System Supervillain, Chapter 189 (Patreon)

Chapter 189 – Demolish

Segment 4:

Iceblade uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV (DCV 12).

Stolen Victory uses CSLs to add +2 to OCV with HTH combat (OCV 15).

Pyra uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV with Ranged combat (DCV 15).

Titania uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV (DCV 12).

Foxtrot uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV and +2 to OCV (OCV 12, DCV 12).

Sentinels use CSLs to add +2 to OCV (OCV 12).

Brittle Blast (Sentinel 1): 2 1/2 d6 = 10 (10 AP removed from Armor)

Sentinel 1: Armor 69/90 Active Points, 7 rPD/7 rED

Iceblade’s attack roll (Sentinel 1), OCV 10: 3d6 = 7 (Hits DCV 14) (Hit)

Creeping Frost: 2d6 = 7 BODY (7 rED) (2 Penetrating)

Iceblade: 43/50 END

Sentinel 1: 36/40 BODY

Stolen Victory uses Martial Strike (+0 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 DC strike) (DCV 15)

Stolen Victory’s attack roll (Sentinel 2), OCV 15: 3d6 = 16 (Hits DCV 10) (Hit)

Sword of Victory: 5d6-1 = 20 BODY (10 rPD after AP)

Stolen Victory: 52/60 END

Sentinel 2: 19/40 BODY

Clinging Flames (Sentinel 1): 3d6-1 = 15 BODY (7 rED)

Pyra’s attack roll (Sentinel 1), OCV 13: 3d6 = 13 (Hits DCV 11) (Hit)

Flaming Fist: 5d6 = 17 BODY (8 rED after AP)

Pyra: 35/50 END

Sentinel 1: 23/40 BODY

Titania uses Martial Strike (+0 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 DC strike) (DCV 14)

Titania’s attack roll (Sentinel 3), OCV 10: 3d6 = 10 (Hits DCV 11) (Hit)

Mechasaber: 7d6 = 26 BODY (10 rPD after AP)

Titania: 70/80 END

Sentinel 3: 3/32 BODY

Wounding Touch (Sentinel 3): 4d6 = 16 (16 AP removed from BODY)

Sentinel 3: BODY 49/80 Active Points (24 Max BODY)

Sentinel 3: -5/24 BODY (Nonfunctional)

Foxtrot’s attack roll (Sentinel 1), OCV 12: 3d6 = 7 (Hits DCV 16) (Hits)

Wounding Touch: 4d6 = 21 (21 AP removed from BODY)

Foxtrot: 48/70 END

Sentinel 1: BODY 59/80 Active Points (29 Max BODY)

Sentinel 1: 12/29 BODY

Sentinel 1’s attack roll (Pyra), OCV 12: 3d6 = 11 (Hits DCV 12) (Miss)

Sentinel 1: 110/120 END

Sentinel 2’s attack roll (Stolen Victory), OCV 12: 3d6 = 6 (Hits DCV 17) (Hit)

Sentinel 2: 102/120 END

Seismic Punch: 5d6+1 = 19 BODY (30 rPD) (6 Penetrating)

Stun Multiplier: 1d6-1 = 1 (19 STUN) (30 rPD)

Stolen Victory: 43/49 BODY

Knockback Damage: 14d6 = 50 STUN (15 BODY) (40 PD)

Stolen Victory: 54/64 STUN

My Brittle Blast continued to sap the Sentinel’s armor, so long as I kept it running. On top of that, I added my Creeping Frost as I rode my Ice Slide downward, maneuvering to hit it from behind as I did so, and avoid the energy shields. Not that it made much difference in terms of the damage, but every little bit helped, and it did confirm that the shields were front-facing only.

I could already tell that this was a battle of attrition. We could beat the Sentinels. We had the raw power to do so. However, if the beating that single punch gave Titania was any indication, a lucky hit by the Sentinels would put Pyra, Foxtrot, or myself out of the fight, or at least stun us long enough for a finishing blow. Even Titania and Stolen Victory couldn’t take too many hits from these types, not without Serafina here to help heal. But bringing her to this fight would make her a target, as well. I would do it, if I had to, but we had this under control, for now.

Stolen Victory pressed the attack against the second Sentinel. Once more, her blade cut deep gashes in the robot’s armor. A normal person would be cursing from the kinds of wounds she’d given the robot, but the unfeeling automaton did not feel pain, and did not bleed. Even so, it would not be standing for long, if it kept taking hits like that.

Pyra’s flames continued to eat at the first Sentinel. Now that they were past the shield, however, they only had to face off against the armor, which I’d been draining. More of the damage burned through, and it did not help any as Pyra circled behind the Sentinel, and slammed a fiery punch into the back of its head. The shields did not protect it there, either, and the wounds began piling up faster and faster.

Titania pushed off the wall, and charged back into the fray. Her Mechasaber crashed down upon the third Sentinel, and this one was clearly suffering badly, now. Even if the damage did not degrade its performance, I could see that it was just barely hanging together, since Foxtrot’s magic was draining its BODY. Combined with the violence of Mechana’s attacks, it was on the ropes.

CRASH!

Or maybe it was falling off them. The corruption of Foxtrot’s spell continued, and the third Sentinel collapsed to the ground. It didn’t look like it had been completely destroyed, but, at the very least, it was out of the fight. I called out to Foxtrot, “Keep your spell on it, Foxtrot! We have to assume they built some kind of self-repair function into these things!” After all, it is what I would have done.

“Of course, Master!” Foxtrot answered as she vanished in a puff of smoke once more, reappearing between the first Sentinel’s feet. She touched the robot’s leg, and said, “Wither and decay, creature of metal! Wounding Touch!” As before, the Sentinel’s metal looked as if it were corroding, aging away. The tide was definitely in our favor, but I knew better than to relax before everything was truly finished.

The Sentinel we were fighting still regarded Pyra as the biggest threat. Probably because she’d done the most direct damage to it. The mindless thing didn’t recognize the threat Foxtrot’s spell posed, or it would have gone for her. Either way, Pyra nimbly danced around the eyeblast the Sentinel sent her way. This was doable.

Then the second Sentinel’s fist found its mark. Stolen Victory took the punch, and was thrown back into the reinforced wall. However, she didn’t look upset, despite the fact that she’d taken a bit of damage. No, she looked excited. It was rare for someone to be able to send her flying, after all, and that spirit of ‘Victory’ in her enjoyed the triumph over tough foes.

Segment 6:

Iceblade uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV (DCV 12).

Stolen Victory uses CSLs to add +2 to OCV with HTH combat (OCV 15).

Pyra uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV with Ranged combat (DCV 15).

Titania uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV (DCV 12).

Foxtrot uses CSLs to add +2 to DCV and +2 to OCV (OCV 12, DCV 12).

Sentinels use CSLs to add +2 to OCV (OCV 12).

Brittle Blast (Sentinel 1): 2 1/2 d6 = 12 (12 AP removed from Armor)

Sentinel 1: Armor 57/90 Active Points, 6 rPD/6 rED

Creeping Frost (Sentinel 1): 2d6 = 7 BODY (6 rED) (2 Penetrating)

Iceblade uses Martial Strike (+2 DCV, +2 DC strike) (DCV 14)

Iceblade’s attack roll (Sentinel 1), OCV 10: 3d6 = 11 (Hits DCV 10) (Hit)

Winter’s Bite: 5d6+1 = 24 BODY (3 rPD after AP)

Iceblade: 39/50 END

Sentinel 1: -11/29 BODY (Nonfunctional)

Stolen Victory uses Martial Strike (+0 OCV, +2 DCV, +2 DC strike) (DCV 15)

Stolen Victory’s attack roll (Sentinel 2), OCV 15: 3d6 = 12 (Hits DCV 14) (Hit)

Sword of Victory: 5d6-1 = 19 BODY (10 rPD after AP)

Stolen Victory: 48/60 END

Sentinel 2: 10/40 BODY

Clinging Flames (Sentinel 1): 3d6-1 = 12 BODY (6 rED)

Sentinel 1: -17/29 BODY (Nonfunctional)

Pyra’s attack roll (Sentinel 2), OCV 13: 3d6 = 8 (Hits DCV 16) (Hit)

Flaming Fist: 5d6 = 19 BODY (5 rED after AP)

Pyra: 30/50 END

Sentinel 2: -4/40 BODY (Nonfunctional)

The Brittle Blast and Creeping Frost continued their work, but I wasn’t going to just sit around and let them run their course. These Sentinels were too dangerous to play games with. Sliding down to the ground next to Foxtrot, I slashed at the part of the robot’s leg that was corroding. Frozen Wind delivered Winter’s Bite, and the physical damage cut through the robot’s armor. Not easily, but it cut through. And that was enough to cause it to slump, and fall forward, crashing to the ground.

Stolen Victory kicked off the wall, and flew at the last remaining Sentinel. Her blade cut deep, cutting open another vicious gash in the creature’s metal body. If it had been living, that would have definitely made it reconsider its life choices. However, as an unthinking, unfeeling machine, it just took the hit, and prepared to dish out another punch.

However, before it managed that, Pyra slammed her flaming fist into the back of its head, creating a large dent in the casing, and sending it to its knees, and then to the floor, as the damage overwhelmed its capabilities. A solid strike, and one that basically ended the fight. But the Sentinels were merely ‘nonfunctional’, not ‘dead’ or ‘destroyed’.

I looked at the others, and said, “Titania, Pyra, Victory, keep smacking the things until they are all the way dead. Don’t give them a chance to self-repair. Foxtrot, secure the scientists above. Live or dead depends on how cooperative they are. Once they’re all together, call in Web Mistress so she can rip through their computers.”

As they went about their tasks, I turned to my own. Stalking forward, towards the far corner, where the nonfunctional teleport pads were, I had my blade in a low read position. I didn’t expect this director, or his aide, to cause problems, since if they were going to do something, they would have interfered in the fight with the Sentinels, but I had already had a couple unwelcome surprises so far tonight, and I wasn’t eager to have any more.

I didn’t have to ask where my quarry was hiding. The translucent blue dome roughly three meters wide was a fairly obvious clue. Especially since two people were hiding under the dome. One was a man, roughly fifty or sixty years old, with white skin and greying hair, dressed in a fairly normal suit, wearing what looked like an otherwise normal watch. Except normal watches generally didn’t have a blue glow on the face, and didn’t create domes of force. Obviously, that was a piece of defensive gear, dressed up as mundane jewelry.

The girl next to him, though, looked to be in her mid-twenties. Pretty, in a ‘girl next door’ kind of way. Not a supermodel or centerfold, but the kind of girl you’d see at the supermarket. She was wearing a blouse and skirt that would be considered conservative, due to how little skin they showed, but undercut that idea with how exactly they were tailored for her. There were yoga pants that hugged curves more loosely than that skirt.

Of course, despite my appreciation for the female form, that didn’t keep me from noticing the device in her hands. The weapon (and it was clearly a weapon) looked like a taser. Since this was the SDI we were talking about, I was definitely sure that the ‘taser’ was not actually a taser, but something worse, and still effective for use by their agents in secure sites.

I stopped just outside the barrier, and looked the two of them over. “Director Max Hopkins, and an assistant by the name of Skye Cooke. Looks like we caught some of the important rats before they could scurry away. This job just got much more interesting.”

The assistant whimpered in fear. I did have a reputation, so that wasn’t entirely unjustified, but the director snarled at me. “You won’t get away with this, Iceblade! When word gets out of what you’ve done here, we will be made into martyrs for the cause! The damage you and the other superhuman vermin have done to the Initiative and our goal of purifying the human race will be undone, and more besides! Your only hope is in releasing us!”

“It is so cute that you think that, Director. But why would I release you, when I can simply convert you? When we’re done with you, you’re going to be happily telling us all your secrets, and giving up every base and individual operative that you know of.”

The man scoffed. “I will never betray the Initiative! Nothing will sway me!”

Iceblade uses Martial Strike (+2 DCV, +2 DC strike) (DCV 14)

Iceblade’s attack roll (Force Wall), OCV 10: 3d6 = 12 (Hits DCV 9) (Hit)

Winter’s Bite: 5d6+1 = 17 BODY (7 rPD after AP)

Iceblade: 35/50 END

“Again, it is simply adorable that you believe your will has anything to do with this in the slightest.” And then I moved. Frozen Wind slashed at the force wall, and cut through it in a single slice. The whole dome shattered under the impact, but I was already past that. The woman shrieked in surprise, dropping the taser as she backpedaled away from me.

“Web Mistress, two to pick up.”

The sound of dial-up internet screamed from my commlink, and Web Mistress was there, on the opposite side of the Director from the assistant, her blaster already aimed at his side. “Ah, Master, you want me to give these two the same treatment I did Titan, when he became Titania?”

I saw recognition dawn on the Director’s face, followed swiftly by horror, and then resolve. If Web Mistress brought him into the digital realm, she could simply ‘edit’ his loyalties, while keeping his mind intact. He looked like he was about to do something stupid, to try and still get the martyr’s death that was the best-case scenario for him at this point, but Web Mistress just shot him with her blaster, and the stun dropped him like a bad habit.

Web Mistress turned to the assistant, and said, “Well, are you going to be a good girl, or do I have to shoot you, too?”