Thwack.
His hands clamped securely onto the metal railing of the seven-foot-tall upper shelf. With a swift, fluid pull-up, he hoisted himself completely off the ground, scrambling smoothly onto the top deck.
This was the first time Maarg was genuinely grateful for the strange, supercharged bursts his power afforded him. Sitting up on the dusty metal ledge, safely out of reach of the guard's immediate line of sight, Maarg looked down at Gabby with a triumphant grin and a thumbs up, the bagh nakh still strapped to his right hand.
Down below, Gabby pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a long, long sigh. "You are an absolute idiot," she called up, though a smirk was fighting its way onto her face. "If you fall and break your neck, how am I to explain to everyone that our negotiator died trying to loot an Ikea shelf."
"Believe me, the legendary loot is right up here," Maarg whispered down to Gabby in a conspiratorial hiss, making sure to keep his voice low so it didn't carry across the concrete basement.
He leaned over the edge of the seven-foot shelf, flashing his signature reckless grin. "Go on, head to the front. Distract the guard for a minute while I look around."
Down on the floor, Gabby stared up at him in disbelief, crossing her arms. "Are you actually treating a Viper armory like an RPG dungeon?" she muttered under her breath, though she couldn't hide the amusement dancing in her eyes.
She glanced over toward the entrance, where the burly guard was still slumped in his chair, casually flipping a heavy butterfly knife between his fingers with the watchful eyes of a hawk. Rolling her eyes, Gabby turned and began walking back toward the front of the vault, stepping directly into the guard's line of sight to give her fellow loot-goblin the cover he needed.
Maarg rummaged through the dusty top shelf, shoving aside spare parts and empty ammunition tins until his fingers brushed against something substantial. Tucked away in the very back corner was a long, dusty, leather-bound case, the kind usually reserved for delicate, high-precision instruments.
His heart did a little leap.
Bingo.
His gamer logic had paid off. Carefully unclasping the brass locks, Maarg lifted the lid.
Inside rested a masterpiece of a sniper rifle. Everything about it screamed that this wasn't just standard-issue military gear. A massive, well used scope nested comfortably on top, and a rich, polished red wood stock gleamed faintly under the dim overhead fluorescents. But what really caught his eye was the heavy steel barrel, meticulously etched with a sweeping, ornate script in an old language maybe Latin with a carving of a snake coiling around as though reaching for the red Stock.
Maarg immediately thought of Gabby's Desert Eagle, "Sakazuki" and its own distinct engravings. To him, this wasn't just a weapon, it was a legendary-tier, S rank artifact, easily a match for or superior to her current sidearm.
'Oh, he is never going to live this down, Maarg thought with a triumphant grin.'
Nodding confidently to himself, Maarg secured the case, hoisted the heavy crate effortlessly onto his shoulder, and prepped himself. The tiger's claw still strapped to his hand bit into his fingers but ignoring it, he channeled a controlled burst of his Activator energy, leaping silently off the seven-foot ledge.
He landed on the concrete floor with a soft, cat-like thud, making barely a sound, a surprisingly graceful maneuver for someone who had just raided an upper shelf like a lunatic.
Dusting off his hands, he stepped out from the shadows just as Gabby finished utterly obliterating the guard in a butterfly knife spinning challenge, grinning like a kid who had just beaten an impossible boss fight.
---
Hey, Gabs, I found something so cool that you might just hu-"
Maarg stopped dead in his tracks. With a dramatic flourish, he popped the latches of the leather-bound case and swung the lid open.
Before Gabby could even ask him to finish his sentence, all words evaporated from her mind. She was completely, utterly taken aback by the sheer craftsmanship in front of her. The polished red wood stock, the massive scope, the intricate Latin script etched along the barrel, it radiated raw, devastating elegance.
The weapon stirred something deep within her soul. She stared at the rifle, then looked up at Maarg, her eyes wide with reverence. Slowly, she reached out, her fingertips gently caressing the polished stock as if it were a delicate, fragile child.
In a voice trembling with pure, unadulterated awe, she whispered, "This... this is the most beautiful gun I've ever seen."
She looked back up at Maarg, her guard completely down, completely lost in weapon-induced euphoria. "It's so good that I could just to kiss you," she blurted out, her brain completely bypassing her filter before her expression froze in sudden realization of what she had just said.
On the other side of the case, Maarg's internal alarm bells went off so loud they practically rattled his teeth.
Seriously? What is wrong with this guy? What does he think I am?!
Through the dust, the dim lighting, and their chaotic journey together, Maarg had somehow completely misread or entirely missed the memo on Gabby's gender, firmly filing her away in his head as just another rugged, male companion in their wasteland crew. So, from his perspective, a fellow dude had just looked him dead in the eye and casually proposed a kiss.
Panic and utter hesitation surged through him.
"Control yourself, you pervert!" Maarg squawked, his face turning bright red as he dropped the case lid with a snap, grabbed Gabby by the shoulders, and violently shook her out of her trance.
After shaking her up for a while, he stops. "So? Did you found guns for jack and sammy?
Gabby smirks as she picks up a four bore rifle and a 1911 pistol. "this one" she picks up the four bore rifle and starts explaining how it would be the best gun for jack. "he is physically very strong and I'm sure he can handle its kickback." Then she picks up the small 1911 pistol. "To be honest" she lowers her head. "I didn't knew much about Sammy so i just picked the best mid ranged gun"
Maarg places his hand on Gabby's shoulder "Don't worry, She Scares me Sometimes too"