by R. H. Tang
But once again, Fortresses didn't have to follow the rules.
Paragon-type Grunts were a great idea if you could fuse them with your primary machine for the most dominating Liquid State Eternium boost ever.
Julian pulled up his status screen. Since it was an Ace on Ace battle, the full specs for Zane's massive Mechs were now available after exchanging blows. Under normal circumstances, Julian and his friends would have seen the new machine's information as soon as the match started. However, that privilege was only granted if the base unit was available in the official Overdrive shop.
Since this was an all-new Mech, they'd needed to wait until their Mech's built-in scouters had finished analyzing their opponent. The same thing had happened against Liefield's Heaven's Boxer, which had been an all-new drop.
- General Data -
Pilot: Zane, the General's Son (First Fortress AI)
Machine: Zane's Guilt
Class: Paragon
Sub-class: Wild
Designation: Ace Unit
- Statistics -
Melee: B-tier
Shooting: S-tier
Speed: S-tier
Maneuverability: B-tier
Defense: D-tier
Cohesion: S-tier
- Weapons -
Artillery Cannon [x2]
Missile Launcher [x2]
Rifle [x10]
Spear [x5]
Vengeance Mega Launcher
- Abilities -
Liquid State Eternium
Vengeance Barrage
Julian grimaced. The stats were what he expected—the machine had ten rifles and incorporated heavy-duty artillery weapons. Naturally, it had an incredible Shooting stat. Of course, seeing that an enemy Mech you thought was incredibly strong was actually incredibly strong still sucked.
The speed was expected too, considering the massive thrusters. A B-tier in Maneuverability was probably the highest rank such an enormous Mech could reach. No matter how hard Zane tried, he wouldn't be able to move his machine through narrow corridors. Sadly, that weakness wouldn't apply here. The map had no narrow corridors.
The D-tier in defense was comforting, but that'd gone out the window now that it'd used Liquid State Eternium. If it lasted for the next seven minutes, this giant Mech would survive past even the second wave.
There were only two minutes left on the timer.
What worried Julian the most was the final weapon. He didn't like the sound of a Vengeance Mega Launcher, nor the Finisher it presumably was associated with, the Vengeance Barrage.
The rifles and artillery weapons fired again, shattering the rooftop. The bunker rocked and rocked.
Felix swore and hastily left his hiding place.
"Cover my retreat."
His Minesweeping machine was worse than useless here. The endless assault would almost certainly destroy the fragile unit. His best bet was just to hide inside the underground tunnel until the fight was over.
He tossed Julian his submachine gun and grenades, then grinned.
"Gonna be wasted otherwise. Give it hell for me."
That was one of the many admirable things about Felix. He was happy to retreat if needed. He wasn't the sort of pilot whose stubborn pride kept them in a losing situation.
He turned to Emma right before he dashed beneath the hiding hole.
"Take the bunker."
"Of course."
Right after the next round of gunfire, Felix's machine dove for the manhole, making it inside just before the enemy reloaded. There was a buzz as their communications were cut out.
Felix's face fizzled away, replaced by a simple call system.
Option 1: Return to the rooftop
Option 2: I'm entering the building
Julian cursed.
It was another added challenge. Julian's team had equipped their shotcaller with the Minesweeper, which typically would have been an intelligent strategy. After all, Felix would still be able to contribute with his calm and measured thinking even if he was hiding away. The communication cut between the rooftop and the interior building nullified that plan. Now, they were stuck with only the basics.
Zane sneered.
"It's no use hiding."
Emma fired another high-powered shot that clanged loudly off the shield covering the cockpit, leaving a prominent dent in its path. Not even Liquid State Eternium could hold forever.
Julian's hands tightened on the controls as he raised his sword. If Zane approached, he'd sacrifice himself to stab the giant Mech in the cockpit. Casting both of his spell charges while slamming his sword should do the trick. The key was timing the strike for a lull in his Liquid State Eternium bonus.
His team would lose him for the rest of the mission, but they'd clear the map so long as one of their units survived.
Strategic sacrifice was a big part of playing hard mode missions correctly, although he'd never anticipated doing it on the first round.
The prize better be good.
"Should I use all my Specials?"
Emma's question jerked him out of his over concentration. He had two teammates with him. There was no reason for him to go on a suicide run so long as Emma still had sniper charges.
"I think so."
Julian was worried that the next round would be even more challenging. But if they failed to kill Zane now, it would only add to the difficulty.
A massive panel suddenly opened dead in the center of the machine. A barrel emerged, and then purple light rapidly accumulated.
There was no need to guess what attack was coming next.
Zane shouted as loud as he could.
"Vengeance Barrage!"
The purple wave was aimed directly at the bunker.
Against the earlier attacks from Sarah's machine and the riflemen, the shelter had seemed impregnable. But now, it was apparent that there was no chance it would hold.
Zane fired.
Julian lunged to pull Emma out of the bunker, but he didn't have any time. His bulky Mech was far too slow. Tyler charged forward, his machine a red and yellow blur.
OVERDRIVE: LIQUID STATE ETERNIUM
He tore Emma away from the bunker, and they spiraled across the roof. Just one moment later, all that was left was the once sturdy defensive fortification was a smoldering crater.
"Sorry. I know you wanted to save it for the next round."
"No—you did the right thing there."
The mission would be way harder with just three people remaining. Emma was a critical part of their offensive firepower.
Tyler had made the right decision. They needed Emma to survive.
Zane's powerful machine had thrown all their preferred strategies right out the window.
The Vengeance Cannon charged again.
This time, there was nowhere for them to hide.
Tyler stood in front of them, charging up the Cerberus Roar's head cannons. The purple beam met the three gold ones.
Julian held his breath.
Zane was stronger.
Julian cursed as Zane cackled and cackled.
The Roar's planted feet left enormous gouges in the roof of their base as Tyler's Mech was slowly driven back. The Vengeance Cannon was going to destroy them all. The Zane's Guilt was far too powerful for even a World Championship caliber Mech.
Then there was a loud crackle, and a massive purple explosion as Zane's machine was sent wheeling back.
Emma let out a cry of excitement.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
Her legendary sniper rifle smoldered and crackled with freshly discharged lightning.
Julian turned back to the massive machine, his eyes wide with excitement.
Emma had pierced the Vengeance Cannon with an extremely accurate Thunderbolt empowered blast. Despite the Vengeance Cannon's awe-inspiring offensive strength, it was still a fragile piece of metal. Emma's shots were powerful enough to dent a Liquid State Eternium empowered shield.
Naturally, it blew straight through the vulnerable ca
nnon.
Zane cried out in frustration. The burning sphere spiraled uncontrollably towards the ground. The internal explosions from its destroyed signature weapon rocked the Mech over and over again.
"Let's finish this! Tyler! Blast him!"
The Roar raised its three head cannons, but before it could fire, Zane whirled around and streaked into the distance.
"This isn't the end! This is merely a temporary retreat!"
Tyler and Emma attacked the enormous machine over and over again. Julian raised Felix's submachine gun and joined in, but the shots dissipated uselessly.
It was another cutscene.
After you inflicted enough damage to Zane's machine, he'd retreat and come back later.
What a headache.
The bonus for winning this better have been worth it.
This mission was nothing like the one he remembered. The Minesweeper unit had activated a truly legendary challenge.
"Alright, Tyler. I figure we've still got enough Liquid State Eternium to last you for the opening of the next round. Go all out as soon as it starts. We need to use this boost."
"Roger that."
Julian called Felix back up from his hiding place and handed him back the submachine gun.
"You ready?"
"Yeah."
Felix sighed.
"Found out as soon as I entered the building, but we can't communicate."
Julian nodded grimly.
"Yep."
"Any idea of what's next?"
"No. My friends didn't get that far."
Julian gulped. Even the default round two had been extremely challenging.
You had to fight thirty machines, five of which were heavy artillery units that could flush you off the roof. He, Felix, and Edwin had tried for about a month before they beat it.
The clouds of dust in the distance told them that a new army was rapidly approaching.
Julian turned to Emma.
"How many?"
Emma lifted her scope and zoomed in.
"Fifty units. Ten artillery."
Julian groaned.
"Ten artillery units? Are you serious?"
That was the perfect counter to their only advantage—their high position.
It only got worse.
"The remaining forty are attackers capable of flight. No obvious officers."
NEXT WAVE ARRIVING IN THIRTY SECONDS
18
There was a sudden cacophony of marching footsteps and loaded rifles.
THE ADVANCED GUARD APPROACHES
Julian pulled up their status reports as the enemy army drew closer.
Unless there was another hidden gimmick, there were no Ace pilots present. Considering the sheer numbers and incredible mobility of the enemy units, Julian doubted that Watcher needed to add much more difficulty.
The key to this mission was a combination of mass-fire tactics and assassinating the hidden commanders. Julian's fingers dashed across the keyboard as he pulled up the long list of enemy forces.
Command Unit Unknown
Lieutenant Unit Unknown
Rifleman (x10)
Pilot: Rifleman Grunt
Overall Ranking: B
Specialization: Ranged
Spearman (x20)
Pilot: Spearman Grunt
Overall Ranking: B
Specialization: Melee
Heavy Artillery Unit (x10)
Pilot: Heavy Artillery Grunt
Overall Ranking: A
Specialization: Ranged
Escort Unit (x10)
Pilot: Escort Grunt
Overall Ranking: B
Specialization: Defense
He grimaced.
Every official Overdrive map had a difficulty cap. If the in-house test team and their deliberately overpowered Mechs couldn't clear it, it couldn't be published. This stage had to be hitting that limit.
Just as Emma said, there were forty winged units capable of flight, and the remaining ten were artillery types identical to Sarah's fallen machine. They had a pair of cannons on their backs as well as rocket launchers for arms.
Artillery units specialized in flushing enemies out of vulnerable positions. The whole roof was a vulnerable position against the might of ten artillery units. Combined, they carried twenty cannons and twenty rocket launchers.
On top of that, their team couldn't charge the Artillery group—not with ten Escort Units nearby.
The bulky Escorts were armed with a combination of a massive shield and a beam spray pistol. The gun fired a dispersed blast that dealt low damaged but excelled at restricting enemy movement. It was a deadly combination frequently used in the upper echelons of competitive play. Once your movements were hindered, you were a sitting duck to the well-armed Artillery machines.
He turned to Felix, and his friend nodded. Once again, Felix was useless in this scenario. They were essentially a three-person team.
Felix sighed.
"I'll give Julian my equipment and go back to cover. I'll try to use my sweeper below ground, see if I can find any hidden caches."
Even though the treasure wouldn't spawn until after the mission was complete, there was still a good chance Felix could find something useful. It must have felt pretty bad sitting out of two fights in a row, but that was the kind of player Felix was. All he cared about was winning the mission.
Once again, he handed Julian his weapons, this time passing over his two grenades as well.
Julian cursed.
"If only we had the bunker."
Felix shook his head.
"Don't worry about it. And make sure you get rid of the artillery units first. We need to clear them before the siege begins."
"Right."
Failing to clear the enemy team within the time limit didn't cause you to instantly lose—it just made things exponentially harder. Of course, in a "real-life situation," the enemy team would have brought heavy artillery to the siege as well. There was no way four fighters could hold a mere rooftop against an entire squadron, especially not one that allegedly had access to unlimited firepower.
However, the enemy forces usually weren't optimized. Despite the map's difficulty, the game designers always gave the players a chance to win. That was part of what made Overdrive stages fun. They were like puzzles. The game administration challenged players to build the perfect team composition and make the right decisions to win.
Julian leaned to the edge of the rooftop. The rifle blasts and heavy cannon shots streaked towards him, but he didn't flinch. The enemies still weren't in range. He had the time to act patiently. When Tyler first started developing drills for Julian, he'd always insisted that doing things correctly was more important than doing it quickly.
With that mantra in mind, Julian aimed his mine setting shield and fired off a series of traps about two hundred feet away from their current position. The key to laying mines against flying machines was to trap their take-off points. Otherwise, they'd just fly right over them.
It was the kind of mistake he would have made before he started diversifying his game, but not anymore.
"I know I said I wanted to save these, but we're going to need them."
Emma and Tyler nodded.
"Alright, Tyler. Let's get going."
Their key to this level involved Tyler maximizing the time he still had access to Liquid State Eternium.
Tyler's red and yellow super robot roared as it leaped from the rooftop, landing with a dulled thud in the sand below. The three head cannons—two replacing the hands and one embedded in the chest—charged and then fired. The Cerberus Roar boasted a series of devastating abilities. A single shot from the head cannons was enough to evaporate an enemy machine instantly.
Bolstered by Liquid State Eternium, Tyler's machine could destroy an entire army. TiggerLuvr888 had used it to incredible effect two World Championships ago, battling to a sterling fourth-place finish.
The left head instantly evaporated two spearmen.
The right head devastated an artillery unit.
The two escorts around it caught flame and melted. Although the guard units had powerful shields, their bodies were just as vulnerable to damage as any other Grunt.
The almighty chest cannon had the greatest effect. Three riflemen instantly exploded, and so did one of the artillery units.
Julian stepped in front of Emma. Now that he'd deployed his traps, he could defend her in a far more reckless manner. However, he couldn't sacrifice himself on the second stage. They needed his machine for the next mission to hold the underground tunnels.
The Cerberus Roar's beam weapons had almost no reload time. There was a slight click as the new energy canisters slid forward, and then the smoking barrels once again glowed with golden flame.
Tyler mercilessly fired again, but the AI was beginning to adapt.
The escort units gathered together and moved to the front of even the Spearmen. The massive wall of shields was enough to protect the whole army. This time, Tyler's blast dissipated uselessly.
He cursed.
"Should I use the Soulfire?"
Julian sighed and bit his lip.
He didn't know. The Soulfire was the Cerberus Roar's most powerful ability. By melting his machine, Tyler could launch a powerful blast from the chest cannon that would instantly devastate the army before them—riot shields or not.
Of course, the drawback was obvious. They'd have crippled their Ace by the second round.
The army continued marching forward.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
The sound of their unified steps and the noise of the artillery unit's cannons soon blended together. Julian cursed as the blasts streaked endlessly towards them.
"Shit!"
Julian raised his machine's hands.
"Storm Surge!"