Vaudevillain

Chapter 140: Collateral Damage

"You aren't going to make anything quick," the croc man growled.

"Won't know unless we try," Rampart replied. "Shizuka! Take out the healer if you can! Fursation! You and I will keep their frontline occupied. Psy-Ops, Yuppie! Try to find an opening."

"Just know I'm only doing this because I agree with you!" Shizuka said as she pulled out another knife. "Not because I think you come up with good plans!"

The ninja attempted to slide past her current opponent but found the bard stepping in front of her every time. When she went left, the bard matched the movement. When Shizuka tried to feint right and juke left, the bard blocked her again like a basketball player guarding their man. Frustrated, Shizuka conjured more clones to deal with the annoyance.

Shizuka's surprise attack had pulled the attention away from Fursation, who used the time to create a boulder of sod. The earth bear pushed the ball of soil at the enemy like a bowler aiming at pins. The ball rolled closer until the enemy medic saw the incoming attack.

"Space, in front!" yelled the player.

The enemy in sleek, futuristic armor turned at the noise, a smirk crossing his face as he saw the incoming boulder.

"Never thought I'd be playing ball again," the man joked as he moved to intercept.

Fursation kept on his course, though he couldn't have altered it if he tried. The boulder had a mind of its own now, and it was all the hero could do to keep it on course toward the enemy. The player named Space met the boulder fist first, cracking the gravel exterior and sinking his fist inside. The strike killed some momentum, but Fursation tackled his ball of sod at the last second, shoving both it and Space towards the crocodile man.

Yuppie, following Rampart's orders, used Fursation's attack to fly above the current battle. Using his targeting computer, the hero locked onto the two rear enemies with his missile launcher. The unmistakable sound of fuel igniting drowned out the music below, causing both the medic and the player he treated to look up.

"Cayman! Hold that bear down!" the medic cried. "H*llzone, stop those missiles. Space, I need you back here on this ninja!"

The lizard player grunted, swinging his tail at the ball of dirt holding his friend. The boulder exploded into a shower of dust as the muscled appendage whipped into it, freeing Space and sending him rolling a few spaces. A hissing growl escaped the player's lips as he bent low for a charge. Fursation roared in contest, and the two brawlers started to roll towards each other.

Psy-Ops kept his spot behind Rampart, escaping the shower of dirt with the man's barrier. Once it cleared up, Psy-Ops made his way to the right, skirting the edges of Fursation's combat. As he did, the player pulled out as many of his special weapons as he could and clipped them to his belt. Holsters with guns and sheaths with swords now lined his thighs like a skirt, but at least the hero had every opportunity to grab a weapon if he needed it.

"Rocksta get the guy circling Cayman!" the medic yelled.

"God, you're getting annoying," Shizuka commented. Again, the villainess tried to throw a knife, using one of her clones as a distraction. However, the medic was ready for an attack and sidestepped with ease. Frowning, Shizuka conjured all the clones she could, which depleted her energy for a bit but increased her combat power. The crowd of ninjas dashed around Rocksta the bard, his one body unable to compete with so many Shizuka clones.

The player known as Hellzone directed his conjured line of guns to the air and pulled one of the triggers. Every weapon on the loop unleashed their magazines onto Yuppie above. The missiles on a course for the players got caught in the crossfire, and Yuppie watched wide-eyed as his salvo turned to swiss cheese. Shortly after, Hellzone's loop of guns belched a cloud of smoke.

Rampart took the lull in the fight to move toward Fursation, who was starting to have some trouble with Cayman. The player's more humanoid body gave the man a slight advantage when it came to tackling. Fursation found himself sliding back as Cayman pushed against him. Suddenly, Fursation felt his foot catch in a pothole. With his balance thrown off, Cayman had no trouble throwing him to the ground.

Rampart conjured a barrier as Fursation hit the ground, and not a moment too soon. Cayman's tail followed the bear like a hunting dog, smacking against Rampart's created protection. The hero grimaced at the amount of damage that one strike did to his shield's health, but it was better than it happening to their current tank.

Following up, Rampart crafted another barrier in his hand and twisted it. The hero had taken Nikola's earlier advice, using the hunted Phlebotinium to upgrade his power with an attack option. The shield in the player's hand picked up speed until it hovered over his hand like a helicopter. With the attack ready, Rampart sent it flying at Cayman, where it bit into the player's shoulder.

The crocodile man roared in anger, but the medic was on the job. A quick spray of the healing potion from his pack fixed Cayman up right as rain, and the player gave a toothy grin to Rampart.

"I hope he doesn't have too much of that," Rampart complained. "Or else this fight will go on forever."

"Don't worry. I got it!" Shizuka said as her group slipped by the bard.

Rocksta ignored the woman, instead following his leader's commands and intercepting Psy-Ops. As he did, the player switched songs, performing a hard-hitting song no one could place. The glow surrounding the enemy team changed once more, granting increased attack power to everyone.

Fursation growled in annoyance as the song changed. He'd renewed his tackle against Cayman, but with the increased attack, Fursation found himself getting pushed back again. Rampart was helping where he could, but every blow from Cayman ate into his shield's health. That, combined with the medic's healing, kept Fursation on the back foot and unable to control the earth.

The shaman hero's elemental control worked by focusing his vision on an area and making a few hand motions. However, that was hard when Fursation also had to keep an eye out for Cayman's attacks. It effectively sealed his powers, as long as nothing changed.

Shizuka was the deciding factor. If she could just take out the healer, Cayman couldn't attack so recklessly, which might give Fursation enough time to create earth attacks. The ninja smiled evilly as her clones rushed past Rocksta, each one preparing a knife for the perceived annoyance. A set of sleek armor appeared before she could make a strike, though.

Space grabbed one of Shizuka's clones, lifting it off the ground and hurling it into the others. A few dodged, including Shizuka, but the attack bowled over most. With her momentum halted, the space marine was able to make their way in front of the medic.

"Oh, are we playing protect the president now?" Shizuka commented.

"Who's playing?" Space replied.

"No flirting, Space," Hellzone quipped.

Space's eager face fell at his friend's comment, though it made Shizuka's twist into a viler grin.

Hellzone gripped his smoking loop of guns and shoved them to the side. The rack spun in place, revealing a new set of firearms, these slightly more futuristic. Seeing this, Yuppie decided to dive back down. It wouldn't do any good to stay in a place with no cover, not with that many guns around. The hero flared his flight pack, making a beeline for Hellzone.

The enemy player responded with a flash of laser fire, but Yuppie had rolled out of the way as soon as Hellzone pulled the trigger. Flashes of red, orange, green, and purple shot into the sky like fireworks, illuminating those below with their colorful glow. Yuppie continued his roll, landing in the dirt near Psy-Ops and Rocksta.

"Tie him up!" Psy-Ops yelled to his friend.

Nodding, Yuppie pulled a grapple gun out of his inventory and aimed it. Rocksta made to move, but Yuppie and Psy-Ops limited his directions with gunfire, leaving Yuppie with an open shot. The hissing of gas signaled the pull of the trigger, and Yuppie watched as the claw flew toward the enemy. Rocksta stepped back at the last second, avoiding the incoming rope but putting himself near Psy-Ops.

"Gotcha," the hero said as he laid a hand on the player.

Rocksta immediately threw a punch at Psy-Ops, knocking the hero to the ground, but the man was already connected with Psy-Ops's power. Calmly, Psy-Ops pulled out one of his guns and linked it to Rocksta. The singer prepared himself, switching songs to up everyone's speed one more time. Psy-Ops let it happen, knowing it wouldn't make a difference.

Three quick rounds fired from Psy-Ops's gun barrel, aiming to the left, the right, and above Rocksta. The enemy player dove forward in a roll, using his enhanced speed to shorten the distance between him and his foe. Psy-Ops pulled a parrying dagger out of his belt, letting the system guide him to block Rocksta's charge. A flurry of fists met the end of a blade, forcing Rocksta to retreat a few steps.

Psy-Ops pressed forward, waiting for the opportune moment. His three bullets from before were looping back around, and they would strike the enemy at any moment. Sure enough, Rocksta winced a moment later as his health dropped. Surprised, Rocksta faltered in his singing, dimming the glow around everyone.

Psy-Ops took his shot. The hero pushed forward with his dagger in one hand and his gun in the other. Quick slashes against Rocksta's chest kept the player dodging, while accurate shots slowly depleted the player's health. It would have gone down quicker if not for their healer, who was continuously spraying Rocksta with his rejuvenation potion.

"H*llzone! Collateral damage is okay!" Rocksta yelled out.

Hellzone gave a thumbs up to Rocksta as he switched out his rack of weapons again. This line looked to hold a series of pistols, which Hellzone promptly aimed at Psy-Ops and Yuppie. The player's eyes bulged as Hellzone unleashed a salvo of fire with no regard to Rocksta's safety.

Yuppie immediately acted, Launching into the sky to avoid the arms fire. Bullets pinged on his suit as he flew up, lowering the durability immensely. Psy-Ops took a different approach, choosing to stick as close to Rocksta as he could. The incoming fire made it impossible for the bard to sing well, which kept him from using a speed boost or some other buff to survive. Rocksta would have to trust in their leader's healing.

Bullets riddled Psy-Ops and Rocksta like an out of control hole puncher. The majority landed on Rocksta since Psy-Ops kept him in front, but a few made their way past to strike the hero. The man winced as his health pool depleted, but he never let up on his attacks against Rocksta. The combined damage from Hellzone and Psy-Ops was too much even for the medic's healing, and soon the bard vanished. That left Psy-Ops open, and Hellzone's hail of bullets filled his avatar with lead a second later.

Psy-Ops respawned somewhere inside the city, near a knockoff chain restaurant somewhere in the government district. A notification appeared in his vision as he looked around, both granting and removing some reputation.

"D*mn," Psy-Ops cursed. "I really wanted to be around for all of that fight."