Modern Age Online

Kaleb thought the sight of dozens upon dozens of Players would look more impressive. Instead, they looked like a loose mob of weirdly dressed thugs. He was reminded of his first day in the game when the streets of his neighborhood were filled with fighting Supers. That had been impressive. Now, the mass of people outside the Brute Clan's gate looked more like apocalyptic raiders. Most of their armor was mismatched and oddly colored. Combined with the flashy powers on display from some of them made it an ugly viewing experience.

The lack of matching also told Kaleb that the group of Players wasn't a Guild or Legion. Instead, it was just a group of yahoos rushing to take something that wasn't theirs. This was proven when the three lead Players rushed the gate guards like idiots. Relying on their powers to pull them through, the three Players were quickly overwhelmed by the Lizard's sheer strength. Kaleb heard Aqwen shout something at the two guards outside the fence, finished their grisly work and then rushed inside the gate.

"There's a forum post that says there's a unique item in the mansion. Along with a pretty shitty doctored photo. Most aren't buying it. But a few are claiming it's true." Claire said as she navigated her menus.

"I don't suppose we could live stream and show that there isn't?" Kaleb asked.

Two Gun and Claire gave him a deadpan look before they returned to look through the metal fence's bars. They had pushed their way around the mass of Brute clan lizards. They were all huddled at behind the gate, grasping their weapons and waiting patiently. Kaleb recognized both his own work and that of Terrance and Marie in the lizard's weapons and armor. He saw a few carbon copies of Shocky interspersed between the lizards, too. They were bigger, of course, but Kaleb recognized his work. Even if he hadn't built them. He raised an eyebrow at Roy and nodded to the nearest example of his shield.

"Huh? Oh, Marie wanted an original design for a shield. So I gave her your old Shocky blueprint. She changed it quite a bit. But it came out looking great, and it even has the same stunning attack."

Kaleb hummed good-naturedly and mentally made a note to update his own Shocky. His shield hadn't seen much use lately and probably needed an update.

"Another thing for the list." Kaleb thought as he glanced up at the few flyers hovering above the mob of Players.

They had done a few sweeps of the grounds, but none of them had landed yet. Some even locked eyes with Kaleb and the others. But they didn't seem alarmed at their presence. Which Kaleb thought was weird. But then he remembered Shaggy's Legion also helped the Brute Clan with defense occasionally. Were they being mistaken for Legion mobs? That made little sense. Players stood out. Always. At least, in Kaleb's opinion.

His thoughts were broken when a purple alien flying in the sky suddenly dashed down at them.

"Pick off the weak ones first!" The player shouted as he was followed by a few of his friends.

To Kaleb's surprise, the flyers were swooping right now on him and the others. Two Gun's pistols were up in the blink of an eye and blue laser fire ripped into the air. One of the flyers veered away immediately. But the other two kept moving. One hit Claire square in the chest and instantly died. The sound of his neck snapping echoed in Kaleb's ears as he was picked up by the purple bastard and flown straight up. For a few seconds, Kaleb's mind wrestled with being considered one of the weaker ones in the crowd of Brute Clan lizards. Then his captor squeezed him around his chest with his arms.

Kaleb's purple captor barely glanced at him as he swooped up and continued squeezing. Moving as fast as he could, Kaleb slammed his cybernetic palm against the purple Player's face and growled.

"Weak one my ass, prick."

"Wait, you're a- ARGH!"

The alien's words were drowned out as Kaleb activated the repulsor in his palm right on the Player's cheek. The beam of energy immediately seared into the alien's face and he screamed bloody murder as Kaleb felt them dropping. Apparently, the alien's flight took a bit of concentration. Either that or Kaleb had downed the guy in one shot. But the dude's grip was still solid, so Kaleb assumed he was still alive. Even as his face was being cooked.

The two of them plummeted back toward the grassy front yard of mansion and Kaleb could see a few of the Brute Clan clearing space. Making a mental note to build some of Roy's hover boots, Kaleb did his best to angle the alien's body toward the ground. The Player had stopped screaming and passed out from the pain of Kaleb's attack. But since he didn't turn into cubes, Kaleb figured the asshole was still alive. Getting the other player's body under him, he curled up as best he could. Using the other guy's body as a cushion.

"This is going to hurt!" Kaleb screamed as the ground got closer.

Then a green missile jumped through the air and snatched Kaleb from the side of the purple alien. Claire's slim arms cradled him as she brought her legs up and braced for landing. She landed with her feet shoulder width apart and grunted heavily as she arrested Kaleb's momentum as best she could. He was still shaken, but it was better than being pancaked. Claire set him down just in time for Kaleb to see his attacker's body being swarmed by lizards. He didn't think the guy was still alive, but the axes, hammers, and swords of the Brute Clan made sure he wasn't.

"My hero!" Kaleb grinned, looking up at Claire.

The thin woman smiled before striking a pose. "What can I say? It's all part of the job."

Their little play was interrupted by the sounds of fighting and Two Gun's voice screaming over the crowd.

"They're charging! Get over here!"

Kaleb smiled up at Claire again before he drew his Cybar and raced toward the gate. The mass of brute clan lizards had shifted again. This time, all the shield wielding ones were pushed up front and it didn't take long to see why. The sea of Players were tossing every ranged attack they could through the massive gate. Fireball, icicle spears, spikes of bone, and even the blast of energy weapons crashed into the first line of lizards. But the massive lizards didn't even budge under the onslaught. From behind the line of shields, Two Gun and Roy were returning fire as best they could. Even a few lizards were tossing metal spears at their attackers.

"Really need to get them some energy weapons." Kaleb complained as he joined in the shooting.

"Survive first, son." Two Gun chuckled as he popped up between two large lizards and fired.

Kaleb nodded at the old man's back and drew his Sun Gun and fired blindly. The mass of Players weren't pushing closer. Instead, they sat back and waited for the lizard's shield to buckle. Which Kaleb was glad to see was taking a while. All gear wore down eventually, but Kaleb found that crafted items were just that little bit tougher. So all his gear was built to last. Of course, that's when he noticed one of the lizard's shield heating up. One player was focusing a stream of fire out of his hands and hitting the same lizard over and over.

Kaleb took aim and unleashed a few shots into the Mage Player. But his shield flared to life and absorbed Kaleb's shots. It did have the benefit of breaking the Mage's concentration though. That was all the time Aqwen needed to shout another command at her lizards.

"SWITCH!"

"HUA!!"

Her orders were met with a thunderous cry of from the mass of lizards and Kaleb was swept aside. The front line of shield bearers fell back as a new line of lizards took their position. These ones also had shields, and they slipped into position with practiced ease. A groan rose from the mass of Players and Kaleb grinned. All the damage the Players had done was now gone. They were going to have rush the gate or attempt to wear down this second set of shields.

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A meager war cry rose up from the Players as a few more choose the former. Kaleb was ready to watch the idiots get shot to hell. But instead, Aqwen raised a hand and pointed to a set of lizards at the gate. He, Two Gun, and Roy were waved off from shooting the oncoming Players as the Brute Clan lizards grinned. Kaleb shared a confused look with Two Gun, but Claire was hopping in place. The giantess shook out her hands as she explained.

"Their going to let a few through." She said as quietly as was possible.

Kaleb turned to see the twenty or so Players screaming and running at the gate. A few had claws for hands now, while other's fists were wrapped in different colors of power. These were obviously the more physical Supes. But Kaleb couldn't figure out why they would chance it. Then he sniffed the air, and he remembered who he was standing amongst. The Brute Clan's bloodlust had been triggered, and they wanted something to beat on.

The Players got within ten feet of the gate before Aqwen gave the signal for it to be opened. The metal gate swung open with surprising speed and the Players were momentarily caught off guard. But they quickly righted themselves and charged through. They were aiming for the front line of shield-bearers, but Aqwen gave a quick hissing signal. Suddenly the front line, as one, fell to one knee and a roar of challenge rose from the lizards. The Players were face to face with the shield lizards when the second rank jumped over their compatriots and started hacking into the Players.

Kaleb wasn't surprised to see Claire leap with them a half-second behind. But the tactic still worked. As the two lizards at the gate hurried to close it, the few Players that made it in were quickly overwhelmed and beaten into cubes. He wanted to attribute the win to his weapons, but Kaleb was sure it was mostly the sheer brutality of the lizard clans. They were ruthless as they defended their home. Kaleb and the others got a few shots in as best they could, but the fight was over as soon as it began.

The brute lizards finished their work and then shifted back into their positions with a barked order from Aqwen. More Players had rushed the gate though, and they were now pressing their arms and faces through it. A few were even bending the bars as they pushed their way through. Kaleb and Two Gun opened fire as the lizards got their formation back under control. Kaleb was sure it was going to turn into a melee at any minute. But Aqwen had one final surprise. The female lizard gave a sharp whistle and dozens of humans and aliens poured into the street outside the gate.

Kaleb blinked in confusion as the surrounding lizards made aggravated noises. A few even fell out of formation as they watched the melee happening on the other side of the gate. Kaleb studied the newcomers as the fight dragged on. He spotted several pale skinned aliens and humans flitting about the place as they fought the Players. Alongside them were massive aliens and humans that knew how to throw their weight around. There were also some mundane thugs in the mix as well, and Kaleb couldn't wipe the confusion from his face.

"The Legion's support." Aqwen's voice said near his ear.

Kaleb snapped around to see the female lizard watching the fight with a barely contained sneer. He raised an eyebrow at the look before waving a hand at the ongoing fight.

"If you hate their presence so much, why did you call them in?"

"I appreciate their presence. It's their fighting methods I have a problem with. They're skilled brawlers, but nothing more. Even their vampires know little of subterfuge. Just getting them to agree to wait for my signal was like training wolves not to eat sheep."

"An apt comparison." Kaleb said as he watched the mob Players be cubed.

The Legion's thugs were just as ruthless as the Brute Clan had been. But Kaleb could see what Aqwen was talking about. The Legion's people fought like gangsters, not soldiers. You hit your target as hard as you could and moved on, hoping you had enough energy for the next fight. Even the pale vampires were spending far too much time drinking their victims rather than fight.

Aqwen hissed in disgust before she turned away. "Clean everything up. Make sure the Legion gets its cut and then report to the healing tent! Move!"

Kaleb sighed as the adrenaline started to leave his body. He had expected the fighting to go on for quite a while longer. Although he didn't doubt the Players would be back. They thought the mansion held a unique item. They were going to come in droves now. The Brute Clan were skilled fighters, but the Players were endless. Kaleb felt like he had to help them out somehow.

His thoughts were broken up as the gate creaked open again and a few Brute Lizards rushed into the dwindling melee. Probably to slake the rest of their bloodlust. Studying the gate and the fence attached to it, Kaleb missed Rhot's arrival at his side. The massive lizard slapped him on the shoulder, nearly sending Kaleb tumbling into the ground.

"Once again, your weapons helped us seize victory!" Rhot crowed.

Kaleb coughed as he ignored the pain in his shoulder. "I think it was more Aqwen's orders and your clan mate's experience."

"All part of the whole, sure. But an army is nothing without its weapons."

Kaleb gave the enormous lizard a half-smile as he looked around for the others. Roy and Two Gun were watching the conversation with interest. But Claire had run off again. Kaleb found her amongst the dying Players happily beating the snot out of those who remained. Rhot followed his gaze and chuckled.

"She is fierce."

"That's an understatement." Two Gun smirked. Turning to Kaleb, he added. "We need to get back topside. The raid could start at any minute and Jar-lock just posted on the guild forum. He thinks they found our face-snatcher."

Kaleb groaned as he looked around. "I can't just leave, Two Gun. The Players could be back at any moment."

"Prof, you've seen how well these lizards can fight. I don't think you have to worry."

"Yeah, but we're talking about Players! If we don't nip this in the bud, it could grow out of control. If that happens, we'll lose a portion of our staff at the hangar. The Brute Clans will probably scatter again if the Players actually win this fight."

Two Gun grunted, but apparently had no argument. Instead, the old man shrugged his shoulder and sighed. Roy, on the other hand, seemed to shuffle with excitement.

"So we're staying?"

"You and I are. Yes. We need to increase this place's defenses. Once I'm satisfied with that, we'll rush back topside."

"You'll miss the first massive Raid of the game, Professor." Two Gun said.

Kaleb shrugged. "Meh, I didn't get into this game to Raid. I just want to have fun and build stuff."

"We'll need materials to build stuff, Doc." Roy interjected.

Kaleb paused at that. He was sure there was some spare metal beyond the gate. But for what he had planned, they needed some specialty items. He was plotting another run on the K-Tech dumpsite when Rhot practically jumped into his eyeline.

"MY LAB!"

Kaleb blinked. "What?"

"I have a lab! It'll have everything you'll need, I'm sure of it."

Kaleb tried to keep the pity out of his smile as he nodded at Rhot. The huge lizard was a nice guy and seemed excited to learn more about what Kaleb did. But Kaleb wasn't sure what a lab stocked by Brute Clan lizards would look like. Judging by the looks on Roy and Two Gun faces, neither of them held out much hope either. But Kaleb didn't want to seem rude.

"Sure, Rhot. You show us your lab and I'll make a list of things we are missing. Okay?"

"Oh, you won't be missing anything, Professor."

Kaleb gave Rhot a strained smile as Two Gun tipped his hat at them and wandered off toward his wife. Kaleb and Roy were left with an excitable Rhot who was bodily dragging them toward the northern wall. Trying to put on a brave face, Kaleb braced himself for what he was going to see.