Mod Superhero (Book 4 STUB on JULY 30th)

Chapter 4.52 - Grudge Match

Mod stood on the edge of the smoldering wreckage of the blast. The water all around the blast zone had been vaporized and now was surging violently back.

Mod glared across the block at the armored mage. The fish-man chattered wildly, already casting another spell. Two other mages stood on nearby rooftops, surrounded by barricades of ice.

Arsenal circled around overhead, firing kinetic blasts. Their ice barricades spread to block the shots.

Arsenal groaned in irritation. "If they stay where they are, maybe they're dumb enough to wall themselves in."

Mod glanced across the blocks to the North, where McGuire and the rest of their team were. The last military helicopter was flying away and hopefully their friends would follow. Mod knew McGuire and the others would want to help, but it was too dangerous for them. The mages were harnessing the remnants of their crystalline magic, and now the rest of the Deep Ones were swarming their way.

Mod took off running across the rooftops, straight toward the mages.

It was time to finish this.

"Uh, Mod..."

"What, Arsenal?"

"The waves are surging this way."

Mod glanced across the city as he ran. The tide was coming toward Mod and Arsenal—back out to sea. Except the Deep Ones weren't retreating or calling off the battle. The horde of fish-men soldiers were riding the waves and staring at Mod.

Mod increased his pace to an all-out sprint. They had to take out the mages before the swarm got to them.

"Keep them distracted," Mod said. "I'll be there in a few seconds."

As soon as he said that, the two other mages leapt off their roofs, leaving only the most powerful mage behind. Mod could barely see the fish-man beneath the crystalline armor it wore.

"Arsenal, can you see what those two mages are up to?"

"Yeah, they're riding a wave—moving very fast."

"My way?"

"I don't think so. They're heading toward the blast zone. Want me to keep an eye on them or support you?"

"Keep on them. I got this guy."

Mod didn't care how much more powerful this one uber mage was than the others. It was a one-on-one fight, and there was no way it was tougher than the monstrosity he just blew up.

Mod switched his rifle's firing mode. He shouldered it and fired without slowing his pace.

A wall of ice appeared in front of the mage, so fast that it seemed to blink into existence. Mod's kinetic shots chipped away at the ice, but the barrier seemed to reform as quickly as he shot it.

Worse, the mage used this against Mod, by turning some of the shards into icicles and hurling them back at him. Mod ducked and sidestepped as he ran. Even moving as fast as he was, it felt like the icicles were moving in slow motion—he had his new brain upgrade to thank for that.

As Mod got closer, the looming storm cloud descended until it settled on the block like a swirling fog. TINA had fed Mod images of ice build-up on the heavy drone. It felt like the mage was trying to do the same thing now, but Mod didn't have the same weakness as a drone made of metal alloy. Between his supersuit, his skin, the extra nanites, and the ice-resistant mutagen in his body, the subzero cloud wasn't nearly as much a concern.

But even with all his bonuses, Mod still felt the chill seeping into him. It was the first time he could remember feeling cold in months.

He could push through the discomfort, but the cold was enough to cause his rifle's firing mechanisms to stutter. Mod leapt to the side to avoid a volley of icicles, and let his rifle hang at his side. He pulled a sonic grenade out of his belt and a cluster of smoke bombs out of his arm compartment, then hurled all of them at the mage.