The doors exploded. Figures in bulky armored suits with oversized guns stepped through the smoke into the warehouse. I thought about a few things in that moment- how I wished I had a particular spell, how I’d never spoken to someone from Super Soldiers Inc. and probably wouldn’t today, and how I was glad that I at least had Stoneskin up.

The rain of bullets started a moment after that- Olim and Evans were brave enough to take a few shots at the group before ducking behind their respective crates. I did the same because I had to think about what spell to use. Sonic Lance was my first instinct, but I already knew it would be slower than a gun. Unfortunately, pulling out my pistol was also not a good option- the equipment Super Soldiers Inc. had protected against anything of my caliber. And they needed that, because if they showed up somewhere no villain was going to hold back. They were the epitome of escalation in that regard. How they kept their license with their operations was some matter of debate- maybe they kept just on the right side of the line and were just useful enough to the city… or maybe there were bribes. None of that was my job to figure out.

This would have been a great time to have advanced in level. I could throw out a Fireball- no, a Lightning Bolt. Actually, maybe a Disintegrate would be more appropriate. Maybe even Meteor Swarm. Though the last one would be too much mana, and I did not want to see what happened if I screwed that up.

But I didn’t have a level and I only had 1 point left from the last one. If I survive this whole deal I couldn’t imagine not gaining a level, but I couldn’t distract myself for looking for it mid-battle.

Hearing the sounds of gunfire was strangely calming. The repeating pattern of bullets plinking into metal crates was musical, if a bit loud for my tastes. Rocker was also loud for my tastes- and rather reckless. He didn’t take cover. I knew his sonic powers automatically deflected bullets, but that seemed a bit… too much.

A strum on his guitar was enough to blast a couple away. I wasn’t sure if they would be down for the count, but they were clearly affected. It didn’t take more than a moment for Rocker to become a target, and he only got a couple more strums off before I saw him stagger backwards and fall.

I was going to be pissed if they killed him.

I could probably pull off a Prismatic Spray… but with that armor I wasn’t sure if it would hit hard enough. And if I could cast it, I could only do exactly one. But I still had no points.

Shockfire had taken the logical shelter route. The same with our captain, though he was flinging out ice spikes and blades from either side, trying to catch any of them. Acid Man, meanwhile, could be seen creeping towards them. Midnight was panicked, though he was the least viable target. I felt him scuttling around the area, his thoughts a jumbled mess.

Oddly enough, it was Midnight that got me back on track. I was certain that was him, while I was calm. Calmish. Enough to make a better decision than leaping out and relying on Stoneskin while I Sonic Lanced a few and then bashed the others with my staff.

I could only take a moment to pull up my spells, as they were advancing, but a quick look made me realize I was looking at the wrong end of the spectrum. I ducked my head out by the floor and looked for where they were advancing- about half of them firing and half reloading at any time as they pressed towards our cover. A simple Grease spell right at the easiest choke point they had to pass, easily missed in the dark. Two mana, only a short moment to cast it. That wouldn’t stop them, of course, but it was just the start.

There was no massive chain reaction I could think of here. Their armored suits had to be fireproof- my jackets and pants were nearly fireproof and at least bullet and stab resistant, and they were barely different from street clothes. Francois did a great job. But the point was, what these guys had must be better or it was a whole lot of weight for nothing. A minimal fire wouldn’t do.

So I hoped that the rest of my team had something greater to contribute and did what I could. Mage’s Reach, three mana. I had no idea if it was valuable to cast it at its maximum potential, but I might need a bit more force. With three upgrades, expending the full mana cost came to about thirty-five percent more force. And speed.

Before I could start my plan, the panicked Midnight ran up to me. “What… w-what do I do?”

I didn’t have time to think. “Haste people.” I meant, of course, our allies. I should have assumed Midnight would start with us. That was probably the correct choice, but I still felt the sudden change surprising. Before I could even say thanks, he was off.

I stuck my head around the corner, finding my goggles suddenly useful. For example, they told me the guns carried by these guys were 10 kg. That was… way too much. I didn’t do exact calculations- though I did have more time to work with now- but it was somewhere more than twice a reasonable weight for an automatic rifle. Probably more than five times my pistol.

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In short, I couldn’t grab those. But I could grab the ammo clips. Those were nearly 1 kg each- I really wished Vilhelmiina had made an option for these ‘Mass Goggles’ to measure in pounds, but she was adamantly against it. Too bad all of my abilities were measured another way.

Still, they were right there on the bandolier, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice- and they frequently were. I could see that these soldiers did so in a particular pattern, from high to low- so I started at the low end. It was unfortunate that the speed of Mage’s Reach could not take full advantage of Haste, but I was able to perform more precise movements with my enhanced perception of time. I was also less worried about getting shot because from where I was lying on the floor I would have plenty of time to roll away if someone aimed down at me.

Probably. Best not to think about that too much.

If the whole warehouse hadn’t been full of muzzle flashes, they might have seen my spell start snatching things out of their bandoliers. I did my best to grab a few without dropping them. I managed that with one batch, which I then dropped into Storage. I moved onto the next guy, and fumbled a couple of those- but nobody had noticed my work yet. In my other hand I palmed a crystal. If I needed it I should probably absorb it now, but I really didn’t like my blood betraying me.

The front ranks of the dozen or so individuals- I hadn’t taken a precise count because of all the shooting- finally made it to the Grease. Their high-traction boots had a lot of fun with the magically slippery substance, proving insufficient- and as the one that toppled backwards demonstrated, they had a lot of weight with them as they went down. I think he took out two other guys- or maybe gals, I couldn’t tell with all that equipment. Someone also continued spraying bullets as they went down, and though it didn’t seem to take anyone out the modicum of friendly fire made everything stop for a moment.

Then Acid Man wrapped himself around the legs of one of them. I could see him processing information, not content to passively dissolve. He wiggled around to try to find gaps he could squeeze through, but apparently they were quite adequate in that regard. But instead of working his way to the upper torso, his oozy body suddenly pushed in two directions- forward on one knee and back on the other with a bridge of green goop in the middle. A good choice- the armor seemed to defend from impacts and all sorts of damage, but it could not prevent grappling without locking its inhabitants legs in place.

Ice Guy had been Hasted, I could tell that even without turning to look at the man himself. Though he was still limited in his maximum output, the manner in which he performed his attacks changed. I saw precise shots freezing triggers and joints instead of him flinging large orbs around a corner. With more time to think and move, he could manage those better. Shifting positions rapidly also allowed him to avoid return fire. I could see now how the maze of crates was optimized to provide the most cover to those in the middle, and less for those who might try to find their way in after.

Shockfire was not our best bet to stand up in front of a wall of bullets- even if that wall was somewhat less now with people being taken out one at a time- but he was plenty occupied still. After all, there was still the other threat. Though I’d basically written them off, the Mod Squad still had their second group coming. Good thing someone thought to prioritize the mission.

I only caught a few glimpses, as neither group stood up above the level of the crates. I only saw blasts of fire and the energy beams the Mod Squad favored. Once or twice I smelled a burst of ozone as electricity poured through the area.

I continued snatching every clip I could reach- and grenades, once I spotted them. These dudes were loaded with munitions. It didn’t take long for Storage to fill up, and I had to dump things next to myself. I considered throwing one of their grenades at them- their actions had already escalated things beyond any level of holding back- but I couldn’t be certain which were flashbangs, gas grenades, or frags. People from this world might be more familiar, but I only knew they existed. And that frags looked like pineapples, but none of them looked like apples.

Also Acid Man was still among them, which gave me a greater motivation to not throw the wrong kind of thing among them. Combined with a Hasted captain and myself, it was too risky.

I kept my eyes peeled for somewhere I might poke through presumably insulated armor and Shocking Grasp someone, but it probably wouldn’t be easy. Instead, I snatched a last few things, shoved some faces into grease as people tried to get up, and prepared myself to cover for the captain as he began to entomb people in ice.

Three or four guys were tied up by Acid Man, attempting to tear him off one of their companions and finding that it was extremely difficult to do when someone was a self-controlling liquid with adaptable properties.

The martian guy, Evans, had now worked up the confidence to approach the enemy group. He picked up one of the rifles which weighed probably a third as much as he did, spraying it towards the few who were still standing and wondering where their clips went. It took him about half a second to knock himself backwards with the recoil, only a short burst hitting anyone- though it did stagger back that guy. Landing on his rear probably saved Evans, as return fire came immediately, some of it still deflecting off of the Force Armor that Olim had shrewdly indicated should go to him. It was barely enough, but that was a whole lot better than barely not enough. At least he was in a state where he could roll behind another barrier.

One Super Soldier broke out of the restraints Ice Guy put him in. A terrifyingly sharp icicle speared through his helmet and into his eye as he lifted his gun, snapping him back. The few individuals who thought they would try to break out of their restraints decided to take second thoughts. Their organization was the one legally responsible for all of this, and no medical insurance covered death.

Or did it? One thing I knew about healing magic from my world was that life-returning abilities were not nearly so prominent as game literature would indicate. I could assume the same was true for those with super powers as well. But rare was not nonexistent. Something to think about… never. Best to just not die. Or let anyone I cared about die.

My broken tusk twinged as I looked at Rocker. It was at that moment he let out an amplified groan of pain. So not dead, at least. But we’d have to wrap up quickly so we could give him proper medical attention.