Five Nukes was a volley-fire enthusiast. Napoleon, Total War-if a game featured volley fire, or had a mod that added it, he would play it.
But playing single-player games for too long could leave a person with gaming impotence, and Five Nukes was no exception.
So when he learned that an obscure online game actually featured volley fire too, he happily rushed over to sign up.
Now, after following Little Knife into the Outer Keep of Bolas Fortress and receiving orders to seize and hold the far end of the stone bridge until Little Knife and his men finished clearing the Outer Keep, Five Nukes knew his moment to shine had arrived.
Sure enough, when he and four other players rushed to the end of the gateway passage, several indistinct figures were already coming across the stone bridge. Armed with Hooked Sickle Spears and longswords, they were advancing in step toward the Outer Keep.
"Fire!"
Five Nukes shouted, raising his light flintlock and firing first. His shot struck the steel shield carried by the leading swordsman, throwing off sparks and leaving a bullet hole.
"Argh!"
The man who had been hit screamed, but he did not stop. Instead, he kept running forward.
"It didn't penetrate?!"
Five Nukes's eyes widened.
At that moment, the other four players behind Five Nukes opened fire as well. Two of them carried heavy flintlocks with eighteen-millimeter bores, whose lead balls had far greater penetrating power than those fired by his light flintlock.
Their single, scattered volley sent two of the Minisians trying to cross the stone bridge pitching forward on the spot, including the sword-and-shield fighter Five Nukes had shot.
The sudden burst of gunfire frightened the enemies attempting to seize the bridge, and they instinctively stopped beside the two bodies.
Their hesitation was only