic 5.56x45 millimeter Pavilion. Equipped with a laser sighter to make aiming easier. It was standard issue in our army before our city froze over." He handed it to her for her to get a feel for. "How does that feel?"

[Gabrielle]

"I already know how to use a bow," came her natural reply. Unaware of what it was that Kain would show her.
Gabrielle followed him into the armory ready to show him she could shoot just fine if that what it took, but instead she would be caught off guard by the sight of the rifle. Studying how he held it and then doing the same as her hands were guided to the trigger and she was shown how to aim. The laser becoming visible on the nearby wall.
"Where do you put in the arrows?"

[Aminee Starlight]

Kain shook his head. "No arrows. Bullets. The metallic balls you used for hunting has come a long way in my world. The same materials was placed in front of gunpowder at the end of a closed tube. When you pulled back the trigger the primer ignites the propellant and the bullet then leaves its case causing damage to the intended target through penetration. By the time you pull back on the trigger the projectile would have already hit its target."

Kain took the weapon and then showed her how to turn the safety off so she could fire before turning it back on and returning the weapon to her, bringing her up to a firing range so she could practice turning off the safety and firing. "After turning off the safety aim the gun at the targets and shoot." He offered her a headset for the noise. "You'll want this."

[Gabrielle]

"Right."
Gabrielle turned off the safety just the way Kain showed her before aiming the gun towards the target set up ahead. Squeezing the trigger several of those bullets blew holes down the right side of the paper target a few inches away from the center as she felt a heavy knock back upon firing the weapon that bothered her, causing her to stop.
"I don't think this weapon is right for me."

[Aminee Starlight]

"Let try something smaller then." Kain took the Pavilion and put it away before picking out one of the semi-automatic pistols and handing it over to Gabrielle to try her hand with it. "This is the .45ACP Pulverizer. Packs quite a punch, to its enemies I mean. The bullets are hollow-point for further tissue damage and blood lost. Among several other things."

[Gabrielle]

"Not what I meant," replied Gabrielle, looking towards the handgun Kain picked out for her but not taking it into her own hands. "I mean these guns aren't right for me."
If she was meant to use them in battle then her world would have developed the tools to make such weapons so they could be used. It felt unnatural when that rifle touched her hands.
"Why can't I just use the weapons I have?"

[Aminee Starlight]

"You'd be at a disadvantage." Swords, sticks, shields, they were all highly out dated and the only places where they were truly appreciated was Jherrazad. But Isafaro was armed to the teeth with modern weapons and technology that Gabrielle couldn't even comprehend, and here she was complaining. "What you have at your disposal now is no match for the Vulture."

[Gabrielle]

"Perhaps, but better the weapons you know than none at all. Besides we don't have the time to teach me how to properly handle all of this equipment anyway. Just let me know where I can be the most useful and I'll be there."

[Aminee Starlight]

"Suit yourself." Kain had no time to argue as there was an invasion force coming for Kari, just not the invasion force he was prepared to deal with. Convinced that Vulture would have bombs being dropped on his shields from up above any moment now, Kain led Gabrielle out of the military base and quickly went to work at gathering his resources to defend his resurrected city.