Chapter 21 : Reinforcements

[Author note : New Iron Lad squib chapter. I don't really know what else to say today, so…

If you're interested in my stories or want to encourage me, please check out my Patréon : https://www.patréon.com/user?u=66371596 (replace the é by a normal e) or look for Cathbel on their website

KoSP : 2 advanced chapters

The Squib who became Iron Lad... In DC : 3 advanced chapters

AoH : Prologue + 6 chapters (exclusive)

MoH : 8 chapters (Exclusive)

VOG : 6 chapters (exclusive)

Enjoy and please tell me what you think of it !]

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A beautiful woman with a bluish skin color and clad in a extremely form-fitting, latex-like purple attire adjusted her custom tactical helmet before glancing over her shoulder :

« Hurry it up, Winston ! Ned's in trouble ! »

The gorilla with glasses was fiddling with the drones when he sighed and answered :

« I know, sister ! I'm just as worried as you are but… » He sighed once more. « … Unlike you, I've never done any of this ! Much less gone up against a witch of Circe's caliber… There's a reason she's considered a Goddess ! »

Mel shouldered her rifle and nodded :

« Of course. Her ego ! I plan on taking her down a peg or two. Did you finish with the shield generators ? »

The gorilla's massive frame was shaken when Winston shrugged his shoulders. From the worktable, he heaved the Tesla cannon and strapped it to his back. Their father had worked a very long time to design, build and tweak their bodies and weapons. For some reason, the young squib had kept to their holographic/illusion scheme when he did. Moreover, he also created weapons and equipments for them !

For Winston, Rocket boots and shoulder-mounted back rockets which allowed him to jump far and high, as well as fly. Shield generators able to protect from energy, physical and even magical damage, including a personal one on his body. Finally, the Tesla cannon ! A true marvel of engineering that was turned into a tool of death and destruction. From a relatively close range, Winston could use the cannon to fire arcs of lightning in front of him, hurting everyone in the vicinity (except him since he was insulated). And for a longer range, the cannon doubled as a rail gun ! He just had to put in the secondary magazine and switch the small wheel on the side…

As for Mel… Well, she was even more impressive ! Her helmet, with its numerous red lenses allowed her to not only zoom in, but gave her night vision, heat imaging, X-ray… Even a few others Winston had no idea if they would be useful like sonar imaging… She could conjure a great number of steel cables that she could use to either, move around, lay traps or simply binds targets. She was also equipped with poisoned stingers and bombs. Finally, her lower half could morph in order to give her an Arachne-like body. Theoretically, Ned hoped it would help her move around undetected, on any surface.

Finally, there was her rifle. Although it functioned much like a normal rifle, it was enchanted to increase the kinetic energy it generated when fired. Moreover, the hammer was used to carve enchantments on the bullets it fired. Enchantments that Mel, as the weapon's user, could change depending on the need. Ned made it this way since it would be too annoying to enchant every individual bullets. Sure, he could probably make a machine to do it for him, but he might as well do it this way. After all, it offered Mel with a measure of unpredictability. Among the enchantments types, they were non-lethal ones, such as turning the metal into rubber with a stunning enchantment or, Ned's personal favorite and one he considered his masterpiece : the phasing bullet. Designed to phase through obstacles and armor, it could presumably hit and injure or kill anyone. There were also others, like curving bullets or fragmentation ones…

Winston nodded when he was satisfied with his work.

« Alright ! I am ready ! »

Mel sighed :

« Finally ! »

She climbed on his shoulder. The big hulking gorilla would act as her shuttle until they reached their destination !

* * * * *

As Ned decided to buy some time for Mel and Winston to arrive, the trio fought against the immortal witch. Supergirl and Silver Lad kept a distance, while the amazon got up close and personal. Despite their advantage in number, Circe kept them on their toes. While defending against Wonder Woman's sword and shield, she fired a number of unknown spell towards either Ned or Supergirl.

Although he couldn't tell what they were, his sensors told him of their dark nature. So, Ned advised Supergirl to dodge and he did as well. He couldn't assume that his shielding enchantments would protect him against the witch's spells. After all, beyond the Unforgivable, there were a number of ways to bypass or destroy them. If he recalled correctly, Snape's self-made dark spell Sectumsempra ignored or cut through the protego spell without problem for example.

Given Circe's experience and mastery over magic, not even considering where her powers came from, he couldn't afford to be careless.

Oddly enough, the trio had a rather decent teamwork. Wonder Woman used her godly-forged shield to protect them on occasion from spells they couldn't avoid, while Supergirl either used her heat vision, icy breath or simply flung debris created by their fight to divert the witch's attention. Ned did much the same : when the other two women defended or couldn't press forward for some reason, he pitched in with a photon, stunning or exploding spell.

That's when it went downhill. With a powerful wave of telekinetic energy, Circe pushed back the amazon who crashed into a pillar. Then, as she raised and clenched a fist, Supergirl found herself bound by magical ropes that appeared and tightened around her. Finally, she pointed one finger at Ned who was looking at his teammates in worry…

Ned lost consciousness.

* * * * *

His mistress was struggling. He could feel it ! Her enemies, the vain heretical warrior women were once again trying to imprison her. He could not and would not let it ! So, he raised his large, lion-ish head and roared in defiance before charging toward the closest warrior. He jumped, his strength amplified by his mistress' powers and tackled the gladiator clad woman into the pillar she fell against.

He roared unintelligibly, swearing to protect his mistress and slaying her enemies. It seemed to please his mistress if her beautiful, crystal-like laugh was any indication. So, the Beastman felt emboldened, his strength and motivation rising to an all-time high. Thanks to the armor his mistress had gifted him, his strikes fell heavily, rattling the enemy's inside and opening her flesh, spilling the crimson fluid of her life out.

However, his foe was not to be trifled with ! In-between two of his strikes, she found the opportunity to shield bash him in his mane-covered head with such strength that it pushed him backward. As he slowly recovered from the hit, he heard his enemy trying to speak to him. Whether it was a taunt or something else, the Beastman didn't know. In fact, he simply did not care !

Just as he was about to charge toward his opponent once more, he found himself unable to move. Slender, pale arms were wrapped around his shoulder in a vice like grip. The girl who restrained him tried to talk as well, but she wasn't making any sense.

Not only were his mistress' enemies heretical, they possessed no intelligence. Slaying them for his mistress was a mercy. He struggled for a while and re-doubled his efforts when he saw the gladiator woman rush back to try and harm his mistress. He jumped back to flatten the person who was holding him… And found himself safely floating in the air, too far from any surface and incapable of doing anything more.

He despaired and asked himself what kind of demon possessed such strength and powers ! He didn't notice the two new enemies that had just arrived in his mistress' palace, nor did he the projectile that impacted him square in-between his brows…

* * * * *

Supergirl was rattled as she felt the Silver Lad fall limp in her arms. She'd heard and seen the bullet fly toward them but, surprised as she was by the unfolding situation, she wasn't able to react… Despite her Kryptonian speed and reflexes under the yellow sun. Truth was, she'd been wondered what to do with the Silver Lad now that he'd been cursed by the witch.

Curses and witches. Two things she never believed she'd ever had to deal with… Much less on the first day when she took on the cape. If it weren't for the young man, she'd probably be dead by now. And now…

As she looked to where the bullet came from she saw… another of Circe's beastman. A gorilla wearing high-tech armor. As well as a voluptuous woman, with many red eyes and the lower half of a spider hanging upside down from the ceiling. The rifle in her hands clued Supergirl in as to who shot the Silver Lad. But, why ? Did she miss the Girl of Steel somehow ? Then, a cultured voice rang out, coming from the gorilla.

Winston adjusted his glasses as he eyed his father and spoke :

« Your aim is incredible, sister. However, I have… reservations about the way you handled things. »

The spider woman's helmet opened up revealing a beautiful face, and as she shouldered her rifle once more, she answered the gorilla with a sensual, french-accented voice :

« He was an idiot for getting himself cursed. What was I to do ? We can't reverse it right now ! » Silence, then : « Dans ma ligne de mire… »

Another shot was fired. Just as the amazon was getting thrown back once more by the witch, the bullet reached its target. The witch's shield spell stopped the bullet, but the latter hadn't finished bleeding out its momentum. With a grinding noise, it dug inside the shield just as another shot rang out.

Circe focused on her protection since she felt the enchantments on the bullet to be… mildly dangerous. It wouldn't kill her. Perhaps it wouldn't even injure her… But it would hurt. And pain was something she disliked. The thought of something like this… puppet hurting her, angered her.

« Ah ! » She unleashed a blast of telekinetic energy with her as the epicenter.

Training her eyesight on the puppet, she narrowed her eyes.

« Merde ! » Mel swore.

She used her steel wire to swing herself to the left, just as a curse crashed into her former position. Meanwhile, Winston, who had just finished checking on the metamorphosed form of Silver Lad, retrieved an impressive weapon from his back.

He yelled « Coming through. » and leaped up in the witch's direction, landing not far from her. Then, his canon unleashed lightning on the witch.

At the moment, Circe's shield was down so she felt the full brunt of the gorilla's attack. Gritting her teeth, she prepared a spell to tear the despicable machine… Just as she was about to, the side of her head was hit strongly by a flying shield. The goddess, despite her magic and power, felt her consciousness slip.

Just as they saw her body slowly falling, everything around them distorted. A second later, the two robots, the amazon, the Kryptonian and the unconscious, transformed body of Ned were standing in the subway.

Supergirl looked around her and commented :

« Well, that happened ! » She shook her head and exclaimed : « Just wait till I tell Kal ! He's not going to believe it ! »