CHAPTER FIFTY TWO

Bzzt.

LOADING LOCATION

Welcome to the Palace of Emotions Satellite

The notification flashed across Jason's screen as he logged into the Overdrive server. Players traveling through space were allowed to save their progress at each official satellite located above the planet or colony. Those space stations also allowed players to upgrade their machines or upload a different build.

In this case...

Jason hesitated for a moment as he stared at his two options.

His preference was to continue training with the upgraded vampire Spell Titan.

His new reshaped build was very powerful. He loved the feeling of growing better at a totally different fighting style. On top of that, he was still making a few changes to the Red Minerva that reflected the lessons he'd learned after switching builds and encountering new foes.

He didn't want to provide any information. However, he wanted to make sure that he wasn't holding back his team.

It was a difficult mix of concerns.

Previously, Jason felt like there wasn't any risk practicing.

It'd only taken them three days - three hours of gameplay total - to reach the Palace of Emotions. He hadn't wound up dying, but if he had, it'd be easy for him to fly back and meet the team.

Now, they were doing the actual challenge.

He brought up his concerns to Danny, but the other pilot just brushed him off.

"No, don't worry about it."

He pointed at some of the other players.

"Look. Wendy is still using a Grunt. Everyone here is doing their own thing. We want to all practice and grow together. I don't care what machine you're using as long as you do your best."

Jason nodded. That was definitely the case - everyone did their best, but they were also practicing with an eye on their future growth.

Besides, if anything happened, Jason was not taking on much personal risk. He could return to the stage later and complete the missions with his Red Minerva.

He loaded his new Mech.

The new machine had been modified for a bulkier fighting style. The build combined several new influences, including the Dehua expert Jason battled and Vincent. The high school wrestling coach gave Jason countless invaluable pointers on creating a sturdy and robust machine.

-- General Data --

Pilot: Devourer22

Machine: Vampire Brawler

Class: Spell Titan

Sub-class: Attacker

Designation: Ace Unit

- Statistics -

Melee: A-tier

Shooting: C-tier

Speed: C-tier

Maneuverability: C-tier

Defense: A-tier

Cohesion: A-tier

- Weapons -

Harpoon Launcher (x2)

Shoulder-Mounted Machinegun (x2)

- Abilities -

Blood Transfer

Due to the heavy armor, the machine looked almost like a tank.

The new build's skewed statistics were a better fit for the usual Spell Titan specialty of min-maxed statistics. The Vampire Brawler was slow, but it hit extremely hard.

The machine used plenty of punches and kicks.

As a result, Jason had switched to mounted weaponry.

He copied the Dehua's build of two machineguns mounted over his shoulders and added two harpoon launchers embedded in his Mech's wrists. The armaments were standard and reliable, equivalent to roughly Three Star level items.

He'd upgraded his equipment for this mission, but his current store of items was centered around close combat or assassination.

He lacked any compelling options when it came to raw artillery. Besides, he was still interested in practicing with weaker items to push himself to his limits.

Lastly, Jason painted the Mech in red and bronze - the same colors as the Red Minerva. Wendy's consistent coloring on her Mechs was a great inspiration. No matter what team she battled for on the Guild Wars, players recognized her cloud-like paint job.

Jason loved the idea of developing similar notoriety.

With his build loaded, it was time to launch. Jason stepped into the cockpit.

THUNK

The machine's heavy footsteps echoed throughout the hangar, and then Jason leaped outside.

The space station was located directly above the Palace of Emotions, which resembled a floating brain made out of glass. Jason saw seemingly endless red carpet and gigantic marble pillars through the glass. There were countless floors and row after row of independent rooms.

The inside of the Palace of Emotions looked like an enormous cruise ship.

The map was home to the Emotional Paragons.

Every one of the machines rested in a separate room. Players could challenge the Mechs by walking inside and battling them in their customized stadiums.

The unique builds each had an aura bonus that represented a specific emotion.

For example, Blazing Anger stored up rage whenever an ally was dealt damage nearby it. It could then output all that stored energy in a devastating counterattack.

The BAG Guild descended together from the satellite station.

Once again, Jason started moving the limbs back and forth, wiggling them to refamiliarize himself with the maximum capacity and movement ability. By now, he was far more familiar with the Vampire Brawler, but it was always helpful to get a refresher.

Suddenly, Wendy let out a cry of surprise.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Enemies incoming! They're within twenty feet. Attack now!"

The Guild Wars veteran promptly started spamming her Mech's machinegun. The rat-a-tat-tat soon filled the air.

Jason jerked his head around, then lowered his shoulders as he started firing his shoulder-mounted machineguns at the rapidly approaching enemies.

An attack?

What in the world was going on?

Jason had carefully looked before leaping out of the space station, but nobody had been there. Normally, there would have been a significant warning before a machine came so close...

About a dozen Mechs were charging at them.

Unlike the earlier party, their hostile intent was obvious. They'd already drawn their weapons, and they were attacking anyone in sight.

Unlike the previous training organization, these machines were all different builds.

Not a single one of the Mechs were Grunts. They were all personally customized Ace pilots. However, they'd been scoured of any custom colors or identifiers. Every single one of the machines was a plain and simple black. The color helped them blend into the dark of space.

However, all of the machines were close-combat types.

Jason continued spamming his machinegun cannons as he waited for them to arrive, but he kept his muscles tense on the thrusters. Once they came close enough, he'd instantly shift to close combat.

Bzzt.

A narrow yellow beam saber flared to life as the machine in the front lunged straight at Jason. The machine was extremely slender, with lengthy arms that granted it great reach. It had the body of a fencer.

Jason ducked low.

Even though he was in space, there was an advantage to lowering his machine's stance. Vincent had taught Jason to lower his Mech's center of gravity for takedowns.

However, a low stance also allowed him to concentrate his machine's mass and avoid high strikes.

The blaze whizzed over Jason's head.

He set his thrusters for full speed, then slammed both of his fists into the enemy Mech.

Just before impact, he activated his Blood Transfer ability.

Crkkkk...

Once again, his machine's armor cracked as the magical Mech injured itself to increase its damage. However, the tax was far less costly due to Jason's modification. Heavy armor was a natural fit for a Mech which required an armor payment for all attacks.

The sudden input of force caught the enemy Mech completely off guard.

The fencer went flying wildly backwards. Its arms flailed back and forth, and it dropped its saber.

The attack was far more powerful than the ones Jason used against the Dehua. His fists left two enormous craters in the enemy's armor.

The formula for force was mass times acceleration.

His new heavy armor build had far more armor than before, and its larger health pool meant he could comfortably pay greater costs to increase his acceleration. Lastly, his increased familiarity with the Mech meant he properly put the Mech's weight behind the blows.

The increased damage was the obvious result, but the sheer efficacy was a pleasant surprise.

Jason was totally unused to this level of damage from punches and kicks. He made a mental note to further explore this kind of bulky and powerful build.

As the yellow blade spun through the air, Jason lunged out and grabbed it.

Beep.

To his surprise, the item was automatically deactivated as soon as he touched it.

A notification flashed on his screen.

WRONG USER

Jason scowled. The beam saber was programmed so it'd only respond to the correct machine's hands. The exceptional attention to detail was suspicious.

Who the hell were these guys?!

If the blade wouldn't work...

He activated his thrusters again, switching for a flying kick.

BANG!

A large missile suddenly streaked through the air, smashing into the bulky Vampire Brawler. Jason's heavily armored Mech was able to shrug off the shot, but it knocked him off course. His kick missed, and the fencing machine recovered. The fragile machine windmilled its arms twice before rebalancing and then withdrawing to the back lines.

Jason turned to the source of the bullet.

To his surprise, a bulky artillery Mech carrying a bazooka floated right above him.

This machine was painted pitch black like its teammate, but its shape could not have been more different.

The other machine had been limber and maneuverable.

This Mech looked like a row of boxes stacked one on top of the other. A pair of missile launchers were attached to its legs, and its enormous bazooka launcher required two hands to hold.

The machine looked nothing like the close combat Mechs he'd seen earlier.

Where had this guy come from?!

Jason turned towards his new opponent. This time, he called out to his team.

"Take out this target."

He quickly inputted the coordinates.

The heavy artillery Mech countered the Vampire Brawler. His bulky machine struggled to dodge attacks.

Unfortunately...

Very few people on his team were available.

Their troops were getting slaughtered.

These opponents were good.

None of them were as skilled as the Dehua expert Jason battled the other day, but the overall ability level was far flatter - every single one of the players was decent.

As a result, most of the BAG Guild members were totally outclassed.

Danny fought off three opponents at once with his mid-tier roll, a pickaxe.

Steven dashed throughout the team, protecting as many players as he could.

Owen's Belcher provided wave after wave of covering fire, knocking away the storm of attackers.

Unfortunately, they had no time to spare for Jason. They had their hands full with protecting the BAG Guild's weak members.

Jason was on his own.

Somehow, he'd have to close the gap and attack the bazooka Mech. The scenario clearly showcased the benefit of a tankier build. If the Red Minerva got ambushed by an artillery Mech, Jason would be doomed. Here, he could charge through the gunfire, however...

Yet a third Mech stepped forward, leaping down from the roof of the space station to protect its ally. This jet black machine looked like a knight, and it carried a long sword.

Jason's eyes widened.

Now, he knew where his enemies were coming from.

Shit.

They'd hidden on top of the space station. They'd dropped down as soon as Jason and his team appeared.

It was the perfect ambush.

Why were they even here?

Had they gone for the BAG Guild on purpose?

Were they just lurking to attack anybody who walked by?

The questions swirled through Jason's mind. The enemy's plot was completely surprising.

Unfortunately, there was no time to think.

The two Mechs attacked together. Their coordination was exceptional. The knight at the front hacked and slashed as the artillery unit in the back supported it with missile launchers. The attacks peppered his machine's armor.

This Mech was tough, but it wouldn't last forever. On top of that, losing armor actively impacted his ability to make future attacks.

Jason quickly calculated his options, then nodded.

This would do the trick.

As the knight Ace surged forward, Jason bent low again.

He clotheslined the other Mech, slamming his arm against the enemy machine's chest to halt their momentum. He twisted around twice, then threw the enemy as hard as he could straight at the satellite.

At the last second, he empowered his hand to increase his throwing strength.

Earlier, Jason had discovered that he could not transfer strength towards thrown items. However, he could use the strength transfer to increase the power of his throw.

The Mech slammed straight into the satellite.

Players could not destroy terrain maintained by the Overdrive Corporation in battle. An electric barrier protected areas like the satellite.

However, those barriers were not meant to be used as weapons. Normally, Mechs would bounce off without problems if they touched the barrier lightly.

In this case, the knight was hurled towards the satellite at full strength.

Sparks flew through the air as the machine exploded.

BANG!

Unfortunately, Jason had two opponents.

There was nothing he could have done about it, but focusing on the knight gave the other artillery Mech a chance to strike.

The Mech fired its bazooka again.

Jason jerked his controls, but his machine was too slow. Even worse, the shot blasted off the Vampire Brawler's leg.

Jason tsked.

He wasn't comfortable enough with this machine yet.

The low responsiveness was an issue. Even worse, he was unfamiliar with the armor. He didn't know how much damage his machine could safely take without losing a part.

The veteran pilot shrugged off losing the limb and aimed his harpoon.

Twang!

The weapon streaked through the air, and the slowfooted artillery Mech couldn't dodge in time. The sharpened edge penetrated the enemy's armor.

After that, Jason activated the winch attachment, which automatically pulled the two machines together.

As the rope yanked Jason forward, he shifted for a low tackle, emulating the moves he'd seen Vincent use at the Good Game Shoppe.

Bang!

His Mech's shoulder turned bright red as he slammed straight through the artillery machine. After getting into zero range, Jason shifted his style to emulate the Dehua pilot.

He transferred strength into his arms and grabbed the artillery Mech before squeezing as hard as he could.

The enemy machine was heavily armored, but Jason's empowered Mech was stronger. Eventually, he raised the machine over his head and blasted through the cockpit with the machinegun attachments.

After that...

He flew towards the remaining opponents hiding on the roof.

It was time to take the fight straight to the enemy!