-The Family FAQ: in reference to "Can Heracles punch a Forty something antithesis to paste?" 2057
The walls moved forward unimpeded, crushing antithesis corpses in the way, making them easy pickings for Collectors. Baba Yaga had the two Shuttles orbiting the base from within the shields, targeting Thirty Fives and Fifteens, as well two more birthing structures, clearing the west side of the room of them.
The Rail gun frame was massive, thirty seven feet by seventeen feet by eleven, with four massive cooling tanks behind it. The schematics showed that it can fire once every thirty seconds, which was nice, but the ammunition was the most interesting.
The ammo fired was designed to penetrate a target, then after the internal timer was set off, it would expand a temporary portal around it in a fifty foot diameter. The Portal would shunt any materials caught within up dozens of miles after scrambling the matter. In practice, this would drop a sizable chunk of the antithesis hoard from unsurvivable levels into the ground. The end point's only real limitation was the height marker, stuck at twenty five miles above sea level, but I could easily drop the matter from anywhere in Arizona.
Unfortunately, while Morrogan could make these bullets for the rail gun, she could not shrink it to be fired from my Maelstrom, which sucked. Something about how the structure was as compact as it could be already.
While I was lamenting the lack of cool bullets, Blizzard had set up an actually blizzard around the base, shards of ice falling from above from a projector of some kind, while Fyrelord had opted for two large flamethrowers, with an adequate range.
Then there was the old guy. His mirror ball fired lasers at an astonishing rate, burning through hundreds of lower numbered antithesis every second, but he had trouble dealing with larger models.
Breaker had the most interesting experience, however. He strode forward with Leman and Vulkan, swinging his blade constantly, and with every swing a shockwave blasted the area, and with every connected hit antithesis exploded outward. His armor must have been Class III, as he would take hits from Thirties and walk away with a rapidly healing dent.
We were eight minutes away from the firing range when one of the grey metal birthing pods started to peel apart. From within, an eye peered out, layers of concentric circles ending in a void, and it was staring at the base.
It shifted, and more of the pod fell away, the Model looked toad-like, with huge hind quarters, bumpy steel skin, and a large rounded underbelly. Baba Yaga opened up on it, missiles and rotary cannons fired without care. They slammed into the toad plant and I could see the skin cracking and breaking in places, but suddenly a dark green, nearly black, tongue shot from its face, striking the spare Shuttle. The tongue crushed the cockpit area into the body of the shuttle, then a tug of war started, with the engines blasting at full power away from the toad, and it pulling back with all its might.
Laser Lasso took this opportunity to focus fire her rifle onto the tongue, doing not a whole lot, then Betsy charged forward onto the spot, horns ablaze in heat and light, slamming into the tongue. A deep gouge was carved into it, cutting sixty percent of the way through it, the shuttle's engines finishing the job as it ripped the rest of the tongue off the toad.
Once free from the pulling force, the shuttle flew backwards at remarkable speeds, stopping just shy of hitting the far wall we entered from. It turned around and fired all of its missiles into the toad, which managed to enter its mouth as it prepared to do something else. Seventeen missiles detonated within it, constricting the antithesis in a very comical way. It then deflated, falling to the ground.
Killed Model Forty Four T Type
11,000 points awarded
1 token awarded
The shuttle launched itself backwards to the other, dropping off a load of Fabricator pairs to begin repair work, then it began to move in physics defying, erratic patterns that would have shredded any normal craft in seconds.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Two more pods started opening.
I have millions of options to kill a Model Forty Four, thousands with just your catalogs, and twenty that I think you would enjoy. But in this case, I shall go with the boring option. Single use anti-tank launcher using a supersonic delivery system, the payload will drill into the target and act as a stronger version of the missiles Morrigan made, smaller area of effect, faster activation speed, with the added bonus of the cavitation exothermic reaction. Six thousand points per shot.
Purchased Miniature Exterminatis shoulder mounted recoilless launcher
Points reduced to 163,750
As I reached out, the Maelstrom disconnecting from me, I grabbed a tube. A simple silvery tube with a targeting reticle, a grip, and a trigger. A bright yellow arrow with red words pointed at one end of the tube, saying “Aim this at enemy.” I point the tube at the toad on the right, painting it in a red outline that shifted to green almost instantly. I pulled the trigger as soon as I registered the green.
I feel the tube heat up, and my armor registering it as near failure inducing instant heat on my shoulder. I then see a twisting of the skin of the Forty Four I aimed at, like when you take a shirt and twist a single point on it. A small spurt of green blood sprays out as the rocket pierces the skin.
Then the toad sucked inward, legs bending inward, snapping sounds reverberating through the cavern, its eyes bulged out, then sucked inward. Then, the toad glowed like the sun as it expanded into a balloon, mouth agape, as it tore itself to shreds.
Before Synaptic summoned me another launcher, I was tackled off the walls by Blizzard. In my vision, I saw the roof move away from me, and a tongue fly past exactly where I just was, retracting almost as soon as I saw it.
My back hits the floor and I lose some breath, but we recover quickly. We stand and look towards the toad, the walls of the base form a screen to show us what's beyond. The toad launches its tongue at the shuttle, missing repeatedly but also firing it once a second, yet it always maintains an eye on the base.
The tube lands on my arms and I pass it to Blizzard. “It's wary of me, someone else needs to shoot it. I will pop up to distract it, once it attacks me, fire. Stay out of sight, stay safe.” I say in rapid order. She nods and moves to a corner of the base where a staircase was being built by a Builder swarm for her.
I take a breath and move to the other side. My Maelstrom was either still on the wall or eaten by the Forty Four, so I pulled out the Immortal Flame and climbed the stairs, stopping just before my head cleared the floor.
I have no idea if she heard me, the connection was very faint.
Blizzard and I sync our movements, I rush upwards, focusing on the toad. I see the shuttle move to pull its attention, but it doesn't shift to follow. Blizzard moves her head and shoulders to be just above the battlements, launcher on her shoulder aimed at the toad.
Then before either of us can react, a wart on the toad explodes, a spear of bone flying towards us, it hits the barrier and stabs through, slowing down just a bit, but not before it does its job.
Blizzard was stabbed through the chest and throat, and was melting. I screamed as I ran to her, but I knew I wasn't going to make it. I pushed my legs as hard as they could go and arrived to her in three seconds, but it was already too late. Her armor sizzled a bit, but then it collapsed as if empty.
I punch the bone thorn and it goes flying. I scoop up her body but felt not flesh and bone, but liquid. I scream in anguish, in anger.
I killed her I killed her I killer her I killer her.
I heard a sharp whistle in my brain, pulling me out of my spiral slightly. I disconnected from my body and focused on the swarm around me. I saw the launcher and it looked spent. The Forty Four in the distance was missing. I shoved my body off the walls, and saw it collapsed in a heap. I moved Blizzard as carefully as I could down to the ground, but I saw blood red liquid flow out of the armor.
I put a censor bar over her body as I lay it on the steps. I…. I can't look at her. I physically block my thoughts from thinking of her, I cannot think about-
I stand up. “Synaptic, finish the gun. Fire at the pillar.” My voice is flat, the world is grey and black, and I can only hear my own heartbeat slowing to normal. “Buy, place, and fire the Exterminatis at the remaining toad pods. I want the walls to be equipped with plasma throwers. Recall everyone outside.”
I hear the sounds of notifications, but I don't see them. No, my attention needs to be elsewhere. I see Leman and Vulkan jump back with their squad, grabbing Breaker in the process. I see Lasso and Red Menace ferociously tear into the antithesis, not moving back. I reach out and tap them on the shoulder. I see them twitch, but then return. I see King jump through the barrier, firing at the antithesis as he does from inbuilt heavy guns.
I look to the shield above us and push against it, focusing power on it. I feel it grow in density. I look at the railgun and pick it up, aiming it at the center pillar, then pulling the trigger. I see the pillar have a chunk taken out of it, leaving behind a few chunks on the ground and ceiling. I hear a notification, but ignore it as I place the railgun down and feel the walls. There are dozens of nozzles now affixed to them, I feel the heat within them, so I pushed on them. Three hundred-foot long cones of plasma burst out into the surroundings, melting the antithesis that approached. I know that so long as we have power, they will fire.
I go to-
Victor.
Synaptic's voice cuts through my thoughts. I hear her as if she was right in front of me.
You are about to lose yourself to your swarm. For your safety, I am pulling you back into yourself.
A brief flash of confusion flows from me, then I feel a firm pulling force towards myself, pulling myself with it. I feel tired, heavy, and then the world disappeared l.